PLAYING FOR LEASTER AGAIN?

It's been a few years since we used that reference to describe the pennant race in the National League's Central Division.  "The teams in contention for the National League's at-large playoff berth appear to be playing for leaster. The Milwaukee Brewers, despite having a terrible May, June, July, and beginning of August, are no worse than four games out of the wild card, with current frontrunner Cincinnati in their division."

Here we are again, in a similar position, with a team of promising new players in a division nobody seems terribly interested in winning.

And just like that, an 18-9 start to the season has morphed into an 18-15 record.

Luckily for the Brewers, the NL Central-leading Pittsburgh Pirates are also on a six-game losing streak and the last-place St. Louis Cardinals have dropped eight straight to fall to 10-24 on the season.

Neither the Cubs nor the Reds have been particularly scintillating of late, although they're crowding the Pirates and the Crew.

Cardinal fans can expect as much sympathy from me about their pitching woes as I expect from Bear fans should the new Packer quarterback not be up to the standards we've seen in the past quarter century.