2019 Standings and Playoff Races Discussion

[DuWayne Steurer]

I'd like to think that Kyle Schwarber's hissy fit to Amir Garrett was the turning point of the Cubs' season.

 

I loved the way Garrett sprinted off the field with his hands up.

[NYChez]

By late Tuesday night we’ll have pretty good information about the Brewers’ playoff plans. The Nats play Monday, then twice on Tuesday. The Cards will have played twice at Arizona. And the Brewers will have faced Sonny Gray.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Here's where the Dbacks sweep a weary STL squad coming off 4 hardfought 1 run wins at Wrigley...one can dream, right?

 

3 games seems like way too much to make up in the season's final week for a division title - but it sure would be fun to be even within 2 games headed into the season's final series. Here's hoping the Dbacks give the Cards fits and the Cubs at least have some fight left in them this weekend.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Just had a random thought that this is likely Braun's 4th playoff appearance and I'm not sure if another player has 3 in franchise history?

[Jopal78]

A Nationals/Brewers NL Wild Card game is looking almost inevitable, isn't it? Just a matter of where.

 

In simple terms for the Cubs to tie us if we go 2-4 they need to go 6-0...I suppose we could go 1-5 and then go 5-1.

 

A team likely would have to go undefeated and hope we only win two games. I could see us going 2-4, but not one win or zero. It is not impossible.

 

Regarding the banner...to be fair in 2008 that got you into the postseason just like a division winner. The current WC set up is a lot different. Not sure a “Wild Card Champs” banner is worthy. They do celebrate it like a division/postseason series win with champagne so anything is possible.

 

Those current placards hanging in the outfield are so bush league and lame anyways. They should get real flags with colors for Pennants won, divisions won and wild card and just hang them somewhere with the year on each flag. Fans will know what they symbolize

[OldSchoolSnapper]

They got overzealous with the banner because it had been such a long time. Can't say I blame them.

[PeaveyFury]

That '08 run was so great, it'd be a shame if it wasn't honored somehow.

[Madhawk23]

That '08 run was so great, it'd be a shame if it wasn't honored somehow.

 

There's no doubt that the final week of the '08 season is one that none of us will soon forget. But, couldn't you make the argument that what this team is doing over these last 2.5 weeks is just as remarkable - if not even more so? 7.5 behind the Nats and 5 games behind the Cubs in early September, and we may just catch and pass both of them for the top WC spot? Oh, and by the way - we lost our best player and the MVP of the league during the first week of September!

 

I might agree that it feels a bit "loser-ish" to hang flags for Wild Card seasons, but if we did it for the '08 run - I think you could make the argument that this '19 is equal in amazement. Only difference of course is that the WC was a 5 game series back then, and now it is just a 1 game "play-in" game - so it might feel awkward celebrating that if we lose the WC game.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Yes but the feeling in 2008 was that this team would never make the playoffs again. 26 years will do that to a town. There's something about that season that still feels a bit more magical than '11 or '18 or '19 and one might be able to argue it was the worst team of the lot. I'm in my 30s and that was really the first time I'd seen the Brewer have any real measurable success.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

That '08 run was so great, it'd be a shame if it wasn't honored somehow.

 

There's no doubt that the final week of the '08 season is one that none of us will soon forget. But, couldn't you make the argument that what this team is doing over these last 2.5 weeks is just as remarkable - if not even more so? 7.5 behind the Nats and 5 games behind the Cubs in early September, and we may just catch and pass both of them for the top WC spot? Oh, and by the way - we lost our best player and the MVP of the league during the first week of September!

 

I might agree that it feels a bit "loser-ish" to hang flags for Wild Card seasons, but if we did it for the '08 run - I think you could make the argument that this '19 is equal in amazement. Only difference of course is that the WC was a 5 game series back then, and now it is just a 1 game "play-in" game - so it might feel awkward celebrating that if we lose the WC game.

 

Things have certainly been better for this franchise the last 11 years, but I don't think you should be taking having a competitive team for granted. Winning in MLB is tough.

[owbc]

They can eventually have a single "wild card" flag with the years listed...it can be off to the side of the championship flags ;-)

[OldSchoolSnapper]

This has come up a few times before, and I'm either losing my mind or I'm right. But I could have SWORN that right after that '08 season, they had a different banner painted on the wall in the upper left corner of the stadium. They later painted over it, and you can still see a splotch if you look up there. They replaced it with the banner in the outfield, so for years I thought it was gone after they came to their senses on its stupidity. It wasn't until there was a thread here that everyone told me it was still there did I notice it again.

 

But I swearrrrrr it was painted on the wall.

[Madhawk23]

They can eventually have a single "wild card" flag with the years listed...it can be off to the side of the championship flags ;-)[/quote

 

I like that idea a lot!

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

I'm not celebrating anything yet. Tough pitching matchups in Cincy, and who knows what will ever happen at Coors? The Cubs and Mets could both get hot, and we finish 2-4 or worse. I don't think that's the most likely outcome, but we still have work to do.

 

If and when we do clinch, I'm going to celebrate and enjoy the hell out of it. It's baseball. If you asked every team in the league if they'd take being 86-70, 4 up on the WC, and 3 back in the division with a week left, maybe 26 or 27 would say yes. Playoffs in baseball, even the one-game variety, are the toughest to achieve in any of the major sports, and it's worth commemoration (flag or no flag) and champagne no matter what. I'm thinking about the 90s and early 2000s and knowing that being a Milwaukee baseball fan means you will lose more than you will win. It's the nature of MLB economics. Given that, I think defining success as WS titles or even pennants is just a set up for disappointment. The playoffs are random. The Brewers are on the verge of a massive, odds-defying success. If we take the last few steps, I'm going to enjoy the crap out of it, and I hope we deck out another visiting clubhouse in champagne. The chances to do so are so, so rare.

[A Swing and A Drive]

https://www.mlb.com/news/joe-maddon-has-magician-visit-cubs/c-133827034

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2511448-cubs-manager-joe-maddon-brings-in-magician-to-try-to-help-end-slump

 

Remember when Joe Madden brought a magician into the clubhouse to help the Cubs?

 

Guess that's where the Cubs learnt their September disappearing act!

 

lol

[Baldkin]

Just had a random thought that this is likely Braun's 4th playoff appearance and I'm not sure if another player has 3 in franchise history?

 

It'll be Counsell's 4th, does he count?

[pacopete4]

#RyanBraunForever

[MrTPlush]

Division all but a dismal hope now and Cubs are last remaining team with any type of realistic hope of a miracle to make it in.

 

Pretty much playing for the WC home field advantage.

[Brew crew 92]

Division all but a dismal hope now and Cubs are last remaining team with any type of realistic hope of a miracle to make it in.

 

Pretty much playing for the WC home field advantage.

 

And unless we go 5-1 or a minimum of 4-2, we’re probably not getting that either. I’d be surprised if the Phillies win a game out of next 4. Looks like we’re gonna just have to be massive underdogs. Facing Strasburg, Corbin, Scherzer will make us as big of dogs as can be. Although Nats fans won’t rock the house, like cards fans, fairly quiet, and with their playoff history, can probably cut the tension in that place with a knife.

[adambr2]

I'm honestly feeling pretty at ease about it. If we win, fantastic. I'd love another crack at the Dodgers. If not, it's pretty amazing that we are even in this position after clawing back into things after the Yelich injury. I didn't even expect to be talking about playoffs right now, it still feels like we're playing with house money to me.

 

I imagine the teams are in a similar position, especially if the game is in Washington. They have all the pressure. We can play it loose.

 

At the end of the day I'm sure i will be bummed if we lose but making the playoffs in back to back seasons would sure be cool after all the years of futility. I think we are all aware that it would take a miracle beyond what we have seen so far this month for this team to make a serious World Series run, but there's something to be said about being in that position rather than being the 1 seed like we were last year.

[Baldkin]

I'm trying to come up with a scenario where the Brewers would host a tiebreaker game.... that would only be if the Cubs clawed back and tied for WC2, right?

 

Division tiebreaker would be in St Louis?

[Brew crew 92]

I'm honestly feeling pretty at ease about it. If we win, fantastic. I'd love another crack at the Dodgers. If not, it's pretty amazing that we are even in this position after clawing back into things after the Yelich injury. I didn't even expect to be talking about playoffs right now, it still feels like we're playing with house money to me.

 

I imagine the teams are in a similar position, especially if the game is in Washington. They have all the pressure. We can play it loose.

 

At the end of the day I'm sure i will be bummed if we lose but making the playoffs in back to back seasons would sure be cool after all the years of futility. I think we are all aware that it would take a miracle beyond what we have seen so far this month for this team to make a serious World Series run, but there's something to be said about being in that position rather than being the 1 seed like we were last year.

 

Yes there is.

Maybe their starters can overcome their playoff history. Maybe not. Expectations will certainly be for their trio to shut us down completely without Yelich, and since we don’t have any “great” starters like they do, for them to score runs early and go on to win the game. But, underdogs in baseball, no matter how big, can certainly upset the applecart, especially for one game.

[tmwiese55]

At this point anything is gravy to me. We get the bragging rights or at least should shut the Cubs fans up after doing this to them two years in a row. Considering where they were a month ago I consider that a success and we're on house money at this point. Now I'd at least like the WC1 to guarantee a fun home game.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Division all but a dismal hope now and Cubs are last remaining team with any type of realistic hope of a miracle to make it in.

 

Pretty much playing for the WC home field advantage.

 

And unless we go 5-1 or a minimum of 4-2, we’re probably not getting that either. I’d be surprised if the Phillies win a game out of next 4. Looks like we’re gonna just have to be massive underdogs. Facing Strasburg, Corbin, Scherzer will make us as big of dogs as can be. Although Nats fans won’t rock the house, like cards fans, fairly quiet, and with their playoff history, can probably cut the tension in that place with a knife.

 

The odds of hosting the game are on the Brewers side.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Nationals lost 70+ games this year. Any of their prized starters can lose a one-game playoff. It is the crapshoot of all crapshoots. At least both will similar records and some team 10 games better doesn't stand a chance of losing that crapshoot, because that would really suck if it were us.