Math (and the schedule) is on the Brewers side

As of this glorious Labor Day morning, the Brewers have a 9 1/2 game lead on the Cardinals with 21 games left to play.   Thanks in part to the teams 3rd straight sweep of the Astros (have not lost to the Astros since May 1st).  Now, I will admit that I have never been good at Math.  In fact, in college I took a course called ‘Logic and Critical Thinking’ to avoid having to take a college level math course.  Why am I sharing this with you, because for once, math appears to be my friend.

The next 7 days will be the true test of whether or not we have a World Series contender in Milwaukee.  Tonight we start our final series of the year with the Cardinals.  It will be a 3 game series, so worst case scenario is that the Brewers leave St. Louis with a 6 1/2 game lead on the division.  However, I do not believe this will be the case.  After the whooping we took last week, something tells me that our boys are pissed off and looking to give the Cards something to remember them by.  Best case scenario, we leave St. Louis with a 12 1/2 game lead with only 18 games to play.  Like I said, math is certainly our ally this month.

     Then on Thursday comes the real test.  The Philadelphia Phillies will be coming to Milwaukee for a 4 games series.  This series could very well be a NLCS preview.  If the season ended today, the NL playoff match-ups would looke like this Phillies vs. D’Backs and Brewers vs. Braves.  Which means it is quite possible that this four game series is a great opportunity to see where the Crew stands in the NL hierarchy.    The last time these two teams met, the Brewers were one run away from sweeping the Phils in Philly!!  Plus, that was back when the Brewers were playing uninspired baseball.  The team that played the Phillies back in April, is not even close to the same team they are today. 

Now, I would not have brought this to everyone’s attention without researching the Cardinals schedule.  If the Red Birds want to make a run at the Brewers, they are going to need a lot of help.  The Cards still have 3-game series’ with the Brewers, Braves, and Mets.  Not to mention that they will also have a 4-game series with the Phillies, in Philadelphia.  They also will play the Pirates, Cubs, and Astros before the season is over.  It is not going to be easy for the Cardinals to gain ground over the last 3 weeks of the season.

In retrospect, the Brewers finish the season against 5 teams below .500; Rockies, Reds, Cubs, Marlins, and our favorite punching bags the Pirates.  If the Brewers can escape the next 7 days with more than a 6 game lead, then I think this division is as good as ours.

On a side note, due to the holiday weekend we will be revealing #3 on our list of greatest Brewers mustaches on Thursday.  Then next week we will reveal #’s 2 and of course #1.  Be sure to check in for those.  If you are inside reading this, then either get outside or stay at your desk and keep working (like me).  Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Go Brewers!!