After winning five in a row and seven of their last 10, the Brewers have fought their way back to within five games of .500.
There's an awful lot of work to be done still -- not to mention personnel decisions to weigh as the trade deadline approaches -- but is this hot streak a sign that the Brewers are starting to get back into contention or is it nothing more than a late-season fluke?
OnMilwaukee.com checked in with its own crack sports staff and other local media folks who regularly cover the team for their take:
Drew Olson
Senior editor
I've always maintained that you can't talk even talk about a pennant race if your team isn't playing to a .500 record. Then again, if you are at .500 on Sept. 1, it's usually not a reach to consider yourself on the fringe of the wild-card race (or the division race if it's an off-year for everybody).
Can the Brewers get to (or stay at) that .500 mark in the next month? Certainly, they can. The upcoming schedule is pretty favorable. But, the .500 mark is the baseline. In order to be a successful franchise in my eyes, you need that to be a rock-bottom figure -- the worst that you can play. Then, you can spring from that, go on a hot streak (like Colorado did a few years ago) and ride a wave into the playoffs.
The Brewers dipped double-digits below that mark, which meant the climb back to the break-even point was so long and arduous that by the time they get there they could be in for a market-correcting losing streak. Bottom line: I think the hole is too deep for them to contend, but there is still room to make things interesting in the final two months and create a launching point for next year. I've seen studies that indicate that teams that play well in the final weeks of a season -- which some deem as meaningless -- tend to fare better the next season. So, they've got that -- and some trade talk -- to look forward to ...
Andrew Wagner
Staff writer
Though it's probably too late, now is the Brewers' chance to make some noise. Splitting series at Atlanta and Pittsburgh was a good way to start the second half, sweeping Washington was crucial and taking the series against the Reds is very important.
Still, there is too much ground (eight games out of the Wild Card, behind six other teams) to make up and I'm not sure the Brewers have enough energy to claw their way completely back into consideration.
The pitching has been better, but is still suspect. Randy Wolf has occasionally shown glimpses of reliability; Chris Narveson has struggled with consistency and Manny Parra is close to officially using up all of his chances here. With LaTroy Hawkins due back soon, some difficult decisions are on the horizon.
And what happens at the deadline? Eschewing a trade which could, in theory, stock the team with talent for the next few years just because of a hot streak could lead to long-term damage. Unfortunately, the quest to placate fans overrides all and if there's a shot, general manager Doug Melvin may feel the pressure to give up what few prospects the team has for a two-month rental.
My verdict? The team is heating up, but it would be hard to fathom the Brewers playing ball come October.
Bob Brainerd
FS Wisconsin / Time Warner Sports32
To borrow the words of Ken Macha, this Brewers team rides the rollercoaster, and I don't see that changing anytime soon in the near future. They need to get hot ... REAL hot, to have a chance to overtake both the Reds and the Cardinals. And if starting pitching is the key to make such a run, then the Brewers don't have participants not named Gallardo who can step to the mound each start and give you that warm fuzzy feeling that they will carry the load deep into the late frames of a ballgame. I think Doug Melvin stands pat, not obtaining a body but also not subtracting one. They may make a run to get back to the break even .500 mark, but will doing that siphon the gas tank from adding more W's to stay above it? Doesn't seem likely with the Jekyll and Hyde pitching staff.
Evan Fitzgerald
Sports Anchor
CBS 58 (WDJT-TV), Milwaukee
The Brewers are playing good baseball right now, probably their best of the season. But there are two major hurdles: they have not one but two teams to pass in the division, and they haven't shown the consistency required to make a sustained run. Is it impossible; no. Is it likely; probably not.
Justin Hull
Host, "The Home Stretch"
AM 1570 The Score, Appleton
When you are five games under .500 and still chasing two teams ahead of you in the Central Division ... no. Milwaukee has to catch the Cardinals (ahead by eight games) with only five head-to-head match-ups remaining. They do have eight more with Cincinnati, but you can't control St. Louis on the those nights. Get to .500, stay there for two weeks and then maybe we can realistically have this discussion.
Trenni Kusnierek
Reporter
MLB Network
I'd love for the Brewers to get back into the race, but I'm not sure this is the year. I feel like they dug themselves too deep a hole. They're eight games out, but it's eight games for a team that has been so up and down this year that you have to question whether they have what it takes to be consistent enough over the next few months.
Steve "The Homer" True
Radio personality
540 ESPN
I don't even think they're teasing us yet. I guess if they could get to within five games, or maybe get near the top of the wild-card standings we could talk about it then. Right now, it's too early. They could win 10 in a row at this point and that still wouldn't put them back in the race.
Tom Ziemer
Brewers beat writer
Wisconsin State Journal
Yes, there are some reasons for optimism, but let's pump the brakes because the Brewers are still eight games out of first. They're in the midst of a hot stretch, but with their still-spotty starting pitching and home run-reliant offense, they still have a few losing streaks in them. Neither St. Louis nor Cincinnati is running away with the NL Central, but that eight-game gap is currently tied for the largest difference between first- and third-place teams in a division (Boston is also eight games back of the Yankees). Last but not least, Milwaukee is still five games under .500.
