Milwaukee Brewers: 6 reasons to stay positive

The Milwaukee Brewers lost in extra innings on June 2nd, and lost after a ninth inning rally on June 3rd. These losses sucked on every level. However, the team is still in first place and there are six excellent reasons to stay positive.

6. A one-game lead is still a lead

As long as the Milwaukee Brewers are at the top of the division, no matter by how many games, they’re still in first. A one-game difference in the standings is all it takes to make it to the post season.

5. The schedule gets easier

After the current home slate against the Dodgers, the Brewers get the Giants in Milwaukee for four games. Then there’s a mini-road trip for series against the D-Backs and Cardinals. Once they return, it’s Padres, Pirates, Braves, and Marlins for the rest of the month.

4. The rest of the division isn’t that great.

The Reds may have loaded up on sluggers, but they still don’t have much in the rotation or the bullpen.

The Cardinals may still play the ‘Cardinal Way’, but they lack truly elite talent just about everywhere.

The Cubs are suffering a postseason hangover worthy of a 108-year World Series drought, and their pitching staff is incredibly thin.

The Milwaukee Brewers are in a position to contend for the division right now. Unless another team adds several pieces, that’s not going to change any time soon.

3. Domingo Santana is on a tear

We covered this here, but Brewers right fielder Domingo Santana is in the middle of one of the best stretches of his young career. He struggled early in the season, but appears to have fully broken out. There’s no reason to suspect this is a fluke. We’ve seen Santana get hot last season, but he couldn’t shake the injury bug. He’s completely healthy right now, and powering the Brewers offense.

Just wait until Braun and Thames are back and the Brewers can use all three together in the lineup.

2. None of the prospects are here yet

We’ve discussed whether top prospects like Lewis Brinson, Brandon Woodruff, and Josh Hader are ready for the Major League level yet for months. The team is still in first place and we’ve yet to see the impact of the latest group of top prospects. An infusion of young talent at the right time could propel the Brewers into the post season. Especially if Hader and Woodruff arrive to give the pitching staff a boost.

1. Jimmy Nelson and Chase Anderson

Nelson and Anderson have really stepped up their game this season. Nelson just pitched the best game of his Major League career, and Anderson has enjoyed a few stretches of excellent results this year. Add in a resurgent Matt Garza, the return of Junior Guerra, and…the, uh…continued existence of Zach Davies, and the Brewers rotation could be in very good shape for the coming months.

Next: How Are The Replacements For Thames & Braun Doing?

Losses in the late innings suck. A lot. They don’t mean that disaster is right around the corner. Almost every team has 60 games they’re going to win and 60 games they’re going to lose. What happens in the other 42 are what determines where a team’s season will go. Chalk these last two losses and two of the sixty, and get ready for the next Brewers game.