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By Ben Watanabe
Contributing Sports Writer
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Quietly, almost imperceptibly, the slide has begun.
For much of the season, the Milwaukee Brewers have coasted atop the standings with the best record in MLB. The small-ball Brew Crew has been the perfect sympathetic foil to the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers and even the always-relevant Atlanta Braves. The Brewers -- along with their AL doppelganger Tampa Bay Rays -- have shown there's a place for the little franchise that could.
Around the time the calendar turned to August, though, Milwaukee's magic started to dissolve -- which is what made Thursday's win so pivotal.
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Playing what centerfielder Garrett Mitchell called "Brewers baseball," Milwaukee stormed back to beat the Dodgers 5-4 at Chavez Ravine. The Brewers held the Dodgers to as many total hits -- four -- as the Brewers had hits with runners in scoring position. As is typical, their opponent hit a home run; the Brewers did not. Andrew Vaughn played third base for just the 12th time in his six-year career. They simply found a way.
Still clinging to the No. 1 seed in the National League and the crucial bye that accompanies it, the Brewers needed this victory desperately. It was just their fourth win when trailing after eight innings, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, and just their sixth win in their last 12 games. They are still in first place, but even their grip on the NL Central has weakened with the Chicago Cubs finally finding their footing.
With the specter of a labor disagreement looming at the end of the season, the rousing success of a low-payroll darling like the Brewers has been an interesting counterpoint to the owners' calls for a salary cap. Yet for all their regular-season exploits, the Brewers still haven't been to a World Series since their epic 1982 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. For more than four decades, "Brewers baseball" has meant bowing out early in the postseason. More games like Thursday's will be necessary to change that.
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