The Milwaukee Brewers are set to play a five-game slate against the St. Louis Cardinals, one that could really shake things up in the National League Central Division.

Sitting at 55-33, the Brewers know they haven't been playing to the best of their abilities these past few games. Milwaukee has dropped two of their last four, but it's not like the Cardinals have been perfect either.

St. Louis comes into this series at 47-40, 7.5 games back in the division. They sit in third place by 1.5 games, but this series could allow them to gain crucial ground on the Brewers, a team who not only leads the division, but also has one of the best records in all of baseball.

The Cardinals come into this game off a 6-4 loss, but they managed to take down the Chicago Cubs two days prior, 17-1. That's impressive, to say the least, but it's even more impressive knowing they also scored 11 runs the day prior.

Overall, this is a positive stretch for St. Louis. Previously, they had lost four in a row from June 23 to June 27, and lost seven of nine in a stretch from June 17 to June 27.

With just eight games to go before the All-Star break, the Cardinals would love to keep pushing forward. No one is asking them to take all five against the Brewers, but it's certainly possible, especially with them being able to play at home.

Milwaukee knows how to win baseball games, plain and simple. They're able to win every way imaginable, and that all makes sense knowing manager Pat Murphy is the back-to-back NL Manager of the Year.

Murphy's squad has dealt with plenty of injuries this season, and they're yet to announce one of the starters in this series. Now, with the Brandon Woodruff injury, things get even more confusing.

The Brewers have a clear path laid out for six of their final eight games. Starters have yet to be revealed for game two of the doubleheader on Tuesday, July 7, and for the series finale on Thursday, July 9.

Other than that, the Brewers defense has been phenomenal. Their bullpen is peaking at the right time, it's just about getting the bats to come together, especially with runners in scoring position. That's been their Achilles heel lately, and they can't afford to let the Cardinals make things interesting in the NL Central.

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