"Balanced" schedule favors Cubs?

[LouisEly]

I just noticed this, but according to the schedule, the Cubs play Milwaukee six games at Miller Park, but nine games in Wrigley:

 

Cub's schedule

 

I thought the schedules were supposed to be balanced. How do the Cubs get nine at home vs. the Brewers, but only get six at Miller Park?

 

On a related note, the Cubs are finishing a stretch where they have 10 in a row at home and are home for 16 of 23, with the seven on the road being at Pittsburgh and at Washington. And the three in Pitt they didn't have to face Snell or Gorzelanny, whereas the Brewers had to face them right after they got snubbed for the All-Star game. No wonder the Cubs are surging. Then again, it would help if the Brewers could win at Pittsburgh and Washington.

 

The Cubs are drawing every break this year. The schedule, the pitching matchups, then yesterday they score a run which turned out to be the difference when the pitchers signs got crossed and the ball riccocheted off the catcher's shoulder and they couldn't find it, allowing Cliff Floyd to score from 2nd. Oh, and the Giants sit Bonds for most of the series too. Unreal.

[splitterpfj]

I'm sure we'll all notice these things as the race marches on, but there are things that have worked for the Brewers too.

 

How did Milwaukee get two home series' with the Giants?

 

Brandon Webb missed the Brewers, and gets the Cubs today.

 

Everything will seem magnified the rest of the way....this should be great fun.

[Rorschach88]

The schedual isn't balanced anymore. And who cares about the incredably lucky things that happen to the cubs. As long as we play good too (like we've started doing again) we'll be fine.

[bsglorydays]

Another little nugget I heard right before the AS break:

 

The Cubs have the easiest schedule in the NL for the rest of the season. But, have no fear... the Brewers have the 2nd easiest schedule.

[bsglorydays]

Isn't it called an "UNbalanced" schedule?

[Paul77]

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I thought the schedules were supposed to be balanced. How do the Cubs get nine at home vs. the Brewers, but only get six at Miller Park?

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Well truth be told, the Cubs have home field advantage in all 15 games.

 

I hope that next year we (Brewer fans) buy and keep (thats the key) as many tickets as we can for our series against the Cubs. I can't wait until the day when Miller Park cheers for the home team when the Cubs are in town. I'll do my part next season, but this year I avoided MP each time the Cubs were here.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Agreed - If Milwaukee continues to just win series (they don't have to sweep), it is going to be really tough for the Cubs to overtake them, especially since they only play each other 3 more times. The Cubs have been practically playing 0.800 baseball since mid June, that's not going to continue. With that incredibly hot stretch, they made up about 5 games of ground in the standings on Milwaukee. What most of their fanbase doesn't realize is that they would have gained at least 7-8 games of ground on the division leader had they played in any other division.

 

Let's put it this way - the Cards and Cubs were both around 5 games back of Milwaukee at the same time. The Cards have played around 0.500 ball since then, and now they're 9.5-10 games behind the Brewers. The Brewers have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, it's just that the Cubs have been THE hottest during this same stretch.

 

The incredible amount of breaks their team has been getting (and taking advantage of) lately isn't going to continue for the rest of the season. The Cubs aren't a sub-.500 team in the NL, but they also aren't an .800 winning percentage team either.

 

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[ecjimg]

After this weekend, the brewers and cubs pretty much have the same schedule (in a different order of course) except that the Cubs have 4 vs Dodgers, and 4 vs Braves while Brewers have 3 vs. the Marlins and 4 vs. the Padres. Unfortunately, the Braves and Padres are 8 of the last 11 games of the season, while the Cubs are playing 6 (of their last 9) vs, the Pirates and Reds. I guess this means we better have more than a 3 game lead going into the final couple of weeks. Also, its important that the Dodgers beat the cubs Sept 3-6.

[Rorschach88]

Also, isn't it kind of an advantage for us to have the cubs hosting the last series we have together? After all, the visiting team has won every series this year except for the last one, and we would've won that if not for coco's implosion in game one.

[Brian the Automator]

[ After all, the visiting team has won every series this year except for the last one, and we would've won that if not for coco's implosion in game one. ]

 

While that's been true so far, there's no reason to expect that reverse trend to continue.

[splitterpfj]

I posted this in a different thread on June 30...

 

 

Counting the Sunday game with the Cubs, the Brewers have 82 games remaining, 61 vs teams currently under .500, and just 21 games left vs teams currently over .500.

 

Within the division, the Brewers have 4 games left with the Cubs, all on the road (could that actually be an advantage in the series this year?) - they have 9 games left with Houston, 10 with Pittsburgh, 10 with St Louis, and 13 left with the Reds...four teams who are currently a combined 135-184.

 

The next time the Brewers play a road game vs a team currently over .500 is August 20.

 

The Brewers have just 7 road games left with teams currently over .500, three in AZ, and four in Atlanta.

 

Following the All-Star break, 16 of the Brewers' first 24 games are home games (they are currently 30-13 at home).

 

The tough spots in the remaining schedule...

 

Eight straight road games left leading up to the break.

 

Eighteen games in seventeen days coming out of the break (eleven of these are home games).

 

Consecutive home series' with the Mets and Phillies to start August.

 

Three in AZ, August 20-22.

 

Three in Wrigley, August 28-30.

 

Four in Atlanta, September 20-23.

 

Four at home with SD, to close the season.

 

In my opinion, the only thing that will keep the Brewers out of the playoffs, would be the Brewers themselves. It's going to take a catasrophic run of injuries, or a complete collapse to keep them out. Given the depth and talent of the roster, I cannot predict a collapse, so I'm hoping for good health, and enjoying the ride.

[logan82]

Quote:

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I thought the schedules were supposed to be balanced. How do the Cubs get nine at home vs. the Brewers, but only get six at Miller Park?

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I consider this to be an advanttage for the Brewers since they have taken it to us in Miller Park this year. If you looked back at the schedule the last few years you would see that either last year or the year before the schedule gave the Brewers more home games in the Cubs & Brewers schedule.

[RyDogg66]

Dont foget that Cubs got 6 against the pathetic CHIsox and we got 6 vs. the considerably better Twins. Im sure that's fair to teams competing for the same playoff spots.

[pretendastronaut]

We have a very similar schedule as the Cubs in the second half. The only spot that worries me is that our final week is a lot tougher than the Cubs'.

[adambr2]

Well, I'm not so worried about the final week, simply because it's all at home.

 

St. Louis and San Diego aren't slouches, but we're so dominant at home that I think we can manage 5-2 the last week. The last week being at home definitely favors us.

[DHonks]

it's like this every year. I think it was the last two years when we hosted more of the games between the Cubs and Crew. In the past, it seemed to alternate, but now it's more random

[mls4]

"Well truth be told, the Cubs have home field advantage in all 15 games."

 

Is the definition of home-field advantage "the team with the loudest fans at the game"? The Brewers still get last ups, minimal travel time, familiar surroundings and routine.

 

I've no idea why the Brewers enjoy a nice home-field record against most teams but haven't won the majority of their home games against the Cubs. But I'm just not convinced it is because of the fans.

[RightFieldCoder]

It isn't familiar surroundings to hear cheers for the opposing team.

 

The Cubs have the easiest schedule in the NL for the rest of the season. But, have no fear... the Brewers have the 2nd easiest schedule.

 

This is because of the unbalanced schedule. Both teams play most of their games in the NL Central, with only 3 games left between each other. And the other teams all have bad records.

[joshjs]

I've been dreading that last series with San Diego, even if it is at home. I can't tell you what it would do to me to see our playoff hopes dashes in the last game or two of the season. I'll be walking around for weeks like my girlfriend just dumped me.

[bucks2281]

The Cubs have four games in STL, while the Brewers have four in CIN. IMO, even though the Reds have been playing better, advantage Brewers.

[Boy Jeenius]

Quote:

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I'll be walking around for weeks like my girlfriend just dumped me.

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Oh I gotta believe it would be worse than that.

[BrewCityUnit]

I think a major difference in the two teams right now is that the Cubs are a much better road team than the Brewers. I don't expect the Brewers to win a series on the road the rest of the season (not that I think that is going to happen but I am trying to be realistic)

 

Things can change in a hurry however, and we might be good on the road in the second half of the season. These first 8 road games will be interesting as Cincinatti is playing very good baseball. Next week we play 8 games while the Cubs play 6.

[crewcrazy]

Just keep taking care of business. Anything the Cubs do (or in this case, don't do) is just gravy. If the Brewers just keep winning series, it'd be almost impossible for the Cubs to get much closer than 2-3 GB.

[Team Canada]

If Milwaukee continues to just win series (they don't have to sweep), it is going to be really tough for the Cubs to overtake them, especially since they only play each other 3 more times.

 

Although I agree in theory, now that the Cubs are only 2.5 (well, as soon as this game's over) games back, that's not really true.

[Paul77]

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Is the definition of home-field advantage "the team with the loudest fans at the game"?

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I think you know what I meant. I wasn't trying to rewrite the definition of the phrase, just point out that the Cubs seem to feel, based on statements from several players, that the games they play here are like extra home games for them.