Do you think the Brewers are still 'in it'?

[Ennder]

The nice thing is that none of the teams they have to pass for the Wild Card are really very good. It won't surprise me if any of those teams tank it the last 50 games. The biggest problem is just how many of them they have to pass.

[TSack27]

"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

[lukevan]

My gut says no, they are not still in it considering the pitching in the rotation. But there is still a shot. I suppose we could rattle off another 20 of 25 streak like at the beginning of the season, and it seems like that would be what it would take.

[bcf5575]

they are just barley in it at this point. What they need is for Dave Bush to come back soon and pitch like he did early this season. And, Hardy and Cameron have to get it figured out and fast. Those 2 guys have looked lost at the plate lately. Not to mention the Hall/Cattalanotto combo providing some production as well...

[JohnBriggs12]

Would everyone who's pointing to how easy the schedule is this month please take a look at the Cardinals schedule. They've got the Reds (sans Weathers) and Padres at home. Then they go to LA for 3 and SD for 4. That's followed by the Astros and Nationals at home to end the month.

 

The Brewers aren't going to gain much on St. Louis if anything at all. St. Louis has far superior starting pitching too and now a red hot Holliday to go with Pujols. They could well end up with 93-94 wins. The division is completely lost as far as the Brewers go.

 

The wild card is a pipe dream too. Six games behind 2 different teams that play each other 9 times so one will win each of those? Four games behind another? No chance.

 

The Brewers could catch the depleted Cubs and get a consolation prize, but no the playoffs are out of reach. We've seen what this Brewer team is. It's a .500 team and that's not likely to change dramatically over the next 7 weeks.

[sheethead]

I'm going with no. They don't have the make-up to go on a huge run at this time. The hitters are all trying to hit bombs and guessing for their pitch. Too many called third strikes, no plate protection, no contact hitting when down in the count or with runners in scoring position. Not enough pitching goes without saying. I am hoping for a .500 finish, and at this time that might seem to be a stretch.

[TheCrew07]

They are out of it and were out of it before the trading deadline, I was thankful a deal wasn't made.

 

The Brewers are currently 15th out of 16 teams in total pitching, this team is going nowhere. In 2007 the Rockies were 8th in total pitching, the best year they've had this decade (until 2009, they are currently 6th), and better than the Brewers the same year. I'm not sure how citing a once in a generation run is proof of anything. Sure it might happen again, and I might win the lottery too.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I have to say no. There's no 8-2 stretch on the horizon. They can't win 3 games in a row, and they've been scuffling since the all star break against inferior competition. There's nothing they've done that leads me to believe that all of a sudden they're going to start pounding on these lower class teams. To do so would require consistently good pitching from at the very least, 3 of the 5 spots in the rotation, and that's just not happening.

[Fatter than Joey]

Honestly if you think they are out of it you haven't paid much attention to baseball over the last 10 years.

 

How so?

 

a .500 team getting hot for 5 weeks and getting into the race or making the playoffs happens pretty much every single season.

 

You can't take general statements like this and apply them to specific teams, and expect it to hold much water.

 

No reason we can't be that team or any of the other teams sitting around .500 right now.

 

The big reason we can't be that team is our pitching. We have the worst pitching since the AS break, and I don't see that improving enough to get us on the proverbial hot streak.

[kramnoj]

The Brewers are currently 15th out of 16 teams in total pitching,

 

If the Brewers come back, it will be because their pitching isn't 15th out of 16th. Bush should be back within 2 weeks, Suppan will hopefully come back relatively soon, and as bad as he has been, he's better than the replacement starters when he's healthy.

 

I doubt anyone would bet their house on the Brewers not making the playoffs, but it's definitely a long shot.

[sgtcluels]

No, I think it's all done except for the crying

Yep I'd have to agree. Perhaps the Brewers will surprise me, but I'm pretty much not expecting any meaningful September baseball.

[Invader3K]

sgtcluels wrote:Yep I'd have to agree. Perhaps the Brewers will surprise me, but I'm pretty much not expecting any meaningful September baseball.

This is what I'm dreading personally, because I have tickets to three different September games. Those might be a chore to get to if the Brewers can't turn things around just a bit soon, and keep things somewhat interesting, like I said earlier.

[Fatter than Joey]

If the Brewers come back, it will be because their pitching isn't 15th out of 16th.

 

In 2007 The Rockies had the best (among the best) pitching in the NL after the AS break. I think you are saying that if the Brewers end up in the playoffs, it will be because the Brewers pitching reversed their fortunes -- and I would certainly agree with that.

 

Bush should be back within 2 weeks, Suppan will hopefully come back relatively soon

 

Frankly, I think 2 weeks is too long -- I think we are circling the ponies, ala Little BigHorn, the Calvary probably should get their bugle going soon.

 

While Suppan is maybe better than the replacement pitchers when he comes back, in 2 weeks, Suppan would be like sending F-Troop to help Custer.

[Invader3K]

I'm reminded of that picture of Yost and company from a couple years back someone did up (ala Custer's Last Stand).

[chuckiehacks]

I assume they'll need at least 30 more wins to make the playoffs

Every time we win, we peel a section...

 

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e5/dez3030/1373_5.jpg

 

 

[joepepsi]

I think they are playing for 85 wins and trying to salvage respectability.

 

They've played a little better the last 10 games or so, but don't seem to have an offense that is capable of overcoming the poor pitching. A team that runs off an 8-2 streak or extended winning streak has to have a couple "miracle" games where they pile on runs late and come from behind. This offense can't do that. They get shutout every 5th game or so, score 4-5 runs in the other games and hope that's enough. It might have been had the original rotation stayed together and pitched to their career norms, but it's not enough now.

 

There's still a couple weeks to get back into it, but there's little room for error. Each loss makes it less likely. (Obviously)

[RightFieldCoder]

Dang, I think I deleted that pic two weeks ago since most of them weren't around anymore. I'll check my laptop when I get home to see if I still have a copy. If I have a lot of time outside of class, I'll make a new one.

 

I stuck a fork in the Brewers before the ASB. I'm still a fan, I still go to games and cheer them. I just didn't expect to see any games in October. Even if we snuck in, I think we'll get bounced out more quickly than last year.

 

I fear that we'll repeat what happened in the AL West a number of years ago. I remember either the Angels or As going something like 18-5 over a stretch of games, but actually lost ground because the other team went 22-0.

[Invader3K]

I stuck a fork in the Brewers before the ASB. I'm still a fan, I still go to games and cheer them. I just didn't expect to see any games in October.

Actually the regular season schedule goes until October 4th this year, so we'll see October baseball either way. ; )

[sheethead]

I doubt anyone would bet their house on the Brewers not making the playoffs

 

I would. Can you find me someone to bet? I would love to have two houses.

[kramnoj]

You misunderstand. If you are confident the Brewers the will miss the playoffs, put your house up. If you win, you get to say you are right. If you lose, you lose your house. It's not a fair bet, but that's not the point. How confident are you that there is no chance the Brewers can make the playoffs? You willing to lose your house over it?

[DougJones43]

You misunderstand. If you are confident the Brewers the will miss the playoffs, put your house up. If you win, you get to say you are right. If you lose, you lose your house. It's not a fair bet, but that's not the point. How confident are you that there is no chance the Brewers can make the playoffs? You willing to lose your house over it?

This is one of the most preposterous things I've read on this site. No sane person would bet a house against nothing even if the odds of what they were betting on were a million to one. Throwing out something like this does not really make people's confidence in the Brewers missing the playoffs any more clear.

[kramnoj]

It's a figure of speech. You've never heard it before? Of course it's preposterous. But the point stands. If someone is ready to say the Brewers are out of it, that they have no chance of making the playoffs, how much are they willing to pony up? Otherwise they are allowing that the Brewers have a chance to make the playoffs.

[Oldcity]

The Brewers are worse than that 83 win Cards team that won the World Series. That team at least had Chris Carpenter. The Brewers don't have a pitcher as good as he was. There's really no reason to even entertain the possibility that this pitching staff could pitch well enough the rest of the way to make a run.

[DuWayne Steurer]

It's a figure of speech. You've never heard it before? Of course it's preposterous. But the point stands. If someone is ready to say the Brewers are out of it, that they have no chance of making the playoffs, how much are they willing to pony up? Otherwise they are allowing that the Brewers have a chance to make the playoffs.

Mathematically, yes, they have a chance. Realistically, I'd say that they have less than a 2% chance of making. Starting pitching sucks, the offense is pedestrian aside from 2 guys, and the bullpen is mediocre right now.

 

I'd put up a month's worth of paychecks that this team doesn't make the playoffs.

[owbc]

I'll stick with the cool standings odds. The Brewers have a 5% of making the playoffs. 1 out of every 20 times, a team in our situation will pull off a miracle and make the playoffs.

 

I could see it happening, but only if virtually everyone on our roster gets hot and the Cubs/Cardinals play mediocre at best. However, in terms of my game watching/score checking habits, the Brewers have already been tuned out. If they win even 2 games in a row, I'll start paying closer attention, but they've proven in the past month that they are incapable of putting together any type of consistency, which is exactly what you need to make a run at it.