Brewers looking for .500 season

[redsrbetter]

Working on the clutch
Timely hitting heads Brewers' to-do list
By TOM HAUDRICOURT
thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com
Posted: July 13, 2005
As far as the Milwaukee Brewers are concerned, there is one magic number for the second half of the 2005 season: 40.

Brewers/MLB

Assuming no rainouts, that's how many victories it will take for the Brewers to finish above .500 for the first time since 1992 and end the horrendous streak of 12 consecutive losing seasons. Actually, 39 victories would end the losing and allow the Brewers to break even at 81-81, but if you're that close you might as well go for a winner, right?

With victories in their last two games of the first half in Atlanta, the Brewers head into the second half with a 42-46 record. A year ago, they were 45-41 at the break, only to suffer the worst second-half collapse (22-53) in major-league history.

There is no reason to expect such a downward spiral in the second half of this season. But, for the Brewers to go at least 40-34 and come home a winner, many things have to happen. Here is a top 10 list:

1. Hit in the clutch

The Brewers finished the first half with a .255 team batting average, but that statistic is not nearly as important as hitting with runners in scoring position. In that category, the Brewers batted .244, tied with Cincinnati for the worst average in the majors.

"You can't teach clutch hitting," said manager Ned Yost. "That's not something you can go out and practice. The players have to go out and do it."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brew/jul05/340844.asp

[awefullspellare]

They definitely have a shot. I don't think they will do it but it wouldn't surprise me.