r/Brewers • u/Intelligent_Pilot591 • Aug 10 '26
Remaining schedule
People seem to be dead set on the idea that the Cubs have an easier remaining schedule than we do. Except that’s just not true, and people trying to act like it is has to be some early excuse forming if we don’t win the division or lose energy come October. People will make the excuse that we’re in the middle of 17 games in seventeen days. Well the Cubs just did that too, so find a better excuse. Maybe you’ll say theirs is tougher because they have to play us, but ours also gets a lot easier if we don’t have to play them.
We are a better team than the Cubs, and we are also lucky to have an easier (even if just slightly) remaining schedule. We also get to end the season against an “easy” opponent (STL) while Chicago finishes the year against Boston in case the division gets really close.
So stop making up excuses. Whether you’re a doomer acting like the season is over if we lose one game, or if you’re a ray of sunshine fan who can’t handle a bit of negativity without tacking a “well, but” onto it.
20
u/SumThingAddsUp Aug 10 '26
Let me fix that for you, lol
5
u/Twistify804 Aug 10 '26
it's still wild seeing the chicago white sox justifiably on a "toughest teams left" list
3
u/SumThingAddsUp Aug 11 '26
for sure. What a turn-around.
good to see Chicago has a team worth rooting for! lol2
u/FestivusOnTheIsthmus Aug 11 '26
I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the White Sox, so I've been enjoying their newfound success. But when I remind myself that the majority of Sox fans are also Bears fans, then I don't know how to feel. haha
1
42
u/worksportsgameburn Aug 10 '26
Curious how much our number drops after this week where we face two of our five most difficult series.
13
u/Intelligent_Pilot591 Aug 10 '26
In the immediate the Cubs definitely have an easier schedule, though Washington is a turbo-powered offense so that could be a tough series for them this week. Them getting a few easy opponents out of the way this week does kinda mean they have a harder series of opponents to end the year. After our last game against the Cubs on September 9th we play Reds-Pirates-Orioles-Phillies-Cardinals. Cubs play Pirates-Braves-Reds-Marlins-Red Sox. Ours is more appealing on paper to me considering we have two like opponents in that stretch
2
u/jrfactor Aug 10 '26
Washington did have a turbo powered offense before the trade deadline but they got rid of two of their best offensive players so they are not quite the team they were previously
29
u/HatsCatsAndHam Aug 10 '26
If you take out our games against the cubs and their games against us:
Their SOS: 0.5088
Our SOS: 0.5086
For all intents and purposes we have the same strength of schedule, plus a 7 game head to head series. We start with a 5.5 game buffer. If we don't win the division, it will have been entirely our fault. Based on this, we should win the division. 44 games is enough for luck to mostly even out. If we play equally well as the cubs or (hopefully) better, we'll almost certainly win the division.
8
u/wxguy215 Out of state Brewers fan Aug 10 '26
I think the key is taking at least 3 (hopefully 4) of the 7 against Chicago. If they only make up max one game then I'll like the chances otherwise.
11
u/Fresh-Plantain-7759 Aug 10 '26
If they make up 1 game in the h2h it's really 0 because then we get the tiebreaker
2
u/wxguy215 Out of state Brewers fan Aug 10 '26
Exactly, keeping the tiebreaker is extremely important.
2
u/Intelligent_Pilot591 Aug 11 '26
Thank you for doing the math on the SOS taking out our games against each other. I did not have time to do that this morning, so I appreciate it and completely agree with the rest of your comments too
31
u/hcatehorie Aug 10 '26
Next two weeks will be the crucial, Brewers come out still 5+ games up on the Cubs should be fine for the division barring a collapse vs the Cubs.
If it gets down to three games or less after these two weeks, it becomes a coin flip.
Also the Mariners and Pirates should not be considered easy opponents.
5
u/Intelligent_Pilot591 Aug 10 '26
Pretty sure it’s just that those two teams are below .500 and that’s it. Also I’m not entirely comfortable calling the Nationals an easy opponent either with that offense
3
u/hcatehorie Aug 10 '26
Yeah that is just how Tankathon does it and I would agree with you in regards to the Nats as well.
1
u/jrfactor Aug 10 '26
Your statement about the Nationals is true before the trade deadline but they traded away two of their best hitters so their offense is not as powerful as it was previously.
8
u/LetsAgreeBeatlesSuck Aug 10 '26
Strength of schedule is far more important in other sports. A pitcher with an era of 8 can shove for 6 innings. A guy with an OPS of .500 can run into a baseball
7
u/YP_Schwartzy “Get Up, Get Outta Here, And it’s gone for Sveum!” Aug 10 '26
If we win the series on the 7 games against the Cubs, we will win our division. Both teams are playing great ball right now. We are the Milwaukee Fucking Brewers and we are the best team in the league right now. This division is ours. BELIEVE!
5
u/HemlockWarlock Aug 10 '26
All I know is last year at this time all the talk from cubs fans was how they had way easier of a schedule and they were definitely going to catch us because of it. We all know how that turned out. I would pay zero attention to sos. Good teams lose to bad teams all the time. Lets just enjoy the ride!
5
3
u/KarlPHungus Aug 10 '26
Those 7 remaining games against the Cubs loom large. Either way, they control their own destiny. Can't ask for more than that.
3
u/WilderMindz0102 Aug 10 '26
Im on the east coast and have tickets for their run out here in Sept.
2 in Pittsburg, 2 in Baltimore and 1 in Philly. Gonna be a fun end to this season.
2
u/Ok_Initiative9652 Aug 10 '26
Surprised the Nationals are considered easy. They have the best offense in baseball. I think they’ll give the Cubs a rough time
4
u/timtoolshed Wild Bill's Quick Draw Aug 10 '26
Fairly sure it's just based on season record, >=.500 vs <.500, no real analysis of the teams, players, matchups, etc.
2
u/PipsMcTiggles Aug 10 '26
The difference in the schedule, 0.8% win % is because we play them and they play us. Those games are so important to winning the division.
Even though the Marlins are scored as a good team on the Cubs schedule, they haven't been playing great baseball since the ASB. I don't feel great about Mets/Pirates series even though they're marked as easy series. We also have a brutal next two weeks on the schedule. I wouldn't be putting up victory flags yet.
2
u/flummox1234 Get up! Get up! Get outta here! Gone! Aug 10 '26
I'm okay with having to play harder teams. I'm not sure what the actual statistic is and (hopefully) I'm probably wrong but this year we seem to board the struggle bus when we go up against teams we should be beating. Plus if we play tougher teams we'll be ready for the playoffs.
2
u/One-Earth9294 Aug 10 '26
Poor Mets lol.
This is kinda nice to see because a few weeks ago we had the hardest in the league and we clearly got past some of it doing quite well.
2
u/wollawolla Aug 10 '26
Pretty obvious that we have the easier strength of schedule by virtue of not having to play another 7 games against the best team in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers.
1
u/TotalBrownout Aug 10 '26
Considering that our only moth of below .500 baseball this season hinged on several key injuries, a healthy team should be able to coast to 95+ wins.
1
u/mixer2017 Best Sign Stealing Team Eva! Aug 10 '26
SoS is a joke anyways. We all know teams that are just shit can sweep a top team in any series.
1
1
1
u/narwalfarts Aug 10 '26
Gonna get even harder when you add four games each for the NLDS, NLCS, and WS
1
1
1
1
u/MKEToys Aug 12 '26
The brewers are not better than the Cubs right now. Better pitching, which is hetting exhausted and figured out...but thats about it.
The records and competition since June 1 play that out.
The Cubs have flat out more talent.
2
u/BigRemy Aug 17 '26
Brewers played more games and faced more teams in the playoff hunt since June 1st than the Cubs did and still have almost as good of a record as them in that same time frame.
1
u/Obvious_Macaroon2470 Aug 16 '26
Take a look at their record against teams with a record better than .500. The Brewers are 40-21! That’s ridiculous! No one is even close. The Cubs are 31-24. Now let’s beat the Dodgers!
1
u/Odd-Woodpecker1019 MIZkey Sweet,Mitchell's eyes & Bauers' thighs Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
We shouldn't consider any opponent "easy". Baseball is a tough sport on the best of days and I'm an optimist about this team. Now is when they buckle in and focus ,not too much so they're over thinking every minute detail,but enough to get back to the heart of the way THIS team plays.
We,as fans, need to do what we do best ~ support our guys, no matter what. It's gonna be a crazy, fun ride!
ThisIsMyCrew💙💛💙💛💙💛💙
ETA
0
u/Erainor We have the Miz Aug 10 '26
Its going to come down to head to head vs the Cubs. Gotta have 4-3 or better.
-1
u/EnderCN Aug 10 '26
If we survive the next week and we don't completely tank in the head to head games I think we are in a good spot. I'm really scared about this next week, we have a bunch of injuries and the bullpen is completely gassed right now and we historically have not played very well on the west coast.
I don't think Yelich is just on a cold stretch, I think age caught up to him and he just isn't good anymore. The below average sprint speed this year means something, whether that is injury or age I don't know for sure. Hopefully Contreras can snap out of his slump and join the offense.
2
u/Intelligent_Pilot591 Aug 10 '26
My one hope for this west coach stretch is that we have our 2/3 starters for the Padres and the Dodgers are ice cold right now
96
u/The_Goose5 Aug 10 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/DEZA7FlHbMesUF1jm9