If you’re not one of those baseball nerds who follows every single thing going on in the Milwaukee Brewers Organization, don’t worry, because The Sports Bank’s Nick Grays has you covered with what happened in the past week and what’s going on in the future.
And if you are one of those nerds, feel free to join in on some good old analysis of America’s pastime in the Brew City.
This week we discuss some fantastic statistics regarding the league’s hottest team and more divisional play!
Standings:
Milwaukee Brewers (76-52) (22-15-4 in series)
– FIRST in the NL Central
– Lead the St. Louis Cardinals by 8.5 games
– Run Differential at +49 (up 13 from last week)
– Brewers hold the largest division lead in all of the MLB
Last Week’s Headlines:
Brewers Stats Galore
Instead of rambling about how awesome the Brewers are playing, I thought I would let the stats speak for themselves this week. Enjoy!
– Milwaukee’s league-leading 8.5 game cushion in the NL Central is tied for their longest in franchise history (also done from 6/22-6/23 of 2007)
– A 31-10 record since July 6th has the Brewers playing the best baseball in the majors. The NL-East leading Phillies are a little behind at 26-12. Wouldn’t it be something if these two teams met up in the playoffs?
– The Brewers are 13-5 on the road in their last 18. Not too shabby after a dismal 16-31 start away from home.
– In their last 33 games, the Brew Crew have allowed three runs or less in 24 of them, including four shutouts.
– Milwaukee’s starters are 57-31 this season, second only to the Phillies who boast a 60-32 record.
– The Brewers are beating up on the NL Central, going 36-19 against divisional foes.
– With a win on Sunday, Yovani Gallardo tied his career-high for wins with 14. The right-hander has produced at least 13 wins in each of the last three seasons.
– LHP Chris Narveson will return on Monday after a brief stint on the DL due to a sliced thumb.
– Prince Fielder currently sits at 98 RBI, two away from eclipsing 100 for the fourth time in his career.
– Casey McGehee is on fire over the last month while hitting above .300 with four home-runs and 22 RBI.
– Ryan Braun leads the team with multi-hit games at 36.
Looking Ahead:
Yippee, More NL Central Play!
The Brewers look to continue their hot road-trip with a three-night stay in Pittsburgh. Monday begins the four game series with a rare double-header. August has not been kind to Pittsburgh as they went from contending in the division to being ignored once again. Making matters worse, the Brewers are 8-0 versus the Pirates and sport a very low 1.73 ERA against them.
After the Pirates, the Cubs come back to Miller Park for a three game series Friday through Sunday. Despite a disappointing season, they’ve played respectable ball versus the Brewers, going 4-6 against their border rivals. All the Cubbie fans should make a trip up to the so-called “Wrigley North,” to see a playoff team.
Monday, August 22nd 4:05 PM & 7:35 PM (@ Pittsburgh)
Probable Pitchers: Game 1/ LHP Chris Narveson (8-6) vs. RHP Jeff Karstens (9-6)
Game 2/ RHP Zack Greinke (12-4) vs. RHP Brad Lincoln (0-0)
Tuesday, August 23rd 6:05 PM (@ Pittsburgh)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Marco Estrada (3-8) vs. RHP Ross Ohlendorf (0-0)
Wednesday, August 24th 11:35 AM (@ Pittsburgh)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Shaun Marcum (11-3) vs. RHP Kevin Correia (12-11)
Thursday, August 25th (OFF)
Friday, August 26th 7:10 PM (vs. Chicago Cubs)
Probable Pitchers: LHP Randy Wolf (10-8) vs. RHP Rodrigo Lopez (4-4)
Saturday, August 27th 6:10 PM (vs. Chicago Cubs)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Yovani Gallardo (14-8) vs. RHP Ryan Dempster (10-8)
Sunday, August 28th 1:10 PM (vs. Chicago Cubs)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Zack Greinke (12-4) vs. RHP Casey Coleman (2-5)
How do you feel about this Brewers team? Do they have what it takes to make it all the way to the World Series? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.