Brewers Must Beat the Cardinals

The Brewers sit in first place with a two game lead over the Cardinals as they open this weekend's series in St Louis. They're 4-5 against them this year, actually a pretty good record considering their overall abysmal results against them since they lost the NLCS to St Louis in 2011 (2012: 6-9, 2013: 5-14). The Pirates sit just another half game behind the Cardinals, but if recent history holds true, Milwaukee's true danger lies south.

If the Brewers want to win the NL Central and make the playoffs while avoiding the Wild Card play-in (crap-shoot) game, they need to improve their results against their most bitter of rivals. The Cardinals made a couple of trades, including the bold move that brought them John Lackey, to strengthen their team before the trade deadline. One has to assume they'll play quality baseball to close the season; their track-record suggests they will. To make it to October the Brewers not only need to be better than they have been over the previous couple of months, they'll need to beat the Cardinals-- preferably often and repeatedly.

Reflections on the Brewers Postseason

Yes, the Brewers season ended about as disappointingly as possible, limping through the NLCS and losing to the division rival St. Louis Cardinals in six games. Even worse, the games they lost, aside from Gallardo's start against Carpenter, weren't even close, with a run differential of 10-31. The Cardinals all but destroyed the Brewers' pitching and the Crew's hitters somehow never cracked Tony La Russa's bullpen.

Do or Die For the Wolfman

The Brewers fell to the Cardinals two games to one yesterday after their bats couldn't quite overcome a deficit created by what can only be termed a horrible first inning. Moving on, the Brewers send Randy Wolf to the mound tonight versus Kyle Lohse for game four. Wolf comes off one of his worst starts of the year when he threw three innings of seven run ball in game four of the NLDS. Lohse, on the other hand, has not thrown since game one of the NLDS in which he allowed six runs (five earned) in 5.1 innings.

Playoff Hopes Starting to Come into Focus

The Brewers still have 39 regular season games left, but after winning 18 of their last 20 games and opening a seven game lead in the NL Central, murmurings of the Crew making the playoffs are growing. Granted, of those 39 games they play the Cardinals six times. If the Cardinals sweep both series they would reduce the seven game lead to one. That's highly unlikely, considering how the Brewers have played as of late, along with this season's record between the two, but it's still possible. Indeed, there are still too many games left in the season for me to feel comfortable expecting the Brew Crew to make the postseason, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't started thinking about the distinct possibility, even probability, that they win the division.

The Most Important Series of the Year

Forty seven games remain in the Brewers' season. Although, in the end, every game plays into a team's record with just as much weight as any other, none are more important than the three that begin in St. Louis tonight. Beginning with last week's series vs the Cardinals in Milwaukee, games between the two rivals now take on a playoff atmosphere in what's become a two team race in the NL Central. Winning two games of this series will have a large impact on the fortunes of either team, both mentally and in the standings. The Brewers enter the series with a chance to improve their lead from three games to six, while the Cardinals could close the gap with a sweep. Last week's series became quite heated, and I expect nothing less from these next three games. Outside of the actual postseason, these games represent the beginning of the best baseball has to offer: two division rivals on hot streaks, high intensity and competition, battling it out for what could make the ultimate difference in their seasons at a point when the playoffs seem a real possibility. Let the pennant race continue.

Tony La Russa Roots For the Brewers

Last week the Cardinals made a trade to bolster their starting rotation and bullpen. In doing so they certainly improved their pitching staff, though that improvement came at a large cost as they sent their young slugging center fielder, Colby Rasmus, to the Blue Jays. I have to wonder if the Cardinals couldn't have made similar improvements without losing someone who could have become a centerpiece of their lineup in seasons to come. Rasmus has had his ups and downs over his time in the majors, but most scouts believe he's the real deal and one (tweeted by Buster Olney) said: "I think Rasmus has a chance to be a star. I don't understand that deal at all." At center field, such a commodity should be kept at nearly any cost.

Brewers Cap Strong Road Trip With Decisive Victory Over Marlins

A strong outing by Zack Greinke and a three-run bomb by Prince Fielder sealed a four game sweep of the Marlins in Florida. After dropping two of three in Cincinnati, the Brewers now return home to host the Mets having silenced any doubts about their ability to win on the road. If you're a Brewers fan, you're feeling pretty good about the team right now. They're still 1.5 games back of the Cardinals (who come to Milwaukee this weekend), but their 34-26 record places them alongside the best teams in the Majors. The Brew Crew has been on a tear lately, even with essentially no offensive contribution from the five spot in Casey McGehee, who has been killing rallies for what's starting to feel like forever.

Gallardo Ends Skid in True Ace Fashion

For the second time this season Yovani Gallardo took the mound and acted as a true ace. On a day when Justin Verlander threw the second no-hitter of his career, Gallardo took his own into the eighth inning vs the Cardinals and ended the Brewers losing streak at seven games. All told he threw 118 pitches over eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and four walks with six strikeouts. Backed by strong performances by Casey McGehee (3-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI) and Carlos Gomez (2-3, 2B, 3B, BB, 2 RBI), Gallardo pitched brilliantly, his only hit a weak ground ball up the middle by Daniel Descalso (???) that barely slipped past a diving Craig Counsell.

Two of Four in Atlanta and Two of Three in St. Louis Would Salvage Road Trip

A seemingly tall order, especially after yesterday's loss, but it just might be possible. After a disappointing series in Houston in which miscues and a non-existent offense led to a series loss, strong performances in Atlanta and St. Louis might just lead to success on this road trip. The Braves have not been playing well, though they'll certainly put up a bigger fight than when the Brewers took three of four from them in the first home stand of the season. Indeed, they'll be looking to get back on track beginning with this series against the Brewers. From their perspective yesterday was a good start. Still, I like the Crew's chances to at least split the series. The offense will come around and Zack Greinke's long awaited debut, along with the return of Nyjer Morgan, could provide a needed boost on Wednesday and Tuesday, respectively. Let's face it, for the benefits Gomez brings to a game, and, yes, he does bring benefits, the Brewers need a better hitter in the two-spot and Morgan would be a great fit.

Injury Bug Bites Brewers

Greinke: That guy's finger looks like it hurts

The injury bug bit the Brewers camp today. Jonathan Lucroy broke his right pinkie finger this morning during drills. He'll have a pin inserted in his finger tomorrow and will miss four weeks. It's uncertain as to whether he'll need to start the regular season on the DL. This must be a huge disappointment for him as it's the first spring he's entered as the Brewers full time catcher. He's bound to lose some of the time he'd have spent catching new Brewers pitchers and he'll enter the regular season with little, if any, at bats under his belt. Here's hoping he's ready for opening day.

Will the Cardinals let Albert Pujols reach free agency?

Albert Pujols tells the Cardinals that he will not continue contract extension negotiations once Spring Training begins. Albert does not like distractions during the season, so this leaves about a month to close the deal. You'd think the Cardinals would be eager to lock down what some consider to be the best all-around player of all time, but all bets are off if nothing is finalized before Spring Training begins. Here's hoping the Cardinals act foolishly and Pujols lands in a division in which the Brewers will not face him so frequently.

A more competitive NL Central in 2011

Here's an article by Anthony Castrovince about competitiveness in the NL Central in 2011. Castrovince writes that with two non-contending teams from 2010 (Brewers, Cubs) making major moves to improve their clubs (Greinke and Marcum, Garza), what on paper looked like a two horse race between the Cardinals and Reds in 2011 may instead turn out to be one of the most competitive divisions in baseball.

Today's trivia question: What was the most recent year in which the winner of the NL Central division was not decided until the final weeks of the regular season?