Time to regain 2011 Brewers' 'magic'

At 33-39, six-and-a-half games back in the NL Central race, the Milwaukee Brewers certainly aren't in the position they thought they'd be when the 2012 season began.

You could see as much in manager Ron Roenicke's face on Sunday afternoon, shortly after the team's second consecutive late-inning loss to the White Sox, his eyes darting downward, only briefly looking up to answer the media's questions.

Last year, on June 24, the Brewers had just taken over sole possession of the NL Central race. By comparison, everything seemed to be looking up then.

But a year later, Roenicke's face said anything but that. He's been notably frustrated at times this season, and after a brief hiatus, that frustration seemed to radiate again from the manager's chair in the visitor's clubhouse in Chicago. With last year's team in mind, he wondered what had changed so much from year to year.

"We didn't make all these mistakes last year," Roenicke told reporters after Sunday's game. "We played the way you're supposed to play. Moved guys around, got guys in scoring position and somebody came up with a big hit, come out of the bullpen and throw strikes, put up a zero. We did all those things."

It's a sentiment that Roenicke has echoed through struggles all season long. The Brewers haven't gotten their breaks like they did last year. They haven't done the little things right. They haven't put everything together.

But it's simpler than that. It's not just about the bullpen or just about the injuries that plagued the first two months of the season. It's about one thing: seizing opportunity.

Last season, the Brewers were magnificent when it came to taking advantage of opportunities. During divisional play, a time ripe with opportunity, the Brewers finished the season without a losing record to any of their NL Central opponents. And against the division's bottom-feeding teams (Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Houston), the Brewers were even more fantastic, tallying a record of 34-12.

This season, that opportunity has been only been meagerly taken advantage of. Milwaukee is 12-14 in the NL Central and has a winning record against just one divisional opponent -- Chicago (7-3).

And that's what makes the Brewers' upcoming series -- a three-game stretch against Cincinnati -- one of the most important of the season so far. If this team wants to be anywhere close to the division lead by the All-Star break, it's time to start taking advantage of opportunities.

Despite the fact that Cincinnati currently leads the NL Central, the two teams, on paper, aren't all that different. They each have front-runner candidates for NL MVP in Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun and Reds first baseman Joey Votto. They differ by the slightest of margins in total runs, home runs, batting average, and OPS. And perhaps the only thing that marks one as a division leader and the other as playing catch-up is their ERA -- Milwaukee's is one of the worst in the NL at 4.24, due to a faulty bullpen, while Cincinnati's bullpen has kept their mark high at 3.56.

But with the relative statistical equality, it's clear that Cincinnati is far from being an established, run-away favorite in the NL Central division race. And with a potential three-game swing on the table for the Brewers, it's time to take advantage of the opportunity that is placed before them.

It's time to win the close, one-run games -- they've only won 12-of-26 this season, compared to 30-of-48 in 2011.

Because there is no sweeter opportunity than getting three chances to cut into your divisional deficit against the leader of your division. And with the Reds reeling from a series loss to the lowly Twins, having lost five of six, there's reason to believe that Cincinnati hasn't been this vulnerable all season long.

The opportunity is there, and it's golden.

Last year's Brewers won the NL Central by winning series like this week's against the Reds. And with only so many opportunities to prove that they're just as good as their 2011 counterparts, it's time for the Brewers to prove to their manager and themselves that they can take an opportunity and seize it.


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