So the Brewers are 24-10, record is tops in the Majors, Brewers fans are certainly excited, it's a consensus that they're the best thing since cold beer. Right?
Maybe we should put the brakes on a tad. Allow me to explain.
I'm a fan of the Brewers. Unlike the Astros and Cubs, the Cardinals haven't had a bitter rivalry with Milwaukee with the exception of those seven games in 1982. They're a young team who is filled with potential superstars playing the best baseball of their careers and they have Suppan who, after his Game 7 performances in the '04 and '06 NLCS', I think Cardinals fans are contractually obligated to like until he retires. Not to mention they race giant sausages during the game - what's not to like?
All that said, there is a little chink in the Brewers armor. They really haven't been tested.
The combined record of the teams that the Brewers have feasted on to this point is 118-145. They've taken their cue from the Cardinals the last few years (well, '04 and '05) and pummeled the weak competition in the NL Central. The only teams with a winning record that they've played are the Dodgers in the opening series of the year and now the Cubs, by virtue of the Cubs victory last night (making them 16-15).
So what's wrong with that you ask? Nothing at all. Except that the next few weeks will give us a much better indication if this team is for real or just the shiniest of the turds in the division.
This is how their schedule shapes up starting tomorrow:
@ New York Mets
@ Philly
vs. Minnesota
@ LA
@ SD
vs. Atlanta
The combined record of those teams - 112-89
So how will it all shake out? Is the confidence that swelled in the first 34 games enough for them to stand toe-to-toe with some of the big boys in the league? Cardinals fans are hoping the team they're chasing comes back to reality long enough to allow them to right the ship without getting completely left in the dust (two clichés in one sentence, impressive).
If Brewers games have taught us anything, it's that the sausage that jumps out to the early lead isn't the one that always wins in the end. Or something like that.
