2019 BREWERS OPTIMISM THREAD

[pacopete4]

With their 80th win today, the Brewers move into a tie for the 20th place in Brewers history. They are tied with the 1996 and 2009 teams who finished 80-82.

[jjgott]

Today's Grand Slam will be remembered like this one 11 Septembers ago

 

[82brewcrew82]

If they end up getting in with this rag-tag group then I may have to start considering the destiny of this team.

[jjfanec]

The Brewers have the 3rd most wins against team above .500 in all of baseball. They end the regular season 48-40 (barring a play in game). Oddly just 32-29 in games against teams under that mark...but this is optimism thread so lets not dwell on that

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Oddly just 32-29 in games against teams under that mark...but this is optimism thread so lets not dwell on that

 

That record is going to be much better in a couple weeks.

[Pugger]

For this team to rally around each other after losing their leader makes me believe in destiny.

[Brew crew 92]

There’s no way this team isn’t making the playoffs. It’s destiny. Can of corn dropped. Opponents closer “sick”. Bad luck all year long, has turned. This team will continue to shock the baseball world, but not most of us.

[brewmann04]

I kinda agree how guys have stepped in an helped this team win.

Braun hit last night was unreal great way to hit your 20th

[pacopete4]

12 games over .500 and we secure a non-losing season!!

 

With win number 81, the 2019 Brewers move into a tie for 17th place in regular season wins with the 1989 and 2005 teams.

[The stache]

The Brewers are playing .800 ball in September after beating the Friars tonight, 5-1.

 

2-1 against the Cards

4-1 against the Cubs

4-0 against the Fish

1-1 against the Astros

1-0 against the Padres

 

12-3 in September, and 13-3 in our last 16.

 

To restate for the record:

 

No Christian Yelich since the 10th. Keston Hiura has been out since August 30th, just now coming back for pinch hitting opportunities in the Cardinals series. Mike Moustakas missed ten games in the past month. All Star starter Brandon Woodruff last pitched on July 21st. Two other former All Stars, closer Corey Knebel (in 2017) and reliever Jeremy Jeffress (last year), have missed the entire season after Tommy John surgery (Knebel), or were ineffective trying to fight through injury, and released (Jeffress). Jimmy Nelson, our staff ace, 9th in the National League Cy Young in 2017, whose return we have been anxiously anticipating for over a year, has come back, clearly unable to regain his former dominance. Sadly, the big guy may never return to being the same pitcher. Lorenzo Cain has been battling injury all year, and is not his usual self. Brent Suter just returned a year after Tommy John surgery. I'm sure I'm forgetting others.

 

In other words, this team is a walking MASH unit. In their places? Guys like Corey Spangenberg, Tyler Austin, Drew Pomeranz have played extensively.

 

There's no way this team should be alive in the playoff race.

 

But they are. And we're getting contributions from the unlikeliest sources. How about the solo shot from Travis Shaw to give us an extra run of breathing room at 4-1? How big a boon would it be for this team if Shaw took some confidence from tonight, and started to turn his season around right before the playoffs? How about Corey Spangenberg-4 for 6 with a triple, a home run, and 5 RBIs the last two nights. Ryan Braun had been cold before last night's trip to the plate in the top of the ninth. Then he smashed a 433 foot grand slam to win the game.

 

The Cubs look to be winners again tonight, so we're still a game behind them. There's no guarantee we'll make the playoffs, and if we do, with so much firepower missing, what could we reasonably expect from our guys?

 

That's for down the road. Right now, though, the future sight unseen, I've got to tip my cap to the guys wearing the Brewer uniform. Everybody counted them out. Even after we won 96 games last year, and came within a game of returning to the World Series for the first time since 1982, the experts saw us being a few games over .500 in 2019. Well, they're wrong. This team has character. They're a small-to-mid market team that faces adversity just based on the amount of money they can spend on their roster, and more adversity was piled on as the season wore on. And they've never given up.

 

The Brewers make us all nuts at times. But I don't know if I've ever been more proud of my team. The 2019 Milwaukee Brewers don't know the word "quit". And this patchwork team is showing, once again, how unpredictable the National Pastime is. You never know what's going to happen. That's why they play the games.

 

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

 

While I'd love to shock the world by getting into the playoffs, and then making an improbable run to a World Series, no matter what happens, I've enjoyed the ride. This is why we watch the games.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Nicely done, 'stache. That is pretty dang close to perfection.

[homer]

[Baldkin]

81 wins.

 

A total of ten of them by the 2-4.starters in the opening day rotation.

 

Duct tape, thumb tacks, and some Velcro are holding this team together right now.... Yet... Here they go.

[owbc]

Love that post 'stache.

 

I thought it would be a long time until there was another Brewers team that I liked as much as the 2018 team. Now here we are a year later and they're doing it again. I don't know what magic Craig Counsell has figured out but the guy has managed this team like a hall of famer. There were about a half-dozen times when this team was about to take a knockout punch but somehow they always managed to salvage a game (usually the day game with the getaway lineup) or string together a couple wins to step back from the edge of the cliff. After that first loss to the Cubs I thought for sure they were finished--the THIRD time this year that I had conclusively accepted that the season was probably over. How foolish.

 

Who knows what will happen but it will be a fun ride the next few weeks.

[The stache]

For me, how a team plays the game is just as important as winning. And it's a real pleasure to watch this team play. I don't get to see every game, but I watch whatever I can see, and replay every highlight known to man until I can't click anymore.

 

The 2019 Brewers have become a bin of misfit toys. A reclamation project here, a discarded piece there. A veteran or two that have found the fountain of youth. And yet somehow, a little voice in my head is telling me that, while this season might not end with the World Championship we've so long hoped for, the trial this team has gone through together is going to pay big dividends down the road. These are the kinds of times that can galvanize a franchise. Adversity has certainly brought this group together. Having their backs pressed to the wall has shown them they can do things they didn't know possible. Christian Yelich has carried this team for so long. Now, with him out injured, other guys are stepping up.

 

It's really an empowering time in Milwaukee.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

I agree. If this team makes the playoffs, CC should be manager of the year.

[IIAY]

By winning their 81st game last night, the Brewers have assured that for the first time in franchise history, they will have not had a record below .500 at any point during the season. Previous bests were 2018, 2014, and 1979 (in each case, those teams were 1 game under .500 for one day during the season).

 

Dating back to May 7, 2017, the Brewers have spent ONE DAY with a record below .500 (they lost to the Reds on April 16, 2018, to drop to 8-9 before winning their next 8 in a row).

 

Up to this point, over the past 3 years, the Brewers have played only one game with "nothing to play for" ( the last game of the 2017 season).

 

This may not be a big deal to some of you, but for those of us who are too young to remember the 1978-83 stretch and lived through the Bando/WSP years, it sure feels good to watch meaningful baseball in September.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I think we as Brewer fans are looking at this all wrong when trying to scope how many wins they need for the playoffs - with how they've been playing recently and looking at their schedules, the Brewers are going to wind up a 93-win ballclub.

 

Pressure's on the Cubs, Cards, and Nats to figure out how they can respectively go 12-0, 10-2, and 12-2 to avoid any sort of tiebreaker/play in game against the Brewers for a playoff spot or division title - we all know from last year how those go!! That feat will be tough considering there will be 9 losses between those 3 teams.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I think we as Brewer fans are looking at this all wrong when trying to scope how many wins they need for the playoffs - with how they've been playing recently and looking at their schedules, the Brewers are going to wind up a 93-win ballclub.

 

Pressure's on the Cubs, Cards, and Nats to figure out how they can respectively go 12-0, 10-2, and 12-2 to avoid any sort of tiebreaker/play in game against the Brewers for a playoff spot or division title - we all know from last year how those go!! That feat will be tough considering there will be 9 losses between those 3 teams.

 

Classic!

 

I wonder if those guys that jumped off the bandwagon "because it's Packers season" will jump back on at some point?

[clancyphile]

The Brewers are playing .800 ball in September after beating the Friars tonight, 5-1.

 

2-1 against the Cards

4-1 against the Cubs

4-0 against the Fish

1-1 against the Astros

1-0 against the Padres

 

12-3 in September, and 13-3 in our last 16.

 

To restate for the record:

 

No Christian Yelich since the 10th. Keston Hiura has been out since August 30th, just now coming back for pinch hitting opportunities in the Cardinals series. Mike Moustakas missed ten games in the past month. All Star starter Brandon Woodruff last pitched on July 21st. Two other former All Stars, closer Corey Knebel (in 2017) and reliever Jeremy Jeffress (last year), have missed the entire season after Tommy John surgery (Knebel), or were ineffective trying to fight through injury, and released (Jeffress). Jimmy Nelson, our staff ace, 9th in the National League Cy Young in 2017, whose return we have been anxiously anticipating for over a year, has come back, clearly unable to regain his former dominance. Sadly, the big guy may never return to being the same pitcher. Lorenzo Cain has been battling injury all year, and is not his usual self. Brent Suter just returned a year after Tommy John surgery. I'm sure I'm forgetting others.

 

In other words, this team is a walking MASH unit. In their places? Guys like Corey Spangenberg, Tyler Austin, Drew Pomeranz have played extensively.

 

There's no way this team should be alive in the playoff race.

 

But they are. And we're getting contributions from the unlikeliest sources. How about the solo shot from Travis Shaw to give us an extra run of breathing room at 4-1? How big a boon would it be for this team if Shaw took some confidence from tonight, and started to turn his season around right before the playoffs? How about Corey Spangenberg-4 for 6 with a triple, a home run, and 5 RBIs the last two nights. Ryan Braun had been cold before last night's trip to the plate in the top of the ninth. Then he smashed a 433 foot grand slam to win the game.

 

The Cubs look to be winners again tonight, so we're still a game behind them. There's no guarantee we'll make the playoffs, and if we do, with so much firepower missing, what could we reasonably expect from our guys?

 

That's for down the road. Right now, though, the future sight unseen, I've got to tip my cap to the guys wearing the Brewer uniform. Everybody counted them out. Even after we won 96 games last year, and came within a game of returning to the World Series for the first time since 1982, the experts saw us being a few games over .500 in 2019. Well, they're wrong. This team has character. They're a small-to-mid market team that faces adversity just based on the amount of money they can spend on their roster, and more adversity was piled on as the season wore on. And they've never given up.

 

The Brewers make us all nuts at times. But I don't know if I've ever been more proud of my team. The 2019 Milwaukee Brewers don't know the word "quit". And this patchwork team is showing, once again, how unpredictable the National Pastime is. You never know what's going to happen. That's why they play the games.

 

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

 

While I'd love to shock the world by getting into the playoffs, and then making an improbable run to a World Series, no matter what happens, I've enjoyed the ride. This is why we watch the games.

 

HELL [bLEEP]ING YEAH!!!! Couldn't say it better.

 

You have to wonder/hope that Grandal and Moose decide to go for one more year and accept the mutual options...

 

To quote the NFL's GOAT: "Never Die Easy"

 

#DoItForYeli

[Greenleaf1]

Correct me if I'm wrong or if this has been mentioned before, but despite not being in the playoffs as of today, the Brewers control their own fate, right?

 

If the Brewers win out, there's no way that the Cards/Cubs/Nats can all win enough games to stay in front of us.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Correct me if I'm wrong or if this has been mentioned before, but despite not being in the playoffs as of today, the Brewers control their own fate, right?

 

If the Brewers win out, there's no way that the Cards/Cubs/Nats can all win enough games to stay in front of us.

 

True as I can see it.

 

It's possible we could tie the Nats. If they lose two to the Cards, they could win the rest and end with an identical 93-69 record. In that scenario, though, we'd definitely pass either the Cubs or the Cards.

 

Winning out, as I look at the math, seems to me like worst case scenario is hosting the WC game.

 

Edit: And I'm wrong. We could win out and finish WC 2 if the Nats also win out or go 12-1. We'd still pass the Cubs/Cards, though.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Correct me if I'm wrong or if this has been mentioned before, but despite not being in the playoffs as of today, the Brewers control their own fate, right?

 

If the Brewers win out, there's no way that the Cards/Cubs/Nats can all win enough games to stay in front of us.

 

Yes, that is correct. While there is not much margin for error, if the Brewers stay hot, they have a spot.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

This might be the best three-year stretch this franchise has ever put up. It's certainly the best since I've been following them.

 

And next year's lineup is going to include Grisham, Yelich, and Hiura (and let's not forget Cain!), not to mention a rotation with Woodruff and Houser, and, of course, the most electric reliever in the game, probably along with Suter and Knebel (at some point) and some other young arms that are really fun to watch.

 

I'm sayin, never been better. Let's keep it rolling!

[homer]

78 - 83 was by far the best-continued run of success the team has had.

 

But since then this three-year stretch is probably next.