Everything to know about the Milwaukee Brewers' remaining schedule this week, MLB playoffs, NL Central division title and more
The Brewers can clinch the division with their next victory. Here's what to know about this week's schedule:
The Milwaukee Brewers are one victory away from a National League Central Division championship, so home fans should get a chance to see their team celebrate a special season at some point this week. The Brewers will play the St. Louis Cardinals for three games at home, starting Tuesday, and then three games also at home against the Chicago Cubs to close the regular season.
Will the Milwaukee Brewers clinch a playoff spot this week?
Good news — the Brewers already have guaranteed themselves a playoff spot. At worst, they will be a wild-card team, but there's value in attaining the division championship. That requires at least one more win or one Cubs loss.
Have the Brewers clinched a division title or playoff berth at home before?
The Brewers indeed clinched the division in 2021 at home, just as they did in 2011 and 1981. They also clinched a playoff spot in 2008 (the wild card) in an unforgettable season finale. Check out some of the clinching moments.
Why is clinching the division important for the Milwaukee Brewers?
With the division title, the Brewers would be locked into the No. 3 seed in the playoffs and would be guaranteed to host a first-round playoff series, starting Tuesday, Oct. 3. Milwaukee would host all three games of the wild-card round and need to win two of three to advance to the National League Division Series, likely against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
At this point, the only way they don't win the division is by losing the rest of their games, and that scenario would almost certainly leave Milwaukee on the road for that first-round series.
There's also the prestige element of a division crown. The Brewers previously won division titles in 2021, 2018, 2011, 1982 and 1981.
Could the Brewers go winless this week and still win the NL Central Division?
Yes, if the Cubs lose one of their three games in Atlanta (a series starting Tuesday), the Brewers will also clinch a Central title. But that's no fun. More than that, things get dicey if the Brewers (surprisingly) get swept by St. Louis and Chicago sweeps Atlanta, because then those final three games between the Brewers and Cubs are meaningful. The Cubs could stage a sweep of the Brewers and ride away with the Central title, leaving the slumping Brewers with a wild-card berth and no home playoff games.
How likely is that doomsday scenario where the Milwaukee Brewers don't win the NL Central?
It's exceedingly remote. The Cubs are on the road against the best team in the National League, the Braves (100-56). In fairness, the Braves don't have much to play for, having secured the NL East and a first-round playoff bye, but they do still want to get homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and could use a couple more wins to hold off the Dodgers for that honor. Chicago (82-74) would have to sweep that series and then Milwaukee (88-68) would need to lose all three to the Cards (68-88), a team it just beat three out of four times in St. Louis.
And even if the historically bad series of events unfolds, Milwaukee will still participate in the first round of the playoffs.
Can the Brewers still get a first-round bye in the National League playoffs?
No, the division is the only thing left to play for. The Braves and Dodgers have both secured a better record than Milwaukee and will get a first-round bye and ticket right to the NLDS. Once it wins (or Chicago loses), Milwaukee will be the No. 3 seed no matter what transpires the rest of the week, and that means a first-round playoff series in Milwaukee. You'll likely see a week of rest for key regulars and perhaps short starts from Milwaukee's talented starting rotation.
What is the Brewers playoff schedule?
Presuming Milwaukee wins one more game, it will host playoff games early next week.
Tuesday, Oct. 3 in Milwaukee (wild-card round opener)
Wednesday, Oct. 4 in Milwaukee (wild card Game 2)
Thursday, Oct. 5 in Milwaukee (wild card Game 3, only if necessary)
With a series win, the Brewers would advance to the best-of-five National League Division Series, including:
Saturday, Oct. 7 (on the road, almost certainly in Los Angeles for NLDS Game 1)
Monday, Oct. 9 (on the road, almost certainly in Los Angeles for NLDS Game 2). Yes, this game could conflict with the Packers game on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Wednesday, Oct. 11 (in Milwaukee, NLDS Game 3)
Thursday, Oct. 12 (in Milwaukee, NLDS Game 4, if necessary)
Saturday, Oct. 14 (on the road, NLDS Game 5, if necessary)
Game 1 of the National League Championship Series will take place Monday, Oct. 16. That will be in Milwaukee if the Braves lose their own NLDS; otherwise, it'll be in Atlanta. The World Series begins Friday, Oct. 27.
What time are the Brewers playoff games?
We won't know game times until very close to the playoffs starting. No, it's not convenient, but it's the way of the world. Especially if the Brewers are playing a team like Arizona or Miami (and not the Cubs), you can expect mid-day times for those weekday games.
Who would the Brewers play in the first round?
It could go any number of directions based on outcomes in the final week of the season, but the Cubs, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds are the four most likely choices remaining.
How do I get tickets?
The Brewers are selling single-game playoff tickets for that first-round series, though to get tickets for any prospective series beyond this one, you'll need to put down a deposit on season tickets for next year. Single-game tickets for those series will go on sale once the team knows that series is actually happening.
Tickets are still plentiful for the two regular-season series this week at Brewers.com, though they'll be more expensive for the weekend series against the Cubs.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know for Brewers schedule this week, playoffs, wild card games
