Thames Without Frontiers

(Fine, Music Pun Streak #2. I can't let this Peter Gabriel one go unnoticed.)

So I guess the Brewers are gonna be alright after all?

Look, the NL Central is close enough, at least the first spots of it, that a team can have a major rise, then a major fall, then a major rise again...and still technically be in contention the entire time.

What have the major developments been with this division? The Brewers started on top, lost a ton of games, then the Cardinals took control of first, lost even more games, and now the Cubs seem to be in control of the division, while the Brewers take a steady second. The Pirates are also in the mix, though holding onto third amidst a brief come-up may not be the most aggressive approach.

The Brewers, however, seem to have found a groove again, which is nice. I was worried Christian Yelcih was gonna spend the year without support from his teammates again. But now that Yelich is playing beautifully, the rest of the team is beginning to follow, especially the pitching. Zach Davies, Brandon Woodruff and even Gio Gonzalez (!) are off to nice starts, and giving more life into this pitching staff than it had for most of the year.

The bench is also pretty impressive this year. Eric Thames is back to his 2017 work, hitting home runs without risking his average (take notes, Jesus Aguilar). Ben Gamel has been on a tear so far, and Hernan Perez is doing his usual utlityman work. It also helps that Orlando Arcia is actually hitting for average this year, and that Mike Moustakas has 9 home runs...which would be a lot if Yelich hadn't already hit 16.

There are problems, obviously, but...I mean, the Cubs have problems too. So does every one of the four teams going for first. It's gonna come down to which problems are the most manageable, and which ones can withstand the rest. And the Brewers are looking pretty intimidating right now, which is nice.

Coming Tonight: An insanely powerful reliever for one of the best teams in baseball.