I’m not in panic mode with the Milwaukee Brewers. Others want to push the panic button, but I am not one of them. I may have written something similar last year when things fell apart again in Pittsburgh last season. But still, I’m not concerned. Chicago Cubs going ahead of the Brewers isn’t a stunner if you look at run differential and other numbers that show Chicago is the better team. Still, I’m not going to panic because it’s a long season and losing streaks happen. There are reasons not to panic.

1. Brewers are extremely banged up – Here’s what the Milwaukee Brewers are dealing with in their lineup. Eric Thames is on the Disabled List with a tight hamstring. Ryan Braun has back and hamstring issues and also on the disabled list. Jonathan Villar is battling a thumb problem. Manny Pina is dealing with a bicep issue. That’s four of your eight Opening Day starters. Milwaukee is deep but not dep enough to have to deal with replacement level players .

2. The schedule makers did them no favors – Brewers played 21 games in 20 days. They finished 10-11 which really isn’t that bad. But in a small vacuum where the Cubs swept San Diego, and Milwaukee got swept, it looks pretty bad. Pittsburgh digging their heels in about a doubleheader in July versus September hurt the Crew. Milwaukee did not catch a single break this trip, and it could have easily been 3-3.

3. Brewers are going to make a move or moves before the trade deadline – It might be for someone not named Manny Machado, but Milwaukee is going to upgrade their team. Who knows what that player might look like for the team. It could be Nathan Eovaldi from Tampa Bay. Or Whit Merrifield from Kansas City. They could make a huge splash and add a Jacob deGrom. Machado is still possible, but I do wonder if this week caused any pause from Milwaukee.

4. Travis Shaw showed signs of life – One of the bigger things about the first half are Travis Shaw did not have the same type of year he had last season. Shaw is only hitting .245 but nearly carries a OBP that’s 100 points higher. He’s starting to hit home runs again with 18 at the break. One thing that’s needed from Shaw is clutch hitting. He’s currently 0-for-11 this year with the bases loaded. That has to change. He needs to relax and just visualize a single up the middle.

5. It’s a long fucking season – Did you know that the last five of six World Series team had five or more game losing streaks? Remember when the Houston Astros went through one? This thing is not over in July. Brewers need to come out strong out of the gates, and it does not start easy facing the Los Angeles Dodgers. Still, they can do this thing even if it’s rocky to start. Two wins this weekend will go a long way. Cardinals-Cubs meet for five this upcoming weekend so who knows, maybe things could flip in another direction.

Don’t panic yet Brewers fans, we have a fun couple of months to go that are going to delight us, rip our hearts out, celebrate, drink away a loss and many more emotions. I cannot wait.