National League Central may have the best race in MLB

Oct 3, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday (7) reacts after he hits a three run home run in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

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4. Milwaukee Brewers (79-83)

The Milwaukee Brewers were the talk of the MLB world in the first half of the season last year. They were dominating the Central and looked like they might run away with the division.

	Record	Runs Scored	Runs Allowed
March-June	51-33	383	343
July-September	31-47	267	314

Courtesy of Baseball-reference.com

The Brewers owned a 51-33 record from Opening Day through the end of June. From July on, however, things were different. They had a 31-47 record (9-17 in the deciding month of September). They also gave up more runs than they scored.

One of the biggest reasons why the Brewers struggled is because their slugger, Ryan Braun, struggled. Last season, Braun hit .266/.324/.453, all career lows. The second half was especially rough for him, hitting .226/.295/.374.

Braun has not been the same since his PED suspension. He hit 41 home runs in 2012, leading the NL. Since coming back from his 65-game suspension, he’s hit just 28 home runs in his last 196 games.

The Brewers traded Yovani Gallardo to the Texas Rangers for 21-year old infielder Luis Sardinas in January. The plan for Sardinas is for him to play utility.

The Brewers also traded Marco Estrada to the Toronto Blue Jays for first baseman Adam Lind.

The Brewers rotation is not bad with Kyle Lohse, Matt Garza and Wily Peralta. They are a little weak in the back-end of the rotation with Mike Fiers and Jimmy Nelson, who combined had 22 starts last season.

It will be a long summer for Milwaukee if Braun cannot get back to form and if they cannot score some runs. Their 650 runs last season were just 36 more runs than the Cubs, who finished last in the division.

Next: 3. Chicago Cubs

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