Second Wild Card

[KeithStone53151]

It'd be fun to knock out the Rockies and take their spot because Lucroy wanted to play on a "contender."

 

It would be far more fun to watch the cubs further gut their farm system and not make the playoffs as we take the division. But beating out the Rockies would be a nice consolation. And my point in mentioning Arizona is that yes they've separated themselves a bit, but them facing the Rockies means a Brewers win would gain ground on 1 of the 2. If Colorado get's hot, it's not like the wildcard becomes impossible because they'd likely be beating up on Arizona and putting them in a position for us to catch them.

[adambr2]

September 7th-14th will be a very key week. The Rockies have an absolutely brutal stretch, 8 games in Arizona and L.A. without a day off. Meanwhile we get 3 in Chicago and 3 at home vs. the Pirates with 2 days off. Hopefully they get slaughtered. If they went 2-6 on that stretch even if we only split ours 3-3, that would be enough to completely erase the current deficit.

[BuckyBrewer61]

It'd be fun to knock out the Rockies and take their spot because Lucroy wanted to play on a "contender."

 

I have no ill will towards Lucroy, he also wanted to sign an extension with the Brewers.

 

After reading his comments during our series in Denver, it seems more than anything that he's a loyal guy who is a bit hurt by the business-like, non-loyal nature of professional sports. He was great with the Brewers, but signing an aging catcher to a market value extension didn't make any sense for a rebuilding team. He seemed to take some offense to that.

 

There is no team in all of sports I'd like to knock out of the playoffs more than the Chicago Cubs

[adambr2]

Yeah, I really don't understand why anyone harbors any ill will towards Lucroy. I hope he gets a nice contract in the off-season.

[StearnsFTW]

The Dodger games don't matter much IMO. They're already on cruise control.

 

Still think the Brewers can catch the Rockies, but more so because I think they stink.

[pacopete4]

Yeah, I really don't understand why anyone harbors any ill will towards Lucroy. I hope he gets a nice contract in the off-season.

 

Ill will? Pish posh. He made douchey comments about wanting to be on a team to contend and all that jazz before our season ever began. He had one foot out the door the minute they said no on his extension offer. I don't hate the guy, just would rather see him never make the playoffs while our Brewers figure out a way to continually get in them.

[stalton]

It'd be fun to knock out the Rockies and take their spot because Lucroy wanted to play on a "contender."

 

It would be far more fun to watch the cubs further gut their farm system and not make the playoffs as we take the division. But beating out the Rockies would be a nice consolation. And my point in mentioning Arizona is that yes they've separated themselves a bit, but them facing the Rockies means a Brewers win would gain ground on 1 of the 2. If Colorado get's hot, it's not like the wildcard becomes impossible because they'd likely be beating up on Arizona and putting them in a position for us to catch them.

 

For irony's sake, the best outcome to me is the Brewers winning the division and the Cubs edging out the Rockies for the 2nd WC and then promptly losing to Arizona.

[adambr2]

Yeah, I really don't understand why anyone harbors any ill will towards Lucroy. I hope he gets a nice contract in the off-season.

 

Ill will? Pish posh. He made douchey comments about wanting to be on a team to contend and all that jazz before our season ever began. He had one foot out the door the minute they said no on his extension offer. I don't hate the guy, just would rather see him never make the playoffs while our Brewers figure out a way to continually get in them.

 

Well, if it's enough that you hope he never sees a playoff game, yes, I would call that ill will.

 

He was directly asked by a reporter in an interview his thoughts about being traded to a contender. Here was his response.

 

"I want to win and I don't see us winning in the foreseeable future. I want to go to a World Series. That's what all players want. Rebuilding is not a lot of fun for any veteran guy."

 

"If I stay with the Brewers, I'm not going to go out and dog it," he told the newspaper. "I'm not going to be a bad teammate. I'm not going to be a bad clubhouse guy. I'm not going to be bitter. It's just part of the game."

 

"Right now, I'm planning on being with the Brewers. I'm not going to think anything different until something happens. It might and it might not. No one knows. I'm going to go out every day and compete with whatever team I'm with.

 

He gave an honest response instead of an obviously phony 'no comment' or 'I think we're on the right track here!' I can respect that. He didn't bemoan the organization, complain about his lack of a new contract or anything like that.

 

After being a great teammate and player for years, playing for well under market value and basically turning into the best catcher in Brewer history, I am honestly pretty shocked that people are bitter enough toward him for those relatively mild comments enough to hope he never makes it back to the playoffs. And I totally understand and agree with why they didn't give him an extension.

[pacopete4]

Yeah, I really don't understand why anyone harbors any ill will towards Lucroy. I hope he gets a nice contract in the off-season.

 

Ill will? Pish posh. He made douchey comments about wanting to be on a team to contend and all that jazz before our season ever began. He had one foot out the door the minute they said no on his extension offer. I don't hate the guy, just would rather see him never make the playoffs while our Brewers figure out a way to continually get in them.

 

Well, if it's enough that you hope he never sees a playoff game, yes, I would call that ill will.

 

He was directly asked by a reporter in an interview his thoughts about being traded to a contender. Here was his response.

 

"I want to win and I don't see us winning in the foreseeable future. I want to go to a World Series. That's what all players want. Rebuilding is not a lot of fun for any veteran guy."

 

"If I stay with the Brewers, I'm not going to go out and dog it," he told the newspaper. "I'm not going to be a bad teammate. I'm not going to be a bad clubhouse guy. I'm not going to be bitter. It's just part of the game."

 

"Right now, I'm planning on being with the Brewers. I'm not going to think anything different until something happens. It might and it might not. No one knows. I'm going to go out every day and compete with whatever team I'm with.

 

He gave an honest response instead of an obviously phony 'no comment' or 'I think we're on the right track here!' I can respect that. He didn't bemoan the organization, complain about his lack of a new contract or anything like that.

 

After being a great teammate and player for years, playing for well under market value and basically turning into the best catcher in Brewer history, I am honestly pretty shocked that people are bitter enough toward him for those relatively mild comments enough to hope he never makes it back to the playoffs. And I totally understand and agree with why they didn't give him an extension.

 

That's all that needed to come out of his mouth for me to lose respect for him. You just don't say something like that, especially as a "leader" of our team and BEFORE the season. Talk about having a losers mentality.

[reillymcshane]

The odds of the Rockies playing mediocre (or worse) are probably better than the Cubs playing mediocre (or worse). So I'd say the Wild Card is our best bet at this point.

 

In the end, however, we still have to win games. If we play .500ish, that won't cut it. We have to play well down the stretch. If that happens we are in the thick of things (for both division and WC).

[tmwiese55]

I totally agree with Adambr2. You're crucifying a guy for being honest and forthright instead of giving cliched bs answers publicly to appease you as fans. While saying the truth behind closed doors to team officials like all other players do in these situations. Really I don't see much difference, but I'd rather support the honest guy than the guy giving fluff just because that's what you want to hear.

[adambr2]

I guess I'm just not offended by Lucroy saying that, Brew. Guys are generally pretty candid aboit their chances in a rebuild. Our own owner before the season said wins and losses weren't a high priority to him this year. Braun stated before the year that he was optimistic but also realistic.

 

Could Lucroy have worded it better, yeah, but I still appreciate everything he did for us and wish him the best.

[pacopete4]

I guess I'm just not offended by Lucroy saying that, Brew. Guys are generally pretty candid aboit their chances in a rebuild. Our own owner before the season said wins and losses weren't a high priority to him this year. Braun stated before the year that he was optimistic but also realistic.

 

Could Lucroy have worded it better, yeah, but I still appreciate everything he did for us and wish him the best.

 

Yeah and I totally get that stance. And this isn't about being offended or not because I truly don't care too much about a guy like Lucroy. It was just telling that when he didn't get his way, all of a sudden he had comments. He could have very easily left out the part I highlighted. He chose to include that and for some, that's enough to diminish his time as a leader of our club. I want guys that want to battle. Not guys that want to complain or come up with excuses for why theyre not winning.

[jerichoholicninja]

I guess I'm just not offended by Lucroy saying that, Brew. Guys are generally pretty candid aboit their chances in a rebuild. Our own owner before the season said wins and losses weren't a high priority to him this year. Braun stated before the year that he was optimistic but also realistic.

 

Could Lucroy have worded it better, yeah, but I still appreciate everything he did for us and wish him the best.

 

Yeah and I totally get that stance. And this isn't about being offended or not because I truly don't care too much about a guy like Lucroy. It was just telling that when he didn't get his way, all of a sudden he had comments. He could have very easily left out the part I highlighted. He chose to include that and for some, that's enough to diminish his time as a leader of our club. I want guys that want to battle. Not guys that want to complain or come up with excuses for why theyre not winning.

 

This and his veto of the Cleveland trade because they wouldn't guarantee he would be the full time catcher the next year. He said he wanted to play for a contender and then vetoed a trade to a contender because they wouldn't give him what he wanted. Does anyone honestly believe Cleveland was going to give the majority of the starts to Yan Gomes or Roberto Perez? Even in his crappy season Lucroy is outhitting both of them.

[tmwiese55]

He was worried that since Gomes is signed multi-year that they would trade him again in the offseason and just generally that Cle wouldn't be the spot for him long term. If they didn't have Gomes signed he probably would be comfortable working out an extension in the offseason. Turns out it didn't turn out any better in TX but that's mostly been his fault for not playing well. If he'd have done well he'd probably have a deal locked in with them already.

 

I mean, the team came right out and said they tearing down and rebuilding and not trying to win. But Lucroy is the devil for saying the same thing?

[MadScientist]

He was worried that since Gomes is signed multi-year that they would trade him again in the offseason and just generally that Cle wouldn't be the spot for him long term. If they didn't have Gomes signed he probably would be comfortable working out an extension in the offseason. Turns out it didn't turn out any better in TX but that's mostly been his fault for not playing well. If he'd have done well he'd probably have a deal locked in with them already.

 

I mean, the team came right out and said they tearing down and rebuilding and not trying to win. But Lucroy is the devil for saying the same thing?

Actually I think he was more worried that Cleveland would keep him, but still give Gomes the majority of the starts. Since would have no real leverage, he didn't want to get in a situation that would screw his chances for a big contract. As it turns out showcasing his talents in Texas wasn't so good, but hindsight is 20/20.

 

As for his comments on rebuilding, he was being honest, and lets face it, not many of us predicted much from the Brewers this year. Most of us were looking more at 2019 as the start of the Brewers competitive stretch, with 2018 showing signs of coming out of the rebuild. A lot of unexpected things had to go right for the Brewers to be in the thick of things this year, and no way could Lucroy have seen it coming.

[pacopete4]

It is completely different for a fan to not think their team is going to be good and say so but when a "leader" of your team goes out and says so, well that "leader" is just not a very good one. Again, go out and battle your butt off with the guys you have to play with and shut your yapper.

 

If anyone has ever been on or coached a team with the mindset that was displayed by Luc, maybe that gives you a better understanding of how annoying it was to hear and how it was not needed. Especially from your "leader."

[MrTPlush]

It seems to be a three team race for the 2 wild card spots. Brewers(or Cubs)/Rockies/D Backs. At this point I just don't see the Cardinals crawling back into it. They would need both the Brewers and Rockies to tank down the stretch.

[MilwaukeeDoctor]

It seems to be a three team race for the 2 wild card spots. Brewers(or Cubs)/Rockies/D Backs. At this point I just don't see the Cardinals crawling back into it. They would need both the Brewers and Rockies to tank down the stretch.

 

I think it's been said a few times before but we should probably ignore the Cubs for now. I think it's highly unlikely we catch them at this point. We should focus on the wild card spots and hopefully set it up so that Davies is throwing against the Dbacks.

[OnaBadger58]

It seems to be a three team race for the 2 wild card spots. Brewers(or Cubs)/Rockies/D Backs. At this point I just don't see the Cardinals crawling back into it. They would need both the Brewers and Rockies to tank down the stretch.

 

I think it's been said a few times before but we should probably ignore the Cubs for now. I think it's highly unlikely we catch them at this point. We should focus on the wild card spots and hopefully set it up so that Davies is throwing against the Dbacks.

Hard to ignore the Cubswhen the Brewers still have 7 games left against them.

[pacopete4]

It seems to be a three team race for the 2 wild card spots. Brewers(or Cubs)/Rockies/D Backs. At this point I just don't see the Cardinals crawling back into it. They would need both the Brewers and Rockies to tank down the stretch.

 

I think it's been said a few times before but we should probably ignore the Cubs for now. I think it's highly unlikely we catch them at this point. We should focus on the wild card spots and hopefully set it up so that Davies is throwing against the Dbacks.

Hard to ignore the Cubswhen the Brewers still have 7 games left against them.

 

Yes. How can we possibly start writing off the division when you actually hold your fate in your own hands? I get it, the Cubs "dynasty" looks good again because they've rattled off some wins against inferior opponents. But come on people, there is still a punchers chance that the Crew rattle off 5 of 7 from the Cubs and make this thing real interesting. I mean hey, they aren't gods Cardinals.

[JohnBriggs12]

It seems to be a three team race for the 2 wild card spots. Brewers(or Cubs)/Rockies/D Backs. At this point I just don't see the Cardinals crawling back into it. They would need both the Brewers and Rockies to tank down the stretch.

 

I think it's been said a few times before but we should probably ignore the Cubs for now. I think it's highly unlikely we catch them at this point. We should focus on the wild card spots and hopefully set it up so that Davies is throwing against the Dbacks.

Hard to ignore the Cubswhen the Brewers still have 7 games left against them.

 

I don't think anyone's ignoring the Cubs, but it's best to not focus on what they're doing right now that they're on a bit of a roll. No need to get frustrated and start pressing. Win games no matter who you play and let the wild card/division sort itself out.

[adambr2]

The chances of catching the Rockies are much better than going 5-2 or better against the Cubs plus having everything else that needs to go right to go right, that's all anyone is saying.

 

Does it really matter what we are shooting for? All it is is another thing for fans to debate over. It's not like the Brewers have any control over how the Rockies or Cubs finish, besides the games actuslly against them. All the Brewers can control is how many games they win and see if it's good enough.

 

Either way, I don't see us going 5-2 or better against the Cubs, but I'd love to be wrong.

[Greenleaf1]

Seems like the likelihood of us going 4-3 or 3-4 against the Cubs, then go 4-2 or 5-1 against the Reds, and hold water against everyone else is pretty good, and I think that might be enough to catch the Rockies the way they're playing.

 

Luckily, the Cardinals seem like they've given up, and the Marlins have lost 4 straight to fall behind even the Cardinals, so it's looking like the DBacks will have that 1st wild card all sewn up and will host either us or the Rockies (or the Cubs, I suppose).

[brwrsfan]

Colorado has a tough schedule down the stretch yet. 7 games against both the Dodger and Diamondbacks, plus 3 against Miami. They do play SF and SD a bunch of times, but both of those teams are playing somewhat better baseball lately as well. Given how they've played the last week or so, I'd be highly surprised if they can go .500. It's certainly within reason to think the Brewers could easily make up 2.5 games.

 

But as others have said - the Brewers can only control their own games. Just keep finding ways to win games and let the rest sort itself out.