When betting baseball, it is always important to pay attention to streaks. That said, the Brewers very well may be the best example of a streaky team so far this season. Their streaks have been long-term and that makes for the best runs to ride. Basically, Milwaukee was hot for the first part of the season and then went ice cold.
The Brewers were the talk of baseball after the first six weeks of the season. At that point, Milwaukee sat with the best record in baseball. However, the Brewers then proceeded to lose 14 of their next 20 games. As we enter June the question now becomes whether or not we are going to be seeing the good Brewers or the bad Brewers as we head toward the All-Star break.
The key for the Brewers playing great baseball early this season was much more than just a combination of solid pitching and very timely hitting. The real key was that Milwaukee certainly caught a schedule break early in the season as most of their games were against their Central Division rivals. It may be early in the season but it’s hard to argue the fact that the NL Central is easily the weakest division in all of baseball! Even after going on a 6-14 slide the Brewers began play on June 1st with a 6 ½ game lead in the division!
A June 1st division lead is significant as we look at whether or not the Brewers can be counted on to cash in profits going forward. The Brewers are a very young team that, as a result, will be helped by the rest of the division being so weak. Milwaukee should be able to avoid any pressure that might be felt if a few games don’t go their way. With other teams falling further behind in the pack it may allow the Brewers to gain confidence rather than feel that they must win every night because a team is nipping at their heels!
The bad Brewers (of the 6-14 stretch) struggled as they faced teams with better records when their schedule toughened. More importantly, the key to those losses was that the teams they faced were veteran teams who found ways to win. Honestly, that is still something the youthful Brewers are still trying to learn.
As we look ahead to predict how the Brew Crew will be performing from now until July’s All Star break you should pay attention to who the Brewers will be facing over the next month and half. They will play 11 series and they will be facing only two teams – Detroit and Minnesota - that currently have winning records! This weak schedule should allow the Brewers to gain confidence as well as pick up many more wins than losses.
As far as totals plays with Milwaukee, the Brewers offense has been very impressive at times so far this season. They are definitely a team to take a long look at when considering a totals play. Currently the over is 29-23-2 in Brewers games this season. On the horizon their upcoming schedule is loaded with teams that are short on pitching. This includes Kansas City, Texas, Pittsburgh and Washington. We foresee the Brewers putting up runs early and often with the favorable pitching match-ups they might see in some of those series. Keep an eye on those as they certainly might be worth a bet or two!
So is the smart money on or against the Brewers in the near future? As you can deduce from the above, as long as they stay healthy, we feel their upcoming schedule is very favorable. Over the next five weeks, siding with the Brewers or playing on over the total certainly looks like where you will want to be more often than not. Until we get to the All-Star break keep an eye on the Brewers and the Over. However, always keep in mind the importance of pitching match-ups as you put this "future forecast" to use. The reward will be a growth in your bankroll for the upcoming football season!
