Packers' Super Bowl Potential, Kicking Game Drama, Brewers' Playoff Hopes – Wisconsin Sports on the Go with Trag

Are the Green Bay Packers primed to storm the Super Bowl? Tom Brady seems to think so, and we're here to dissect his bold prediction. Join us as we navigate the highs and lows of Packers' defense, scrutinizing critical positions like safety, cornerback, and linebacker. With the NFL cleverly syncing game schedules to Taylor Swift's concert dates to maximize viewership, we'll also tackle the intriguing intersection of sports and entertainment.

Could the Packers' Super Bowl dreams hinge on their kicking game? Today, we break down the intense competition between Greg Joseph and Anders Carlsen and discuss potential free-agent saviors like Tanner Brown, Matthew Wright, and Randy Bullock. As we reflect on the Packers' recent performances and expectations for the season, it's clear that solving this kicking conundrum is paramount to their success.

Switching gears to the diamond, the Milwaukee Brewers are making waves with their impressive bullpen and a strong 7-3 record in their last 10 games. We'll spotlight key contributors, especially Devin Williams' stellar return, and ponder their playoff prospects. As we wrap up, we celebrate the Brewers' resilience and speculate on their path through October. Join us for a heartfelt farewell, brimming with anticipation for our next sports-filled conversation.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:10

Thank you how we doing everybody and welcome in to wisconsin sports on the go with trage. I'm your host, trage. It is thursday, august 22nd, a fantastic, fantastic Thursday here in the great state of Wisconsin, or, hopefully it is a great day wherever you are tuning in out there. Hopefully it is a great day wherever you are at. Today, not a whole lot happening. Not a whole lot happening in the world of Wisconsin sports. So we'll see where the day takes us today. Right, I mean we always find a way. We always find a way to find something to talk about. Today there's just not a lot happening. We got the Brewers happening, but outside of that, packers, they take a day off before joint practice starts with the Ravens yesterday. So I mean not a whole lot to talk about here and there, but we'll figure out something. We'll figure out something today here, right away, I'm going to talk a little bit of Packers today. I'm going to talk a little bit of Packers because I saw a video. Now, it's not like this video just, or this interview, talk, whatever you want to call. It just happened. It's not like it just happened. But Tom Brady, I can't remember what show he was on there. I can't remember what show he was on there. But Tom Brady says that the Packers and the 49ers. He said that the Packers and the 49ers. But he said the Packers and 49ers have the most realistic shot to go to the Super Bowl to have a chance to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs. When I initially heard that I was like oh, like, wow. Like you know, this is a guy. He knows football. Right, we know Tom Brady knows football. He likes what he sees. He likes what he sees in Green Bay right now. Now you get you know Bears fans, lions fans, everything else here that they all of a sudden, it's just like the world, I mean everybody's freaking out. It's like, oh my, no, no way Not. You know, like what does Tom Brady know? Everything? Like, okay, yes, tom Brady said it. Just like any analyst, just like you, me, anybody else, could sit here and we could say, hey, I believe that the Chiefs are going to win the next three Super Bowls.

Speaker 1: 2:47

Bold prediction, right, bold prediction. It doesn't mean Jack Dilley squat, we got to see how it plays out, right. There's many different scenarios that can play out Now the NFL. The scenarios are we're going to make Taylor Swift's concerts. We're going to make sure that Patrick Mahomes and the boys, mainly Travis Kelsey, are playing near Taylor Swift so that way she can make the games.

Speaker 1: 3:07

Now, everybody, you know getting off topic a little bit, but a lot of people were complaining about that, or like you know why, the NFL always doing this and trying to get yeah, they're trying to get viewership right. It drives up viewership. As much as everybody dislikes seeing Taylor Swift on the screen and everything like that, apparently it's good for the viewers. Apparently, because it's, I mean, the NFL is making sure of it, right? They, I believe, though the one that they keyed in on was the game in Buffalo is like the same week or weekend, whatever it is of Taylor Swift's concert up in that area. So it's like they almost tried to make that happen. I don't know if they did, but it just was one of those things where everybody's freaking out now, everybody's freaking out. It's like, okay, maybe they did, who cares, bills were. They had, I mean, the Bills were going to play the Chiefs anyways. It just so happened that we decided to schedule it right then, and there, so happen that we decided to schedule it right then, and there, it just so happened that way. Whatever, whatever, if it's going to help the NFL make more money. That's what they're going to do. It's a big money game. That's what the NFL is going to do.

Speaker 1: 4:19

So, anyways, tom Brady says Packers are a Super Bowl contender, one of the top Super Bowl contenders in his eyes. Do I believe they are right? Do you believe they are? I look at this Packers team and I say, okay, we know to win the Super Bowl. I mean, you look at last season. Right, chris Jones has some huge plays in the Super Bowl. Definitely was a big reason why the Packers or not see, I'm talking about the Packers why the Chiefs ended up winning that Super Bowl. Chris Jones was a huge factor in that one. I mean some recent memories.

Speaker 1: 4:51

Look at Tom Brady's New England teams Always a good defense, the Broncos with Peyton Manning. If he didn't have a good defense, he was not going to win that Super Bowl. No way, no way. Peyton Manning, he's absolutely stunk the Peyton Manning, he's absolutely stunk. The Broncos offense stunk in that Super Bowl game. It was the defense, von Miller, those guys, they absolutely won that Super Bowl for the Broncos.

Speaker 1: 5:14

Now you can. I'm not saying that you can't win a Super Bowl with just a dynamite offense, because it's possible. Right, it's possible, but you got to have a pretty good defense too. So I look at the defense right away and there's still I mean question marks on the defense. Right, the safety room Is it going to be? Are we going to see Williams in there, is it? You know who's going to mix and match there? The opposite cornerback spot, valentine Valentine. Who's going to mix in there? Right, how does Jair play McKinney? I expect to see good things on McKinney. How do the linebackers stack up in there, with Hopper and with Quay Walker in that room? How does the linebacker room work out?

Speaker 1: 5:49

There's a lot of question marks still on the defense for the Green Bay Packers, just because of youth, just because of that youth that they have. Yet If Lucas Van Ness progresses, if he progresses into being that guy that we saw against the Browns in the first preseason game, where I was impressed, I was mightily impressed with what I saw out of Van Ness, is that what we're going to see throughout the regular season? Because if that's the case and Van Ness takes that big step forward, you have Rashawn, gary, you have Van Ness, you have that defensive line there. If Kenny Clark, devontae, wyatt, those guys take step forwards If Kenny Clark plays I mean what we know Kenny Clark, if he plays how we know Kenny Clark can play, and Devontae Wyatt takes a big step forward. I mean, what tells you they can't? Right, I don't.

Speaker 1: 6:36

I look at the offense for Green Bay and when I, if Jordan Love replicates, if he puts I mean even gets close to duplicating what he did in the last 10 games last season, the offense is going to be a surefire top offense. Jordan Love's going to be talked about in the MVP conversation. Has to be right. Everybody gets caught up in the Lamar Jacksons of the world and they're all about that. If Jordan Love puts up the numbers for a consistent season, like he did in the last 10 games of last, if Jordan Love puts up the numbers for a consistent season like he did in the last 10 games of last season, jordan Love will be in that MVP conversation and we will be talking about, I guarantee, the Packers as a legit Super Bowl contender. Right now.

Speaker 1: 7:16

I believe they are a Super Bowl contender just simply because I love what Halfley has done with this defense. I do Seeing, know, seeing the training camp videos, hearing some of these players what they have to say about Halfley and just knowing and understanding that Halfley is a guy who is going to be aggressive, he's going to, you know, he's going to go balls to the walls. Now, at times that might get him into a little bit of trouble, as we've seen. You know, sometimes playing risky defense can actually hurt you. But I would rather play aggressive, hard-nosed football than try to play this relaxed. We're in a zone coverage against Justin Jefferson and he's just finding holes all day long and it's just like dump it off, dump it off, dump it off. It's there all the time. I don't want to see that crap anymore. I've had enough of the Joel Berry style defense. I've had enough of that. I am ready to see some halfly aggressive get after you. Let these athletic playmakers on the defense do their thing. Just let them do their thing. That's my hope. That is my hope for this defense. So I trust the defense. I really do.

Speaker 1: 8:26

My biggest thing, the biggest thing that I think could negate the Packers and it's going to seem crazy, it is going to seem crazy, but my biggest thing that I believe could negate the Packers from being a legit, over-the-top Super Bowl contender is the kicking room. I believe you got to have a good kicker. That is just plain and simple to me. You got to have a good kicker because if you get within 45, 50 yards, if you're 50 in on an infield goal range, I need a guy who can put points on the board right, because you get into some of these close games. You get into these close games against, let's just say, the 49ers in the NFC Championship game, and it's a defensive battle, right. 49ers have a good defense, say the Packers. Their defense is looking phenomenal this year. It's going to be about points. Any way you can get them right and kickers have got to have a kicker who's going to be able to produce for you. You got to, and right now this kicking competition between Greg Joseph and Anders Carlsen has me nervous. It really does.

Speaker 1: 9:39

There's a couple of free agent kickers out there. I guess I saw Tanner Brown. He lost the Rams kicking battle and he was released last week there. Hasn't kicked in the NFL yet, but he was highly accurate in college 95.7% of his field goals during his senior year. He also didn't miss an extra point in his final two season. So I mean that guy. He's worth a look there.

Speaker 1: 10:01

Matthew Wright from the Pittsburgh Steelers I mean Boswell is most likely going to win that one there, so probably going to end up being released there. He was 85% of his field goals and 95% on extra points, so not solid, but he could be an option. I mean, honestly, at this point he could be an option. And then I saw one more here, randy Bullock. He's the veteran on this list of guys. He's been in the NFL for 11 years and he was with Houston, with the Jets, with the Giants, with the Bengals, with the Steelers, with the Titans Six games last season. He made five of his six field goal attempts and all 10 extra points.

Speaker 1: 10:42

He's not a long-term option. I mean he's not going to be a long-term option but right now, the way that this kicking battle has been going, he's definitely got to be an option. You definitely have to look at him and say, well, honestly, you might be our best bet. You might be our best bet and I I hate to, I hate to jump the gun because maybe andrews carlson could figure it out down the line, maybe he gets more consistency, maybe it's a mental factor for andrews carlson. I don't know what it is, honestly, but I don't know how much longer you could hang on to this and try to just make it work.

Speaker 1: 11:23

I trust Brian Gutekinds. I mean, look at this roster that he put together, look at the drafts that he's done. I trust him in being able to find talent and putting it on the field. But even the greatest GMs, even the greatest ones, they fail at some point. They miss out on one draft pick. Right, they miss that one draft pick that could have been. But they draft another guy and, like he did with Anders Carlson, draft a kicker. Most teams don't do that, but he thought he saw something he liked in Anders Carlson. He didn't want him to go anywhere else. Sometimes you just got to take the bullet and move on right, and I think that is where the Packers have to be at in this situation is if Anders Carlson makes you nervous at all. If you are Brian Good against Matt LaFleur, because I believe he does. If he makes you nervous, how do you ride that into a season? How do you ride that into a season with so much? I really do believe there is a lot of expectation on this year for Green Bay. After what they did in the last you would say 10 games or so last season there there's a lot of expectation.

Speaker 1: 12:25

You were within two minutes of beating the 49ers and advancing to the NFC Championship game. And then you already beat the Lions once this year. Who says you can't do it again? Right, and then you were one of the only teams who scored. Was it double digits against the Kansas City Chiefs or whatever it was? It was some stat like that. I can't remember what the stat was exactly, but you had already beaten the Kansas City Chiefs on the season when they were fully healthy, right? Some of the Lions can't say Lions said Lions beat them when they weren't fully healthy. No, chris Jones, no, travis Kelsey. They ended up beating the Chiefs. Now, not an excuse. But Packers beat them healthy. So you already beat two of those teams. You are that close.

Speaker 1: 13:06

The expectation doesn't go away now, right, and that's just because you're a year later. Offenses carry over, right. Defenses are iffy at times, but offenses generally carry over year to year. So the offense that what we saw in the last 10 games last year I don't know if that was as much of a fluke as that was Guys got healthy, guys got reps together, guys were starting to feel it together. It transpired into good football on the field. That's what the Packers, I believe, will have this season to start.

Speaker 1: 13:33

It's just a matter of if all the pieces are going to fit, and I think one of the biggest pieces that they got to figure out yet is that kicking room, because in week three of the preseason I don't want to still be having a competition. I really don't. I want to have this thing figured out. I want to be ready to go, because you're going to have this joint practices with the Ravens there and then you're going to be in your last preseason game. If it goes anything like the Broncos game, you're going to learn nothing about the kicking competition in the Broncos game or in that Ravens game, if it goes anything like that. So you got to be able to figure something out here over this week. You do, and if you're not comfortable, maybe bring in another kicker and add them to that competition. They've been doing it all summer long, which tells me they don't feel good. They don't feel good about this. If it was a two-man race they wouldn't have invited anybody else, but they were inviting guys and they were inviting guys in into this kicking competition doesn't make me believe that they have trust in these guys.

Speaker 1: 14:32

I'm going out and I'm finding the kicker. I don't care who it is. If you got to get some guy out of the UFL, if you got to go with some undrafted kicker out of Appalachian State, I don't care what you have to do. At this point. There has to be a kicker out there, because there's, I mean, only so many NFL teams and there's a lot of college teams, there's a lot of semi-pros, everything. There's a kicker out there who has to be more consistent and I mean it just makes you feel better when he comes out there than what we're seeing right now with Anders Carlsen and Greg Joseph. So that's my big thing. They got to figure that thing out pretty darn soon there.

Speaker 1: 15:08

So do I believe the Packers are a Super Bowl contender? 100% I do believe they are a Super Bowl contender. I just there's just those bits and pieces that got to fit in there that I believe will. I just think we got to. You know, it's one of those things where you got to see it. It's got to happen. It's like I always say you know, with this bears team that the bears fans are all through the roof. We got the next hall of fame quarterback.

Speaker 1: 15:33

We're already comparing this guy to patch my homes Like, oh my, it's like, okay, first off, don't, don't compare him to patch moms. That's like Anthony Edwards being compared to Michael Jordan. You don't. Just that's not a comparison you can make. Now, people comparing I always the LeBron and Jordan debate will go on forever, right, it's never going to end. You know, lebron fans are going to say one thing, jordan fans are going to say another. I'm with Jordan fans, right, but it's like that. You're comparing Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan. Let Anthony Edwards be Anthony Edwards and if somehow, some way, he wins, I mean he goes to seven championships and wins all seven and he puts up the stats and he's just a complete menace and everything like that. He's, I mean, a hardworking son of a gun who just puts it all out there. Okay, now we're talking, now we're in a conversation when Caleb Williams, I mean, goes to the Bears and he takes them to the Super Bowl and does all these things and wins MVPs and just completely, I mean without even a dynamite roster.

Speaker 1: 16:31

I mean, look at you, look at this Kansas City Chiefs team over the years and you look at the rosters that they've put together and there was some good rosters that Patrick Marlowe's had but you look at their last Super Bowl and when your best receiver out there is scantily, I don't know what else to say. Right, you have Hardman, you have Scantley Like there's nobody good on that team. You look at Tom Brady winning Super Bowls. Look at the Super Bowls that Tom Brady won and look at his receiver room. Okay, look at that receiver room.

Speaker 1: 17:00

Julian Edelman was a fine wide receiver, but was there anybody? Would you take Julian Edelman over? Justin Jefferson, randy Moss, any of these guys from the past? Julian Edelman was a fine receiver. It's not like he was this explosive playmaker who was going to do it all. He was a good receiver, at times great but he was just a work hard, fit into the system this is how it's going to work kind of guy. He had Chris Hogan out there.

Speaker 1: 17:25

There was just a lot of random guys who Tom Brady and company went into the Super Bowl with and won Super Bowls right. So now Caleb Williams is going to do it with a loaded roster. Can he take a loaded roster? And if I mean that's what everybody's telling me, this is a loaded roster, can Caleb Williams take a loaded roster to Super Bowl? If he can't I mean right off the bat, then that tells me a lot of things, right?

Speaker 1: 17:52

I don't think Caleb Williams is going to do it year one. Okay, everybody needs to dial a bag with him. He has a lot of mental things he's got to figure out first the being on time part of the game. You know not getting, I think. Really honestly, to me, the first thing that I dislike about his game, that I think could get him in trouble, is he's so quick to bail. He's so quick to bail. You want a guy who's going to stay in the pocket, right, he's going to stay in the pocket. You know everybody yells at Josh Allen for running too much. He's going to get himself hurt. Lamar Jackson, he's going to get himself hurt, right? Caleb Williams is a fine athlete. I'm not saying that he doesn't have the abilities, but he's like a Russell Wilson. He's Russell Wilson. To me, caleb Williams is not Patrick Mahomes, he's Russell Wilson 2.0.

Speaker 1: 18:39

Trying to make the fancy throw, trying to make things happen that don't seem like they're there. Right, that was Russell Wilson when he first got to the Seahawks. So that's where I'm at on that situation. But this is a young Packers team yet that I believe has a boatload of upside. I mean I fully have faith that this is going to be a big season for Green Bay. Do they have? Will all the pieces fit into the puzzle to make it work? That's what I want to see. That is my biggest thing. That I want to see with the Green Bay Packers is how all the pieces fit together and how it transpires, and I mean end of the day, I think it's at least NFC championship or bust. I think it is for the Green Bay Packers. Just the expectations coming in the Jordan Love contract. This is our guy. I mean the offense essentially all returning Outside of I mean playmaker-wise, outside of Aaron Jones, everybody else is back Defensively. You get a little bit younger on the defensive side of the ball. You get a new defensive coordinator in the room. It might be some growing pains, right, it might be some growing pains there on the defense, but I really do like what I see with this Green Bay Packers team. I just really, like I said before, I think they got to figure out that kicking room and then everybody's going to feel a lot better about this Green Bay team heading into this upcoming season here. It's getting closer and closer, right, it's getting closer and closer to the start of the 2024 NFL season. But with that, before we move on here, before we get into the Brewer Talk for the day, I want to get to some sponsors of the show here quick. But with that, before we move on here, before we get into the brewer talk for the day, I want to get to some sponsors of the show here quick.

Speaker 1: 20:16

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Speaker 1: 20:41

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Speaker 1: 21:26

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Speaker 1: 22:02

So with that let's get to some brew crew talk for the day here. I'm watching it right now two to two game here, bottom of the sixth. Hopefully the Brewers pull off another big win because looking at the MLB standings right now, as I'm currently looking at them, maybe they're going to change here when you guys are listening to this, but the Brewers are currently tied for second right now with the Philadelphia Phillies who have lost two in a row. They are both one game back of the Dodgers for that first-place spot. So this I mean every series matters at this point, right, and the Phillies are falling a little bit Brewers 7-3 in their last 10. Dodgers 7-3 in their last 10. Phillies 4-6. Brewers have the opportunity to jump into that bye the two. That'd be awesome If they could get themselves out of the wild card round.

Speaker 1: 23:02

I feel a boatload better I do. I feel it's like that sigh of relief that I would feel if they find a way to stay out of that wild card round. I mean man, oh man, man, oh man. That would be awesome. And you know that brought up my question today because I saw those standings and I asked a question out there. I said the Brewers I mean they're hitting their stride right now. We're seeing them. Over these last few series Dodgers, guardians, even before that, you know, the Braves series They've been hitting their stride. Starting pitching has looked better right At times, good right, and the bats have been waking up. If it isn't this guy, it's the next guy the next night. I mean it's a little contribution from just about everybody.

Speaker 1: 23:42

At this point, the bullpen is very underrated. I think there isn't a lot of. You know, you think about 2018 and a lot of the talk of the Brewers was the starting pitching and the bullpen. Right, you looked at that bullpen for the Brewers. You had Hader, you had Kniebel, you had Jeremy Jeffress. It was a three-headed monster. At the back end of that bullpen, you had a young Corbin Burns down in that bullpen. It was just that bullpen was, I mean, loaded they had some true talent down there. I and loaded they had some true talent down there.

Speaker 1: 24:17

I don't think that this year's bullpen gets enough credit. I really don't. I look at this bullpen for the Brewers and you look at Devin Williams returning. Now, small sample size for Devin, but I look at Devin Williams coming back there. He's got a 1.13 ERA right now. Solid stuff, solid stuff out of Devin Williams there. I believe, if I'm not mistaken, he's only given up five hits since coming back and I was just looking for the strikeout numbers there for Devin Williams. He's got, I believe, eight strikeouts. Is it eight or is it 14? I'm double-, double checking my own math 14, 14 strikeouts, 1.13 era. There are five saves. He's got a 0.88 whip, small sample size, like I said.

Speaker 1: 25:05

But devin williams I mean after that, in devin williams brewer fashion, in Devin Williams Brewer fashion, they go to the ninth. Instead of just getting out of it, we load the bases. We got to make sure we load the bases, don't forget it. We got to make sure we load the bases and then punch out, punch out, game over Brewers win. Like that was the most Brewers, devin Williams way to win a baseball game, right, but Devin Williams, in that, in that save man, he had it. He was like that is Devin Williams, like that changeup, the fastball's humming, he's confident. I mean it just seems like the team feels that much better when Devin Williams is coming in the ninth, and I do too. I mean I feel confident.

Speaker 1: 25:50

You know, if McGill and I'm not saying anything against McGill because I do really like McGill, but if McGill was in that same situation last night that Devin Williams was in, or two nights ago that Devin Williams was in. I mean I trust McGill, I like McGill, but I just, I mean Devin Williams just gives me a different kind of feeling in that moment, like it's, like it's never. He can get me out of it, right, and I, mcgill, can get me out of it. I'm not saying McGill can't get me out of it, but it's you know, if you played percentage chances, if Devin Williams is going to get me out of it, I'm at a 50. And if McGill is going to get me out of it, I'm at 47, right. It's just that feeling that I get with devin williams on the mound in the ninth. It doesn't matter what kind of predicament he gets himself into. I just have that feeling he can get himself out of it.

Speaker 1: 26:44

Mcgill is, I mean, he is right there, he is right there, mcgill coming back, I love that because you put him in that setup role now, along with Brian Hudson also being in that same spot there for the Brewers. And then I look, so you got McGill going to be able to back up Devin Williams, you got the setup man there. In McGill you have Brian Hudson, who can also be a setup man or your seventh inning guy. And then you look you have Jared Koenig. Now I mean the national media isn't talking enough about this guy with that two ERA. But I mean Koenig has been phenomenal for the Brewers this season. Phenomenal for the Brewers, he's logged 47 innings out of the bullpen. You know those spot starts but 47 innings out of the bullpen there for the Brewers and he's got 49 strikeouts to show for it. 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings. There I mean 2.08 ERA. You got to love what we've been seeing out of Jared Koenig there.

Speaker 1: 27:38

And then I mean you look around this bullpen. So you got Devin Williams, you got McGill, you got Koenig, you got Brian Hudson and then you add in some of the bits and pieces guys. Right, the bits and pieces guys. If they can get Anoli Paredes back, that is a big arm. That is a big arm because when he was up I mean you're talking about a guy when he was up with a one ERA in 14 games, he had 16 innings and he had 12 strikeouts. I mean Anoli Paredes, he got outs, he got outs and I don't believe he gave up many runs until as close to the time when he got injured right until it was close to the time when he got injured, right. So in all these parades you get him back. That's huge.

Speaker 1: 28:13

You still have Elvis Paguero down in the minors. I'm still baffled by them sending him down just because he had a three ERA. He had 43 strikeouts there in 48 innings of work, 7-3 record on the year, two saves. I didn't see a problem with Elvis Poguero, not enough to get him sent down. So that was an interesting one for me there.

Speaker 1: 28:38

But you look at the bullpen, you look at Bryce Wilson and Joe Ross. No way they have options left. So those two guys are kind of stuck, unless you want to have the option to lose them. Big reason why Paguero was the guy to be sent down, baffling one. I don't like it. I would have kept Paguero up. I would have. Honestly, it's hard to lose Joe Ross or Bryce Wilson simply because both those guys are your backup starters. Right, because in case, right. A just in case guy which we saw Joe Ross a little bit there last night Didn't pitch terrible for the Brewers, didn't pitch terrible, but Joe Ross, you know he's back there. I look at this Brewers bullpen and I say to myself this is an underrated bullpen and there's some arms down in the minors right now Jacob Mizorowski.

Speaker 1: 29:33

They've been working him into a bullpen role Could he come up, possibly when rosters expand, to make it kind of like a Corbin Burns was when they first brought him up or a Brandon Woodruff. Could we see that same role with Jacob Mizorowski? Because that's a flame-throwing arm you're throwing down there in the bullpen. If he can control it for a couple innings, watch out, Watch out down there. You still have DO Hall down in the minors and if he gets that velocity back up and you throw him in the bullpen for a little bit, man oh man, They'd have a flamethrowing front end of their bullpen. Then I would honestly bring DO Hall back up. I would up, I would. You have DL Hall as your mix and match guy, Joe Ross and Bryce Wilson both down in the bullpen. For me I really don't need it. To be honest with you, you have two righties that can extend games. I want a lefty that can extend games too, and that's where I'm looking at having that guy in DL Hall who can extend out games for me. Give me three innings in a spotty relief for a starter, just like they did with Tobias Myers last night because he was struggling with the zone. You have DL Hall in there. In case you want to go more lefties, I'd be okay with that. I'd be okay with the DL Hall coming up there. You have options in the minors right now. Craig Yoho has done well in the minors for the Brewers right now. We could potentially see him at some point. There's a lot of options all around for the Brewers bullpen Very underrated bullpen, honestly.

Speaker 1: 30:58

So when I look at that question and I asked the question I said where do you see the Brewers ending up this season? Wildcard, NLDS, NLCS. Or I said, finally, we don't have to watch the 1982 videos to remember the last time, Because that is every single year. We got to watch the 1982 videos because we had to remember the last time the Brewers were in the World Series. It's like you don't want to have to watch it anymore. You want to finally have the ability to say, even if they don't win the World Series, we went to the World Series in 2024. We went to the World Series 2024. We went to the world series. That'd be great. That'd be great. I can stop watching those 1982 videos and trying to reminisce in what could have been. I want to see what's going to happen right and this brewers team's hitting their stride. The offense is clicking. Underrated bullpen is pitching very well. The starters have been getting better. Do they have a realistic shot? For me, I believe they make it past the wild card round.

Speaker 1: 31:57

You look at where the standings would be right now. So if the season ended today, the Phillies would have the tiebreaker over the Brewers, so that would put the Brewers down in that three spot right now. No-transcript, it'd be the Mets. They'd have the Mets for a wildcard game. Yeah, that sounds right. That sounds right. It should be the Mets for a wildcard game. So you'd have the Mets for a wildcard game. I trust the Brewers in a game against the Mets. I do in a series against the Mets. I trust the Brewers. So I have the Brewers past the wildcard round.

Speaker 1: 32:50

Nlds. That's where it gets a little more dicey. Right, that's where it gets a little more dicey for the Brewers because you're going to start seeing some of the, as you would say, better teams hopping in then, potentially whoever ends up out of that other game. So because the Dodgers in the one spot would face the other two wild card teams and then you would see the brewers would have to face off with the phillies. So you'd have the phillies in that side game. Now, do you trust the brewers against the phillies? Phillies are cold right now, brewers are hot. They clash. How does that work out? So the voting for this one, 60 said finally, we don't have to watch the 1982 video. So 60 of people are saying bam, world series. And there we go. We had a little bit of less 20 for nlds and 20 for nlcs. So where do you count it at this point in the season? If you were looking at this Brewers team, season ends, say, wherever they end up, what would you count? As from what we've seen out of the Brewers team in this stretch, would them losing a wild card game be a failure to you? Would it be a failure if they didn't make it past the NLDS? Would it be a failure if they didn't make it past the NLDS? Would it be a failure if they didn't make it past the NLCS? Where's the failure point? I'm going to say honestly, if the Brewers make it past the wildcard round with a team that many pegged for fourth in the division where many pegged wouldn't even be a conversation for ending up as a, they're still in the conversation for a one seed in the playoffs. So for a team that wasn't even in that conversation, not even close, like not even in the playoff picture, kind of conversation for that kind of team to make it to the NLDS or to the NLCS, just in those two ranges there, making it past the wildcard round. That's a win of a season for me. That's a win of a season for me. That's a win of a season.

Speaker 1: 34:52

As many things that could possibly go wrong for the Brewers this season. I mean DL Hall gets injured early on. You don't get to see much out of him. Christian Jelic has been out, for I mean he was out for a month, then he was out for a couple games, now he's out for I mean, he was out for a month, then he was out for a couple games, now he's out for the season. So you lose your big bat, your veteran leadership, in Christian Yelich.

Speaker 1: 35:13

You have a starting pitching staff that's anchored down by Freddie Peralta, who doesn't I mean hasn't really developed into the ace of the staff yet. You're really relying on Tobias Myers, colin Ray and now savalli and montes, who both were struggling before they came to the brewers. You're relying on those guys to be threes, twos in a rotation. Tobias myers is, I mean, slowly working his way to potentially even looking like a, like a one in the rotation at this point. You're relying on guys that you didn't even expect you were going to. I mean you went into this season with Wade Miley, freddie Peralta, colin Ray, bryce Wilson and Joe Ross. That was going to be the starters and Dia.

Speaker 2: 36:03

Hall.

Speaker 1: 36:03

Dia Hall was in there instead of Bryce Wilson, I believe. So you went into a season with that and you're here now I don't know, like that still is absolutely crazy. It's absolutely crazy. I mean, you talk about teams. You look at second half of the year. This is where the Brewers always make me nervous, right? Second half of the season has always made me nervous about the Brewers because it's just something about the All-Star break. After the All-Star break, if the Brewers are going to fall apart, it's always in this period.

Speaker 1: 36:36

We look at this Brewers team since the All-Star break third best record in the majors behind the Padres and Diamondbacks. Impressive in its own right. Then I saw a stat last night Since the All-Star break, the Brewers have an 18-10 record. They are plus 28 in run differential. Their average with runners in scoring position is 266, and their team ERA 3.11. Nothing but improvement since the All-Star break. You want to put that into perspective? The Cardinals since the All-Star break negative 25. Run differential 221. Batting average 4.64 ERA. You put that into perspective? The Cardinals since the All-Star break negative 25 run differential 221. Batting average 4.64 ERA. You put that into perspective between two teams since the All-Star break. That is what the Brewers have done since then. They have hit their stride and then some right, we're watching right now.

Speaker 1: 37:19

In the seventh inning the Brewers just put up a couple runs. It's 4-2 now. In this game they find ways. They find ways they battle, they're resilient. You know, you look at this team and it's like I said it early on, I started to kind of get away from it at for a stretch there when the Brewers were struggling. But this is a team that they find ways. It isn't, it isn't the most common ways to win games. They aren't the Phillies, they aren't the Dodgers, they're not this home run hitting team. Who's just going to light you up, but they do. They slowly are finding those guys on their roster that are going to be able to be RBI guys. Jackson Churio, william Contreras has been nothing but hot since the all-star break. Willie Adamas has been driving in runs. Reese Hoskins has been better since the All-Star break. All these guys slowly starting to figure it out. Put it all together and now you're just reaping the rewards. You're seeing everything kind of happening out there and some of these bats stay hot, like Jackson Churrio, guys who have picked it up.

Speaker 1: 38:26

Since Christian Yelich has been out, what tells you they can't make it to the NLCS? What tells you that they can't beat the Phillies in the playoffs? Will it be easy? Heck, no, it's never easy. It's playoff baseball. You're going to be playing in Philadelphia. That's going to be a rough series.

Speaker 1: 38:41

But I tell you what, if I were to put into perspective last year's team, or maybe even like the 2021 team into perspective against this team, I would take this team. I would ride with this team because the speed, the ability to get on base, the ability for them to drive in runs, finding ways to put runs on the board I'd go with this team any day. I do Pitching-wise. Now we're splitting hairs. Now we're splitting hairs, but they find ways to win games they do. And it has a lot to do with Pat Murphy as a manager, who I undoubtedly believe should be NL Manager of the Year, but it has a lot to do with.

Speaker 1: 39:23

This team is full of a bunch of young guys. Like I said last year with the Diamondbacks, that's a team that was. They're too young to know that they shouldn't be doing what they're doing. This Brewers team is too young to know that they shouldn't be doing what they're doing right now and they're just doing it right. They're just playing baseball and they're having fun doing it right. That's what I mean. End of the day, that's what wins games. And they are finding ways to win games right now Down the stretch. Here we're hitting the home stretch. We're getting close to that home stretch right now.

Speaker 1: 39:54

This Brewers team is making me excited for some playoff baseball. They are because they will find ways to win ball games. They will find ways to push runs across the board and I can't wait to see primetime Tobias Myers taking on in a big matchup, because I just that guy, he just he's a fearless son of a gun. That the thing that I love most about pitchers is when I find the ones that are fearless that go into a start against any lineup and they will throw you their stuff. They aren't going to change it, they're going to throw you their stuff and they're going to make it happen. And that is what I love about Tobias Myers. And I mean there's a bunch of other guys I mean Colin Ray is the same way, freddie Peralta can be that guy Guys who aren't afraid to put it in the zone and give you their best stuff and just strike you out. Devin Williams is a big I mean a big guy for that. He makes it happen. He makes it happen.

Speaker 1: 40:43

So where do I see the Brewers sitting? If I was going to vote NLCS, nlcs right now. Dodgers and Phillies are tough teams. They're going to be tough teams, tough outs when it comes to playoff time, but I really do believe this Brewers team is going to definitely be a tough out when it comes down to it in the playoffs there. So with that, see if I had anything else to look out for the day here. Oh, I had one more thing, and that was on the Frankie Montes deal. Since the trade happened, what Frankie Montes has done and what the flip side has done, because I've seen a lot of people still arguing about this one. So, frankie Montes, since the trade happened 2.57 ERA in 21 innings with the Brewers, Jacob Junis, 5.40 ERA in 10 innings with the Reds and Joey Weimer, hasa, .075 average and one RBI and 40 at-bats with the Reds, aaa

Speaker 1: 41:44

affiliate. So did the trade work out so far? Yes. Now I don't want to hear everybody saying that everybody was crying and everything about the trade when it happened. When you looked at the trade as a whole, did the Brewers, truthfully, in that moment get completely better? No, but sometimes a fresh spot. Sometimes you get a guy halfway through a season. Things work out. Now, if this was a full season, full season maybe things change. Maybe we're looking at this through a different lens. We're looking at it from after that trade happens, so it's a little bit less time that we're looking at there. So, did the brewers win the trade as of right now? Definitely yes. Would it have been the same thing if it was a full? I mean, you had a full season to look at it. That's where you have to bar that. So I've seen a lot of people arguing about it, a lot of people saying that people are, you know idiots for complaining about it the whole time.

Speaker 1: 42:35

A lot of people saying that like, hey, nobody really cares, like we're glad it worked out. Me I was on the board with. It was an interesting trade. I wasn't a huge fan of it right away, but I'm starting to learn with some of these deals that Matt Arno likes to make that hey, just let it work out for a second. Just let it work out for a second, maybe it will right. Sometimes you just got to keep trying to find the lightning in a bottle. You got to keep searching for it until you finally get it. They finally got it in Frankie Montes. Hopefully we see those good things trend and keep on going throughout this season for the Brewers, because they could definitely use that electric arm and Frankie Montes down the stretch there. So with that, that's all I got for the day.

Speaker 1: 43:17

Like I always say, like subscribe, leave a review, tell your friends about the show. That'd be awesome, let them know. You know this is a good show to listen to. Or maybe maybe you get a lot of controversy out there so you want them to listen to it too. So they can, you know, argue with me too while I'm not there. Whatever it is, you know, maybe definitely do something like that.

Speaker 1: 43:36

If you want to see more lives, definitely put that in the reviews too. You know, send, send a message in the reviews that you want to see us go live, so that way you can shoot your opinions at me or your questions at me, anything like that that I can answer or that I can argue with on the show, or you can argue with me, whatever you want to do. That'd be awesome, that'd be great. So I mean, with that great show today, I hope you guys had a good time. I hope you guys had a good time, like I always said there, but with that, this has been Wisconsin Sports on the go with Trage. Thank you guys for listening.

Speaker 2: 44:09

I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your Thursday, but until I talk to you guys again tomorrow, deuces, yeah, oh, my Lord, watch me sway. Darkness falls and we all pray, hoping for the light of day. Down to the river, I have held the devil's hand, felt the weight of my own sin, buried by the heart of man Down to the river, down to the river, down to the river. Oh, oh, bury me, carry me, oh, oh, far beneath, oh, oh, far beneath.