Must-read:
- Kriegel: Buckeyes don't deserve hype
- Czar: NFL Week 2 countdown
Must-see:
- Glazer's Edge: On Strahan
- NASCAR driver previews Chase race
View more videos >>
If the Brewers collapse for the second straight season — and they are well on their way — general manager Doug Melvin will be left with little choice but to fire his manager.
Melvin has been loyal to Yost, probably too loyal. Just before spring training, Melvin extended Yost's contract through next season. But since then, the stakes for the Brewers only have risen.
In early July, Melvin traded for CC Sabathia, trying to nudge the Brewers toward their first postseason appearance since 1982 before the likely departure of Ben Sheets as a free agent.
The Brewers then went 20-7 in August, extending their wild-card lead to a season-high 5½ games.
The Brewers are 3-8 in September, reducing their lead over the Phillies and Astros to only three games with 15 to play. The calendar is in their favor, but the remaining schedule isn't. They face the Phillies three more times this weekend (MLB on Fox, Saturday, 3:55 p.m. ET).
After that, the Brewers play six more games against the Cubs, while the Phillies and Astros meet only one more opponent with a winning record — the Marlins, who are a mere 74-72.
Yost appears tense to rival scouts and executives who have seen the Brewers play recently. So does his team, an offensive powerhouse that is averaging only 2.8 runs per game in September.
