Why Brewers Fans Should Actually Be Rooting For Cubs In Wild Card Series
· Yahoo Sports
The Milwaukee Brewers will face either the Chicago Cubs or the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series.
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Just like last season, the Brewers' NLDS opponent is one of these two teams. Last year, the Cubs won, and the Brewers took care of them in five games in the NLDS. This year, Brewers fans should be hoping for a similar result in the Wild Card Series.
The Brewers will be at an advantage no matter which team they play since their pitching will be lined up to their liking, and the bullpen will be as fresh as it can be. However, the Cubs seem like a better matchup on paper. The Brewers went 9-4 against the Cubs in the regular season and 2-4 against the Padres. The Brewers know the Cubs much better, and they are not as hot as the Cubs going into October.
The Padres have had to claw their way into a postseason position over the last month, and found themselves as the No. 4 seed when it was all said and done. They went 18-6 in September and had a stretch when they won 13 of 14 games. Sometimes in the postseason, it's all about which team is hotter, and it's hard to find a hotter team than the Padres right now.
The Cubs would pose their own challenges for the Brewers. However, the Cubs' pitching staff and bullpen, in particular, are not great. The Brewers would much rather face them than a starting rotation that features Michael King, Nick Pivetta and Robbie Ray, and a bullpen that has Adrián Morejón and Mason Miller.
The Cubs do have the likely National League MVP in Pete Crow-Armstrong and an elite offense. Not to mention, they have one of the best defensive units ever. However, the Brewers have held Crow-Armstrong to just eight hits in 57 plate appearances, and one of those hits came off a position player. Alex Bregman is also a problem for the Brewers, but the Padres have their own offensive threats. The Brewers may prefer to see players they know well and have had more success against.
Manny Machado is often seen as public enemy No. 1 in Milwaukee, dating back to some controversial plays against the Brewers in the 2018 postseason. However, he has always played well against Milwaukee, and the last thing the Brewers want is for his bat to give them problems once again. Fernando Tatis Jr., Ty France and others also seem to pose a bigger threat to the Brewers than Crow-Armstrong, Bregman and the rest of the Cubs lineup.
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