The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 5 Houston Astros 1
MVPs of the Game:
Ryan Braun: 4/4; HR, 2 RBIs, 2 Rs
Lance Berkman: 2/4; 2B
Game Recap:
The Brewers finally pulled together a well rounded baseball game together last night, beating the Astros in game one of a three game series. Riding back to back homeruns by Ryan Braun and Mike Cameron in the first inning, Manny Parra bounced back from his last start by pitching one run baseball over six innings. Brandon Backe and the Astros didn't ride much, missing the train from Minute Maid Park. Backe only made it through five giving up five and his team could only must seven hits the entire night, two of which went for extra bases.
The Brewers looked good at nearly all ends of the field. Manny Parra walked four batters, but made up for it by locating his fastball well enabling him to strikeout six and yield only four hits. The offense finally helped early, which has been hard to come by, scoring two quick ones in the first, allowing their young arm to play with a little more aggressiveness. The Astros answered back quickly, scoring one of their on in the second on an RBI single from JR Towles. The Brewers responded with an RBI single of their own in the third and Fielder put the game out of reach in the fifth with a two run shot in the 5th.
The Brewers bullpen would take it from there. Parra was pulled from the game after the sixth despite an 87 pitch count, in favor of Carlos Villanueva, whose move to the bullpen has been a pleasant one. He would toss two scoreless innings before Mota finished the game with a scoreless inning of his own to seal the victory. The only worry now is the Brewers inability to understand the strike zone as they were only able to walk once against some pitchers who struggle with command.
Game Changing Play:
In the top of the fourth inning, Manny Parra walked the eight and nine hitters with one out, bringing up Brandon Backe and Michael Bourn. Backe, who swings the bat very well, and Bourn both struck out, ending the threat and saving Parra from having to face the big bats with runners on.
Predictions and Notes:
I didn't make any predictions this game so I can't be right or wrong, but I can say that it was nice to finally have the roof open. It's a hell of a lot nicer in that place when the air circulates, and the ball carries. The Brewers looked good through and through for once. That's the first time I've said that all year. The biggest question is whether they can continue to do it. Watch out for Lance Berkman tonight against Ben Sheets who is 14/42 in his career against Sheets.
Who's on Tap?:
As I just said, Ben Sheets takes the mound today, trying to follow up his last two quality outings with a solid showing at his home park. The Astros counter with Brian Moehler, whom the Brewers have yet to see this year, though they did get to see him last year in a relief role. He gave up three runs in 6.1 innings during those appearances, and all three of those runs were a result of his in inability to throw strikes. Brewers win game two and start to get hot in a 5-4 victory tonight.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Brewers Should Make the Move
As a Brewers fan, I constantly hear things that are meant to get the public motivated about a baseball team. The most common one is, "We are in a win now mentality. This isn't about just trying to get to .500 anymore. This is about making the playoffs and trying to win championships." And I'll be honest, I love hearing that. It's breath of fresh air considering the last 7-10 years of the Bud Selig ride. But it's to the point now where the fans have to ask the question, 'Do they really mean it?'.
At times it's really hard to say because the moves the Brewers have to make are high risk ones, but they give you the highest ceiling and the most potential to get over the proverbial hump. Last year Doug Melvin did everything in his power to improve an awful bullpen without sacrificing too much of his future. He was partially successful in that endeavor, but ultimately wasn't willing to move the big chips and buy high. Instead he brought in guys like Scott Linebrink and Ray King instead of looking for a starter to sure up the five spot and put less pressure on the bullpen. Even worse, Melvin ended up mortgaging a bit of his future by failing to sign Linebrink or Cordero at season's end. It was a problem.
But this year things are different. The bullpen has been solid through and through with the exception of Eric Gagne who has 'rotator cuff tendinitis', or 'mental break for an aging non HGH having Hall of Fame closer.' With the cheap acquisition of veteran reliever Julian Tavarez, the potential emergence of rookie Tim Dillard, the return of aggressive Carlos Villanueva and the imminent return of David Riske, the Brewers have nothing to worry about innings 7-9. Unfortunately, there's a lot more things that can go wrong in baseball.
The starting rotation is never just mediocre especially with the loss of Yovani Gallardo for the season. They're really good or really bad, mostly because of the 3-4-5 positions in the rotation. Manny Parra has shown flashes of why people think he'll be a upper level three starter, but his command issues have kept him from really getting the confidence of his team. Dave Bush has had two good starts out of the nine he's tossed, but his overwhelming walk rate makes him look a big questionable, and in my book expendable, but we'll get that soon. Finally, Seth McClung has just recently taken over the five spot from Carlos Villanueva, and did well in his first start, but until he can prove he's more than just a one start guy against a better team not named the Nationals, the problem still remains.
On the offensive side of things, the Brewers have floundered in ways unimaginable at the season's beginning. Prince Fielder is under achieving more than most, and people can call it meat, anger with the organization, or his weight, but the people who know baseball can see it's how he's getting pitched and his failure to adjust. Braun is also under achieving. While his power numbers are still there, he has stuck out far too many times and taken very few walks, leaving his OBP under the league average. And we can go on and on, from Weeks to Hardy in this regard, withholding only two Brewers, Jason Kendall and Corey Hart. The thing is, every single one of those guys who are really struggling (I'm not counting Mike Cameron because he doesn't even have 130 PA) has fewer than three full seasons under their belt. Who can't say that? Billy Hall.
Hall struggled last year after he was moved to CF upon the arrival of Ryan Braun. He took it in stride and was turning into a pretty good outfielder by mid-season, but his offense took a hit. In 2007, he only mustered a .254/.315/.425 season with 14 homeruns, down from .270/.345/.553 with 35 dingers the year before. It was upsetting to Brewers fans, who had expected big things for him, but blamed the move to center for the blunder. If he had repeated those numbers, the question is would the Brewers have held off the Cubs, but we'll ignore that for now because the bigger question is, was 2006 simply an anomaly in the career of Bill Hall. His career numbers would suggest such, .261/.318/.463. And this year specifically screams it, .227/.296/.420. Even worse, Bill Hall is tied for the lead in errors so far this year with 12 along with Julio Lugo. This, ultimately, makes Billy quite expendable.
Who's on the farm? Who could possibly save this team? In AAA-Nashville, there are very few prospects how are major league ready. Tony Gwynn Jr. is a lefty bat with above average defense and speed who might start on a couple of teams, but not in Milwaukee with Braun, Hart and Cameron. Even worse, Gwynn is being blocked by AA prospect Matt LaPorta, and a plethora of lower level prospects who could fill the pinch hitting role with more power. This, unfortunately, makes Gwynn acceptable. But there are a few more down there, including Brad Nelson at 1B, but Prince blocks him for another three years. Nelson is hitting .328/.435/.552 this year and has quietly hit eight homeruns and knocked in 36. Interestingly, Nelson has played some third base but has struggled mightily in the few games he got the call, so 1B is really only where he can go. Calix Crabbe is a solid 2B, but he has yet to prove himself at the major league level and while Rickie has struggled, the BABIP numbers suggest he can only improve his numbers.
In AA things are a bit more promising, and represent a solid two years of drafting by Jack Zduriencik and company. The two big stars are OF Matt LaPorta and 3B Mat Gamel. LaPorta was the highly tauted first round draft pick last year who has been raking. This year he is hitting .285/.392/.575 with 13 HRs and 46 RBIs, while striking out 38 times and walking 27 times. LaPorta has been pretty solid defensively as well, having committed only two errors in 52 games. Recently, though, he has shown signs of cooling down, unlike his bash brother Mat Gamel.
Gamel is hitting a ridiculous .383/.444/.659 this year with 11 HRs and 44 RBIs, all while striking out 35 times and walking 23. Obviously Gamel's bat is major league ready, regardless of the AA pitching level, but Gamel's biggest flas is his defense. Gamel has committed 11 errors this year in his 52 games and committed 53 last year in 111 games. Interestingly, you can already see the help that HOFer Don Money, the coach of the AA team, has given Gamel.
Elsewhere in AA, you can find Angel Salome, the Brewers top catching prospect as well as Alcides Escobar, the Brewers impressive prospect at shortstop. But these guys are far from ready, especially Escobar, who has struggled this year in the field, and has only recently figured out AA pitching. This leaves 3B Gamel, OF LaPorta, OF, Gwynn, 2B Crabbe and 1B Nelson the only four major league ready ball players in the farm system.
The Brewers need the most help at third base and in the rotation. Bill Hall has already expressed his unhappiness for the team after Branyan received a call up last week. Furthermore, Billy is locked up for another season after this at a reasonable price, making his sale a solid one for any team that believes in his talent. Gamel could easily fill his role and would likely bring similar defense if he continues to work at it. Furthermore, it would give the Brewers another left handed power bat. Dave Bush or Seth McClung will have to be replaced by the end of the season if the Brewers have a chance to stabilize the rotation. Dave Bush has the most value, despite my own apprehensions, since he has one more year left of arbitration and has shown durability as far as innings go. This makes him just as good of a bargaining chip as Bill Hall.
But the Brewers can go further. Brad Nelson and Tony Gwynn are very respected prospects that have no place in the organization because they are blocked by the likes of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Matt LaPorta. As a result, they can be packaged in a deal with Bush and/or Hall.
What do the Brewers need? They have their 3B if Hall gets sent away, and if his defense is really dragging the team down, they can let Branyan and Joe Dillon fill the role and send him down for a bit. But ultimately the Brewers should make a trade with some or all of these four guys to pick up a number two starter who is locked up for at least two more years after this season as well as some minor league pitching prospects. This would stabilize that rotation for this year, give the Brewers a solid starter to start with after Sheets leaves next year and save the Brewers bullpen arms from completely falling off. Even better, with Sheets and Gagne both gone, the Brewers have $20 million to work with the younger players and or sign free agents. If they somehow make the playoffs, they'll have even more money to work with.
So who do they go after? It's hard to say. A lot of people want the Brewers to pick up Paul Byrd. Unfortunately, Byrd is walking on his last legs and doesn't really smell of the future for any team beyond this year. The Brewers should look to teams who are about to have a fire sale, especially the Giants. Tim Lincecum is probably an untouchable. The kid has nasty stuff and is as durable as ever, but it wouldn't be hard to imagine the Giants willingness to get a young 3B, SP and and OF to help stabilize their downward spin. Hell, I'd even throw in Brad Nelson if they wanted it. Peter Gammons seems to think that Rich Harden is available from the Oakland A's. Harden is a stud, but has had considerable amounts of injuries in his career, making him a questionable pickup, but I believe he is locked up for two more seasons beyond this and, if healthy, would make for an unbelievable 1-2 punch the rest of the year.
So just do it already. The Brewers need a starting pitcher and have four reasonable chips to move with money in the bank to take on a sizable contract.
At times it's really hard to say because the moves the Brewers have to make are high risk ones, but they give you the highest ceiling and the most potential to get over the proverbial hump. Last year Doug Melvin did everything in his power to improve an awful bullpen without sacrificing too much of his future. He was partially successful in that endeavor, but ultimately wasn't willing to move the big chips and buy high. Instead he brought in guys like Scott Linebrink and Ray King instead of looking for a starter to sure up the five spot and put less pressure on the bullpen. Even worse, Melvin ended up mortgaging a bit of his future by failing to sign Linebrink or Cordero at season's end. It was a problem.
But this year things are different. The bullpen has been solid through and through with the exception of Eric Gagne who has 'rotator cuff tendinitis', or 'mental break for an aging non HGH having Hall of Fame closer.' With the cheap acquisition of veteran reliever Julian Tavarez, the potential emergence of rookie Tim Dillard, the return of aggressive Carlos Villanueva and the imminent return of David Riske, the Brewers have nothing to worry about innings 7-9. Unfortunately, there's a lot more things that can go wrong in baseball.
The starting rotation is never just mediocre especially with the loss of Yovani Gallardo for the season. They're really good or really bad, mostly because of the 3-4-5 positions in the rotation. Manny Parra has shown flashes of why people think he'll be a upper level three starter, but his command issues have kept him from really getting the confidence of his team. Dave Bush has had two good starts out of the nine he's tossed, but his overwhelming walk rate makes him look a big questionable, and in my book expendable, but we'll get that soon. Finally, Seth McClung has just recently taken over the five spot from Carlos Villanueva, and did well in his first start, but until he can prove he's more than just a one start guy against a better team not named the Nationals, the problem still remains.
On the offensive side of things, the Brewers have floundered in ways unimaginable at the season's beginning. Prince Fielder is under achieving more than most, and people can call it meat, anger with the organization, or his weight, but the people who know baseball can see it's how he's getting pitched and his failure to adjust. Braun is also under achieving. While his power numbers are still there, he has stuck out far too many times and taken very few walks, leaving his OBP under the league average. And we can go on and on, from Weeks to Hardy in this regard, withholding only two Brewers, Jason Kendall and Corey Hart. The thing is, every single one of those guys who are really struggling (I'm not counting Mike Cameron because he doesn't even have 130 PA) has fewer than three full seasons under their belt. Who can't say that? Billy Hall.
Hall struggled last year after he was moved to CF upon the arrival of Ryan Braun. He took it in stride and was turning into a pretty good outfielder by mid-season, but his offense took a hit. In 2007, he only mustered a .254/.315/.425 season with 14 homeruns, down from .270/.345/.553 with 35 dingers the year before. It was upsetting to Brewers fans, who had expected big things for him, but blamed the move to center for the blunder. If he had repeated those numbers, the question is would the Brewers have held off the Cubs, but we'll ignore that for now because the bigger question is, was 2006 simply an anomaly in the career of Bill Hall. His career numbers would suggest such, .261/.318/.463. And this year specifically screams it, .227/.296/.420. Even worse, Bill Hall is tied for the lead in errors so far this year with 12 along with Julio Lugo. This, ultimately, makes Billy quite expendable.
Who's on the farm? Who could possibly save this team? In AAA-Nashville, there are very few prospects how are major league ready. Tony Gwynn Jr. is a lefty bat with above average defense and speed who might start on a couple of teams, but not in Milwaukee with Braun, Hart and Cameron. Even worse, Gwynn is being blocked by AA prospect Matt LaPorta, and a plethora of lower level prospects who could fill the pinch hitting role with more power. This, unfortunately, makes Gwynn acceptable. But there are a few more down there, including Brad Nelson at 1B, but Prince blocks him for another three years. Nelson is hitting .328/.435/.552 this year and has quietly hit eight homeruns and knocked in 36. Interestingly, Nelson has played some third base but has struggled mightily in the few games he got the call, so 1B is really only where he can go. Calix Crabbe is a solid 2B, but he has yet to prove himself at the major league level and while Rickie has struggled, the BABIP numbers suggest he can only improve his numbers.
In AA things are a bit more promising, and represent a solid two years of drafting by Jack Zduriencik and company. The two big stars are OF Matt LaPorta and 3B Mat Gamel. LaPorta was the highly tauted first round draft pick last year who has been raking. This year he is hitting .285/.392/.575 with 13 HRs and 46 RBIs, while striking out 38 times and walking 27 times. LaPorta has been pretty solid defensively as well, having committed only two errors in 52 games. Recently, though, he has shown signs of cooling down, unlike his bash brother Mat Gamel.
Gamel is hitting a ridiculous .383/.444/.659 this year with 11 HRs and 44 RBIs, all while striking out 35 times and walking 23. Obviously Gamel's bat is major league ready, regardless of the AA pitching level, but Gamel's biggest flas is his defense. Gamel has committed 11 errors this year in his 52 games and committed 53 last year in 111 games. Interestingly, you can already see the help that HOFer Don Money, the coach of the AA team, has given Gamel.
Elsewhere in AA, you can find Angel Salome, the Brewers top catching prospect as well as Alcides Escobar, the Brewers impressive prospect at shortstop. But these guys are far from ready, especially Escobar, who has struggled this year in the field, and has only recently figured out AA pitching. This leaves 3B Gamel, OF LaPorta, OF, Gwynn, 2B Crabbe and 1B Nelson the only four major league ready ball players in the farm system.
The Brewers need the most help at third base and in the rotation. Bill Hall has already expressed his unhappiness for the team after Branyan received a call up last week. Furthermore, Billy is locked up for another season after this at a reasonable price, making his sale a solid one for any team that believes in his talent. Gamel could easily fill his role and would likely bring similar defense if he continues to work at it. Furthermore, it would give the Brewers another left handed power bat. Dave Bush or Seth McClung will have to be replaced by the end of the season if the Brewers have a chance to stabilize the rotation. Dave Bush has the most value, despite my own apprehensions, since he has one more year left of arbitration and has shown durability as far as innings go. This makes him just as good of a bargaining chip as Bill Hall.
But the Brewers can go further. Brad Nelson and Tony Gwynn are very respected prospects that have no place in the organization because they are blocked by the likes of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Matt LaPorta. As a result, they can be packaged in a deal with Bush and/or Hall.
What do the Brewers need? They have their 3B if Hall gets sent away, and if his defense is really dragging the team down, they can let Branyan and Joe Dillon fill the role and send him down for a bit. But ultimately the Brewers should make a trade with some or all of these four guys to pick up a number two starter who is locked up for at least two more years after this season as well as some minor league pitching prospects. This would stabilize that rotation for this year, give the Brewers a solid starter to start with after Sheets leaves next year and save the Brewers bullpen arms from completely falling off. Even better, with Sheets and Gagne both gone, the Brewers have $20 million to work with the younger players and or sign free agents. If they somehow make the playoffs, they'll have even more money to work with.
So who do they go after? It's hard to say. A lot of people want the Brewers to pick up Paul Byrd. Unfortunately, Byrd is walking on his last legs and doesn't really smell of the future for any team beyond this year. The Brewers should look to teams who are about to have a fire sale, especially the Giants. Tim Lincecum is probably an untouchable. The kid has nasty stuff and is as durable as ever, but it wouldn't be hard to imagine the Giants willingness to get a young 3B, SP and and OF to help stabilize their downward spin. Hell, I'd even throw in Brad Nelson if they wanted it. Peter Gammons seems to think that Rich Harden is available from the Oakland A's. Harden is a stud, but has had considerable amounts of injuries in his career, making him a questionable pickup, but I believe he is locked up for two more seasons beyond this and, if healthy, would make for an unbelievable 1-2 punch the rest of the year.
So just do it already. The Brewers need a starting pitcher and have four reasonable chips to move with money in the bank to take on a sizable contract.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Brewers Braves Game Two Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 1 Atlanta Braves 0
MVPs of the Game:
Jeff Suppan: 8 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 7 K (W)
JoJo Reyes: 7 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 9 K (L)
Game Recap:
In a stunning pitches duel, the Brewers out lasted the Braves with a little help from the umpires and Rickie Weeks. Jeff Suppan dealt eight shut out innings with probably his best start of the year. The thing is, the Brewers don't know how to win without some drama. Young JoJo Reyes pitched better than Suppan only to be slapped with the loss. Both teams got caught looking a ridiculous amount of times, but the difference was ultimately the double play ball. The Brewers turned two big double plays in the game, one on a bunt by the pitcher, in order to keep Chipper Jones at bay. In the end Reyes would walk the first batter in the eight and was replaced by Blaine Boyer. After a sac bunt and a strike out, Rickie Weeks ripped a groundball down the left field line to score JJ Hardy from second. Torres would pitch a flawless ninth for his fourth save of the year.
This was a crazy game, but not in the 'haha' sort of way, at least not until the eighth inning. The Brewers and Braves only combined for seven hits tonight, mostly because of good defensive placement and well located pitches. As a result, things moved fast and furious with the veteran and 'rookie' going pitch for pitch. The game only lasted two hours and fifteen minutes, and let's be honest, it wasn't interesting until hour two.
Kelly Johnson started out the eighth inning with a lead off walk, which scared the crap out of me since Chipper Jones was on deck. Soup then promptly dropped a wasted high to Jones who crushed it to left center. But it wasn't high enough and Cameron brought it down. But then things got interesting. Mark Teixeira would strike out on three straight pitches that were essentially in the same spot. The problem? Those three pitches weren't strikes all night. Home plate umpire, Mark Wegner's strike zone did not include the bottom of the knees in the first seven innings of baseball, but for some reason, that changed in the eighth, prompting Texeireira to give him a bit of a look after the second strike. The very next pitch was probably three inches off the black and Wegner wrung him up. Up comes Brian McCann. The first pitch is a fastball at the bottom of the knees, and McCann had a conniption. He immediately stepped out of the box and expressed his displeasure. Wegner then told him to get into the box two times. McCann steps in for about a half a second, then puts the time sign up. Wegner points at the box and says get in there and points at Suppan. McCann looks him down some more and Wegner repeats the gesture. Kendall made the call and Jeff Suppan quickly tossed a change-up right down the middle while McCann sat half in the box with his bat on his shoulder. McCann's body language was something to behold and the Brewers' fans erupted like it was Game 7. Two pitches later McCann struck out swinging at a pitch in the dirt two tosses later and the crowd erupted.
In the bottom half of the inning, JJ Hardy walked on four straight pitches, which weren't even close, prompting Cox to take the young Reyes out and bring in the usually reliable Blaine Boylan. But Boylan couldn't get it done as Rickie Weeks ripped an 0-1 pitch past Chipper Jones for the game winner. Salomon Torres continues his success with the Brewers this season with his fourth save and perhaps has solidified his role in the bullpen even when Eric Gagne returns.
Game Changing Play:
It should be the McCann free strike to be honest, but I'm going to go much earlier than that. In the second inning the Braves were threatening bit time. Gregor Blanco started the threat with a single. Omar Infante would reach on Bill Hall's 12th error, which leads the majors (Did I mention he K'd twice and had a broken bat single against a lefty?), bringing up pitcher JoJo Reyes. Reyes would make the mistake of bunting towards third base. Kendall would snap out of his crouch pick up the ball bare handed and toss the ball to third. Hall would not hesitate and tossed the ball to first to get Reyes for a double play, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Predictions and Notes:
It's rare to see umps have agendas. But tonight, Wegner did, and I won't complain, but I don't condone it. That's not to say this game would have ended any differently, but when you're struggling and you feel like you have the umps visibly out to get you, it's difficult to keep fighting. I don't know what else to say. I guess the ramifications of something like this haven't really settled with the beer from the tailgate.
Well, I failed yesterday's predictions, but I'll predict Bush will lose his job every start because his command has been atrocious. Jo-Jo delivered though, making me look like a genius for four seconds, but I was humbled by Prince Fielder looking like a little girl against the lefty. Both Cameron and Hart were hitless, but both hit lasers that were right at guys or were snagged on good defensive plays (insert Omar Infante). And Chipper, well, Chipper is good. 'Nough said.
What's on Tap?:
The Brewers go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with Seth McClung taking the mound for his second start and an 85-90 pitch limit. Look for him to struggle with his command a bit. The Brewers will need more than three hits off of Jorge Campillo to win tomorrow like they did tonight. I'm liking JJ Hardy right now, whose two walks tonight have really gone over looked. If he could jump 20 more points on that average, I would be more than happy to see him finish out his final pre-free agency years here. Hall better be on the bench tomorrow if Yost claims to be committed to winning instead of just competing.
Milwaukee Brewers 1 Atlanta Braves 0
MVPs of the Game:
Jeff Suppan: 8 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 7 K (W)
JoJo Reyes: 7 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 9 K (L)
Game Recap:
In a stunning pitches duel, the Brewers out lasted the Braves with a little help from the umpires and Rickie Weeks. Jeff Suppan dealt eight shut out innings with probably his best start of the year. The thing is, the Brewers don't know how to win without some drama. Young JoJo Reyes pitched better than Suppan only to be slapped with the loss. Both teams got caught looking a ridiculous amount of times, but the difference was ultimately the double play ball. The Brewers turned two big double plays in the game, one on a bunt by the pitcher, in order to keep Chipper Jones at bay. In the end Reyes would walk the first batter in the eight and was replaced by Blaine Boyer. After a sac bunt and a strike out, Rickie Weeks ripped a groundball down the left field line to score JJ Hardy from second. Torres would pitch a flawless ninth for his fourth save of the year.
This was a crazy game, but not in the 'haha' sort of way, at least not until the eighth inning. The Brewers and Braves only combined for seven hits tonight, mostly because of good defensive placement and well located pitches. As a result, things moved fast and furious with the veteran and 'rookie' going pitch for pitch. The game only lasted two hours and fifteen minutes, and let's be honest, it wasn't interesting until hour two.
Kelly Johnson started out the eighth inning with a lead off walk, which scared the crap out of me since Chipper Jones was on deck. Soup then promptly dropped a wasted high to Jones who crushed it to left center. But it wasn't high enough and Cameron brought it down. But then things got interesting. Mark Teixeira would strike out on three straight pitches that were essentially in the same spot. The problem? Those three pitches weren't strikes all night. Home plate umpire, Mark Wegner's strike zone did not include the bottom of the knees in the first seven innings of baseball, but for some reason, that changed in the eighth, prompting Texeireira to give him a bit of a look after the second strike. The very next pitch was probably three inches off the black and Wegner wrung him up. Up comes Brian McCann. The first pitch is a fastball at the bottom of the knees, and McCann had a conniption. He immediately stepped out of the box and expressed his displeasure. Wegner then told him to get into the box two times. McCann steps in for about a half a second, then puts the time sign up. Wegner points at the box and says get in there and points at Suppan. McCann looks him down some more and Wegner repeats the gesture. Kendall made the call and Jeff Suppan quickly tossed a change-up right down the middle while McCann sat half in the box with his bat on his shoulder. McCann's body language was something to behold and the Brewers' fans erupted like it was Game 7. Two pitches later McCann struck out swinging at a pitch in the dirt two tosses later and the crowd erupted.
In the bottom half of the inning, JJ Hardy walked on four straight pitches, which weren't even close, prompting Cox to take the young Reyes out and bring in the usually reliable Blaine Boylan. But Boylan couldn't get it done as Rickie Weeks ripped an 0-1 pitch past Chipper Jones for the game winner. Salomon Torres continues his success with the Brewers this season with his fourth save and perhaps has solidified his role in the bullpen even when Eric Gagne returns.
Game Changing Play:
It should be the McCann free strike to be honest, but I'm going to go much earlier than that. In the second inning the Braves were threatening bit time. Gregor Blanco started the threat with a single. Omar Infante would reach on Bill Hall's 12th error, which leads the majors (Did I mention he K'd twice and had a broken bat single against a lefty?), bringing up pitcher JoJo Reyes. Reyes would make the mistake of bunting towards third base. Kendall would snap out of his crouch pick up the ball bare handed and toss the ball to third. Hall would not hesitate and tossed the ball to first to get Reyes for a double play, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Predictions and Notes:
It's rare to see umps have agendas. But tonight, Wegner did, and I won't complain, but I don't condone it. That's not to say this game would have ended any differently, but when you're struggling and you feel like you have the umps visibly out to get you, it's difficult to keep fighting. I don't know what else to say. I guess the ramifications of something like this haven't really settled with the beer from the tailgate.
Well, I failed yesterday's predictions, but I'll predict Bush will lose his job every start because his command has been atrocious. Jo-Jo delivered though, making me look like a genius for four seconds, but I was humbled by Prince Fielder looking like a little girl against the lefty. Both Cameron and Hart were hitless, but both hit lasers that were right at guys or were snagged on good defensive plays (insert Omar Infante). And Chipper, well, Chipper is good. 'Nough said.
What's on Tap?:
The Brewers go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with Seth McClung taking the mound for his second start and an 85-90 pitch limit. Look for him to struggle with his command a bit. The Brewers will need more than three hits off of Jorge Campillo to win tomorrow like they did tonight. I'm liking JJ Hardy right now, whose two walks tonight have really gone over looked. If he could jump 20 more points on that average, I would be more than happy to see him finish out his final pre-free agency years here. Hall better be on the bench tomorrow if Yost claims to be committed to winning instead of just competing.
Bill Hall: Shut Your Mouth
I know I should be writing a recap about tonight's game, which I attended, but I have a bit of a bone to pick and it holds bearing over a quality walk-off win from the Brewers.
In recent days the Brewers have called up left-handed power hitter, Russell Branyan from AAA-Nashville and have inserted him into a pretty strict platoon role alongside struggling Bill Hall. Hall is hitting a woeful .220/.292/.418 this year with nine dingers and 22 RBIs. Hall is clearly upset about the move, especially because he's been moved around like a little punk for the last three to five years, mostly because he used to be a utility infielder. In 2006 he was able to respond by hitting .270/.315/.425, jacking 35 home runs and knocking in 85 RBIs while replacing JJ Hardy who was on the DL. The Brewers responded by giving him a multi-year contract and told him he would be an every day player, which he has been. That was kind of an odd deal though. Hall was moved to center field last season to make way for Ryan Braun and was then moved back to third this season as they moved Braun to left and signed Mike Cameron. But that apparently hasn't been the problem.
Unfortunately for the Brewers, Bill Hall has apparently taken a mental break from baseball for a little while. Since Branyan has been called up, Hall has not started a game. Tonight, he was able to get in with a double switch. He got a little luck in the bottom of the 9th by breaking his back in a jam job lazy fly ball that found the right field grass. Hall would move to second on a sac bunt by Rickie Weeks, steal third and score the game-winning run on a walk-off sac-fly by Mike Cameron.
After the game Bill Hall said, "It was a lot of emotions. I want to play and I guess I'll go out and do the things I used to do with the emotions I used to have."
Are you kidding me?! Are you trying to tell me that you stopped playing with the emotion that made you a good player? That you changed things because you got moved to the outfield and back to infielder or perhaps because you got a new contract? No offense Billy, but are you a major league ball player? That is the worst thing I have ever heard a professional player say about themselves. Even worse, Billy is too ignorant to realize he doesn't deserve to play against righties.
Later in the interview, he spewed off that he he has six home runs against righties and 16 RBIs and even hinted that he shouldn't have been the one to get ousted. Guess what Billy, you should have two more homeruns and about 20 more RBIs based on your plate appearances against right handers, especially considering the number of runners on base and the money you're getting. The funniest thing is that you're still slugging a whopping .323 against those right handed throwers, even with those six bombs. I'm sorry man but in 145 PAs, you are batting .158/.222/.323 with 42 Ks and 10 BBs. Against lefties? .409/.490/.705 with 7 Ks and 6 BB. WOW! CAN YOU SAY PLATOON!? This is utterly ridiculous. Did I forget to mention you've GIPD'd four times against rights and zero times against lefties?
What good are you when a RHP is on the mound? You can be upset all you want, but in the end, the best you can do is revert to your mean, and hope for your career numbers against righties which are .253/.303/.450. Even those are below the league average. If you want to win a championship as a player, you should at some point concede the fact that you are not that good or do the work to right the train. On WSSP Hall said he had 400 more PAs to work things out. Guess what? You don't deserve those PAs and if you disagree, enjoy being traded to a team that's willing to lose consistently. If any team does that they'll have black hole over at third. Branyan is the left handed version of Bill Hall. Platoon them and you're looking at a .290 hitter with a .350 on-base and about 25-30 HRs. If you don't: In all likely hood, .240/.310 and 11 errors in just a 1/4 of a season equals 44 errors.
Sit down, shut up and appreciate that some one was nice enough to pay you the money you're getting because you've been respectful and important to this team. Don't whine because your ego is hurt by the reality of your numbers which reflect your talent, and the fact that you are being paid far too much to be a below average third baseman in an organization that has a guy that is major league ready now (Insert Mat Gamel. Yes his defense sucks but guess what? He has 11 errors as well this year, but 21 more attempts.).
::End Rant::
In recent days the Brewers have called up left-handed power hitter, Russell Branyan from AAA-Nashville and have inserted him into a pretty strict platoon role alongside struggling Bill Hall. Hall is hitting a woeful .220/.292/.418 this year with nine dingers and 22 RBIs. Hall is clearly upset about the move, especially because he's been moved around like a little punk for the last three to five years, mostly because he used to be a utility infielder. In 2006 he was able to respond by hitting .270/.315/.425, jacking 35 home runs and knocking in 85 RBIs while replacing JJ Hardy who was on the DL. The Brewers responded by giving him a multi-year contract and told him he would be an every day player, which he has been. That was kind of an odd deal though. Hall was moved to center field last season to make way for Ryan Braun and was then moved back to third this season as they moved Braun to left and signed Mike Cameron. But that apparently hasn't been the problem.
Unfortunately for the Brewers, Bill Hall has apparently taken a mental break from baseball for a little while. Since Branyan has been called up, Hall has not started a game. Tonight, he was able to get in with a double switch. He got a little luck in the bottom of the 9th by breaking his back in a jam job lazy fly ball that found the right field grass. Hall would move to second on a sac bunt by Rickie Weeks, steal third and score the game-winning run on a walk-off sac-fly by Mike Cameron.
After the game Bill Hall said, "It was a lot of emotions. I want to play and I guess I'll go out and do the things I used to do with the emotions I used to have."
Are you kidding me?! Are you trying to tell me that you stopped playing with the emotion that made you a good player? That you changed things because you got moved to the outfield and back to infielder or perhaps because you got a new contract? No offense Billy, but are you a major league ball player? That is the worst thing I have ever heard a professional player say about themselves. Even worse, Billy is too ignorant to realize he doesn't deserve to play against righties.
Later in the interview, he spewed off that he he has six home runs against righties and 16 RBIs and even hinted that he shouldn't have been the one to get ousted. Guess what Billy, you should have two more homeruns and about 20 more RBIs based on your plate appearances against right handers, especially considering the number of runners on base and the money you're getting. The funniest thing is that you're still slugging a whopping .323 against those right handed throwers, even with those six bombs. I'm sorry man but in 145 PAs, you are batting .158/.222/.323 with 42 Ks and 10 BBs. Against lefties? .409/.490/.705 with 7 Ks and 6 BB. WOW! CAN YOU SAY PLATOON!? This is utterly ridiculous. Did I forget to mention you've GIPD'd four times against rights and zero times against lefties?
What good are you when a RHP is on the mound? You can be upset all you want, but in the end, the best you can do is revert to your mean, and hope for your career numbers against righties which are .253/.303/.450. Even those are below the league average. If you want to win a championship as a player, you should at some point concede the fact that you are not that good or do the work to right the train. On WSSP Hall said he had 400 more PAs to work things out. Guess what? You don't deserve those PAs and if you disagree, enjoy being traded to a team that's willing to lose consistently. If any team does that they'll have black hole over at third. Branyan is the left handed version of Bill Hall. Platoon them and you're looking at a .290 hitter with a .350 on-base and about 25-30 HRs. If you don't: In all likely hood, .240/.310 and 11 errors in just a 1/4 of a season equals 44 errors.
Sit down, shut up and appreciate that some one was nice enough to pay you the money you're getting because you've been respectful and important to this team. Don't whine because your ego is hurt by the reality of your numbers which reflect your talent, and the fact that you are being paid far too much to be a below average third baseman in an organization that has a guy that is major league ready now (Insert Mat Gamel. Yes his defense sucks but guess what? He has 11 errors as well this year, but 21 more attempts.).
::End Rant::
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Brewers Brave Series Preview
The Series:
Atlanta Braves (28-23) at Milwaukee Brewers (24-27)
Who's on Tap?:
Dave Bush (1-5, 6.56 ERA) vs. Tim Hudson (7-3, 2.97 ERA)
Jeff Suppan (2-4, 4.47 ERA) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (2-2, 5.84 ERA)
Joge Campillo (1-0, 0.86 ERA) vs. Seth McClung (2-1, 3.55 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
The Braves lineup is stacked this year with Chipper Jones hitting .416/.490/.674 in his first 200 plate appearances. That's absurd. It's one thing to hit .416. It's another to do while slugging .650+ and walking 27 times while striking out only 17. But there's more to the Braves than Chipper Jones. Keep your eye on Brian McCann this weekend. McCann is batting .333 this year and is also walking at an impressive clip. His success, as well as Mark Texeira's, is an important factor in Chipper's success. Don't be surprised to see Yost pitch around him this weekend. On the pitching side of things, watch out for Jo-Jo Reyes. He hasn't been as good as advertised, but shows flashes of being a future two-starter. He could really stifle the Brewers on Wednesday.
In the home plate dugout, look for Prince to have a bit of a break-out series. It's pretty clear he won't be matching his numbers from last year, but that was to be expected. At least it earns the Brewers some cash in arbitration. Prince hit the ball extremely hard the last few days and looks locked-in against right handed pitching. Corey Hart continues to roll, so don't be surprised to see him to still be the most consistent of the Brewers. And finally, Mike Cameron is putting everything together after reaching the 100 AB plateau. Now Brewers fans can get off his back for being 'terrible' all season. Sorry guys, but it's not easy to jump back on the horse as cold as Cameron was. I'm pleased with his walks this year, and the K's were to be expected. On the mound, try to catch the game on Thursday afternoon to see how Seth McClung does after his victory this past weekend.
Keys to Victory:
The Braves just need to keep doing what they've been doing, which is avoid walks and let the 3-4-5 hitters do the work. Chipper, Teixeira and McCann have combined for 98 RBIs and 26 HRs so far this year and don't look to be stopped any time soon. If the Braves can prevent the big inning this week, the should be able to handle the Brewers starters quite easily.
The Brewers need some quality pitching to come out of their starters. This is probably Dave Bush's last shot at the rotation. If he flails, don't be surprised to see yet another move by Ned Yost or perhaps even Doug Melvin with Gwynn and Hall being dangled out there as trade bait. Suppan needs to continue to do he has done all year which is rely on the double play ball and avoid the big guys from being up with runners on. It'll be hard to double up guys like Yuniel Escobar and Kelly Johnson. A big start from McClung could really motivate the Brewers and give them some confidence that they possibly have a rotation to work with after Bush gets thrown out.
Predictions:
Unfortunately the Brewers haven't been playing particularly good baseball lately. The upside, though, is that they're finally coming home and they seem to play well to start every home stand. As a result, I expect the Brewers to take games two and three of the series, getting a quality start from Suppan and a quality combined start between McClung on Villanueva on Thursday afternoon. Bush will lose his job in the rotation and possibly on the team since the Brewers will announce the signing of Julian Tavarez this afternoon (post physical). Look for Chipper to stay hot. He has far too much patience to get beat by questionable Brewers pitching. The bullpen continues to impress for the Brewers. Especially Tim Dillard, who should make Brewers fans happy over the next couple of months.
Atlanta Braves (28-23) at Milwaukee Brewers (24-27)
Who's on Tap?:
Dave Bush (1-5, 6.56 ERA) vs. Tim Hudson (7-3, 2.97 ERA)
Jeff Suppan (2-4, 4.47 ERA) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (2-2, 5.84 ERA)
Joge Campillo (1-0, 0.86 ERA) vs. Seth McClung (2-1, 3.55 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
The Braves lineup is stacked this year with Chipper Jones hitting .416/.490/.674 in his first 200 plate appearances. That's absurd. It's one thing to hit .416. It's another to do while slugging .650+ and walking 27 times while striking out only 17. But there's more to the Braves than Chipper Jones. Keep your eye on Brian McCann this weekend. McCann is batting .333 this year and is also walking at an impressive clip. His success, as well as Mark Texeira's, is an important factor in Chipper's success. Don't be surprised to see Yost pitch around him this weekend. On the pitching side of things, watch out for Jo-Jo Reyes. He hasn't been as good as advertised, but shows flashes of being a future two-starter. He could really stifle the Brewers on Wednesday.
In the home plate dugout, look for Prince to have a bit of a break-out series. It's pretty clear he won't be matching his numbers from last year, but that was to be expected. At least it earns the Brewers some cash in arbitration. Prince hit the ball extremely hard the last few days and looks locked-in against right handed pitching. Corey Hart continues to roll, so don't be surprised to see him to still be the most consistent of the Brewers. And finally, Mike Cameron is putting everything together after reaching the 100 AB plateau. Now Brewers fans can get off his back for being 'terrible' all season. Sorry guys, but it's not easy to jump back on the horse as cold as Cameron was. I'm pleased with his walks this year, and the K's were to be expected. On the mound, try to catch the game on Thursday afternoon to see how Seth McClung does after his victory this past weekend.
Keys to Victory:
The Braves just need to keep doing what they've been doing, which is avoid walks and let the 3-4-5 hitters do the work. Chipper, Teixeira and McCann have combined for 98 RBIs and 26 HRs so far this year and don't look to be stopped any time soon. If the Braves can prevent the big inning this week, the should be able to handle the Brewers starters quite easily.
The Brewers need some quality pitching to come out of their starters. This is probably Dave Bush's last shot at the rotation. If he flails, don't be surprised to see yet another move by Ned Yost or perhaps even Doug Melvin with Gwynn and Hall being dangled out there as trade bait. Suppan needs to continue to do he has done all year which is rely on the double play ball and avoid the big guys from being up with runners on. It'll be hard to double up guys like Yuniel Escobar and Kelly Johnson. A big start from McClung could really motivate the Brewers and give them some confidence that they possibly have a rotation to work with after Bush gets thrown out.
Predictions:
Unfortunately the Brewers haven't been playing particularly good baseball lately. The upside, though, is that they're finally coming home and they seem to play well to start every home stand. As a result, I expect the Brewers to take games two and three of the series, getting a quality start from Suppan and a quality combined start between McClung on Villanueva on Thursday afternoon. Bush will lose his job in the rotation and possibly on the team since the Brewers will announce the signing of Julian Tavarez this afternoon (post physical). Look for Chipper to stay hot. He has far too much patience to get beat by questionable Brewers pitching. The bullpen continues to impress for the Brewers. Especially Tim Dillard, who should make Brewers fans happy over the next couple of months.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Brewers Nationals Series Recap
The Scores:
Milwaukee Brewers 1 Washington Nationals 5
Milwaukee Brewers 5 Washington Nationals 2
Milwaukee Brewers 6 Washington Nationals 7
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Washington Nationals 3
MVPs of the Series:
Mike Cameron: 6/17; HR, 3 2B, 4 R, BB, SB, 3 RBIs
Lastings Milledge: 4/16; HR, 2 2B, BB, 3 RBIs
Mike Cameron quietly had a damn good series for the Brewers, taking over for Ryan Braun who quieted down a bit since leaving Pittsburgh. On top of that, he played some phenomenal defense. There's not too many guys who can track down the balls Cameron did this weekend, taking extra bases away from the Nationals on a regular basis. Instead, the Brewers stayed in every single game and were able to squeeze out a split, despite the umpires attempts to prevent that this afternoon.
Milledge wasn't particularly effective, but not a single National really stuck his head out as being the most effective player. Instead, the Nationals completed a valiant team effort getting big hits from Pena, Young, Boone and Guzman at different times. The Nationals are a young team and look like they could be a threat sometime down the line. They're definitely not the scariest of teams, but I imagine that when they get hot, they can put on a show.
What was the Difference?:
Double Plays. The Brewers may have lost two games, but things may have been a little different if they didn't shoot themselves in the foot over and over again. The Nationals turned six double plays in the series. The Brewers, on the other hand, were only able to turn two. As a result, the Nationals were able to fend off big rallies from the Brewers when it seemed like momentum began to swing. You can probably toss coaching in on this one as well. Manny Acta doesn't really have an easy job with all of these guys out there, but he puts them in positions to win and isn't scared to make moves before things hit the fan (Pulling Bergmann in the 6th today in favor of a lefty after Prince hit the ball hard twice before). Conversely, Ned Yost tends to keep pitchers out for longer than they should. Mota was clearly missing over the plate, but Ned let him continue. The result was back to back hits and a walk off wild pitch.
Causes for Concern:
Consistency is lacking for the Brewers. One day they look like a quality potential playoff team and the next they look like a 10-15 game under .500 squad. With Atlanta coming to Milwaukee tomorrow, you're not really sure if the big guys or the little guys will come out. The odd thing is that it's not just a couple of guys. It's every single person on this team. One day Prince will look locked and drill every pitch hard and the next he'll appear to be overmatched. Weeks looks poised to jump from that slump and then strikes out seven times in two days. Manny Parra has two solid starts, then turns around and explodes with an awful start. It's scary and exciting, but it makes for a frustrated author.
The Nationals aren't particularly a good team, and it showed throughout the series. My biggest concern is their starting pitching. Their numbers, by any means, are bad. Redding has been solid most of the year, Bergmann is turning it around and Perez was locating all of his pitches, but no starter made it through the sixth inning. In fact, only Bergmann made it into the sixth. This could be a big problem as the season progresses and the bullpen begins to accumulate innings. Cordero is no where near coming back to the bullpen and Rauch looks like the only legit arm that could be lights out. It's going to be more tough than usual if they can't get that worked out.
Causes for Excitement:
How can you not be stoked about Corey Hart, who is showing no signs of slowing down? Hart has five home runs since May 17th is batting .302/.348/.523 in May. A lot of people were on his case in April for not bringing the power numbers. Patience is king in baseball. Remember when you were worried Prince would never hit another homerun? But it gets a little better for the Crew. Seth McClung earned himself quite a few fans' support with his start on Saturday. You can't get too excited just yet though. Give him a few starts before you start believing. But the new mechanics and his big stature make McClung a pretty interesting development.
The Nationals have to be proud of their young catchers doing some damage at the plate and behind it. Will Nieves and Jesus Flores are hitting the ball extremely well, and have surprisingly looked even better behind the plate, Flores especially. You may not believe it considering the number of stolen bases this weekend, but every ball got out quickly and was right on the bag, and I mean ON the bag. Flores got hosed on a call today on another perfect toss and every other SB was stolen on the pitcher, not their young catchers.
Milwaukee Brewers 1 Washington Nationals 5
Milwaukee Brewers 5 Washington Nationals 2
Milwaukee Brewers 6 Washington Nationals 7
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Washington Nationals 3
MVPs of the Series:
Mike Cameron: 6/17; HR, 3 2B, 4 R, BB, SB, 3 RBIs
Lastings Milledge: 4/16; HR, 2 2B, BB, 3 RBIs
Mike Cameron quietly had a damn good series for the Brewers, taking over for Ryan Braun who quieted down a bit since leaving Pittsburgh. On top of that, he played some phenomenal defense. There's not too many guys who can track down the balls Cameron did this weekend, taking extra bases away from the Nationals on a regular basis. Instead, the Brewers stayed in every single game and were able to squeeze out a split, despite the umpires attempts to prevent that this afternoon.
Milledge wasn't particularly effective, but not a single National really stuck his head out as being the most effective player. Instead, the Nationals completed a valiant team effort getting big hits from Pena, Young, Boone and Guzman at different times. The Nationals are a young team and look like they could be a threat sometime down the line. They're definitely not the scariest of teams, but I imagine that when they get hot, they can put on a show.
What was the Difference?:
Double Plays. The Brewers may have lost two games, but things may have been a little different if they didn't shoot themselves in the foot over and over again. The Nationals turned six double plays in the series. The Brewers, on the other hand, were only able to turn two. As a result, the Nationals were able to fend off big rallies from the Brewers when it seemed like momentum began to swing. You can probably toss coaching in on this one as well. Manny Acta doesn't really have an easy job with all of these guys out there, but he puts them in positions to win and isn't scared to make moves before things hit the fan (Pulling Bergmann in the 6th today in favor of a lefty after Prince hit the ball hard twice before). Conversely, Ned Yost tends to keep pitchers out for longer than they should. Mota was clearly missing over the plate, but Ned let him continue. The result was back to back hits and a walk off wild pitch.
Causes for Concern:
Consistency is lacking for the Brewers. One day they look like a quality potential playoff team and the next they look like a 10-15 game under .500 squad. With Atlanta coming to Milwaukee tomorrow, you're not really sure if the big guys or the little guys will come out. The odd thing is that it's not just a couple of guys. It's every single person on this team. One day Prince will look locked and drill every pitch hard and the next he'll appear to be overmatched. Weeks looks poised to jump from that slump and then strikes out seven times in two days. Manny Parra has two solid starts, then turns around and explodes with an awful start. It's scary and exciting, but it makes for a frustrated author.
The Nationals aren't particularly a good team, and it showed throughout the series. My biggest concern is their starting pitching. Their numbers, by any means, are bad. Redding has been solid most of the year, Bergmann is turning it around and Perez was locating all of his pitches, but no starter made it through the sixth inning. In fact, only Bergmann made it into the sixth. This could be a big problem as the season progresses and the bullpen begins to accumulate innings. Cordero is no where near coming back to the bullpen and Rauch looks like the only legit arm that could be lights out. It's going to be more tough than usual if they can't get that worked out.
Causes for Excitement:
How can you not be stoked about Corey Hart, who is showing no signs of slowing down? Hart has five home runs since May 17th is batting .302/.348/.523 in May. A lot of people were on his case in April for not bringing the power numbers. Patience is king in baseball. Remember when you were worried Prince would never hit another homerun? But it gets a little better for the Crew. Seth McClung earned himself quite a few fans' support with his start on Saturday. You can't get too excited just yet though. Give him a few starts before you start believing. But the new mechanics and his big stature make McClung a pretty interesting development.
The Nationals have to be proud of their young catchers doing some damage at the plate and behind it. Will Nieves and Jesus Flores are hitting the ball extremely well, and have surprisingly looked even better behind the plate, Flores especially. You may not believe it considering the number of stolen bases this weekend, but every ball got out quickly and was right on the bag, and I mean ON the bag. Flores got hosed on a call today on another perfect toss and every other SB was stolen on the pitcher, not their young catchers.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Brewers Pirates Series Recap
Score Recap:
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 1
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 8
MVPs of the Series:
Corey Hart: 5/14; 2 HRs, 4 R, 3 RBI, SB, BB
Xavier Nady: 6/11; 2 HRs, 3 R, 2 RBIs
Corey Hart has been phenomenal lately and shows no signs of slowing up. It's reminiscent of his 21-game hit streak last year in which he was able to get on in any fashion. I'm most proud of the unselfishness that goes with his bunts for hits. The guys on FOX went off on him when he tried to do it on Saturday, but I can't complain about a guy doing whatever it takes to help his team out. Even better, he's gone year three times in the last six games, which is also reminiscent of his slow power start last year before the finally let him play every day.
Pirates fans have to be happy about Nady who looked like he was a perpetual fourth outfielder. His power numbers have been impressive all while maintaining his average. It's beating a dead horse, which I'm pretty well known for now, to say that this squad is poised to explode if Freddy Sanchez would just show up. If Nady would just get the opportunity to hit more often with RISP, he would have some really impressive numbers.
What Was The Difference?:
In every game, it seemed to be starting pitching. Manny Parra and Ben Sheets combined to pitch 14.1 innings of one run baseball in games one and two. Ian Snell and Paul Maholm, on the other hand, gave up eight runs over 12.1 innings. It's not surprising that the Brewers took those two games. It's even less surprising to find out that the Pirates won game three since Dave Bush gave up six runs in five, while Gorzelanny only gave up two. If the Brewers had any sort of reasonable game from Dave Bush, they would have swept this series. Unfortunately Ned Yost plays favorites. When Villanueva pitches bad, he gets on his case and says he's not attacking or he's missing his spots. When Bush pitches poorly, he works real hard, he's just not getting the success. It's a double standard I'm sick of hearing because Yost is partial to his boys.
Causes for Concern:
The Brewers have to have some serious concerns about the starting rotation. Even by inserting McClung in for Villanueva, they are just as vulnerable since McClung is still unproven and Bush is clearly incapable of consistency (refer to last year as well if you don't believe me). There is an absurd amount of talk right now surrounding the Brewers regarding trades for guys like Randy Wolfe and perhaps Paul Byrd. Randy Wolfe is definitely a no go in my book, but the opportunity to get Paul Byrd is an intriguing one. Byrd is making $7.5 mil this year, but has supported it with a 4.10 ERA and a 1.3 WHIP this season in a very competitive division. I would be okay with this possible trade as long as the Crew doesn't sacrifice it's future. It's pretty obvious that Gwynn has been give no opportunity become an every day player especially because LaPorta will probably be ready by September. This makes him good trade bait, as well as Dave Bush who has a much lighter contract than Byrd and a lot more innings in him. It's still concerning though. Perhaps a few weeks in the bullpen will work Villanueva's problems out.
The Pirates have to be a little worried about their starting pitching as well. Gorzelanny continues to walk batters left and right, but got away with it yesterday by getting some big ground balls and strikeouts. Maholm looks extremely vulnerable and Snell is no where near what he was in 2007. While the bullpen doesn't look spectacular either, the Pirates need to right the ship in the first six innings first. It looks like Grabow and Capps can handle most of the load after that, since the offense has more than enough in it to tack on insurance runs. If Snell can get back to form and Duke can keep his walk total down, the Pirates may be able to hover around .500 for most of the year.
Causes for Excitement:
Every week it's Corey Hart, and this week is no different, but let's be honest here, Rickie Weeks is on the horse. Both Weeks and Hart hit two solo shots in the series and were able to get on base at around a .400 clip. Weeks improved his average by 15 points and his on-base by 16, pushing him over the Mendoza line and now carries the fourth best on-base of any of our starters. This means he should still be our leadoff hitter. Think about it. You want the guy with the highest on-base possible at the top of the order, but if his average is garbage, you don't want to rely on him to try and drive runs in. As a result, you make him the table setter and that's what Rickie is.
While McLouth struggled in the first two games, the Pirates 3-4-5 hitters have been absolutely ridiculous. They probably won't maintain these numbers all season, but it's still fun to watch as a baseball guy. Bay is possibly the only disappointing guy there, but after this series, he may have found some confidence that can boost this team to another winning streak. All they need to do is avoid the Cubs like the plague. Their command is just too awful for a team that takes walks like the Central leaders. Nevertheless, look for the Pirates to accumulate some big offensive numbers. If only they would take more walks, they could do even bigger things.
Predictions and Notes:
Game three was an atrocity. I was right in suggesting the Brewers needed some offense to get the job done with Bush on the mound. After really getting on Carlos' case, Yost didn't seem to mind that Dave Bush couldn't even get past the fifth. Instead of making the heady move like he did elsewhere, Yost defends the guy. Ugh. I can't stand managers who take favorites (insert Dusty Baker and Lou Pinella). It's a simple fact that some guys just can't cut it for very long in the bigs and I have no doubt that Dave Bush is one of those guys. Villanueva will definitely have a longer career in the bigs if he stays in the bullpen, so I'm not devastated by it, but he's clearly the better of the two in my book, and he's getting paid significantly less because of his service time. Trade Dave Bush and Tony Gwynn for a solid three or four starter.
The Brewers offense appears to be on the rise as they managed to get more than ten hits in every game of this series. The Pirates matched them on Wednesday and Thursday, eventually taking game three following two huge double plays to prevent the big inning. Look for more of the same as the Brewers head to Washington to play the Nationals. Beware of the starting pitching as Seth McClung will likely take the mound on Saturday and will be limited to 75 pitches or so. Good luck Seth!
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 1
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 8
MVPs of the Series:
Corey Hart: 5/14; 2 HRs, 4 R, 3 RBI, SB, BB
Xavier Nady: 6/11; 2 HRs, 3 R, 2 RBIs
Corey Hart has been phenomenal lately and shows no signs of slowing up. It's reminiscent of his 21-game hit streak last year in which he was able to get on in any fashion. I'm most proud of the unselfishness that goes with his bunts for hits. The guys on FOX went off on him when he tried to do it on Saturday, but I can't complain about a guy doing whatever it takes to help his team out. Even better, he's gone year three times in the last six games, which is also reminiscent of his slow power start last year before the finally let him play every day.
Pirates fans have to be happy about Nady who looked like he was a perpetual fourth outfielder. His power numbers have been impressive all while maintaining his average. It's beating a dead horse, which I'm pretty well known for now, to say that this squad is poised to explode if Freddy Sanchez would just show up. If Nady would just get the opportunity to hit more often with RISP, he would have some really impressive numbers.
What Was The Difference?:
In every game, it seemed to be starting pitching. Manny Parra and Ben Sheets combined to pitch 14.1 innings of one run baseball in games one and two. Ian Snell and Paul Maholm, on the other hand, gave up eight runs over 12.1 innings. It's not surprising that the Brewers took those two games. It's even less surprising to find out that the Pirates won game three since Dave Bush gave up six runs in five, while Gorzelanny only gave up two. If the Brewers had any sort of reasonable game from Dave Bush, they would have swept this series. Unfortunately Ned Yost plays favorites. When Villanueva pitches bad, he gets on his case and says he's not attacking or he's missing his spots. When Bush pitches poorly, he works real hard, he's just not getting the success. It's a double standard I'm sick of hearing because Yost is partial to his boys.
Causes for Concern:
The Brewers have to have some serious concerns about the starting rotation. Even by inserting McClung in for Villanueva, they are just as vulnerable since McClung is still unproven and Bush is clearly incapable of consistency (refer to last year as well if you don't believe me). There is an absurd amount of talk right now surrounding the Brewers regarding trades for guys like Randy Wolfe and perhaps Paul Byrd. Randy Wolfe is definitely a no go in my book, but the opportunity to get Paul Byrd is an intriguing one. Byrd is making $7.5 mil this year, but has supported it with a 4.10 ERA and a 1.3 WHIP this season in a very competitive division. I would be okay with this possible trade as long as the Crew doesn't sacrifice it's future. It's pretty obvious that Gwynn has been give no opportunity become an every day player especially because LaPorta will probably be ready by September. This makes him good trade bait, as well as Dave Bush who has a much lighter contract than Byrd and a lot more innings in him. It's still concerning though. Perhaps a few weeks in the bullpen will work Villanueva's problems out.
The Pirates have to be a little worried about their starting pitching as well. Gorzelanny continues to walk batters left and right, but got away with it yesterday by getting some big ground balls and strikeouts. Maholm looks extremely vulnerable and Snell is no where near what he was in 2007. While the bullpen doesn't look spectacular either, the Pirates need to right the ship in the first six innings first. It looks like Grabow and Capps can handle most of the load after that, since the offense has more than enough in it to tack on insurance runs. If Snell can get back to form and Duke can keep his walk total down, the Pirates may be able to hover around .500 for most of the year.
Causes for Excitement:
Every week it's Corey Hart, and this week is no different, but let's be honest here, Rickie Weeks is on the horse. Both Weeks and Hart hit two solo shots in the series and were able to get on base at around a .400 clip. Weeks improved his average by 15 points and his on-base by 16, pushing him over the Mendoza line and now carries the fourth best on-base of any of our starters. This means he should still be our leadoff hitter. Think about it. You want the guy with the highest on-base possible at the top of the order, but if his average is garbage, you don't want to rely on him to try and drive runs in. As a result, you make him the table setter and that's what Rickie is.
While McLouth struggled in the first two games, the Pirates 3-4-5 hitters have been absolutely ridiculous. They probably won't maintain these numbers all season, but it's still fun to watch as a baseball guy. Bay is possibly the only disappointing guy there, but after this series, he may have found some confidence that can boost this team to another winning streak. All they need to do is avoid the Cubs like the plague. Their command is just too awful for a team that takes walks like the Central leaders. Nevertheless, look for the Pirates to accumulate some big offensive numbers. If only they would take more walks, they could do even bigger things.
Predictions and Notes:
Game three was an atrocity. I was right in suggesting the Brewers needed some offense to get the job done with Bush on the mound. After really getting on Carlos' case, Yost didn't seem to mind that Dave Bush couldn't even get past the fifth. Instead of making the heady move like he did elsewhere, Yost defends the guy. Ugh. I can't stand managers who take favorites (insert Dusty Baker and Lou Pinella). It's a simple fact that some guys just can't cut it for very long in the bigs and I have no doubt that Dave Bush is one of those guys. Villanueva will definitely have a longer career in the bigs if he stays in the bullpen, so I'm not devastated by it, but he's clearly the better of the two in my book, and he's getting paid significantly less because of his service time. Trade Dave Bush and Tony Gwynn for a solid three or four starter.
The Brewers offense appears to be on the rise as they managed to get more than ten hits in every game of this series. The Pirates matched them on Wednesday and Thursday, eventually taking game three following two huge double plays to prevent the big inning. Look for more of the same as the Brewers head to Washington to play the Nationals. Beware of the starting pitching as Seth McClung will likely take the mound on Saturday and will be limited to 75 pitches or so. Good luck Seth!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Doug Melvin Not as Good as You Might Think
In 2007 the Brewers made a barrage of moves to try and improve their bullpen. Though this never really panned out, today I want to look at the trades we've completed after the last few years and decide if the moves turned out to be worth anything, or if they were epic disasters.
The Move: First let's go back to Dana Eveland at the request of one of my loyalest readers. In November 2006 the Brewers traded away Doug Davis Dana Eveland and David Krynzel in return for Greg Aquino, Johnny Estrada and Claudio Vargas.
What Did We Think?: At the beginning of this, I was stoked. Johnny Estrada was a switch hitting catcher with pop, Claudio Vargas had a live arm with lots of potential and I didn't have to watch Doug Davis pitch any more. Don't get me wrong, Doug is a very serviceable pitcher, but he's like Steve Trachsel reincarnated: Very deliberate and slow pace. I can stand it.
What Happened?: Initially the trade looked fantastic for the Brewers who put all three guys on the big league squad.
Aquino started off on fire for the Brewers, not giving up a run in his first six appearances, but struggled unbelievable with runners on and ultimately went on the DL with a 'phantom' injury. I say it's a phantom injury because he had been optioned to AAA, and somehow got hurt on the way there, meaning the Brewers had to pay him a big league salary while on the DL. He would return for a September call up and struggle a bit, but mad a good enough case for himself to earn a job in Baltimore, where he has exploded with a 14.21 ERA in just 6.3 IP.
Vargas was outstanding for the Brewers to start the year. While his command was questionable at best, Claudio earned the name Houdini by mid-season for sneaking out of jams unscathed. Eventually it caught up to him though and he would be removed from the starting rotation despite his 11 victories (Because those matter right Dave Bush?). In the end Vargas would be given his outright release this spring so he could find a job, which he did in the Mets minor league system. Since then he has been called up and has started and lost two games for the Mets giving up six earned runs over 11.1 innings.
Johnny Estrada... well Johnny hurt this team immensely and ultimately got traded for Guillermo Mota, which has been a positive thus far. But in 2007, Johnny was a .278/.296/.403 hitter, which is surprisingly close to his career numbers which are .278/.318/.401. The unfortunate thing about those numbers is that they don't tell the whole story. Estrada dogged it constantly, hurt or not and GIDP'd 16 times during the year, most of which felt like pivotal times. He marred the locker room with bad energy and ultimately didn't get along with management, especially Ned Yost who he got into an altercation with. In the end, the Brewers would sign Jason Kendall to a two year deal and immediately ship the cancer out.
So three guys in: All three out at the end of the 2007 season. What about the D'Backs?
Doug Davis did what Doug Davis has always done in his career, which is walk batters at a ridiculous rate, but still pitch around 200 innings and get you 10-12 wins, which is exactly what the D'Backs wanted. Oddly enough, we're paying a guy $10 million dollars to do that instead of $7.75 mil, which is a totally different story. Nevertheless, Doug did well with Arizona amassing a 4.25 ERA and winning 13 games. He will return to the team this week after being diagnosed and treated for thyroid cancer.
Dana Eveland would get his chance in 2007 to play, but struggled mightily in the only five games they let him play in before getting traded to the A's in December in the Dan Haren. Since then Eveland has been unbelievable. Leave it to A's to find talent that looks fallen but really isn't. Eveland is 4-3 this year with a 2.90 ERA and a 1.161 WHIP, and looks like a legitimate big league pitcher, though he still has trouble with his command at times. Sometimes it takes a different set of eyes and a new backdrop to get pitchers on task, but Eveland has some talent and could do extremely well in the future.
Dave Krynzel was once a big time prospect for the Brewers, but he lagged greatly on his way up and refused to take advice from his team while leading a wild lifestyle. It looks like AZ may be having the same problem with Dave, who has only played in 27 games since leaving the Brewers, leading me to believe he's been on the DL for quite some time and doesn't plan on reviving his career. For all I know he's out of baseball.
Grade: C-. Doug Melvin really screwed the donkey on this one. If he would have just kept Doug Davis, didn't pay Jeff Suppan and waited for Eveland the Brewers would be a very different team, but that's a big IF. Nevertheless, the eventual result was a wasted trade where the Brewers left the deal one year later with none of those players on their roster and two teams ended up with starting pitchers who are clear major leaguers.
...
The Move: In July of 2007, Doug Melvin traded Grant Balfour for hard throwing Seth McClung from the Devil Rays.
What Did We Think?: Let's be honest, nobody really cared. Balfour was a live arm who wasn't throwing strikes and so was Seth McClung. The swap was just to save two pitchers from getting snagged up by waivers.
What Happened?: Seth McClung has slowly but surely made progress in a Brewer uniform. Since arriving, Seth has purposefully taken three or four MPH off his fastball to control it better and it has help immensely. At one point he could toss 100 MPH missiles at any time, but the fear was in the hitter because 'Wild Thing' Vaughn was on the mound. McClung got a call up in August 2007 and struggled immensely to start, as eh could not control his breaking pitches, but as the rest of the season progressed, McClung began to show signs of life and ended the season with a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings of relief allowing only 1.33 batters to reach per inning. This year, McClung has been relatively solid. The walks continue to plague him, but the K numbers are their, having struck out 20 in 20.1 innings of work. As a result, he's been tabbed to join the starting rotation this Saturday.
Grant Balfour's jump to the Devil Rays was not so successful. He immediately was given the opportunity to pitch, but could not seem to command his pitches, walking 16 over 22, while striking out 27. Nevertheless, his ERA ballooned to over six and is currently pitching in the Rays AAA minor league affiliate in Durham where he has a 0.45 ERA in 20 innings of work and a 0.65 WHIP. Wow. Maybe he's figured something out.
Grade: B. No one really knows if Balfour is going to pan out or if he's a straight AAAA pitcher. Nevertheless, he has the stuff, primarily the fastball, that can turn him into a really good pitcher. McClung is beyond serviceable and probably won't be the answer to the Brewer's rotation woes, but you can't complain about what he's done so far. Neither team wins this one giving Melvin a deserving B.
...
The Move: Three days prior to trading for McClung the Brewers traded Will Inman, Joe Thatcher and Steve Garrison to the Padres for Scott Linebrink.
What Did We Think?: I was livid. The Brewers gave up two big prospects in Thatcher and Inman. Thatcher was the only lefty prospect who was showing legitimate progress and Inman was supposedly a top 10 prospect. Even worse, rarely does a trade for a reliever work out for a team mid-season, especially a struggling one like Scott Linebrink.
What Happened?: Linebrink came in and pitched pretty well for the Brewers, which was a breath of fresh air, but when the season came to a close, the Brewers didn't even talk to him about a contract as they spent their entire time trying to re-sign Cordero, which they failed at. Linebrink would then sign with the White Sox and has been damn solid, throwing 20 innings and giving up only three earnies (1.35 ERA).
Joe Thatcher was a huge positive for the Padres down the stretch, tossing 21 innings while amassing a 1.29 ERA in the final few months of baseball. Unfortunately, he would give up quite a few big runs in the series against the Brewers that would eliminate them from the playoffs. This year Joe has struggled mightily, amassing a 7.45 ERA over 19.1 innings of baseball. The problem may not be that big though considering hitters BAbip is well over .330. Still, it doesn't look like he was as ready as I thought.
Will Inman continues to do well in the minors as a AA pitcher for San Antonio. Inman has pitched 47.2 innings in nine starts this year and has struck out 50 while only walking 19. He has a 2.46 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP which his very promising, especially considering he's only given up two homeruns this year. Inman is still a few years away, but this could be the sign of a huge mistake.
Steve Garrison continues to look like a solid pitcher in AA-San Antonio, but is likely a little bet behind Inman as far as stuff goes. That hasn't stopped him from doing particularly well. In eight starts Garrison has tossed 42 innings, striking out 27 and walking 15 on his way to a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Not bad for a fourth year professional.
Grade: C. Linebrink may have done well with the Brewers, but they did nothing to keep him around and now he's having another solid year. Throw in the idea that Inman might be a solid starter in the future and Garrison a serviceable reliever and the Brewers really sacrificed their future for two month fix in the pen.
...
So Doug, you sucked last year. Sorry man. The moves at the time didn't look that bad, but in the end they have bit this team hard in 2008. That's not exactly why they're playing awful, but it scares me as far as what we may have lost in the future. The Eveland thing is tough to swallow. He probably wouldn't have been as good as he is now if it wasn't for the path he took, but you have to wonder what the Brewers could have done to help him understand what he needed to do here to be a better pitcher. If he turns into a consistent starter, the "Doug Melvin is Gold," saying has to be changed to, "Doug Melvin gives away gold." In years past he always seemed to get more than he gave, but things may have turned a corner in 2007.
The Move: First let's go back to Dana Eveland at the request of one of my loyalest readers. In November 2006 the Brewers traded away Doug Davis Dana Eveland and David Krynzel in return for Greg Aquino, Johnny Estrada and Claudio Vargas.
What Did We Think?: At the beginning of this, I was stoked. Johnny Estrada was a switch hitting catcher with pop, Claudio Vargas had a live arm with lots of potential and I didn't have to watch Doug Davis pitch any more. Don't get me wrong, Doug is a very serviceable pitcher, but he's like Steve Trachsel reincarnated: Very deliberate and slow pace. I can stand it.
What Happened?: Initially the trade looked fantastic for the Brewers who put all three guys on the big league squad.
Aquino started off on fire for the Brewers, not giving up a run in his first six appearances, but struggled unbelievable with runners on and ultimately went on the DL with a 'phantom' injury. I say it's a phantom injury because he had been optioned to AAA, and somehow got hurt on the way there, meaning the Brewers had to pay him a big league salary while on the DL. He would return for a September call up and struggle a bit, but mad a good enough case for himself to earn a job in Baltimore, where he has exploded with a 14.21 ERA in just 6.3 IP.
Vargas was outstanding for the Brewers to start the year. While his command was questionable at best, Claudio earned the name Houdini by mid-season for sneaking out of jams unscathed. Eventually it caught up to him though and he would be removed from the starting rotation despite his 11 victories (Because those matter right Dave Bush?). In the end Vargas would be given his outright release this spring so he could find a job, which he did in the Mets minor league system. Since then he has been called up and has started and lost two games for the Mets giving up six earned runs over 11.1 innings.
Johnny Estrada... well Johnny hurt this team immensely and ultimately got traded for Guillermo Mota, which has been a positive thus far. But in 2007, Johnny was a .278/.296/.403 hitter, which is surprisingly close to his career numbers which are .278/.318/.401. The unfortunate thing about those numbers is that they don't tell the whole story. Estrada dogged it constantly, hurt or not and GIDP'd 16 times during the year, most of which felt like pivotal times. He marred the locker room with bad energy and ultimately didn't get along with management, especially Ned Yost who he got into an altercation with. In the end, the Brewers would sign Jason Kendall to a two year deal and immediately ship the cancer out.
So three guys in: All three out at the end of the 2007 season. What about the D'Backs?
Doug Davis did what Doug Davis has always done in his career, which is walk batters at a ridiculous rate, but still pitch around 200 innings and get you 10-12 wins, which is exactly what the D'Backs wanted. Oddly enough, we're paying a guy $10 million dollars to do that instead of $7.75 mil, which is a totally different story. Nevertheless, Doug did well with Arizona amassing a 4.25 ERA and winning 13 games. He will return to the team this week after being diagnosed and treated for thyroid cancer.
Dana Eveland would get his chance in 2007 to play, but struggled mightily in the only five games they let him play in before getting traded to the A's in December in the Dan Haren. Since then Eveland has been unbelievable. Leave it to A's to find talent that looks fallen but really isn't. Eveland is 4-3 this year with a 2.90 ERA and a 1.161 WHIP, and looks like a legitimate big league pitcher, though he still has trouble with his command at times. Sometimes it takes a different set of eyes and a new backdrop to get pitchers on task, but Eveland has some talent and could do extremely well in the future.
Dave Krynzel was once a big time prospect for the Brewers, but he lagged greatly on his way up and refused to take advice from his team while leading a wild lifestyle. It looks like AZ may be having the same problem with Dave, who has only played in 27 games since leaving the Brewers, leading me to believe he's been on the DL for quite some time and doesn't plan on reviving his career. For all I know he's out of baseball.
Grade: C-. Doug Melvin really screwed the donkey on this one. If he would have just kept Doug Davis, didn't pay Jeff Suppan and waited for Eveland the Brewers would be a very different team, but that's a big IF. Nevertheless, the eventual result was a wasted trade where the Brewers left the deal one year later with none of those players on their roster and two teams ended up with starting pitchers who are clear major leaguers.
...
The Move: In July of 2007, Doug Melvin traded Grant Balfour for hard throwing Seth McClung from the Devil Rays.
What Did We Think?: Let's be honest, nobody really cared. Balfour was a live arm who wasn't throwing strikes and so was Seth McClung. The swap was just to save two pitchers from getting snagged up by waivers.
What Happened?: Seth McClung has slowly but surely made progress in a Brewer uniform. Since arriving, Seth has purposefully taken three or four MPH off his fastball to control it better and it has help immensely. At one point he could toss 100 MPH missiles at any time, but the fear was in the hitter because 'Wild Thing' Vaughn was on the mound. McClung got a call up in August 2007 and struggled immensely to start, as eh could not control his breaking pitches, but as the rest of the season progressed, McClung began to show signs of life and ended the season with a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings of relief allowing only 1.33 batters to reach per inning. This year, McClung has been relatively solid. The walks continue to plague him, but the K numbers are their, having struck out 20 in 20.1 innings of work. As a result, he's been tabbed to join the starting rotation this Saturday.
Grant Balfour's jump to the Devil Rays was not so successful. He immediately was given the opportunity to pitch, but could not seem to command his pitches, walking 16 over 22, while striking out 27. Nevertheless, his ERA ballooned to over six and is currently pitching in the Rays AAA minor league affiliate in Durham where he has a 0.45 ERA in 20 innings of work and a 0.65 WHIP. Wow. Maybe he's figured something out.
Grade: B. No one really knows if Balfour is going to pan out or if he's a straight AAAA pitcher. Nevertheless, he has the stuff, primarily the fastball, that can turn him into a really good pitcher. McClung is beyond serviceable and probably won't be the answer to the Brewer's rotation woes, but you can't complain about what he's done so far. Neither team wins this one giving Melvin a deserving B.
...
The Move: Three days prior to trading for McClung the Brewers traded Will Inman, Joe Thatcher and Steve Garrison to the Padres for Scott Linebrink.
What Did We Think?: I was livid. The Brewers gave up two big prospects in Thatcher and Inman. Thatcher was the only lefty prospect who was showing legitimate progress and Inman was supposedly a top 10 prospect. Even worse, rarely does a trade for a reliever work out for a team mid-season, especially a struggling one like Scott Linebrink.
What Happened?: Linebrink came in and pitched pretty well for the Brewers, which was a breath of fresh air, but when the season came to a close, the Brewers didn't even talk to him about a contract as they spent their entire time trying to re-sign Cordero, which they failed at. Linebrink would then sign with the White Sox and has been damn solid, throwing 20 innings and giving up only three earnies (1.35 ERA).
Joe Thatcher was a huge positive for the Padres down the stretch, tossing 21 innings while amassing a 1.29 ERA in the final few months of baseball. Unfortunately, he would give up quite a few big runs in the series against the Brewers that would eliminate them from the playoffs. This year Joe has struggled mightily, amassing a 7.45 ERA over 19.1 innings of baseball. The problem may not be that big though considering hitters BAbip is well over .330. Still, it doesn't look like he was as ready as I thought.
Will Inman continues to do well in the minors as a AA pitcher for San Antonio. Inman has pitched 47.2 innings in nine starts this year and has struck out 50 while only walking 19. He has a 2.46 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP which his very promising, especially considering he's only given up two homeruns this year. Inman is still a few years away, but this could be the sign of a huge mistake.
Steve Garrison continues to look like a solid pitcher in AA-San Antonio, but is likely a little bet behind Inman as far as stuff goes. That hasn't stopped him from doing particularly well. In eight starts Garrison has tossed 42 innings, striking out 27 and walking 15 on his way to a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Not bad for a fourth year professional.
Grade: C. Linebrink may have done well with the Brewers, but they did nothing to keep him around and now he's having another solid year. Throw in the idea that Inman might be a solid starter in the future and Garrison a serviceable reliever and the Brewers really sacrificed their future for two month fix in the pen.
...
So Doug, you sucked last year. Sorry man. The moves at the time didn't look that bad, but in the end they have bit this team hard in 2008. That's not exactly why they're playing awful, but it scares me as far as what we may have lost in the future. The Eveland thing is tough to swallow. He probably wouldn't have been as good as he is now if it wasn't for the path he took, but you have to wonder what the Brewers could have done to help him understand what he needed to do here to be a better pitcher. If he turns into a consistent starter, the "Doug Melvin is Gold," saying has to be changed to, "Doug Melvin gives away gold." In years past he always seemed to get more than he gave, but things may have turned a corner in 2007.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Brewers Pirates Game Two Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 1
MVPs of the Game:
Ben Sheets: CG, 1 ER, 11 H, 6 Ks (W)
Xavier Nady: 2/4; HR
Game Recap:
The Brewers took the second game in a row of a three game series against the Pirates Wednesday night on the arm of their ace, Ben Sheets. Sheets pitched his second complete game of the year, scattering 11 hits and getting away with it by refusing to walk a batter, striking out six and avoiding the big hit with runners on. The Pirates had to be frustrated. It's not very often that you get eleven hits and only pull one run out of the deal.
Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun continued to deliver combining for four hits, three runs and two RBIs. Weeks contributed with his 6th homerun of the year as well a stolen base and is slowly moving up the ladder to gain fans praise. But these guys weren't the only two on top of their game. Hardy continued his streak as well walking twice and pitching in an RBI single in the second inning. He's flourished since moving to the six-hole behind Corey Hart, who tossed in another two hits tonight.
Every Pirates starter had a hit besides the pitcher, but they just couldn't put it together at the same time. Xavier Nady's homerun in the fourth represented the only run the Pirates could get despited having a hit in every inning except the fifth. But it seemed like every time they threatened Ben Sheets would follow with a big strikeout or the Pirates would follow up with a poor AB. Mind you, Mike Everitt's strike zone was huge and you can't help but have a few problems.
Game Changing Play:
Right after the Pirates tied the game in the fourth Rickie Weeks hit a slow ground ball to first base to lead off the fifth. Adam LaRoche flat out biffed a ball right between his legs allowing Weeks to reach. He would steal second during the next AB and would score on Ryan Braun's triple. But that run wouldn't have scored since Fielder popped up the next time through. Nevertheless, a single by Corey Hart would score Braun turning a tie game into a two run lead, from which the Pirates would never recover.
Predictions and Notes:
Rickie continues to deal which is exciting, but I couldn't have been more wrong about Xavier Nady. I'll be honest, I have completely underestimated Nady this year. He has been on fire lately, perhaps overachieving. Nevertheless, his power numbers have been impressive and he has had some excellent ABs so far this series. If he sustains it, more power to him.
Sheets was more dynamic than I thought he would be after a tough outing against the Dodgers where he exploded in the seventh. If there's anything that can revitalize a team, it's an ace who handles himself the way he did in this game. There was nothing dominating about this performance, but it has shown the growth he's made as a player, and it's something to be proud of.
In the end, Freddy Sanchez and Nate McLouth have not been producing enough for the Pirates to be an effective offensive team. Nady has hit the ball particularly well, but not with runners on. Even worse, the pitching has been doing just to keep Pittsburgh in games, but with the pressure constantly on, they will eventually fold. Snell pitched particularly well tonight, but the two unearned runs really ruined his line.
What's on Tap?:
The Brewers go for the sweep in game three tomorrow night at 6:05 CST, pitting Dave Bush against Tom Gorzelanny. Milwaukee has been particularly good against lefties this year so I wouldn't be surprised to see them ride this bus little longer and save Yost's job for the remainder of the season. The Pirates need to figure something out if they want to take this game, and that shouldn't be particularly difficult with Bush on the mound. But they'll have to do it for a while because the Brewers offense looks like it's on one of its offensive runs.
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Pittsburgh Pirates 1
MVPs of the Game:
Ben Sheets: CG, 1 ER, 11 H, 6 Ks (W)
Xavier Nady: 2/4; HR
Game Recap:
The Brewers took the second game in a row of a three game series against the Pirates Wednesday night on the arm of their ace, Ben Sheets. Sheets pitched his second complete game of the year, scattering 11 hits and getting away with it by refusing to walk a batter, striking out six and avoiding the big hit with runners on. The Pirates had to be frustrated. It's not very often that you get eleven hits and only pull one run out of the deal.
Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun continued to deliver combining for four hits, three runs and two RBIs. Weeks contributed with his 6th homerun of the year as well a stolen base and is slowly moving up the ladder to gain fans praise. But these guys weren't the only two on top of their game. Hardy continued his streak as well walking twice and pitching in an RBI single in the second inning. He's flourished since moving to the six-hole behind Corey Hart, who tossed in another two hits tonight.
Every Pirates starter had a hit besides the pitcher, but they just couldn't put it together at the same time. Xavier Nady's homerun in the fourth represented the only run the Pirates could get despited having a hit in every inning except the fifth. But it seemed like every time they threatened Ben Sheets would follow with a big strikeout or the Pirates would follow up with a poor AB. Mind you, Mike Everitt's strike zone was huge and you can't help but have a few problems.
Game Changing Play:
Right after the Pirates tied the game in the fourth Rickie Weeks hit a slow ground ball to first base to lead off the fifth. Adam LaRoche flat out biffed a ball right between his legs allowing Weeks to reach. He would steal second during the next AB and would score on Ryan Braun's triple. But that run wouldn't have scored since Fielder popped up the next time through. Nevertheless, a single by Corey Hart would score Braun turning a tie game into a two run lead, from which the Pirates would never recover.
Predictions and Notes:
Rickie continues to deal which is exciting, but I couldn't have been more wrong about Xavier Nady. I'll be honest, I have completely underestimated Nady this year. He has been on fire lately, perhaps overachieving. Nevertheless, his power numbers have been impressive and he has had some excellent ABs so far this series. If he sustains it, more power to him.
Sheets was more dynamic than I thought he would be after a tough outing against the Dodgers where he exploded in the seventh. If there's anything that can revitalize a team, it's an ace who handles himself the way he did in this game. There was nothing dominating about this performance, but it has shown the growth he's made as a player, and it's something to be proud of.
In the end, Freddy Sanchez and Nate McLouth have not been producing enough for the Pirates to be an effective offensive team. Nady has hit the ball particularly well, but not with runners on. Even worse, the pitching has been doing just to keep Pittsburgh in games, but with the pressure constantly on, they will eventually fold. Snell pitched particularly well tonight, but the two unearned runs really ruined his line.
What's on Tap?:
The Brewers go for the sweep in game three tomorrow night at 6:05 CST, pitting Dave Bush against Tom Gorzelanny. Milwaukee has been particularly good against lefties this year so I wouldn't be surprised to see them ride this bus little longer and save Yost's job for the remainder of the season. The Pirates need to figure something out if they want to take this game, and that shouldn't be particularly difficult with Bush on the mound. But they'll have to do it for a while because the Brewers offense looks like it's on one of its offensive runs.
Brewers Pirates Game One Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Players of the Game:
Manny Parra: 5.2 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K
Jason Bay: 1/3; HR, 2 RBIs, BB
Game Recap:
The Brewers finally managed to pull hitting and pitching together and despite a few baserunning blunders and another error in the field were able to take advantage of a struggling Pittsburgh team. Manny Parra stifled the Pirates over 5.2 innings and the Brewers bullpen held on, while the Paul Maholm did his best to keep the Brewers in check, giving up four over 6.1. But the Pirates bullpen couldn't keep the lid on the fire and gave up three runs in 2.2 to let the Brewers pull away before the Pirates could put some offense on the board.
In the beginning it looked like the Brewers were ready to play the same baseball they've been playing over the last two weeks. After getting Cameron and Braun on to start the game, Prince promptly grounded into a double play. In the second they loaded the bases with nobody out. After Manny Parra struck out looking, Jason Kendall promptly grounded into a tailor made double play, but Pirates second baseman, Freddy Sanchez miscounted the outs and failed to even turn to first base, allowing a run to score.
The Brewers would give back in their own way as Mike Cameron had two inexcusable baserunning mistakes, getting doubled up off of second in the third on a line drive to right and for some ungodly reason, he tried to steal third with two on and Prince Fielder up (he's a lefty by the way). But they would finally make up for their mistakes. Parra would keep them ahead by changing speeds and painting corners with his mid-90s fastball. Braun continued his hot streak with two hits and an RBI in the 5th. And finally Rickie Weeks and Mike Cameron carried the squad, combing for five hits, a walk, HBP and three runs, with the dagger being Mike Cameron's two run shot in the 7th to chase starter Paul Maholm and give the Crew a cushion.
The Pirates offense was anemic all night, amassing only six hits in the game, two for extra bases. Freddy Sanchez and Nate McClouth were relative non-factors as they were unable to set the table for sluggers Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. Bay would deny the Brewers a shutout by hitting a two run shot in the ninth off of 'former' closer Eric Gagne to make it look not so bad. Nevertheless, Brewers pitching dominated. Look for the Pirates to bounce a little tonight, but not too far with Sheets on the mound. They'll be in much better shape on Thursday with Dave Bush on the mound, who was just switched with Suppan so Soup can pitch against the Nationals.
Predictions and Notes:
Almost dead on. Parra didn't make it past the sixth, Rickie Weeks jumped on the Mendoza line and Ryan Braun continued his hot streak. While Maholm only gave up four runs over 6.1 innings, he gave up nine hits over that time and was helped by two double plays and a caught stealing. Nady defied me a bit, but I suppose I underestimated his splits against right handed pitching.
Prince Fielder was the only Brewer starter to take the collar yesterday, going 0 for 5. Even worse; he was responsible for seven outs, grounding into a double play and falling victim to the idiocy of Mike Cameron, who took off before looking at where the ball would land.
The Brewers announced that they're moving Carlos Villanueva from the starting rotation and letting Seth McClung have his shot. I'm a little disappointed by this because I felt that Villanueva deserved more shots over Dave Bush who has been just as bad, but that's the name of the game. McClung has pitched particularly well over the last month or so and deserves his shot at the rotation and Villanueva has had considerable success in the bullpen last year before moving into the rotation in September. Dave Bush better pitch well to make this move look wise, but I wouldn't bet on it.
What's on Tap?:
Game two at PNC park starts tonight at 6 PM CST as Ben Sheets takes on Ian Snell. As I said yesterday, I think the Brewers bats will quiet down in this game with a righty on the mound, but after watching their ability to go to right field last night, part of me wants to bail on that. I'm going to stick to my predictions though and say the Pirates take this one in a low scoring game. Sheets will leave the game up 2-1 or something like that, only to have the bullpen fail in the long run and give up a few runs. Prediction: 4-3 Pirates.
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Players of the Game:
Manny Parra: 5.2 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K
Jason Bay: 1/3; HR, 2 RBIs, BB
Game Recap:
The Brewers finally managed to pull hitting and pitching together and despite a few baserunning blunders and another error in the field were able to take advantage of a struggling Pittsburgh team. Manny Parra stifled the Pirates over 5.2 innings and the Brewers bullpen held on, while the Paul Maholm did his best to keep the Brewers in check, giving up four over 6.1. But the Pirates bullpen couldn't keep the lid on the fire and gave up three runs in 2.2 to let the Brewers pull away before the Pirates could put some offense on the board.
In the beginning it looked like the Brewers were ready to play the same baseball they've been playing over the last two weeks. After getting Cameron and Braun on to start the game, Prince promptly grounded into a double play. In the second they loaded the bases with nobody out. After Manny Parra struck out looking, Jason Kendall promptly grounded into a tailor made double play, but Pirates second baseman, Freddy Sanchez miscounted the outs and failed to even turn to first base, allowing a run to score.
The Brewers would give back in their own way as Mike Cameron had two inexcusable baserunning mistakes, getting doubled up off of second in the third on a line drive to right and for some ungodly reason, he tried to steal third with two on and Prince Fielder up (he's a lefty by the way). But they would finally make up for their mistakes. Parra would keep them ahead by changing speeds and painting corners with his mid-90s fastball. Braun continued his hot streak with two hits and an RBI in the 5th. And finally Rickie Weeks and Mike Cameron carried the squad, combing for five hits, a walk, HBP and three runs, with the dagger being Mike Cameron's two run shot in the 7th to chase starter Paul Maholm and give the Crew a cushion.
The Pirates offense was anemic all night, amassing only six hits in the game, two for extra bases. Freddy Sanchez and Nate McClouth were relative non-factors as they were unable to set the table for sluggers Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. Bay would deny the Brewers a shutout by hitting a two run shot in the ninth off of 'former' closer Eric Gagne to make it look not so bad. Nevertheless, Brewers pitching dominated. Look for the Pirates to bounce a little tonight, but not too far with Sheets on the mound. They'll be in much better shape on Thursday with Dave Bush on the mound, who was just switched with Suppan so Soup can pitch against the Nationals.
Predictions and Notes:
Almost dead on. Parra didn't make it past the sixth, Rickie Weeks jumped on the Mendoza line and Ryan Braun continued his hot streak. While Maholm only gave up four runs over 6.1 innings, he gave up nine hits over that time and was helped by two double plays and a caught stealing. Nady defied me a bit, but I suppose I underestimated his splits against right handed pitching.
Prince Fielder was the only Brewer starter to take the collar yesterday, going 0 for 5. Even worse; he was responsible for seven outs, grounding into a double play and falling victim to the idiocy of Mike Cameron, who took off before looking at where the ball would land.
The Brewers announced that they're moving Carlos Villanueva from the starting rotation and letting Seth McClung have his shot. I'm a little disappointed by this because I felt that Villanueva deserved more shots over Dave Bush who has been just as bad, but that's the name of the game. McClung has pitched particularly well over the last month or so and deserves his shot at the rotation and Villanueva has had considerable success in the bullpen last year before moving into the rotation in September. Dave Bush better pitch well to make this move look wise, but I wouldn't bet on it.
What's on Tap?:
Game two at PNC park starts tonight at 6 PM CST as Ben Sheets takes on Ian Snell. As I said yesterday, I think the Brewers bats will quiet down in this game with a righty on the mound, but after watching their ability to go to right field last night, part of me wants to bail on that. I'm going to stick to my predictions though and say the Pirates take this one in a low scoring game. Sheets will leave the game up 2-1 or something like that, only to have the bullpen fail in the long run and give up a few runs. Prediction: 4-3 Pirates.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Brewers Pirates Series Preview
The Series:
Milwaukee Brewers (20-24) at Pittsburgh Pirates (21-23)
Who's on Tap?:
Manny Parra (1-2, 5.03 ERA) vs. Paul Maholm (2-4, 4.94 ERA)
Ben Sheets (4-1, 3.25 ERA) vs. Ian Snell (2-2, 5.05 ERA)
Jeff Suppan (2-3, 4.78 ERA) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (3-4, 6.64 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
This is an important series for the Brewers, who have fallen right back off the wagon since winning three in a row against St. Louis at home. Look for Ryan Braun to continue his tear at the plate and come full circle as the outspoken leader of this team. Now that he's been here for one year and accomplished what he has, he's earned the right to speak and call out the entire team for not having a winning attitude. Competing does not bring home championships. Elsewhere, keep watching Rickie Weeks. I say it preview after preview, but Weeks continues to hit the ball hard. He was 3/11 last series but walked three times (.272/.428). Two or three of those plays were stolen by slick defense by Julio Lugo at short, but those are outs in the box score. Consider the numbers he would have had that series if it weren't the case (.454/.571). Also, let's see if Manny Parra can continue his run from last week's start, after he got hosed by some bad fielding in the 7th inning. Young minds are fragile, but good outings tend to push you out of that mindset. He could use a bit of a roll.
On the other side of the field, keep your eye on Nate McClouth and Xavier Nady, who are both quietly having career seasons. Nady is hitting .309/.375/.488 with five dingers and 36 RBIs so far, but with the likes of Jason Bay on the team, he doesn't get the recognition he's deserving of. I'm still not sold on him continuing this run, but while he's riding the wave you need to be careful. In only this third full season with the team, Nate McLouth is scaring the hell out of pitchers. He's riding a .306/.392/.618 clip while hitting 12 HRs this year already, one away from matching his season total from last year in 156 fewer ABs. The consistent work has been a blessing and the Pirates organization has to be happy with his impressive development. On the pitching side of things, the Pirates have little to enjoy, with the exception of John Grabow and Matt Capps who are both having some success, but watch out for Snell this week. He's the only right handed starter to face the right handed heavy lineup. Despite the Atlanta game where he gave up one run in seven innings, Snell has struggled with commanding the ball, walking 20 over his last 10 starts and only striking out 29. It will be an important game for his confidence.
What are the Keys to Victory?:
It looks like the Brewers big bats are back and ready to play, especially since they're facing to left-handed pitchiers. That means that the pitching will have to hold the streaking Pirates offense at bay. The Pirates' numbers are practically replicas of the Brewers', so they need to do what other teams have done to them: Set them up at the plate with the pitch selection and get them to swing away at pitches out of the zone. Sheets and Parra definitely have the capacity to do this, while Suppan will use this to induce more ground balls and keep the Crew in the game.
The Pirates will have to do a couple of things to do quite a bit to be competitive in this series, but it boils down to Freddy Sanchez. Since 2006, when he won the batting crown, Sanchez has left much to be desired and no longer represents the leadoff hitter you would like. Freddy has only managed 19 runs this season and is only getting on at a .290 clip, sporting a hefty .260 average. Sanchez's importance to this team is immeasurable. With Bay looking like he'll return to his 2006 form and McClouth doing he's doing, the Pirates should be scoring tons of runs. If Sanchez has a good series, so will the Pirates.
Predictions:
This is a tough one since both of these teams are damn near identical so far. My heart says Braun's comments and the flurry of "Fire Yost" posts lately, including a false report that there was to be a press conference yesterday to do so, will light a fire under these Brewers asses and take advantage of a team that struggle quite mightily in Chicago after winning game one. Nevertheless, I'm going to try and be objective here and say the Crew takes two out of three, rocking Grozelanny and Paul Maholm tonight, but struggle against Paul Maholm. Parra will pitch well tonight, but won't make it past the 6th as usual. Sheets will return to form, but an anemic offense will hurt him and the bullpen will fail him and Suppan will jump back on the horse he always rides. Look for Bay to have a pretty solid series as well as McClouth, but Nady and Sanchez will struggle against Brewers pitching.
Milwaukee Brewers (20-24) at Pittsburgh Pirates (21-23)
Who's on Tap?:
Manny Parra (1-2, 5.03 ERA) vs. Paul Maholm (2-4, 4.94 ERA)
Ben Sheets (4-1, 3.25 ERA) vs. Ian Snell (2-2, 5.05 ERA)
Jeff Suppan (2-3, 4.78 ERA) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (3-4, 6.64 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
This is an important series for the Brewers, who have fallen right back off the wagon since winning three in a row against St. Louis at home. Look for Ryan Braun to continue his tear at the plate and come full circle as the outspoken leader of this team. Now that he's been here for one year and accomplished what he has, he's earned the right to speak and call out the entire team for not having a winning attitude. Competing does not bring home championships. Elsewhere, keep watching Rickie Weeks. I say it preview after preview, but Weeks continues to hit the ball hard. He was 3/11 last series but walked three times (.272/.428). Two or three of those plays were stolen by slick defense by Julio Lugo at short, but those are outs in the box score. Consider the numbers he would have had that series if it weren't the case (.454/.571). Also, let's see if Manny Parra can continue his run from last week's start, after he got hosed by some bad fielding in the 7th inning. Young minds are fragile, but good outings tend to push you out of that mindset. He could use a bit of a roll.
On the other side of the field, keep your eye on Nate McClouth and Xavier Nady, who are both quietly having career seasons. Nady is hitting .309/.375/.488 with five dingers and 36 RBIs so far, but with the likes of Jason Bay on the team, he doesn't get the recognition he's deserving of. I'm still not sold on him continuing this run, but while he's riding the wave you need to be careful. In only this third full season with the team, Nate McLouth is scaring the hell out of pitchers. He's riding a .306/.392/.618 clip while hitting 12 HRs this year already, one away from matching his season total from last year in 156 fewer ABs. The consistent work has been a blessing and the Pirates organization has to be happy with his impressive development. On the pitching side of things, the Pirates have little to enjoy, with the exception of John Grabow and Matt Capps who are both having some success, but watch out for Snell this week. He's the only right handed starter to face the right handed heavy lineup. Despite the Atlanta game where he gave up one run in seven innings, Snell has struggled with commanding the ball, walking 20 over his last 10 starts and only striking out 29. It will be an important game for his confidence.
What are the Keys to Victory?:
It looks like the Brewers big bats are back and ready to play, especially since they're facing to left-handed pitchiers. That means that the pitching will have to hold the streaking Pirates offense at bay. The Pirates' numbers are practically replicas of the Brewers', so they need to do what other teams have done to them: Set them up at the plate with the pitch selection and get them to swing away at pitches out of the zone. Sheets and Parra definitely have the capacity to do this, while Suppan will use this to induce more ground balls and keep the Crew in the game.
The Pirates will have to do a couple of things to do quite a bit to be competitive in this series, but it boils down to Freddy Sanchez. Since 2006, when he won the batting crown, Sanchez has left much to be desired and no longer represents the leadoff hitter you would like. Freddy has only managed 19 runs this season and is only getting on at a .290 clip, sporting a hefty .260 average. Sanchez's importance to this team is immeasurable. With Bay looking like he'll return to his 2006 form and McClouth doing he's doing, the Pirates should be scoring tons of runs. If Sanchez has a good series, so will the Pirates.
Predictions:
This is a tough one since both of these teams are damn near identical so far. My heart says Braun's comments and the flurry of "Fire Yost" posts lately, including a false report that there was to be a press conference yesterday to do so, will light a fire under these Brewers asses and take advantage of a team that struggle quite mightily in Chicago after winning game one. Nevertheless, I'm going to try and be objective here and say the Crew takes two out of three, rocking Grozelanny and Paul Maholm tonight, but struggle against Paul Maholm. Parra will pitch well tonight, but won't make it past the 6th as usual. Sheets will return to form, but an anemic offense will hurt him and the bullpen will fail him and Suppan will jump back on the horse he always rides. Look for Bay to have a pretty solid series as well as McClouth, but Nady and Sanchez will struggle against Brewers pitching.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Brewers Red Sox Series Analysis
Score Recap:
Milwaukee 3 Boston 5
Milwaukee 6 Boston 7
Milwaukee 7 Boston 11
What an embarrassing series for the Milwaukee Brewers. They've now lost five games in a row and 12 of their last 16, pushing them four games below .500, seven games behind and into the basement of the NL Central. I'm not one to say season's are over very often, but man, I'm close. The pitching has been utterly atrocious and while the bats came alive today, there is still a ton of work to be done. Nothing about this season that can be taken as a positive as of now, with the exception of Ryan Braun's power numbers.
MVPs of the Series:
Ryan Braun: 5/14; 3 HRs, 5 RBIs, 3 Rs
David Ortiz: 5/15; 3 HRs, 7 RBIs, 5 Rs, 3 BBs
Ryan Braun is just scorching the ball, hitting two homers off of Josh Beckett today and another off of Papelbon in yesterday's early game, but it just hasn't been enough. Three homeruns and only five RBIs indicate that nobody is getting on for the guy, however, that apparently wasn't the problem in this series. Both Cameron and Weeks got on base twice every game with the exception of Cameron in game one. But throw in two CS and a big baserunning error by Weeks and bye bye RBI opportunities.
Ortiz was impressive as ever. It may have taken him a while to get back on the horse, but every single ball Ortiz hit was a bullet. Every AB was a nightmare for the Brewers when Papi came to the plate. Ellsbury and Pedroia did their jobs and got on base enough to give Ortiz room to work and he capitalized in nearly every situation. Somehow the Brewers kept Ramirez in check, but Ortiz was enough to push the Sox over the top.
What was the Difference?:
Let's be honest here: Everything. Even when the Brewers pitched well in game one on Saturday, they couldn't hit the ball hard or take advantage of a wild pitcher in Dice K. In game two the Red Sox did everything in their power to hand the game over to the Brewers, committing three errors in the game. The Brewers would capitalize on two of those errors in the 7th to take the lead, but would commit two of their own to lead off the bottom half, handing the game right back. Today, the Crew would struggle on the mound, but continued to give the Sox extra outs when Prince Fielder led off the inning with a blown routine catch, his fifth of the year, seventh in my book, in the fourth inning. Villanueva would give up two hits and two walks after that, and turn the game completely around. So pitching, defense and disappointing hitting resulted in another embarrassing national television loss and eventual sweep.
Causes for Concern:
Obviously the Brewers need to be worried about their pitching and hitting. By bringing in Jackson and Mark DiFelice this weekend, they're looking at only two stable pitchers in the bullpen with Mota and Torres. On top of that their starting pitching was questionable at best, giving up far too many dingers, Villanueva especially, whose outing looks worse than it actually was. He needs to get that ball down. 88 MPH fastballs belt high on the inside part of the plate are BP fastballs, and you can't get away with that in any league. On the offensive side of things, it's impossible to win baseball games if only your 3-4-5 hitters are doing anything formidable. Bill Hall, Mike Cameron and Rickie Weeks have dragged this team down into a hole and Ned Yost has no tirade in him that can help them out of it. At which point do you hold the coach accountable? It's a tough question to ask when in such a big hole, but a shake up like a coaching change or perhaps a trade of one of the so-called 'untouchables' could light a fire under some of these guys asses. If a coaching change were to occur, I would want Frank Kremblas up there, who has the respect of all of the players and is an enthusiastic guy.
The Red Sox only have a few things to worry about and it's hardly on the offensive side of the ball. Josh Beckett has been tagged his last few starts and doesn't appear to be the ace he was last year. He still has a shot at being an 18-20 game winner simply because of the offensive support he gets, but if the Red Sox want to win another championship this decade, they'll have to do it behind this guy's arm. To make that happen he'll need to control his fastball a lot better. Today he left three 96 MPH fastballs right down the middle of the plate and in the bigs, everyone will eventually catch up to it and knock it out of the park. Especially at Fenway. But besides Beckett, the Sox have a few concerns in the middle relief portion of the bullpen. Timlin, Delcarmen and Hansen are not guys you should feel comfortable throwing up there on a regular basis. And while the Sox rotation is pretty darn good, they can't get you to the 8th every game. But it shouldn't be too much of a concern. The Red Sox organization has a knack for getting the extra guy when they're down, and I imagine an eventual trade for Brian Fuentes from Colorado will take care of this problem.
Causes for Excitement:
The Brewers have to be excited about Braun's response to his contract. This 7-year extension (not 8, he's still getting paid 455k this year if you don't count his signing bonus) has done nothing to Braun. He's just as hot as he was before the contract was signed and he looks poised to continue to push his power numbers higher and higher. Though i would appreciate a few more walks, Braun's production alone has kept the Brewers in a number of games that they shouldn't even have a chance in. Other than that, the Brewers can be excited about Corey Hart whose homerun yesterday off of Wakefield is potentially a sign of his return to the power regime.
Boston fans have more than enough to be excited about. With the series sweep of the Brewers and the series loss by the Rays, they've catapulted themselves back on top of the NL East, all while getting their swagger back at the plate. Ortiz looks like he's finally over that initial opening month hump and looks ready to revert right back to his high average, high on-base numbers. If his on-base gets back to over .400, look out baseball, it might be time for back-back championships because the two youngsters in front of him are hitting more impressively than they were last year. (Note: Ellsbury getting caught today was the first of his career after going 25 for 25. It was a franchise record. That's not something to be excited about, but the fact that the kid has already set a franchise record is.)
Predictions and Notes:
What can I say? I hit the nail right on the head. The Brewers team is far from good right now, and are so mentally unstable that two home losses have sent them spinning. Their best shot at a victory was actually in game two, but they didn't do anything to make that happen. The Sox defense did it for them, meaning game one was in fact their best opportunity. Unfortunately, the walk isn't sexy enough for this young team. Let me throw something up in the air for a second. The Cubs scored four runs today on four hits. They had a lot of tough line drive outs and a couple of breaks by the other team as far as fielding goes, but in the end it was their seven walks that gave them a tough fought victory. This is how teams win when they're not hitting the crap out of the ball.
Case and point: Ryan Braun. While Braun is hitting the crap out of the ball he has only walked four times this May, while striking out 14 times. His on-base is a pretty healthy .355 this month, but most of that is average, which is .319. Just two more walks and he's looking at a .380 and gives Prince some extra ABs with the pitcher looking over his shoulder in the stretch. The same can be said for this entire squad. But this is just Braun, whose numbers don't make it look so bad. The team as a whole is only hitting .242, which is 27th in the bigs. Their .317 on-base means they average less than a base-runner an inning. It also means that it is very unlikely they'll get two. Basically, everything needs to improve.
Rickie Weeks did not crack the Mendoza line as I suspected, but he did get on twice in every game, which is an improvement. If this continues, he's deserving of his job. Ortiz smoked the Brewers as expected, so I was right on there. Ellsbury didn't do nearly as much as I expected him to. Instead, Lowell and Youkilis combined to destroy the brutal pitching after Ortiz got on base, launching the Sox to another potentially impressive streak of victories, all while sending the Brewers season into another downward spiral.
Milwaukee 3 Boston 5
Milwaukee 6 Boston 7
Milwaukee 7 Boston 11
What an embarrassing series for the Milwaukee Brewers. They've now lost five games in a row and 12 of their last 16, pushing them four games below .500, seven games behind and into the basement of the NL Central. I'm not one to say season's are over very often, but man, I'm close. The pitching has been utterly atrocious and while the bats came alive today, there is still a ton of work to be done. Nothing about this season that can be taken as a positive as of now, with the exception of Ryan Braun's power numbers.
MVPs of the Series:
Ryan Braun: 5/14; 3 HRs, 5 RBIs, 3 Rs
David Ortiz: 5/15; 3 HRs, 7 RBIs, 5 Rs, 3 BBs
Ryan Braun is just scorching the ball, hitting two homers off of Josh Beckett today and another off of Papelbon in yesterday's early game, but it just hasn't been enough. Three homeruns and only five RBIs indicate that nobody is getting on for the guy, however, that apparently wasn't the problem in this series. Both Cameron and Weeks got on base twice every game with the exception of Cameron in game one. But throw in two CS and a big baserunning error by Weeks and bye bye RBI opportunities.
Ortiz was impressive as ever. It may have taken him a while to get back on the horse, but every single ball Ortiz hit was a bullet. Every AB was a nightmare for the Brewers when Papi came to the plate. Ellsbury and Pedroia did their jobs and got on base enough to give Ortiz room to work and he capitalized in nearly every situation. Somehow the Brewers kept Ramirez in check, but Ortiz was enough to push the Sox over the top.
What was the Difference?:
Let's be honest here: Everything. Even when the Brewers pitched well in game one on Saturday, they couldn't hit the ball hard or take advantage of a wild pitcher in Dice K. In game two the Red Sox did everything in their power to hand the game over to the Brewers, committing three errors in the game. The Brewers would capitalize on two of those errors in the 7th to take the lead, but would commit two of their own to lead off the bottom half, handing the game right back. Today, the Crew would struggle on the mound, but continued to give the Sox extra outs when Prince Fielder led off the inning with a blown routine catch, his fifth of the year, seventh in my book, in the fourth inning. Villanueva would give up two hits and two walks after that, and turn the game completely around. So pitching, defense and disappointing hitting resulted in another embarrassing national television loss and eventual sweep.
Causes for Concern:
Obviously the Brewers need to be worried about their pitching and hitting. By bringing in Jackson and Mark DiFelice this weekend, they're looking at only two stable pitchers in the bullpen with Mota and Torres. On top of that their starting pitching was questionable at best, giving up far too many dingers, Villanueva especially, whose outing looks worse than it actually was. He needs to get that ball down. 88 MPH fastballs belt high on the inside part of the plate are BP fastballs, and you can't get away with that in any league. On the offensive side of things, it's impossible to win baseball games if only your 3-4-5 hitters are doing anything formidable. Bill Hall, Mike Cameron and Rickie Weeks have dragged this team down into a hole and Ned Yost has no tirade in him that can help them out of it. At which point do you hold the coach accountable? It's a tough question to ask when in such a big hole, but a shake up like a coaching change or perhaps a trade of one of the so-called 'untouchables' could light a fire under some of these guys asses. If a coaching change were to occur, I would want Frank Kremblas up there, who has the respect of all of the players and is an enthusiastic guy.
The Red Sox only have a few things to worry about and it's hardly on the offensive side of the ball. Josh Beckett has been tagged his last few starts and doesn't appear to be the ace he was last year. He still has a shot at being an 18-20 game winner simply because of the offensive support he gets, but if the Red Sox want to win another championship this decade, they'll have to do it behind this guy's arm. To make that happen he'll need to control his fastball a lot better. Today he left three 96 MPH fastballs right down the middle of the plate and in the bigs, everyone will eventually catch up to it and knock it out of the park. Especially at Fenway. But besides Beckett, the Sox have a few concerns in the middle relief portion of the bullpen. Timlin, Delcarmen and Hansen are not guys you should feel comfortable throwing up there on a regular basis. And while the Sox rotation is pretty darn good, they can't get you to the 8th every game. But it shouldn't be too much of a concern. The Red Sox organization has a knack for getting the extra guy when they're down, and I imagine an eventual trade for Brian Fuentes from Colorado will take care of this problem.
Causes for Excitement:
The Brewers have to be excited about Braun's response to his contract. This 7-year extension (not 8, he's still getting paid 455k this year if you don't count his signing bonus) has done nothing to Braun. He's just as hot as he was before the contract was signed and he looks poised to continue to push his power numbers higher and higher. Though i would appreciate a few more walks, Braun's production alone has kept the Brewers in a number of games that they shouldn't even have a chance in. Other than that, the Brewers can be excited about Corey Hart whose homerun yesterday off of Wakefield is potentially a sign of his return to the power regime.
Boston fans have more than enough to be excited about. With the series sweep of the Brewers and the series loss by the Rays, they've catapulted themselves back on top of the NL East, all while getting their swagger back at the plate. Ortiz looks like he's finally over that initial opening month hump and looks ready to revert right back to his high average, high on-base numbers. If his on-base gets back to over .400, look out baseball, it might be time for back-back championships because the two youngsters in front of him are hitting more impressively than they were last year. (Note: Ellsbury getting caught today was the first of his career after going 25 for 25. It was a franchise record. That's not something to be excited about, but the fact that the kid has already set a franchise record is.)
Predictions and Notes:
What can I say? I hit the nail right on the head. The Brewers team is far from good right now, and are so mentally unstable that two home losses have sent them spinning. Their best shot at a victory was actually in game two, but they didn't do anything to make that happen. The Sox defense did it for them, meaning game one was in fact their best opportunity. Unfortunately, the walk isn't sexy enough for this young team. Let me throw something up in the air for a second. The Cubs scored four runs today on four hits. They had a lot of tough line drive outs and a couple of breaks by the other team as far as fielding goes, but in the end it was their seven walks that gave them a tough fought victory. This is how teams win when they're not hitting the crap out of the ball.
Case and point: Ryan Braun. While Braun is hitting the crap out of the ball he has only walked four times this May, while striking out 14 times. His on-base is a pretty healthy .355 this month, but most of that is average, which is .319. Just two more walks and he's looking at a .380 and gives Prince some extra ABs with the pitcher looking over his shoulder in the stretch. The same can be said for this entire squad. But this is just Braun, whose numbers don't make it look so bad. The team as a whole is only hitting .242, which is 27th in the bigs. Their .317 on-base means they average less than a base-runner an inning. It also means that it is very unlikely they'll get two. Basically, everything needs to improve.
Rickie Weeks did not crack the Mendoza line as I suspected, but he did get on twice in every game, which is an improvement. If this continues, he's deserving of his job. Ortiz smoked the Brewers as expected, so I was right on there. Ellsbury didn't do nearly as much as I expected him to. Instead, Lowell and Youkilis combined to destroy the brutal pitching after Ortiz got on base, launching the Sox to another potentially impressive streak of victories, all while sending the Brewers season into another downward spiral.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Brewers Red Sox Series Preview
The Series:
Milwaukee Brewers (20-21) at Boston Red Sox (24-19)
Who's on Tap?:
Jeff Suppan (2-2, 4.63 ERA) vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka (6-0, 2.45 ERA)
Dave Bush (1-4, 6.06 ERA) vs. Tim Wakefield (3-2, 4.25 ERA)
Carlos Villanueva (1-2, 6.00 ERA) vs. Josh Beckett (4-3, 4.21 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
The Red Sox players haven't seen the Brewers in quite some time so any stats I throw at you are pretty hard to swallow. Nevertheless, the Brewers are tossing three right-handed off speed pitchers who rely on location contact to get by. But lately, that location has been off a bit, which is going to be an enormous benefit to the Red Sox, who are more than willing to take their walks. Look for David Ortiz and Jacob Ellsbury to have a phenomenal series. The Brewers only have one serviceable lefty in their bullpen with the call-up of Zach Jackson today, leaving only Brian Shouse to face the two if the time presents itself. Josh Beckett is poised to have a big game against the undisciplined crew and I suspect DiceK will continue to struggle with his command, but will benefit from the same problem.
The Brewers are going to be hurting for someone to step up in this series. Braun is an obvious pick in this one to go after the Green Monster, but he'll likely be trying to hard to make it really happen. The obvious pick would be Prince Fielder, who has hit the ball on the screws quite a few times in the past week, but has yet to be rewarded. But ultimately it's going to be Rickie Weeks who is going to have a big series if the Brewers have any thoughts about challenging the defending champs. Weeks is well below the .200 BA mark, and would be in danger of losing his job if Bill Hall wasn't doing any better. How these guys haven't been put on the bench for a few games straight is beyond me. Throw Mike Cameron under the bus as well and three of Brewers nine starters are under the Mendoza line. Weeks will be the first to break through that and is poised to make a bit of a run. On the pitching side, they're in trouble. Villanueva will likely have the best start and will keep his spot, while Bush keeps looking over his shoulder at Seth McClung.
Keys to Victory:
For the Sox, it's up to Pedroia and Ellsbury to set the table. Both have healthy averages, on-base numbers, and good enough speed to challenge the arm of Jason Kendall. In the end, if they get on base at a good enough clip, the Brewers are in for a long a east coast trip. Other than that the Sox need only to continue to what they have done all season, which is stay patient and at least one of the 3-6 hitters will get the job done against a contact pitching staff.
For the Brewers to win, their offense is going to have to explode. While they had some offensive success against the Dodgers, the Brewers offense is still in a slump. Only Corey Hart and Ryan Braun have had any sustained success. You might be able to include Kendall in that bit considering the his .283 average. But beyond these three, not a single every day player is hitting above .255, leading to a team average of .241 and a god-awful OBP of .316, which is 14th in the National League. How these guys are only one under is amazing. If these bats ever take fire, they may be able to compete, but until then the key to any victory this weekend will rely on their bats.
Predictions:
After getting embarrassed by the Dodgers this week and having to jump on a plane right after, the Brewers team looks like they're headed for yet another pit of doom, especially in Boston. The Brewers will be lucky to take one in this series, and if they do it will be tonight with Dice K struggling with his control. The pitching will likely look good for a good portion of the game, but the big inning will undoubtedly haunt the Brewers as their command becomes more and more questionable. Weeks really has a shot of getting back above the Mendoza line this weekend if he can hit around .400, but that's wishful thinking. He'll approach it, while Bill Hall will drop even further, spurring fans screaming for the sacrificing of defense for offense in the likes of Mat Gamel. Ultimately, Mike Lowell, Jacob Ellsbury and David Ortiz will have impressive series and this will carry the Sox back to their winning ways since losing five of their last six.
Milwaukee Brewers (20-21) at Boston Red Sox (24-19)
Who's on Tap?:
Jeff Suppan (2-2, 4.63 ERA) vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka (6-0, 2.45 ERA)
Dave Bush (1-4, 6.06 ERA) vs. Tim Wakefield (3-2, 4.25 ERA)
Carlos Villanueva (1-2, 6.00 ERA) vs. Josh Beckett (4-3, 4.21 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
The Red Sox players haven't seen the Brewers in quite some time so any stats I throw at you are pretty hard to swallow. Nevertheless, the Brewers are tossing three right-handed off speed pitchers who rely on location contact to get by. But lately, that location has been off a bit, which is going to be an enormous benefit to the Red Sox, who are more than willing to take their walks. Look for David Ortiz and Jacob Ellsbury to have a phenomenal series. The Brewers only have one serviceable lefty in their bullpen with the call-up of Zach Jackson today, leaving only Brian Shouse to face the two if the time presents itself. Josh Beckett is poised to have a big game against the undisciplined crew and I suspect DiceK will continue to struggle with his command, but will benefit from the same problem.
The Brewers are going to be hurting for someone to step up in this series. Braun is an obvious pick in this one to go after the Green Monster, but he'll likely be trying to hard to make it really happen. The obvious pick would be Prince Fielder, who has hit the ball on the screws quite a few times in the past week, but has yet to be rewarded. But ultimately it's going to be Rickie Weeks who is going to have a big series if the Brewers have any thoughts about challenging the defending champs. Weeks is well below the .200 BA mark, and would be in danger of losing his job if Bill Hall wasn't doing any better. How these guys haven't been put on the bench for a few games straight is beyond me. Throw Mike Cameron under the bus as well and three of Brewers nine starters are under the Mendoza line. Weeks will be the first to break through that and is poised to make a bit of a run. On the pitching side, they're in trouble. Villanueva will likely have the best start and will keep his spot, while Bush keeps looking over his shoulder at Seth McClung.
Keys to Victory:
For the Sox, it's up to Pedroia and Ellsbury to set the table. Both have healthy averages, on-base numbers, and good enough speed to challenge the arm of Jason Kendall. In the end, if they get on base at a good enough clip, the Brewers are in for a long a east coast trip. Other than that the Sox need only to continue to what they have done all season, which is stay patient and at least one of the 3-6 hitters will get the job done against a contact pitching staff.
For the Brewers to win, their offense is going to have to explode. While they had some offensive success against the Dodgers, the Brewers offense is still in a slump. Only Corey Hart and Ryan Braun have had any sustained success. You might be able to include Kendall in that bit considering the his .283 average. But beyond these three, not a single every day player is hitting above .255, leading to a team average of .241 and a god-awful OBP of .316, which is 14th in the National League. How these guys are only one under is amazing. If these bats ever take fire, they may be able to compete, but until then the key to any victory this weekend will rely on their bats.
Predictions:
After getting embarrassed by the Dodgers this week and having to jump on a plane right after, the Brewers team looks like they're headed for yet another pit of doom, especially in Boston. The Brewers will be lucky to take one in this series, and if they do it will be tonight with Dice K struggling with his control. The pitching will likely look good for a good portion of the game, but the big inning will undoubtedly haunt the Brewers as their command becomes more and more questionable. Weeks really has a shot of getting back above the Mendoza line this weekend if he can hit around .400, but that's wishful thinking. He'll approach it, while Bill Hall will drop even further, spurring fans screaming for the sacrificing of defense for offense in the likes of Mat Gamel. Ultimately, Mike Lowell, Jacob Ellsbury and David Ortiz will have impressive series and this will carry the Sox back to their winning ways since losing five of their last six.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Brewers Lock Up Braun Long Term
Note: I'll be back with recaps and such next week. Just wanted the week off to get some things straight around work and home.
In a press conference that will be held this morning at 10 AM CST, the Brewers will announce that they have signed Ryan Braun to a seven-year contract extension that will break records as far as the money involved for any Brewer player. Braun was recently moved to left field this year after posting an abysmal .895 fielding percentage, despite winning the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award. Since then he has flourished in the outfield, having yet to commit an error and accumulating three outfield assists. Furthermore, Braun's power numbers have continued, unlike the ROY runner-up Troy Tulowitzki. After batting .324/.370/.634 last year, Braun has returned with a .287/.318/.549 clip, hitting nine homeruns and knocking in 29 in a little more than a quarter of a season. While the average and on-base are quite a bit lower, Braun's recent adjustments at the plate have really improved his skill and is a sign that he can have sustained success in the bigs.
In a press conference that will be held this morning at 10 AM CST, the Brewers will announce that they have signed Ryan Braun to a seven-year contract extension that will break records as far as the money involved for any Brewer player. Braun was recently moved to left field this year after posting an abysmal .895 fielding percentage, despite winning the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award. Since then he has flourished in the outfield, having yet to commit an error and accumulating three outfield assists. Furthermore, Braun's power numbers have continued, unlike the ROY runner-up Troy Tulowitzki. After batting .324/.370/.634 last year, Braun has returned with a .287/.318/.549 clip, hitting nine homeruns and knocking in 29 in a little more than a quarter of a season. While the average and on-base are quite a bit lower, Braun's recent adjustments at the plate have really improved his skill and is a sign that he can have sustained success in the bigs.
So what does this mean for the Brewers? The seven-year extension does a couple of things for them. Mainly it puts pressure on Prince Fielder to sign a similar deal, but there's no doubt Fielder will want more money, especially considering his agent is Scott Boras (Braun's is Ned Baelo). Fielder has struggled mightily this year. Not so much at the plate, but in the field and is outing the doubters who think he's a DH in four or five years. DH's make a lot less money these days, especially because of the amount of quality older players who can hit and walk better than anyone in the league, but don't have the range to stay in the field. If Fielder decides to bail on signing a long term deal and look to arbitration, he may find himself in a bad spot in Milwaukee even though he will get his pay day, and that pay day won't last nearly as long as it could if he could maintain his weight and work on his position play.
Furthermore, Braun's signing gives the Crew some legitimate stability. If Braun's onslaught at the plate continues, he will push himself far ahead of Fielder as the face of this franchise and will ultimately get fans Brewers in the seats. This extension specifically buys out all three of Braun's arbitration eligible years and one year of free agent. Braun would not have been eligible for arbitration for three more years, so it would seem like paying him now is a bit risky, but for the Brewers and owner Mark Attanasio, this is a statement. A statement that they are committed to having a competitive team for as long as possible, in spite of the 'small market' label they get. Lastly, it establishes a payroll. Every time you pick up an established contract, you know exactly what you're getting yourself in to. Now Attanasio knows exactly how much money he has and can spend in the future, and with Sheets gone at the end of this year and Suppan gone the following year, financial flexibility and surplus will be a benefit when free agency comes rolling around.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Brewers Cardinals Series Analysis
Note: Derrick Turnbow pitches his first AAA game last night and walked three while giving up a hit and two runs in two thirds of an inning. Not what he had hoped I'm sure. On with the analysis.
Score Recap:
May 9th: Milwaukee 4 St. Louis 3
May 10th: Milwaukee 3 St. Louis 5
May 11th: Milwaukee 5 St. Louis 3
May 12th: Milwaukee 8 St. Louis 3
MVPs of the Series:
Ryan Braun: 9/16; 4 HRs, 2 2Bs, BB, 6 Rs, 0 Ks
Albert Pujols: 4/9; HR, 4 BBs, R, RBI
Braun was flat out on fire this series. I'm mostly impressed by the zero strikeouts in 17 PAs, which is beyond a rarity for Braun, but most people should be impressed with the four homeruns in just six ABs, which is an impressive feat. Interestingly, all four of those homeruns were solo shots which is a bit frustrating, but not something worth complaining about.
It was a bit difficult to pick the MVP for the Cardinals because they are pretty dead set on a team performance. I wanted to give it to Ludwick who had the game winning hit on Saturday, but I can't reduce myself to giving the guy props when he had more strikeouts than total bases. Ultimately, Pujols was on base at a .615 clip, which is ridiculous and worth noting.
What was the Difference?:
It turns out that after looking at the numbers, the Cardinals should have won this series, but in the end, it was starting pitching and defense that gave the Brewers the edge. The Cardinals amassed more hits and walked several more times, but the Brewers would turn five pivotal double plays in the series and commit only one error, while the Cards would turn only two and commit five errors, resulting in four unearned runs.
With the exception of Monday's game where Wainwright struggled mightily, the Brewers and Cardinals starting pitching was impressive. But the Brewers starters would out-duel the Cards, giving up 8 runs in 25 innings, while the Cards starters gave up 8 in 18.1 innings sans Wainwright.
Causes for Concern:
Both teams obviously have to be concerned with the back end of the bullpen, but the Cardinals should be a little more concerned. The Brewers have more than capable arms with Torres, Mota and Riske hiding out there, but with the exception of Ryan Franklin, the Cards don't have anyone with the the experience or mental stability to close. Even then, Ryan Franklin may be a little sketchy in that role considering he's spent so much time in the set-up role. Sometimes they aren't mentally prepared to close. Perhaps Randy Flores could pull it off, as he has the stuff, but you never know. The Brewers will likely stick to closer by committee for some time, but that's not always good. In the end, they'll have to rely on Yost to handle the matchups, and that could be a big problem.
On other fronts, the Cards should have some worries about their defense, which led to their demise this series. If their pitching continues to be solid, they could be in great shape if they get clean up the defense. The Brewers need to continue to work on their discipline at the plate. The Cardinals put on a show again, walking 22 times in four games, but the Brewers didn't follow suit, walking 11 times. Interestingly, many of those runs scored. Maybe they should pay attention to those things, especially in game three when they walked and HBP'd the first two ABs and they both came around to score.
Causes for Excitement:
Ryan Ludwick is actually turning into an every day player, but he'll have to cut his strike out numbers if he plans on sticking around as such. Other than that, the Cards should continue to be excited about their starting pitching. Wainwright is allowed a blow up start once and a while, but Wellenmeyer, Looper and Piniero all pitched extremely well. This rotation could carry the team if they have everything figured out.
For the Brewers, there's plenty to be excited about considering the rebound from a 6-game losing streak. Ryan Braun has found his stroke and the starting pitching was solid all of the way through. With the Cubs winning four straight, the Brewers will need to keep this up if they plan on making a run at the division. Additionally, the bullpen continues to impress, despite Eric Gagne. Stetter had some troubles this weekend, but other than that, everyone has been impressive, refusing to give up a lead the entire series.
Score Recap:
May 9th: Milwaukee 4 St. Louis 3
May 10th: Milwaukee 3 St. Louis 5
May 11th: Milwaukee 5 St. Louis 3
May 12th: Milwaukee 8 St. Louis 3
MVPs of the Series:
Ryan Braun: 9/16; 4 HRs, 2 2Bs, BB, 6 Rs, 0 Ks
Albert Pujols: 4/9; HR, 4 BBs, R, RBI
Braun was flat out on fire this series. I'm mostly impressed by the zero strikeouts in 17 PAs, which is beyond a rarity for Braun, but most people should be impressed with the four homeruns in just six ABs, which is an impressive feat. Interestingly, all four of those homeruns were solo shots which is a bit frustrating, but not something worth complaining about.
It was a bit difficult to pick the MVP for the Cardinals because they are pretty dead set on a team performance. I wanted to give it to Ludwick who had the game winning hit on Saturday, but I can't reduce myself to giving the guy props when he had more strikeouts than total bases. Ultimately, Pujols was on base at a .615 clip, which is ridiculous and worth noting.
What was the Difference?:
It turns out that after looking at the numbers, the Cardinals should have won this series, but in the end, it was starting pitching and defense that gave the Brewers the edge. The Cardinals amassed more hits and walked several more times, but the Brewers would turn five pivotal double plays in the series and commit only one error, while the Cards would turn only two and commit five errors, resulting in four unearned runs.
With the exception of Monday's game where Wainwright struggled mightily, the Brewers and Cardinals starting pitching was impressive. But the Brewers starters would out-duel the Cards, giving up 8 runs in 25 innings, while the Cards starters gave up 8 in 18.1 innings sans Wainwright.
Causes for Concern:
Both teams obviously have to be concerned with the back end of the bullpen, but the Cardinals should be a little more concerned. The Brewers have more than capable arms with Torres, Mota and Riske hiding out there, but with the exception of Ryan Franklin, the Cards don't have anyone with the the experience or mental stability to close. Even then, Ryan Franklin may be a little sketchy in that role considering he's spent so much time in the set-up role. Sometimes they aren't mentally prepared to close. Perhaps Randy Flores could pull it off, as he has the stuff, but you never know. The Brewers will likely stick to closer by committee for some time, but that's not always good. In the end, they'll have to rely on Yost to handle the matchups, and that could be a big problem.
On other fronts, the Cards should have some worries about their defense, which led to their demise this series. If their pitching continues to be solid, they could be in great shape if they get clean up the defense. The Brewers need to continue to work on their discipline at the plate. The Cardinals put on a show again, walking 22 times in four games, but the Brewers didn't follow suit, walking 11 times. Interestingly, many of those runs scored. Maybe they should pay attention to those things, especially in game three when they walked and HBP'd the first two ABs and they both came around to score.
Causes for Excitement:
Ryan Ludwick is actually turning into an every day player, but he'll have to cut his strike out numbers if he plans on sticking around as such. Other than that, the Cards should continue to be excited about their starting pitching. Wainwright is allowed a blow up start once and a while, but Wellenmeyer, Looper and Piniero all pitched extremely well. This rotation could carry the team if they have everything figured out.
For the Brewers, there's plenty to be excited about considering the rebound from a 6-game losing streak. Ryan Braun has found his stroke and the starting pitching was solid all of the way through. With the Cubs winning four straight, the Brewers will need to keep this up if they plan on making a run at the division. Additionally, the bullpen continues to impress, despite Eric Gagne. Stetter had some troubles this weekend, but other than that, everyone has been impressive, refusing to give up a lead the entire series.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Brewers Cardinals Game Three Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 5 St. Louis Cardinals 3
Players of the Game:
Jeff Suppan: 7 IP, 6 H, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 ER
Troy Glaus: 2/3; 2B, R, BB
Honorable Mention: Ryan Braun 2/4; 2 HRs
Game Recap:
For the first time in the a long time, the Brewers looked like a competitive baseball team, playing quality ball against and equally quality team. The Brewers struck early, scoring two in the first inning after a leadoff HBP and walk from Rickie Weeks and Tony Gwynn Jr, and Ryan Braun's two homeruns would keep the game out of reach as the Cardinals hitters did their best to claw ahead. In the end, the lack of production from the top half of the Cardinals lineup was the difference.
The Brewers looked poised to blow a big opportunity in the first after getting the first two on. Braun would move Weeks to third on a fly to right, and he would then score on a sac fly by Prince Fielder, leaving Gwynn still stranded at first. But a line drive double down the left field line by Corey Hart allowed Gwynn to come all away around and score. This was a pivotal moment for the Brewers that may have perhaps pushed him over the hump.
The Cards would fight back and the third, after Adam Kennedy and Albert Pujols reached with one out. Chris Duncan would single in Kennedy, but Pujols would get wrung up on his second baserunning mistake of the game, when Prince cut off the throw home and tossed him out at third. In the first Pujols was picked off from first when he left to early to try and steal second base. Pujols would end up making another out on the bases in the sixth following an impressive catch by Bill Hall, who saved two runs by doubling up Pujols off of second.
The Brewers would answer back in the third and the fifth with solo shots by Ryan Braun, making the score 4-1. A solo shot by Ludwick who went 1/4 with a three K's and a HR, made the score 4-2, but a pop up double from JJ Hardy and aggressive running by Bill Hall made the score 5-2. With Gagne out as the closer for probably the rest of the year, Salomon Torres and Brian Shouse tag teamed in the save after giving up a run in 9th.
Game Changing Play:
In the sixth inning the Cardinals were threatening with one out and two on. Troy Glaus ripped a ball poised for the corner and two on, but Bill Hall made a leaping catch above his head and threw an off balance ball right on the money to Rickie Weeks to end the threat and give Suppan a chance to go seven innings.
Predictions and Notes:
Well I was right about Saturday's game. It was a battle, and Gagne's final blow up has put him in a terrible mental state that will take some time to overcome. Interestingly enough he was able to man up and say, "It's mental," which you don't hear too often from baseball players. As for Sunday's game, I was dead wrong. Suppan was anything but impressive, walking far too many batters. But somehow he got away with it and went seven strong and got the first win for a Brewers' starter since Ben Sheets on April 29th.
Ryan Ludwick's homerun off of David Riske in the 8th inning ended the Brewers' bullpen not named Eric Gagne scoreless innings streak at 13, since Pence's walk-off against Mitch Stetter who has been impressive for the Brewers. Even with those two runs the bullpen has given up only two runs in 21 innings. It's promising to think about for the Crew, whose starting pitching has been an adventure. If they could get another reliable arm, they may be in line for a bit of a run, but if they don't, it will be an adventure all year.
Pujols has been as advertised. It's a rarity to see these kind of quality ABs every day, but Pujols 39-game on-base streak is ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as his .500 OBP. But Ludwick's playing time against righties has been interesting, especially yesterday with Suppan pitching and Ankiel on the bench. Ludwick is he epitome of a platoon player and is clearly a hit or miss type guy when it comes to righties on the mound. In yesterday's game he K'd three times, but hit a homerun off of Riske and in Saturday's game he struck out in his first appearance before hitting the game winner off of Gagne. I'm interested to see how LaRussa handles him the rest of the year. His .347/.407/.733 numbers are impressive, but how long do you think an average player can keep that up?
What's on Tap?:
The finale of this four game series comes tonight with Dave Bush taking on Adam Wainwright. This ultimately becomes the final litmus test for the Brewers to determine if they are in fact over the hump. With Bush pitching, there's no doubt the Brewers need to do some damage against the Cards ace who went 7.2 innings last time he faced the Brewers, and gave up only one run. Don't expect a great game from the Brewers, but if it happens, perhaps this team is back on its feet.
Milwaukee Brewers 5 St. Louis Cardinals 3
Players of the Game:
Jeff Suppan: 7 IP, 6 H, 5 BB, 4 K, 1 ER
Troy Glaus: 2/3; 2B, R, BB
Honorable Mention: Ryan Braun 2/4; 2 HRs
Game Recap:
For the first time in the a long time, the Brewers looked like a competitive baseball team, playing quality ball against and equally quality team. The Brewers struck early, scoring two in the first inning after a leadoff HBP and walk from Rickie Weeks and Tony Gwynn Jr, and Ryan Braun's two homeruns would keep the game out of reach as the Cardinals hitters did their best to claw ahead. In the end, the lack of production from the top half of the Cardinals lineup was the difference.
The Brewers looked poised to blow a big opportunity in the first after getting the first two on. Braun would move Weeks to third on a fly to right, and he would then score on a sac fly by Prince Fielder, leaving Gwynn still stranded at first. But a line drive double down the left field line by Corey Hart allowed Gwynn to come all away around and score. This was a pivotal moment for the Brewers that may have perhaps pushed him over the hump.
The Cards would fight back and the third, after Adam Kennedy and Albert Pujols reached with one out. Chris Duncan would single in Kennedy, but Pujols would get wrung up on his second baserunning mistake of the game, when Prince cut off the throw home and tossed him out at third. In the first Pujols was picked off from first when he left to early to try and steal second base. Pujols would end up making another out on the bases in the sixth following an impressive catch by Bill Hall, who saved two runs by doubling up Pujols off of second.
The Brewers would answer back in the third and the fifth with solo shots by Ryan Braun, making the score 4-1. A solo shot by Ludwick who went 1/4 with a three K's and a HR, made the score 4-2, but a pop up double from JJ Hardy and aggressive running by Bill Hall made the score 5-2. With Gagne out as the closer for probably the rest of the year, Salomon Torres and Brian Shouse tag teamed in the save after giving up a run in 9th.
Game Changing Play:
In the sixth inning the Cardinals were threatening with one out and two on. Troy Glaus ripped a ball poised for the corner and two on, but Bill Hall made a leaping catch above his head and threw an off balance ball right on the money to Rickie Weeks to end the threat and give Suppan a chance to go seven innings.
Predictions and Notes:
Well I was right about Saturday's game. It was a battle, and Gagne's final blow up has put him in a terrible mental state that will take some time to overcome. Interestingly enough he was able to man up and say, "It's mental," which you don't hear too often from baseball players. As for Sunday's game, I was dead wrong. Suppan was anything but impressive, walking far too many batters. But somehow he got away with it and went seven strong and got the first win for a Brewers' starter since Ben Sheets on April 29th.
Ryan Ludwick's homerun off of David Riske in the 8th inning ended the Brewers' bullpen not named Eric Gagne scoreless innings streak at 13, since Pence's walk-off against Mitch Stetter who has been impressive for the Brewers. Even with those two runs the bullpen has given up only two runs in 21 innings. It's promising to think about for the Crew, whose starting pitching has been an adventure. If they could get another reliable arm, they may be in line for a bit of a run, but if they don't, it will be an adventure all year.
Pujols has been as advertised. It's a rarity to see these kind of quality ABs every day, but Pujols 39-game on-base streak is ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as his .500 OBP. But Ludwick's playing time against righties has been interesting, especially yesterday with Suppan pitching and Ankiel on the bench. Ludwick is he epitome of a platoon player and is clearly a hit or miss type guy when it comes to righties on the mound. In yesterday's game he K'd three times, but hit a homerun off of Riske and in Saturday's game he struck out in his first appearance before hitting the game winner off of Gagne. I'm interested to see how LaRussa handles him the rest of the year. His .347/.407/.733 numbers are impressive, but how long do you think an average player can keep that up?
What's on Tap?:
The finale of this four game series comes tonight with Dave Bush taking on Adam Wainwright. This ultimately becomes the final litmus test for the Brewers to determine if they are in fact over the hump. With Bush pitching, there's no doubt the Brewers need to do some damage against the Cards ace who went 7.2 innings last time he faced the Brewers, and gave up only one run. Don't expect a great game from the Brewers, but if it happens, perhaps this team is back on its feet.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Brewers Cardinals Game One Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 4 St. Louis Cardinals 3
Players of the Game:
Rickie Weeks: 2/5; 2B, GWing 2 RBI single
Albert Pujols: 2/3; HR, BB
Game Recap:
The Brewers broke a six-game skid with an emotional victory last night after scoring two runs after two quick outs in the bottom of the 9th against closer, Jason Isringhausen. It was a sloppy game throughout as the Cardinals committed three errors, allowing two unearned runs to score, which were the only two the Brewers were get until the 9th inning.
Todd Wellenmeyer went through six strong, scattering six hits while striking out two, allowing two unearned runs, and Manny Parra was pulled after five to try and help the Brewers struggling offense. Parra struggled initially giving up three runs in the first two innings, via a homerun by Albert Pujols and suffering only two runs after loading the bases with nobody out in the second. Both bullpens held strong after that, as Riske, Torres, Shouse, McClellan and Franklin all tossed shutout baseball, but then Jason Isringhausen came out.
After Corey Hart and Bill Hall both flew out on one pitch (Hall's was a bullet that was caught on a very good play by Ankiel), Isringhausen melted down. JJ Hardy singled up the middle and Gabe Kapler followed with a solid single to left. Isringhausen would then go 3-0 against Kendall and walk him on five pitches, bringing up Rickie Weeks. My roommate sitting in the stands were yelling, "Take!" all over the place and Rickie did, going 1-0. As we yelled "Take!" again, Weeks ripped a fast ball up to the left field corner, scoring two. Prince Fielder was the first one to run out and clobber Weeks who was yelling like he had just won a playoff game, but getting of the snide is probably just as enjoyable.
Predictions and Notes:
This was a big win for the Brewers and it was predicted as such, but now today becomes the most important game of the series. Once teams get off the bus, they need to stay off it or they can fall further than ever before. Mike Cameron was awful, taking the collar and refusing to even hit a ball hard, bumping that prediction, but the Cardinals inability to get the top of the lineup on was the difference in this one. Schumaker struggled throughout against lefty Manny Parra, going 1/5 on the day with two strikeouts.
Troy Glaus was removed from the game early after bruising his tricep. His replacement Brendan Ryan proceeded to have an error the very next inning, but Gwynn would get caught stealing on a terrible hit and run call, where LaRussa outcoached Yost again by doing two pitch outs. We suggested going on a 2-1 count with it, but definitely not 1-1.
While the Brewers were on a 6-game skid, you probably couldn't tell by the number of fans in the stands. The Brewers sold-out Miller Park and when the game hit the 9th, surprisingly, the crowd was electric. It was interesting and enjoyable to see a city get behind a team like they did last night.
Game Changing Play:
Rickie Weeks walk-off 2-RBI single to win the game.
What's on Tap?:
Today the Brewers will take on the St. Louis Cardinals on national television (FOX) at 2:40 CST, pitting Ben Sheets against Joel Piniero. After Sheets skipped his first start of the year he's been serviceable, but unimpressive, giving up eight runs in 11.1 innings, 'ballooning' his ERA to 2.29, but he's the last he's the last Brewers starting pitcher to take a win and needs to get back on that horse today. Joel Piniero has performed quite well since returning to the bigs on April 13th, but has been inconsistent. In his last start he gave up four runs in just three innings after giving up 8 hits. This one is going to be a battle, and hopefully will display some decency on national television considering their 19-5 loss against the Cubs when they were on ESPN.
Milwaukee Brewers 4 St. Louis Cardinals 3
Players of the Game:
Rickie Weeks: 2/5; 2B, GWing 2 RBI single
Albert Pujols: 2/3; HR, BB
Game Recap:
The Brewers broke a six-game skid with an emotional victory last night after scoring two runs after two quick outs in the bottom of the 9th against closer, Jason Isringhausen. It was a sloppy game throughout as the Cardinals committed three errors, allowing two unearned runs to score, which were the only two the Brewers were get until the 9th inning.
Todd Wellenmeyer went through six strong, scattering six hits while striking out two, allowing two unearned runs, and Manny Parra was pulled after five to try and help the Brewers struggling offense. Parra struggled initially giving up three runs in the first two innings, via a homerun by Albert Pujols and suffering only two runs after loading the bases with nobody out in the second. Both bullpens held strong after that, as Riske, Torres, Shouse, McClellan and Franklin all tossed shutout baseball, but then Jason Isringhausen came out.
After Corey Hart and Bill Hall both flew out on one pitch (Hall's was a bullet that was caught on a very good play by Ankiel), Isringhausen melted down. JJ Hardy singled up the middle and Gabe Kapler followed with a solid single to left. Isringhausen would then go 3-0 against Kendall and walk him on five pitches, bringing up Rickie Weeks. My roommate sitting in the stands were yelling, "Take!" all over the place and Rickie did, going 1-0. As we yelled "Take!" again, Weeks ripped a fast ball up to the left field corner, scoring two. Prince Fielder was the first one to run out and clobber Weeks who was yelling like he had just won a playoff game, but getting of the snide is probably just as enjoyable.
Predictions and Notes:
This was a big win for the Brewers and it was predicted as such, but now today becomes the most important game of the series. Once teams get off the bus, they need to stay off it or they can fall further than ever before. Mike Cameron was awful, taking the collar and refusing to even hit a ball hard, bumping that prediction, but the Cardinals inability to get the top of the lineup on was the difference in this one. Schumaker struggled throughout against lefty Manny Parra, going 1/5 on the day with two strikeouts.
Troy Glaus was removed from the game early after bruising his tricep. His replacement Brendan Ryan proceeded to have an error the very next inning, but Gwynn would get caught stealing on a terrible hit and run call, where LaRussa outcoached Yost again by doing two pitch outs. We suggested going on a 2-1 count with it, but definitely not 1-1.
While the Brewers were on a 6-game skid, you probably couldn't tell by the number of fans in the stands. The Brewers sold-out Miller Park and when the game hit the 9th, surprisingly, the crowd was electric. It was interesting and enjoyable to see a city get behind a team like they did last night.
Game Changing Play:
Rickie Weeks walk-off 2-RBI single to win the game.
What's on Tap?:
Today the Brewers will take on the St. Louis Cardinals on national television (FOX) at 2:40 CST, pitting Ben Sheets against Joel Piniero. After Sheets skipped his first start of the year he's been serviceable, but unimpressive, giving up eight runs in 11.1 innings, 'ballooning' his ERA to 2.29, but he's the last he's the last Brewers starting pitcher to take a win and needs to get back on that horse today. Joel Piniero has performed quite well since returning to the bigs on April 13th, but has been inconsistent. In his last start he gave up four runs in just three innings after giving up 8 hits. This one is going to be a battle, and hopefully will display some decency on national television considering their 19-5 loss against the Cubs when they were on ESPN.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Brewers Cardinals Series Preview
The Series:
St. Louis Cardinals (22-14) at Milwaukee Brewers (16-18)
Who's on Tap?:
May 9th: Manny Parra (1-2, 5.86 ERA) vs. Todd Wellenmeyer (3-1, 4.07 ERA)
May 10th: Ben Sheets (4-0, 2.29 ERA) vs. Joel Pineiro (2-2, 4.33 ERA)
May 11th: Jeff Suppan (1-2, 5.22 ERA) vs. Braden Looper (5-1, 3.95 ERA)
May 12th: Dave Bush (0-4, 6.98 ERA) vs. Adam Wainwright (3-1, 2.25 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
You can't not watch Albert Pujols when the Cardinals are in town, so that's a no brainer, but you'll want to keep an eye on Skip Schumaker as well. Schumaker is 9/20 this year against Milwaukee, walking three times, while knocking in four with one homerun. His lead off spot will be the most important spot for the Cardinals in this series, considering the Brewers recent command problems. And for Cornfed, you can watch Ryan Ludwick when he plays tonight, considering it's the only night he will play. LaRussa has a pretty decent group of guys who work exceptionally well in platoon situations. Ludwick is awful against righties and will get his only shot tonight to make an impact, likely will since Parra is a lefty.
The Cardinals have been playing outstanding baseball lately, winning three of their last four series. The key to this performance has been the top of the lineup. While the Cardinals pitching isn't as impressive as it was in the first three weeks of baseball, the battles at the plate have been probably some of the best in the league. The Cardinals are only one percentage point behind the NL lead in OBP and have an incredible patience numbers (OBP - Average) at 90. Brewers starters have a tendency to dilly dally around the plate, which is to the advantage of a well disciplined squad. So walks and setting the table for Pujols and Ankiel will be important.
I feel so pessimistic. This team is playing awful, and until I see some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, it's hard to give the Brewers more than one victory this series. The Brewers are 2-3 against the Cardinals this season, but both wins were comeback wins. A part of me wants them to lose the next two though. Steve 'Sparky' Phifer of AM1250 WSSP in Milwaukee has currently been awake for some 60 hours after he vowed not to sleep until the Brewers win another game. I hope he realizes he's in for a bit of a health problem. Anyways, the Brewers' offense will likely explode tonight against Wellemeyer and take a back seat for the remainder of the series. The Brewers win tonight by a minor margin, battle tomorrow in a low scoring affair with Sheets in the mound only to lose (that one's a toss up) and will fall apart on Sunday and Monday, giving the Cardinals the series 3-1.
St. Louis Cardinals (22-14) at Milwaukee Brewers (16-18)
Who's on Tap?:
May 9th: Manny Parra (1-2, 5.86 ERA) vs. Todd Wellenmeyer (3-1, 4.07 ERA)
May 10th: Ben Sheets (4-0, 2.29 ERA) vs. Joel Pineiro (2-2, 4.33 ERA)
May 11th: Jeff Suppan (1-2, 5.22 ERA) vs. Braden Looper (5-1, 3.95 ERA)
May 12th: Dave Bush (0-4, 6.98 ERA) vs. Adam Wainwright (3-1, 2.25 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
You can't not watch Albert Pujols when the Cardinals are in town, so that's a no brainer, but you'll want to keep an eye on Skip Schumaker as well. Schumaker is 9/20 this year against Milwaukee, walking three times, while knocking in four with one homerun. His lead off spot will be the most important spot for the Cardinals in this series, considering the Brewers recent command problems. And for Cornfed, you can watch Ryan Ludwick when he plays tonight, considering it's the only night he will play. LaRussa has a pretty decent group of guys who work exceptionally well in platoon situations. Ludwick is awful against righties and will get his only shot tonight to make an impact, likely will since Parra is a lefty.
As for the Brewers, it's extremely hard to determine who will have an impact if anyone will. Ben Sheets will definitely be worth checking out, considering the Brewers woes. If he pitches well and the Brewers continue to nose dive, the Crew will have an opportunity to replenish their minors with young promising prospects and prepare for next year after a trade. But if Sheets pitches well, he could turn this team around and send it on a run. It's a delicate balance on a such a young team. On the offensive side of things, Mike Cameron makes his Miller Park debut and might enjoy a short porch in left. Cameron has homered three times in just 9 games, but has also struck out 13 times, which means it's hit or miss. It's sad to say, but he'll probably surpass Braun in walks by the end of this series. He has five, while Braun has seven. If he can get on and get into the pitcher's head, the Brewers could break out of their offensive funk.
Keys to Victory:The Cardinals have been playing outstanding baseball lately, winning three of their last four series. The key to this performance has been the top of the lineup. While the Cardinals pitching isn't as impressive as it was in the first three weeks of baseball, the battles at the plate have been probably some of the best in the league. The Cardinals are only one percentage point behind the NL lead in OBP and have an incredible patience numbers (OBP - Average) at 90. Brewers starters have a tendency to dilly dally around the plate, which is to the advantage of a well disciplined squad. So walks and setting the table for Pujols and Ankiel will be important.
The Brewers need to follow the red Cardinals suit. They've recently improved their ability to battle at the plate, but have yet to finish with walks. Instead they find themselves swinging through pitches in the dirt and off the plate. But walks aren't as important as going with pitches. Teams in the league have the Brewers' hitters all pinned as pull hitters and have been taking advantage at monstrous clips, leading to a team average of .239. While the pitching will struggle again this series, they can be just as easily picked up by a more motivated squad at the plate.
Predictions:I feel so pessimistic. This team is playing awful, and until I see some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, it's hard to give the Brewers more than one victory this series. The Brewers are 2-3 against the Cardinals this season, but both wins were comeback wins. A part of me wants them to lose the next two though. Steve 'Sparky' Phifer of AM1250 WSSP in Milwaukee has currently been awake for some 60 hours after he vowed not to sleep until the Brewers win another game. I hope he realizes he's in for a bit of a health problem. Anyways, the Brewers' offense will likely explode tonight against Wellemeyer and take a back seat for the remainder of the series. The Brewers win tonight by a minor margin, battle tomorrow in a low scoring affair with Sheets in the mound only to lose (that one's a toss up) and will fall apart on Sunday and Monday, giving the Cardinals the series 3-1.
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