Milwaukee Brewers poor start: Don’t panic, R-E-L-A-X

Yesterday, Jeff Servi posted a story about sad-sack season starts by our beloved Milwaukee Brewers.

Today, my post adds another loss to that start, showing the Brewers at 0 and 4, last place in the National League Central and the only team in major league baseball without a victory.

Milwaukee trails front-running Cincinnati by three and one-half games as we come to the end of the 2015 season’s first week.

If the date on today’s calendar was October 1, I would be worried, but we have yet to even reach the Infernal Revenue Service’s Tax Day of April 15.

In the words of our state’s QB-1 (Aaron Rodgers), RELAX!

I did a little research and found that the Brewers began the season with a record of 0-4 or worse four times:

1984 (0-5)
2001 (0-4)
2003 (0-6)
2011 (0-4)

The first three seasons resulted in records of 67-94, 68-94, 68-94, respectively.

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The 2011 season had a far better outcome, with the Brewers finishing the regular season at 96-66 and making it as far as the NLCS before losing to St. Louis, 4-2.

In other words, anything can happen.

The first trio of teams was not very good; the bogus beginning was not an aberration, but more like a seasonal reality.

The ’84 season was the downslide of Harvey’s Wallbangers, with Don Sutton‘s 14 wins, Rollie Fingers‘ 23 saves, and average seasons from superstars Cecil Cooper and Robin Yount.

The 2001 season (with Davey Lopes in charge) had great seasons by Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz, but little else. Lopes would last only two seasons and 15 games before being replaced by former Dodger teammate Jerry Royster.

Two years later, the Brewers limped to the finish behind first-year manager Ned Yost. Sexson and Geoff Jenkins had solid years at the dish, but Ben Sheets was the only hurler to claim 11 wins.

The Brewers last advanced to the National League playoffs in 2011, and they also started the season 0-4. They would record a mark of 96-62 after that and would defeat Arizona in the NLDS before succumbing to St. Louis in six games, falling one game short of a World Series appearance.

If you were to ask me, I would say this year’s team resembles the 2011 team more than the three squads before that which began the season with four losses or more.

Starting pitchers Kyle Lohse, Wily Peralta, and Matt Garza are all solid hurlers, capable of each winning 15 or more games. Francisco Rodriguez, Jonathan Broxton, and Will Smith head a bullpen that can rack up saves in key situations.

Jonathan Lucroy, Jean Segura, Aramis Ramirez, Khris Davis, Carlos Gomez, and Ryan Braun are all expected to perform well and lead the team to a great season.

Bottom line: we have 158 games left to play. No team has ever gone 0-162 or 162-0.

Enjoy the season and RELAX!

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