Can the Brewers stay in the fight to finish?

As a pivotal weekend visit to Wrigley Field awaits, the Brewers find themselves with a puncher’s chance at salvaging a season that, while unexpectedly fruitful, has the chance of slipping from their grip. The offense that was the fourth highest-scoring unit in the National League during the first half of the year has been disastrous in the second half. The team's 177 runs scored is the worst in the league by over 30, as a once dependable and surprisingly fruitful offense has collapsed around itself. After a first half spent looking like a player the Red Sox would regret trading, Travis Shaw has replicated the same lack of consistency that led to him being dealt last winter in the first place. Shaw hit .299 and drove in 65 runs in the first half, but his average has fallen to .235 since the break while driving in only 21 — which sadly still leads the team in the second half.

Likewise, first-half sensation Eric Thames has tanked, only in a far more severe fashion. Since opening the year with a bang, slugging 23 first-half homers in dominant fashion, he has dipped so low that he's nearly become unstartable. In the second half, he has homered only five times in 42 games as his average has plummeted near the Mendoza line.

It has been an ugly effort to endure, and besides the decline of the team’s two first-half powerhouses, the Brewers boast only three players hitting above .280 since the break. Ryan Braun, who missed over a month in the first half with a calf injury, has gotten back up to speed since the break, hitting .289 with a team-best 11 doubles. Joining him in finding his way is Jonathan Villar, the club’s breakout infielder from a year ago. After a woeful first half that saw him hit only .221 and steal 16 bases, Villar is hitting .289 since the break and has stolen another seven bags. Then there is oft-underappreciated Domingo Santana, who has picked up some of the slack that has been lost in Thames's struggles, hitting nine homers since the break.

Add in the production of a pair of former All-Stars who were acquired under the radar, catcher Stephen Vogt and second baseman Neil Walker, who has hit a team-best .292 since joining the club, and the Brewers have scratched out enough runs to stay afloat.

The biggest question is can they marry their bipolar production enough over the last few weeks of the season to realize the opportunity their unlikely rise has afforded them? The pitching staff has been solid enough to keep them in the race while the offense figures itself out. Jimmy Nelson has been one of the NL’s best arms nobody is talking about, while Chase Anderson and Zach Davies have proved themselves to be solid as well.

In the bullpen, Corey Knebel has been one of the best relievers in the game, and he's been at his best in the late rungs of the year, carrying a 0.79 second-half ERA. The rest of the pen, composed of Anthony Swarzak, Jeremy Jeffress, Brandon Woodruff and top prospect-turned-reliever Josh Hader, has taken on the lion’s share of the responsibility in keeping the team afloat,while the offense tries to find its collective way.

It has been a tale of two halves in Milwaukee: one representing the shock, the other highlighting the rough fall back to reality that can often shadow the type of premature surge enjoyed early in the year. Can a team that is so fragmented in both its production and results do what it takes to seize a place in the postseason picture? At their best, the Brewers are certainly capable of being one of the most overwhelming teams in the game, but they have struggled to be that team often enough to stay in control of their destiny.

A fantastic opportunity is at hand for the Brewers, and they have shown they can stay in the fight. But the heart of September will prove whether they were the Rocky Balboa of the season or simply Conor McGregor — a lot of flash but not enough to last.