The Brewers recently held their second annual presale of Cubs game tickets for Wisconsin-residents only, a marketing gimmick created to give Cheeseheads first dibs at the teams’ 10 meetings at Miller Park this season.

"If last season's Game 163 taught us anything, it's that every single game matters — especially in a rivalry like this,” the team said in a statement. “And, while we don't dislike all Cubs fans, we just really prefer when Miller Park is packed to the brim with Brewers faithful. So, we're calling upon all Wisconsinites to fill up Miller Park every time the Cubs come to town this season.”

It’s a nice sentiment, but the caravan of Cubs fans is coming, and there’s nothing the Brewers can do to stop them. Even the man whose face accompanied the Brewers’ campaign on Twitter knows it’s a losing battle.

“I don’t think we will,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s a number problem. It’s a 7-1 (population ratio) or whatever. It’s tough to beat 7-1.”

But the Brewers figure to sell more season tickets after their division-winning season, which combined with the presale should put the majority of tickets in their fans’ hands every game.

“Milwaukee does a pretty good job selling season tickets, but I don’t think it’s ever going to completely change,” Counsell said. “Look, it’s a very easy (trip). I know for a lot of Cubs fans it’s easier to get to Miller Park than to Wrigley Field, so I don’t blame Cubs fans.”

And if Brewers fans are just buying tickets to scalp them to Cubs fans? More power to ’em — the ticket revenues theoretically help build the Brewers payroll.

The 10 Cubs games at Miller Park in 2018 drew an average of 37,670, about an 8 percent increase over the Brewers’ average in their other 71 home games.

That’s a lot of beers and brats being paid for by Cubs fans, so owner Mark Attanasio can’t really complain — though he probably will anyway.

On many occasions Cubs fans made up the majority of the attendance at the ballpark, including the Labor Day game last fall in which the Brewers staged a late 4-3 comeback victory and afterward Cubs starter Cole Hamels questioned how it could be a real rivalry if Brewers fans don’t turn out.

“When you have majority Cubs fans in the stands, I don’t know if that’s a rivalry yet,” Hamels said at the time. “They’re not going to like me for the comment, but you can look at the ticket sales. When they start getting a little bit closer and their fans sell out, I think that’s kind of the understanding.”

The Brewers won two of three in that series, then caught the Cubs in the final week before winning Game 163 at Wrigley Field to win the NL Central. In a shocking development, Brewers fans bought many of the tickets to the division tiebreaker, thanks to blase Cubs fans waiting for the playoffs.

“Our fans did a really good job of coming to Wrigley Field for Game 163, which had a tight window sale,” Counsell said, referring to the short time frame to buy tickets from the end of the regular-season finale to the next afternoon.

Cubs players pose for the cameras during the annual spring training photo day in the early morning of Feb. 20, 2019 in Mesa, Ariz. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune) Cubs players pose for the cameras during the annual spring training photo day in the early morning of Feb. 20, 2019 in Mesa, Ariz. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The Cubs and Brewers figure to be going at it again in 2019 and could stage a repeat of last year’s epic ending. But the narrative all the division managers and executives are pushing is it’s now a five-team dog fight in the Central, with the Reds making some big offseason moves and the Pirates adding Chris Archer in July.

It all starts Saturday at Sloan Park, where the Cubs and Brewers play in the Cactus League opener, the first of three meaningless exhibition meetings.

Despite the PECOTA projection of the Cubs finishing last with a sub-.500 record, Counsell believes they’re the same old Cubs — meaning the ones from 2016, not the “same old Cubs” of 20th century lore.

“The Cubs won 95 games last year and they’ve won the division (and) essentially were at the top of the division,” he said. “We finished in a tie and took it in an extra game last year.

“We knocked them off in one game and managed to win one more game, but they’re definitely a dynamic team and a team we know will have to be reckoned with for sure.”

And if Cubs fans want to fill Miller Park again, Counsell is fine with that. The playoff atmosphere in Milwaukee for regular-season games prepared his young team for the real deal in October.

“I’m glad they’re buying tickets,” he said.

psullivan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @PWSullivan

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