After enjoying a day off, the Milwaukee Brewers resume their pennant charge tonight by hosting Pittsburgh in the first of a 3 game weekend series at Miller Park. Craig Counsell’s team begins play a game and a half behind the Cubs in the NL-Central, and 3 games clear of St. Louis for the #1 wild card position. The pitching matchup tonight pits a couple of veteran hurlers: Gio Gonzalez for the Brewers and Chris Archer for the Pirates. WOMT airtime with Hall of Famer Bob Uecker will be 6:35.
The magic number for the Milwaukee Brewers to clinch a spot in the 2018 National League playoffs is down to 12. Any combination of Brewers wins and Los Angeles Dodgers losses totaling 12 means manager Craig Counsell’s team is in. That number can fluctuate over the next two-and-a-half weeks as teams switch places in the standings due to wins or losses. If Milwaukee overtakes the Chicago Cubs for first in the Central Division, that would change it, too. With 15 games to play, the number won’t go up, but the team the Brewers have to watch might change several times.
NL Central Division
Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, idle
Chicago Cubs 4, Washington Nationals 3
Los Angeles Dodgers 9, St. Louis Cardinals 7
NL Central NL Wild Card
Chicago Cubs— Milwaukee Brewers +3.0
Milwaukee Brewers -1.5 St. Louis Cardinals —
St. Louis Cadinals -4.5 LA Dodgers -1.0
Pittsburgh Pirates -12.5 Arizona Diamondbacks -4.0
Cincinnati Reds -22.5 Philadelphia Phillies -6.0