A Pennant Race? What's that Like?
Josh Flickinger
As a long-suffering, and I mean that literally, fan of the Milwaukee Brewers, there are a few things that I've gotten used to. Dissapointing rookies. Underachevieng veterans. Disastrous free agent signings. The staff ace going 11-11. Stuff like that. This year, thanks to an improved team, and more acutely the general malaise that has fallen over the National League, just might be different. Don't look now, but the Brewers are riding their mediocrity straight into the thick of not only the Wild Card race, but the NL Central crown as well.
Most hardcore baseball fans can recall the last time the Brewers were in the World Series: 1982. They lost a terrific seven game series to the St. Louis Cardinals. What people may not realize is that 1982 was also the last year the Brewers were in post-season play. That's right, 24 years ago. Since then, the team had only a couple of years in which they were true contenders: 1992, when they finished four games behind eventual World Champion Toronto, and 1988 when they two games behind Boston. They had their first non-losing campaign since the aforementioned '92 season last year, when they finished even at 81-81. Hopes were high coming into '06, and a 5-0 start only further buoyed fans' expectations.
However, injuries to ace Ben Sheets and solid starter Tomo Ohka left the Brewers scrambling for spots in the rotation. The next guy in line was Rick Helling, a veteran who pitched great down the stretch last season. He went down as well, leaving the Crew to call up two young starters, both of whom fell flat on their face. The injuries and subsequent failures by the youngsters contributed greatly to an eight-game losing streak that left Milwaukee on the outside of the race looking in.
However, thanks to solid starts by rookies Zach Jackson and Carlos Villanueva, the Brewers have slowly but surely crept right back into the race. With the Cardinals, Reds, and about everyone else in the NL faltering, the team finds itself 3.5 games out of the Wild Card, and 4.5 out of first place. While catching the Cardinals is certainly not a reasonable expectation, staying squarely in the wild card fray shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. The Brewers have Ohka headed out to his first rehab start on Sunday, and expect Sheets back in around a month. Barring a trade of John Smoltz, it would be quite a challenge to match Ben Sheets as a trading deadline acquisition, which is essentially what he would become.
While there are still questions surrounding the depth of the bullpen, the effectiveness of Sheets and Ohka upon their return, and how their many young players would respond to the pressure of the race, this is indeed an exciting time to be a Brewers fan.
As a long-suffering, and I mean that literally, fan of the Milwaukee Brewers, there are a few things that I've gotten used to. Dissapointing rookies. Underachevieng veterans. Disastrous free agent signings. The staff ace going 11-11. Stuff like that. This year, thanks to an improved team, and more acutely the general malaise that has fallen over the National League, just might be different. Don't look now, but the Brewers are riding their mediocrity straight into the thick of not only the Wild Card race, but the NL Central crown as well.
Most hardcore baseball fans can recall the last time the Brewers were in the World Series: 1982. They lost a terrific seven game series to the St. Louis Cardinals. What people may not realize is that 1982 was also the last year the Brewers were in post-season play. That's right, 24 years ago. Since then, the team had only a couple of years in which they were true contenders: 1992, when they finished four games behind eventual World Champion Toronto, and 1988 when they two games behind Boston. They had their first non-losing campaign since the aforementioned '92 season last year, when they finished even at 81-81. Hopes were high coming into '06, and a 5-0 start only further buoyed fans' expectations.
However, injuries to ace Ben Sheets and solid starter Tomo Ohka left the Brewers scrambling for spots in the rotation. The next guy in line was Rick Helling, a veteran who pitched great down the stretch last season. He went down as well, leaving the Crew to call up two young starters, both of whom fell flat on their face. The injuries and subsequent failures by the youngsters contributed greatly to an eight-game losing streak that left Milwaukee on the outside of the race looking in.
However, thanks to solid starts by rookies Zach Jackson and Carlos Villanueva, the Brewers have slowly but surely crept right back into the race. With the Cardinals, Reds, and about everyone else in the NL faltering, the team finds itself 3.5 games out of the Wild Card, and 4.5 out of first place. While catching the Cardinals is certainly not a reasonable expectation, staying squarely in the wild card fray shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. The Brewers have Ohka headed out to his first rehab start on Sunday, and expect Sheets back in around a month. Barring a trade of John Smoltz, it would be quite a challenge to match Ben Sheets as a trading deadline acquisition, which is essentially what he would become.
While there are still questions surrounding the depth of the bullpen, the effectiveness of Sheets and Ohka upon their return, and how their many young players would respond to the pressure of the race, this is indeed an exciting time to be a Brewers fan.
posted by Ben Godar at 11:06 AM
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