After a few days off on this guy, it's back on the horse. Work has been incredibly busy and I'm fixing the house for a fourth roommate to save some cash. On with the show...
The Series:
Milwaukee Brewers (44-37) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (41-41)
Who's on Tap?:
June 30th: Dave Bush (4-7, 4.94 ERA) vs. Doug Davis (2-3, 3.68 ERA)
July 1st: Jeff Suppan (4-6, 4.05 ERA) vs. Randy Johnson (4-6, 4.94 ERA)
July 2nd: Seth McClung (5-3, 4.25 ERA) vs. Micah Owings (6-7, 5.18 ERA)
July 3rd: Manny Parra (8-2, 3.95 ERA) vs. Brandon Webb (12-4, 3.21 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
If you didn't know already, Arizona is finally 'healthy', as Eric Byrnes returned from the DL early last week. Unfortunately for the D'Backs, it hasn't been all that rewarding. Byrnes is 2 for 22 since coming back up and is struggling mightily at the plate. Brewer fans beware, though. Byrnes has five-tool talent and could shake the rust at any time. Elsewhere, keep an eye out for Conor Jackson, who is having a break-out year to keep his team afloat in the dismal NL West. Conor is batting .309/.402/.482 this season, up from his .286/.370/.449 career numbers. As a result, he's far and away the most consistent player on the team. Pitching-wise, the Brewers dodge Dan Haren, but this is a four game series so you're bound to see the ace. Brandon Webb is a sinker-baller who gets a considerable amount of ground balls. To top it off he can strike you out. Webb is a Brewers nightmare. In seven starts against Milwaukee, Webb has tossed 44 innings and given up only 13 earnies, while striking out 42 and walking 16. But the big stat is he has only given up four bombs. That's a recipe for disaster for a team that relies heavily on the long ball.
On the opposite side of the field, the Brewers come in needing to split this series to salvage a road trip of missed opportunities. The Cubs have lost four straight and opened the door, but neither St. Louis or Milwaukee could do a thing about it. If they plan on turning things around Prince Fielder is going to have to start playing. With each strikeout this week, he's losing dollars in arbitration. Prince is 1/24 in the last six games and has only walked once. And to top it off, he hasn't played very good defense in the last month. It's gut-wrenching for Brewers' fans, who saw Prince slug .618 last year, only to see it drop all the way back down to .488. The interesting thing is that it's not like Prince isn't getting anything to hit. With the ever so consistent Corey Hart behind him, he's getting plenty of fastballs and just swinging right through them. On the mound, it's time to really watch Dave Bush and Seth McClung. The trade deadline is not too far out and the market is finally starting to push to the buyer rather than the seller. Bush has had two solid outings since struggling A LOT to open the season, but limiting the free baserunners and the long ball has saved him considerably. I'm still not sure how his ERA is under five. Seth McClung has been pretty solid since entering the rotation and his upside is immeasurable when compared to Bush's. Seth struggled in his last start against the Twins, leaving far too many pitches over the plate after getting down in the count. Seth clearly didn't have the stuff that night. In any case, both need to show the organization something if they plan on staying in the rotation if a Sabathia, Greinke or Lee arrive in Milwaukee.
Keys to Victory:
The D'backs are struggling bad, going 3-7 in their last ten and 8-13 since getting swept in Milwaukee, and the problem is clearly still the offense. Their pitching staff has been okay, but not amazing. If they can manage four runs, they usually win. As a result, they'll need ot just be patient and take the baserunners they're given. Parra, Bush, McClung and Suppan have all had considerable command issues. They often get behind and find themselves, more often than not, in a fastball situation. McClung, at times, can get away with this because his ball has filthy movement, but Bush and Suppan cannot. Parra is kind of in between. As a result, the D'Backs will have to do their best to work the count and capitalize on those situations.
For the Brewers, walk... walk... walk... WALK! God, I can't take it anymore. These guys just do not like to walk, and really struggle with two strikes, which is proof that they don't have a very good concept of the strike zone. At this point, only Jason Kendall, Rickie Weeks and JJ Hardy are the only three guys who are more than happy to take their walks. Fielder, Braun, Cameron and Corey Hart, could give a crap. They'd rather swing at a 3-1 pitch out of the zone. Grow up guys. A .321 OBP this season is not going to score you runs on a regular basis. It's okay to rely on the long ball every now and then, and free runners will help you there, but games like Friday's or the first game in the Baltimore series, really get under my skin. They have walked just 13 times in their last six games, which is not very good. But it's pretty bad when you realize they've struck out 43 times during that period. Unproductive outs on bad pitches. It looks like the homestand was the anomaly, not the norm.
Predictions and Notes:
- First of all, props to Kevin Slowey. The guy was just nasty yesterday. After the Braves game against Campillo, Yost was talking up Jorge as if he was awesome that day. Yeah, the guy hit his spots, but the Brewers got themselves out more so that Campillo getting them out. Slowey, on the other hand, was sick nasty. His two seam fastball fooled me half the time. The late tail was practically unhittable. I know a good pitching game when I see one and Slowey really impressed me. The Twins always seem to have great young arms in their system. The Brewers should steal one of their scouts. Though, I am hoping to see what Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress put together.
- The D'Backs are struggling so bad, that I'm convinced the Brewers have a shot at taking three games in Arizona. Will I actually predict that? Um, no. I can't see the Brewers taking down Webb or Doug Davis, who owned the Brewers in his last outing. The Brewers are just so inconsistent and Arizona has more than enough talent to capitalize on it. Arizona will have an excellent night tonight and on Thursday, but the Brewers offense will take advantage of Owings and Randy Johnson just as they did in Milwaukee. Webb will finish it off and send the Brewers packing with a split in the series and a split on the stand.
- The Brewers have a chance to make a big run if they split this road trip 5-5. Starting on Friday, they get three games against Pittsburgh (38-43), four games against Colorado (32-50) and three games against Cincinnati (38-45) at Miller Park (All but two of those games are in HD!). While the Cubs only real challenge is playing in St. Louis this weekend, the Brewers can simply put the pressure on them by continuing to win ball games at home. It's not too much to ask for the Crew to go 7-3 or 8-2 to finish up the first half.
- Eric Gagne returns to the Brewers bullpen this afternoon. I don't expect to see him out there unless there's at least a 2-3 run lead in the 7th or 8th inning. Yost, I suspect, doesn't really trust the guy. Unless Mota is clearly unable to pitch, he will take the 8th and Villa will continue in the 7th. To make room for him, the Brewers demoted Mark DiFelice, who was told to stretch out and work on his breaking pitches. DiFelice has the command and stamina to be in the bigs as a #4 or a #5 in this league. Unfortunately, it leaves the Brewers without a mop up or long innings guy. You can say Villanueva if you want, but that's a waste of talent.
- Since returning from the DL, Rickie Weeks is 7/28 with three walks. Not really good, but the ball is really jumping off his bat. The Brewers really need him to start producing, or a move for a guy like Brian Roberts might be too good to pass up for Doug Melvin if the price is cheap enough. Though, you have to imagine Rickie's numbers don't really suggest he'll get a lot in arbitration, so his potential upside is still going to be SUPER cheap for two years.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Brewers Braves Series Recap
The Scores:
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Atlanta Braves 1
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Atlanta Braves 3
Milwaukee Brewers 2 Atlanta Braves 4
MVPs of the Series:
Rickie Weeks: 5/12; 2 2Bs, 3B, 2 Rs, 2 RBIs, SB, BB
Kelly Johnson: 4/12; 2B, 2 Rs, 3 RBIs, BB
Rickie has come off the DL with a vengeance. Despite a poor game on Tuesday, Rickie has hit the ball hard almost every time up. In today's game, he was the only Brewer to really look (ok sound) good at the plate, taking pitches and driving balls to the gaps. The result was a close game despite another awful game by the Brewers.
Kelly Johnson was in some way responsible for five of the Braves eight runs this series. That alone gives him the honor. Johnson did absolutely everything series to give his team a shot without Chipper in the lineup. He worked the count, found holes, played excellent defense and ran the bases excellently. They'll need him to continue doing this if Chipper cannot get back any time soon. Every pinch hit means they can't put him on the DL retroactively.
What Was the Difference?:
The Braves defense. Nothing really sticks out this series as far as the difference between these two squads. Both teams played two terrible games, the Brewers on Tuesday and Wednesday and the Braves on Monday and Tuesday. But the difference was the four errors, well five on Tuesday, which turned out to be the decisive game in the series.
Causes for Concern:
The Braves need Chipper Jones back and fast. This offense struggled terribly with him out of the lineup. The Braves managed 21 hits in the three game series, but only eleven in the first two games. It seems like the protection Chipper brings and his almost .500 OBP is absolutely essential for this group to have any success. Reuben Gotay just won't cut it and Omar Infante came up limping on Wednesday afternoon. The infielder situation is starting to look bleak. It might be in the best interest of the Braves to just put Chipper on the DL and let him get healthy because the they're going to need the extra help, especially if Infante is limited in any fashion.
The Brewers may have taken this series, but it wasn't pretty. After game one the patience and plate discipline practically disappeared. I couldn't even watch the game on Tuesday without screaming every couple of seconds at the idiotic moves by both teams. Baseball like that makes me sick and really question the ability of the players. It's like this team is a two headed monster. Which one goes to battle depends on whether or not they're on the road or particularly confident that day. This means they could make a huge run for a long period of time, and at the other end fumble for just as long. That's scary, but the Rockies did it last year. They just fumbled at the wrong time.
Causes for Excitement:
The Braves have something in Charlie Morton and Jorge Campillo. I was impressed with both of these guys, though I didn't get to watch yesterday afternoon's game. I did get to see him on my birthday. Both of these pitchers showed excellent control of their stuff even if their stuff isn't phenomenal. The Braves organization always seems to find these very serviceable guys, who just do the work they're asked to do. I know Campillo impressed a lot of folks yesterday, even if it was the free swinging, poor disciplined Brewers he made look silly. It should be fun to see how long he can sustain this immense success considering this is he is 29 and this is first full season in the bigs.
Rickie Weeks was incredible this series. He struggled at the plate on Tuesday, but he more than made up for it in the field and at the plate the other two games. Rickie, who recently just came off the DL, simply shortened up his swing. He's got lightening quick hands and if he simply lets his ability takeover and tries not to do too much, he's got as much talent as any one on this team. I'm a bit of a Weeks apologist. The guy deserves the leadoff role because he has the best concept of the strike zone on the team. But it's such a mental thing with him. He always seems to be pressing to hard. It's when he goes in there and just lets things happen, this kind of series happens. Hopefully he's got things completely figured out and we'll see sustained success the rest of the season.
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Atlanta Braves 1
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Atlanta Braves 3
Milwaukee Brewers 2 Atlanta Braves 4
MVPs of the Series:
Rickie Weeks: 5/12; 2 2Bs, 3B, 2 Rs, 2 RBIs, SB, BB
Kelly Johnson: 4/12; 2B, 2 Rs, 3 RBIs, BB
Rickie has come off the DL with a vengeance. Despite a poor game on Tuesday, Rickie has hit the ball hard almost every time up. In today's game, he was the only Brewer to really look (ok sound) good at the plate, taking pitches and driving balls to the gaps. The result was a close game despite another awful game by the Brewers.
Kelly Johnson was in some way responsible for five of the Braves eight runs this series. That alone gives him the honor. Johnson did absolutely everything series to give his team a shot without Chipper in the lineup. He worked the count, found holes, played excellent defense and ran the bases excellently. They'll need him to continue doing this if Chipper cannot get back any time soon. Every pinch hit means they can't put him on the DL retroactively.
What Was the Difference?:
The Braves defense. Nothing really sticks out this series as far as the difference between these two squads. Both teams played two terrible games, the Brewers on Tuesday and Wednesday and the Braves on Monday and Tuesday. But the difference was the four errors, well five on Tuesday, which turned out to be the decisive game in the series.
Causes for Concern:
The Braves need Chipper Jones back and fast. This offense struggled terribly with him out of the lineup. The Braves managed 21 hits in the three game series, but only eleven in the first two games. It seems like the protection Chipper brings and his almost .500 OBP is absolutely essential for this group to have any success. Reuben Gotay just won't cut it and Omar Infante came up limping on Wednesday afternoon. The infielder situation is starting to look bleak. It might be in the best interest of the Braves to just put Chipper on the DL and let him get healthy because the they're going to need the extra help, especially if Infante is limited in any fashion.
The Brewers may have taken this series, but it wasn't pretty. After game one the patience and plate discipline practically disappeared. I couldn't even watch the game on Tuesday without screaming every couple of seconds at the idiotic moves by both teams. Baseball like that makes me sick and really question the ability of the players. It's like this team is a two headed monster. Which one goes to battle depends on whether or not they're on the road or particularly confident that day. This means they could make a huge run for a long period of time, and at the other end fumble for just as long. That's scary, but the Rockies did it last year. They just fumbled at the wrong time.
Causes for Excitement:
The Braves have something in Charlie Morton and Jorge Campillo. I was impressed with both of these guys, though I didn't get to watch yesterday afternoon's game. I did get to see him on my birthday. Both of these pitchers showed excellent control of their stuff even if their stuff isn't phenomenal. The Braves organization always seems to find these very serviceable guys, who just do the work they're asked to do. I know Campillo impressed a lot of folks yesterday, even if it was the free swinging, poor disciplined Brewers he made look silly. It should be fun to see how long he can sustain this immense success considering this is he is 29 and this is first full season in the bigs.
Rickie Weeks was incredible this series. He struggled at the plate on Tuesday, but he more than made up for it in the field and at the plate the other two games. Rickie, who recently just came off the DL, simply shortened up his swing. He's got lightening quick hands and if he simply lets his ability takeover and tries not to do too much, he's got as much talent as any one on this team. I'm a bit of a Weeks apologist. The guy deserves the leadoff role because he has the best concept of the strike zone on the team. But it's such a mental thing with him. He always seems to be pressing to hard. It's when he goes in there and just lets things happen, this kind of series happens. Hopefully he's got things completely figured out and we'll see sustained success the rest of the season.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Brewers Braves Game Two Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Atlanta Braves 3
MVPs of the Game:
Jason Kendall: 2/3; BB, SB, 2 Rs
Mark Teixeira: 2/4; HR, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 Rs
Game Recap:
The Atlanta Braves lost this game. And I won't say any more than that because, in my opinion, the Brewers sure didn't win it, despite Dave Bush's quality outing. Bobby Cox's team committed three errors in the first inning and set the tone for the entire game until the bottom of the ninth. Mark Teixeira's heroics wouldn't be enough though, only blemishing Salomon Torres' ERA, not his current save streak.
With ground ball pitcher Charlie Morton taking the mound, it was clear the Braves would need some sure handed defense if they wanted to keep the Brewers off the board. Two pitches into the game, it was pretty clear that wasn't going to happen. Rickie Weeks followed up his stellar game yesterday with a pitiful performance of trying to pull outside pitches. In the first inning, though, there was a vast nothingness at the shortstop position, where the usually sure-handed Yuniel Escobar often stands. After Rickie reached on Escobar's error, JJ Hardy singled to left, bringing up Ryan Braun. Braun would promptly single to the right side allowing Rickie to score, but an error by Jeff Francouer allowed JJ to advance to third. This would turn out to be a big moment for the Crew. After a harmless flyout by Prince, Corey Hart hit a soft dribbler to the left side for a fielder's choice, which under normal circumstances would have left runners at the corners. Instead, JJ Hardy would score, leaving the game at 2-0.
The Brewers would play a little small ball to get their third run in the second inning. After a Jason Kendall single, Dave Bush would bunt him to second. This again turned out to be important as Rickie ripped a routine double play ball to short, that turned out to be only one out. This allowed JJ Hardy an AB with RISP, which he took an advantage by promptly doubling over the head of Brandon Jones, who COMPLETELY misplayed the ball. Outfielders get the benefit of not being called for errors on routine balls, as long as they don't touch them.
Jason Kendall would start this process all over again in the fourth with a walk, stolen base, sac bunt and sac fly to make the game 4-0 for Dave Bush who did well tonight. Bush avoided the long ball and the free pass, which have been his Achilles' heal on the road, en route to a fantastic outing. When the game was complete, his line read 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, BB and 5 K, which is a nice follow up to his near no-hit outing last week.
But that line makes it seem like this one was a no brainer, which was not the case at all. After picking up a run on an RBI groundout in the seventh, the Braves took on the Brewers lights out closer, Salomon Torres in the ninth. Since taking the ninth inning role, Torres has been almost perfect, but tonight, he faltered and just could not find the strike zone. He started the ninth with a walk to Kelly Johnson, starting him out 3-0. This mistake was seen by Mark Teixeira who sat dead red on a first pitch fastball and took it to the opposite field for a two run blast. This turned a comfortable three run lead into a one run nail biter with nobody out.
To make things worse, Brian McCann would follow this up with a single, putting the tying run on first with nobody out. After a sac bunt by Omar Infante to put the runner in scoring position, Torres would bare down and get Jeff Fracouer to ground out. And this is where the excellent call came in by Ned Yost. After Yuniel Escobar was tossed from the game in the fourth inning and Cox using two pinch hitters and two pinch runners, only one batter is left on his bench. That man is back-up catcher Corky Miller, who is batting .100 on the season. As a result, Ned would walk Brandon Jones, who is batting over .300 on the season, and put the go-ahead run at first. That's risky business, but come on! Corky Miller? After battling the strike zone again, Torres got Corky to line out softly to short to preserve a 4-3 victory.
Game Changing Play:
After Prince Fielder was too slow to bend over on a ball by Gregor Blanco, Yuniel Escobar would single to put runners on first and second with nobody out in the fourth inning. Kelly Johnson then lined out to Prince Fielder who dove for Yuniel Escobar in a bang bang play that went the Brewers way. Bobby Cox did his best to get out there to prevent his shortstop from getting tossed, but he was too late and Escobar was gone. The play could have gone either way, but Escobar getting tossed put Cox in a bind. With Chipper Jones limited to pinch hitting and not allowed run the bases, Cox would be forced to use a pinch runner if he gets on, which he did later. In the end, he ran out of subs and Escobar getting tossed put him there.
Notes:
- The Brewers played a terrible game tonight and got away with another victory. That seems to have a happened a lot this year. It makes me wonder how long they'll be able to get away with it or if they'll start playing a good baseball like they have over the last week or so.
- Interestingly, every team in the NL East is on a two game losing streak and the Brewers are a game ahead of the division leading Phillies.
- The Cubs got their first look at the future without Carlos Zambrano. They lost 7-5, breaking a 14 game home winning-streak. This puts the Brewers only 5.0 GB from the NL leaders, though St. Louis won, keeping that gap at 1.5 GB.
- Eric Gagne through a scoreless inning in his rehab assignment on Tuesday night. He's probably one or two outings away from coming back into the 'pen. Say goodbye to Mitch Stetter until the next injury.
What's on Tap?:
I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Brewers are going for a series sweep against Braves tomorrow afternoon. It would be a fantastic way to start the road-trip, but is it going to happen? Jeff Suppan will need to get it done against Jorge Campillo if it is so.
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Atlanta Braves 3
MVPs of the Game:
Jason Kendall: 2/3; BB, SB, 2 Rs
Mark Teixeira: 2/4; HR, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 Rs
Game Recap:
The Atlanta Braves lost this game. And I won't say any more than that because, in my opinion, the Brewers sure didn't win it, despite Dave Bush's quality outing. Bobby Cox's team committed three errors in the first inning and set the tone for the entire game until the bottom of the ninth. Mark Teixeira's heroics wouldn't be enough though, only blemishing Salomon Torres' ERA, not his current save streak.
With ground ball pitcher Charlie Morton taking the mound, it was clear the Braves would need some sure handed defense if they wanted to keep the Brewers off the board. Two pitches into the game, it was pretty clear that wasn't going to happen. Rickie Weeks followed up his stellar game yesterday with a pitiful performance of trying to pull outside pitches. In the first inning, though, there was a vast nothingness at the shortstop position, where the usually sure-handed Yuniel Escobar often stands. After Rickie reached on Escobar's error, JJ Hardy singled to left, bringing up Ryan Braun. Braun would promptly single to the right side allowing Rickie to score, but an error by Jeff Francouer allowed JJ to advance to third. This would turn out to be a big moment for the Crew. After a harmless flyout by Prince, Corey Hart hit a soft dribbler to the left side for a fielder's choice, which under normal circumstances would have left runners at the corners. Instead, JJ Hardy would score, leaving the game at 2-0.
The Brewers would play a little small ball to get their third run in the second inning. After a Jason Kendall single, Dave Bush would bunt him to second. This again turned out to be important as Rickie ripped a routine double play ball to short, that turned out to be only one out. This allowed JJ Hardy an AB with RISP, which he took an advantage by promptly doubling over the head of Brandon Jones, who COMPLETELY misplayed the ball. Outfielders get the benefit of not being called for errors on routine balls, as long as they don't touch them.
Jason Kendall would start this process all over again in the fourth with a walk, stolen base, sac bunt and sac fly to make the game 4-0 for Dave Bush who did well tonight. Bush avoided the long ball and the free pass, which have been his Achilles' heal on the road, en route to a fantastic outing. When the game was complete, his line read 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, BB and 5 K, which is a nice follow up to his near no-hit outing last week.
But that line makes it seem like this one was a no brainer, which was not the case at all. After picking up a run on an RBI groundout in the seventh, the Braves took on the Brewers lights out closer, Salomon Torres in the ninth. Since taking the ninth inning role, Torres has been almost perfect, but tonight, he faltered and just could not find the strike zone. He started the ninth with a walk to Kelly Johnson, starting him out 3-0. This mistake was seen by Mark Teixeira who sat dead red on a first pitch fastball and took it to the opposite field for a two run blast. This turned a comfortable three run lead into a one run nail biter with nobody out.
To make things worse, Brian McCann would follow this up with a single, putting the tying run on first with nobody out. After a sac bunt by Omar Infante to put the runner in scoring position, Torres would bare down and get Jeff Fracouer to ground out. And this is where the excellent call came in by Ned Yost. After Yuniel Escobar was tossed from the game in the fourth inning and Cox using two pinch hitters and two pinch runners, only one batter is left on his bench. That man is back-up catcher Corky Miller, who is batting .100 on the season. As a result, Ned would walk Brandon Jones, who is batting over .300 on the season, and put the go-ahead run at first. That's risky business, but come on! Corky Miller? After battling the strike zone again, Torres got Corky to line out softly to short to preserve a 4-3 victory.
Game Changing Play:
After Prince Fielder was too slow to bend over on a ball by Gregor Blanco, Yuniel Escobar would single to put runners on first and second with nobody out in the fourth inning. Kelly Johnson then lined out to Prince Fielder who dove for Yuniel Escobar in a bang bang play that went the Brewers way. Bobby Cox did his best to get out there to prevent his shortstop from getting tossed, but he was too late and Escobar was gone. The play could have gone either way, but Escobar getting tossed put Cox in a bind. With Chipper Jones limited to pinch hitting and not allowed run the bases, Cox would be forced to use a pinch runner if he gets on, which he did later. In the end, he ran out of subs and Escobar getting tossed put him there.
Notes:
- The Brewers played a terrible game tonight and got away with another victory. That seems to have a happened a lot this year. It makes me wonder how long they'll be able to get away with it or if they'll start playing a good baseball like they have over the last week or so.
- Interestingly, every team in the NL East is on a two game losing streak and the Brewers are a game ahead of the division leading Phillies.
- The Cubs got their first look at the future without Carlos Zambrano. They lost 7-5, breaking a 14 game home winning-streak. This puts the Brewers only 5.0 GB from the NL leaders, though St. Louis won, keeping that gap at 1.5 GB.
- Eric Gagne through a scoreless inning in his rehab assignment on Tuesday night. He's probably one or two outings away from coming back into the 'pen. Say goodbye to Mitch Stetter until the next injury.
What's on Tap?:
I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Brewers are going for a series sweep against Braves tomorrow afternoon. It would be a fantastic way to start the road-trip, but is it going to happen? Jeff Suppan will need to get it done against Jorge Campillo if it is so.
Are the Brewers Really That Good?
It's time to really ask that question. Since getting swept in insulting fashion in Boston, the Brewers are 22-10, turning Ned Yost's red hot manager's seat into a comfortable recliner. But have the Brewers been playing different baseball since leaving the not-so friendly confines of Fenway Park? I'm not sure, but does feel like it, especially after the last eight games or so.
Before Fenway and the debauchery that followed them the rest of the homestand, the Brewers were a 20-24 team on the border of destruction. Just two weeks before they were riding the reigns of ace Ben Sheets and future ace Yovani Gallardo into the mix of all things playoff talk, when Gallardo was taken out by Prince Fielder in a freak play that ended Yo's season. Brewers' fans called for the season, myself included, and for good reason. Up to that point, the Brewers were batting a measely .242/.317/.396. They couldn't hit a homerun for the life of them and couldn't take a walk even if it was handed to them. The pitching, which struggled before YoGo arrived was tossing a 4.70 ERA up on the board, walking betters regularly and giving up lots of homeruns. It looked like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.
But then something happened. Ryan Braun signed a seven year deal, Ned Yost stopped caring about feelings and Ryan Braun called his teammates out.
All of it was pretty unexpected.
It all started on the 14th of May. Brewers' fans who are constantly checking boards and the news heard the deal was coming and that a press conference was to be held the following morning to announce a record contract. And a record contract it was. Ryan Braun signed a 7 year deal worth $45 million, locking him up until 2015. It was a sign. A sign that the Brewers 1. were finally willing to open their pockets, 2. were dedicated to their young players and 3. were dedicated to winning. But it didn't translate right away. Following the signing the Brewers went lost four straight games, three of which were a sweep in Boston.
Ryan Braun took the money to heart and called out his teammates. Braun said, "I don't think we ever expected to win. It was kind of like we were just content to be there and compete, but I don't think we ever necessarily expected to win. Obviously, [the Red Sox] are a great team. It's a good gauge of where we're at when we can go out and compete with those guys, but for us as a team, our goal can't be to compete, our goal has to win. To come in here and win the series would have been extremely difficult, but it's real disappointing to come in here and get swept." Some fans couldn't believe it. How could this guy, who has less than a full season under his belt, have the audacity to call his teammates out on a public forum?
A week later, it didn't matter. Braun and his teammates responded to the sweep and perhaps the comment by winning the series in Pittsburgh and splitting a four game series against the Nationals. While they should have expected more, it was a start. There was still plenty to shake up.
When Yost and Melvin agreed to call up some muscle in Russell Branyan on May 25th, they forced Bill Hall from the hot corner when righties toed the mound. After a miserable sub-.170 BA against them, I was pleased with Billy leaving, but not thrilled with the arrival of Branyan. Not many people remember Russell was a Brewer from 2004-2005. While here, he struck out a ton, hit long bombs and hit for low average and OBP. Could he really have changed that much? Apparently so. Since arriving, Branyan is hitting .300/.390/.800 with 10 bombs and 17 RBIs, not to mention, 11 walks and 25 Ks. The eruption of power was contagious. Since the Boston series the Brewers are hitting .270/.337/.485 with 54 HRs in 32 games and over 1200 PAs.
But the changes didn't stop there. With both Carlos Villanueva and Dave Bush struggling in the rotation, something had to be done to stabilize the back end of the rotation and on May 24th, Seth McClung was allowed to start his first big league game in two years. The results have been positive to say the very least. Seth is sporting a 3.79 ERA and has won four of the six games he has started, and probably could have taken another if he didn't face a spot on Roy Oswalt. Just like hitting, pitching can be contagious and since Seth's arrival, just a series after Boston, the Brewers staff has tossed 287.1 innings and is sporting a 3.32 ERA and have avoided the long ball, while allowing teams to hit only .238/.301/.384. That's a huge improvement from the first 394 innings, when teams were hitting .273/.352/.440.
Can the Brewers keep it up? I'm not so sure about the pitching, but the bats have the potential to have continued success. In their last 8 games the Brewers have walked 35 times and are hitting .272/.351/.526. If they continue to walk and hit for average, this offense is more than capable of making up for a few falters through the rotation. NL foes beware. This team is poised to make a move and are already in the midst of it.
Before Fenway and the debauchery that followed them the rest of the homestand, the Brewers were a 20-24 team on the border of destruction. Just two weeks before they were riding the reigns of ace Ben Sheets and future ace Yovani Gallardo into the mix of all things playoff talk, when Gallardo was taken out by Prince Fielder in a freak play that ended Yo's season. Brewers' fans called for the season, myself included, and for good reason. Up to that point, the Brewers were batting a measely .242/.317/.396. They couldn't hit a homerun for the life of them and couldn't take a walk even if it was handed to them. The pitching, which struggled before YoGo arrived was tossing a 4.70 ERA up on the board, walking betters regularly and giving up lots of homeruns. It looked like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.
But then something happened. Ryan Braun signed a seven year deal, Ned Yost stopped caring about feelings and Ryan Braun called his teammates out.
All of it was pretty unexpected.
It all started on the 14th of May. Brewers' fans who are constantly checking boards and the news heard the deal was coming and that a press conference was to be held the following morning to announce a record contract. And a record contract it was. Ryan Braun signed a 7 year deal worth $45 million, locking him up until 2015. It was a sign. A sign that the Brewers 1. were finally willing to open their pockets, 2. were dedicated to their young players and 3. were dedicated to winning. But it didn't translate right away. Following the signing the Brewers went lost four straight games, three of which were a sweep in Boston.
Ryan Braun took the money to heart and called out his teammates. Braun said, "I don't think we ever expected to win. It was kind of like we were just content to be there and compete, but I don't think we ever necessarily expected to win. Obviously, [the Red Sox] are a great team. It's a good gauge of where we're at when we can go out and compete with those guys, but for us as a team, our goal can't be to compete, our goal has to win. To come in here and win the series would have been extremely difficult, but it's real disappointing to come in here and get swept." Some fans couldn't believe it. How could this guy, who has less than a full season under his belt, have the audacity to call his teammates out on a public forum?
A week later, it didn't matter. Braun and his teammates responded to the sweep and perhaps the comment by winning the series in Pittsburgh and splitting a four game series against the Nationals. While they should have expected more, it was a start. There was still plenty to shake up.
When Yost and Melvin agreed to call up some muscle in Russell Branyan on May 25th, they forced Bill Hall from the hot corner when righties toed the mound. After a miserable sub-.170 BA against them, I was pleased with Billy leaving, but not thrilled with the arrival of Branyan. Not many people remember Russell was a Brewer from 2004-2005. While here, he struck out a ton, hit long bombs and hit for low average and OBP. Could he really have changed that much? Apparently so. Since arriving, Branyan is hitting .300/.390/.800 with 10 bombs and 17 RBIs, not to mention, 11 walks and 25 Ks. The eruption of power was contagious. Since the Boston series the Brewers are hitting .270/.337/.485 with 54 HRs in 32 games and over 1200 PAs.
But the changes didn't stop there. With both Carlos Villanueva and Dave Bush struggling in the rotation, something had to be done to stabilize the back end of the rotation and on May 24th, Seth McClung was allowed to start his first big league game in two years. The results have been positive to say the very least. Seth is sporting a 3.79 ERA and has won four of the six games he has started, and probably could have taken another if he didn't face a spot on Roy Oswalt. Just like hitting, pitching can be contagious and since Seth's arrival, just a series after Boston, the Brewers staff has tossed 287.1 innings and is sporting a 3.32 ERA and have avoided the long ball, while allowing teams to hit only .238/.301/.384. That's a huge improvement from the first 394 innings, when teams were hitting .273/.352/.440.
Can the Brewers keep it up? I'm not so sure about the pitching, but the bats have the potential to have continued success. In their last 8 games the Brewers have walked 35 times and are hitting .272/.351/.526. If they continue to walk and hit for average, this offense is more than capable of making up for a few falters through the rotation. NL foes beware. This team is poised to make a move and are already in the midst of it.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Brewers Braves Game One Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Atlanta Braves 1
MVPs of the Game:
Ben Sheets: CG, 4 H, 1 ER, 7 Ks
Buddy Carlyle: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K
Game Recap:
Ben Sheets pitched his third complete game in the season en route to a huge Brewers victory that starts their 10-gam road-trip. This made him the story all night, working fast and tossing strikes. It took him only 106 pitches, 73 for strikes, to get through 31 batters all while not allowing a single Brave to get an RBI. This performance gave him his ninth win of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.59.
The Brewers offense showed up for a little bit, doing all of their work in the second and third innings. Corey Hart led off the second with an impressive at bat that was rewarded by a single, bringing up Mike Cameron. Cameron would work his way ahead of Braves pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes, and then turned on a ball and sent it to the left field bleachers, giving the Brewers yet another homerun. In the third, a red hot Rickie Weeks stepped up to the plate and ripped a ball to the gap for a double. JJ Hardy would follow suit with a double of his own, and so would Ryan Braun for three consecutive doubles and a 4-0 lead.
Soon after, things really quieted down. After getting Fielder to fly out, Reyes walked Hart and Cameron prompting Bobby Cox to pull the lever and bring in Buddy Carlyle. Carlyle induced a line-out from Billy Hall and fly out from Jason Kendall to end the bases loaded threat. And that was the story for the Brewers offense the rest of the night. The Brewers blew a big opportunity and really wouldn't get one the rest of the night as Carlyle saved his team from a blow up game that could have stuck with them the rest of the series. Carlyle ended up pitching 4.1 solid innings of baseball, saving the Braves bullpen, all while keeping them in the game, even if it didn't seem like it with Sheets on the mound.
Game Changing Play:
In the fourth inning the Braves were threatening for the first, and really the only time all night. The had runners on first and third with no one out with their stud catcher, Brian McCann up to bat. Ahead 2-1 and with the curveball really not working, the Braves were sitting on fastballs, but McCann couldn't get around on it and grounded into an easy double play. The run scored, but it really deflated the Braves and amped up Ben Sheets, who praised Jason Kendall yet again after the victory.
Notes:
- With this win the Brewers are only 1.5 GB from the wild card, 5.5 GB from the division leading Cubs, and are eight games above .500, which is a season best. Interestingly they're doing it with good defense, plate discipline and quality pitching: signs of good teams. Yes the homerun ball is still the pillar to their success, but they haven't pushed that too far yet.
- Sheets is leading the National League in CGs and is second only to Roy Halladay in the entire league. And with less than half of the season done, it's interesting to note Sheets is on pace to pitch over 200 innings for the first time since 2004, when he finished with 237 IP and a 2.70 ERA. That kind of season could really put the Brewers over the top.
- The Brewers dodged a huge bullet as Chipper Jones wasn't in the lineup for the second day in a row, as he rested his quad, which he slightly tore a few days ago. The Braves desperately need Jones' bat after mustering only four hits tonight. The question is, do he Braves want to risk it? That's not up to me, but I hope not. The Brewers could use two more victories.
Who's on Tap?:
The Brewers ride a three game winning streak into game two with Dave Bush on the mound taking on Charlie Morton, who has never faced the Brewers. The Braves will need to play with a little more confidence if they want to keep up that home record and stop a streaking Milwaukee squad.
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Atlanta Braves 1
MVPs of the Game:
Ben Sheets: CG, 4 H, 1 ER, 7 Ks
Buddy Carlyle: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K
Game Recap:
Ben Sheets pitched his third complete game in the season en route to a huge Brewers victory that starts their 10-gam road-trip. This made him the story all night, working fast and tossing strikes. It took him only 106 pitches, 73 for strikes, to get through 31 batters all while not allowing a single Brave to get an RBI. This performance gave him his ninth win of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.59.
The Brewers offense showed up for a little bit, doing all of their work in the second and third innings. Corey Hart led off the second with an impressive at bat that was rewarded by a single, bringing up Mike Cameron. Cameron would work his way ahead of Braves pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes, and then turned on a ball and sent it to the left field bleachers, giving the Brewers yet another homerun. In the third, a red hot Rickie Weeks stepped up to the plate and ripped a ball to the gap for a double. JJ Hardy would follow suit with a double of his own, and so would Ryan Braun for three consecutive doubles and a 4-0 lead.
Soon after, things really quieted down. After getting Fielder to fly out, Reyes walked Hart and Cameron prompting Bobby Cox to pull the lever and bring in Buddy Carlyle. Carlyle induced a line-out from Billy Hall and fly out from Jason Kendall to end the bases loaded threat. And that was the story for the Brewers offense the rest of the night. The Brewers blew a big opportunity and really wouldn't get one the rest of the night as Carlyle saved his team from a blow up game that could have stuck with them the rest of the series. Carlyle ended up pitching 4.1 solid innings of baseball, saving the Braves bullpen, all while keeping them in the game, even if it didn't seem like it with Sheets on the mound.
Game Changing Play:
In the fourth inning the Braves were threatening for the first, and really the only time all night. The had runners on first and third with no one out with their stud catcher, Brian McCann up to bat. Ahead 2-1 and with the curveball really not working, the Braves were sitting on fastballs, but McCann couldn't get around on it and grounded into an easy double play. The run scored, but it really deflated the Braves and amped up Ben Sheets, who praised Jason Kendall yet again after the victory.
Notes:
- With this win the Brewers are only 1.5 GB from the wild card, 5.5 GB from the division leading Cubs, and are eight games above .500, which is a season best. Interestingly they're doing it with good defense, plate discipline and quality pitching: signs of good teams. Yes the homerun ball is still the pillar to their success, but they haven't pushed that too far yet.
- Sheets is leading the National League in CGs and is second only to Roy Halladay in the entire league. And with less than half of the season done, it's interesting to note Sheets is on pace to pitch over 200 innings for the first time since 2004, when he finished with 237 IP and a 2.70 ERA. That kind of season could really put the Brewers over the top.
- The Brewers dodged a huge bullet as Chipper Jones wasn't in the lineup for the second day in a row, as he rested his quad, which he slightly tore a few days ago. The Braves desperately need Jones' bat after mustering only four hits tonight. The question is, do he Braves want to risk it? That's not up to me, but I hope not. The Brewers could use two more victories.
Who's on Tap?:
The Brewers ride a three game winning streak into game two with Dave Bush on the mound taking on Charlie Morton, who has never faced the Brewers. The Braves will need to play with a little more confidence if they want to keep up that home record and stop a streaking Milwaukee squad.
Brewers Braves Series Preview
Well, somehow I've found time to sit down for 20 minutes here and there. This could be a bit scatter brained, but I'll do my best to be type swiftly so as to stay in the moment with each section.
The Series:
Milwaukee Brewers (41-34) @ Atlanta Braves (38-39)
Who's on Tap?:
June 23rd: Ben Sheets (8-1, 2.74 ERA) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (3-4, 4.05 ERA)
June 24th: Dave Bush (3-7 5.26 ERA) vs. Charlie Morton (1-0 4.91 ERA)
June 25th: Jeff Suppan (4-5, 3.92 ERA) vs. Jorge Campillo (2-2, 2.54 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
In case you haven't noticed, Prince Fielder is on fire right now, and when he's hot, he hits them in bunches. This weekend was no exception, as he knocked three homeruns against the Orioles, sending the Brewers to a 6-3 homestand following their previous 8-1 homestand. As a result, Fielder has improved his numbers to .292/.380/.528. On the mound, keep your eye on Dave Bush and Ben Sheets. Obviously, Sheets is the ace of this staff and it's fun to watch a guy who works so quickly take the mound. Don't blink, you may miss an entire inning. As for Dave Bush, I'm not saying watch him because he's good. We all know my feelings about this guy, but after his last start, you give him his props and ask him a question: 'Can you do it again?'. I have my doubts, as far as a good start goes anyways, but it's not impossible.
The Braves are 27-12 at home this year and a lot of that has to do with their offense. And the biggest threat on their offense at home is none other than Chipper Jones, who is batting .456/.536/.720 in 125 ABs this year with nine homeruns and 29 RBIs. That is really something to behold. Chipper is having a rough month though, batting just .321/.441/.554. I know guys on the Brewers who would kill to have that line. Unfortunately for Chipper, this has caused his BA to drop 27 points in just 11 days. The problem appears to be he's only played seven games at home this month. He has a hit in every single one of those games. On the mound, the Brewers dodge yet another bullet, avoiding Jurrjens and Tim Hudson. Unfortunately, they do have to take on Mr. Campillo, who has been nothing but impressive since joining the rotation. This is Campillo's first full season in the majors and he's taking advantage of it. IN his seven starts Campillo has given up 14 runs in 38.2 innings (3.29 ERA). In his last start against Milwaukee he was only allowed to toss 73 pitches, but gave up only one run in five while striking out six. The Brewers will need a much better performance against the up and coming righty.
Keys to Victory:
The last time these two teams squared off, hitting was at a minimum. The Brewers scored five runs the entire series and took two victories. That won't happen again. As a result, they're going to need to score runs, lots and lots of runs. That means production out of the 3-4-5 hole. The Brewers will not be able to rely a JJ Hardy or a Jason Kendall this week, but they better hope that those guys get on base. Braun, Fielder, Hall and Branyan will need to be patient as guys like Reyes and Morton will pitch around or just flat out walk guys. But there's a glitch, these guys don't give up a lot of homeruns, so the Brewers will have to concede to putting the ball into the gaps and riding the merry-go-round.
The Braves are going to need their starters to go deep into games if they plan on returning the favor of taking a series. The Braves bullpen has been an adventure. Case and point: Manny Acosta and Rafael Soriano are tied for the team-lead in saves at just three, and the team itself only carries a total of 12 saves. When the Braves win, they don't do it by small margins. The problem is, the Brewers can score runs, lots of them, so they'll need the starters to keep the ball from the bullpen and do the work themselves.
Predictions and Notes:
- You have a team who's terrible on the road and a team that's great at home, should be a no-brainer right. I'm not quite sure, but the baseball mind says this one, at the very least, will be the funnest of the three road series the Brewers have in the next two weeks. Sheets is 8-3 with a 4.80 ERA against Atlanta, which is a plus, but the last time I actually watched Sheets pitch in Atlanta, he left with that torn latimus muscle (I think that's what it's called), and the fear got put into me a bit. Sheets had one of his worst starts last week, as did Suppan, but I think the Brewers will get to Reyes and not Campillo, making the series a toss-up based on tomorrow's game with Bush and Morton on the mound. The Brewers have never faced Charlie Morton, so I'm assuming he'll look like an ace, no matter how well or poor Dave Bush may pitch, giving the Braves the series.
- The Brewers start a 11-day, 10-game road trip today against the Braves, Twins and D'Backs before going home to finish the first half. Only two games out of the Wild Card, these last 20 games will be vitally important. Somebody will have to step up big for the Brewers and anything less that 6-4 on this trip will make the ride home hard to swallow.
- Banterings about C.C. Sabathia continue to show up, but the Brewers can't afford to get him. While giving away some prospects isn't a bad idea at all, what the organization would have to give up for a two month rental doesn't make much sense. There's plenty this team can do with those prospects in the future once their true potential is understood. Trading guys like Prince, JJ, Gwynn or Weeks will garner more trade value 2-3 years from now, and allow the Brewers to stay competitive longer if any prospect can take their place. The Brewers do need a starting pitcher to put them over the top, but I doubt they'd be particularly successful in the playoffs, making the future stars more important in the years to come. I would have problem if the Brewers simply stood pat and let the problems work themselves out a little longer.
The Series:
Milwaukee Brewers (41-34) @ Atlanta Braves (38-39)
Who's on Tap?:
June 23rd: Ben Sheets (8-1, 2.74 ERA) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (3-4, 4.05 ERA)
June 24th: Dave Bush (3-7 5.26 ERA) vs. Charlie Morton (1-0 4.91 ERA)
June 25th: Jeff Suppan (4-5, 3.92 ERA) vs. Jorge Campillo (2-2, 2.54 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
In case you haven't noticed, Prince Fielder is on fire right now, and when he's hot, he hits them in bunches. This weekend was no exception, as he knocked three homeruns against the Orioles, sending the Brewers to a 6-3 homestand following their previous 8-1 homestand. As a result, Fielder has improved his numbers to .292/.380/.528. On the mound, keep your eye on Dave Bush and Ben Sheets. Obviously, Sheets is the ace of this staff and it's fun to watch a guy who works so quickly take the mound. Don't blink, you may miss an entire inning. As for Dave Bush, I'm not saying watch him because he's good. We all know my feelings about this guy, but after his last start, you give him his props and ask him a question: 'Can you do it again?'. I have my doubts, as far as a good start goes anyways, but it's not impossible.
The Braves are 27-12 at home this year and a lot of that has to do with their offense. And the biggest threat on their offense at home is none other than Chipper Jones, who is batting .456/.536/.720 in 125 ABs this year with nine homeruns and 29 RBIs. That is really something to behold. Chipper is having a rough month though, batting just .321/.441/.554. I know guys on the Brewers who would kill to have that line. Unfortunately for Chipper, this has caused his BA to drop 27 points in just 11 days. The problem appears to be he's only played seven games at home this month. He has a hit in every single one of those games. On the mound, the Brewers dodge yet another bullet, avoiding Jurrjens and Tim Hudson. Unfortunately, they do have to take on Mr. Campillo, who has been nothing but impressive since joining the rotation. This is Campillo's first full season in the majors and he's taking advantage of it. IN his seven starts Campillo has given up 14 runs in 38.2 innings (3.29 ERA). In his last start against Milwaukee he was only allowed to toss 73 pitches, but gave up only one run in five while striking out six. The Brewers will need a much better performance against the up and coming righty.
Keys to Victory:
The last time these two teams squared off, hitting was at a minimum. The Brewers scored five runs the entire series and took two victories. That won't happen again. As a result, they're going to need to score runs, lots and lots of runs. That means production out of the 3-4-5 hole. The Brewers will not be able to rely a JJ Hardy or a Jason Kendall this week, but they better hope that those guys get on base. Braun, Fielder, Hall and Branyan will need to be patient as guys like Reyes and Morton will pitch around or just flat out walk guys. But there's a glitch, these guys don't give up a lot of homeruns, so the Brewers will have to concede to putting the ball into the gaps and riding the merry-go-round.
The Braves are going to need their starters to go deep into games if they plan on returning the favor of taking a series. The Braves bullpen has been an adventure. Case and point: Manny Acosta and Rafael Soriano are tied for the team-lead in saves at just three, and the team itself only carries a total of 12 saves. When the Braves win, they don't do it by small margins. The problem is, the Brewers can score runs, lots of them, so they'll need the starters to keep the ball from the bullpen and do the work themselves.
Predictions and Notes:
- You have a team who's terrible on the road and a team that's great at home, should be a no-brainer right. I'm not quite sure, but the baseball mind says this one, at the very least, will be the funnest of the three road series the Brewers have in the next two weeks. Sheets is 8-3 with a 4.80 ERA against Atlanta, which is a plus, but the last time I actually watched Sheets pitch in Atlanta, he left with that torn latimus muscle (I think that's what it's called), and the fear got put into me a bit. Sheets had one of his worst starts last week, as did Suppan, but I think the Brewers will get to Reyes and not Campillo, making the series a toss-up based on tomorrow's game with Bush and Morton on the mound. The Brewers have never faced Charlie Morton, so I'm assuming he'll look like an ace, no matter how well or poor Dave Bush may pitch, giving the Braves the series.
- The Brewers start a 11-day, 10-game road trip today against the Braves, Twins and D'Backs before going home to finish the first half. Only two games out of the Wild Card, these last 20 games will be vitally important. Somebody will have to step up big for the Brewers and anything less that 6-4 on this trip will make the ride home hard to swallow.
- Banterings about C.C. Sabathia continue to show up, but the Brewers can't afford to get him. While giving away some prospects isn't a bad idea at all, what the organization would have to give up for a two month rental doesn't make much sense. There's plenty this team can do with those prospects in the future once their true potential is understood. Trading guys like Prince, JJ, Gwynn or Weeks will garner more trade value 2-3 years from now, and allow the Brewers to stay competitive longer if any prospect can take their place. The Brewers do need a starting pitcher to put them over the top, but I doubt they'd be particularly successful in the playoffs, making the future stars more important in the years to come. I would have problem if the Brewers simply stood pat and let the problems work themselves out a little longer.
Brewers Orioles Series Recap
Things continue to be very hectic at work. Again, I'll try to get a preview out for the Braves series that starts tonight in Atlanta, but no promises. There's lots of reading and sample prep to be completed. On to the recap.
Scores Recap:
Milwaukee Brewers 5 Baltimore Orioles 8
Milwaukee Brewers 3 Baltimore Orioles 2
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Baltimore Orioles 3
MVPs of the Series:
Prince Fielder: 5/11; 3 HRs, 2B, 6 RBIs, 5 Rs, 2 BBs
Brian Roberts: 5/11; 3 2Bs, 3 BBs, 3 Rs
Prince Fielder was off his rocker this weekend, and especially on Sunday, when he single handedly willed the Brewers to victory. I missed most of Friday's game, but it appears he did his best to try and keep them in that as well, but hitting a two run blast and getting on two more times. I guess I was a series too late on the call that he was about to carry this squad. The Brewers will need more like this from him as they head to Atlanta and Minnesota this week.
Brian Roberts displayed why fans were intrigued by Ken Rosenthal's article about a straight up trade for Rickie Weeks. This switch hitting second baseman put on a show in the field and at the plate. Ultimately, he set the table for guys like Huff and Markakis and scored all three runs for the Orioles on Sunday. He may be over 30, but the guy can play and continues to have a good career ahead of him.
What Was the Difference?:
No surprise here, the long ball. The Brewers never snagged ten hits this series, but when they did hit it, they made it count. In three game the Brewers knocked seven balls out of the park, amounting to 12 of there 15 runs. The Orioles, on the other hand, only hit three. While they walked a considerable amount, seventeen times, they just could not get them to the plate. The Brewers walked nineteen times and got over the hump by putting it over the wall.
Causes for Concern:
The Baltimore Orioles have to wonder how they let this series slip away. After an 8-5 victory on Friday, their bats practically fell out of their hands, as they only managed 10 hits in the final two games after accumulating 13 in the first game. The problem? The bottom of their order. After the clean-up hitter, the Orioles went 9/46 (.196 BA). While they walked seven times, they also made the mistake of grounding into three double plays and scored only three runs the entire series. I was impressed with most of the Orioles squad, but if they plan on continuing to stay afloat, they better get some help at the back end of their line-up.
The bullpen, which has been fantastic for almost two months now, looks to be in a bit of trouble. David Riske and Guillermo Mota, who have been pretty darn good in their play, have struggled mightily. Unfortunately, this means struggles are to come in the 7th and 8th innings when it's their turn to take the ball. Villanueva, DiFelice and Shouse have really stepped up their game to pick up these two guys, but that can only last for so long. Sooner or later these guys are going to need to find it again, and I have no doubt they will. Riske needs to dust off some rust from that elbow and Mota needs a couple of days off, since Yost has used him nearly as much as he's used Salomon Torres.
Causes for Excitement:
If the Orioles bottom half of the lineup was a cause for concern, their 1-4 part of the lineup is something worth cheering about. Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts are straight ball players. These guys have an exceptional awareness of the strike zone, can steal bases and can hit for power. It's the recipe for consistency, and why the Orioles will have no trouble moving these guys if they ever wanted to. Roberts might get the heave-ho, but Markakis will get himself another three years of Orioles baseball and is not a bad guy to start building around. Though it's pretty difficult to build a monster that's good enough to take on teams like the Yankees and Red Sox on a regular basis.
The Brewers took walks! Oh my! I could not have been happier with Friday's and Saturday's game. The Brewers took five walks on Saturday and 11 on Friday. While both games were tight and the Brewers did lose one of those, there was no doubt they wouldn't even have been in that game if it wasn't for some plate discipline. The Brewers scored five runs on seven hits Friday. Three of the runs that scored, reached via the walk. If the Brewers have found some way to improve their plate discipline, they may have ventured on to something big and could start to levy an attack on the NL Central leading Cubs. After their ten game road trip, the Brewers finish the first half with a ten game homestand against the Pirates, Rockies and Reds and then go to San Francisco to start the second half. It could be a very interesting four weeks.
Notes:
- Mark DiFelice has been outstanding his last couple of outings and has done an incredible job eating up innings. From June 17th to June 22nd, DiFelice tossed 5.1 innings an gave up one run on four hits, while striking out seven and walking no one. In fact, DiFelice has net to walk a batter this season and has struck out 14 in his 13.2 innings.
- Rickie Weeks returned to the line-up in yesterday's game and went 0 for 3 with a walk. Unfortunately, bloop hits look like line drives in the box score and line drive outs look like lazy fly balls. Weeks turned on a pitch in the first that was right at the left fielder and then put one in the gap with bases loaded that was barely run down. I've said this elsewhere, but if this guy can get a few breaks and work that BABIP up, Fielder and Braun may have career years yet again.
- Props to Carlos Villanueva for completely saving the bullpen this weekend after Suppan went just 1.2 innings on Friday. After DiFelice tossed 2.1 innings, Villanueva pitched four solid, only giving up a homerun to the hot hot hot Aubrey Huff. Carlos pounded the strike zone and allowed Ned to have a fresh bullpen for Saturday and Sunday.
- Seth McClung is about one start away from getting my full confidence. He's been ahead of Bush for quite some time, but I always get nervous when he's on the mound because he gets away with a lot of mistakes. The more I watch him, however, the more I understand why he can get away with it. His ball is just alive and has some real nasty sink. The only worry is that as his pitch count gets higher, these balls will straighten out, and with his velocity, solid contact goes a long way. He'll get his shot this week against the Twins in Minnesota. Let's see what the hostile environment does to the guy. It will be well worth the watch.
Scores Recap:
Milwaukee Brewers 5 Baltimore Orioles 8
Milwaukee Brewers 3 Baltimore Orioles 2
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Baltimore Orioles 3
MVPs of the Series:
Prince Fielder: 5/11; 3 HRs, 2B, 6 RBIs, 5 Rs, 2 BBs
Brian Roberts: 5/11; 3 2Bs, 3 BBs, 3 Rs
Prince Fielder was off his rocker this weekend, and especially on Sunday, when he single handedly willed the Brewers to victory. I missed most of Friday's game, but it appears he did his best to try and keep them in that as well, but hitting a two run blast and getting on two more times. I guess I was a series too late on the call that he was about to carry this squad. The Brewers will need more like this from him as they head to Atlanta and Minnesota this week.
Brian Roberts displayed why fans were intrigued by Ken Rosenthal's article about a straight up trade for Rickie Weeks. This switch hitting second baseman put on a show in the field and at the plate. Ultimately, he set the table for guys like Huff and Markakis and scored all three runs for the Orioles on Sunday. He may be over 30, but the guy can play and continues to have a good career ahead of him.
What Was the Difference?:
No surprise here, the long ball. The Brewers never snagged ten hits this series, but when they did hit it, they made it count. In three game the Brewers knocked seven balls out of the park, amounting to 12 of there 15 runs. The Orioles, on the other hand, only hit three. While they walked a considerable amount, seventeen times, they just could not get them to the plate. The Brewers walked nineteen times and got over the hump by putting it over the wall.
Causes for Concern:
The Baltimore Orioles have to wonder how they let this series slip away. After an 8-5 victory on Friday, their bats practically fell out of their hands, as they only managed 10 hits in the final two games after accumulating 13 in the first game. The problem? The bottom of their order. After the clean-up hitter, the Orioles went 9/46 (.196 BA). While they walked seven times, they also made the mistake of grounding into three double plays and scored only three runs the entire series. I was impressed with most of the Orioles squad, but if they plan on continuing to stay afloat, they better get some help at the back end of their line-up.
The bullpen, which has been fantastic for almost two months now, looks to be in a bit of trouble. David Riske and Guillermo Mota, who have been pretty darn good in their play, have struggled mightily. Unfortunately, this means struggles are to come in the 7th and 8th innings when it's their turn to take the ball. Villanueva, DiFelice and Shouse have really stepped up their game to pick up these two guys, but that can only last for so long. Sooner or later these guys are going to need to find it again, and I have no doubt they will. Riske needs to dust off some rust from that elbow and Mota needs a couple of days off, since Yost has used him nearly as much as he's used Salomon Torres.
Causes for Excitement:
If the Orioles bottom half of the lineup was a cause for concern, their 1-4 part of the lineup is something worth cheering about. Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts are straight ball players. These guys have an exceptional awareness of the strike zone, can steal bases and can hit for power. It's the recipe for consistency, and why the Orioles will have no trouble moving these guys if they ever wanted to. Roberts might get the heave-ho, but Markakis will get himself another three years of Orioles baseball and is not a bad guy to start building around. Though it's pretty difficult to build a monster that's good enough to take on teams like the Yankees and Red Sox on a regular basis.
The Brewers took walks! Oh my! I could not have been happier with Friday's and Saturday's game. The Brewers took five walks on Saturday and 11 on Friday. While both games were tight and the Brewers did lose one of those, there was no doubt they wouldn't even have been in that game if it wasn't for some plate discipline. The Brewers scored five runs on seven hits Friday. Three of the runs that scored, reached via the walk. If the Brewers have found some way to improve their plate discipline, they may have ventured on to something big and could start to levy an attack on the NL Central leading Cubs. After their ten game road trip, the Brewers finish the first half with a ten game homestand against the Pirates, Rockies and Reds and then go to San Francisco to start the second half. It could be a very interesting four weeks.
Notes:
- Mark DiFelice has been outstanding his last couple of outings and has done an incredible job eating up innings. From June 17th to June 22nd, DiFelice tossed 5.1 innings an gave up one run on four hits, while striking out seven and walking no one. In fact, DiFelice has net to walk a batter this season and has struck out 14 in his 13.2 innings.
- Rickie Weeks returned to the line-up in yesterday's game and went 0 for 3 with a walk. Unfortunately, bloop hits look like line drives in the box score and line drive outs look like lazy fly balls. Weeks turned on a pitch in the first that was right at the left fielder and then put one in the gap with bases loaded that was barely run down. I've said this elsewhere, but if this guy can get a few breaks and work that BABIP up, Fielder and Braun may have career years yet again.
- Props to Carlos Villanueva for completely saving the bullpen this weekend after Suppan went just 1.2 innings on Friday. After DiFelice tossed 2.1 innings, Villanueva pitched four solid, only giving up a homerun to the hot hot hot Aubrey Huff. Carlos pounded the strike zone and allowed Ned to have a fresh bullpen for Saturday and Sunday.
- Seth McClung is about one start away from getting my full confidence. He's been ahead of Bush for quite some time, but I always get nervous when he's on the mound because he gets away with a lot of mistakes. The more I watch him, however, the more I understand why he can get away with it. His ball is just alive and has some real nasty sink. The only worry is that as his pitch count gets higher, these balls will straighten out, and with his velocity, solid contact goes a long way. He'll get his shot this week against the Twins in Minnesota. Let's see what the hostile environment does to the guy. It will be well worth the watch.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Brewers Blue Jays Series Recap
I will do my best to get out a series preview for tonight's series against the Orioles, but the boss is on a mission to get an abstract out and the data just isn't there. As a result, I may have to sacrifice a few days of writing for some hardcore sample preparation and data collection. It doesn't help that I'm the process of renovating my basement so I can move in down there in a few weeks. But we'll make it work because it appears I have some loyal readers despite the quiet comments sections at time.
Scores Recap:
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Toronto Blue Jays 0
Milwaukee Brewers 5 Toronto Blue Jays 4
Milwaukee Brewers 8 Toronto Blue Jays 7
MVPs of the Series:
Russell Branyan: 3/9; 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, BB
Lyle Overbay: 3/9; HR, 3B, 2 RBIs, 2 Rs, 3 BBs, 0 Ks
There were a lot of people you could have picked for the Brewers MVP this week. I really was leaning towards Salomon Torres because of his two innings were real important ones. You could have even gone with Braun or Fielder who both had good series, but Russell 'The Muscle' has been the catalyst of this team since his arrival. Yesterday's game was the case and point. I whine about walks all day and every day. Hart and Fielder led off the third inning with walks, which is a feat in itself, to bring up Branyan. Branyan promptly took a few balls and smoked a ball to the right center field bleachers for a three run bomb. Good things happen when you take free baserunners.
The Blue Jays didn't play very good baseball this week, but Lyle Overbay did a very good job getting on base and being patient at the plate. Overbay has struggled since breaking his hand last year, but has been making up for his low average by taking a lot of pitches and walking. That's exactly what Overbay did this week, getting on at .500 clip during the series. Unfortunately for him, nobody could get him all the way around the bases and his patience practically went for naught. Nevertheless, his return to Milwaukee was a successful one, showing us that he's the same old 'O' in the field and at the plate. He will always be a fan favorite here.
What Was the Difference?:
Starting pitching. The Brewers swept the Blue Jays because in 21 innings of work, the starters only gave up three runs (1.28 ERA). The Jays starters, who up to this point have been some of the best in the league, weren't nearly as good, giving up 16 runs in just 15 innings of work (9.6 ERA). You could have said the long ball if you wanted to, but the Blue Jays practically stole a game on Thursday because of the long ball.
Causes for Concern:
The Brewers can't really be happy with the bullpen this week, which struggled pretty hard on Wednesday and Thursday, but the offense and Salomon Torres picked up the pieces. Bullpens are allowed down times. Perhaps the offense can carry them long enough to get them back on tract. Other than that, I personally was not happy seeing only two walks total in the first two games of the series and heavy reliance on the long ball. However, they did quell some of my worries by walking six times in yesterday's game. Of those six free baserunners, three scored. All of these turned out to be huge runs. I can still hope they'll keep doing this right?
If I were a Jays fan I would be really worried about AJ Burnett, who made comments that made it sound like he was ready to leave an then promptly gets his ass handed to him in his next start. Let him go to the Blue Jays. If Milwaukee can rock him this bad now, imagine what they can do after they've seen him a couple of times. Other than that the Jays have to wonder what the hell is going on with their offense. With Rios and Wells in your lineup, you should expect a lot more. They showed up a little late on Thursday, but more consistency would do wonders. Why Matt Stairs is ever batting clean up is beyond me. That is perhaps why the Jays coach is on the hot seat.
Causes for Excitement:
Brewers starters have been extremely impressive over the past month or so, McClung and Parra especially. Though McClung didn't pitch in this series, his start against the Twins was a huge pick me up for this team and Parra followed it up by tossing seven shutout innings. Even when Sheets is off, he's an ace. And finally Dave Bush flirted with a no-no, though I was screaming for it to end in the sixth because now whenever Bush is terrible, Yost will be able to defend it with, "You know, he's good enough to almost get a no hitter. He was just missing tonight." AHH! I'm not going to be able to handle that. Anyways, 18 of the last 22 starts for the Brewers have been 'quality starts', which is more than making up for the Brewers inconsistent offense and low OBP.
It looks like Vernon Wells is back on his horse. While the numbers weren't overwhelming this series, Wells looked healthy and smooth at the plate. That's a big must for the Jays who really need a boost of confidence. Elsewhere, I'd say that Marcum and McGowan, though they struggled still looked pretty good. McGowan struck out five in four innings and Marcum six in six. The Brewers just had hot sticks this week. Every time they got wood on it, it was elevated and carrying. Looking at their homerun numbers prior to this week, this was the worst case scenario for both and they'll come back better than ever in their next few starts.
Notes:
- Julian Tavarez was DFA'd this week to make room for David Riske, who gave up a grand slam yesterday in his return. The Brewers want Tavarez to go to AAA and get some innings to sharpen up again, as if he was that sharp the last five years.
- Yost finally conceded that Salomon Torres is the Brewers official closer despite Eric Gagne scheduled to return from the DL next week. This was a no brainer. It just took Gagne getting close for this to be said. Gagne will probably be a 7th or 8th inning option after a few innings of mop up work. If he can avoid the walks, he has the potential to be effective.
- Dillard got raped again yesterday, but I'll blame it on Yost refusing to use him yet again. Prior to this huge blow ups, Dillard was getting work every other or every two days. His last two outings were separated by five days. How do you stay sharp? It's frustrating to see a manager waste a talent like Dillard.
Scores Recap:
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Toronto Blue Jays 0
Milwaukee Brewers 5 Toronto Blue Jays 4
Milwaukee Brewers 8 Toronto Blue Jays 7
MVPs of the Series:
Russell Branyan: 3/9; 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, BB
Lyle Overbay: 3/9; HR, 3B, 2 RBIs, 2 Rs, 3 BBs, 0 Ks
There were a lot of people you could have picked for the Brewers MVP this week. I really was leaning towards Salomon Torres because of his two innings were real important ones. You could have even gone with Braun or Fielder who both had good series, but Russell 'The Muscle' has been the catalyst of this team since his arrival. Yesterday's game was the case and point. I whine about walks all day and every day. Hart and Fielder led off the third inning with walks, which is a feat in itself, to bring up Branyan. Branyan promptly took a few balls and smoked a ball to the right center field bleachers for a three run bomb. Good things happen when you take free baserunners.
The Blue Jays didn't play very good baseball this week, but Lyle Overbay did a very good job getting on base and being patient at the plate. Overbay has struggled since breaking his hand last year, but has been making up for his low average by taking a lot of pitches and walking. That's exactly what Overbay did this week, getting on at .500 clip during the series. Unfortunately for him, nobody could get him all the way around the bases and his patience practically went for naught. Nevertheless, his return to Milwaukee was a successful one, showing us that he's the same old 'O' in the field and at the plate. He will always be a fan favorite here.
What Was the Difference?:
Starting pitching. The Brewers swept the Blue Jays because in 21 innings of work, the starters only gave up three runs (1.28 ERA). The Jays starters, who up to this point have been some of the best in the league, weren't nearly as good, giving up 16 runs in just 15 innings of work (9.6 ERA). You could have said the long ball if you wanted to, but the Blue Jays practically stole a game on Thursday because of the long ball.
Causes for Concern:
The Brewers can't really be happy with the bullpen this week, which struggled pretty hard on Wednesday and Thursday, but the offense and Salomon Torres picked up the pieces. Bullpens are allowed down times. Perhaps the offense can carry them long enough to get them back on tract. Other than that, I personally was not happy seeing only two walks total in the first two games of the series and heavy reliance on the long ball. However, they did quell some of my worries by walking six times in yesterday's game. Of those six free baserunners, three scored. All of these turned out to be huge runs. I can still hope they'll keep doing this right?
If I were a Jays fan I would be really worried about AJ Burnett, who made comments that made it sound like he was ready to leave an then promptly gets his ass handed to him in his next start. Let him go to the Blue Jays. If Milwaukee can rock him this bad now, imagine what they can do after they've seen him a couple of times. Other than that the Jays have to wonder what the hell is going on with their offense. With Rios and Wells in your lineup, you should expect a lot more. They showed up a little late on Thursday, but more consistency would do wonders. Why Matt Stairs is ever batting clean up is beyond me. That is perhaps why the Jays coach is on the hot seat.
Causes for Excitement:
Brewers starters have been extremely impressive over the past month or so, McClung and Parra especially. Though McClung didn't pitch in this series, his start against the Twins was a huge pick me up for this team and Parra followed it up by tossing seven shutout innings. Even when Sheets is off, he's an ace. And finally Dave Bush flirted with a no-no, though I was screaming for it to end in the sixth because now whenever Bush is terrible, Yost will be able to defend it with, "You know, he's good enough to almost get a no hitter. He was just missing tonight." AHH! I'm not going to be able to handle that. Anyways, 18 of the last 22 starts for the Brewers have been 'quality starts', which is more than making up for the Brewers inconsistent offense and low OBP.
It looks like Vernon Wells is back on his horse. While the numbers weren't overwhelming this series, Wells looked healthy and smooth at the plate. That's a big must for the Jays who really need a boost of confidence. Elsewhere, I'd say that Marcum and McGowan, though they struggled still looked pretty good. McGowan struck out five in four innings and Marcum six in six. The Brewers just had hot sticks this week. Every time they got wood on it, it was elevated and carrying. Looking at their homerun numbers prior to this week, this was the worst case scenario for both and they'll come back better than ever in their next few starts.
Notes:
- Julian Tavarez was DFA'd this week to make room for David Riske, who gave up a grand slam yesterday in his return. The Brewers want Tavarez to go to AAA and get some innings to sharpen up again, as if he was that sharp the last five years.
- Yost finally conceded that Salomon Torres is the Brewers official closer despite Eric Gagne scheduled to return from the DL next week. This was a no brainer. It just took Gagne getting close for this to be said. Gagne will probably be a 7th or 8th inning option after a few innings of mop up work. If he can avoid the walks, he has the potential to be effective.
- Dillard got raped again yesterday, but I'll blame it on Yost refusing to use him yet again. Prior to this huge blow ups, Dillard was getting work every other or every two days. His last two outings were separated by five days. How do you stay sharp? It's frustrating to see a manager waste a talent like Dillard.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Brewers Blue Jays Game Two Recap
The Score:
Brewers 5 Blue Jays 4
MVPs of the Game:
Mike Cameron: 1/4; HR, SB, 2 Rs, 2 RBIs
Greg Zaun: 2/3; HR, 2B, BB, R, 3 RBIs
Game Recap:
The Brewers stroked two more solo homeruns and scored two big runs on good baserunning from third base to take game two of this interleague series. Ben Sheets struggled with his command because his stuff had a little too much movement, but he managed just fine, going six innings and givin up only two runs. Shaun Marcum didn't live up to his numbers, giving up four in six innings, though he did strikeout six and walked only one. The Brewers just had his number. The game came down to the wire though as the Brewers bullpen bent, but didn't break as a result of Torres' four out save, his ninth of the year.
The scoring started with the long ball, which is the usual for the Brewers and their new third baseman, Russell Branyan. Branyan crushed a ball to left center and hit the scoreboard for a 445-foot bomb in the second inning. The Blue Jays tied it up with some small ball with two outs in the fourth. After a Vernon Wells single, Lyle Overbay walked, bringing up Greg Zaun. After fighting off a few pitches, Zaun promptly drilled an opposite field double down the left field line, scoring Wells and tying the game.
The Brewers answered immediately. Corey Hart led off the inning with a ground-rule double. Hart advanced to third on a shallow fly ball to right that Matt Stairs played all too non-chalantly, bringing up Mike Cameron. A swinging bunt and the immediate break for home by Hart brought the run in, despite Marcum's best attempt, giving the Brewers a 2-1 lead that they would never relinquish. Cameron would advance to third on a single by Jason Kendall one batter later, when Ben Sheets came up.
For those of you who don't know. Sheets looks like a minor leaguer at the plate, but his recent trend of just swinging hard has paid huge dividends. Nevertheless, he didn't have to swing this time. Sheets dropped a bunt down right in front of home plate. Scott Rolen broke half way to home as catcher Greg Zaun tried looking back Cameron at third. Cameron simply followed Rolen wherever he went, until Zaun tossed the ball to first. The second the ball was released, Cameron broke for home as he was about a quarter of the way up the path already. Cameron ran right through the plate despite a perfect throw from Overbay and gave the Brewers a 3-1 lead.
The Blue Jays didn't budge however, scoring runs in the 6th, 7th and 8th, all coming from the bottom half of the order. Vernon Wells doubled and scored in the 6th. Scutaro, pinch hitting for the pitcher singled and scored in the seventh and Zaun smoked a first pitch fastball from Mota into the stands in the eighth. But the Brewers would just keep answering back, scoring one of their own in the sixth and seventh innings on Mike Cameron's homerun and an RBI single by Corey Hart in the 7th.
Things got a little interesting in the 8th though. After Greg Zaun's homerun, David Eckstein stroked a two out double to the gap and Marco Scutaro walked. That was enough of Mota for Yost, who brought in Torres. After walking Brad Wilkerson, Torres induced a groundball from Inglett to end the bases loaded threat and pitched a harmless ninth to finish the game.
Game Changing Play:
The Brewers were awarded an extra baserunner in the fourth when Cameron had the swinging bunt and Marcum was unable to get Hart at home. Cameron would end up scoring two batters later. Instead of conceding the run, the Jays gave up a second which was the difference in this one run affair.
Notes:
- Branyan has nine homeruns already in just 59 ABs and 18 hits. Of those 18 hits, 13 of them are for extra bases, giving him an .831 slugging so far. That's absurd, even for the sample size. Interestingly, he's walked 10 times in that span. Ryan Braun has walked 12 in 289 ABs. He could learn something from the guy.
- The Brewers are lucky to have a guy like Torres right now. Their bullpen has been lights out for a while, and it's about time they come back to earth. Torres has been asked to pitch a lot of innings, and has had some pivotal 4-5 out performances to save the struggling Mota. When Gagne gets back, he should immediately be moved to the 7th or 8th inning role along with Riske, who returns today.
- The Brewers are the only team in the NL Central to have won the last two nights. As a result they've gained two games on the Cubs and Cardinals, who have been struggling against the Rays and Royals. The Cubs could be in big trouble since Zambrano left the game yesterday with a right shoulder injury. He's hoping it's shoulder tendinitis, but that's wishful thinking. If he's hurt for a long period of time, the Cubs are going to have a lot of work ahead of them.
Who's on Tap?:
The Brewers go for the sweep this afternoon as Dave Bush takes the hill to try and not ruin a good run of pitching. AJ Burnett will be taking the helm for the Jays, trying to build off a short but good outing against the Cubs last week.
Brewers 5 Blue Jays 4
MVPs of the Game:
Mike Cameron: 1/4; HR, SB, 2 Rs, 2 RBIs
Greg Zaun: 2/3; HR, 2B, BB, R, 3 RBIs
Game Recap:
The Brewers stroked two more solo homeruns and scored two big runs on good baserunning from third base to take game two of this interleague series. Ben Sheets struggled with his command because his stuff had a little too much movement, but he managed just fine, going six innings and givin up only two runs. Shaun Marcum didn't live up to his numbers, giving up four in six innings, though he did strikeout six and walked only one. The Brewers just had his number. The game came down to the wire though as the Brewers bullpen bent, but didn't break as a result of Torres' four out save, his ninth of the year.
The scoring started with the long ball, which is the usual for the Brewers and their new third baseman, Russell Branyan. Branyan crushed a ball to left center and hit the scoreboard for a 445-foot bomb in the second inning. The Blue Jays tied it up with some small ball with two outs in the fourth. After a Vernon Wells single, Lyle Overbay walked, bringing up Greg Zaun. After fighting off a few pitches, Zaun promptly drilled an opposite field double down the left field line, scoring Wells and tying the game.
The Brewers answered immediately. Corey Hart led off the inning with a ground-rule double. Hart advanced to third on a shallow fly ball to right that Matt Stairs played all too non-chalantly, bringing up Mike Cameron. A swinging bunt and the immediate break for home by Hart brought the run in, despite Marcum's best attempt, giving the Brewers a 2-1 lead that they would never relinquish. Cameron would advance to third on a single by Jason Kendall one batter later, when Ben Sheets came up.
For those of you who don't know. Sheets looks like a minor leaguer at the plate, but his recent trend of just swinging hard has paid huge dividends. Nevertheless, he didn't have to swing this time. Sheets dropped a bunt down right in front of home plate. Scott Rolen broke half way to home as catcher Greg Zaun tried looking back Cameron at third. Cameron simply followed Rolen wherever he went, until Zaun tossed the ball to first. The second the ball was released, Cameron broke for home as he was about a quarter of the way up the path already. Cameron ran right through the plate despite a perfect throw from Overbay and gave the Brewers a 3-1 lead.
The Blue Jays didn't budge however, scoring runs in the 6th, 7th and 8th, all coming from the bottom half of the order. Vernon Wells doubled and scored in the 6th. Scutaro, pinch hitting for the pitcher singled and scored in the seventh and Zaun smoked a first pitch fastball from Mota into the stands in the eighth. But the Brewers would just keep answering back, scoring one of their own in the sixth and seventh innings on Mike Cameron's homerun and an RBI single by Corey Hart in the 7th.
Things got a little interesting in the 8th though. After Greg Zaun's homerun, David Eckstein stroked a two out double to the gap and Marco Scutaro walked. That was enough of Mota for Yost, who brought in Torres. After walking Brad Wilkerson, Torres induced a groundball from Inglett to end the bases loaded threat and pitched a harmless ninth to finish the game.
Game Changing Play:
The Brewers were awarded an extra baserunner in the fourth when Cameron had the swinging bunt and Marcum was unable to get Hart at home. Cameron would end up scoring two batters later. Instead of conceding the run, the Jays gave up a second which was the difference in this one run affair.
Notes:
- Branyan has nine homeruns already in just 59 ABs and 18 hits. Of those 18 hits, 13 of them are for extra bases, giving him an .831 slugging so far. That's absurd, even for the sample size. Interestingly, he's walked 10 times in that span. Ryan Braun has walked 12 in 289 ABs. He could learn something from the guy.
- The Brewers are lucky to have a guy like Torres right now. Their bullpen has been lights out for a while, and it's about time they come back to earth. Torres has been asked to pitch a lot of innings, and has had some pivotal 4-5 out performances to save the struggling Mota. When Gagne gets back, he should immediately be moved to the 7th or 8th inning role along with Riske, who returns today.
- The Brewers are the only team in the NL Central to have won the last two nights. As a result they've gained two games on the Cubs and Cardinals, who have been struggling against the Rays and Royals. The Cubs could be in big trouble since Zambrano left the game yesterday with a right shoulder injury. He's hoping it's shoulder tendinitis, but that's wishful thinking. If he's hurt for a long period of time, the Cubs are going to have a lot of work ahead of them.
Who's on Tap?:
The Brewers go for the sweep this afternoon as Dave Bush takes the hill to try and not ruin a good run of pitching. AJ Burnett will be taking the helm for the Jays, trying to build off a short but good outing against the Cubs last week.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Why On-Base Matters
After reading a number of comments and doing some serious thinking, I've realized that my rant an obsession with OBP has not really been proven as a valid theory. That is, OBP and good pitching leads to winning. So today I've got a bit of time, so I'll go through the last 3-4 years or so, since this is the so-called 'modern era of baseball' and see where the playoff teams and WS champs stand.
Let's start with 2007. We're looking at ascending order of OBP in the regular season. The star indicates division champion.
1. New York Yankees (94-68): .290/.366/.463
2. Boston Red Sox (96-66): .279/.362/.444 *
3. Colorado Rockies (90-73): .280/.354/.437
4. Philadelphia Phillies (89-73): .274/.354/.458 *
5. Detroit Tigers (88-74): .287/.345/.417
6. Los Angeles Angels (94-68): .284/.345/.417 *
7. Cleveland Indians (96-66): .268/.343/.428 *
18. Chicago Cubs (85-77): .271/.333/.422 *
21. Milwaukee Brewers (83-79): .262/.329/.456
29. Arizona Diamondbacks (90-72): .250/.321/.413*
Interestingly, six of the top seven teams made the playoffs and two of top three went to the World Series. The Cubs were in an extremely week division and got bounced in the first round. The Diamondbacks were quite the anomaly though, but they had the 7th best ERA in baseball at the time.
2006 Numbers
1. New York Yankees (97-65): .290/.366/.463 *
2. Boston Red Sox (86-76) .279/.362/.444
3. Cleveland Indians (78-84): .280/.354/.437
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (88-74): .274/.354/.458 *
5. Toronto Blue Jays (87-75): .287/.345/.417
6. Minnesota Twins (96-66): .284/.345/.417 *
7. Philadelphia Phillies (85-77): .268/.343/.428
10. Oakland Athletics (93-69): .250/.340/.412 *
15. St. Louis Cardinals (83-78): .269/.337/.431 *
18. New York Mets (97-65): .264/.334/.445 *
24. Detroit Tigers (95-67): .274/.329/.449
25. Milwaukee Brewers (75-87): .258/.327/.420
This one isn't as apparent as 2007. Nevertheless, all but two of divisional champions fall in the top ten. The Cardinals are a big time change-up considering they had a team ERA of 4.51, but you can see their division was weak once again considering 83 wins took it and they carried the best on-base in th division. The Mets carried a 4.15 ERA, which was 6th best in the league but their slugging paid off. Then they ran into the Cardinals, who beat the Tigers, who had the league's best ERA. But that pitching failed in the end.
2005 Numbers.
1. Boston Red Sox (95-67): .281/.357/.454 *
2. New York Yankees (95-67): .276/.355/.450
3. Philadelphia Phillies (88-74): .270/.348/.423
4. Cincinnati Reds (73-89): .261/.339/.446
5. Florida Marlins (83-79): .272/.339/.409
6. St. Louis Cardinals (100-62): .270/.339/.423 *
7. Cleveland Indians (93-69): .271/.334/.453
8. Atlanta Braves (90-72): .265/.333/435 *
10. San Diego Padres (82-80): 257/.333/.391 *
12. Milwaukee Brewers (81-81) : .259/331/.423
19. Los Angeles Angels (95-67): .270/.325/.409 *
22. Chicago White Sox (99-63): .262/.322/.425 *
23. Houston Astros (89-73): .256/.322/.408
2005 was an interesting year of baseball with the arrival of Jose Guillen. I don't remember if it was his first year but he definitely made a splash. While the White Sox only managed a .322 OBP, they did manage a 3.61 ERA, tied for best in the AL. Houston looks like they kill the OBP theory too, but then you look at their 3.51 ERA and an 89 win season. That's not exactly what you expect from a NL Champion. The Angels? Fifth in pitching with a 3.68 ERA. But why in the world are the Reds there with their 73 win season? How about a 5.15 ERA, which was worst in the NL?
So what did we learn? OBP isn't everything, but it's half of everything. It's pretty clear that the other half is pitching. If you look at 20065 you'll see that the Cardinals carried the 6th best OBP and the best ERA in baseball. As a result, they took home a 100 win season, even though they fumbled against the Astros in the NL Championship. The numbers are sort of up there, but it's pretty clear that slugging doesn't matter all that much. In fact, NL teams easily made the playoffs with slugging under .420.
The Brewers haven't been able to put together high on-base numbers for a very long time. When you combine that with poor pitching, you've got a really bad couple of decades of teams. Their pitching has improved quite a bit the last two years, though, even if their OBP hasn't. This year they're carrying a 4.16 ERA, but a sub .320 OBP and a .426 slugging has put them well below teams with much higher OBPs. If the Brewers found some more guys who weren't just homerun hitters, but rather are disciplined hitters who go gap to gap, they might be able to get over that hump. It looks like the pitching is there and likely there into the future, so where will they find the final ingredient in their recipe?
Let's start with 2007. We're looking at ascending order of OBP in the regular season. The star indicates division champion.
1. New York Yankees (94-68): .290/.366/.463
2. Boston Red Sox (96-66): .279/.362/.444 *
3. Colorado Rockies (90-73): .280/.354/.437
4. Philadelphia Phillies (89-73): .274/.354/.458 *
5. Detroit Tigers (88-74): .287/.345/.417
6. Los Angeles Angels (94-68): .284/.345/.417 *
7. Cleveland Indians (96-66): .268/.343/.428 *
18. Chicago Cubs (85-77): .271/.333/.422 *
21. Milwaukee Brewers (83-79): .262/.329/.456
29. Arizona Diamondbacks (90-72): .250/.321/.413*
Interestingly, six of the top seven teams made the playoffs and two of top three went to the World Series. The Cubs were in an extremely week division and got bounced in the first round. The Diamondbacks were quite the anomaly though, but they had the 7th best ERA in baseball at the time.
2006 Numbers
1. New York Yankees (97-65): .290/.366/.463 *
2. Boston Red Sox (86-76) .279/.362/.444
3. Cleveland Indians (78-84): .280/.354/.437
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (88-74): .274/.354/.458 *
5. Toronto Blue Jays (87-75): .287/.345/.417
6. Minnesota Twins (96-66): .284/.345/.417 *
7. Philadelphia Phillies (85-77): .268/.343/.428
10. Oakland Athletics (93-69): .250/.340/.412 *
15. St. Louis Cardinals (83-78): .269/.337/.431 *
18. New York Mets (97-65): .264/.334/.445 *
24. Detroit Tigers (95-67): .274/.329/.449
25. Milwaukee Brewers (75-87): .258/.327/.420
This one isn't as apparent as 2007. Nevertheless, all but two of divisional champions fall in the top ten. The Cardinals are a big time change-up considering they had a team ERA of 4.51, but you can see their division was weak once again considering 83 wins took it and they carried the best on-base in th division. The Mets carried a 4.15 ERA, which was 6th best in the league but their slugging paid off. Then they ran into the Cardinals, who beat the Tigers, who had the league's best ERA. But that pitching failed in the end.
2005 Numbers.
1. Boston Red Sox (95-67): .281/.357/.454 *
2. New York Yankees (95-67): .276/.355/.450
3. Philadelphia Phillies (88-74): .270/.348/.423
4. Cincinnati Reds (73-89): .261/.339/.446
5. Florida Marlins (83-79): .272/.339/.409
6. St. Louis Cardinals (100-62): .270/.339/.423 *
7. Cleveland Indians (93-69): .271/.334/.453
8. Atlanta Braves (90-72): .265/.333/435 *
10. San Diego Padres (82-80): 257/.333/.391 *
12. Milwaukee Brewers (81-81) : .259/331/.423
19. Los Angeles Angels (95-67): .270/.325/.409 *
22. Chicago White Sox (99-63): .262/.322/.425 *
23. Houston Astros (89-73): .256/.322/.408
2005 was an interesting year of baseball with the arrival of Jose Guillen. I don't remember if it was his first year but he definitely made a splash. While the White Sox only managed a .322 OBP, they did manage a 3.61 ERA, tied for best in the AL. Houston looks like they kill the OBP theory too, but then you look at their 3.51 ERA and an 89 win season. That's not exactly what you expect from a NL Champion. The Angels? Fifth in pitching with a 3.68 ERA. But why in the world are the Reds there with their 73 win season? How about a 5.15 ERA, which was worst in the NL?
So what did we learn? OBP isn't everything, but it's half of everything. It's pretty clear that the other half is pitching. If you look at 20065 you'll see that the Cardinals carried the 6th best OBP and the best ERA in baseball. As a result, they took home a 100 win season, even though they fumbled against the Astros in the NL Championship. The numbers are sort of up there, but it's pretty clear that slugging doesn't matter all that much. In fact, NL teams easily made the playoffs with slugging under .420.
The Brewers haven't been able to put together high on-base numbers for a very long time. When you combine that with poor pitching, you've got a really bad couple of decades of teams. Their pitching has improved quite a bit the last two years, though, even if their OBP hasn't. This year they're carrying a 4.16 ERA, but a sub .320 OBP and a .426 slugging has put them well below teams with much higher OBPs. If the Brewers found some more guys who weren't just homerun hitters, but rather are disciplined hitters who go gap to gap, they might be able to get over that hump. It looks like the pitching is there and likely there into the future, so where will they find the final ingredient in their recipe?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Brewers Blue Jays Game One Recap
The Score:
Brewers 7 Blue Jays 0
MVPs of the Game:
Manny Parra: 7 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 5 K, 0 R
Lyle Overbay: 1/3, BB
Honorable Mention: Ryan Braun, 3/4; 2 HRs, 2B, 3 RBIs, 3 Rs
Game Recap:
The Brewers rallied behind Manny Parra's seven innings of shutout baseball by scoring seven runs on five long balls. Parra struggled with his command early, but was able to overcome two two out walks in the second inning. From there the Brewers let the five long balls do the talking.
Fielder started it with a huge first pitch center field bomb that was probably half way up the batters' eye. An inning later Craig Counsell told me to piss off and hit one of his own, his first of the year. An inning after that, Russell Branyan joined the fun and hit a two-run blast to deep right field for his eight bomb in just 56 ABs. The fun continued in the 6th when Braun hit his 19th dinger of the year, and then he hit his 20th with a two-run shot in the 8th. Interestingly, the Brewers had seven hits. Five of them were homeruns. The other two were a single by Parra and double by Braun. I guess that's one way to skin a cat.
The Blue Jays, on the other hand, struggled mightily, managing only four hits, none of which went for extra bases. In my series preview I said that the Jays would have to be patient. Well they did that, but I guess you have to hit the ball a little harder to get those guys around. They just could not get things going. The lead off hitter got on base only twice all game and one of those occasions was ruined by a double play ball. From what I've read all day, that seems to have been the Jays problem all year. This time though, they could blame both sides of their game. Dustin McGown only made it four innings. He only gave up four hits, but three of them were homeruns, and that was enough for him.
Game Changing Play:
Ryan Braun led off the fourth inning with blistering double down the right field line, bringing up Corey Hart and Prince Fielder. Fielder would waive at a pitch way out of the zone and Corey would pop out on three pitches for two very unproductive outs. It seemed like McGowan was going to do what it seems like every pitcher this year is doing to the Brewers, and that's prevent them from manufacturing runs. But he made a mistake. Two innings earlier he had blown a chest high fastball past Branyan for a strikeout. This time he didn't elevate it enough and Branyan drove a no doubter to right making it a 4-0 game and completely deflating the Jays.
Notes:
- The Brewers managed to walk only once this game, meaning they only managed eight baserunners all game. Luckily every ball that got elevated, went a long ways. I know it's knitpicky, but while it's fun to watch this many long balls and it's fun to cheer for, a team like this can never make the playoffs. Case an point, (I seem to always use the Cubs on these things, but...) the Cubs knocked out Scott Kazmir tonight in 4.2 innings, but not because Scott was bad. Rather Kazmir was phenomenal, giving up only three hits, one run and seven K's. The difference? He walked four and was up to 110 pitches. The Cubs weren't hitting the ball for anything, but they still had opportunities and almost made them count.
- Joe Dillon happened to be the only Brewer who picked up that walk. In fact, he probably saw more pitches than any Brewer in the game despite taking the collar. Just thought I'd toss that out there for good measure considering he, not Craigy Craig should top that order if Hart doesn't. I expect Dillon to get most of the playing time with righties up there and Weeks on the DL.
- JJ Hardy didn't play again today. How long before they just give up, and put him on the DL retroactive to last week? I hate this dilly dally BS. We're lucky the pitching has done so well that we didn't need to make any pivotal moves. After discussion at BrewersNation, I guess I would be okay to let Escobar come up and here and try and do some work if he does get DL'd, especially considering how well Branyan has done. I'm just so used to the guy being horribly unproductive when he was here years ago.
- David Riske was phenomenal in his rehab assignment today in AAA-Nashville, striking out all three batters he faced. Honestly, I would prefer the Brewers just release Tavarez instead of sending down DiFelice or Dillard. DiFelice has a long arm for mop up work and Dillard has shown that he belongs here.
Who's on Tap?:
In game two of this series, the Brewers' staff ace, Ben Sheets, will go for his eighth victory of the year as he takes on Shaun Marcum. Should be a damn good pitching duel based on the numbers, but if the Jays swing the sticks like they did tonight, Marcum is going to have to be perfect just to get a no decision. Hopefully the Brewers will be smart enough to expect another five long balls. Perhaps some walks and manufactured runs will rear their 'ugly' head and the Brewers can keep on keepin' on.
Brewers 7 Blue Jays 0
MVPs of the Game:
Manny Parra: 7 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 5 K, 0 R
Lyle Overbay: 1/3, BB
Honorable Mention: Ryan Braun, 3/4; 2 HRs, 2B, 3 RBIs, 3 Rs
Game Recap:
The Brewers rallied behind Manny Parra's seven innings of shutout baseball by scoring seven runs on five long balls. Parra struggled with his command early, but was able to overcome two two out walks in the second inning. From there the Brewers let the five long balls do the talking.
Fielder started it with a huge first pitch center field bomb that was probably half way up the batters' eye. An inning later Craig Counsell told me to piss off and hit one of his own, his first of the year. An inning after that, Russell Branyan joined the fun and hit a two-run blast to deep right field for his eight bomb in just 56 ABs. The fun continued in the 6th when Braun hit his 19th dinger of the year, and then he hit his 20th with a two-run shot in the 8th. Interestingly, the Brewers had seven hits. Five of them were homeruns. The other two were a single by Parra and double by Braun. I guess that's one way to skin a cat.
The Blue Jays, on the other hand, struggled mightily, managing only four hits, none of which went for extra bases. In my series preview I said that the Jays would have to be patient. Well they did that, but I guess you have to hit the ball a little harder to get those guys around. They just could not get things going. The lead off hitter got on base only twice all game and one of those occasions was ruined by a double play ball. From what I've read all day, that seems to have been the Jays problem all year. This time though, they could blame both sides of their game. Dustin McGown only made it four innings. He only gave up four hits, but three of them were homeruns, and that was enough for him.
Game Changing Play:
Ryan Braun led off the fourth inning with blistering double down the right field line, bringing up Corey Hart and Prince Fielder. Fielder would waive at a pitch way out of the zone and Corey would pop out on three pitches for two very unproductive outs. It seemed like McGowan was going to do what it seems like every pitcher this year is doing to the Brewers, and that's prevent them from manufacturing runs. But he made a mistake. Two innings earlier he had blown a chest high fastball past Branyan for a strikeout. This time he didn't elevate it enough and Branyan drove a no doubter to right making it a 4-0 game and completely deflating the Jays.
Notes:
- The Brewers managed to walk only once this game, meaning they only managed eight baserunners all game. Luckily every ball that got elevated, went a long ways. I know it's knitpicky, but while it's fun to watch this many long balls and it's fun to cheer for, a team like this can never make the playoffs. Case an point, (I seem to always use the Cubs on these things, but...) the Cubs knocked out Scott Kazmir tonight in 4.2 innings, but not because Scott was bad. Rather Kazmir was phenomenal, giving up only three hits, one run and seven K's. The difference? He walked four and was up to 110 pitches. The Cubs weren't hitting the ball for anything, but they still had opportunities and almost made them count.
- Joe Dillon happened to be the only Brewer who picked up that walk. In fact, he probably saw more pitches than any Brewer in the game despite taking the collar. Just thought I'd toss that out there for good measure considering he, not Craigy Craig should top that order if Hart doesn't. I expect Dillon to get most of the playing time with righties up there and Weeks on the DL.
- JJ Hardy didn't play again today. How long before they just give up, and put him on the DL retroactive to last week? I hate this dilly dally BS. We're lucky the pitching has done so well that we didn't need to make any pivotal moves. After discussion at BrewersNation, I guess I would be okay to let Escobar come up and here and try and do some work if he does get DL'd, especially considering how well Branyan has done. I'm just so used to the guy being horribly unproductive when he was here years ago.
- David Riske was phenomenal in his rehab assignment today in AAA-Nashville, striking out all three batters he faced. Honestly, I would prefer the Brewers just release Tavarez instead of sending down DiFelice or Dillard. DiFelice has a long arm for mop up work and Dillard has shown that he belongs here.
Who's on Tap?:
In game two of this series, the Brewers' staff ace, Ben Sheets, will go for his eighth victory of the year as he takes on Shaun Marcum. Should be a damn good pitching duel based on the numbers, but if the Jays swing the sticks like they did tonight, Marcum is going to have to be perfect just to get a no decision. Hopefully the Brewers will be smart enough to expect another five long balls. Perhaps some walks and manufactured runs will rear their 'ugly' head and the Brewers can keep on keepin' on.
Who's Batting Leadoff? WHAT!?
I'm usually not one to quip about the batting order, but this evening's lineup is a blatant atrocity and a clear lack of knowledge of baseball. At least the first two batters are. With Rickie Weeks and JJ Hardy both out against a right handed pitcher, Joe Dillon and Craig Counsell are getting the nod. I have no problem with that, but I do have a problem with Counsell leading fof. Here are their numbers:
Craig Counsell: .235/.312/.327 in 98 ABs
Joe Dillon: .283/.411/.348 in 46 ABs
Interestingly, both have taken nine walks this season, though Dillon has seen the plate less than half of the times. So let's think about this for a second. Ned Yost said he was a numbers guy at the beginning of the season, right? Remember the Kendall batting ninth experiment? Ned Yost said, "You've had a lot of smart people looking at it and crunching numbers and seeing if, numbers-wise, it made sense," so clearly he's got people telling him what's a good idea. Apparently he didn't listen to them today.
It's pretty clear you put your best on-base guy first and your worst on-base guy last unless he's got crazy power and average. When looking at today's lineup I see that Craig Counsell is batting lead-off with his below average OBP and Dillon batting behind him. You gotta be out of your damn mind! The worst on-base in this line-up falls to Mike Cameron, but his power more than acclimates him to somewhere other than the eight spot. Then there's Braun, but the power, high average and need for protection relegates him to the three hole. Then there's Craig Counsell. Zero power, average speed, low on-base and clearly beyond his prime in years. Go ahead, put him at the top of the line-up where he'll get more ABs than your best hitters and turn around the line-up like an eight hitter instead of a lead-off guy.
Look, I've said this a million times. Baseball isn't rocket science when it comes to putting your team in the best position to win. Ask yourself how many ABs a game Craig Counsell will get and then how many ABs Corey Hart or Russell Branyan will get tonight. There's no doubt in my mind, they will only differ by one, but every AB matters. Think about what that one AB could mean. Perhaps it's the ninth inning and you're down two with two outs and the lineup turns over. Would you rather a .312 OBP or a .411 OBP guy up there in front of your big hitters? Obviously you're going with the .411 guy because he gives you the best shot to get the tying runner to the plate.
Ned Yost doesn't look at it that way. He looks at Craig Counsell and he doesn't see that he's underperforming. He sees a 'gritty competitor' who 'battles' all the time. Listen, battling itself doesn't make you a good player. It gets you some respect and makes up for some of your talent, but the fact remains that you are not good. Joe Dillon isn't that good either, but he's shown the ability to take the walk and make contact regularly. His numbers pretty clearly show that he belongs in the one hole. Zero power, lots of contact and high on-base. After that, Corey Hart or Russell Branyan are perfect candidates for the two hole base on their average and on-base. One of them has to protect Fielder, but the other should be reaping the benefits in front of Braun and Fielder. You're looking a line-up that consists of a two above average on-base guys in front of two above average power guys. I wonder if that would lead to runs in the long run.
I guess Ned doesn't think so.
Craig Counsell: .235/.312/.327 in 98 ABs
Joe Dillon: .283/.411/.348 in 46 ABs
Interestingly, both have taken nine walks this season, though Dillon has seen the plate less than half of the times. So let's think about this for a second. Ned Yost said he was a numbers guy at the beginning of the season, right? Remember the Kendall batting ninth experiment? Ned Yost said, "You've had a lot of smart people looking at it and crunching numbers and seeing if, numbers-wise, it made sense," so clearly he's got people telling him what's a good idea. Apparently he didn't listen to them today.
It's pretty clear you put your best on-base guy first and your worst on-base guy last unless he's got crazy power and average. When looking at today's lineup I see that Craig Counsell is batting lead-off with his below average OBP and Dillon batting behind him. You gotta be out of your damn mind! The worst on-base in this line-up falls to Mike Cameron, but his power more than acclimates him to somewhere other than the eight spot. Then there's Braun, but the power, high average and need for protection relegates him to the three hole. Then there's Craig Counsell. Zero power, average speed, low on-base and clearly beyond his prime in years. Go ahead, put him at the top of the line-up where he'll get more ABs than your best hitters and turn around the line-up like an eight hitter instead of a lead-off guy.
Look, I've said this a million times. Baseball isn't rocket science when it comes to putting your team in the best position to win. Ask yourself how many ABs a game Craig Counsell will get and then how many ABs Corey Hart or Russell Branyan will get tonight. There's no doubt in my mind, they will only differ by one, but every AB matters. Think about what that one AB could mean. Perhaps it's the ninth inning and you're down two with two outs and the lineup turns over. Would you rather a .312 OBP or a .411 OBP guy up there in front of your big hitters? Obviously you're going with the .411 guy because he gives you the best shot to get the tying runner to the plate.
Ned Yost doesn't look at it that way. He looks at Craig Counsell and he doesn't see that he's underperforming. He sees a 'gritty competitor' who 'battles' all the time. Listen, battling itself doesn't make you a good player. It gets you some respect and makes up for some of your talent, but the fact remains that you are not good. Joe Dillon isn't that good either, but he's shown the ability to take the walk and make contact regularly. His numbers pretty clearly show that he belongs in the one hole. Zero power, lots of contact and high on-base. After that, Corey Hart or Russell Branyan are perfect candidates for the two hole base on their average and on-base. One of them has to protect Fielder, but the other should be reaping the benefits in front of Braun and Fielder. You're looking a line-up that consists of a two above average on-base guys in front of two above average power guys. I wonder if that would lead to runs in the long run.
I guess Ned doesn't think so.
Brewers Blue Jays Series Preview
The Series:
Toronto Blue Jays (35-36) @ Milwaukee Brewers (36-33)
Who's on Tap?:
June 17th: Dustin McGowan (5-4, 3.92 ERA) vs Manny Parra (5-2, 4.66 ERA)
June 18th: Shaun Marcum (5-3, 2.43 ERA) vs Ben Sheets (7-1, 2.72 ERA)
June 19th: A.J. Burnett (6-6, 4.90 ERA) vs Dave Bush (2-7, 5.73 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
He may not be having a very good season, but Lyle Overbay makes his long awaited return to Milwaukee. I have no doubt the fans will have their hands over their heads forming an 'O' to show their appreciation for the former first baseman. Overbay made a career of doubles with the Brewers and has done well with the Blue Jays since making room for Prince Fielder. Overbay is only hitting .260 this year, but he's as consistent as always. Elsewhere in the lineup you'll notice the Blue Jays are average all over the place. Not one of their every day players is hitting better than .286 and all seem to be hitting for below average power. This makes it difficult to pick any one in particular. Nevertheless, you have to watch out for Alex Rios. The guy is just flat out fun to watch. His power numbers are significantly down from last year, but he's making people scared when he gets on the bases. Last year he stole 17 bases in 161 games. This year, he's already swiped 15 in just 68. What he's figured out, I don't know, but the Brewers need to keep him off the bases, regardless of how well Kendall has done this year behind the plate. On the mound, the Brewers find themselves facing the Jays top three of four pitchers. While Halladay is the ace, Shaun Marcum has been absolutely stupendous this year, mostly because of a low BABIP, but his stuff is good enough to give the free swinging Brewers the snide. (Did anyone else see Scott Baker call out the Brewers for swinging at pitches he was purposefully spiking? We knew it wasn't a secret to the league, but perhaps the Crew should take it to heart.)
On the Brewers side of things, stay focused on JJ Hardy and Prince Fielder. JJ is supposedly in good enough shape to play this series after resting his strained non-throwing rotator cuff. I have a hard time believing he's in good shape at all, but I will take him every day over Craig Counsell at SS. Craig has such a poor arm, and I get scared every time he gets a routine play that it's not so routine any more. Anyways, I'm not so concerned about JJ in the field, but JJ at the plate. Luckily he has a two handed follow through on his swing, limiting his ability to tweak the problem some more. As for Prince Fielder, I'm just taking a blind guess that it's time. Corey Hart's carried the team. Ryan Braun's carried the team. Hell, Gabe Kapler's carried the team. It's about time the big earns his arbitration contract next year and shows us why he was upset about his contract this season. Prince has a five game hitting streak going, three of which were multi-hit games. Now, if only he can stop getting thrown out on the bases. On the mound, I've already made it a forgone conclusion that Dave Bush is going to get rocked. I can't watch it any more. Thank God it's a days game. As a result, stay focused on Manny Parra instead of Ben Sheets, and also Carlos Villanueva. Both of these guys had suddenly become lights out and then just as quickly fell off the wagon in their last outing. The Brewers will need both of them to win this series. Final Note: Ben Sheets deserves to be in the all-star game. He's only 7-1, but left games with the lead in at least three of them, only to have the bullpen blow them. 10-1 with a sub three ERA is deserving alongside Haren, Webb, Volquez and Zambrano.
Keys to Victory:
The Blue Jays need to be patient, especially on Tuesday and Thursday. Both Manny Parra and Dave Bush have struggled with their command and are walking a significant amount of batters. Furthermore, so has the bullpen even if you take out Julian Tavarez. Therefore, the more selective they are, the better off they will be. They'll get better pitches to hit and find themselves more able to predict pitches as the count moves further in their favor. This is especially the case with Dave Bush, who has a propensity to through cob balls when he's behind in the count, hoping they won't get raked.
The Brewers, on the other hand, need to play good defense. It has been apparent that a number of the recent losses are a direct result of giving teams 28 or 29 outs. Unfortunately for Brewers fans, this pitching staff has a bit of a psychological problem and have a hard time picking up their teammates on most occasions (Torres and Villanueva excluded). As a result, they'll need a clean series to make things fall their way. And just for good measure, they should walk some more for fun because it's sexy.
Predictions and Notes:
These predictions aren't getting any easier. The Brewers have been playing so poorly the past few games, it's hard to get excited about another big homestand like the last one. After falling 1-2 against the Twins, you know they won't be able to duplicate their 8-1 run. However, a day off at home often does the Brewers wonders. I suspect Manny will be back tonight with a vengeance and will pitch well enough to get into the sixth. Sheets will be Sheets yet again, and with his extra day off, will be better than usual, allowing the Brewers to take the first two, but Bush will be the rally killer again, whether it be the defense behind him or his own blunderings. The team just never seems to be up to the task when he's up there. Doesn't surprise me. I'm not up for the task to watch it when he's pitching.
Why isn't Tim Dillard being used more often in closed games? Yes, Dillard struggled on Friday this past week, but Yost opted not to use him in six days! Prior to that, he was getting regular work every other or every three days. This is a young guy who has pitched well for the Brewers and yet Yost has more confidence in a guy who hasn't thrown well in three years in Julian Tavarez. Dillard should not be relegated to clean up work. That's why you're paying Tavarez and DiFelice so little money. While, Dillard isn't making much either, he's only 24, not 31 or 36 like those other two. Use him damnit!
Expect to see big crowds this week. It looks like school is finally out and the kids and parents are starting to flock. After Saturday's sellout, and Sunday's 41k plus, the Brewers are on their way to a record season in attendance, as long as they can stay in contention. That's going to take some work.
Toronto Blue Jays (35-36) @ Milwaukee Brewers (36-33)
Who's on Tap?:
June 17th: Dustin McGowan (5-4, 3.92 ERA) vs Manny Parra (5-2, 4.66 ERA)
June 18th: Shaun Marcum (5-3, 2.43 ERA) vs Ben Sheets (7-1, 2.72 ERA)
June 19th: A.J. Burnett (6-6, 4.90 ERA) vs Dave Bush (2-7, 5.73 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
He may not be having a very good season, but Lyle Overbay makes his long awaited return to Milwaukee. I have no doubt the fans will have their hands over their heads forming an 'O' to show their appreciation for the former first baseman. Overbay made a career of doubles with the Brewers and has done well with the Blue Jays since making room for Prince Fielder. Overbay is only hitting .260 this year, but he's as consistent as always. Elsewhere in the lineup you'll notice the Blue Jays are average all over the place. Not one of their every day players is hitting better than .286 and all seem to be hitting for below average power. This makes it difficult to pick any one in particular. Nevertheless, you have to watch out for Alex Rios. The guy is just flat out fun to watch. His power numbers are significantly down from last year, but he's making people scared when he gets on the bases. Last year he stole 17 bases in 161 games. This year, he's already swiped 15 in just 68. What he's figured out, I don't know, but the Brewers need to keep him off the bases, regardless of how well Kendall has done this year behind the plate. On the mound, the Brewers find themselves facing the Jays top three of four pitchers. While Halladay is the ace, Shaun Marcum has been absolutely stupendous this year, mostly because of a low BABIP, but his stuff is good enough to give the free swinging Brewers the snide. (Did anyone else see Scott Baker call out the Brewers for swinging at pitches he was purposefully spiking? We knew it wasn't a secret to the league, but perhaps the Crew should take it to heart.)
On the Brewers side of things, stay focused on JJ Hardy and Prince Fielder. JJ is supposedly in good enough shape to play this series after resting his strained non-throwing rotator cuff. I have a hard time believing he's in good shape at all, but I will take him every day over Craig Counsell at SS. Craig has such a poor arm, and I get scared every time he gets a routine play that it's not so routine any more. Anyways, I'm not so concerned about JJ in the field, but JJ at the plate. Luckily he has a two handed follow through on his swing, limiting his ability to tweak the problem some more. As for Prince Fielder, I'm just taking a blind guess that it's time. Corey Hart's carried the team. Ryan Braun's carried the team. Hell, Gabe Kapler's carried the team. It's about time the big earns his arbitration contract next year and shows us why he was upset about his contract this season. Prince has a five game hitting streak going, three of which were multi-hit games. Now, if only he can stop getting thrown out on the bases. On the mound, I've already made it a forgone conclusion that Dave Bush is going to get rocked. I can't watch it any more. Thank God it's a days game. As a result, stay focused on Manny Parra instead of Ben Sheets, and also Carlos Villanueva. Both of these guys had suddenly become lights out and then just as quickly fell off the wagon in their last outing. The Brewers will need both of them to win this series. Final Note: Ben Sheets deserves to be in the all-star game. He's only 7-1, but left games with the lead in at least three of them, only to have the bullpen blow them. 10-1 with a sub three ERA is deserving alongside Haren, Webb, Volquez and Zambrano.
Keys to Victory:
The Blue Jays need to be patient, especially on Tuesday and Thursday. Both Manny Parra and Dave Bush have struggled with their command and are walking a significant amount of batters. Furthermore, so has the bullpen even if you take out Julian Tavarez. Therefore, the more selective they are, the better off they will be. They'll get better pitches to hit and find themselves more able to predict pitches as the count moves further in their favor. This is especially the case with Dave Bush, who has a propensity to through cob balls when he's behind in the count, hoping they won't get raked.
The Brewers, on the other hand, need to play good defense. It has been apparent that a number of the recent losses are a direct result of giving teams 28 or 29 outs. Unfortunately for Brewers fans, this pitching staff has a bit of a psychological problem and have a hard time picking up their teammates on most occasions (Torres and Villanueva excluded). As a result, they'll need a clean series to make things fall their way. And just for good measure, they should walk some more for fun because it's sexy.
Predictions and Notes:
These predictions aren't getting any easier. The Brewers have been playing so poorly the past few games, it's hard to get excited about another big homestand like the last one. After falling 1-2 against the Twins, you know they won't be able to duplicate their 8-1 run. However, a day off at home often does the Brewers wonders. I suspect Manny will be back tonight with a vengeance and will pitch well enough to get into the sixth. Sheets will be Sheets yet again, and with his extra day off, will be better than usual, allowing the Brewers to take the first two, but Bush will be the rally killer again, whether it be the defense behind him or his own blunderings. The team just never seems to be up to the task when he's up there. Doesn't surprise me. I'm not up for the task to watch it when he's pitching.
Why isn't Tim Dillard being used more often in closed games? Yes, Dillard struggled on Friday this past week, but Yost opted not to use him in six days! Prior to that, he was getting regular work every other or every three days. This is a young guy who has pitched well for the Brewers and yet Yost has more confidence in a guy who hasn't thrown well in three years in Julian Tavarez. Dillard should not be relegated to clean up work. That's why you're paying Tavarez and DiFelice so little money. While, Dillard isn't making much either, he's only 24, not 31 or 36 like those other two. Use him damnit!
Expect to see big crowds this week. It looks like school is finally out and the kids and parents are starting to flock. After Saturday's sellout, and Sunday's 41k plus, the Brewers are on their way to a record season in attendance, as long as they can stay in contention. That's going to take some work.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Battle at Third and Center?
A few days ago one my loyalest readers made an interesting suggestion for a post. He asked if I could go over the Tony Gwynn Jr. situation. Initially I kind of found it uninteresting because I've already discussed this very early in the season, prior to the signing of Cameron. At the time, I said that if the Brewers sign Cameron, they should sign Kenny Lofton to platoon because the splits with those two players are absolutely terrific. I also suggested that the Brewers leave Braun at third and just deal with the growing pains. Nevertheless, I would have been more than okay to let Gwynn do his thing this year in center.
As you can see, I made a lot of suggestions, but the reason I'm intrigued now is because of what just happened at third base. The Brewers weren't willing to wait any longer to give Bill Hall a shot to improve his numbers. Instead they called up a guy who was absolutely raking in AAA. That, my friends, is Russel Branyan. So today, I'm going to look at each position and ask a few questions. I really don't have anything particular to say, but perhaps as I write this, something will fall out.
Third Base:
On May 25th of this year Bill Hall was hitting .220/.292/.418 with nine homeruns and 22 RBIs. For those not in the know, that's not particularly good. Furthermore, his strikeout to walk ratio was 31/16 and he was tied for the league lead in errors. This is quite a long time to wait for a guy to come around, especially when a guy in AAA is hitting .359/.453/.693.
Since his promotion to the Bigs, Branyan is hitting .300/.400/.800 with seven homeruns in 10 RBIs in 50 ABs. Even better, he's walked nine times while striking out. Interestingly, he's hit almost the same number of HRs and half the RBIs as Hall did in over 170 ABs. Even better, he's on pace to walk double what Hall did in his time at third base, yet Hall feels he's deserving of his job.
Things have changed a little since then. Both JJ Hardy and Rickie Weeks are hurt and Bill Hall has been able to get every day work over at 2B, no matter how bad he's been. But this bears some questions. How long do you wait for a guy before you give away his job? What are you willing to sacrifice to make that move? Is making the move going to be worth it?
Center Field:
I bring this up because of what Mike Cameron has brought, or perhaps hasn't brought to this team. Cameron is currently batting .216/.289/.446 in 148 ABs with nine homeruns and 22 RBIs. Those look oddly like Bill Hall's numbers, don't they? But the stark difference is the 52/16 K to BB number. Perhaps Cameron is being even less productive? I would say no. Cameron's defense is still Gold Glove caliber and has made up for much of his blunderings at the plate. Nevertheless, the similarities are striking.
Tony Gwynn Jr. struggled while in the bigs to start the year. Whether or not you can blame this on injuries or just plain lack of talent is beyond me. In 35 ABs Gwynn was batting .200/.293/.302 with only one extra base hit. Not exactly what you want to hear when you think about replacing a Gold Glover. However, since returning to .346/.441/.372 with six stolen bases. As you can see the slugging is a bit off, but 14 BBs and 10 Ks makes a big difference, especially since if you combine his numbers, Gwynn has more walks in 2/3 of the ABs.
So why doesn't Gwynn get the call? Hall is actually making more money than Cameron this year, which is interesting in itself, so it can't be the money. Right now circumstances are a little off. With Hardy and Weeks hurt, the Brewers badly need all the infield help they can get. Right now there is no way the Brewers can afford to move Joe Dillon down. He's been too vital off the bench and is far too versatile, since he can play the infield and outfield. When Weeks comes back, Iribarren will return to the minors, leaving Gabe Kapler as the only back up outfielder. Kapler doesn't have any options left and he's been almost unstoppable when he gets the nod.
Other options may be sending a pitcher down and dealing with just 11, but the fact of the matter is Ned Yost can't not over work 12 with this starting rotation, so how is going to handle 11? Furthermore, what are you really gaining with Gwynn? You lose pop. You gain on-base. You keep the defense pretty much the same. It's a disappointing situation for Gwynn. He's still projected as a fourth outfielder because he has so little pop, but at the same time, his on-base and speed could really project him as a lead off hitter similar to Kenny Lofton.
But the fact remains, Tony Gwynn has no place on this Brewers squad with Mike Cameron here. He's done more than enough to deserve a shot, but Melvin, Yost and Attanasio believe too much in Cameron's ability, and almost not at all in Gwynn's. But it's quite ridiculous considering the Hall and Branyan situation. Melvin had no problem pulling the trigger then. Perhaps Cameron needs 40 more PAs so the situation can be identical.
Until then, here's hoping Gwynn continues to do well in AAA-Nashville and either adds helium to his trade value or gets his shot some time soon. He deserves to be somewhere in the bigs. I just wish it was here. I'd love to watch him play, especially if the Brewers continue to play so poorly they have no shot at the playoffs.
As you can see, I made a lot of suggestions, but the reason I'm intrigued now is because of what just happened at third base. The Brewers weren't willing to wait any longer to give Bill Hall a shot to improve his numbers. Instead they called up a guy who was absolutely raking in AAA. That, my friends, is Russel Branyan. So today, I'm going to look at each position and ask a few questions. I really don't have anything particular to say, but perhaps as I write this, something will fall out.
Third Base:
On May 25th of this year Bill Hall was hitting .220/.292/.418 with nine homeruns and 22 RBIs. For those not in the know, that's not particularly good. Furthermore, his strikeout to walk ratio was 31/16 and he was tied for the league lead in errors. This is quite a long time to wait for a guy to come around, especially when a guy in AAA is hitting .359/.453/.693.
Since his promotion to the Bigs, Branyan is hitting .300/.400/.800 with seven homeruns in 10 RBIs in 50 ABs. Even better, he's walked nine times while striking out. Interestingly, he's hit almost the same number of HRs and half the RBIs as Hall did in over 170 ABs. Even better, he's on pace to walk double what Hall did in his time at third base, yet Hall feels he's deserving of his job.
Things have changed a little since then. Both JJ Hardy and Rickie Weeks are hurt and Bill Hall has been able to get every day work over at 2B, no matter how bad he's been. But this bears some questions. How long do you wait for a guy before you give away his job? What are you willing to sacrifice to make that move? Is making the move going to be worth it?
Center Field:
I bring this up because of what Mike Cameron has brought, or perhaps hasn't brought to this team. Cameron is currently batting .216/.289/.446 in 148 ABs with nine homeruns and 22 RBIs. Those look oddly like Bill Hall's numbers, don't they? But the stark difference is the 52/16 K to BB number. Perhaps Cameron is being even less productive? I would say no. Cameron's defense is still Gold Glove caliber and has made up for much of his blunderings at the plate. Nevertheless, the similarities are striking.
Tony Gwynn Jr. struggled while in the bigs to start the year. Whether or not you can blame this on injuries or just plain lack of talent is beyond me. In 35 ABs Gwynn was batting .200/.293/.302 with only one extra base hit. Not exactly what you want to hear when you think about replacing a Gold Glover. However, since returning to .346/.441/.372 with six stolen bases. As you can see the slugging is a bit off, but 14 BBs and 10 Ks makes a big difference, especially since if you combine his numbers, Gwynn has more walks in 2/3 of the ABs.
So why doesn't Gwynn get the call? Hall is actually making more money than Cameron this year, which is interesting in itself, so it can't be the money. Right now circumstances are a little off. With Hardy and Weeks hurt, the Brewers badly need all the infield help they can get. Right now there is no way the Brewers can afford to move Joe Dillon down. He's been too vital off the bench and is far too versatile, since he can play the infield and outfield. When Weeks comes back, Iribarren will return to the minors, leaving Gabe Kapler as the only back up outfielder. Kapler doesn't have any options left and he's been almost unstoppable when he gets the nod.
Other options may be sending a pitcher down and dealing with just 11, but the fact of the matter is Ned Yost can't not over work 12 with this starting rotation, so how is going to handle 11? Furthermore, what are you really gaining with Gwynn? You lose pop. You gain on-base. You keep the defense pretty much the same. It's a disappointing situation for Gwynn. He's still projected as a fourth outfielder because he has so little pop, but at the same time, his on-base and speed could really project him as a lead off hitter similar to Kenny Lofton.
But the fact remains, Tony Gwynn has no place on this Brewers squad with Mike Cameron here. He's done more than enough to deserve a shot, but Melvin, Yost and Attanasio believe too much in Cameron's ability, and almost not at all in Gwynn's. But it's quite ridiculous considering the Hall and Branyan situation. Melvin had no problem pulling the trigger then. Perhaps Cameron needs 40 more PAs so the situation can be identical.
Until then, here's hoping Gwynn continues to do well in AAA-Nashville and either adds helium to his trade value or gets his shot some time soon. He deserves to be somewhere in the bigs. I just wish it was here. I'd love to watch him play, especially if the Brewers continue to play so poorly they have no shot at the playoffs.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Brewers Twins Game One Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 2 Minnesota Twins 10
MVPs of the Game:
Prince Fielder: 2/3; 2B, BB, R
Kevin Slowey: 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 K
Honorable Mentions: Bill Hall for the Minnesota Twins; 2 errors leading to six unearned runs, no hits and a failure to hustle the entire game.
Game Recap:
I don't walk out on games very often. I would even call it a rare occurrence. But Friday was the exception. It's impossible to get into a game when your favorite team is playing like a bunch of little leaguers. With the exception for Braun, Fielder and Branyan, that's what the Brewers were during last night's game. Kevin Slowey came into this game with a 2-6 record and an ERA above five, but that didn't stop the Brewers from making him look like the staff ace. Slowey gave up only two hits over his first six innings of baseball, and that's not because he was lights out. It was because the Brewers were the bad at the plate, waiving at strikes out of the zone, trying to pull balls that are outside and swinging for the fences with nearly every swing.
But it wasn't just the bats fault. The defense could be labeled as nothing better than sickening. It started in the first inning with a routine groundball by Alexi Casilla to second baseman Bill Hall, who is currently replacing the man he claims should have been the odd man out to get a lefty put in his place. But I digress... wait, no I don't. Bill Hall biffed that ball, allowing a run to score on a ground out two batters later, which, under normal circumstances, would have been the third out.
The Brewers then proceeded to avoid a few near misses until the fifth, when Bill showed us why he will forever be a cancer to this team. The inning started off with back to back bunt singles to the right side. Prince fielded the first one perfectly, but there was a problem. Nobody was covering first base. Why? To be honest, I'm not really sure. Gomez showed his bunt very early, and if you watch the play closely, you'll notice Bill Hall doesn't even take a step towards first base to help. In fact, by the time Prince turns to first, Billy is standing straight up, just patting his glove. The very next batter does the same thing. This time Prince stayed home, realizing Hall isn't going to do him any favors. Bush goes to field the ball and then gives up, thinking he's going to run into Fielder. Two batters later, Morneau hits a triple off of the center field wall. He would score on a single by Kubel, making the score 4-0.
But Bill Hall didn't stop. I wonder why he didn't talk to the media last night? In the seventh inning, the Brewers brought in young Tim Dillard, who has been fantastic this year in his few appearances. Last night, that wasn't the case. But there's hope, even though he didn't have his good stuff, he would have gotten out of it under normal circumstances. Unfortunately for him, Bill Hall doesn't stand for normal circumstances. The inning started with a harmless fly out and a single from Delmon Young on a solid stop from Russell Branyan. Then Jason Kubel came to the plate, one of the slower outfielders in the league. He promptly hits another routine groundball to Bill Hall, who will have plenty of time to get the out at first since Young was on the go. Instead, Hall boots it almost exactly how he booted the ball in the first inning and Kubel reaches. Brendan Harris would follow with a ground out to the catcher, and then the wheels came off. After an intentional walk to Mike Lamb, Dillard got behind 3-1 against the pitcher and was forced to throw some meatballs up there. Slowey hit a jam job ball to left to score two. This was followed by a single and a double, officially putting the game out of reach on FIVE, count 'em, FIVE unearned runs. Talk about stealing the confidence from a kid who was pitching very well.
The Brewers would manage two in the seventh, but that wasn't enough to make me watch the rest of that hideous display of baseball. Fielder and Branyan looked pretty good at the plate, but nobody else did. If Counsell and Hall are going to be in the every day lineup, consider the season over. Every time the Cubs and the Cards lose, the Brewers hand games away. You only get so many opportunities. And while I understand that this is a long season and we're not half way there, games like these don't happen to good teams. When they do, they're still at least in the game. That isn't the case for these Brewers, especially when half of their infield is unable to play.
Game Changing Play:
Prince Fielder led off the second inning with a scorching double. On the following play Russell Branyan crushed a ball to the wall in left center, that almost got out but was caught. Fielder, not sure if he was going to run or not, got out of the gate slow and motored to third. Carlos Gomez's throw was a bit off and Lamb and to reach for Fielder, who the ump called safe. He sure looked safe from my angle, but you never know. The Brewers would only get one more hit until the 7th, sealing the game for the Twins.
Notes:
If Bill Hall is in the lineup tonight, I'd be hard pressed. Ned Yost is making excuse after excuse for him and it's really getting on my nerves. It feels like he's not even trying. He's lackadaisical and looks even more hideous at the plate now than when he had the every day job. The fact of the matter is, I'm ready to DFA the guy. If he wants to forfeit his contract, let him. I'm not sure how waivers works, but I'm assuming they have to take on a good portion of his contract if he is claimed. But the fact of the matter is, Bill Hall is first in errors in the league with 15 and he has fewer than 100 attempts. Furthermore, he's batting under .220 with an OBP lower than .300. No playoff team has this guy on his team. He can't hit, he can't field and he doesn't deserve to play. Hell, I'd rather see Calix Crabbe up here right now.
The Twins outfield is fast. I mean really fast, with the exception of Jason Kubel. Gomez may not have discipline at the plate, but can that guy fly. There were two balls in last night's game that are doubles, maybe even triples, with almost any one else in the league out there. The best run down was Braun's sac fly, when Gomez took two steps in and then took off to the center field wall, making a catch over his shoulder.
Iribarren has looked awful in his few ABs since returning to the bigs. Give the guy some playing time and see what he can really do. This every other day thing isn't going to work out.
Dave Bush would have never pitched the sixth inning if I was the manager. When he came back out, I looked at my friend and said, "Bill Hall is giving this game away. He was the last out, double switch him and Bush out for Joe Dillon and Mark DiFelice." Well, that's not how Yost thinks. He trusts all of his guys. The thing is, no one trusts Bill Hall anymore, and he's ruining the delicate confidence of this team. Get him out of there.
Milwaukee Brewers 2 Minnesota Twins 10
MVPs of the Game:
Prince Fielder: 2/3; 2B, BB, R
Kevin Slowey: 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 K
Honorable Mentions: Bill Hall for the Minnesota Twins; 2 errors leading to six unearned runs, no hits and a failure to hustle the entire game.
Game Recap:
I don't walk out on games very often. I would even call it a rare occurrence. But Friday was the exception. It's impossible to get into a game when your favorite team is playing like a bunch of little leaguers. With the exception for Braun, Fielder and Branyan, that's what the Brewers were during last night's game. Kevin Slowey came into this game with a 2-6 record and an ERA above five, but that didn't stop the Brewers from making him look like the staff ace. Slowey gave up only two hits over his first six innings of baseball, and that's not because he was lights out. It was because the Brewers were the bad at the plate, waiving at strikes out of the zone, trying to pull balls that are outside and swinging for the fences with nearly every swing.
But it wasn't just the bats fault. The defense could be labeled as nothing better than sickening. It started in the first inning with a routine groundball by Alexi Casilla to second baseman Bill Hall, who is currently replacing the man he claims should have been the odd man out to get a lefty put in his place. But I digress... wait, no I don't. Bill Hall biffed that ball, allowing a run to score on a ground out two batters later, which, under normal circumstances, would have been the third out.
The Brewers then proceeded to avoid a few near misses until the fifth, when Bill showed us why he will forever be a cancer to this team. The inning started off with back to back bunt singles to the right side. Prince fielded the first one perfectly, but there was a problem. Nobody was covering first base. Why? To be honest, I'm not really sure. Gomez showed his bunt very early, and if you watch the play closely, you'll notice Bill Hall doesn't even take a step towards first base to help. In fact, by the time Prince turns to first, Billy is standing straight up, just patting his glove. The very next batter does the same thing. This time Prince stayed home, realizing Hall isn't going to do him any favors. Bush goes to field the ball and then gives up, thinking he's going to run into Fielder. Two batters later, Morneau hits a triple off of the center field wall. He would score on a single by Kubel, making the score 4-0.
But Bill Hall didn't stop. I wonder why he didn't talk to the media last night? In the seventh inning, the Brewers brought in young Tim Dillard, who has been fantastic this year in his few appearances. Last night, that wasn't the case. But there's hope, even though he didn't have his good stuff, he would have gotten out of it under normal circumstances. Unfortunately for him, Bill Hall doesn't stand for normal circumstances. The inning started with a harmless fly out and a single from Delmon Young on a solid stop from Russell Branyan. Then Jason Kubel came to the plate, one of the slower outfielders in the league. He promptly hits another routine groundball to Bill Hall, who will have plenty of time to get the out at first since Young was on the go. Instead, Hall boots it almost exactly how he booted the ball in the first inning and Kubel reaches. Brendan Harris would follow with a ground out to the catcher, and then the wheels came off. After an intentional walk to Mike Lamb, Dillard got behind 3-1 against the pitcher and was forced to throw some meatballs up there. Slowey hit a jam job ball to left to score two. This was followed by a single and a double, officially putting the game out of reach on FIVE, count 'em, FIVE unearned runs. Talk about stealing the confidence from a kid who was pitching very well.
The Brewers would manage two in the seventh, but that wasn't enough to make me watch the rest of that hideous display of baseball. Fielder and Branyan looked pretty good at the plate, but nobody else did. If Counsell and Hall are going to be in the every day lineup, consider the season over. Every time the Cubs and the Cards lose, the Brewers hand games away. You only get so many opportunities. And while I understand that this is a long season and we're not half way there, games like these don't happen to good teams. When they do, they're still at least in the game. That isn't the case for these Brewers, especially when half of their infield is unable to play.
Game Changing Play:
Prince Fielder led off the second inning with a scorching double. On the following play Russell Branyan crushed a ball to the wall in left center, that almost got out but was caught. Fielder, not sure if he was going to run or not, got out of the gate slow and motored to third. Carlos Gomez's throw was a bit off and Lamb and to reach for Fielder, who the ump called safe. He sure looked safe from my angle, but you never know. The Brewers would only get one more hit until the 7th, sealing the game for the Twins.
Notes:
If Bill Hall is in the lineup tonight, I'd be hard pressed. Ned Yost is making excuse after excuse for him and it's really getting on my nerves. It feels like he's not even trying. He's lackadaisical and looks even more hideous at the plate now than when he had the every day job. The fact of the matter is, I'm ready to DFA the guy. If he wants to forfeit his contract, let him. I'm not sure how waivers works, but I'm assuming they have to take on a good portion of his contract if he is claimed. But the fact of the matter is, Bill Hall is first in errors in the league with 15 and he has fewer than 100 attempts. Furthermore, he's batting under .220 with an OBP lower than .300. No playoff team has this guy on his team. He can't hit, he can't field and he doesn't deserve to play. Hell, I'd rather see Calix Crabbe up here right now.
The Twins outfield is fast. I mean really fast, with the exception of Jason Kubel. Gomez may not have discipline at the plate, but can that guy fly. There were two balls in last night's game that are doubles, maybe even triples, with almost any one else in the league out there. The best run down was Braun's sac fly, when Gomez took two steps in and then took off to the center field wall, making a catch over his shoulder.
Iribarren has looked awful in his few ABs since returning to the bigs. Give the guy some playing time and see what he can really do. This every other day thing isn't going to work out.
Dave Bush would have never pitched the sixth inning if I was the manager. When he came back out, I looked at my friend and said, "Bill Hall is giving this game away. He was the last out, double switch him and Bush out for Joe Dillon and Mark DiFelice." Well, that's not how Yost thinks. He trusts all of his guys. The thing is, no one trusts Bill Hall anymore, and he's ruining the delicate confidence of this team. Get him out of there.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Five Things the Brewers Need to Do to Make the Playoffs
I love the movie 'High Fidelity'. John Cusack is absolutely amazing in it and the rest of the supporting cast kills, especially Jack Black and Todd Louiso. In the movie Cusack runs a record store and is constantly spewing off his Top Five everything, albums, front sides, B sides and break ups. I tend to use this Top Five game quite often, especially with new people who have a hard time opening up. It breaks the ice and you get to find out what kind of interests and taste the other person has. I got into this game not to long ago and it quickly delved into sports. Since I haven't been able to watch any games lately, I wanted to do something different, and perhaps I can make this a more common occurrence.
Today's Top Five revolves around what the Brewers need to do if they plan on making the playoffs this year. They are currently 7.5 behind the NL Central leading Cubs and five games behind the Wild Card leading Cardinals (two games behind second place Florida). So how does tap this deficit?
1. Stop relying on the homerun.
Yesterday's victory over the Houston Astros took five homeruns, and practically every single one was needed. With guys like Jason Kendall and JJ Hardy in your lineup, you're not going to get long ball production from a third of your lineup. Even worse, these guys' OBP isn't healthy enough to support the idea of multi-run shots. The Brewers are currently sixth in the bigs with 76 dingers this year, which is what you would expect from them. But last night was a clear indication of the problem they have. Of the five shots, three of them were of the solo variety. It's almost as if the team is trying to go long with runners on and over swinging, especially Prince Fielder. RBI opportunities are great and all, but staying within yourself will give you a better shot at taking advantage of them. The Brewers squad needs to spray to all fields and work on improving their lowly .252 average if they want to make a real run.
2. Play better on the road.
This is old news, but stats don't lie. The Brewers are 19-10 at home and 15-21 on the road. While this isn't as bad as years past, it's hardly something to be proud of. Every time the team goes on the road, the offense starts falling flat. As a result, the pitchers start pushing, trying to get more zeros and be too fine. It's a domino effect, and I'm sick of seeing it from a young team that should have figured it out last season, when they did the same exact thing. The best teams in baseball are often times .500 on the road, usually a little better than that. If the Brewers plan on playing October baseball, they'll need to finish the year at the mark. Ten games above will likely get the that Wild Card spot.
3. Trade for a solid, young starting pitcher.
For a lot of Brewers fans, this too is a no brainer, but people don't seem to understand that they can't just get an average guy and expect things to be fine and dandy. Jeff Weaver is not and never was the answer. Doug Melvin just wanted the veteran to help out his young guys down in AAA-Nashville. If you think anything else, you're sadly mistaken. The way Dave Bush has pitched, it doesn't matter how bad Weaver was in AAA, he would have been given the shot. Baseball is a funny sport. They give guys with experience shot after shot no matter how bad they are. Weaver was never given that shot and for a reason. If he got signed and nobody's picked up Kenny Lofton, you know something funky was going on.
But I digress. If the Brewers plan on winning at a .600 clip the rest of the season, they'll need more consistency out of Dave Bush and Seth McClung. I believe that Manny Parra has gotten things figured out. While his start last night wasn't particularly good, he's shown better command of his pitches as well ass significantly better stuff than the other two back end starters. In the end, Dave Bush has to go and a young starter with actual talent should take his place. While McClung isn't particularly good, he's got much better stuff and doesn't let up with two outs. You never know what you're going to get from Bush and their really isn't and in between. It's a good start or a really awful one. Most times that awful start completely takes the team out of the game and destroys the team's confidence.
4. Trade Bill Hall and bring up Mat Gamel.
This is a risk... a big big big risk, but the fact remains that we need an every day third baseman. Russell 'The Muscle' won't be able to keep up this tear for much longer and his strikeout totals are killing rallies with runners on. Gamel has a professional approach and his defense has improved quite a bit, though it is still an adventure. Nevertheless, his bat should more than make up for his blunders in the field. The team seems pretty hell bent on keeping Gamel down, but Hall is a cancer that doesn't hit or walk any more. As a result he becomes a pivotal trading chip alongside Dave Bush and Tony Gwynn Jr., which gives the Brewers the opportunity to get two birds with one stone. The Brewers will have to bite the bullet as far his contract goes, but I think eating the money is actually a positive as far as the team's future goes.
5. Learn to take walks without sacrificing average.
If you haven't noticed yet, the Brewers have gotten a lot more hits lately, leading to more runs. But since that has started, the strikeouts have increased dramatically and the walks have all but disappeared. The Brewers are currently sporting a .323 team on-base. That gives them an isopatience of 71. Where does the best team lie? The Cubs have a 78 and the Red Sox 76. You may not think that's a difference, but it makes a big one. The Cardinals are rocking an 83, but their pitching has finally come back down to earth. If the Brewers can make this jump and continue to push their average up (Around 12 points in the last three weeks), they will score a ton more runs and quell the pressure put on the starting pitcher. More baserunners = more stolen bases = more opportunities with RISP = more runs = more wins. Leave it to the science guy to make an equation out of it.
Today's Top Five revolves around what the Brewers need to do if they plan on making the playoffs this year. They are currently 7.5 behind the NL Central leading Cubs and five games behind the Wild Card leading Cardinals (two games behind second place Florida). So how does tap this deficit?
1. Stop relying on the homerun.
Yesterday's victory over the Houston Astros took five homeruns, and practically every single one was needed. With guys like Jason Kendall and JJ Hardy in your lineup, you're not going to get long ball production from a third of your lineup. Even worse, these guys' OBP isn't healthy enough to support the idea of multi-run shots. The Brewers are currently sixth in the bigs with 76 dingers this year, which is what you would expect from them. But last night was a clear indication of the problem they have. Of the five shots, three of them were of the solo variety. It's almost as if the team is trying to go long with runners on and over swinging, especially Prince Fielder. RBI opportunities are great and all, but staying within yourself will give you a better shot at taking advantage of them. The Brewers squad needs to spray to all fields and work on improving their lowly .252 average if they want to make a real run.
2. Play better on the road.
This is old news, but stats don't lie. The Brewers are 19-10 at home and 15-21 on the road. While this isn't as bad as years past, it's hardly something to be proud of. Every time the team goes on the road, the offense starts falling flat. As a result, the pitchers start pushing, trying to get more zeros and be too fine. It's a domino effect, and I'm sick of seeing it from a young team that should have figured it out last season, when they did the same exact thing. The best teams in baseball are often times .500 on the road, usually a little better than that. If the Brewers plan on playing October baseball, they'll need to finish the year at the mark. Ten games above will likely get the that Wild Card spot.
3. Trade for a solid, young starting pitcher.
For a lot of Brewers fans, this too is a no brainer, but people don't seem to understand that they can't just get an average guy and expect things to be fine and dandy. Jeff Weaver is not and never was the answer. Doug Melvin just wanted the veteran to help out his young guys down in AAA-Nashville. If you think anything else, you're sadly mistaken. The way Dave Bush has pitched, it doesn't matter how bad Weaver was in AAA, he would have been given the shot. Baseball is a funny sport. They give guys with experience shot after shot no matter how bad they are. Weaver was never given that shot and for a reason. If he got signed and nobody's picked up Kenny Lofton, you know something funky was going on.
But I digress. If the Brewers plan on winning at a .600 clip the rest of the season, they'll need more consistency out of Dave Bush and Seth McClung. I believe that Manny Parra has gotten things figured out. While his start last night wasn't particularly good, he's shown better command of his pitches as well ass significantly better stuff than the other two back end starters. In the end, Dave Bush has to go and a young starter with actual talent should take his place. While McClung isn't particularly good, he's got much better stuff and doesn't let up with two outs. You never know what you're going to get from Bush and their really isn't and in between. It's a good start or a really awful one. Most times that awful start completely takes the team out of the game and destroys the team's confidence.
4. Trade Bill Hall and bring up Mat Gamel.
This is a risk... a big big big risk, but the fact remains that we need an every day third baseman. Russell 'The Muscle' won't be able to keep up this tear for much longer and his strikeout totals are killing rallies with runners on. Gamel has a professional approach and his defense has improved quite a bit, though it is still an adventure. Nevertheless, his bat should more than make up for his blunders in the field. The team seems pretty hell bent on keeping Gamel down, but Hall is a cancer that doesn't hit or walk any more. As a result he becomes a pivotal trading chip alongside Dave Bush and Tony Gwynn Jr., which gives the Brewers the opportunity to get two birds with one stone. The Brewers will have to bite the bullet as far his contract goes, but I think eating the money is actually a positive as far as the team's future goes.
5. Learn to take walks without sacrificing average.
If you haven't noticed yet, the Brewers have gotten a lot more hits lately, leading to more runs. But since that has started, the strikeouts have increased dramatically and the walks have all but disappeared. The Brewers are currently sporting a .323 team on-base. That gives them an isopatience of 71. Where does the best team lie? The Cubs have a 78 and the Red Sox 76. You may not think that's a difference, but it makes a big one. The Cardinals are rocking an 83, but their pitching has finally come back down to earth. If the Brewers can make this jump and continue to push their average up (Around 12 points in the last three weeks), they will score a ton more runs and quell the pressure put on the starting pitcher. More baserunners = more stolen bases = more opportunities with RISP = more runs = more wins. Leave it to the science guy to make an equation out of it.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Brewers Astros Series Preview (2)
The Series:
Milwaukee Brewers (33-30) @ Houston Astros (32-32)
Who's on Tap?:
June 10th: Seth McClung (3-2, 4.25 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (4-6, 5.38 ERA)
June 11th: Manny Parra (4-2, 4.33 ERA) vs. Brandon Backe (4-7, 4.66 ERA)
June 12th: Ben Sheets (6-1, 2.62 ERA) vs. Brian Moehler (3-2, 3.76 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
Lance Berkman flat out owns the Brewers. In the last series at Minute Maid Park, Berkman went 7/13 with two bombs and six RBIs, leading the Astros to a big time sweep. Berkman hasn't cooled off much either, having a hit in 15 of his last 16 games. Even better, he's still sporting a .372/.458/.723 line. .723?! Good lord. On the mound, beware of Brian Moehler. I'm still not convinced by this guy and for good reason. He doesn't strike out a lot of guys, but doesn't walk that many either. He's a groundball pitcher who works the outside of the plate well, which is the Brewers' Achilles' heel. His last start against the Brewers lasted only five innings, but was only spoiled by a 2-run blast from Prince Fielder and an ace like performance from Sheets.
On the Brewers side, I have some questions that will or won't be answered when I see the lineup as a result of Rickie Weeks being place on the DL. I'm in favor of a strict platoon at second with Joe Dillon and Hernan Iribarren. Iribarren is a lefty with a lot of speed and has earned some playing time. On the other side, so has Joe Dillon. I've come to really like Dillon, who has the propensity to walk and hit the ball hard on a consistent basis. With that being said, he is so vital to have on the bench during pinch hit opportunities and lacks range at 2B. Keep an eye on this development. Elsewhere, be very cautious of the Brewers first two starters, Manny Parra and McClung. McClung keeps showing he has the stuff to get it done, but struggles at times. Parra is a little more consistent, but has similar problems. Sheets will no doubt anchor on Thursday, but these first two games are very important and will likely revolve around the success of the two youngsters.
Keys to Victory:
The Astros will need their starters to get through six as the bullpen has been unbelievable lately. Geary, Brocail and Byrdak have really done well for themselves lately, but you don't want to over use them in the series. If they can rotate through the 7th and 8th innings with leads and get to Valverde, who has been serviceable, the Astros will be in good shape.
The Brewers goals go hand in hand with this one. While the back end of the Astros bullpen has been practically lights out, it's middle relievers have been absolutely terrible. By working the count and getting baserunners, the Brewers will have to knock out the starting pitcher early, even if they don't pick up a lot of runs. Wesley Wright and Chris Sampson have not been particularly good for most of the year, Sampson especially who was relegated to the bullpen after a terrible run and Wandy Rodriguez returning from the DL.
Predictions and Notes:
This is a bit of a tough one. With the Brewers struggling on the road and the Astros falling apart after getting swept at Miller Park, which struggle is favored. I'll be a bit of a pessimist and say the Brewers will probably struggle more, but they'll somehow take this series 2-1. Oswalt hasn't been sharp enough to give him the credit he deserves and the Brewers showed him that they didn't fear him in the least during his last shot. I have a feeling McClung is going to show a little more promise this week and do just enough to steal a victory tonight. Manny Parra, however, will not stay on the horse and will struggle with his command. The Astros have the ability to go right hand heavy and the short porch in left is not going to help Parra. While Backe isn't particularly great either, I think he'll get the better of Parra and take a victory or will at least leave the game with a no decision, leading to an Astros victory. Game three is not going to be a repeat of Sheeter's last two performances, but he'll get a quality start and rely on the bullpen to keep the lead again. This time, though, the lead will be big enough as Moehler will finally come back to earth.
This is an important series for both teams as they're both heading into inter-league play this weekend, with the Astros facing the Yankees at home and the Brewers hosting the Twins. Both will need some serious momentum if they think they can handle both of those powerful offenses, especially since neither team will get the chance to toss their aces against the AL squads.
It's been a tale of two cities so far as both teams have swept at their respective ballparks. The question is, 'Who will give in first?'. The Brewers are very young, but could be just aggressive enough to get over the hump. Game one is an important confidence meter, and if they take it, it will likely carry them through the series. The Astros veteran squad may be able to pull all the pieces together, looking for redemption after the sweep and a day off. It won't be easy though, especially after the heartbreaking loss on Sunday, in which they gave up five, all of which were unearned, in the 7th to blow the game.
Milwaukee Brewers (33-30) @ Houston Astros (32-32)
Who's on Tap?:
June 10th: Seth McClung (3-2, 4.25 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (4-6, 5.38 ERA)
June 11th: Manny Parra (4-2, 4.33 ERA) vs. Brandon Backe (4-7, 4.66 ERA)
June 12th: Ben Sheets (6-1, 2.62 ERA) vs. Brian Moehler (3-2, 3.76 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
Lance Berkman flat out owns the Brewers. In the last series at Minute Maid Park, Berkman went 7/13 with two bombs and six RBIs, leading the Astros to a big time sweep. Berkman hasn't cooled off much either, having a hit in 15 of his last 16 games. Even better, he's still sporting a .372/.458/.723 line. .723?! Good lord. On the mound, beware of Brian Moehler. I'm still not convinced by this guy and for good reason. He doesn't strike out a lot of guys, but doesn't walk that many either. He's a groundball pitcher who works the outside of the plate well, which is the Brewers' Achilles' heel. His last start against the Brewers lasted only five innings, but was only spoiled by a 2-run blast from Prince Fielder and an ace like performance from Sheets.
On the Brewers side, I have some questions that will or won't be answered when I see the lineup as a result of Rickie Weeks being place on the DL. I'm in favor of a strict platoon at second with Joe Dillon and Hernan Iribarren. Iribarren is a lefty with a lot of speed and has earned some playing time. On the other side, so has Joe Dillon. I've come to really like Dillon, who has the propensity to walk and hit the ball hard on a consistent basis. With that being said, he is so vital to have on the bench during pinch hit opportunities and lacks range at 2B. Keep an eye on this development. Elsewhere, be very cautious of the Brewers first two starters, Manny Parra and McClung. McClung keeps showing he has the stuff to get it done, but struggles at times. Parra is a little more consistent, but has similar problems. Sheets will no doubt anchor on Thursday, but these first two games are very important and will likely revolve around the success of the two youngsters.
Keys to Victory:
The Astros will need their starters to get through six as the bullpen has been unbelievable lately. Geary, Brocail and Byrdak have really done well for themselves lately, but you don't want to over use them in the series. If they can rotate through the 7th and 8th innings with leads and get to Valverde, who has been serviceable, the Astros will be in good shape.
The Brewers goals go hand in hand with this one. While the back end of the Astros bullpen has been practically lights out, it's middle relievers have been absolutely terrible. By working the count and getting baserunners, the Brewers will have to knock out the starting pitcher early, even if they don't pick up a lot of runs. Wesley Wright and Chris Sampson have not been particularly good for most of the year, Sampson especially who was relegated to the bullpen after a terrible run and Wandy Rodriguez returning from the DL.
Predictions and Notes:
This is a bit of a tough one. With the Brewers struggling on the road and the Astros falling apart after getting swept at Miller Park, which struggle is favored. I'll be a bit of a pessimist and say the Brewers will probably struggle more, but they'll somehow take this series 2-1. Oswalt hasn't been sharp enough to give him the credit he deserves and the Brewers showed him that they didn't fear him in the least during his last shot. I have a feeling McClung is going to show a little more promise this week and do just enough to steal a victory tonight. Manny Parra, however, will not stay on the horse and will struggle with his command. The Astros have the ability to go right hand heavy and the short porch in left is not going to help Parra. While Backe isn't particularly great either, I think he'll get the better of Parra and take a victory or will at least leave the game with a no decision, leading to an Astros victory. Game three is not going to be a repeat of Sheeter's last two performances, but he'll get a quality start and rely on the bullpen to keep the lead again. This time, though, the lead will be big enough as Moehler will finally come back to earth.
This is an important series for both teams as they're both heading into inter-league play this weekend, with the Astros facing the Yankees at home and the Brewers hosting the Twins. Both will need some serious momentum if they think they can handle both of those powerful offenses, especially since neither team will get the chance to toss their aces against the AL squads.
It's been a tale of two cities so far as both teams have swept at their respective ballparks. The question is, 'Who will give in first?'. The Brewers are very young, but could be just aggressive enough to get over the hump. Game one is an important confidence meter, and if they take it, it will likely carry them through the series. The Astros veteran squad may be able to pull all the pieces together, looking for redemption after the sweep and a day off. It won't be easy though, especially after the heartbreaking loss on Sunday, in which they gave up five, all of which were unearned, in the 7th to blow the game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)