The Milwaukee Brewers departed Chicago last night for a three-game series at first-place Cincinnati. They have to be wondering what else they can possibly do to win a game, or series of games, and get back into the National League Central Division race.

Over the last 12 games, the Brewers are 5-7.

In those seven losses, they have lost by a combined eight runs including an almost unimaginable six one-run defeats.

Sitting on the plane to Cincinnati, there's no way this team doesn't feel it should be riding a 13-game winning streak, going back to a 6-5 win over San Diego on June 10 that preceded this 12-game stretch.

Instead of a series with the Reds that would determine which team is in first place, it's a series that reeks of desperation. A sweep drops the Brewers nearly 10 games out of first with at least three teams to climb over – if not four should Houston win a couple in that time.

Winning two out of three would be nice, but only keeps the ship afloat.

No, the Brewers are now in a position where they have to win three in a row. It seems like a daunting task for a team that is 33-39, yet they've played well enough to have won a baker's dozen over the last two weeks.

It's confounding, and it's something that could easily send the team spiraling out of contention. Or, the team could say it has been playing first-place caliber ball over the last two weeks, look at the remaining 90 games on the schedule positively, and finally put the wins on the board.

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell.

At this point, Brewers fans will assume the worst. The injuries, under-production from certain positions, and overall bad luck have already set that feeling into motion.

We'll find out shortly if the players feel the same way, or if they will begin a climb back into contention.

A team that equally frustrated fans in Milwaukee over the last year has been the Bucks, a team that should have made the NBA playoffs last season and didn't, assuring them a low lottery pick at 12th overall that has proven over the years to only produce serviceable role players (maybe).

The Bucks are holding their final prospect workouts today in preparation for Thursday night's draft, a day that should be exciting for fans of teams that missed the playoffs. It should be especially exciting for fans of a team  like the Bucks, which seems like it's a player away from moving up to the second tier of teams in the Eastern Conference.

Yet over the years, the Bucks haven't had the best luck in evaluating and selecting talent in the draft.

Most fans have been happy with the selections of Jennings at No. 10 overall in 2009 and Andrew Bogut first overall in 2005, but Joe Alexander (No. 8, 2008), Yi Jianlian (No. 6, 2007), T.J. Ford (No. 8, 2003) and Marcus Haislip (No. 13, 2002) didn't exactly inspire confidence. The team, thanks to trades, had no first round picks in 2001, 2004 and 2006.

Draft night is also one for trades that can pump up a fan base and revitalize a franchise, but Bucks fans remain leery of such moves as the pre-determined deals that shipped off Stephon Marbury in 1996 and Dirk Nowitzki in 1998 and the addition of Stephen Jackson last year didn't really pan out in favor of the Bucks.

It's also been a stressful time for Bucks fans the last few weeks watching Oklahoma City rise to the NBA Finals. The emergence of the former Seattle Supersonics as long-term title contenders only revved up the Emerald City and its desire to reacquire an NBA franchise – which could be the Bucks.

Even if the Bucks somehow manage to acquire a player through the draft or trade on par with Kevin Durant, that excitement would be tempered by the knowledge that he may spend just a year (or two) in Milwaukee, just as Durant did in Seattle.

It's a week that, on the surface, should be an exciting one for Milwaukee sports fans and by Friday, the Bucks and Brewers could be looking up. Given recent history however, it's not unlikely that fans are expecting disappointment.