3 Reasons Brewers Can Steal Wild Card From Cubs Without Christian Yelich
By Chris Russo
The Milwaukee Brewers suffered a huge letdown when the last year's and, maybe this year's, MVP Christian Yelich suffered a season-ending knee injury thanks to a foul ball against the Miami Marlins Tuesday. Yet, they enter Thursday tied with the Chicago Cubs for the second Wild Card, so here are three reasons the Brewers can still get to October.
3. Postseason Experience
Remember, this Brewers team came within one game of going to the World Series last year. There are plenty of holdovers who know what it takes to win down the stretch and some have even won the Fall Classic, such as Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas. Even with Yelich sidelined, the Brewers lineup is plenty deep, and they have experienced veterans to lead the charge.
2. Strength of Schedule
Of the Brewers' last 16 games, only three are against teams that are in true playoff contention. Milwaukee plays three games in St. Louis this weekend, but then hosts the Padres and Pirates before heading to Cincinnati and Denver to finish September. The Brewers are 46-39 against below-.500 teams entering their series finale with the Marlins, so they have a real chance to earn some important wins.
1. The Bullpen (Specifically Josh Hader)
Milwaukee's starting rotation has been marred with injury, and quite frankly, isn't the most trustworthy unit in the league. The bullpen is what got the team so far last year, and will be called upon again down the stretch. Despite an off year from Jeremy Jeffress, guys like Alex Claudio and Junior Guerra have been solid workhorses, and Josh Hader's 30 saves and 124 strikeouts in 67 innings prove Milwaukee has the closer to get past the Cubs.