Milwaukee Brewers: Is the playoff chase over?

Any hope the Milwaukee Brewers had of winning the division were dashed when Addison Russell hit a three-run homer off of Cardinals starter Michael Wacha. The Chicago Cubs are the NL Central division champs for 2017. Can the Brewers still make the post season or is it time to pack it in for the winter?

There’s even more bad news than just the Chicago Cubs clinching the division. The Colorado Rockies also won on Wednesday night. This means that the Milwaukee Brewers are 2 1/2 games out of the second Wild Card, and the elimination number is down to two.

Can the Brewers still earn a Wild Card berth?

Mathematically speaking, yes! The margin of error is almost zero, but the Milwaukee Brewers can still reach the post season. The Rockies have three games remaining and would have to lose all three. The Brewers have four games remaining and have to win out to take the Wild Card or win three and lose one to force a tie. Those are the odds the Brew Crew is currently facing to make the post season.

Is there anything to feel good about right now?

Absolutely! The Brewers are still technically in the race. Stranger situations have occurred in the final days of the season, and this isn’t over just yet. It’s close. A ‘Colorado Springs Brewers’ lineup is in play for both Saturday and Sunday, but we’re not there just yet.

Also, this season has been fantastic. Remember last March when the Milwaukee Brewers were predicted to lose 90+ games? That sure didn’t happen. The current roster has exactly two key players who are over 31-years old. The Brewers exceeded everyone’s expectations in what was supposed to be a ‘rebuilding year.’ Keep in mind that Milwaukee still has a very deep farm system with reinforcements on the way. They also have a glut of outfielders that could end up in other cities by Spring Training.

Have the Brewers ever had a more trustworthy manager / general manager combo than they do right now? GM David Stearns has shown that he can cultivate a roster and build a team. Manager Craig Counsell has proven that he can manage a pitching staff, understands match ups, and found a functional offense out of a team that has a lot of spare parts. The results aren’t quite there yet, but it’s clear that the leadership is in place.

Next: How did Craig Counsell come to manage the Brewers?

The Cubs are the class of the NL Central, but the Milwaukee Brewers aren’t as far off as they were last October. Would it shock anyone if they won the Wild Card or challenged for the division next year?