The Milwaukee Brewers extended their division lead to 10 games, the largest in baseball, after a 5-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night. This victory, combined with losses by the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, further solidified the Brewers’ stronghold on the National League Central. With such a comfortable lead, Brewers fans might want to start paying attention to the playoff race involving other teams.
The game against the Guardians started with a flurry of action in the first inning. Jackson Chourio kicked things off for the Brewers with an electrifying triple to left field. However, Chourio found himself in a tough spot when Tyler Black hit a comebacker to the mound, leading to Chourio being tagged out. Despite this setback, the Brewers capitalized with two outs. William Contreras was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Willy Adames to crush a three-run homer into the Toyota Territory. This marked Adames’ 10th home run of the season, and it gave the Brewers a lead they maintained for the rest of the game.
As the Brewers pull ahead in the division, their closest competitors, the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, are both 10 games behind with identical 60-62 records. The Reds suffered a 7-1 defeat to the Kansas City Royals on Friday, while the Cardinals lost their fifth consecutive game, falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates round out the division, with the Cubs sitting at 60-63, 10.5 games back, and the Pirates at 57-64, 12.5 games behind. The Pirates did manage to snap a 10-game losing streak with a win over the Seattle Mariners.
While it’s crucial not to get too comfortable in baseball, the Brewers’ position looks strong with just six weeks left in the regular season. It seems unlikely that another team will overtake them for the division title. Instead, attention might shift to the Brewers’ competition for playoff seeding against teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Diego Padres.
The Phillies currently hold the best record in the league at 72-70, though they are just half a game ahead of the Dodgers and two games in front of the Brewers. The National League West race is also intensifying, with the Dodgers leading the Diamondbacks and Padres, both with 69-54 records, by three games.
Looking ahead, the Brewers have seven games remaining against the Diamondbacks and three against the Phillies. Winning these matchups will be crucial for potential tie-breaker scenarios. While Milwaukee hasn’t yet faced the Diamondbacks this season, they were swept by the Phillies in a previous series. The Padres, who won five out of seven games against the Brewers this year, hold the tie-breaker advantage.
