The strange, shortened 2020 Major League Baseball regular season is winding down and the Milwaukee Brewers are in the thick of a playoff chase.
As a reminder, eight teams from each league will make the playoffs this season – the top-two teams in each division and then the two teams outside of those six which have the best record.
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The Brewers enter Wednesday’s games in the No. 8 spot, thanks to holding a tiebreaker edge (intradivision record) over San Francisco. Cincinnati currently has the tiebreaker over Milwaukee by having the edge in head-to-head games, although it’s just 5-4 and obviously that could change with Wednesday’s result.
Winning the National League Central is incredibly unlikely – Milwaukee has six games remaining and Chicago five remaining with the Brewers 4 1/2 games in back of the Cubs. Not impossible, but improbable.
On the plus side, the Brewers have a pretty good buffer over two teams chasing them – New York (2 1/2 games) and Colorado (3 games) with San Francisco and Philadelphia lurking as the main competitors for a playoff spot.
The Brewers could also vault the Reds and St. Louis and finish second in the NL Central.
In other words, there’s lots to be decided in the season’s final days.
STANDINGS THROUGH 9/22 (note: GB is the Brewers’ number)
| TEAM | W | L | GB |
| Dodgers* | 39 | 16 | x |
| Padres** | 34 | 21 | x |
| Braves* | 33 | 22 | 5.5 |
| Cubs* | 32 | 23 | 4.5 |
| Cardinals** | 27 | 25 | 1 |
| Marlins** | 28 | 27 | .5 |
| Reds | 28 | 28 | – |
| Brewers | 27 | 27 | – |
| Giants | 27 | 27 | – |
| Phillies | 27 | 29 | 1 |
| Mets | 25 | 30 | +2.5 |
| Rockies | 24 | 30 | +3 |
* – division leaders | ** – second place in division
Let’s look at the upcoming schedule for Milwaukee and some of its postseason competitors.
PHILLIES
Schedule: Sept 23 – at Washington; Sept. 25-27 – at Tampa Bay
Skinny: Once seemingly assured of a playoff spot, Philadelphia is in a free fall. The Phillies have lost four straight and 9 of their last 13. Having to face postseason contender Tampa Bay on the road won’t help their cause as the Phillies are 8-16 away from home in 2020.
GIANTS
Schedule: Sept. 23-24 vs. Colorado; Sept. 25-27 vs. San Diego
Skinny: A 10-8 September has helped San Francisco get in the playoff hunt. The Giants get to face Colorado’s Ryan Castellani (5.59 ERA) and Chi Chi Gonzalez (7.53) before facing a tough Padres pitching staff, which will include a matchup against Dinelson Lamet (2.07) on Saturday. San Francisco has done it a lot with smoke and mirrors thus far but certainly don’t count them out.
BREWERS
Schedule: Sept. 23 – at Cincinnati; Sept. 24-27 at St. Louis.
Skinny: Milwaukee is playing better this month — 11-9 thus far — and have a tough task of trying to beat Trevor Bauer (1.80) on Wednesday, although Bauer is going on three days’ rest. The key, of course, will be a five-game series at St. Louis, which includes a doubleheader Friday. The Brewers are 3-2 against the Cardinals this season.
REDS
Schedule: Sept. 23 vs. Brewers; Sept. 25-27 at Minnesota
Skinny: We’ve mentioned Wednesday’s game above. Cincinnati then has to close out its season against a Twins team which is: 1. Fighting for the AL Central title; 2. 14-6 in September; 3. 22-5 at home. Bauer would go on short rest again Sunday if needed.
MARLINS
Schedule: Sept. 23-24 at Atlanta; Sept. 25-27 at New York Yankees
Skinny: At this point, Miami is basically trying to hold off Philadelphia for second place in the NL East. However, the Marlins have lost three straight and have to play two of the tougher teams in Atlanta and New York (32-23). If the Yankees are out of the AL East title hunt — they are 3 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay – that would help the Marlins as perhaps New York would save Gerrit Cole so he’s rested for the playoffs.
CARDINALS
Schedule: Sept. 23 at Kansas City; Sept. 24-27 vs. Milwaukee
Skinny: We covered the big series vs. the Brewers above. St. Louis, due to COVID-19 postponements, are scheduled to finish having played 58 games. The Cardinals will play one or two games in Detroit on Monday only if a playoff berth is on the line. They won’t play just to determine seeding. In other words, for Milwaukee’s sake, if the Brewers are on the outside looking in after Sunday’s game but St. Louis losing could put them in the postseason, the Cardinals will play Monday (or vice-versa, if St. Louis winning could put it in and knock the Brewers out). In case you’ve forgotten, welcome to 2020.
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September 23, 2020 at 10:46PM
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