Milwaukee Brewers 2009: Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop

Thirteen. The number of games left to go before the 2009 All-Star break. Most Brewers fans are hoping for the best, but you wouldn't blame them if they expected the worst. 

Now don't get me wrong, the Brewers made the Wild-Card last year only to be bounced by the Phillies decisively. This year the Brewers were suppose to have the tools needed to make a run for the NL Central and a run into the playoffs.

So far they are tied with the Cardinals atop the NL Central.

The loss of Rickie Weeks was, at the time, a large blow to the Milwaukee line-up.  However, the real issue that faces the Milwaukee Brewers is their inconsistent play. 

We are going to take a look into the Brewers season statistically and maybe shed some light on why the Brewers may, or may not be playoff bound.

One. That is the number of starting pitchers the Brewers have on roster with an ERA lower than 4.00. That is the young right-hander Yovani Gallardo (2.86). With his 8-4 record that some feel should be 10-2, he is currently the only bright spot on the starting line-up.

With the exception of Branden Looper (5-4) (5.16), Gallardo is the only other starting Brewer pitcher with a winning record.

Closer Trevor Hoffman has managed 17 of 18 saves.

The Brewers offense has continued to be one of the better offenses in the National League. 

Two. The number of Brewers who are in the top 10 in the NL in RBI's. No surprise to most, it is Prince Fielder (73) and Ryan Braun (53).

Three. That is the number of players the Brewers have that are in the top 20 in Home runs in the NL. They are second behind only the Phillies with four players. Again, no surprise that Fielder (19) and Braun (16) are on that list.

Fourth. The Brewers rank in runs scored in the NL (352), trailing behind Philadelphia, Colorado, and the LA Dodgers.

Five. The number of the times the Brewers have shut an opponent out. Keep in mind three of those five wins were 1-0.

Thirty-six (you thought number six was coming didn't you?). The number of times the Brewers have given up 5 or more runs in a game. That is counting the twenty-six losses and ten wins.

Seven. The longest winning streak the Brewers have put together. The Brewers were 12-10 at the end of April, 18-10 at the end of May, go into tonight's series against the NY Mets 10-15 in the month of June, and are 4-6 in their last 10 games. 

The issue here isn't if the Brewers can go 12-15 in June. The issue is what the Brewers can do about the starting rotation in order to avoid another losing month, and focus on consistency. 

The Brewers after the All-Star break are like watching a junkie relapsing. They can bring both hope, and disappointment.

Most people have a general agreement that the NL Central looks to be settled between the Brewers and the Cardinals. The Cards just added depth to their line-up with the addition of Mark DeRosa.

I am not saying the Brewers front office is going to avoid the chance to improve this team, but there just might not be enough talent out there to get their hands on. 

I won't question the Brewers character or heart, but I can name you four players that I think are playing good baseball right now. A Pitcher, a closer, and two batters.  Now, if four guys could go out every night and that is all it took, it would be great.

Unfortunately, its takes about 14 guys a night to make a team win in the majors.