Two weeks ago, the Brewers held a 5½-game lead in the National League wild-card race. They trailed the front-running Chicago Cubs by just 4½ games for the National League Central lead. They had, arguably, the best pitcher in the baseball in CC Sabathia and just capped off a 20-victory month.

Things were good on Sept. 1. The picture is far from rosy today.

The Brewers' September has been downright awful. It began with a sweep at home by the New York Mets. They then split a four-game series with the abysmal San Diego Padres and dropped two of the to Cincinnati before being swept in four games by the Phillies, who have now tied Milwaukee for the wild card.

With 12 games left to play, Milwaukee is 7½ games behind Chicago in the NL Central. Houston, which had won 15 of 16 before being no-hit Sunday night by the Cubs in Milwaukee, is inching closer, two games behind the Brewers.

Yost thinks his team is still capable of making the post-season for the first time in 26 years.

"There's no doubt in my mind that we can get it turned around," said Yost. "We've just been going through a rough stretch. You don't give up. You keep pushing until you break through."

While the pitching -- both the starters and bullpen -- hasn't been anything to write home about, the Brewers' playoff hopes are suddenly circling the drain because a season-long inability to hit with runners in scoring position has suddenly reached an all-time low.

They mustered just two hits off Philadelphia's Brett Meyers, who was pitching on short rest. He threw his second complete game of the season and improved to 10-11.

"We have to figure out how to hit before the year is over if we want to make the playoffs," Corey Hart said.

After the Phillies finished the sweep, the mood in the Brewers clubhouse was dour. Ryan Braun, who has struggled like the rest of his teammates, said the blame fell squarely on their own shoulders.

"We put ourselves in this position," Braun told reporters. "We were in control of our destiny and we're no longer in that position. We've made it hard on ourselves.

"We put ourselves in this position. It's nobody else's fault. It's not other teams playing good. It's us playing bad."

After the Brewers were swept by Boston in May to fall to 20-24 and last place in the division, Braun made comments suggesting the team wasn't ready to play. That sweep triggered a hot streak that brought the Brewers right back into the thick of the playoff race -- and made possible the trade for Sabathia.

Sunday, Braun looked back on that experience.

"The only good thing is we have been here before. This isn't the first time all year we've played bad," he said. "It's just, obviously, unfortunate timing. The whole series really was a disaster."

Suppan's struggles continue: When Jeff Suppan was signed to a $42 million contract before the 2007 season, general manager Doug Melvin, owner Mark Attanasio and manager Ned Yost envisioned Suppan taking the ball in situations like the one he faced Sunday night.

Suppan barely showed up. He allowed six runs on eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings of work. In his last outing, he allowed back-to-back homers in a game against Cincinnati that the Brewers eventually lost in extra innings.

"My goal is to stay in the game as long as I can and help the team win," Suppan said. "Obviously I didn't come close to doing that. As a starter, that's tough. I really don't know what else to say other than that." 

It would be an understatement to say he has been a disappointment this month. After going 4-0 in August, Suppan is 0-2 in three September starts with an 8.79 ERA.

No worries: Prince Fielder finally snapped a 93 at-bat streak without a home run, but doesn't seem fazed by his recent struggles.

The first baseman is hitting .265 this season with 30 homers and 86 RBIs. His demeanor is a far cry from what it was last year, when he was loud, jovial and boisterous during his 50-homer campaign.

"That's just the way it is," Fielder told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. "That's baseball. Sometimes you get hits, sometimes you don't. There's no formula to get a hit, or else we would use the formula every time."

Coins flip against Brewers: A series of coin flips was held to determine the location of any possible tie-breaker games at season's end. Most of the flips weren't kind to the Brewers, but they would play host to the tie-breaker should the team finish the regular season tied with the Cubs. If the Brewers tie with Philadelphia, Houston or St. Louis, those games would be played on the road.

Meanwhile, back in Milwaukee: Hurricane Ike forced the red-hot Astros to move part of their three-game series against the Cubs to Miller Park.

With Houston hot on their heels in the Wild Card chase and Chicago building a seemingly insurmountable lead in the division -- and the fact that Miller Park would be packed with Cubs fans -- the Brewers didn't seem to worry about the series' ramifications on the post-season chase, but they took notice of Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter.

"They're probably drinking champagne and having in a beer shower right now in our locker room while we sulk about what happened here (in Philadelphia)," Braun said. "It's ironic, where we're at as a team and how we feel at the end of this series and see them celebrating a no-hitter on our field."

Injury report: RHP Yovani Gallardo continues to make progress in rehabbing his surgically-repaired right knee. ... IF Russell Branyan began a rehabilitation assignment Friday in Arizona and his hopeful that he can return before the end of the regular season. ... OF Gabe Kapler was not placed on the disabled list after tearing his latissmus dorsi muscle - the same injury that sidelined Ben Sheets last season. He remained in Milwaukee to undergo physical therapy and there is a slight chance he could return before the end of the season.

On the farm: The Brewers parted ways with Class AAA Nashville manager Frank Kremblas, after deciding that there was little opportunity for him to join the big league club. The Sounds won division titles in each of their first three seasons under Kremblas, including the 2005 Pacific Coast League Championship. With most of the talent from those team's playing in Milwaukee now, Nashville went 59-81 and finished last in the PCL's American North Division.

Quick hits: With 83 victories, the Brewers matched last season's total for victories and is the most by the team since it finished 92-70 in 1992. ... The Brewers have back-to-back winning seasons since the first time since 1991-92. ... The starters allowed 19 runs on 29 hits in 17 innings of work during the Philadelphia series. ... Yost adjusted the lineup Sunday, moving Hart into the leadoff spot, batting Ray Durham third and Braun fifth. Hart snapped a 1-22 skid with a triple in the first game Sunday. ... The Cubs-Astros game Sunday night drew 23,411 fans.

This week: Things don't get any easier for the Brewers in the coming week. They'll take Monday off before opening a three-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Fortunately, the Brewers will send Sabathia, Sheets and Parra to the mound in those three games. After a swing through Chicago, it's on to Cincinnati for the last road games of the season.

He said it: "I don't think it matters who throws against us now. We're struggling in batting practice." -- Ryan Braun.

NL Central standings: 1, Chicago, 89-58; 2, Milwaukee, 83-67 (-7½); 3, Houston, 80-68 (-9½); 4, St. Louis, 78-71 (-12); 5, Cincinnati, 68-81 (-22); 6, Pittsburgh, 63-86 (-27).

NL Wild Card standings: 1, Milwaukee, Philadelphia (tie), 83-67; 2, Houston, 80-68 (-3); 3, St. Louis, 78-71 (-4½); 4, Florida, 77-72 (-5½); 5, Arizona, 72-76 (-10).