Brewers/Cubs Divisional Series - Game 5: 7:08

HKPackFan · Post #721 » by **HKPackFan** » Yesterday 2:34 pm

MVP2110 wrote:If it wasn't the Cubs I wouldn't feel as bad, I just expect money to win in baseball. But I despise the Cubs more than any other sports franchise and blowing a 2-0 lead to them would be devastating. That said any team who wants to win has to fight through adversity, hopefully we look back at this and this was the game where we stare death in the face and come out on top

What if this is our game 7 Brooklyn nets game?

How awesome would that be.

Post #722 » by **humanrefutation** » Yesterday 2:34 pm

It's hard to win titles as a bunch of try hards. Murphy and company have done a job squeezing the margins and making the most out of these guys, and there is obviously some talent here. But because we are a team that relies on contact and speed and baserunning, it all falls apart when your try hards aren't making contact.

That's playoff baseball, for you. A couple bad games from key guys - a couple ABs where you don't drive in dudes you have on base - and you're stuck at home for the rest of the year.

And that's why I said a couple months ago that I was going to avoid getting too invested - that I'd believe it when I saw it. Even if we get past the Cubs, do we think we can beat the Dodgers with Freddy Peralta and a bunch of bullpen games? I don't think so.

Ron Swanson · Post #723 » by **Ron Swanson** » Yesterday 2:38 pm

MVP2110 wrote:If it wasn't the Cubs I wouldn't feel as bad, I just expect money to win in baseball. But I despise the Cubs more than any other sports franchise and blowing a 2-0 lead to them would be devastating. That said any team who wants to win has to fight through adversity, hopefully we look back at this and this was the game where we stare death in the face and come out on top

That's the only hope. Game-5 post game thread against the Nets during the Bucks championship run was the single most depressing read of my lifetime on this board, and yet eerily similar to the vibes around here right now. If you had a time machine and posted in that thread that we'd rip off 10 of the next 14-games to go on and win the title, you'd have been asked what kind of drugs you had and where to find them. They can't lose to the Cubs like this. They just can't.

jakecronus8 · Post #724 » by **jakecronus8** » Yesterday 2:39 pm

Slept on it and I'm even more gutted. Call me fair weather or a front runner. I don't really care. Tired of this team sh*tting their pants. I'm making plans to not watch Saturday. Gonna be horrendous to see our home park covered in FIB scum. Don't think I can take it.

MikeIsGood · Post #725 » by **MikeIsGood** » Yesterday 3:02 pm

I said a couple months ago that I was at peace with whatever happened in the playoffs, coping for what was to come because this team had produced such a fun summer of baseball.

I lied. I hate Chicago.

LUKE23 · Post #726 » by **LUKE23** » Yesterday 3:05 pm

We looked completely rattled last night. Swinging at junk, letting great pitches go right by, terrible defense, and pitchers not locating. This isn't a talent issue, to me. It's overcoming the mental hurdle of ending the playoff series win drought. I just think it gets to the guys in game more and more the longer it goes on.

I haven't wanted one of my teams to win a game more than tomorrow night since Bucks game 6. And before that, you'd have to go back a ways.

Post #727 » by **MickeyDavis** » Yesterday 3:14 pm

Not letting them score in the first inning would be nice. Baby steps.

LUKE23 · Post #728 » by **LUKE23** » Yesterday 3:17 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:Not letting them score in the first inning would be nice. Baby steps.

Yep, that to me is the key for game 5. There will already be crazy pressure, if they get behind it will just be magnified ten fold.

Thunder Muscle · Post #729 » by **Thunder Muscle** » Yesterday 3:26 pm

Ron Swanson wrote:The amount of apathy right now despite the fact that we still have the deciding game at home says it all. This would be worse than the Bucks ECF choke and worse than the 2014 NFCCG, and I'm not even a diehard baseball fan. Those teams both won a title 2-years later and 3-years prior respectively. The collective psyche of an entire generation of Milwaukee baseball fans is on the line Saturday.

Same. If not this year, when. And there will be no joy in regular season success anymore because the overtone will be we’ll fail in the postseason. This one will hurt, and hurt badly. It will be near the top for me.

coolhandluke121 · Post #730 » by **coolhandluke121** » Yesterday 3:35 pm

2014 Packers isn't even on my radar for disappointment. They already had two titles in ~15 years and we had every reason to believe they would have a lot more chances.

2019 Bucks was brutal, but there was no reason to fear that they wouldn't have multiple chances after that. They were a lot like this year's OKC Thunder, with everyone in their prime or younger. The Raptors were also pretty underrated that year, and a 2-0 lead means less in a best-of-7 series than best-of-5.

This would be worse. Brewers are still my first love. Competitive balance is not really there in baseball. It will be hard to keep this team together for long. Disappointment and heartbreak have piled up. The 2018 Jeremy Jeffress series was already worse than the 2014 Packers and 2019 Bucks, and this would be worse because it's the Cubs. Then again they're not as close to the World Series as the 2018 team and heartbreak increases the closer you get.

coolhandluke121 · Post #731 » by **coolhandluke121** » Yesterday 3:36 pm

All that said:

"Fruit is a gamble; I know that going in."

MLB postseason = fruit.

Kerb Hohl · Post #732 » by **Kerb Hohl** » Yesterday 4:32 pm

coolhandluke121 wrote:It will be hard to keep this team together for long.

If and when we lose this game to Counsell, I will set a reminder to myself to just stop watching the Brewers after September 30 every year because I'll be officially broken.

That said, this team (and reinforcements) will be together for a while. Woodruff is likely gone and then Contreras and Freddy could be in the 2027 timeframe pending trades or options, but everybody else will be around for a long time if we want them to.

There will likely be plenty of lovely Julys and Augusts with this group over the next 5 years to enjoy before we end up losing to the Cardinals, somehow managed by Craig Counsell with Tony Larussa as bench coach, in 7 games, after blowing a 3-0 lead in the NLCS in 2027 and 2028. But I won't be watching!

dbrodz7 · Post #733 » by **dbrodz7** » Yesterday 5:03 pm

HKPackFan wrote:
MVP2110 wrote:If it wasn't the Cubs I wouldn't feel as bad, I just expect money to win in baseball. But I despise the Cubs more than any other sports franchise and blowing a 2-0 lead to them would be devastating. That said any team who wants to win has to fight through adversity, hopefully we look back at this and this was the game where we stare death in the face and come out on top

What if this is our game 7 Brooklyn nets game?

How awesome would that be.

I am more along the lines of leaving the bases loaded in the 8th inning of game 3 is the 2019 ECF game 3 against the Raptors where we lost in OT and it wasn't a big deal at the time.

msiris · Post #734 » by **msiris** » Yesterday 6:22 pm

One game guys. They need to forget the last two games. Who will pitch for us? The pressure is on both teams.

Post #735 » by **MickeyDavis** » Yesterday 6:35 pm

My guess is Mis for us and Rea for them. Rea pitched well against us in game 2 and hasn't given up an ER in his last 10.2 innings. Imanaga will follow Rea. We did rough up Rea at AmFam in July.

The key is Turang (1-16) and Frelick (3-14). Add in Ortiz (2-10) and you have 1/3 of your lineup going 6-42.

Thunder Muscle · Post #736 » by **Thunder Muscle** » Yesterday 6:46 pm

Rea ending our season would be something too, haha.

Is trading Freddy a little easier PR-wise after last night? Kinda of like Devin Williams last offseason.

Post #737 » by **MickeyDavis** » Yesterday 7:14 pm

Thunder Muscle wrote:Rea ending our season would be something too, haha.

Is trading Freddy a little easier PR-wise after last night? Kinda of like Devin Williams last offseason.

I think even casual Brewers fans understand we have to keep trading guys. The Hader trade was done in season, the Brewers were in first place at 57-45 at the time and fans were pissed. Burnes was a Cy Young winner and there was no outcry when he was traded in the off season. My guess is we roll with Peralta and let him walk after next season. With the caveat that if we're out of it at the deadline then trade him. Fans would understand that. They would also understand if he's traded this winter.

BUCKnation · Post #738 » by **BUCKnation** » Yesterday 7:33 pm

Would feel pretty confident if we could just contain them in the first inning. Almost felt like it was over early when we got shut out then they hit another 3 run bomb in the bottom half.

Momentum is not good but we had plenty of series saves throughout the season.

ReginaldDwight · Post #739 » by **ReginaldDwight** » Yesterday 8:57 pm

Miz to start and go as long as possible is the only lever to pull. Gotta hope being at home is the difference maker.

raysbookclub · Post #740 » by **raysbookclub** » Yesterday 9:36 pm

Anything can happen, which is great for the visiting team who was down 0-2 to say. But hey, it's one game, and we win, anything can happen against the Dodgers.

Brewers have done a great job this year, it's been a great, great year no matter what happens.

The unfairness of the MLB payrolls rears its ugly head here, where we and Seattle are the only playoff teams not in the top 10 of payroll, and where non-top-10 teams have little margin for injuries and slumps. For us this year, it's the starting pitching, where we're down to 3 starters for the playoffs, when we had a surplus two months ago. That's baseball--MLB baseball anyway.