Something’s brewing in Milwaukee
The trade deadline back in July was a very busy time for some teams and quiet for others. For the Milwaukee Brewers it was nothing more than a fest involving losses and low points.
The Brew Crew were in the midst of a seven-game losing streak prior to the deadline and that, it seemed, was that. On July 26 they were ten games below .500 and a daunting ten games behind the second wild-card spot in the National League.
Milwaukee weren’t looking for players as much as they were willing to sell and that happened in the form of starting pitcher Zack Greinke who departed West to the Los Angeles Angels. Although they listened to other offers, the rest of the team remained and it looks now to have been a blessing in disguise.
Milwaukee have won 20 of their last 26 games which puts them two games over .500 – unthinkable just two months ago – and only 2.5 games back in the playoff picture.
Ryan Braun, we all know the name. The leftfielder has been a major part of the Brewers offensive surge which has seen them score the most runs in the majors since that July 26 date – 266 to be precise.
Braun reached 200 career home runs last week and also achieved the 40 mark for the season. He leads the league in slugging (.602) and OPS (.989) too. If the Brewers were to reach the playoffs this season – such is the way MVP votes are cast – Braun would have to be a major contender.
Many pointed to the weakness of Milwaukee’s schedule during their incredible run, which saw them face teams who have been in decline throughout the second half of the season (namely the Cubs, Marlins, Mets and Pirates). Even so, the Pirates are still at the heart of the same race the Brewers now find themselves in and just recently they swept the AL East leading Braves before a series victory over the Cardinals, whom they are chasing in the NL wild-card.
Still, they are playoff longshots and the amount of room they have had to make up may be too much to make the postseason. However, the Brewers can take massive confidence from their surge and you never know what it may do in terms of translating into next year.
