Thursday, September 1, 2011

Game One Hundred and Thirty Eight: Cardinals 8, Brewers 4

Box Score

That series was a flaming disaster, and I'm less happy as a human being because the Brewers got swept. As was the case after the loss yesterday, the Brewers still have the luxury of a commanding lead and it's still hard to imagine them not winning the division. But that's not going to stop me from trying.

My concern is two fold:

1) Large, seemingly unfathomable collapses are not unprecedented. The 1969 Cubs, the 1995 California Angels, the 2007 Mets, and even the Padres from last season were all teams that looked to be in cruise control yet still missed the playoffs. It's not over until it's over. And let's not forget the the 2008 Brewers blew a huge Wild Card lead but miraculously recovered in the last week of the season (Thank, Pittsburgh!).

2) The blueprint to collapse is upon us. After a three game series in Houston, the Brewers have three at St Louis and then host the Phillies for a four game series. It's easy to imagine 7.5 games dwindling to 2.5 (or less) in an uncomfortably short period of time.

As for now, the Brewers had a big enough lead (and still have a big enough lead) that there is no reason to panic. However, I can imagine myself pushing the panic button rather soon. If the Brewers do not take care of business in Houston I will not start freaking out.

With all of this said, the worst month the Brewers have had was in April when they went 13-12. The division is theirs if they go 12-12 the rest of the way, and there is no reason to believe that will not happen...though that will not stop me from fearing the worst. Let's just say a Brewers win and a Cardinals loss tomorrow would be just what the doctor ordered.

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