2011 MLB Playoff Predictions: Milwaukee Brewers Will Recapture Swagger in Game 5

Games 1 and 2 of the National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks went very well for the Milwaukee Brewers, as clutch hits and solid pitching gave them a quick 2-0 series lead.

Games 3 and 4? Not so much. In fact, the tables were turned entirely, as it was the D-Backs who were suddenly coming up with all the clutch hits (most of them home runs) and solid pitching. On the strength of their bats, they managed to tie the series at 2-2.

So, in a matter of just a couple of days, the Brew Crew went from flying high to facing elimination. Is that irony?

It's definitely something, whatever it is. But if I had to make a guess here and now (and I do), I'd say that the Brewers are going to put their tough time in the desert behind them and come up with a win on Friday in Game 5. They'll be on their way to the National League Championship Series, and it will be like Games 3 and 4 never even happened.

My faith in the Brewers stems from a couple of advantages, all of which are pretty simple.

First and foremost, no team enjoys home cooking quite like the Brewers at Miller Park. Of the Brewers' 96 wins during the regular season, 57 came at home. We tend to exaggerate when we talk about "home-field advantage," but the phrase definitely applies to the Brewers playing at Miller Park.

Heck, we saw as much in the first two games of the series. The Brewers never trailed in any of the 18 innings that were played, and there was never any doubt that they were the better team. Additionally, their heavy hitters came to play, as Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun went a combined 9-for-16 with six RBI in Games 1 and 2.

This is pretty much par for the course for sirs Fielder and Braun, as the two of them hit much better at home this season than they have on the road. Presumably, being back at Miller Park will reinvigorate their bats.

As if that wasn't enough, the Brewers will also have the luxury of running Yovani Gallardo back out to the mound. He allowed one run in eight innings of work in Game 1, and it is certainly worth noting that he is also a different player at home than he is on the road. During the regular season, Gallardo had an ERA of 3.00 at home, as opposed to 4.05 on the road.

Yes, the Diamondbacks have all the momentum in this series, and their situation won't exactly be hopeless with 21-game winner Ian Kennedy out on the mound. As they say, momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher, and the D-Backs will have a good one going for them.

But I'm just not sure these things are going to be enough for the D-Backs to keep the Brew Crew under wraps. They got the jump on them back in the desert, but the odds of them actually finishing the Brewers off are slim.

So, in the end, it will be like Games 3 and 4 never happened.

Prediction: Brewers 6, Diamondbacks 3