West Coast woes could come back to haunt Brewers
By JERRY TAPP
Why is it that every time the Brewers head off on a road trip to the west coast I think something bad is going to happen? Something like a road trip where they go 2-7 or get swept in a series or two on the road out west?
Well, this year the Brewers’ trips out west have not been very successful… and it could be that if they miss the playoffs that lack of success on west coast road trips could be the reason.
Through games of August 1, the Brewers had a 7-18 record in 2019 (a .280 winning percentage) in road games played in the Pacific Time Zone, otherwise known as Pacific Standard Time (PST)… games against the Angels, A’s and Mariners (American League teams) and games versus the Dodgers, Giants and Padres (National League teams. With their recent three-game series in Oakland where they won only one of three games against the A’s in a short three-game series out west, the Brewers are done playing games this season in the PST.
As mentioned above, the Brewers will end the 2019 campaign with a record of 7-18 in games in the PST, again, a winning percentage of .280. That means that with a 57-53 record at the end of the day on August 1 that the Brew Crew are 50-35 (.588 winning percentage) in games not played in the PST. That’s a pretty significant gap between .588 in non-PST games and .280 in PST games.
Last season, the Brewers were 13-7 (.650) in PST games. In 2017, their record in games played in Pacific Time Zone was 11-9 (.550).
Let’s take a look at how well the Brewers have played in games in the Pacific Time Zone since 2009. Against the Angels, Dodgers, A’s, Padres, Mariners and Giants in their home parks, the Brewers have a record of 57-64 (.471). Here is Brewers road record against each of these six PST teams from 2009-2019.
Los Angeles Angels 2-4
Los Angeles Dodgers 21-14
Oakland A’s 2-3
San Diego 16-18
Seattle 3-3
San Francisco 13-22
That’s a losing record against four of these teams, a .500 record against one team, and a winning record against only one PST team since 2009 … the Dodgers.
If the Brewers fail to reach the post-season this season, they may look at their paltry 7-18 record against teams on the west coast as one reason for their struggles. Time will tell.
Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp
