MLB Playoff Predictions: 10 Reasons Milwaukee Brewers Will Win the World Series
The Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks face off in what might be the least watched series of Major League Baseball's postseason opening round.
Unfortunately, the rest of the nation is going to be missing out on the initial steps that the eventual World Series champions are going to be taking as they dismantle the Diamondbacks.
A World Series title for the Brewers could mean going through both the Cardinals and Yankees—teams that have eliminated the Brewers from postseason play before.
The following slideshow gives you ten reasons why things will be different this time around when the Brewers win the ring.
10. The Diamondbacks Are an Easy Draw
1 of 10The Brewers were very lucky with their postseason draw.
The Diamondbacks are the worst team to make the playoffs this year and are the 2011 candidates for the "2010 Cincinnati Reds Award" of being completely embarrassed in the postseason.
8. The Brewers Can Beat the Cardinals
3 of 10Milwaukee has played the Cardinals evenly so far this year with each team winning nine games. However, the Brewers match up well with the Cardinals pitching rotation.
Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum and Yovani Gallardo make up a much better 1-2-3 tandem than anything the Cardinals can put together.
Additionally, the Brewers elite bullpen keeps them competitive in any games that their starters can pitch through six innings.
LaTroy Hawkins, K-Rod, and John Axford await in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, making runs very hard to come by for opposing offenses.
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7. Corey Hart
4 of 10Corey Hart had a surprisingly very productive 2011. He hit 26 home runs in just 130 games and has proven to be an important asset in the Brewers' lineup.
Hart has had solid success against the Cardinals in his career, hitting .291 with eight homers and 25 RBI in 117 at-bats.
He’s struggled against the Diamondbacks, but Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun can take care of the heavy lifting there. The team will need Hart’s bat against the Cardinals in the second round though.
6. Shaun Marcum
5 of 10Shaun Marcum struggled a bit in September, but he’s been exactly what the Brewers needed to help them get to this next level; he is a dependable, effective starter in the middle of the rotation.
He finished the year 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA and impressive 1.15 WHIP.
5. Yovani Gallardo
6 of 10Yovani Gallardo had a great season for the Brew Crew. He went 17-10 and struck out 207 batters in 207.1 innings.
Arizona hitters have a weak .613 OPS against him lifetime, so expect Gallardo to shine in that series.
4. Prince Fielder
7 of 10This might be Prince Fielder’s last season in Milwaukee, and if it is, then he’s definitely leaving in style. Fielder hit .299 with 38 homers and 120 RBI in 2011.
Fielder has been a terror for Diamondbacks pitchers in his career, hitting .329 with six homers and 18 RBI, along with an 1.014 OPS.
3. Zack Greinke
8 of 10Zack Greinke’s first year in the National League was better than even the Brewers could’ve hoped for. He tied a career-high in wins (16), notched a career-high in K/9 (10.5) and a career-low in losses (6).
2. Ryan Braun
9 of 10Braun had an MVP-caliber year and has fully cemented himself as one of the greats in baseball. It will be refreshing to watch him make a long postseason run with the Brewers.
Braun hit .332 with 33 homers and 111 RBI with an MVP-worthy WAR of 7.7. In only five seasons, Braun has hit .312 with 161 homers and 531 RBI.
The 2011 World Series is going to be his coming-out party.
1. Payback
10 of 10The Brewers franchise has been in existence since 1969 and has only reached the postseason three times prior to 2011.
Their only World Series appearance ended in defeat at the hands of the Cardinals in seven games back in 1982. The year before, a division series loss to the Yankees in the strike-shortened 1981 season.
They’ll get an opportunity to vanquish those demons once and for all if they can beat the Cardinals in the NLCS and then the Yankees in the World Series.
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