Brewers Marlins Game 1 Recap

First off all, you have to give it up for Apple. My hard drive fried Monday evening around 9 or so. I went to the Apple store at noon yesterday, and they diagnosed the problem and had a new hard drive in by two. That's a fair change from losing my computer for a month when I went to Best Buy. Thank God for warranties.

The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 0 Florida Marlins 3

Players of the Game:
David Riske: 1 IP, 2 K, 0-3 Inherited Runners Scored
Scott Olsen: 8.2 IP, 2 H, 8 K, 4 BB (W)

Game Recap:
Tuesday wasn't very pretty for the Brewers. The 10,113 Marlins fans, on the other hand, had plenty to cheer for. Left hander Scott Olson blanked the right handed heavy Brewers through 8.2 innings of baseball before loading the bases in the 9th and giving the ball to his closer. One pitch later and the game was over, and the the Brewers finished the game with only two hits and four walks. The problem: poor at bats.

Scott Olsen was impressive. He wasn't lights out or anything, but he located his pitches well and was getting calls when he needed them. But you have to suspect there was a problem at the other end of the field when you find out that Scott's GB:FB was 5:13, the wind was blowing out and it was May, not July in Florida. There's no blaming the thick humidity for this one.

As for the pitching on the other side, Jeff Suppan didn't pitch particularly well, giving up three over five innings, before loading the bases with nobody out in the sixth. He was saved by Riske, who struck out two before getting a ground out to end the inning. Ultimately, it was a two out walk and two-run bomb by Mike Jacobs in the third that encompassed the entire offense for both teams. Only two hits were recorded after Suppan left the game in the bottom of the sixth, so you can imagine how exciting this game was on the offensive side.

Game Changing Play:
After Ned Yost was tossed in the fourth inning for arguing a balls and strikes on a punch out by Mike Cameron, Ryan Braun doubled, bringing up Prince Fielder. Fielder ripped a ball down the first base line, that was knocked down on a good play by Mike Jacobs, preventing any momentum to swing in the Brewers favor. Corey Hart harmlessly flew out two pitches later to end the inning.

Predictions Dead On:
Soup's three in five line is hardly an indication of how not so good he pitched. A more detailed line looks like this: 5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Ouch, that's a WHIP of over two. If Riske hadn't bailed him out, he would have been terrible. Nevertheless, pitching kept the Brewers in the game yet again, while the offensive woes continued. It's pretty clear the Brewers have the worst approach in the league. I read a quote from Rickie Weeks this morning that said the Brewers are having good ABs, they're just not getting rewarded for them. Let me tell you something, if a guy goes into the 9th inning with only one hit and 103 pitches under his belt, you are NOT having good at bats. Corey Hart didn't perform to any one's standards and Hanley Ramirez continued his onslaught of Jeff Suppan, by singling, walking and striking out on what should have been another walk, but was a 10 pitch AB nevertheless.

Notes: This game was the lowest of lows for the Brewers; lower than losing Gallardo for the season; lower than getting swept in Houston. This is insulting to a team that is marred with talent, but can't seem to play a lick this year. Even Ryan Braun realized it as he slipped up and cussed in his post game conference, but Ned Yost still sits back and acts calm. He's hardly a motivator for this young team. He often talks about how he had to be a mentor the last few years to help the team understand what they're going through, but now he can be laid back since they've been through a pennant race. It isn't working, Ned. Get on your team. Bench those who haven't performed in a month, and tell them if they want to play, to stop giving away ABs and stop pressing. Go up there and play baseball damnit. Sometimes a week off is all it takes to open a guys eyes and make him stop taking his job for granted. If nothing changes, perhaps it's time to make a drastic move. What that is, I'm not really sure, but a shake up will undoubtedly be necessary.

What's on Tap?:
Game two of the Marlins Brewers series is tonight at 6 PM, pitting Dave Bush against the Tiger acquired Burke Badenhop. Badenhop has been anything but impressive this year, but neither has Bush, so fans may be in for another ugly game, marred with walks and maybe some long balls. Dave Bush will get off the snide tonight, but he won't win any fans. Neither will Burke Badenhop.