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For me it is probably the Cubs. They have a deadly lineup, one of my favorite managers, and their pitching has been surprisingly very good so far. They also have the payroll to take on a lot of salary from trades if need be.

I agree about the Cubs...that lineup is very dangerous. I can't see the pitching staying so great all year, but then again you could say that about ours. I figure there will be at least one other team from pitt/cincy/houston that will give us a run for it as well. To me it all depends on one, how we all get through the next month playing outside the central, and two whether orn not we can stay above the beating up on each other in the central the next month.

Same here. The only team I see us having to worry about long term are the Cubs. Derek Lee and Soriano haven't really even started hitting home runs yet so I expect that offense to just get better. Although I agree that their pitching is off to a hot start so I expect that to fall off a little as well. Either way, the last few years of watching the Brewers, Bucks, and Packers really has been frustrating because of injuries. They are so deadly to teams but if we stay healthy, we should be fine and win the division.

Da Cubs.

1. From a talent standpoint, no one is close.

2. They have a top flight take no prisoners manager.

I'm hoping that ultimately #2 doesn't mix with #1 and a mutiny starts brewing.

Other than that, I don't see how they are not in the hunt. Well, on second thought they are the Cubs.

shortstrokes wrote:Other than that, I don't see how they are not in the hunt. Well, on second thought they are the Cubs.

Yup. It's why I can't get worried about 'em. They're just....the Cubs.

Cubs why because they have I think one of the best offenses in the game. I have said from the beginning that it would be the cubs and the brewers battling it out for first place in this division.

Keep making it unanimous. If that rotation solidifies, that's a scary team, and if you can't see that, then your Brewers bias is ridiculous large.

willeatfire4playoffsinmil wrote:Keep making it unanimous. If that rotation solidifies, that's a scary team, and if you can't see that, then your Brewers bias is ridiculous large.

They're the Cubs.

The Cubs have the best overall talent, there is no question about that.

But talent does not equal production or chemistry. Soriano has been so-so thus far, and their rotation, outside of Hill and Lilly, has been brutal.

I would be more worried about a Cardinals surge than the Cubbies. Regardless of their performance this past series, they have chemistry, experience, and the best player in the whole league.

Either way, the Brewers are more balanced than any team in the division.

DrugBust wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



They're the Cubs.

And we're the Brewers. If that is how we are looking at it, at least they've made the playoffs recently, and nearly went to the WS.

humanrefutation wrote:The Cubs have the best overall talent, there is no question about that.

But talent does not equal production or chemistry. Soriano has been so-so thus far, and their rotation, outside of Hill and Lilly, has been brutal.

I would be more worried about a Cardinals surge than the Cubbies. Regardless of their performance this past series, they have chemistry, experience, and the best player in the whole league.

Either way, the Brewers are more balanced than any team in the division.

Soriano is hitting .310 with an OPS of .853. Jason Marquis also has an ERA of 2.10 in 6 starts.

The Cubs are definitely scary with that offense. If Zambrano returns to form, and Hill, Lilly, Marques, and their #5 are simply average (4.50 ERA or so), they will win a ton of games.

Zambrano had a good last outing and he'll turn it around. You do have to remember that the Astros, for some reason, always start slow and manage to have a crazy good run toward the end of the season. At least that has been the pattern the past few years. You really can't rule any team out in this division, it's just not that good.

Everybody.

It's way too early not to.

Ayt wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



Soriano is hitting .310 with an OPS of .853. Jason Marquis also has an ERA of 2.10 in 6 starts.

The Cubs are definitely scary with that offense. If Zambrano returns to form, and Hill, Lilly, Marques, and their #5 are simply average (4.50 ERA or so), they will win a ton of games.

Yes, with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs. Not exactly superstar numbers from your $130 million dollar man. If they wanted someone to hit for a steady BA and a good OPS, they could've looked at Podsednik (who was being shopped) or kept Pierre for 1/3rd of the cost.

Marquis has pitched well, I forgot about him.

No doubt, they have the most talented team, but they don't have the consistency or the chemistry right now. They might look scary on paper, but until it translates into victories, I'm not worried yet.

That isn't to say the Brewers are the end-all and be-all of the NLCD, but they are the most balanced team.

Cubs are the only team that scares me.

Easy answer cubs, but the Astros might be a team to watch. They ALWAYS start off really slow. Also if they get get clemens back they will make a run. Now that they have a decent line up that might give clemens some run support. They also have been there before and know what it takes to win.

Cubbies have now won 7 of 8.

I think every team is pretty dangerous. If I had to pick one, like many, I'd say the Cubs b/c they have a strong offense and the rotation hasn't been that bad. Zambrano will turn it around as well. The bullpen is suspect, but they can maybe make a trade or two and that will help. Just have to hope Hill comes back to earth, and guys like Lilly and Marquis become inconsistent like in the past.

Houston is hard to judge. I don't think they have the pitching.

Pittsburgh has nice arms, which makes them dangerous. Pitching is key.

St. Louis...can never count them out. Struggling now, and alot of off field distractions, but like I said, you can't count them out.

Cincy is another team that is kinda intriguing. They have a strong offense. Pitching overall is suspect, which is what keeps them from getting over the hump.

And the main factor, will the Crew keep this pace up? Its still a fairly young team. I don't think Hardy will keep hitting at this pace, hopefully Hall starts to hit, once a couple losses occur, how will the platoon work? Its working great now, but will Mench and/or Jenks start to grumble down the road? Is Turnbow back, or will he blow up like he did mid season last year?

The Brewers should probably win this division, but there is ALOT of ball to play...so much can happen.

humanrefutation wrote:I would be more worried about a Cardinals surge than the Cubbies. Regardless of their performance this past series, they have chemistry, experience, and the best player in the whole league.

I don't mean to toot my own horn or anything, but I believe I was the only person in this thread to specifically worry about the Cardinals. And look out, they're making a run.

And the sad thing is, we should still be up 10-15 games right now.