Brewers split with the Cardinals as the Phillies opt to make the wildcard race really interesting

October is nearing as the race tightens up.

The Brewers have been down this season, but they’re not out. Not yet anyway. They keep doing just enough to claw their way back into the NL Wild Card race, as the Philadelphia Phillies fall deeper into their September tailspin.

Milwaukee faced the St. Louis Cardinals for a pair of games this week. A Tuesday night loss helped the Cardinals clinch the NL Central. The Brewers would recover on Wednesday, locking down a 5-1 win to manage a series split against their division rival.

The Philadelphia Phillies lost two games to the Chicago Cubs during this span, which means their lead over the Brewers is now just a half game. The Brewers have seven more games to finish out their regular season and the Phillies will play eight contests thanks to a Saturday doubleheader in our nation’s capital.

Adam and Andrew recap the short series, talk about the next week, and check in on the Nashville Sounds playoff run.

Master Brewer Leaderboard (through 155 games)

(The Master Brewer Leaderboard is a season-long leaderboard tracking and ranking exceptional performances from Brewers players in the form of Master Brew Points 🍺, which at the end of the season will tally up to crown our Crewsing for a Brewsing Player of the Year.)

Kolten Wong 🍺

Kolten Wong’s series at the plate wasn’t spectacular, but he recorded three walks in the series and scored a run in Wednesday’s game. He earned his beer by making an excellent defensive play in the 7th inning of that game. Without his barehanded double play turn the Brewers may not win that game. It’s been a tough season for Wong defensively, but he stepped up when it mattered most.

Luis Urias 🍺

Urias has had a tough second half of the season, but he’s had his moments of brilliance. Against the Cards, Urias finished 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. He also provided some versatility in the infield, playing both second base and third base.

Tyrone Taylor 🍺

Taylor was also 2-for-4 against St. Louis. His double and run scored in the third inning on Wednesday helped the Brewers get off to a good start in what was a must win game.

Victor Caratini 🍺

Caratini provided some vital insurance runs for the Brewers on Wednesday. His ground-rule double in the bottom of the 8th inning pushed the Milwaukee lead from 3-1 to 5-1. Overall he finished the game 2-for-4 with that double and two RBI.

Garrett Mitchell 🍺

Mitchell once again used his speed to make an impact for the Brew Crew. In Tuesday’s game, his infield single scored Keston Hiura as the Brewers tried to spark a rally that would ultimately fall short.

Brandon Woodruff 🍺

Brandon Woodruff did Brandon Woodruff things. Woody pitched six innings of scoreless baseball with just five hits and no walks. His 10 strikeouts meant that he had become the first Brewer to strike out 10 batters or more in four consecutive games.

Devin Williams 🍺

Devin Williams entered the game Wednesday in a precarious situation. In the 7th inning the Cardinals had runners on second and third with one out. Clinging to a 2-1 lead, Craig Counsell turned to his closer to get out of the jam. After intentionally walking Lars Nootbaar, Williams induced a grounder to Willy Adames that resulted in an inning ending double play. He’d follow that up with a scoreless 8th inning to finish his day.

Leaderboard through 155 games

Rowdy Tellez: 🍺 x23

Christian Yelich: 🍺 x19

Corbin Burnes: 🍺 x18

Willy Adames: 🍺 x17

Brandon Woodruff: 🍺 x15

Andrew McCutchen: 🍺 x13

Kolten Wong, Devin Williams, Hunter Renfroe: 🍺 x11

Luis Urias, Tyrone Taylor, Jace Peterson: 🍺 x10

Hoby Milner, Keston Hiura, Josh Hader: 🍺 x7

Freddy Peralta: 🍺 x6

Victor Caratini, Peter Strzelecki, Aaron Ashby: 🍺 x5

Brad Boxberger, Jason Alexander: 🍺 x4

Garrett Mitchell, Brent Suter, Adrian Houser, Matt Bush, Taylor Rogers, Trevor Gott, Jonathan Davis: 🍺 x3

Luis Perdomo, Omar Narvaez: 🍺 x2

Mike Brosseau, Jake Cousins, Jandel Gustave, Luke Barker: 🍺