The Milwaukee Brewers jumped out to a 24-10 record and looked like they would run away and hide. Since May 10th, the Brewers have managed just a 4-13 record, the worst mark of any team in the Central Division.
But the remainder of the Central isn't much better. The Cubs are 6-12 during that same stretch. Houston is 5-12, Pittsburgh 8-10, St. Louis 6-10 and Cincinnati 5-13. That's a combined winning percentage of .327 by Central Division teams.
The Brewers could have built a huge lead had they even played .500 baseball. And thanks to the rest of the teams in the division, they still have a 5-game lead.
The Brewers are hoping the addition of rookie Ryan Braun will help solidify a slumping offense. Braun had been tearing up Triple A prior to his arrival.
It's no time to panic, especially with the other Central Division teams willing to allow the Brewers time to shake their slump. But I made a prediction at the beginning at the start of the season that the Brewers were still a year away. I had no idea at the time that the rest of the division would be as bad as it is.
Maybe the Brewers will have enough to win this division, but they need to stop talking about being confident in their ability to shake this slump and just do it.
And based on what I see so far, this team needs some veteran leadership. There's no question the likes Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy at simply outstanding players. But the team is missing that one player with winning experience that can make a difference in the club house, excluding of course, Jeff Suppan.
So when Doug Melvin considers his next move, a player that can help lead this talented group of young players, would be a welcomed addition.
The Brewers need to end their recent slide and avoid another one like it.