The Playoff Team I Did Not Expect

 I was readying my 'Best of the Rest' post, moving the Phillies in, and keeping the Brewers in, as I assumed they would miss out due to the Cardinals series. Because of how disappointing the offense has felt to me this year, the Brewers didn't seem to me like they'd be a playoff team, and I was expecting the Giants to land the last spot.

Well...they didn't. And for the second year in a row, the Milwaukee Brewers figured out a way to sneak into the playoffs. 

Which means that for the first time in...at least some time [I wanna say ever but I'm not Tim Kurkjian], two teams under .500 will be in the playoffs. The Astros and the Brewers. And in a normal year, that's a stat we wouldn't have to worry about. Thanks to the expanded playoffs, the Brewers are a playoff team. Merry Christmas, Milwaukee!

The thing is...as okay as this team's core has been, and as middling as the stars like Yelich, Hiura, Braun and Sogard have been...this team has heated up since September began. First of all, somehow THIS is the team that Dan Vogelbach starts hitting for, and he's at .345 with 11 RBIs and 4 homers with Milwaukee [all I can say is thank god he didn't heat up in Toronto]. You also have late standouts like Jacob Nottingham, Jedd Gyorko and Eric Yardley coming into vogue.

And plus, the unlikely Cy Young case of Corbin Burnes has been solidified, as he's been playing with a 2.11 ERA with 88 strikeouts. Granted, he's recently hit the DL, so I'm not sure if he'll be available for upcoming playoff starts, but...they have Brandon Woodruff, Brett Anderson and Adrian Houser, so they'll be alright, I think.

Again, it's gonna be very difficult for the Brewers to get by, as they'll be playing the first-seeded Dodgers, but, as the Nats learned last year, all it takes is the right momentum and you can get by the most difficult of opponents.

Coming Tomorrow- Best of the Rest post, and...maybe eventually a Predicting the Playoffs post? Contemplating whether or not I wanna do one, as these playoffs will be particularly hard to predict.