Brewers could sink Pirates this weekend

With a surprise sweep this weekend, the Brewers jumped right back in the race to finish first in the National League. Meanwhile, the Pirates' tailspin dropped them six games back in the NL Central.

But that doesn't make this weekend's series any less important for the Crew.

In fact, it may even mean more now.

The Pirates will come into Milwaukee on Friday desperate for a series win to turn around their fading playoff hopes. If nothing else, this should give the series a postseason atmosphere at Miller Park this weekend.

Beyond maintaining their lead atop the division, a good series for the Brewers would keep the struggling Pirates down. In fact, a series sweep could all but eliminate the Bucs' chances in the division.

Dropping to nine games back with 32 to play, Pittsburgh would face a significant uphill battle in the Central.

So, the Brewers should not take the Pirates lightly.

Sure, Wednesday's win was Pittsburgh's first in eight games. And yes, the Brewers are 10-3 against the Pirates this year and 76-33 since 2008.

But the Brewers can't afford to overlook the Pirates and simply expect to win two of three. They're still facing playoff contenders.

Now, I don't believe the Crew will have any trouble focusing on this weekend's series. They certainly shouldn't be distracted by looking ahead to next week's matchup with the last-place Padres. Although the trip to sunny San Diego should be enticing.

Still, the possibility exists that Pittsburgh could win two of three simply because it needs this series so much more than Milwaukee. But the Brewers have plenty to play for as well.

For one, they need to avoid the worst-case scenario.

If the Pirates were to surprise with a road sweep, they would suddenly be winners of four straight and just three games out. While the Brewers would be on a four-game losing streak and potentially fall out of first place.

That's the last thing that should happen to the red-hot Brewers. But it's possible.

Hopefully for the Brewers, they will seize the opportunity to deliver a knockout blow to the pesky Pirates. If they do, it'll make for a thrilling weekend at Miller Park.

PLAYOFFS?

Fangraphs continues to rate the Cardinals' playoff odds higher than those of the Brewers. St. Louis entered Thursday at 87.9 percent, while Milwaukee was at 83.3 percent.

In their season-to-date stats model, Fangraphs also still has the Brewers as an overwhelming favorite, with a 91.3 percent chance of reaching the postseason and 66.7 percent odds of winning the division.

On Baseball Prospectus' model, the Brewers' postseason probability is at 91.2 percent, compared with 81.2 percent for the Cardinals. As recently as Tuesday, Milwaukee hit a season-high 94 percent on the BP model.

STAT OF THE WEEK

• 7. Doubles for the Brewers in Tuesday's game. They were the 12th team this season to record seven or more doubles, and it was the 23rd time in club history that they had achieved the feat.

THEY SAID IT

• Lucroy on his five-RBI day Sunday: "It was one of those days where I got a couple of good pitches to hit and was able to hit them hard. (Dan) Haren made a couple of mistakes up in the zone and I was able to take advantage."
• Wily Peralta on his recent succes: "I've just been pounding the strike zone and working ahead of the hitters. That's been the difference since that game in Philadelphia."
• Mike Fiers on another strong outing Tuesday: "I wanted to be aggressive in the strike zone and make them swing the bat. I feel like I can pitch this way and compete well at this level."

BEST OF THE REST

• Self-serve beer may be coming to Miller Park. No word on if they will improve the overall quality of the beer selection.
• Jimmy Nelson could be the Brewers' "young ace" in the playoffs, according to this story by Jim Callis.
• While the Brewers' bullpen has struggled more in the second half, it has still been very good this season.

POWER RANKINGS

• USA TODAY Sports bumped the Brewers up to sixth this week.
• They jumped up to No. 5 in the MLB.com rankings, while remaining 7th at ESPN.
• Milwaukee also moved up one spot to fifth according to Jonah Keri at Grantland.

-- Email Jordan at jschelling@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jordanschelling

-- Quotes via Associated Press