When it comes to baseball, snap judgements usually age like a tuna gouda sandwich left in your 12-year-old’s backpack. In the trunk of your car. For the entirety of summer break.
So yeah. They pretty much stink.
Folks have a habit of forgetting this nugget when a new season begins, which is why many judged the Brewers bereft after that 0-4 start in March. Or their mediocre 16-15 record after April. Or their 21-25 record on May 17, when they were fresh off four shutout losses in their last five games.
But here’s the thing. Baseball seasons are long. Like, a Martin Scorsese marathon long. So to help put it in perspective, consider comparing things to an NFL season’s context.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
When the Brewers hit that May 17 nadir, they’d still only completed 28.4% of their season. That meant, in terms of a 17-game NFL slate, they had a 2-2 record while losing midway through the fourth quarter of Game 5.
Granted, they were playing like a bad Pop Warner team, so that fourth quarter probably included a couple of pick-sixes. And sure, there might have been a few football helmets thrown in the locker room, judging by the Brewers’ penchant for team meetings at the time. But at the end of the day, the NFL’s Brewers were only 2-3 with 12 games left to play. Hardly a nightmare of Cleveland Browns proportions.
It’s against that backdrop that we paraphrase these immortal words of Harry Doyle. Because in case you haven’t noticed, the Brewers have managed to win a few games here and there, and are threatening to climb into contention. (P.S.: Miss you, Ueck.)
Heading into last weekend, the Brewers had won 9 of their last 10 games, a run that features a road sweep against the pennant-contending Phillies, who had the National League’s best record until Milwaukee knocked them off that lofty perch. To be fair, that “heading into the weekend” was portnetuous – they did lose that home series, 2-1, albeit against the powerful NL West contender San Diego Padres.
Still, though, the Brewers are starting to look like a playoff team themselves.
Nobody’s handing out trophies in June, and old-schoolers advise that you don’t even look at standings until Memorial Day. But two weeks beyond that milestone, the Brewers and their 35-31 record are 2 games behind the NL’s second wildcard playoff spot and 5-1/2 behind Craig Counsell’s division-leading Cubs.
None of this means the Brewers are surely bound for glory. Getting back to that football context, they’re still just 3-3 and winning in the second half of Game 7.
But the early-season panic has proven unwarranted. And lately, Christian Yelich is looking like his old MVP self, while young star Jackson Chourio has shaken off his own slow start. Ace Freddy Peralta leads a pitching staff that’s looks better than expected, and the Brewers have rarely shied away from trading for midseason reinforcements.
It’s a long season, folks. You might even say it’s America’s pastime. Which means plenty of time to enjoy it.
