There are less than 40 games to go in the 2021 Major League Baseball regular season. The Milwaukee Brewers are currently ahead in the NL Central by 8.5 games, and possibly on pace for a major milestone. They have a chance to win 100 games this season.
After the Reds series, the Brewers will have 34 games left of their 162 game schedule. They currently sit at 77-49 with a winning percentage of .611. Before the season started, if you would have told anyone the Brewers would win six out of every ten games during the season, not many would have believed you.
Coming into the 2021 season, the Brewers seemed to have a solid roster. They brought in Kolten Wong and Jackie Bradley Jr as free agents. Their bullpen success was expected to carry over from their solid 2020 season. The hope was that players like Christian Yelich and Keston Hiura would get back to their 2019 forms fast. Their starting rotation was expected to shine. Not everything happened as planned, but the results are still there. The Brewers were expected to either win the NL Central or claim a Wild Card spot. Not many people expected it to be this good.
Why 100 Is Possible
100 wins still seems like a pipe dream, but it’s based on the team’s current pace. Milwaukee has won the last eight out of nine series, and haven’t been swept since the July 20th-21st two game series against the Kansas City Royals. Their last three game sweep was against the Reds right before the All-Star break. It’s possible that the Crew could only lose one series in the entire month of August, and not be swept once
The Brewers are 28 games over .500 for the first time and 8.5 games ahead of the Reds after beating up Cincinnati's bullpen to take the series opener.
It's a 99-win pace.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) August 25, 2021
The pace they are on is reason to believe 100 games is possible. Their record is 14-6 so far in August. This team could even finish better than the 2018 squad, who went 96-67 and was a game away from the World Series. In 2019, they finished 89-73 and made the Wild Card.
In 2017, they were 86-76. Back in 2011 when they also reached in NLCS, they finished with 96 wins as well with a 96-66 record. It’s hard to forget, but Milwaukee had to play an extra game in 2018 against the Cubs to clinch the division.
Pace Has Improved
The Brewers started off the season fine, but their offense struggled for a bit. Obviously, adding pieces like Willy Adams, Rowdy Tellez, Eduardo Escobar and almost career years from Omar Narvaez and AviSail Garcia didn’t hurt and their offense has improving every since. Jace Peterson and Luis Urias are utility players filling out their depth, Lorenzo Cain is finally healthy and Christian Yelich is looking like his old self. Just three weeks ago, the Brewers pace was at 97 wins.
At 65-44, the #Brewers are on pace for 97 wins, which would break the regular season franchise record of 96 in 2011 (96-66) and 2018 (96-67).
— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) August 6, 2021
That means in three weeks time, their projected wins have increased. With 36 games left, the Brewers will need to win 23 of those to reach the 100 milestone. Milwaukee will have to win 64% of their games from here on out. It’s possible, but they also have to play the Giants, who are one of the best teams in the league and handed the Crew their last series lost. They have to play the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, who are still trying to win their division.
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Milwaukee also has to play the St. Louis Cardinals nine more times. They are only a few games behind the Reds, and no one wants to see them get hot and beat us a few times down the stretch while the Brewers try and clinch the division. The Brewers have to end the season against the Dodgers in Los Angeles for a three game series. They might also be playing for a Wild Card Spot or Division win.
Do We Want 100 Wins?
The easy answer is yes, but also complicated. Right now, the Giants are 81-44 and have the number one seed. If for some reason they go below .500 and the Brewers win 100 games, the Crew might take over that spot. That means the Brewers would have to play the Wild Card game winner. It would most likely be the Dodgers, Padres, Reds or Giants. Those are not teams you really want to play in a five game series.
I’m not saying a team like the Braves, Mets or Phillies would be that much easier. But it would still be less dangerous than having to play a team like the Dodgers or Reds. 100 wins would be something amazing and would break the franchise record. But, they could also do that with 97 wins. It would be a lot better to have a franchise record and have an easier path to the World Series than just win 100 games and possibly be knocked out the first round. This team could easily do both, but the most important thing right now is clinching the NL Central.
100 would be so cool, though. Before 2017, the last set of teams to do that was in 2003. Since 2017, at least three teams have won more than 100 games (not counting 2020). The Brewers would join a special group of teams with a century mark of victories
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