Brewers Magic Number for NL Central Crown After Mets Series

The Milwaukee Brewers continue to find themselves in a better position.

Apr 5, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a Milwaukee Brewers logo on seating within American Family Field prior to the game between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers are well on their way to winning their fourth straight National League Central title.

Milwaukee has just 28 games left in the regular season and now holds a seven-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for first place in the National League Central. Milwaukee had a three-game series throughout the week against the New York Mets that didn't start off on a high note, as the Brewers lost the first game in extra innings on an error from David Hamilton, 3-2.

Afterward, the Brewers followed up with wins on Wednesday and Thursday over New York. On Thursday, Jacob Misiorowski took the hill and was unsurprisingly dominant. Misiorowski went six innings against New York and allowed two runs while striking out six batters. Now, he's 14-5 on the season with a 1.73 ERA and 222 strikeouts.

The Brewers Are In A Near-Perfect Spot

Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Sal Frelick (10) glove and hat sit on the Brewers dugout steps covered in infield dirt during their game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was a great day for Milwaukee, to say the least. Milwaukee's lead over the Cubs in the division also grew throughout the week. The Cubs were off on Thursday and lost on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Again, the Brewers now hold a seven-game lead in the division with just under one month to go in the 2026 regular season.

Milwaukee's magic number to clinch the division is all the way down to 22 at this point. If the Brewers didn't have seven games left against the Cubs this season, it'd be safe to say that this division race was over. But on Monday, Aug. 31, these two rivals will meet and kick off a four-game series with plenty of implications in the division race. Then, from Sep. 7 through Sep. 9, they will conclude their season series with three more games against one another.

For the Cubs to have any chance of coming back and taking the top spot, they will need to significantly dominate these upcoming matchups, and even that may not be enough. The Brewers' lead in the division has grown to seven games. Milwaukee has one of the strongest rotations in baseball and guys are starting to get hot at the plate, including William Contreras, Christian Yelich and Andrew Vaughn, among others.

Right now, the Brewers are the significant favorites in the National League Central. It would take a disaster at this point for Milwaukee to not win its fourth straight title, to say the least.