| Douglas Benton. 5th August, 2008 - 11:25 am
 In the biggest series for the Brewers since the 1982 World Series, the Milwaukee Brewers were victims of a four-game sweep by their rival Chicago Cubs. After this series, which was never really competitive outside the first game, the Brewers bounced back to win two of three at Atlanta.
Left-fielder Ryan Braun is the cornerstone for this team and will have to play at his MVP pace if the Brewers want to make the playoffs. He is hitting .296 with 29 home runs and 82 RBI through Sunday?s action. Manager Ned Yost has shuffled the line-up recently, but whichever combination he decides on, it should also look to capitalize on Braun?s talents first.
Line-up depth is a real problem for Milwaukee as they look for production outside of Braun and first baseman Prince Fielder, who is more inconsistent at the plate than most people realize.
Outfielder Cory Hart had a good first half, and it is realistic to think he can keep it up. However, they need at least one more player to step up, and that player could be shortstop J.J. Hardy. His average has improved each month this season as he looks to regain his form from a year ago.
Left-handed pitcher C.C Sabathia has been a horse since coming over from Cleveland and is 5-0 in his six starts. He has logged 48 innings and has a 1.88 ERA. If I?m Milwaukee, I keep leaning on the big guy until he cracks because with Sheets? recent struggles, he could be the ace coming down the stretch.
Speaking of Sheets, he has struggled since his complete game gem at Atlanta on June 23 with a 1-4 record since then. However, this shouldn?t be a great cause of concern since he is still attacking hitters. He has just 14 walks in the 42 innings stretch but 52 hits also over that period. It is the strikeout number, though, of 39 which is important because it indicates he still has good stuff.
I worry about their bullpen as I don?t think Solomon Torres is a playoff team?s closer for the long haul. He is averaging just over six strikeouts per nine innings and is better suited for seventh or eighth inning work. Also, the other arms in the pen are marginal at best.
For right now, I still have the Brewers as the favorite to win the Wild Card because they have enough raw talent on the roster to overcome any deficiencies (bullpen) that might plague a lesser team.
What are your thoughts on the Brewers? Email them to Douglas.Benton@gmail.com |
