Red Scare: Brewers Hopes Crushed After Being Swept in Cincinnati

With positive vibes surrounding the team after a series win against St. Louis, players on the Brewers reiterated the importance of the upcoming weekend series in Cincinnati.

Following losses in the first two games–before the Reds even completed the sweep with a 2-1 victory on Sunday–third baseman Aramis Ramirez lamented to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy that “this was the time”.

The Brewers entered the series 7.5 games back of the first-place Reds and 6.0 of the Atlanta Braves for the second Wild Card spot; now they find themselves 10.5 back and in fourth place in the division and 7.5 back with six teams ahead of them in the Wild Card standings.

“We’re in a distant fourth now, and we should be,” Ryan Braun told reporters following Sunday’s inability to capitalize on six strong innings from starterr Mike Fiers.

The offense only mustered up four runs in three games at arguably the best hitter’s park in all of baseball at Great American Ballpark and now Milwaukee has a 0.7% chance of making the Playoffs, according to Baseball Prospectus. 

If the Brewers’ status at the upcoming trade deadline was in question for General Manager Doug Melvin at the outset of the weekend, it seems to very well have been determined by the performance in Cincinnati. Trade rumors for Zack Greinke are swirling despite any one rumor seeming to possess any substantial truth behind it. Greinke is not the only Brewer that may not be in the home clubhouse at Miller Park following the July 31 trade deadline; Aramis Ramirez has been linked to reports and there is a possibility others such as Francisco Rodriguez and Shaun Marcum may also be dealt.

There are sure to be moments over the remainder of the season in which the Brewers give us a sense of hope. They may provide a short spurt up in the standings or a positive five-or-six win week, but the 2012 team does not have the firepower to explode for an entire month that the 2011 team displayed in their 21-7 August.

The Cincinnati Reds may have just put the damper on the 2012 Milwaukee Brewers season that seemed to be inevitably lingering around the team. But if that 0.7% proves me wrong, I will never have been happier to look be as humbled as I would be.