Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I always love watching MLB’s annual game in Williamsport during the Little League World Series. It’s the only time I don’t have a problem with players being interviewed while in the field.
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In today’s SI:AM:
🏈 NFL preseason Week 2
🚗 Ultimate CFB road trip
⛳ Scottie wins again
Streak snapped in Cincinnati
The impossible has happened. The Brewers lost a game.
Milwaukee lost 3–2 to the Reds in 10 innings on Sunday in Cincinnati, snapping its winning streak at 14 games.
The Brewers took a 2–1 lead in the top of the ninth on a two-run homer by William Contreras, but Cincinnati tied it up in the bottom of the ninth on Jose Trevino’s RBI double. The Reds scored the winning run in the bottom of the extra frame by first advancing the automatic runner to third base with a sacrifice bunt. (Milwaukee had attempted to do the same in the top of the inning but was thwarted by an excellent defensive play by Trevino.) The Brewers opted to walk Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson to load the bases, but Austin Hays ripped a single down the third base line to drive in the winning run.
Now that the streak is kaput, let’s break down a few fun facts and figures about Milwaukee’s impressive run.
Where the streak ranks historically
Milwaukee had never won 14 straight games in a single season before. The only longer winning streak in franchise history was 16 consecutive games, but that streak spanned multiple seasons. The Brewers won their final three games of the 1986 season, then reeled off 13 straight to open ’87.
There have been 50 streaks of at least 14 wins in MLB history (excluding streaks that spanned multiple seasons) but only 23 since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.
Torrid offense leads the way
The Brewers’ hitters were playing out of their minds during the streak. Over those 14 games, the Brewers hit 27 home runs, batted a collective .319 and had a .940 OPS in 595 combined plate appearances.
Those numbers are nearly identical to Willie Mays’s stats in 1960, when he led the majors with 9.5 bWAR (.319 batting average, .936 OPS, 29 homers in 669 plate appearances). No wonder the Brewers managed to win 14 straight if their entire lineup was hitting like peak Willie Mays for two weeks.
There weren’t really any weak spots in the lineup during the streak, but two hitters stood out above the rest: Brice Turang and Christian Yelich. Turang clubbed a team-high six homers and batted .340 during the streak, while Yelich batted .382 with five dingers. Only four other players in the majors had a batting average of at least .340 with five or more home runs during that span (Shohei Ohtani, Shea Langeliers, Daulton Varsho and Michael Harris II).
Brewers now a lock for playoffs
Milwaukee’s run turned the NL Central race on its head. When the streak began, the Cubs held a one-game lead in the division with a record of 63–45. At that point, Fangraphs put Chicago’s chances of winning the division at 53.4%. But the Cubs have gone 7–8 in August and now trail the Brewers by eight games. The latest Fangraphs playoff odds give Milwaukee a 92.7% chance of winning the division and a 100% chance of making the playoffs.
Six weeks of dominance
The Brewers have been playing excellent baseball since well before the streak started on Aug. 1. Dating back to July 6, Milwaukee has won 29 of its last 34 games. When the Brewers lost to the Marlins on July 5 and fell four games behind the Cubs in the division, their chances of winning the Central dropped to 15.8%, according to Fangraphs. Those odds have now shot up by a remarkable 76.9%.
The Brewers already have an increasingly firm grasp on the division, but they could issue a crushing blow to the Cubs this week as the two teams begin a five-game series at Wrigley Field with a doubleheader this afternoon.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Gilberto Manzano breaks down what he learned in preseason Week 2, starting with Rams’ QB call, which now hinges on Matthew Stafford’s secret throwing session, shaky backup play and an unexpected lift from Stetson Bennett.
- Bryan Fischer maps out the ultimate 2025 college football road trip, picking one must-see game each week to capture the sport’s best stadiums, teams and traditions.
- Scottie Scheffler came from behind to win the BMW Championship and claim his fifth PGA Tour win of the season.
- Henry Winter explains why new signing Matheus Cunha, with his flair and personality, could become Manchester United’s next cult hero in the mold of Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney.
- Caitlin Clark is still out injured, but the Fever hope to have her back before the end of the regular season.
- Jon Wertheim shares his tips for attending the 2025 U.S. Open, including how to get there, who to watch, what to eat and more.
The top five…
… things I saw yesterday:
5. Marlins right fielder Dane Myers’s valiant effort to try to rob a Wilyer Abreu home run. Myers looked so dejected when the ball bounced out of his glove.
4. Rockies pitcher Juan Mejia’s leaping catch for the final out of a rare Colorado win.
3. Scottie Scheffler’s chip-in birdie on the 17th hole to take a two-shot lead.
2. Cal Raleigh’s 47th homer of the season. After a mini slump in which he had one homer in 10 games, Raleigh has now gone deep in five of his last nine.
1. Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee’s unbelievable catch that required him to pin the ball between his legs.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | The Brewers’ Streak, By the Numbers.