(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Minus their two aces, the Milwaukee Brewers have managed to hang tough atop the NL Central during the first half of the season, due in large part to their lights-out bullpen and the excellence of their two slugging superstars, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.

But several potential roadblocks stand in the way of another trip to the postseason for the Brew Crew.

Can several position players snap out of their season-long funks and help pick up the slack for Braun and Fielder? Can the rotation hold up for an entire season?

And can the bullpen duplicate their first half success or will the heavy workload catch up?

Here are a few reasons why Brewer fans can be optimistic looking ahead to the second half, along with some issues that Milwaukee will need to address in order to return to the playoffs in Sept.

Reasons for Optimism

Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder have been spectacular in 2009, significantly raising their OBP and carrying an otherwise struggling Brewer offense.

Fielder is currently second in the majors in RBI (74,) is hitting over .300 for the first time in his career (.307,) and has been far more selective at the plate this season. His nearly 1/1 K:BB ratio indicates that patience and is a main reason why his numbers are up across the board.

His 20 bombs don't hurt either.

Braun is simply raking like he has since he joined the majors, and has also significantly raised his OBP to well over .400.

The probable All-Star starter is hitting .327 with 16 home runs and 57 RBI on the season.

Overshadowed a bit by Braun and Fielder's MVP-caliber seasons have been the strong first halves of Craig Counsell and Casey McGehee.

Counsell altered his light-saber wielding batting stance to a more traditional pose in the offseason, and he has been a pleasant surprise for the Brewers thus far, batting .297 while earning his fair share of starts in the infield.

Not bad for a guy Milwaukee almost didn't bring back this year.

McGehee has been a godsend for the Brewers at second and third base, hitting .325 and showing a little pop with five homers in 114 at-bats.

If anyone is heading down to Wrigley for the upcoming four-game set, go ahead and thank some Cubs fans for their team cutting McGehee loose this offseason.

With Rickie Weeks going down and Bill Hall flailing at just about everything these days, it's safe to say that the Brewers would be looking up at St. Louis and Cincinnati in the standings without these two key contributors.

The Brewer bullpen has also been dominant, with all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman heading up a solid group.

The mix of Hoffman, Todd Coffey, Seth McClung, Mark DiFelice, and lefty specialist Mitch Stetter have turned Brewer games into five and six-inning affairs, a luxury that few teams in baseball enjoy.

With the exception of McClung, who has been thrust into a few spot starts, the other bullpen guys sport ERA's under 3.00, and have helped cover up the struggles of Carlos Villanueva, who was a main bullpen cog a year ago.

The only question will be whether this 'pen can hold up under their heavy current workload and duplicate their success in the second half.

Second-Half Issues to Address

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