The Milwaukee Brewers’ comfortable eight-game lead in the Central just took a hit, trimming down to seven after a rough 3-4 stretch last week against the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. Now, they’re heading right back into American Family Field to face those same Cubs, starting September 7, and they absolutely need to avoid a sweep if they want to keep that division lead from feeling too shaky. Even one win in this series would calm things down, but seriously, that seven-game cushion feels way too close right now.
These Pitching Matchups Could Go Either Way, Again
It’s going to feel like Groundhog Day for the Brewers because they’re seeing a lot of the same faces on the mound. Robert Gasser, who’s sitting at 4-5 with a 4.57 ERA, gets the ball first for Milwaukee on September 7 at 1:10 p.m., going up against Chicago’s Matthew Boyd (8-3, 4.05 ERA). Then on September 8 at 6:40 p.m., Jacob Misiorowski (14-5, 1.97 ERA) faces off against David Peterson (7-8, 5.39 ERA). Later that same evening, Logan Henderson (9-3, 2.48 ERA) gets a rematch with Kevin Gausman (9-11, 4.38 ERA). Remember Gausman? His split-finger fastball totally flummoxed the Brewers in that 2-1 loss last Thursday. But hey, at least we won’t see Clay Holmes, who absolutely stifled them in that brutal 17-3 shellacking. The good news is, the Brewers did enough against Boyd and Peterson last time out, even if they needed a little help from the Cubs’ bullpen to seal those wins. They tagged Boyd for three runs in 5 1/3 innings and got six off Peterson in 3 2/3 innings, so they know they can get to them.
Five. That’s The Real Magic Number. Seriously.
Okay, listen up, because this is where it gets wild. The Brewers’ official magic number to clinch a playoff spot is seven. But here’s the kicker: with the Diamondbacks and Padres both hanging by a thread with 68 losses each for that final wild-card spot, and those two still having a three-game series against each other later this month, it means one of them is guaranteed at least two more losses. So, that magic number is *really* five right now because the Brewers just need to finish ahead of one of them. The Brewers have the tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks, but not the Padres. To officially finish better than Arizona, the number is six. For San Diego, it’s seven. What’s the easiest path to popping champagne? Brewers sweep the Cubs, knocking three off the magic number, and the Diamondbacks lose all three games at Kansas City, taking off another three. If that happens, Arizona could only tie, and the Brewers have the tiebreaker anyway. Another scenario: Brewers win all three, and both San Diego (who plays Washington) and Arizona lose two of three. Then, boom, they’re in!
This series kicks off September 7 at 1:10 p.m. with Gasser on the mound. Can the Brewers avoid the sweep and take a huge step towards clinching? Or will the Cubs play spoiler and keep this race tighter than we want it to be?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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