Brewers Giants Series Recap

It's getting tougher and tougher to keep this thing going as work gets busier and busier. However, I promise I will keep knocking out series previews, recaps and different types of analysis.

Scores Recap:
Milwaukee Brewers 9 San Francisco Giants 1
Milwaukee Brewers 8 San Francisco Giants 5
Milwaukee Brewers 7 San Francisco Giants 4

MVPs of the Series:
Ryan Braun: 6/13; 2 2Bs, 2 3Bs, HR, 5 RBIs, SB, BB, 3 Rs
Jose Castillo: 4/12; 2B, 2 Rs, 3 RBIs, SB

Ryan Braun did a whole lot of everything this weekend. He hit for power, he stole a base, he took a walk and even played a pretty good left field. The beautiful thing is he didn't do it alone. Prince Fielder pretty much matched Ryan with a 5/13 line, two HRs, 5 RBIs and two runs of his own. This is what Brewers fans like to see: their two big bats showing their ability to single handedly carry this team. However, their performances have been a little over-shadowed by the big three. That's right THREE. Manny Parra has actually outpitched Ben Sheets over the last month or so and you that's not very disputable. Nevertheless, the NL Central has a lot to be afraid of if both Braun and Fielder are on over the next few weeks.

The Giants were marred by the flu-bug this weekend, and it clearly showed, but you have to wonder how much of a difference it really made. Surprisingly, Jose Castillo was the only real bright spot for the Giants in this three game set, as Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn were pretty much kept silent. You would have fully expected someone like Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum to pick up the nod, but while both were impressive at times, they were a bit vulnerable. Castillo was easily the most productive, though, as he seemed to be the only Giant trying to keep them in the game.

What Was the Difference?:
Defense. Let's be honest here, neither team impressed with their leather, combining for nine errors. But San Francisco committed six of those errors and gave the Brewers far too many opportunities. These mishaps only led to one extra run, but also at least 15-20 extra pitches for Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. Both of these guys were dealing, but were forced into far too many precarious positions as a result of some really awful misplays. In the end, the pitch count and number opportunities caught up to them. I'm not really sure why they pushed Lincecum so hard considering his health issues, but his last pitch put the game out of reach and gave the Brewers the sweep.

Causes for Concern:
The Giants are clearly out of it as far as the playoffs go, but you have to wonder if the team is playing like it. There were quite a few careless mistakes this weekend, and unfortunately they all came in front of some sell out crowds. First of all, props to the San Fran market for putting fans in the stands when your team is 18 games under .500. But shame on the Giants for not showing up, and for the most part embarrassing themselves in the field, especially with their three best pitchers on the mound. The biggest culprit, though, was Kellchi Yabu, who up until this series was pretty solid out of the pen. This time around he threw a wild pitch that scored two runs, hit two batters, walked one an gave up two runs of his own in just one third of an inning.

The Brewers blunders on the defensive end of things conjure up memories of a year ago. Until about two weeks ago, the defense had been somewhat of a strength of this squad, but the past ten games have been an adventure. It's a bit difficult to swallow because the starting pitching of this team has been going deep and saving this bullpen for the home stretch. We cannot afford to continue to give free outs and hurt the starters' chances of going deep. The fewer the innings for the bullpen, the less likely they'll be to blow up, and the more confidence they'll gain.

Causes for Excitement:
Despite their struggles this weekend, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are clearly the mainstays of this organization and they have not disappointed. Cain looked phenomenal, but errors and a mistake or two really hurt him in the long run. Lincecum's line isn't impressive, but he struck out eight in his six innings of work, which is pretty damn good. You may even be able to throw Jonathon Sanchez into that group, who has nasty stuff and was able to strike out just as many in 5.1 innings. If somehow the Giants could find some offense, they could be a force to be reckoned with.

When Doug Melvin made the big move to bring CC Sabathia to the Brewers, I'm sure he imagined this weekend was going to happen over and over and over again. With their three aces on the mound, the Brewers found themselves ahead to start every game, got spectacular performances from two of them, and saved the other with an offensive storm. This could be a preview of what teams will have to see in the playoffs.