NL Central down to two team race

• mhs95_06

  The last 12 days or so have knocked the Reds and Pirates pretty much out of the race. With the Brewers having gone 7-0 against the Cubs and Astros and 2-1 vs. the Cards, they have separated themselves and look tough to beat.
  
  The Pirates reached their apex after winning the first game in Atlanta, then lost two tough 1 run games there that started the slide, getting swept by the stellar Phillies, and now having lost 10 of 11 during the same time the Brewers won 9 of 10, so they lost 8.5 games in the standings during that period.
  
  The Reds were struggling, but were able to stay in striking distance by taking 2/3 from the Cards, and then 5/6 from Atlanta and SF on their 10 game home-stand. But they only ended up 5-5 on the home-stand.
  
  The debilitating demise of both teams was losing by sweep a four game home series to a 5th or 6th place team(Cubs and Astros), and it looks like they will just play out the string, just like last night each team losing again to 5th place teams.
• wildcats20

  

  Stros and Cubbies still have a shot!!!
• Ironman92

  

  Dusty has really upped the ante on top notch managing. The bar is out of reach.
• justincredible

  

  The Brewers will end up running away with it. Hopefully.
• thavoice

  WEll, it was fun while it lasted I guess.
  
  Hope for another good season in about 10 years.
  
  Brantley said something awhile ago that he had heard. For the most part, every ten years you will have a team where everything goes right. Many of the players will have career or close to career years, injuries will be minimal, and alot of the season breaks your way.
  
  Once every ten years everything goes bad. Injuries mount. Key players slump. The team gets all the BAD breaks.
  
  
  It is the other 8 years that determine the fate of how a franchise will be remembered and considered.
  
  SO.....1990......1999.....2010......so maybe 2019 or so?
• Ironman92

  

  thavoice;856172 wrote:WEll, it was fun while it lasted I guess.
  
  Hope for another good season in about 10 years.
  
  Brantley said something awhile ago that he had heard. For the most part, every ten years you will have a team where everything goes right. Many of the players will have career or close to career years, injuries will be minimal, and alot of the season breaks your way.
  
  Once every ten years everything goes bad. Injuries mount. Key players slump. The team gets all the BAD breaks.
  
  
  It is the other 8 years that determine the fate of how a franchise will be remembered and considered.
  
  SO.....1990......1999.....2010......so maybe 2019 or so?

  
  1995 was an excellent team and before that fewer teams made the playoffs.
  
  Just look at our managers from 2001 to now....Holy God
• thavoice

  I kinda thought about 95 as well.
  
  Look at the "talent" we have had since then too...
• Ironman92

  

  Might be suffering from the jinx of Ron Oester.
• Heretic

  

  thavoice;856172 wrote:Brantley said something awhile ago that he had heard. For the most part, every ten years you will have a team where everything goes right. Many of the players will have career or close to career years, injuries will be minimal, and alot of the season breaks your way.

  So, for the Pirates, the two most recent "everything goes right" teams were the one in 1997 where they finished second and were in contention until the final week despite finishing with a losing record and this year, where they had a winning record until mid-way through their 10-game losing streak.
  
  I now know why emos cut themselves. This sort of sadness...
• thavoice

  Heretic;856304 wrote:So, for the Pirates, the two most recent "everything goes right" teams were the one in 1997 where they finished second and were in contention until the final week despite finishing with a losing record and this year, where they had a winning record until mid-way through their 10-game losing streak.
  
  I now know why emos cut themselves. This sort of sadness...

  
  Maybe that is as good as it can get for them!