File this one away, because you have probably never seen it before and it’ll be rare moving forward to ever see it again:
The Milwaukee Brewers are making an utter mockery out of Major League Baseball.
Yes, the same Brewers that started the season 0-4 with a -32 run differential. The same Brewers that were 25-28 through May 24.
They have been playing like one of the greatest teams in MLB history since. The Brewers are 48-16 since that date, an outrageous 12 games better than the second-best National League team. That 48-16 mark for the Brewers? Yeah, that’s a 162-game pace of 122 wins.
They aren’t slowing down. They’re 24-4 since July 5. They’re 9-0 in August.
The bizarre thing is that nearly every other big-time contender has endured major struggles recently. The Blue Jays lost six of eight through Aug. 3. The Tigers lost 12 of 13 wrapped around the All-Star break and still haven’t fully recovered. The Astros have gone 10-17 since July 6. The Mets are currently in a tailspin and that’s where the Yankees have been for months. The Dodgers lost 13 of 18 last month. The Phillies have had multiple rough stretches, the worst being losing nine of 10 games from May 29-June 8. The Cubs have had a few months of “lose four of six” stretches.
Since everything seemed to click for the Brewers over Memorial Day weekend, the worst stretch they’ve endured was losing five of eight from June 3-11. They’ve also had an 11-game winning streak, a nine-game winning streak, an eight-game winning streak, won eight of nine and, well, you get it. They just win and win and win again. It’s been ridiculous.
The 17-7 record in July was the second best in Brewers history (they went 20-8 in July of 1983). The best Brewers record ever in August was 21-7 (2011); this month, they’re 9-0.
It has taken some time for the odds to come around and, arguably, the Brewers still aren’t getting their due on this front. Here are the current odds, via Caesars, to win the World Series:
- Dodgers +275
- Phillies +650
- Tigers +850
- Brewers +1000
- Mariners +1000
Myriad factors contribute there, including market size (there are generally a lot more people who bet on the major market teams and that affects odds), but it also seems like maybe an awful lot of baseball fans are expecting a Brewers backslide. To be clear, no, I don’t believe they’ll play at a 122-win pace the rest of the season, but they don’t have to do that to win the World Series.
What they have shown is that they are not to be ignored. The Milwaukee Brewers are not only the best team in baseball, but they are absolutely destroying the rest of the field.
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
They were down 5-0 early in the game on Sunday and I thought to myself, “they 100% will come back and win.” Yep. That’s just how things are going for them right now. | — | 73-44 |
2 |
|
The Phillies were not in first place after a loss last Saturday. They now have a 5 ½-game lead. | 3 | 68-49 |
3 |
|
Blake Snell sure looked like his Cy Young self on Saturday. | — | 68-50 |
4 |
|
In a three-game sweep in Coors Field, the Blue Jays outscored the Rockies 45-6. Good grief, man. That’ll prop up the ol’ run differential. | — | 69-50 |
5 |
|
Dylan Cease’s last two outings: 11 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 16 K. He might be back to ace form. | 2 | 66-52 |
6 |
|
With Cal Raleigh’s 45th home run on Sunday, he now sits behind only Ken Griffey Jr. (four different seasons) on the Mariners single-season home run list. | 5 | 66-53 |
7 |
|
The Cubs are the only team in baseball who haven’t been swept in a three- (or four-) game series or had more than a three-game losing streak. | 5 | 67-50 |
8 |
|
I still don’t feel like they have their mojo back, but the Tigers did win their weekend series and are back up six games in the division. | 2 | 68-51 |
9 |
|
Jarren Duran has 12 triples this season. No Red Sox player has gotten to 16 triples since 1929. | — | 65-54 |
10 |
|
This week marked the first time the Astros won back-to-back series in a month. | — | 66-52 |
11 |
|
In his last 20 games, Kyle Manzardo is 23 for 63 (.365) with seven home runs and 19 RBI. | 6 | 61-56 |
12 |
|
We’re just about to two months of the Yankees being one of the worst teams in baseball. They are 21-31 since June 12. | — | 62-56 |
13 |
|
They have now lost 11 of 12. | 5 | 63-55 |
14 |
|
It’s only seven games, but Miguel Andujar is proving to be a savvy pickup. He’s 6 for 16 with two doubles and a home run. | — | 62-57 |
15 |
|
They got right up against playoff position, but have now lost four straight. | 2 | 60-59 |
16 |
|
If the Royals are to make a playoff push, this week is a good time to start. They have home series against the Nationals and White Sox. | — | 58-60 |
17 |
|
Why do I keep seeing so many empty seats? What happened to the best fans in baseball? | 3 | 60-59 |
18 |
|
Losing two of three at home to the Nationals is unacceptable enough on its own. Losing 8-0 and getting outhit 17-3? Terrible. | — | 59-59 |
19 |
|
How about this anomaly? Brandon Pfaadt has 12 wins, only one off the MLB lead, but he also has a 5.03 ERA, the fourth-worst mark among qualifiers. | 4 | 57-61 |
20 |
|
Losing four of five to the Braves stops any playoff talk for the Marlins. | 5 | 57-61 |
21 |
|
The Rays are now 10-26 since June 28. | 2 | 57-62 |
22 |
|
Even after the big sell-off, the Twins aren’t a pushover. They’ve won five of seven. | 2 | 56-61 |
23 |
|
Mike Trout is just two home runs away from 400. Only 58 players have ever reached 400, but I’m more wondering if he can reach 500. | 1 | 56-62 |
24 |
|
Nick Kurtz hasn’t hit a home run since his four-homer game, but he’s now working on a 25-game on-base streak. | 1 | 53-67 |
25 |
|
Is there cause for concern with Gunnar Henderson’s power? He’s slugging .464 with 14 homers in 111 games. Last season, he hit 37 home runs with a .529 slugging percentage. | 4 | 53-65 |
26 |
|
The Braves already have five wins this month after only winning eight in July. | 1 | 51-67 |
27 |
|
Oneil Cruz leads the NL in stolen bases. He’s 6-foot-7. Pretty good bet he would be the tallest leading base-stealer ever. | 1 | 51-68 |
28 |
|
Good sign on Sunday: MacKenzie Gore had a 13.21 ERA in his previous four starts, but he went out and threw six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in this one. | 1 | 47-70 |
29 |
|
You know who is fun? Colson Montgomery and his mammoth power. He destroyed one 452 feet on Sunday, his ninth homer in 31 career games to this point. | 1 | 43-75 |
30 |
|
The Rockies need to go 12-33 the rest of the way to avoid tying the White Sox’s record 121 losses. I think they can do it. | — | 30-87 |
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