Last year the Brewers played their 54th game on May 28th.
On that date DET (26-27), HOU (24-31), NYM (22-32), and ARI (25-29) were all under .500.
Three of those teams went on to make the playoffs and Arizona lost the tiebreaker with 89 wins.
In 2023 the Brewers played their 54th game on May 30th.
On that date PHI (25-29) was under .500 and made the playoffs. The Yankees were 34-23 and went on to miss the playoffs that year.
In 2022 the Brewers played their 54th game on June 3rd.
On that date CLE (23-24), SEA (23-29), ATL (26-27), and PHI (23-29) were all under .500 and made the playoffs.
Most of the teams that are in the playoffs or close to it at this point are going to get most of the spots at the end of year too, but if recent history is any guide (I'm sure there's plenty more examples farther back too) they won't get ALL the spots.
Personally, I don't have much faith in the Brewers making an improbable run, but if I did have faith it wouldn't be all that improbable either so the two go kind of go hand in hand.
Here's what I do think I know, though. If the Ghost of Uecker is perchance pulling strings from The Great Beyond, he wouldn't draw it up for the Brewers to go wire to wire leading the division all year and cruising to the postseason. Feel like a gifted story teller such as Bob would come up with a much more devious arc than that.