The skid conjures memories of last year's late-season collapse for many fans unaccustomed to playing meaningful baseball in the final weeks of the season, but there is little worry in the Brewers' locker room.
"We're playing hard," Jeff Suppan said after taking the loss Thursday night against the Padres. "You get a couple losses in a row, and you get ready for the next day. There's really nothing we can do about how other people feel about it."
Offensively, the Brewers have been anemic. They've scored just 16 runs so far this month and are batting .234 with just three home runs.
"We haven't been swinging the bats really well at all," Yost said. "But that's something that goes in cycles."
Yost says he expects his players to be upset, but stresses the importance of letting it go in time for the next game.
"It's always disappointing when you lose a game, especially in September," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "But you can't allow it to carry over and let it affect the way you play tomorrow."
Luckily for the Brewers, their losing skid came at the same time the Cubs have lost five of six games. Still, the manager says dwelling on a missed opportunity to gain ground doesn't help.
In other words, its no time to hit the panic button.
"Every game's important so you feel like you have to win every single game, but you don't worry about it, you don't dwell on it," Yost said. "We have a four-game lead in the wild card and we come back and try to win a game tomorrow, and that's the extent of our focus.
Nearly historic: It goes without saying that the lowlight of the week had to be Chris Young's near-perfect game.
The lanky San Diego right-hander flustered the Brewers offense, which hit into 15 fly-ball outs.
It took Young just 96 pitches to throw his first career complete game. He retired the first 23 batters he faced until Gabe Kapler homered in the eighth inning.
Mat Gamel had the Brewers' only other hit.
Yost said that Young's tall frame made his delivery deceptive for batters. Shortstop J.J. Hardy agreed with the assessment.
"You can't say he throws 98 mph, he's overpowering and he's hitting his spots," Hardy said. "It's just different. You don't see a guy like that every day. You have to make adjustments and it's tough to do that. You have to give him credit."
Welcome to the show: Locker room space was at a premium Monday after the team called seven players up to Milwaukee to finish out the season.
Many of the players, like Tim Dillard, Mitch Stetter and Tony Gwynn Jr., have already seen significant time in the majors. Others, like Vinny Rottino have had limited exposure.
Glimpse into the future: First-round draft choice Brett Lawrie took batting practice at Miller Park before Saturday's game. It's been a whirlwind summer for Lawrie, who just completed a stint with the Canadian National Team at the Beijing Olympics.
Before heading to China, Lawrie signed a $1.7 million contract with the Brewers.
"It's been awesome," Lawrie said. "Before the draft I had an opportunity to go to a number of stadiums, but this is my first time in Milwaukee."
Lawrie will be among the prospects sent by the Brewers to the Arizona Fall Instructional League. He'll have an advantage on most of his teammates because he's been using wood bats for several years, unlike most prospects who are more accustomed to the aluminum models.
Lamb joins the flock: The team signed veteran infielder Mike Lamb during the week, indicating that Russell Branyan won't be returning from the disabled list anytime soon and that the Brewers have no plans to give Mat Gamel any significant time at third base.
Lamb was released by Minnesota last Thursday. He hit .233 with a home run and 32 RBIs in 81 games with the Twins. He's a career .277 hitter with 69 homers and 345 RBIs in a nine-year career that included stops in Texas and Houston before moving to the Twin Cities.
Should the Brewers make the playoffs, Lamb will be ineligible for the team's post-season roster.
Reversal of fortunes: Over the last month, Guillermo Mota has turned his season around. During the same time, Eric Gagne has seen his sink back down to the cellar.
Gagne is 3-1 in 20 appearances since coming off the disabled list in June, but his earned run average continues to balloon. He erased a 2-1 Brewers lead Friday night against San Diego with a leadoff home run to Brian Giles.
Mota, meanwhile, continues his impressive recovery. After being on the verge of release near the All-Star break, Mota has been nearly flawless. He hasn't allowed a run in his last 13 outings and has lowered his season ERA from 5.82 to 4.11.
His performace could earn him a promotion. Yost is considering moving Mota into the eighth-inning role, currently held by Gagne.
"I'll probably elevate him and use him in the eighth," Yost said. "It's definitely a possibility. Mota's done a really nice job. It all goes on matchups. We've got options."
Playoff lottery: Fans that didn't buy playoff tickets through their season-ticket can enter a lottery through noon Wednesday. Log on to Brewers.com to enter.
Schedule change: The Saturday, Sept. 20 game against the Reds has been changed to a 2:55 p.m. first pitch and will be broadcast nationally by the FOX Network. The game was originally scheduled to begin at 6:10 p.m., with WMLW airing it in Milwaukee. Instead, WMLW will air Wednesday's 1 p.m. matinee at Cincinnati.
Injury report: Lamb's signing means that there is little chance Branyan's strained right oblique muscle will heal before the season's end. ... Yovani Gallardo continues to rehab is surgically-repaired right knee. ... OF Mike Cameron missed the last two games with a sore knee.
Quick hits: Prince Fielder has committed 15 errors at first base this season; tied with Philadelphia's Ryan Howard for the most in the majors among first basemen. ... Sabathia has two multi-hit games this season. ... Corey Hart is second in the National League with 42 doubles so far this season.
On the farm: A number of Brewers prospects will participate in Fall League action. Mat Gamel, Angel Salome, Lou Palmissano, Omar Aguilar, Jeremy Jeffress, Alex Periard, David Welch and Brae Wright will play with the Peoria Javelinas. Caleb Gindl, Logan Schafer, Chris Cody and Mike Ramlow will play for manager Mike Guerrero in Hawaii.
This week: The Reds come to town tonight for the first of three games at Miller Park. After that, its on the road again for the last trip of the season ... and it's a big one, starting with four games at Philadelphia, which is chasing the Brewers for the Wild Card berth.
He said it: "We prefer to not have them celebrate something like that -- a perfect game or a no-hitter -- on our field." - OF Gabe Kapler, whose 8th inning homer broke up a perfect game by San Diego's Chris Young.
Attendance (Through 72 home games): Total -- 2,734,606; Average -- 37,891; On pace for -- 3,075,625; Sellouts -- 41.
NL Central standings: 1, Chicago, 86-57; 2, Milwaukee, 82-61 (-4); 3, St. Louis, 77-66 (-9); 4, Houston, 76-67 (-10); 5, Cincinnati, 64-79 (-22); 6, Pittsburgh, 60-82 (-23½).
NL Wild Card standings: 1, Milwaukee, 82-61; 2, Philadelphia, 78-65 (-4); 3, St. Louis, 77-66 (-5); 4, Houston, 76-67 (-6); 5, Florida, 72-71 (-10).
