Brewers 9, Cubs 5: By the Numbers

The Brewers opened up the series against the Chicago Cubs tonight at Miller Park, and they did it with a big win.

There are, as is the case in many games, a number of important stories to tell. Rather than trying to spin a narrative out of competing storylines, we’re doing what baseball fans tend to do best – boil it down to the numbers. It gives us the best way to look at the scope of the game while giving equal time to everything you need to know about Milwaukee’s big win.

1 – The number of Major League wins by the Brew Crew’s starting pitcher, Mark Rogers.

Rogers came into tonight’s game as Milwaukee’s latest hard-luck hurler, but persevered through bad breaks and some big hits by the Cubs to get his first victory after a career beset by obstacle and injury. He went five and two-thirds innings, gave up three earned runs and struck out seven batters before handing the game over. It wasn’t the strongest pitching performance we’ve seen out of him, but it finally was enough for his win in The Show.

.333 – Milwaukee’s batting average with Runners in Scoring Position.

The Brewers went 3-9 with men on second and third tonight. In 2012, the team has been rather lackluster in that department with a .250 average.

2 – The number of home runs hit by Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy.

Jonathan Lucroy has barely lost his momentum since returning from a hand injury that sidelined him for most of Milwaukee’s 2012 season. Tonight he turned his offensive touch up another notch and went big fly twice against the Cubs – one of them being a three-run shot in the fifth inning that helped Milwaukee surge ahead by five runs. He had four RBIs on the day and continues to lead the team with a .328 average.

6 – The number of Runs Batted In with two outs.

Two-out RBIs are an important aspect of baseball. They extend innings, build rallies, and destroy a

pitcher’s confidence. The six runs Milwaukee was able to drive while on the last legs of an inning not only drove a stake through Chicago’s chances in Miller Park tonight, but they also bolstered their own bullpen’s efforts by giving them a more comfortable lead. A run is a run is a run, but a run with two outs adds a little something special to the story of a game.

9 – The number of different Brewers to record at least one hit.

When a team is on, it’s on. Tonight, Milwaukee was seeing the ball well and capitalizing on bad pitching, as nine of Milwaukee’s 11 batters to make at-bats registered a hit. This means – of course – more opportunities to score and more momentum heading towards the scoreboard.

40 – The number of doubles Aramis Ramirez has after tonight’s game.

Ramy is leading Major League Baseball in two-baggers after knocking another in tonight’s game. No one needs to state explicitly how important being able to take extra bases is, but no one has done it quite as effectively for Milwaukee in a long time. To give some perspective, Lyle Overbay holds Milwaukee’s higest single-season total with 53, accomplished in 2004.

8 – The number of wins Milwaukee has enjoyed over Chicago in 2012.

Tonight’s win ties Chicago with Houston as Milwaukee’s favorite target this year, going 8-3 on the season series thus far. During those 11 games, the team has scored 46 runs, again second only to the total scored against the Astros. Bad things will happen to Milwaukee were Chicago ever to join Houston in leaving the division.

However you want to crunch the numbers, they all came up in favor for Milwaukee in an exciting win for Rogers and the rest of the Brewers.

What do YOU think is the most telling stat of the night? Let us know in the comments, on Facebook, or on our Twitter feed.