It's hard to know what to make of the Brewers, based on the first half of the season. On the one hand, they've shown they can play with anyone; in June, the Crew was 7-4 against contending teams. Unfortunately, the same Brewers were 4-11 against bottom feeders Kansas City, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh that month. Will the real Brewers stand up?
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Brewers first-half comparison
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2000
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2001
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W-L
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37-51
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42-44
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HR leader
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Burnitz, 17
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2 tied at 18
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BA leader
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Jenkins, .297
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Jenkins, .278
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ERA
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Haynes, 4.42
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Wright, 3.26
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First-half MVP: It's hard to give this to one guy. Geoff Jenkins (.278-13-41) has been good, as usual, but has missed time due to injury. Jose Hernandez (.268-17-45) has been extremely valuable, playing a fine shortstop and having perhaps his best season at the plate. Jeromy Burnitz (.246-18-61) has hit with his usual power, and Tyler Houston (.303-12-36) has the team's best batting average. Still, we'll go with co-MVPs in the form of two starting pitchers. Ben Sheets (10-5, 3.59) gets the press, as a 10-game winning rookie and an All-Star, but Jamey Wright (8-5, 3.26) has been every bit as good. Wright has 10 quality starts this year, Sheets has nine.
Biggest Surprise: Houston has to get the nod here. The converted third baseman has always had potential but has never had a major-league season in which he hit over .250 in more than 200 at-bats. In fact, in six seasons he's never had more than 284 at-bats, and suddenly he's hitting over .300 in over 200 at-bats in just half a season, with 12 round-trippers. Devon White has enjoyed something of a resurgence since joining the Brewers as well.
Biggest disappointment: How about Jeffrey Hammonds? Big things were expected from the multi-talented outfielder, and once again he's been hurt. When he wasn't hurt, he wasn't producing much, hitting .247 with six homers in 49 games. Of course, Jeff D'Amico should get a mention, considering he was one of the National League's best pitchers last year. Once again battling injuries, D'Amico was limited to four April starts. He had surgery on July 2, and probably won't be back before September.
Second-half goals: One goal is to stay out of the record books. The Brewers are on pace to shatter the mark for strikeouts in a season. Through 86 games, they are at 738; the mark is 1,268, by the Tigers in 1996. At this pace they'll hit nearly 1,400. Three of their players -- Richie Sexson (102), Hernandez (97), and Burnitz (87) -- are candidates to break the single-season mark for individual players, held by Bobby Bonds, who whiffed 189 times in 1970. Otherwise, a solid return from Hammonds, a resurgence from Sexson, and more good pitching are what the team needs if it's going to find a way to contend.
Minor-leaguer to watch: Nick Neugebauer is the sexy answer here. The 6-foot-3, 225 pound fireballer is a star at Double-A Huntsville, leading the Southern League in strikeouts. Still, he's just 20 years old and there's no reason to hurry him to the majors. Likely outfielder Brian Lesher will have the best chance to contribute this season. A Triple-A All-Star, Lesher ranks fourth in the International League with 50 RBI and is hitting .452 with runners in scoring position.
Grade:  -- Davey Lopes' squad has done a fair job despite probably being overmatched in the NL Central. Not to say this isn't a talented squad, since it is, but the Brewers probably don't have the horses to match up with Houston or St. Louis at this time. The contributions of Wright and Sheets cannot be underestimated, given that D'Amico's injury could have been a season-killer without them. But can the two step up another notch and lead the Crew to the playoffs? It seems unlikely this year.
(Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best)
We told you what we thought of the Brewers' first-half performance, here's what you had to say about the Brewers' first half.
Bill Konigsberg is an assistant editor at ESPN.com
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