Three weeks ago, here in Extra Points, we talked about how the Brewers were entering a sink or swim stretch.
A stretch of 13 games against the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Cubs could be the determinant of the team’s playoff hopes in 2022.
The Brewers went 5 and 8.
Yikes.
Things are bad right now, but they could be much worse if not for the shortcomings of some other contenders, most notably the San Diego Padres.
While the Cardinals’ divisional lead has ballooned to 5 and a half games, the Brewers sit just a game and a half behind the Padres in the Wild Card race.
Three weeks ago, San Diego looked like they were going for it.
They traded for Josh Hader, Juan Soto, and Josh Bell.
They were on the precipice of getting Fernando Tatis Jr. back from injury.
Tatis has been suspended for PED’s, Hader’s been atrocious, and Soto & Bell have fallen short of expectations thus far.
The long and short of it is this: as bad as it is for the Brewers, it could be worse.
They’re through the toughest stretch of their schedule and they return home for 3 against the Cubs this weekend.
This thing ain’t over, but the Brewers can’t keep relying on other teams to keep them in the race.
Eventually, they have to win some games on their own accord.
