“According to the analytics, ... our pitchers are going to perform well above replacement level.”
-Mark Attanasio, February 2018
The Milwaukee Brewers have spent this season defying expectations. Pegged as a possible Wild Card contender by the prognosticators and projection systems, the team instead captured a franchise record-tying 96 victories, although it did take 163 tries this time around. The result of that extra regular season contest - a 3-1 triumph over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field - was the title of National League Central champions and an automatic ticket to the NLDS. The Brewers quickly dispatched of the Colorado Rockies by completing a three-game sweep, locking them into a battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL pennant.