I didn't want to do this to be honest, but after listening to the radio this morning, and hearing every one say that Ryan Braun deserves an A for his contribution to the team and Prince Fielder deserves a C+, I've gotten a little riled up. But I don't want my emotions to get a hold of me, so after a bit of thought, I want to go over each individual player, show you what they did last year up tot his point, what they've done this year and then explain what they've improved or wavered on. But I have a to offer you all a bit of a disclaimer. I'm a notoriously tough grader. My standard and expectations are those of a top playoff caliber team, and if I think any one is pulling the team away from that goal, I'm going to go for the throat. On with the show.
We'll start with the rotation:
Ben Sheets:
Last Year: 87 IP 7-3 Record 3.31 ERA 61 Ks 19 BB
This Year: 123 IP 10-3 Record 2.85 ERA 108 Ks 28 BB
It's amazing what a contract year and a new catcher can do for you. Sheets has been phenomenal this year, tossing gem after gem. And interestingly, he's given a lot of that credit to Jason Kendall, who perhaps is the reason that Sheets K/Rate is back up to 0.87 K's per inning. This could be a selling point at the end of the year should the Brewers make a big pitch for the rightie. Last year Sheets didn't see himself on the DL to start the season either, though he did skip a couple of starts, which would account for the fewer innings pitched in the first half last season. But a lot of those starts only went six innings, while this year he is going through the seventh on a much more consistent basis.
A lot of the success he's having reall appears to be a result of comfort and health. If you remember, in years past, Sheets would often do that back bend before each pitch, even after he had surgery to repair the problem. Then there was the torn muscle in his upper back that altered his mechanics for much of the 2006 and 2007 seasons. But now, nothing seems to be holding Sheets back, and a healthy summer not dedicated to rehab, but strength seems to have paid off considerably, allowing him to exceed some expectations. Look for Sheets' ERA to climb just a bit, but the success will be there, as it always is when he pitches.
Grade: A
Jeff Suppan:
Last Year: 117 IP 8-8 Record 5.00 ERA 61 K 41 BB
This Year: 101.1 IP 5-6 Record 4.71 ERA 55 K 44 BB
Soup has had a rough year and is notoriously known for coming on strong in the second half. That really didn't appear to be the case this season and Soup carried a 3.93 ERA heading into June this year, but an injured elbow perhaps causes his downslide. Or perhaps its just his walks. Nevertheless, Jeff has done what the Brewers have needed and expected him to do. Stabilize the rotation with a .500 record and a carry a 4.50 ERA. Last year, Soup was doing exactly that and was probably the only successful pitcher the Brewers in August and September, where he lowered his ERA in nearly every outing.
I'm not really sure what this savvy vet will end up doing the rest of the season. I'm sure he'll get his innings in, but he's never had an elbow injury before. Even though it isn't a pitching related injury, it could do a lot to screw up Jeff's mechanics. Time will only tell on this one. Nevertheless, the Brewers will need Jeff to be a solid contributer in the second half.
Grade: B-
Manny Parra:
Last Year: Minors, 106.2 IP 10-4 Record 2.45 ER 106 K 33 BB
This Year: 100 IP 8-2 Record 3.78 ERA 78 K 50 BB
Last years numbers are pretty close to the All-Star break. I don't have a game log so I can't be totally accurate here, but his late July call-up tells me those numbers are pretty close to what he did in 13 starts for Huntsville and just four for Nashville. As for this year Manny has been inconsistent for much of the year, at least as far as command goes. The success hasn't been all that inconsistent though, especially recently. Since really struggling in Washington at the end of May, Manny has turned the corner significantly as far as limiting the long balls and working around his walks. At this point in the season, he is the sole reason the Brewers haven't been terribly hurt by the loss of Yovani Gallardo. The walk numbers are extremely scary though, and you have to ask your self how much longer he can get away with walking 4-6 batters every outing.
But Manny has shown considerable composure and is being molded into a solid number two or three starter. It's really fun to watch. Toss in a pretty good bat to boot and Manny might be another one of those guys you try to lock up long term for cheap. But there's still a few concerns, but not as far as his talent goes. Manny only pitched 132 innings last year and is on pace for well over 200 to finish this year. Yes, Manny missed a considerable amount of time by breaking his finger last year and probably would have hit the 180 inning plateau, but there's always fear regarding shoulder health and pitchers. I hope he can handle the strain, or at the very least Ned can skip a few of his starts down the road if the team gets any sort of healthy lead. If the Brewers make the playoffs, it's hard not to start Manny, but you have be a little concerned about the youngster's future.
Grade: B+
Dave Bush:
Last Year: 107.1 IP 7-7 Record 4.86 ERA 80 Ks 24 BB
This Year: 106.2 IP 5-8 Record 4.39 ERA 66 K 26 BB
Bush is a tale of two halves this season, or perhaps of just home and away. Bush was particularly difficult to watch to start, giving up 15 HRs in his first 11 starts, but has flourished since. He has yet to give up a homerun in his last six starts and has avoided walks like the plague, saving his season and my grumblings for another post. As you can see by looking at the numbers, Dave was essentially the same pitcher this year, but found himself getting lit up a lot more to start this season because of a dramatically lowered K/Rate. Interestingly that K/Rate is astonishingly lower if you take out the 20 strikeouts he's had in his last 16 innings of work. It goes from 0.51 to 0.62. But the splits are pretty scary for Dave, who carries a 2.49 ERA at home and a 6.95 ERA on the road, largely due to the change in his pitch movement, which Brew Crew Ball showed a week ago or so.
What will Bush do in the second half? I haven't a freaking clue. Yost continues to talk about a platoon for he and McClung, but it doesn't make much sense to do considering the numbers Dave has put up in his last six starts. That sickens me to say, but it's true. McClung has earned his right to pitch as well though, so I'm not too sure how this going to work out. He won't be happy about not being in the rotation, but it might be in the Brewers interest no to platoon them, but simply have them pitch on the five days no matter what happens and flip flop who starts the game based on where they are pitching. Bush may be better suited for a few innings of relief on the road and another gem at home.
Grade: B-
Seth McClung:
Last Year: (AAA) 77.2 IP 3-5 Record 1.85 ERA 93 K 48 BB
This Year: 75.2 IP 5-5 Record 4.16 ERA 64 Ks 36 BB
Seth has been the biggest surprise for the Brewers this year. Since altering his mechanics slightly, McClung has gone from a 97-100 MPH pitcher to a 92-95 MPH pitcher with significantly better command. He started off in the bullpen and looked particularly good in his long relief role. This success allowed him to take over the starting role for the then struggling Carlos Villanueva. The results have been mixed, but mostly good. In nine starts Seth has a 4-3 record with a 4.41 ERA, mostly due to his rough outing against Atlanta. But the problem for Seth has been control. When he doesn't give up charity baserunners, he's lights out, giving up only 48 hits in his 49 innings of work.
But Seth looks like he's going to be the odd man out when Suppan returns from the DL. I imagine Melvin and Attanassio may put the kabash on the platoon idea, but you never know. I would have no problem saying that every fifth game is a tag team between Seth and Bush. Nevertheless, look for Seth to continue his inconsistencies until next season. The off season and Spring Training will give him time to really get used to his new mechanics and work out his command issues.
Grade: B+
Overall Rotation Grade: B
The bullpen has been pretty interesting all year. It's had it's huge huge highs and it's lowest lows, but all in all, they've been reliable when the game has been on the line. We always remember the lows though, never the highs. Let's look at the numbers.
Carlos Villanueva:
Last Year: 60.1 IP 6-0 Record 2.83 ERA 55 Ks 24 BB
This Year: 76 IP 3-5 Record 4.97 ERA 60K 21 BB
Carlos, my favorite Brewer, struggled pretty badly this season in the starting rotation, going 2-5 with a 6.43 ERA in his 49 innings of work. But since then, he's been a picture of consistency, going 1-0 with a 2.33 ERA in his last 16 appearances and 27 innings. Not bad for a second year player. The big difference has been the strike outss and similarly to Bush, avoiding the long ball. Carlos has given up only three homeruns in relief and 12 when he was starting. He's struck out 29 in relief and 31 as starter. Pretty drastic splits if you ask me, considering he started almost double the innings. A lot of it has to do with Carlos keeping the ball down, which he wasn't doing at all to start the season. Whether or not that had to do with large pitch counts or his mental state, he's obviously changed something and it's worked.
The Brewers really to figure something out for this guy. Last year he was effective for all but a month and a half of the year. That's damn good. Unfortunately for him, that time may have been the time he was in the rotation, which killed his numbers. This year, though he's been sort of relegated to the long relief role regardless of the situation. That means if we're down five in the fifth, Carlos comes in and saves the bullpen. That's not where he belongs, but the Brewers have no choice because they wanted to keep Mitch Stetter around. As a result, Carlos is the only pitcher who can go more than two innings at a time. That needs to change and fast because Carlos is more than capable of being a 7th and 8th inning set up man every other day. That may actually more beneficial to this bullpen than eating innings on a rough night. Until then, his talents are being wasted a bit.
Grade: C+
Brian Shouse:
Last Year: 21.1 IP 1-1 Record 2.95 ERA 9 K 8 BB
This Year: 33.0 IP 3-1 Record 1.91 ERA 21 Ks 8 BB
At this time last year, Shouse was pretty much relegated to left handed hitters, as shown by the fact that he only pitched 21 innings in 35 appearances. But as the year grew on, Yost realized his slightly altered approach was effective against both sides of the plate. This year Shouse has seen considerably more time, like 40 more appearances and 26 more innings in less time. So that worries me a bit, but Shouse has been a savior for the Brewers the last two years. Though people need to stop talking about his inherited runners streaks. Every time he gets one, somebody opens their mouth and it gets busted wide open. But for good measure, since I already ruined JJ Hardy's streak by mentioning him last year, only 16 of his 42 inherited runners have cored. That's not bad.
It's hard to say what Shouse will do this year because his workload has been pretty heavy. But the thing is that Yost isn't using him on back to back days nearly as he did last season, so it could pay off in the long run. As the most under-rated member of this staff, Shouse is the glue that keeps this bullpen together and he is just as important to the Brewers run than anyone else.
Grade: A+
David Riske:
Last Year: 40.2 IP 1-2 Record 2.21 ERA 32 K 16 BB
This Year: 29 IP 1-1 Record 4.66 ERA 18 K 14 BB
Riske was a solid Brewers free agent pick up in the offseason that has yet to pan out. I still believe Riske has a lot of talent and will get to see some of it in the second half, but he disappointed in the first half. As you can see by the numbers, David's biggest problem to start the season has been command, a common trend among Brewers pitchers. As a result, he's found himself not getting out of jams that he normally would have last year for KC. To top it off, he found himself on the disabled list for more than a month with an elbow problem. Since then, he's been quite successful giving up only two runs in his last eight innings.
If Mota continues to struggle, David is going to be the go to guy down the stretch in the seventh alongside Carlos Villanueva, leaving the eighth for Eric Gagne and Brian Shouse. As long as he continues to get sustained work, the Brewers will get a lot better numbers from him down the stretch. How good is up to David's work ethic on improving his walk rate, which is pitiful.
Grade: C-
Guillermo Mota:
Last Year: 21.2 IP 0-0 Record 6.65 ERA 19 Ks 6 BBs
This Year: 34.1 IP 2-5 Record 5.77 ERA 31 Ks 17 BB
Mota's recent struggles have been command related, but not really on the walk side of things, but rather hangers. As a result, he's carrying a 10.80 ERA over his last 11 .1 innings, which is awful. As a result, nobody seems to remember the first two months of the season, when he carried a 3.18 ERA and was carrying more than his share of the load with Turnbow gone. Nevertheless, the lack of movement on his pitches recently is a huge cause for concern, which Ned thinks he can fix. Unfortunately, Mota's psyche appears to be more than just fragile and it's going to take quite a few successful mop up innings for him and every one else to gain some confidence in him.
I doubt Mota will ever get back to his three ERA over the last few months of baseball, nor will he even pitch near it, but he'll have to be at least respectable and keep that ERA around five or so and take all of those nasty innings eater outings. If it's a blowout, he can keep it that way.
Grade: D
Eric Gagne:
Last Year: 27.1 IP 2-0 Record 12 SV 1.32 ERA 23 Ks 11 BB
This Year: 23.1 IP 2-2 Record 10 SV 7.33 ERA 21 Ks 16 BB
It's amazing what a year can do. Thus far the Brewers have all but wasted their $10 million investment on a washed up closer, who perhaps won't play for any one next year. Gagne has shown flashes of good stuff, but the command (I'm sick of writing that) has absolutely destroyed him. He has yet to learn how to pitch without trying to over power hitters, and it appears that's what he constantly relied in when he was a beast back in the day. As a result, even Jason Kendall behind the plate can't help him, considering he only has three pitches.
Eric has looked good recently though, Saturday's game excluded. He had the ball down, the changeup was biting and he was working ahead in the count constantly. Saturday's performance shows what happens when he doesn't get ahead. Look for Eric to be a little more reliable down the stretch. No one expects him to be utterly dominant, but he's our eighth inning guy with Villanueva pushed to more of a long relief role. A four ERA the rest of the way wouldn't help his numbers much, but it would be a breath of fresh, and would be worth at least a fifth of the money we gave him.
Grade: F
Salomon Torres:
Last Year: 28 IP 0-3 Record 12 SV 5.14 ERA 25 K 10 BB
This Year: 49.1 IP 4-2 Record 15 SV 2.74 ERA 33 Ks 20 BB
Torres has garnered tons of fan support since arriving this spring. Milwaukee fans were initially very skeptical about the veteran ball player after his retirement threat, but Torres has been as professional as you can be. Much of this success he attributes to the Brewers strength and conditioning coaches, who have him on an altered throwing plan. For those who don't know, they basically just didn't throw him in Spring Training. Torres must have been thrilled and has rewarded the Brewers by taking over the closer role from Eric Gagne. Torres has struggled at times this year, but things should have been a lot better since the defense has been his biggest pain. Nevertheless, when he has struggled, he's fought back and prevented the worst from happening.
Salomon's numbers are significantly different because of his mental health though. He has a lot of camaraderie with Jason Kendally and enjoys the organization a lot more than Pittsburgh, who burned him in the end. I think this has made him considerably more consistent this season, and will continue to push him forward this season. He's over achieved quite a bit this year, but I doubt that will change and he will have continued success for the remainder of the season, hopefully garnering him his first playoff appearance.
Grade: A
No comments on Stetter, DiFelice, Dillard or Jackson, but the replacements have been solid and deserve an A for their solid appearances. Stetter and DiFelice get huge nods for the success. Dillard will be here in the near future.
Position players tomorrow. This is a lot more work than I thought it would be.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Brewers Reds Series Preview
First and foremost, congratulations go to newly crowned All-Star rightfielder, Corey Hart. I did my fair share of voting and I'm happy to see that it paid off. David Wright may have been more deserving, but Corey has been just so solid all year, and it's always fun to see the little markets do some damage. On to the preview!
The Series:
Cincinnati Reds (44-49) @ Milwaukee Brewers (51-41)
Who's on Tap?:
July 11th: Josh Fogg (1-2, 8.39 ERA) vs. Manny Parra (8-2, 3.65 ERA)
July 12th: Edinson Volquez (11-3, 2.36 ERA) vs. Seth McClung (5-4, 4.15 ERA)
July 13th: Homer Bailey (0-3, 8.76 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia (7-8, 3.79 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
Remember when Homer Bailey was the one of the most tauted pitching prospects in baseball? That's kind of dissipated... completely. Instead the surprise of the year is Edinson Volquez, who has the Cy Young lead at the half way point this season, at least in my book. Prior to this season, Volquez had only pitched in 20 games as a big leaguer and the results weren't all that impressive. As a result, he was shipped from the Rangers to the Reds for Josh Hamilton. After further review, a change of scenery does work for a player. Just ask Brad Lidge. As for Volquez, he's been tearing up opposing teams, and is the one true bright spot on this Reds squad. Unfortunately, he's pitching the one game I will not be at, but that's what television is for. In the box, the Reds are filled with tons of pop, but I marred with the same inconsistencies as the Brewers, carrying a team OBP Of .325 as well and striking out 60 more times than the Crew. The two big trouble bats for the Brewers are going to be Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. Phillips has been a Brewer killer for years, batting .348/.390/.512 against them in 40 games. Joey Votto, on the other hand, hasn't received a lot of playing time over the years because of his Dusty Baker infection. But Baker finally gave the youngster a shot after a couple of weeks and it's paid off. Votto is hitting .284/.354/.475 for the Reds with 13 bombs and a 40 RBIs. Not bad for only 300 ABs.
The Brewers offense is heating up, and with Harang going on to the DL last night, they have the opportunity to keep it up. Unfortunately, the Brewers take on another soft tossing location pitcher. Look for Russell Branyan to pick up some of that slack. He hasn't gotten a lot of playing time recently as a result of an overwhelmingly amount of lefty pitchers. As a result, he hasn't look that sharp, but three games of starts at third should help him get back into the swing of things. Keep your eye on Ryan Braun as well, who is slowly heating up after chilling out at home for a while. It's almost like these guys are partying too hard on the road and just get bored at home and focus on baseball. Who knows? Toeing the rubber tonight is Manny Parra, who is pitching basically on eight days rest, though he did pitch an inning of relief as a way to stay sharp. Manny is on his way to pitching more innings than the Brewers ever expected him to, so a few days may help him. But the question is did that bullpen keep him sharp or will he fall off a bit? I have feeling with the lefty heavy Reds in town, he'll be just two. Speaking of lefty and heavy, the CC excitement has calmed down a bit, especially after the Cubs trade for Harden. But with 43,000 people showing up to see Dave Bush pitch yesterday's game, there's obviously still a lot of buzz. CC will have to calm his emotions and pitch his game if he wants to be successful, so monitor that closely.
Keys to Victory:
If the Reds plan on stealing a win this series, they're going to have to stay patient and pound out some offense. Volquez gives them the best shot for winning a game, but he's been tailing off a bit as of late, and may be vulnerable. Nevertheless, the Brewers are making a big move to try and catch the Cubs and Fogg and Bailey will likely give up their fair share of runs. It's not like the Reds are a harmless bunch at the plate. They carry five regulars with double digit home runs and Dunn has a whopping 24. The lefty lefty match up won't be an easy one for the Reds, but they'll have to work it out somehow.
The Brewers are going to need to rely on something other than the long ball to score some runs this weekend. Volquez has given up only four homeruns in 111 innings this year. Fogg won't give up many either unless he leaves a ball up. I really think the most important thing this weekend will be the defense, but to win this series and perhaps sweep it, the Brewers will need to think like Gabe Kapler did yesterday: Gap to Gap. Kapler had three doubles yesterday, one to straight left, one to left center and one to right center. He was willing to go with the pitch, which will be important with Bailey and Fogg on the mound. When Volquez gets up their, they'll need to keep that mentality and be willing to take a few pitches. Volquez will walk you (54 in 110 innings), so don't be afraid to get caught looking at strike three. That may not seem conventional, but they'll need to get him out of the game as quickly as possible.
Predictions and Notes:
- After the Gledon Rusch game, I think the Brewers may have been a little disheartened and then insulted. They showed they're very very vulnerable against breaking ball pitchers and then came back and destroyed Jorge De La Rosa. The Brewers are going to break that trend tonight, at least for now, and really put Fogg on the ropes. Look for Parra to have a lot of success against the lefty heavy Reds (Dunn, Votto, Bruce, Griffey) and finally get his ninth win. Game two should be very interesting. McClung has struggled mightily and the Brewers have yet to see Volquez pitch. I want to say the Brewers will win, but if they do they'll have to do it against the bullpen. McClung is going to struggle again with his command, but this time it'll bite him harder, and the Reds won't need many runs to take the victory. And finally, look for CC to be dominant on Sunday and get standing O after standing O. I'll be there field level and will be the first one to stand up every time. Should be a blast.
- If you didn't hear about it, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel went off his rocker at Ned Yost yesterday. I don't know what Tom was trying to do, but he went for the throat yesterday and printed the reactionary quotes rather than what he said to instigate Yost's tirade. In the end Ned said, "Look Tom, I'm not going to argue with you about this." It was unprofessional and pretty disappointing. I was proud of Ned for standing his ground and even prouder to find out that Mota and Maddux were watching tape together for two hours yesterday before warm-ups. Ned was right to defend Mota in this one because Tom went after him and said, "He's lost us three game." The fact of the matter is that Mota gave up two infield singles and a walk in the loss in Arizona. The 4-1 blow up against the Rockies in Colorado was the only really awful one. And then Wednesday's struggles can be attributed to more than just Mota, and you can't blame a loss on a guy when he came in with a one run deficit in the eighth. Sure he took away the opportunity to win, but the Brewers should have never been in the position anyways. Ned's quotes are often pretty hideous and clearly baited by McCalvey and Haudricourt. I'm happy to hear him take the bait and put it in their ear for once.
- With the Cubs and Cardinals losing yesterday, the Brewers have taken a half game lead in the NL Wild Card race and are back to four games behind the NL Central leading Cubs. But before you get too excited, don't forget about the New York Mets and Florida Marlins. They're only three games back of the Brewers in the Wild Card. This isn't a two team race like we all thought. There's plenty of folks nipping at their heels, making every win more and more important.
The Series:
Cincinnati Reds (44-49) @ Milwaukee Brewers (51-41)
Who's on Tap?:
July 11th: Josh Fogg (1-2, 8.39 ERA) vs. Manny Parra (8-2, 3.65 ERA)
July 12th: Edinson Volquez (11-3, 2.36 ERA) vs. Seth McClung (5-4, 4.15 ERA)
July 13th: Homer Bailey (0-3, 8.76 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia (7-8, 3.79 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
Remember when Homer Bailey was the one of the most tauted pitching prospects in baseball? That's kind of dissipated... completely. Instead the surprise of the year is Edinson Volquez, who has the Cy Young lead at the half way point this season, at least in my book. Prior to this season, Volquez had only pitched in 20 games as a big leaguer and the results weren't all that impressive. As a result, he was shipped from the Rangers to the Reds for Josh Hamilton. After further review, a change of scenery does work for a player. Just ask Brad Lidge. As for Volquez, he's been tearing up opposing teams, and is the one true bright spot on this Reds squad. Unfortunately, he's pitching the one game I will not be at, but that's what television is for. In the box, the Reds are filled with tons of pop, but I marred with the same inconsistencies as the Brewers, carrying a team OBP Of .325 as well and striking out 60 more times than the Crew. The two big trouble bats for the Brewers are going to be Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. Phillips has been a Brewer killer for years, batting .348/.390/.512 against them in 40 games. Joey Votto, on the other hand, hasn't received a lot of playing time over the years because of his Dusty Baker infection. But Baker finally gave the youngster a shot after a couple of weeks and it's paid off. Votto is hitting .284/.354/.475 for the Reds with 13 bombs and a 40 RBIs. Not bad for only 300 ABs.
The Brewers offense is heating up, and with Harang going on to the DL last night, they have the opportunity to keep it up. Unfortunately, the Brewers take on another soft tossing location pitcher. Look for Russell Branyan to pick up some of that slack. He hasn't gotten a lot of playing time recently as a result of an overwhelmingly amount of lefty pitchers. As a result, he hasn't look that sharp, but three games of starts at third should help him get back into the swing of things. Keep your eye on Ryan Braun as well, who is slowly heating up after chilling out at home for a while. It's almost like these guys are partying too hard on the road and just get bored at home and focus on baseball. Who knows? Toeing the rubber tonight is Manny Parra, who is pitching basically on eight days rest, though he did pitch an inning of relief as a way to stay sharp. Manny is on his way to pitching more innings than the Brewers ever expected him to, so a few days may help him. But the question is did that bullpen keep him sharp or will he fall off a bit? I have feeling with the lefty heavy Reds in town, he'll be just two. Speaking of lefty and heavy, the CC excitement has calmed down a bit, especially after the Cubs trade for Harden. But with 43,000 people showing up to see Dave Bush pitch yesterday's game, there's obviously still a lot of buzz. CC will have to calm his emotions and pitch his game if he wants to be successful, so monitor that closely.
Keys to Victory:
If the Reds plan on stealing a win this series, they're going to have to stay patient and pound out some offense. Volquez gives them the best shot for winning a game, but he's been tailing off a bit as of late, and may be vulnerable. Nevertheless, the Brewers are making a big move to try and catch the Cubs and Fogg and Bailey will likely give up their fair share of runs. It's not like the Reds are a harmless bunch at the plate. They carry five regulars with double digit home runs and Dunn has a whopping 24. The lefty lefty match up won't be an easy one for the Reds, but they'll have to work it out somehow.
The Brewers are going to need to rely on something other than the long ball to score some runs this weekend. Volquez has given up only four homeruns in 111 innings this year. Fogg won't give up many either unless he leaves a ball up. I really think the most important thing this weekend will be the defense, but to win this series and perhaps sweep it, the Brewers will need to think like Gabe Kapler did yesterday: Gap to Gap. Kapler had three doubles yesterday, one to straight left, one to left center and one to right center. He was willing to go with the pitch, which will be important with Bailey and Fogg on the mound. When Volquez gets up their, they'll need to keep that mentality and be willing to take a few pitches. Volquez will walk you (54 in 110 innings), so don't be afraid to get caught looking at strike three. That may not seem conventional, but they'll need to get him out of the game as quickly as possible.
Predictions and Notes:
- After the Gledon Rusch game, I think the Brewers may have been a little disheartened and then insulted. They showed they're very very vulnerable against breaking ball pitchers and then came back and destroyed Jorge De La Rosa. The Brewers are going to break that trend tonight, at least for now, and really put Fogg on the ropes. Look for Parra to have a lot of success against the lefty heavy Reds (Dunn, Votto, Bruce, Griffey) and finally get his ninth win. Game two should be very interesting. McClung has struggled mightily and the Brewers have yet to see Volquez pitch. I want to say the Brewers will win, but if they do they'll have to do it against the bullpen. McClung is going to struggle again with his command, but this time it'll bite him harder, and the Reds won't need many runs to take the victory. And finally, look for CC to be dominant on Sunday and get standing O after standing O. I'll be there field level and will be the first one to stand up every time. Should be a blast.
- If you didn't hear about it, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel went off his rocker at Ned Yost yesterday. I don't know what Tom was trying to do, but he went for the throat yesterday and printed the reactionary quotes rather than what he said to instigate Yost's tirade. In the end Ned said, "Look Tom, I'm not going to argue with you about this." It was unprofessional and pretty disappointing. I was proud of Ned for standing his ground and even prouder to find out that Mota and Maddux were watching tape together for two hours yesterday before warm-ups. Ned was right to defend Mota in this one because Tom went after him and said, "He's lost us three game." The fact of the matter is that Mota gave up two infield singles and a walk in the loss in Arizona. The 4-1 blow up against the Rockies in Colorado was the only really awful one. And then Wednesday's struggles can be attributed to more than just Mota, and you can't blame a loss on a guy when he came in with a one run deficit in the eighth. Sure he took away the opportunity to win, but the Brewers should have never been in the position anyways. Ned's quotes are often pretty hideous and clearly baited by McCalvey and Haudricourt. I'm happy to hear him take the bait and put it in their ear for once.
- With the Cubs and Cardinals losing yesterday, the Brewers have taken a half game lead in the NL Wild Card race and are back to four games behind the NL Central leading Cubs. But before you get too excited, don't forget about the New York Mets and Florida Marlins. They're only three games back of the Brewers in the Wild Card. This isn't a two team race like we all thought. There's plenty of folks nipping at their heels, making every win more and more important.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Brewers Rockies Series Recap
The Scores:
Milwaukee Brewers 3 Colorado Rockies 4
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Colorado Rockies 3
Milwaukee Brewers 3 Colorado Rockies 8
Milwaukee Brewers 11 Colorado Rockies 1
MVPs of the Series:
Ryan Braun: 6/16; 2B, HR, BB, 6 RBIs, 2 Rs
Garrett Atkins: 5/12; 2 HRs, 2 BBs, 4 RBIs, 4 Rs
Braun played pretty solid baseball all series, but he will most be remembered this series for starting the CC era off right with a three run blast in the first inning. Bill Hall also played remarkably well, but Braun was the most consistent of the bunch.
Garrett Atkins and Matt Holiday are the only reason the Rockies split this series. The two combined to score or knock in nine of the Rockies 16 runs this series. Atkins single handedly won game three for the Rox, hitting both of his bombs in that game, all while playing a solid third base.
What was the Difference?:
Defense. Every game seemed to have a very pivotal and important play. In game one it was Braun's two double plays. In game two it was CC's catch on the mound with no one out and runners on the corners. Game three was riddled with Jason Kendall catching baserunners to keep the Brewers in it. And then Brad Hawpe's bad throw in the third on Thursday got Rickie to second and started the Brewers' offensive barrage. Neither team played great defense though, as this series was marred by a number of errors.
Causes for Concern:
I'm not really sure how Clint Hurdle can keep trotting Jorge De La Rosa and Mark Redman out there week after week. Anything is better than letting those two guys ruin your team's momentum every few days. I understand Jason Hirsch and Kip Wells are on the DL, but there has to be a better option. Neither of those guys deserve a job. While the NL West is super awful, the Rockies don't stand a chance if they don't do something quick. A lot of people think that the Rox are about two seconds from shipping out Brian Fuentes, but don't be so quick to think he'll be wearing a different uniform by the trade deadline. Teams won't be willing to give up a lot for a mid-level reliever and the Rockies may be better off with him.
The Brewers should be a little concerned about one thing, and nervous as hell about another. The little concern is Guillermo Mota. Yes, he's struggled and Tom Haudricourt wants his head on a platter, but the fact of the matter is that his pitches just don't look the same. In his first 19 outings, Mota carried a 3.08 ERA, and was a solid contributor to this bullpen. But Brewers fans smell blood. Funny, they smelled blood with Gagne a month ago, but that's changing as well. It's not time for Mota to go yet, but he'll need to fix the flaw in his delivery if he thinks the Brewers fans won't let him have it. The big concern is the struggles at the plate. It was feast or famine this week, and when you famine against Glendon Rusch, a red flag pops up. These gimme games have to be won, but until they do that, they'll always be vulnerable and never way ahead.
Causes for Excitement:
Ubaldo Jimenez started the year off with high expectations. He has a live arm, throwing a nasty slider combined with a 95-98 MPH fastball. But Jimenez just couldn't deliver. His starts were inconsistent at best. In his first 11 starts, Jimenez was carring a 1-5 record and a 5.37 ERA. However, things are turning around, and fast. Jimenez's start on Monday was impressive, as was his last start against San Diego, allowing the hard throwing right hander to win three of his last four decisions. His strikeout numbers have turned him into a very serviceable pitcher for the injury prone Rockies.
The easy route for the Brewers is CC Sabathia, but I'm going to say Eric Gagne. Yes, CC is the news of the week, but hidden in all of it is Eric Gagne's three outings since returning from the DL. Eric has been as efficient as ever, needing only nine pitches in his first outing, 15 in his second and 14 in Tuesday's affair. His change-up has been downright nasty and the fastball has been down and on the corners. With the blow up of Mota, the Brewers should be thankful this $10 million set up man, may actually come through for us in a big spot. I don't think the Brewers need another reliever. I'm okay with who we have, except for Mota as of now. Nothing a Tim Dillard can't fix. Nevertheless, pitching is the strong suit of this team, and I'm going to stick to it.
Milwaukee Brewers 3 Colorado Rockies 4
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Colorado Rockies 3
Milwaukee Brewers 3 Colorado Rockies 8
Milwaukee Brewers 11 Colorado Rockies 1
MVPs of the Series:
Ryan Braun: 6/16; 2B, HR, BB, 6 RBIs, 2 Rs
Garrett Atkins: 5/12; 2 HRs, 2 BBs, 4 RBIs, 4 Rs
Braun played pretty solid baseball all series, but he will most be remembered this series for starting the CC era off right with a three run blast in the first inning. Bill Hall also played remarkably well, but Braun was the most consistent of the bunch.
Garrett Atkins and Matt Holiday are the only reason the Rockies split this series. The two combined to score or knock in nine of the Rockies 16 runs this series. Atkins single handedly won game three for the Rox, hitting both of his bombs in that game, all while playing a solid third base.
What was the Difference?:
Defense. Every game seemed to have a very pivotal and important play. In game one it was Braun's two double plays. In game two it was CC's catch on the mound with no one out and runners on the corners. Game three was riddled with Jason Kendall catching baserunners to keep the Brewers in it. And then Brad Hawpe's bad throw in the third on Thursday got Rickie to second and started the Brewers' offensive barrage. Neither team played great defense though, as this series was marred by a number of errors.
Causes for Concern:
I'm not really sure how Clint Hurdle can keep trotting Jorge De La Rosa and Mark Redman out there week after week. Anything is better than letting those two guys ruin your team's momentum every few days. I understand Jason Hirsch and Kip Wells are on the DL, but there has to be a better option. Neither of those guys deserve a job. While the NL West is super awful, the Rockies don't stand a chance if they don't do something quick. A lot of people think that the Rox are about two seconds from shipping out Brian Fuentes, but don't be so quick to think he'll be wearing a different uniform by the trade deadline. Teams won't be willing to give up a lot for a mid-level reliever and the Rockies may be better off with him.
The Brewers should be a little concerned about one thing, and nervous as hell about another. The little concern is Guillermo Mota. Yes, he's struggled and Tom Haudricourt wants his head on a platter, but the fact of the matter is that his pitches just don't look the same. In his first 19 outings, Mota carried a 3.08 ERA, and was a solid contributor to this bullpen. But Brewers fans smell blood. Funny, they smelled blood with Gagne a month ago, but that's changing as well. It's not time for Mota to go yet, but he'll need to fix the flaw in his delivery if he thinks the Brewers fans won't let him have it. The big concern is the struggles at the plate. It was feast or famine this week, and when you famine against Glendon Rusch, a red flag pops up. These gimme games have to be won, but until they do that, they'll always be vulnerable and never way ahead.
Causes for Excitement:
Ubaldo Jimenez started the year off with high expectations. He has a live arm, throwing a nasty slider combined with a 95-98 MPH fastball. But Jimenez just couldn't deliver. His starts were inconsistent at best. In his first 11 starts, Jimenez was carring a 1-5 record and a 5.37 ERA. However, things are turning around, and fast. Jimenez's start on Monday was impressive, as was his last start against San Diego, allowing the hard throwing right hander to win three of his last four decisions. His strikeout numbers have turned him into a very serviceable pitcher for the injury prone Rockies.
The easy route for the Brewers is CC Sabathia, but I'm going to say Eric Gagne. Yes, CC is the news of the week, but hidden in all of it is Eric Gagne's three outings since returning from the DL. Eric has been as efficient as ever, needing only nine pitches in his first outing, 15 in his second and 14 in Tuesday's affair. His change-up has been downright nasty and the fastball has been down and on the corners. With the blow up of Mota, the Brewers should be thankful this $10 million set up man, may actually come through for us in a big spot. I don't think the Brewers need another reliever. I'm okay with who we have, except for Mota as of now. Nothing a Tim Dillard can't fix. Nevertheless, pitching is the strong suit of this team, and I'm going to stick to it.
Something's Missing
I wasn't going to do a recap today because I was so frustrated with last night's game, and I really didn't want to whine for an hour today while sitting at work. But 'the believer' commented this morning on the game and I've kind of changed my mind. I still won't be doing a recap, and least not the usual anyways, but I want to delve into the big problems the Brewers have, and why there's not guarantees in the second half.
CC Sabathia is a stud and there's few rotations that can rival the punch of Sheets, Sabathia and Parra. But Brewers fans need to remember the average age of our starters on this team is about 26. Furthermore, with the exception of Kendall and Cameron, not one of these guys has more than three full seasons of ABs under their belt.
Last night, they showed their age. Glendon Rusch is a career 5.04 ERA pitcher with a WHIP of 1.48. He has an 88 MPH fastball, throws junkballs and makes a lot of mistakes. He pitches to a lot of contact and really relies on his defense to get him through. He's basically a band aid pitcher. But the Brewers made him look like an ace last night. And it's not the first time they've done that. Remember Jorge Campillo? Josh Fogg? Nelson Figueroa? Greg Reynolds? Not one of these guys is very good. In fact, they're all number four, number five or spot starters, but they each pitched at least six innings and gave up two runs or fewer. The Brewers made them look like aces.
We've all heard the phrase, 'These are the games you're supposed to win.' These are the games when the opposing team throws their innings eater on to the mound and are basically conceding they're going to give up three to five runs, guaranteed. They just hope that they can score more and have the bullpen do the rest. The problem for the Brewers is if you throw that band aid out there, especially if they haven't seen that band aid before, the offense gets super amped up and goes for the long ball. Guys who don't throw very hard like Rusch and Campillo don't give up a lot of homeruns. The teams that have success against them are teams that are willing to take walks, go opposite field and stay patient.
The Brewers are NOT patient. There's nothing that's more unsexy than a walk to this team. We are 90 games through the season and the Brewers have 289 walks. Sounds reasonable I guess, but for a good comparison, the Cubs have 365. That's 76 more baserunners this season that were freebies. These guys just had to walk up there, look at 4-7 pitches and start trotting. And it's not surprising to find out that the Cubs also have 108 more hits than the Brewers. The reason? They see more pitches.
So great, the Brewers have one of the best rotations in baseball, perhaps THE best. But if they can only offer eight runs one night and two the next, they will never be able to make an overly tremendous run. It will simply be what it is now, a hot month or two. The pitchers have picked up the offense far too often this year. We rarely see this team win games if the other team gets five or more. CC Sabathia can't be perfect. He adds confidence, swagger and great pitching, but great pitching needs some help.
This team needs another asset. Someone who understands this obvious theory and is going to convince every one else of the same thing. Kenny Lofton is known as one of the best club house guys in the business and is a career .299/.372 hitter. Not to mention he's 41 years old and has had a very solid career. If he came in here and produced at about 80% of what he did last year for the Indians in the second half, his presence alone could improve this team. It's another lefty bat, but one that is willing to teach a bunch of young guy, who clearly aren't learning much from below average hitters like Jim Skaalen or Butch Wynegar. Kenny Lofton will have the immediate respect of this team and may be able to push them over the top.
Until then, the Brewers are riding the seesaw. They'll be up and down all year until they find some sort of consistency at the plate. Melvin wants to get over the top, and a move is definitely necessary. If you're going to go for it, go for it.
I'll leave you with one question. If Alcides Escobar can play second base, would you try and trade Rickie Weeks? Weeks is a solid trade chip this off season or right now if the Brewers can find a high OBP guy somewhere. Just a thought I haven't given too much consideration.
CC Sabathia is a stud and there's few rotations that can rival the punch of Sheets, Sabathia and Parra. But Brewers fans need to remember the average age of our starters on this team is about 26. Furthermore, with the exception of Kendall and Cameron, not one of these guys has more than three full seasons of ABs under their belt.
Last night, they showed their age. Glendon Rusch is a career 5.04 ERA pitcher with a WHIP of 1.48. He has an 88 MPH fastball, throws junkballs and makes a lot of mistakes. He pitches to a lot of contact and really relies on his defense to get him through. He's basically a band aid pitcher. But the Brewers made him look like an ace last night. And it's not the first time they've done that. Remember Jorge Campillo? Josh Fogg? Nelson Figueroa? Greg Reynolds? Not one of these guys is very good. In fact, they're all number four, number five or spot starters, but they each pitched at least six innings and gave up two runs or fewer. The Brewers made them look like aces.
We've all heard the phrase, 'These are the games you're supposed to win.' These are the games when the opposing team throws their innings eater on to the mound and are basically conceding they're going to give up three to five runs, guaranteed. They just hope that they can score more and have the bullpen do the rest. The problem for the Brewers is if you throw that band aid out there, especially if they haven't seen that band aid before, the offense gets super amped up and goes for the long ball. Guys who don't throw very hard like Rusch and Campillo don't give up a lot of homeruns. The teams that have success against them are teams that are willing to take walks, go opposite field and stay patient.
The Brewers are NOT patient. There's nothing that's more unsexy than a walk to this team. We are 90 games through the season and the Brewers have 289 walks. Sounds reasonable I guess, but for a good comparison, the Cubs have 365. That's 76 more baserunners this season that were freebies. These guys just had to walk up there, look at 4-7 pitches and start trotting. And it's not surprising to find out that the Cubs also have 108 more hits than the Brewers. The reason? They see more pitches.
So great, the Brewers have one of the best rotations in baseball, perhaps THE best. But if they can only offer eight runs one night and two the next, they will never be able to make an overly tremendous run. It will simply be what it is now, a hot month or two. The pitchers have picked up the offense far too often this year. We rarely see this team win games if the other team gets five or more. CC Sabathia can't be perfect. He adds confidence, swagger and great pitching, but great pitching needs some help.
This team needs another asset. Someone who understands this obvious theory and is going to convince every one else of the same thing. Kenny Lofton is known as one of the best club house guys in the business and is a career .299/.372 hitter. Not to mention he's 41 years old and has had a very solid career. If he came in here and produced at about 80% of what he did last year for the Indians in the second half, his presence alone could improve this team. It's another lefty bat, but one that is willing to teach a bunch of young guy, who clearly aren't learning much from below average hitters like Jim Skaalen or Butch Wynegar. Kenny Lofton will have the immediate respect of this team and may be able to push them over the top.
Until then, the Brewers are riding the seesaw. They'll be up and down all year until they find some sort of consistency at the plate. Melvin wants to get over the top, and a move is definitely necessary. If you're going to go for it, go for it.
I'll leave you with one question. If Alcides Escobar can play second base, would you try and trade Rickie Weeks? Weeks is a solid trade chip this off season or right now if the Brewers can find a high OBP guy somewhere. Just a thought I haven't given too much consideration.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Brewers Rockies Game Two Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Colorado Rockies 3
MVPs of the Game:
Rickie Weeks: 3/5; 2B, 3 Rs
Garrett Atkins: 2/2; 2 BBs, 2 Rs
Game Recap:
Miller Park sold out for the 16th time this year, all in response to the trade for reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, CC Sabathia. Sabathia was not sharp at all and was clearly trying to over throw, but the Brewers offense took advantage of four walks and a very good night from Rickie Weeks to take an early three run lead that they would never relinquish. The thunder and lightning still surrounds CC, though. He received his fair share of standing ovations, from the announcement of the starting lineups to his final strike out in the sixth.
The excitement in the ball park was palpable to say the very least. When Sabathia came out of the dugout, the crowd erupted and as they rose tho their feet, you couldn't find a section that wasn't littered with CC signs or the newly printed CC t-shirt jersey (Which I will not buy to have for three months. If he signs, I'll buy it in a heartbeat). Unfortunately, when CC started pitching, the results weren't very pretty, but they weren't ugly either. Taveras led the game off with a seven pitch walk, which was followed by a Clint Barmes sacrifice bunt. I was immediately confused here. Clint Hurdle, the Rockies manager, was scared of CC in the FIRST inning. After eight pitches, CC as clearly not going to be that overwhelming. There's situations to bunt and there ones where you don't, but I digress. After a soft ground out to second CC walked another batter before getting Spilborghs to strike out.
And then the real question about whether or not this team can be successful came up. Is this offense good enough to get the job done even if the pitching is elite. Last night it was. The inning started it off with two solid back to back singles by Weeks and JJ Hardy to bring up Ryan Braun. Did I ever say that Mark Redman is bad? Well he's bad and after battling Braun for a few pitches, he challenged Braun with a slider low and in. It didn't move much and Braun destroyed it for a three run bomb, giving CC his first lead as a Brewer.
Sabathia would calm down for a few innings, giving up only one hit over the next two innings, and the Brewers tacked on an insurance run after a Rickie Weeks double. Weeks was moved to third by a Hardy groundout and Braun was intentionally walked to bring up Fielder, who delivered again. Fielder hit a soft chopper to the hole at third. Barmes picked it up and tried to go for two, but his flip was off the bag. The turn to get Prince wasn't in time either, meaning no outs and another run scored.
The Rockies would get to the newly acquired ace in the fourth though, reaching on two solid singles and a tough error by JJ Hardy, who couldn't get the ball out of his glove. With the bases loaded, rookie Jayson Nix came to the plate an smoked a ball. Unfortunately for the Rockies, he smoked it on the ground to JJ Hardy flipped to Rickie and turned the double play, limiting the damage to just one run.
They would challenge Sabathia again in the sixth, loading the bases with no one out. This time, though, Torrealba would hit a double down the line that plated two. It could have plated three, but Spilborghs strained his oblique rounding second and couldn't turn to home. That turned out to hurt a lot as the next pitch was lined right back at Sabathia, who caught it and tossed to third for an easy double play. After another walk, Sabathia struck out Brad Hawpe to end his first outing as a Brewer (6 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 5 K: W)
The Brewers' bullpen would hang on the rest of the way, and the Brewers offense added three insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI walk from Corey Hart and a 2-RBI double from Bill Hall. It was a fun game to be at, and if the fans continue to show this much excitement, they may be able to pick up this team when they start to go flat.
Game Changing Play:
With nobody out and runners at first and third in the sixth, the Brewers one run lead looked like it was in real trouble. But Jayson Nix's tough night struck again as he lined to Sabathia, which turned into double play a third. There was nothing the runner could do, and that's baseball.
Notes:
- Both Riske and Gagne looked very very solid last night. Riske came in a one run game and didn't allow a base runner. Gagne gave up a soft line drive hit that Weeks almost came up with, but induced a cake job double to get out of his inning unscathed as well. If the Brewers can get these guys to live up to their potential, their bullpen gets really really scary. Any and all trade rumors would be shifted to getting a high OBP centerfielder.
- Who could that CFer be? How about Kenny Lofton? Look, I love Tony Gwynn Jr. Love him! But the thing is, Lofton in a Brewers uniform could be a phenomenal platoon. I'm not saying we should do it just yet, but it's something to consider down the line. Last year he batting .313/.386/.452 against righties. Yes, he's 41, but he stole 23 bases when he was 40. Cameron is a career .265/.364/.480 hitter against lefties. Wowsa... fans keep calling for Rickie to get moved back in the lineup. Well the arrival of a Kenny Lofton could do that against righties. Just a thought folks.
- My apologies for not getting an analysis out yet on the CC trade. No excuses this time. I've just been lazy. I might be upset with the trade if they lost Brantley as well. The Cubs practically gave up nothing to get Harden and Gaudin. Murton, Patterson and Gallagher were not even considered thoughts in their plans for the next four seasons. LaPorta and Brantley would have been.
- Jeff Suppan was placed on the DL yesterday with elbow irritation that happened on a swing almost a month ago. A lot of people keep saying he's just faking it, but think about it folks. If Suppan were to go on the DL, Shapiro and the Indians would have had a lot more leverage as far as the CC trade went because the Brewers would have went from interested to desperate.
- I failed to mention yesterday that Manny Parra's spot was skipped in the rotation this week to make room for Sabathia, so he will pitch Friday and Bush will pitch tomorrow afternoon. The thought is that the Brewers will get two aces in each series. This is why Parra pitched an inning of relief in Monday night's game. It was essentially an in between bullpen session to keep Parra sharp. Look for the rotation to be Sabathia, Sheets, Parra, McClung Bush when the All-Star break is over. This will split the lefties. Not to mention Sheets will be pitching in the All-Star game an should get an extra day of rest.
What's on Tap?:
With the series tied, Ben Sheets will take the mound to face off against Greg Reynolds. In in his last outing against the Rox, Reynolds pitched very well, giving up only two runs on four hits in six innings. But he did not strike out a batter, which means thing to get interesting if the Crew stays patient.
Milwaukee Brewers 7 Colorado Rockies 3
MVPs of the Game:
Rickie Weeks: 3/5; 2B, 3 Rs
Garrett Atkins: 2/2; 2 BBs, 2 Rs
Game Recap:
Miller Park sold out for the 16th time this year, all in response to the trade for reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, CC Sabathia. Sabathia was not sharp at all and was clearly trying to over throw, but the Brewers offense took advantage of four walks and a very good night from Rickie Weeks to take an early three run lead that they would never relinquish. The thunder and lightning still surrounds CC, though. He received his fair share of standing ovations, from the announcement of the starting lineups to his final strike out in the sixth.
The excitement in the ball park was palpable to say the very least. When Sabathia came out of the dugout, the crowd erupted and as they rose tho their feet, you couldn't find a section that wasn't littered with CC signs or the newly printed CC t-shirt jersey (Which I will not buy to have for three months. If he signs, I'll buy it in a heartbeat). Unfortunately, when CC started pitching, the results weren't very pretty, but they weren't ugly either. Taveras led the game off with a seven pitch walk, which was followed by a Clint Barmes sacrifice bunt. I was immediately confused here. Clint Hurdle, the Rockies manager, was scared of CC in the FIRST inning. After eight pitches, CC as clearly not going to be that overwhelming. There's situations to bunt and there ones where you don't, but I digress. After a soft ground out to second CC walked another batter before getting Spilborghs to strike out.
And then the real question about whether or not this team can be successful came up. Is this offense good enough to get the job done even if the pitching is elite. Last night it was. The inning started it off with two solid back to back singles by Weeks and JJ Hardy to bring up Ryan Braun. Did I ever say that Mark Redman is bad? Well he's bad and after battling Braun for a few pitches, he challenged Braun with a slider low and in. It didn't move much and Braun destroyed it for a three run bomb, giving CC his first lead as a Brewer.
Sabathia would calm down for a few innings, giving up only one hit over the next two innings, and the Brewers tacked on an insurance run after a Rickie Weeks double. Weeks was moved to third by a Hardy groundout and Braun was intentionally walked to bring up Fielder, who delivered again. Fielder hit a soft chopper to the hole at third. Barmes picked it up and tried to go for two, but his flip was off the bag. The turn to get Prince wasn't in time either, meaning no outs and another run scored.
The Rockies would get to the newly acquired ace in the fourth though, reaching on two solid singles and a tough error by JJ Hardy, who couldn't get the ball out of his glove. With the bases loaded, rookie Jayson Nix came to the plate an smoked a ball. Unfortunately for the Rockies, he smoked it on the ground to JJ Hardy flipped to Rickie and turned the double play, limiting the damage to just one run.
They would challenge Sabathia again in the sixth, loading the bases with no one out. This time, though, Torrealba would hit a double down the line that plated two. It could have plated three, but Spilborghs strained his oblique rounding second and couldn't turn to home. That turned out to hurt a lot as the next pitch was lined right back at Sabathia, who caught it and tossed to third for an easy double play. After another walk, Sabathia struck out Brad Hawpe to end his first outing as a Brewer (6 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 5 K: W)
The Brewers' bullpen would hang on the rest of the way, and the Brewers offense added three insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI walk from Corey Hart and a 2-RBI double from Bill Hall. It was a fun game to be at, and if the fans continue to show this much excitement, they may be able to pick up this team when they start to go flat.
Game Changing Play:
With nobody out and runners at first and third in the sixth, the Brewers one run lead looked like it was in real trouble. But Jayson Nix's tough night struck again as he lined to Sabathia, which turned into double play a third. There was nothing the runner could do, and that's baseball.
Notes:
- Both Riske and Gagne looked very very solid last night. Riske came in a one run game and didn't allow a base runner. Gagne gave up a soft line drive hit that Weeks almost came up with, but induced a cake job double to get out of his inning unscathed as well. If the Brewers can get these guys to live up to their potential, their bullpen gets really really scary. Any and all trade rumors would be shifted to getting a high OBP centerfielder.
- Who could that CFer be? How about Kenny Lofton? Look, I love Tony Gwynn Jr. Love him! But the thing is, Lofton in a Brewers uniform could be a phenomenal platoon. I'm not saying we should do it just yet, but it's something to consider down the line. Last year he batting .313/.386/.452 against righties. Yes, he's 41, but he stole 23 bases when he was 40. Cameron is a career .265/.364/.480 hitter against lefties. Wowsa... fans keep calling for Rickie to get moved back in the lineup. Well the arrival of a Kenny Lofton could do that against righties. Just a thought folks.
- My apologies for not getting an analysis out yet on the CC trade. No excuses this time. I've just been lazy. I might be upset with the trade if they lost Brantley as well. The Cubs practically gave up nothing to get Harden and Gaudin. Murton, Patterson and Gallagher were not even considered thoughts in their plans for the next four seasons. LaPorta and Brantley would have been.
- Jeff Suppan was placed on the DL yesterday with elbow irritation that happened on a swing almost a month ago. A lot of people keep saying he's just faking it, but think about it folks. If Suppan were to go on the DL, Shapiro and the Indians would have had a lot more leverage as far as the CC trade went because the Brewers would have went from interested to desperate.
- I failed to mention yesterday that Manny Parra's spot was skipped in the rotation this week to make room for Sabathia, so he will pitch Friday and Bush will pitch tomorrow afternoon. The thought is that the Brewers will get two aces in each series. This is why Parra pitched an inning of relief in Monday night's game. It was essentially an in between bullpen session to keep Parra sharp. Look for the rotation to be Sabathia, Sheets, Parra, McClung Bush when the All-Star break is over. This will split the lefties. Not to mention Sheets will be pitching in the All-Star game an should get an extra day of rest.
What's on Tap?:
With the series tied, Ben Sheets will take the mound to face off against Greg Reynolds. In in his last outing against the Rox, Reynolds pitched very well, giving up only two runs on four hits in six innings. But he did not strike out a batter, which means thing to get interesting if the Crew stays patient.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Brewers Rockies Game One Recap
The Score:
Milwaukee Brewers 3 Colorado Rockies 4
MVPs of the Game:
Prince Fielder: 1/3; HR, 2 RBIs, BB
Ubaldo Jimenez: 7 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 7 Ks, 0 R (W)
Game Recap:
Perhaps the Brewers thought the acquisition of CC Sabathia yesterday meant they were just going to be handed baseball games as they come. Or perhaps they simply used up all of their hits on Sunday. Or maybe, just maybe, they got outplayed. Last night's game was a bit of a debauchery for both teams, as both teams struggled in the field and at the plate. Together they combined for only thirteen hits and two errors (well, three, but that's baseball). In the end, the Brewers couldn't would be hit by some hard luck, despite given every opportunity by the Rockies.
Seth McClung toed the rubber Monday night and was lights out for the first three innings, but then a spurt of wildness hit him in the fourth. It didn't help that he was being squeezed big time by home plate umpire, Tim McClelland. But it's your job to pitch around those problems, and for the most part McClung did. In the fourth he loaded the bases on a double and two walks, but induced a sac fly from Garrett Atkins, struck out Joe Koshansky and got Jeff Baker to fly out to limit the damage. He would walk two more to lead off the fifth, one of which was the pitcher. This time, however, he lost some composure. After a sac bunt and a pop out, Matt Holliday singled in Chris Ianetta. Ned Yost couldn't take any more after he walked Brad Hawpe for his third of the inning and fifth in less than six outs.
Carlos Villanueva would take the ball and pitch extremely well even if his defense didn't show up. After giving up a one out single to Jeff Baker, Baker took off to second and was called safe on a bang bang play that could have went either way. This could be said about a number of calls all night, but maybe I'll get into that later. After Chris Iannetta struck out, Ubaldo Jimenez grounded to third softly, but Russell Branyan gave it the old ole, allowing Baker to score making it 3-0.
A mistake pitch to Matt Holliday moved that lead to four, which seemed pretty insurmountable considering the Brewers weren't hitting the ball hard at all. Even worse, they had two base running blunders, in which Corey Hart and Ryan Braun were picked off at first base with fewer than two out. But the Rockies would do their best to try and hand the Brewers the game in eighth. Kapler would start the rally by hitting a cue blooper just shy of the first base bag. First baseman Joe Koshansky's only play was to tag Kapler, but when he went to grab the ball with his glove it caromed a bit off the line of the grass and slipped by him. Craig Counsell was the next batter and he popped right up the elevator in front of the plate, but neither Chris Iannetta or Garrett Atkins could decide who deserved it more and the ball fell, putting two on with nobody out. A walk by JJ Hardy loaded the bases for Ryan Braun, who up to that point was the only person who was hitting the ball hard. Unfortunately, it had been on the ground all night.
Braun promptly drilled a ball right up the middle that looked like a for sure base hit, but it clipped the mound and the loose dirt angled it about two to three feet to the left side of the infield, turning it into a routine double play. This proved to be huge as Prince Fielder hit his 17th homerun right after to bring the game within one. Brian Fuentes would keep the Brewers quiet in the ninth, and ended the Brewers CC high.
Game Changing Play:
The error by Branyan was huge. At the time the game was only a 2-0 game, and was easily within reach considering Jimenez wasn't very spot on. He did walk five Brewers after all. Instead the lead was extended to three and the Villanueva's momentum was destroyed.
Notes:
- McClelland's strike zone was a joke yesterday, and for the most part favored Jimenez when calls did waver. McClung had great stuff, but this ump was just completely fooled by his outside corner curveball, and would NEVER give him the benefit of the doubt on close calls with two strikes. The same could be said for Jimenez most of the night, but as he got further into the game, the more he was given, hence Braun saying a few things when he struck out looking in the sixth.
- Don't get too down on McClung. He has the stuff and he's proved it to me every time he's been out there. I think his biggest problem is the mental aspect of the game. He gets too emotional and you can see it. After every walk he's talking to himself and he gets angry after every hit. I like that and all. You should be upset when these things happen, but you can't let it spiral out of control. Walking the pitcher in the fifth was an example where it did.
- Prince finally looked good at the plate and didn't try to over swing every time at the plate. The same can be said for Braun, even if he did GIDP twice. Both of them were bullets and are base hits if no one is on base, or if the mound wasn't there.
- Two more pickoffs makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with Ed Sedar and his coaching. This has been happening all year. With a low OBP team, you cannot sacrifice outs or base runners. Perhaps they'll have a little clinic the day before the second half because something needs to be done immediately.
What's on Tap?:
The Brewers put their new acquisition, CC Sabathia, on the mound against veteran Mark Redman. If the Brewers don't give CC a ton of run support, I will be severely disappointed. Redman has never been good. If Sabathia is simply average tonight, I will be pleased. All we need out of him is six to seven innings of two to three run baseball and he should get his victory and the Brewers fans more behind him than they already are.
Milwaukee Brewers 3 Colorado Rockies 4
MVPs of the Game:
Prince Fielder: 1/3; HR, 2 RBIs, BB
Ubaldo Jimenez: 7 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 7 Ks, 0 R (W)
Game Recap:
Perhaps the Brewers thought the acquisition of CC Sabathia yesterday meant they were just going to be handed baseball games as they come. Or perhaps they simply used up all of their hits on Sunday. Or maybe, just maybe, they got outplayed. Last night's game was a bit of a debauchery for both teams, as both teams struggled in the field and at the plate. Together they combined for only thirteen hits and two errors (well, three, but that's baseball). In the end, the Brewers couldn't would be hit by some hard luck, despite given every opportunity by the Rockies.
Seth McClung toed the rubber Monday night and was lights out for the first three innings, but then a spurt of wildness hit him in the fourth. It didn't help that he was being squeezed big time by home plate umpire, Tim McClelland. But it's your job to pitch around those problems, and for the most part McClung did. In the fourth he loaded the bases on a double and two walks, but induced a sac fly from Garrett Atkins, struck out Joe Koshansky and got Jeff Baker to fly out to limit the damage. He would walk two more to lead off the fifth, one of which was the pitcher. This time, however, he lost some composure. After a sac bunt and a pop out, Matt Holliday singled in Chris Ianetta. Ned Yost couldn't take any more after he walked Brad Hawpe for his third of the inning and fifth in less than six outs.
Carlos Villanueva would take the ball and pitch extremely well even if his defense didn't show up. After giving up a one out single to Jeff Baker, Baker took off to second and was called safe on a bang bang play that could have went either way. This could be said about a number of calls all night, but maybe I'll get into that later. After Chris Iannetta struck out, Ubaldo Jimenez grounded to third softly, but Russell Branyan gave it the old ole, allowing Baker to score making it 3-0.
A mistake pitch to Matt Holliday moved that lead to four, which seemed pretty insurmountable considering the Brewers weren't hitting the ball hard at all. Even worse, they had two base running blunders, in which Corey Hart and Ryan Braun were picked off at first base with fewer than two out. But the Rockies would do their best to try and hand the Brewers the game in eighth. Kapler would start the rally by hitting a cue blooper just shy of the first base bag. First baseman Joe Koshansky's only play was to tag Kapler, but when he went to grab the ball with his glove it caromed a bit off the line of the grass and slipped by him. Craig Counsell was the next batter and he popped right up the elevator in front of the plate, but neither Chris Iannetta or Garrett Atkins could decide who deserved it more and the ball fell, putting two on with nobody out. A walk by JJ Hardy loaded the bases for Ryan Braun, who up to that point was the only person who was hitting the ball hard. Unfortunately, it had been on the ground all night.
Braun promptly drilled a ball right up the middle that looked like a for sure base hit, but it clipped the mound and the loose dirt angled it about two to three feet to the left side of the infield, turning it into a routine double play. This proved to be huge as Prince Fielder hit his 17th homerun right after to bring the game within one. Brian Fuentes would keep the Brewers quiet in the ninth, and ended the Brewers CC high.
Game Changing Play:
The error by Branyan was huge. At the time the game was only a 2-0 game, and was easily within reach considering Jimenez wasn't very spot on. He did walk five Brewers after all. Instead the lead was extended to three and the Villanueva's momentum was destroyed.
Notes:
- McClelland's strike zone was a joke yesterday, and for the most part favored Jimenez when calls did waver. McClung had great stuff, but this ump was just completely fooled by his outside corner curveball, and would NEVER give him the benefit of the doubt on close calls with two strikes. The same could be said for Jimenez most of the night, but as he got further into the game, the more he was given, hence Braun saying a few things when he struck out looking in the sixth.
- Don't get too down on McClung. He has the stuff and he's proved it to me every time he's been out there. I think his biggest problem is the mental aspect of the game. He gets too emotional and you can see it. After every walk he's talking to himself and he gets angry after every hit. I like that and all. You should be upset when these things happen, but you can't let it spiral out of control. Walking the pitcher in the fifth was an example where it did.
- Prince finally looked good at the plate and didn't try to over swing every time at the plate. The same can be said for Braun, even if he did GIDP twice. Both of them were bullets and are base hits if no one is on base, or if the mound wasn't there.
- Two more pickoffs makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with Ed Sedar and his coaching. This has been happening all year. With a low OBP team, you cannot sacrifice outs or base runners. Perhaps they'll have a little clinic the day before the second half because something needs to be done immediately.
What's on Tap?:
The Brewers put their new acquisition, CC Sabathia, on the mound against veteran Mark Redman. If the Brewers don't give CC a ton of run support, I will be severely disappointed. Redman has never been good. If Sabathia is simply average tonight, I will be pleased. All we need out of him is six to seven innings of two to three run baseball and he should get his victory and the Brewers fans more behind him than they already are.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Brewers Rockies Series Preview
The Series:
Colorado Rockies (37-52) @ Milwaukee Brewers (49-39)
Who's on Tap?:
July 7th: Ubaldo Jimenez (3-8, 4.50 ERA) vs. Seth McClung (5-3, 4.18 ERA)
July 8th: Mark Redman (2-3, 7.05 ERA) vs. C.C. Sabathia (6-8, 3.83 ERA)
July 9th: Greg Reynolds (2-6, 6.71 ERA) vs. Manny Parra (8-2, 3.69 ERA)
July 10th: Jorge De La Rosa (3-4, 6.58 ERA) vs. Ben Sheets (10-2, 2.77 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
The Rockies can just not get healthy as they have placed at least nine different players on the DL and most recently had to place Troy Tulowitzki, Todd Helton and Jeff Francis on the list within the last week. This really hogties the Rockies, who still managed to score 35 runs in their last three games. Matt Holliday has a lot to do with that. Holliday is batting .343/.424/.566 this season and has recorded a hit in 21 of his last 22 games. A lot of those games were at home though, so the Rockies are hoping he can do the same outside of hitter-friendly Coors Field. On the mound, Brian Fuentes continues to be the talk of the town, as he may be able to be traded and offer some support for the ailing Rockies. Fuentes has struggled recently, so it's important he gets back on track. Elsewhere, Taylor Bucholz is well worth your time to check out if he takes the mound. He's carrying a 1.73 ERA in 41.2 innings this year and you wonder why he hasn't been moved to the rotation considering how awful it's been.
For the Brewers, it's C.C. Sabathia time. Sabathia will be announced as the Brewers new starting pitcher this morning in just a few house. Sabathia has only seen Miller Park twice in his career, one of which was last year's make up game against the Angels when Brewers fans paid ten dollars for general admission tickets. Sabathia went seven innings in that game and got to see Brewers' fans do the wave in slow mo, fast forward and split down the middle. The fans are a bit crazy to say the least. At the plate, it's time for Corey Hart to make his last pitch to be an All Star. I've done my fair share of voting for him already. I think he's way way under rated as far as his skills go. Look for Corey to try and do it all this weekend, stealing bases, hitting the ball hard and showing off his incredible range in right.
Keys to Victory:
The Rockies are going to give up a lot of runs... A LOT. Their ERAs are a bit bloated because of Coors Field, but Coors isn't that awful to pitchers, especially since the humidor was installed. Anyways, the poor starting pitching really forces the hurting Rockies to try and tack on runs in bunches. If the Rockies plan on being successful, Holliday will need Clint Barnes, Ryan Spilborghs and Garret Atkins to continue deliver. If just one of these guys falls off the wagon, the Rockies could fall just as well.
The Brewers need to show patience following yesterday's game. They had 12 extra-base hits in yesterday's game, but if they try to repeat it against these guys, they'll find themselves striking out more than they would like to. Jimenez has walked 52 in 100 innings and Reynolds 24 in just 57.2 innings. Redman only has one good year under his belt as far as success goes and De La Rosa is just not a good pitcher, as Brewers fans remember. The mistakes will be there to hit, but you'll have to wait on one and not get greedy. The excitement of Sabathia's arrival could make things a little testy and we'll have to see how the young squad will respond.
Predictions and Notes:
- With one move the Brewers have struck fear into the NL Central leading Cubs and Wild Card leading Cardinals. No team is particularly interested in facing Ben Sheets, Manny Parra and C.C. Sabathia in one series. The Rockies get the first look of what this could mean for the surging Brewers.
- Tonight's game will be interesting because the excitement at Miller Park will start early and the fans will no doubt be electric. But I think the more interesting thing is the pitching match up. Jimenez gave up four runs in in six innings of work in his last outing against the Brewers, but was saved by Guillermo Mota's blow up in the eighth. McClung has struggled in his last two outings and benefited from some phenomenal defense in his last start. He continues to show flashes of a consistent starter though, settling down in his last three innings and keeping the Brewers in the game, which they eventually won. Look for the Brewers offense to pick it up again tonight and all series and roll over the streaking Rockies.
- As for the remaining three games, one of these guys is gonna be vulnerable and I'm going to say it's Ben Sheets. Now vulnerable doesn't mean he's going to get rocked, but it does mean that the Brewers offense will handcuff themselves for a game and make another bad pitcher look like an ace. Look for Sheets to have a quality start, but the offense can't pick him up. Sabathia will be lights out in his first performance. His arrival almost guarantees a sell out and the crowd in Milwaukee will be all over every pitch and strike out. Parra deserves props in his own right. I can't imagine what this team would look like if he hadn't shown up and became a solid two starter. Look for him to have continued success this weekend and pick up his ninth win.
- I should be back this afternoon to discuss the ramifications of today's trade. For the current details, check out my last article that lays out the deal.
Colorado Rockies (37-52) @ Milwaukee Brewers (49-39)
Who's on Tap?:
July 7th: Ubaldo Jimenez (3-8, 4.50 ERA) vs. Seth McClung (5-3, 4.18 ERA)
July 8th: Mark Redman (2-3, 7.05 ERA) vs. C.C. Sabathia (6-8, 3.83 ERA)
July 9th: Greg Reynolds (2-6, 6.71 ERA) vs. Manny Parra (8-2, 3.69 ERA)
July 10th: Jorge De La Rosa (3-4, 6.58 ERA) vs. Ben Sheets (10-2, 2.77 ERA)
Who Should You Watch?:
The Rockies can just not get healthy as they have placed at least nine different players on the DL and most recently had to place Troy Tulowitzki, Todd Helton and Jeff Francis on the list within the last week. This really hogties the Rockies, who still managed to score 35 runs in their last three games. Matt Holliday has a lot to do with that. Holliday is batting .343/.424/.566 this season and has recorded a hit in 21 of his last 22 games. A lot of those games were at home though, so the Rockies are hoping he can do the same outside of hitter-friendly Coors Field. On the mound, Brian Fuentes continues to be the talk of the town, as he may be able to be traded and offer some support for the ailing Rockies. Fuentes has struggled recently, so it's important he gets back on track. Elsewhere, Taylor Bucholz is well worth your time to check out if he takes the mound. He's carrying a 1.73 ERA in 41.2 innings this year and you wonder why he hasn't been moved to the rotation considering how awful it's been.
For the Brewers, it's C.C. Sabathia time. Sabathia will be announced as the Brewers new starting pitcher this morning in just a few house. Sabathia has only seen Miller Park twice in his career, one of which was last year's make up game against the Angels when Brewers fans paid ten dollars for general admission tickets. Sabathia went seven innings in that game and got to see Brewers' fans do the wave in slow mo, fast forward and split down the middle. The fans are a bit crazy to say the least. At the plate, it's time for Corey Hart to make his last pitch to be an All Star. I've done my fair share of voting for him already. I think he's way way under rated as far as his skills go. Look for Corey to try and do it all this weekend, stealing bases, hitting the ball hard and showing off his incredible range in right.
Keys to Victory:
The Rockies are going to give up a lot of runs... A LOT. Their ERAs are a bit bloated because of Coors Field, but Coors isn't that awful to pitchers, especially since the humidor was installed. Anyways, the poor starting pitching really forces the hurting Rockies to try and tack on runs in bunches. If the Rockies plan on being successful, Holliday will need Clint Barnes, Ryan Spilborghs and Garret Atkins to continue deliver. If just one of these guys falls off the wagon, the Rockies could fall just as well.
The Brewers need to show patience following yesterday's game. They had 12 extra-base hits in yesterday's game, but if they try to repeat it against these guys, they'll find themselves striking out more than they would like to. Jimenez has walked 52 in 100 innings and Reynolds 24 in just 57.2 innings. Redman only has one good year under his belt as far as success goes and De La Rosa is just not a good pitcher, as Brewers fans remember. The mistakes will be there to hit, but you'll have to wait on one and not get greedy. The excitement of Sabathia's arrival could make things a little testy and we'll have to see how the young squad will respond.
Predictions and Notes:
- With one move the Brewers have struck fear into the NL Central leading Cubs and Wild Card leading Cardinals. No team is particularly interested in facing Ben Sheets, Manny Parra and C.C. Sabathia in one series. The Rockies get the first look of what this could mean for the surging Brewers.
- Tonight's game will be interesting because the excitement at Miller Park will start early and the fans will no doubt be electric. But I think the more interesting thing is the pitching match up. Jimenez gave up four runs in in six innings of work in his last outing against the Brewers, but was saved by Guillermo Mota's blow up in the eighth. McClung has struggled in his last two outings and benefited from some phenomenal defense in his last start. He continues to show flashes of a consistent starter though, settling down in his last three innings and keeping the Brewers in the game, which they eventually won. Look for the Brewers offense to pick it up again tonight and all series and roll over the streaking Rockies.
- As for the remaining three games, one of these guys is gonna be vulnerable and I'm going to say it's Ben Sheets. Now vulnerable doesn't mean he's going to get rocked, but it does mean that the Brewers offense will handcuff themselves for a game and make another bad pitcher look like an ace. Look for Sheets to have a quality start, but the offense can't pick him up. Sabathia will be lights out in his first performance. His arrival almost guarantees a sell out and the crowd in Milwaukee will be all over every pitch and strike out. Parra deserves props in his own right. I can't imagine what this team would look like if he hadn't shown up and became a solid two starter. Look for him to have continued success this weekend and pick up his ninth win.
- I should be back this afternoon to discuss the ramifications of today's trade. For the current details, check out my last article that lays out the deal.
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