The Milwaukee Brewers are lining up for what could be a memorable summer.
As it sits right now, the Brew Crew are trailing the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds by just half a game, while the Cubs, who don’t look now but continue to surge, are just four games back themselves.
The Brewers, who sit at 58 wins and 50 losses, can probably account for more than half those wins thanks to the strong arms of their starters and the shut-’em down mentality in the bullpen.
As it has in years past, the offense has seemingly continued to struggle for most parts of the season…until now.
Without an explanation, what was once the almighty strength of this Brewers team has seemed to become their weakness almost overnight.
In Atlanta, where the Brewers just got swept this past weekend, the offense scored, on average, six runs over the 3-game set, while the pitching surrendered over 9.5 runs per game.
The most frustrating part of it all, aside from losing? In each of those games, the Brewers grabbed the lead, only to be followed up the next half-inning by giving it up.
Unfortunately, that trend continued during the first two games in Washington this week. At one point in the game last night, after getting the early lead, the pitching, once again – you guessed it – gave it away. Making it seven consecutive innings in which the Brewers had the lead, only to let it go in the very same inning.
With the playoff race as tight as it has been in years, the Brewers must figure out how to get back to doing what they do best if they want to be serious contenders this fall.
If not, an early end to the season may come sooner rather than later.
