Brewers at the halfway mark: Where they stand and a wild matchup ahead

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With their loss to the Chicago Cubs on June 28, the Milwaukee Brewers have now played 81 games, and their 50-31 record is the team's best mark ever at the halfway point. Here's what to know about what's ahead.

Is this the most wins the Brewers have ever had at the halfway point?

Yes, despite back-to-back losses to the Cubs, no Brewers team has ever had 50 wins at the halfway point, and this group is 50-31.

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Teams in 2024, 2021 and 2018 all had 48 wins. The 2014 team is second with 49 wins.

Uhhh, that's quite the example, since the 2014 team didn't even make the playoffs

It's true, we must acknowledge that the 2014 team even went to 51-32 before a second-half collapse began in July; that team finished 82-80 and missed the playoffs.

What are the Milwaukee Brewers odds of reaching the postseason in 2026?

  • Baseball Reference says the Brewers have a 99.6% chance of making the postseason and 92.9% of winning the National League Central division, including a 63.2% chance of getting a first-round bye straight into the divisional series round.
  • Fangraphs is less certain, but still gives Milwaukee a 96.8% chance of making the playoffs. It's a 79.9% chance of winning the division but only a 48% chance of securing a bye.

Who's next in the standings after the Milwaukee Brewers?

The Brewers are 5½ games ahead of the Cubs for first place in the division, then seven games ahead of the Cardinals. Milwaukee currently has a 1½-game lead over the Braves (49-33) for the No. 2 seed in the National League playoffs, which is important to follow since the top-two teams get that first-round bye. The Dodgers (54-30) are 2½ games ahead of the Brewers for the top spot.

A current look at the standings in the National League Central

  • NL West division leader: Los Angeles Dodgers, 54-30 (2½ ahead of Brewers)
  • NL East division leader: Atlanta Braves, 49-33 (1½ behind Brewers)
  • First wild card: Philadelphia Phillies, 47-37 (4½ behind Brewers)
  • Second wild card: Cubs
  • Third wild card: Cardinals
  • Next: San Diego Padres, 43-39; Miami Marlins, 44-40 (½ game behind Cardinals)

Do the Brewers have a tiebreaker over the Cubs?

The Brewers meet their divisional foes in 13 games each year, and right now, Milwaukee has a 4-2 lead over the Cubs in the season series. They won't meet again until a four-game series in late August and early September at Wrigley Field, followed by a series Sept. 7-9 at American Family Field. Milwaukee needs to win three of those seven remaining games to secure the tiebreaker.

Who's next on the Brewers' schedule?

Milwaukee opens a four-game series against the Reds starting June 29, followed by three games in Arizona, five more over four days in St. Louis and three in Pittsburgh. Yes, that means the Brewers are heading out on a three-city road trip after the Reds games at American Family Field, and with the all-star break that follows, the Brewers will be gone from their home stadium for 15 days.

Somewhat famously, when you count the Cubs games, the Brewers are playing 18 games in 17 days before the all-star break.

A look at the schedule ahead:

  • Monday, June 29: Reds LHP Nick Lodolo (2-2, 5.59 ERA) vs. Brewers LHP Robert Gasser (1-3, 4.50 ERA), 6:40 p.m. CT
  • Tuesday, June 30: Reds RHP Rhett Lowder (3-5, 4.81 ERA) vs. Brewers RHP Brandon Sproat (2-4, 5.43 ERA), 6:40 p.m. CT
  • Wednesday, July 1: Reds LHP Andrew Abbott (5-4, 3.90 ERA) vs. Brewers LHP Shane Drohan (3-2, 3.12 ERA), 7:10 p.m. CT
  • Thursday, July 2: Reds RHP Chase Burns (9-1, 2.36 ERA) vs. Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski (9-3, 1.45 ERA), 1:10 p.m. CT

Why is the Reds-Brewers game Wednesday game at 7:10 p.m.?

That's part of ESPN's Wednesday Night Baseball schedule, which picks up again on a weekly basis in July after just one game back on April 15. ESPN doesn't carry Sunday Night Baseball games anymore, but the Brewers will actually be on ESPN again later this year on a Sunday night for a special occasion: They'll play the Braves in Williamsport as part of the Little League Classic on Aug. 23.

Hoo boy, that July 2 game is a doozy between Misiorowski and Burns

Jacob Misiorowski resumes his quest for the 2026 Cy Young and faces off with another of the contenders, Reds flamethrower Chase Burns, who has 112 strikeouts this year in 92 innings. The Reds have won 10 of his last 12 starts.

Speaking of Burn(e)s, will the Brewers face Corbin Burnes in Arizona this upcoming weekend?

No, Corbin Burnes is still rehabbing back from Tommy John surgery. The former Brewers Cy Young winner suffered a setback earlier this month that's pushed his expected return to late this year.

Who are the Brewers' best players in the first half?

Quite obviously, Jacob Misiorowski, whose 1.45 ERA is the best among qualified starters and whose 146 strikeouts lead the league, all while reaching velocities that we haven't seen before from a starting pitcher. He leads the team in bWAR (4.5), followed by Brice Turang (3.2), Kyle Harrison (2.7), Jackson Chourio (1.9) and William Contreras (1.8). Chourio's number would surely be higher if he hadn't missed the first month with a broken bone in his hand.

Fangraphs WAR has Misiorowski (4.3) leading the way, followed by Turang (2.9), Contreras (2.1), Harrison (2.1) and Chourio (1.9).

The top story of the first half is Misiorowski, though the trade to acquire Kyle Harrison has paid off handsomely, as well. Not only is Harrison on an all-star trajectory, but David Hamilton is the team's regular third baseman and Shane Drohan has been a boon to the pitching staff. Meanwhile, the players Milwaukee surrendered in the deal (Caleb Durbin, Anthony Seigler, Andruw Monasterio) haven't been difference-makers for Boston.

Is Misiorowski on track to finish with the best pitching season in Brewers history?

Yes.

If he gets 16 strikeouts over his next two starts, he'll have a top-30 strikeout season in Brewers history by the all-star break. He has a 4.5 WAR right now, and 5.0 would give him a top-15 pitching season in Brewers history.

The best pitching season in Brewers history? There's no clear consensus, with a couple Teddy Higuera seasons, Mike Caldwell in 1978, Ben Sheets in 2004, Burnes in 2021 and CC Sabathia in 2008 among the contestants.

What are the most interesting nuggets on the second-half Brewers schedule?

  • Right out of the gate, this torturous stretch before the all-star game will be a difficult hurdle for the Brewers to clear. Those who perhaps see the dark side of things will think back to 2018 when the Brewers also closed with a rugged stretch just before the all-star break: A brutal 21 games in 20 days. That included a five-game series in Pittsburgh that ended in a sweep, with a walk-off loss in the rain on the Sunday before the break began for a sixth straight loss.
  • (The 2018 team wound up fine, though, reaching the seventh game of the National League Championship Series and finishing the year with a then-record 96 wins.)
  • The Brewers will play three straight series at home right out of the break (Marlins, Mets and Rockies), with the Brewers legends' alumni game July 24. The Mets series (July 20-22) will mark the first time the Brewers potentially face former Brewers star Freddy Peralta, with reliever Devin Williams also on board.
  • The Brewers will have back-to-back road trips to the west coast in the second half (Giants and Angels from July 27-Aug. 2 and Padres and Dodgers from July 10-16).
  • The aforementioned game in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, as part of the Little League Classic will take place Aug. 23 against the Braves and count as a Brewers home game.
  • The Brewers have a three-city road trip before the all-star break and one more three-city road trip Sept. 15-24 with stops in Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Philadelphia in the home stretch of the season. They close the year with three games at home against the Cardinals but have just nine home games in September.
  • American League teams still to come: Angels (July 31-Aug. 2 on the road), Twins (Aug. 7-9 at home), Mariners (Aug. 18-20 at home), Rangers (Aug. 29-30 at home) and Orioles (Sept. 18-20 on the road).

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers at the halfway mark: Where they stand and a wild matchup ahead

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