The Biggest Series in Franchise History....since 1982.

[lcbj68c]

This has to be the biggest series since 1982 for the Crew. So, let's hear your predictions. ESPN has it all screwed up. http://sports.espn.go.com...b/teams/schedule?team=phi

 

I reckon it is Moyer/Sheets, Parra/Hamels, Bush/Blanton, and Kendrick/Suppan.

 

I'll say the Brewers split with wins coming on Thursday, Friday. Blowout on national tv on Saturday and no run support on Sunday. Either way with the Cubs/Astros winners, we should pick up a game on 1 of them and head to Chicago.

[bucks2281]

I'd be just fine with Moyer pitching two days in a row http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

 

If we win Thursday and Friday, I suspect this place will be just giddy. I'll say wins on Thursday and Sunday. Suppan will have a fine start on Sunday, and the bats will come alive tomorrow night (a 9-4 victory). Parra will struggle on Friday and the Brewers will get blown out on Saturday. Needless to say, I'm very nervous, but cautiously optimistic.

[ELCABALLO45]

So Bush is going to pitch IN Citizens Bank Park ON Fox?

 

ouch.

[razzzorsharp]

I would give the advantage to Sheets, Hamels. The other two matchups are coin flips in my mind, pitching wise.

[Ennder]

I'll go against the grain and say we win 3 games as our offense explodes out of the slump.

[razzzorsharp]

Also, this is what Brewers.com have for Sunday for the Phillis...

 

Phillies: It's still uncertain who will start Sunday. Brett Myers pitched for the Phillies on Wednesday against the Marlins and said he would be willing to start on Sunday, if needed. If so, Myers would be pitching on three days' rest. The Phillies could also go with J.A. Happ. Happ had two outings for the Phillies in July, posting a 3.27 ERA before he was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he continued a successful Minor League season before being promoted to Philadelphia this month. Kyle Kendrick hasn't been ruled out, but he has struggled recently, with his last six starts yielding a 1-4 record and 11.35 ERA.

 

I really don't want to see Myers as I could see that being 8 IP 1 ER and 12 Ks.

[sbrylski]

As long as we don't get swept, we'll still exit up at least 2 games. Its important, but we could go 1-3 and still be in okay shape, albeit worse. Unless the suddenly "tied with the Phillies" Astros win stretch their 5 game streak to 9, that is.

[owbc]

I think last year's Cardinals and Braves series at the end of September was bigger than this series. Last year we were behind in the division during those series and we needed to win a few to pull it out--and if we had won two more of those games, we would have tied for the division lead.

 

Even if we get swept by the Phillies, we're still tied for the wildcard. Last year we had a 43% chance at the playoffs on September 18th which we managed to drop to 2.6% by September 23rd. That series with the Braves essentially ruined our season, while we still would have a decent chance at the playoffs (40% or so) if we got swept by the Phillies.

 

Of course, that would be disasterous. I'll be happy with a split, as long as the Astros or Cardinals don't win every game this weekend.

[brwrsfan]

We're in a weird spot now with the 3 way tie for second in the WC (too bad none of them have any games left against each other). We can all but eliminate one of those teams if we can take 3 in this series...even taking 2 makes it pretty tough on the Phillies to make a run at us (4 up with 12 to play sounds good to me)...but we really need some help from Chicago and Pittsburgh (ouch!!) to lock up the wild card this weekend).

 

Just win our own games and we'll be just fine....just win our own games....

 

13 to go.

[brewtank34]

Every series will bethe biggest in Francise history since '82....even the upcoming Cincy and Pitt games.

Sheets will win tomorrow. We'll get smoked by Hamels. I can see us losing/winning either both or one of the next two. I'll be routing for the Cubs though over Houston!!! God, I hate saying that, but it's true.

[RockCoCougars]

I hate to say it, but I'm feeling 1-3. Tomorrow should be the most winnable game, so if they lose things could go south fast. I have a bad feeling that Jenkins is going to come up big at least once....

[pretendastronaut]

I'm pretty sure Jenks is still on the DL, so he doesn't stand much for odds of coming and hurting us.

[Ennder]

I'm pretty sure Jenks is still on the DL, so he doesn't stand much for odds of coming and hurting us.

 

Right now they have a Victorino and Burrell with a mostly Werth as the last spot. He kills lefties and is just ok vs righties. They do have Stairs who can play vs righties though.

[trwi7]

I'm pretty sure Jenks is still on the DL, so he doesn't stand much for odds of coming and hurting us.

He was activated today.

[Invader3K]

I think we take at least two, but after today I am oddly optimistic that the Brewers could win three in this series.

[ELCABALLO45]

The Phillies line up is SICK.

 

I think we need to realize that this series is bigger to the Phillies then it is to the Brewers.

 

They are the team that is down 4 games to the Brewers. They are the team chasing the Mets.

 

And they are the team that if the season ended today, would be out of it.

 

Its perfect for them, its in Philly. They NEED to win this series. We need to go in there and just play relaxed and not paniced and let them beat themselfs.

[BillyRed]

The biggest Brewer series since the season ender in Baltimore 26 years ago is upon us. The Brewers trail the Cubs by 4.5 in the Central. Philly and Houston are 4 back in the wildcard. St Louis is 4.5 back.

 

If the Brewers go 4-0 or 3-1 in Philly they most likely will be playing in October, and with 6 left against the Cubs the division wouldn't be out of the question especially since the Cubs have a very difficult schedule with the majority of their games on the road and all of their games against teams in the playoff hunt. 2-2 and the Phillies would still be 4 back with only 12 to play. Go 1-3 or 0-4 and the advantage swings to the Phillies and Astros since they have easier schedules the rest of the way The Card still have a very slim chance, but a tougher schedule than the Phils or Astros. The schedules break down as follows:

 

Brewers:

6 home games, 10 road games

4 at Philly

6 vs Cubs (3 road, 3 at home)

3 at Cincinnati, a team they have struggled with

3 vs Pitt at home

 

Philly:

10 home games and 6 road games

4 at home with the Brewers

6 vs Atl (3 home, 3 road)

3 at Florida

3 vs Wash

 

Houston:

Has 10 home games and 6 road games

4 with Pittsburgh (1 home, 3 away)

3 with the Cubs at home

3 at Florida

3 with Cincinnati

3 with Atlanta

 

Cubs:

6 home, 11 road games

4 vs StL (1 road, 3 home)

3 at Hou

6 vs Milw (3 home, 3 road)

4 at NY Mets

 

St Louis:

8 home 9 road

4 with Cubs (1 home, 3 road)

3 at Pit

6 Cin (3 road, 3 home)

4 home with Arizona

 

We should have a pretty good idea by Sunday night if we can breathe a sigh of relief, or if we will be saying wait till next year.

[naivin]

With Sheets on the mound, and Sabathia not pitching in the series, tonight's game is very big. If they can get the W, they will be half way to what they need to get done in this series. Going 2-2 in the process of knocking 4 games off the schedule would be a very good weekend. Would make the task extremely tall for the Phillies.

[fondybrewfan]

I will be very happy with 2-2 but it won't be the end of the world if it is 1-3. 0-4 would suck. I'll agree that tonight is a huge game since it is our best pitching matchup and could get the Crew a little confidence. Maybe they just need to get on the road again, there is less pressure on them.

 

I am worried about Moyer tonight though. He is a lefty but offspeed pitchers absolutely kill us. We have to start hitting the ball to the opposite field but those hits seem to come very seldom lately.

 

The Phils have a hell of a lineup, we can't expect to win any of the games 2-1 or 3-2, it just isn't going to happen.

[brewers4eric]

I would make a case for the biggest series since 1992. I needed some help from Baseball Reference.com, but I could recall the three game set against the Yankees followed by the four game series against the Blue Jays from August 24 through August 30, 1992.

 

The usually reliable bullpen blew the opener against the Yankees and a poor Yankee team swept the three game set. The split with the Blue Jays featured a 22 run shellacking on Jimmy Key, but the 2-5 road trip left the Brewers 4 and a half games behind and we never closed the gap despite a great finish.

 

The 1992 team was one of my favorites. While there were plenty of other losses, I've always felt that the sweep by the Yankees (and the deep pockets of Blue Jay management) cost us a shot at the playoffs.

[jflick1215]

I just added my Series Preview to the Daily Brew. Check it out!

 

http://www.brewerfan.net/...port.do?dailyReportId=495

[rluzinski]

By my estimates, the Brewers will raise their playoffs odds by an average of 6% with a split of this series:

 

http://rluzinski.blogspot...g-is-phillies-series.html

 

Sold!

[logan82]

Is this now the biggest series in Brewers history?

[razzzorsharp]

Since 1982, I would think so. Maybe there was one in 1983, I dont know.

[pitchleague]

I started to read the first post in this thread and was about to go balistic, "WHY IN THE HECK ARE WE MAKING A THREAD ABOUT PLAYOFF PITCHING MATCHUPS NOW?????" until I checked out the date of that post.

 

Oops.

 

Yeah, I would definitely say that this is the biggest series in, well, at least a very long time. Hopefully, we can have this discussion three more times this year.