Remember May?
The Brewers fans in your life probably do. It's the month they spent far more time pumping their fists than shaking their heads. The Crew won 18 games in May, decisively taking series against teams like Chicago (2-1), Florida (3-0) and St. Louis (4-2), all of which are above .500 and in contention for playoff spots. On June 1, Milwaukee was 30-21, first in the National League's Central Division, a game in front of St. Louis and four in front of Chicago.
They did not keep up that pace, winning 12 of 27 games in June and just nine of 26 in July. They're now below .500 and, at 6.5 games out of first in the Central, long shots to make the postseason.
Luckily - or dreadedly, depending on your state of mind as a fan - the schedule over the next few weeks features the lightweights of the National League. The Brewers welcome Houston, a .500 team, to Miller Park, then take a trip to Pittsburgh and Washington, bottom dwellers both. Then Cincinnati and Pittsburgh come to Milwaukee to close out the month.
If the Brewers play those 16 games around .500, their season will have become irrelevant and they'll deserve to be banished from the front page of the sports section. The Badger football season begins Sept. 5; the Packers get started a week later.
Is 11-5 over this stretch too optimistic? That would add up to a 15-9 record in August, good enough to keep the Cubs and Cardinals on their toes. That might not be good enough to earn a second straight playoff berth, but it might come close to the high expectations we had for this team back in May.