Milwaukee Brewers 2006 Betting Preview
The Brewers have been terrible year after year, but in 2005, this revamped team hit a .500 record, playing well in a beautiful ball park. It was their first unbeaten season since 1992, and the Club rewarded manager Ned Yost with a contract extension through 2008. Although their 2006 campaign looks promising, this is a team you need to feel for early on to make sure the 2005 Brew Crew weren’t one-hit wonders.
Why the improvement from last season? All signs point to more run production through manufacturing runs, rather than relying on the long ball like many other teams in the league do. They also took care of business on their home field with a 46-35 record, which is essential to becoming a standout player in any division, especially one as loaded as the NL Central. Last season’s Brewers averaged .6 more runs per game than they did in 2004 at 4.5 runs per game and increased that mark to 4.65 runs per game at Miller Park. The Brewers will need more road production this season to have any chance of making a wild-card run.
The Brewers finished third in the NL’s toughest division that sent St. Louis and Houston to the playoffs and Houston to the World Series. I expect the Cubs to outdo them this season with a healthy pitching staff that dominates the right hand, which should give them trouble in head-to-head matchups. Houston could slide this season due to a lack of bats. I expect the Brewers to finish third or fourth, but their record should improve several games.
Expect the 2006 Brewers to thrive at home once again, especially when they take on lefties. Milwaukee’s balanced and disciplined lineup won 15 of 23 games vs. pata sur at home while scoring almost 5 runs per game. They were able to score even more runs against lefties on the road, averaging 5.13 runs per game, but only won 11 of 23 games due to poor pitching from Miller Park. He should be able to cash in on the Brew Crew against lefties in 2006. If he picks his spots, overs against lefties should be a solid play as well.