Box Score
As the old truism goes, "Momentum is only as strong as your next day's starting pitcher."
I have written a lot of positive things about Chris Narveson this season. I will continue to do so in the future because he's a very good back end of the rotation started and he has pretty good stuff. However, his value is severely hindered by starts like the one tonight: 4 innings, 5 earned runs. In his previous start he went 3.1 innings with 6 earned runs, and against the Reds on the 25th on April he went 2.1 and allowed 7 earned runs. For the sake of the Brewers and the sake of his ERA, he needs to limit starts that quickly turn into a disaster. Furthermore, as a #5 I'm fine with him giving up 4-5 runs, but at least go 6 innings.
Anyway, the Brewers played the Reds on the road and lost. Based on how things have been going, that seems about right. Tomorrow the Brewers will face off against Chad "I'm 29, have thrown 23 innings in the majors, and have a 5.48 ERA" Reineke. I went through the trouble of finding his real middle name because Mr Reineke is exactly the type of pitcher that always seems to shut the Brewers down.
So let's see: On the road, playing the Reds, and facing an unknown pitcher making his first start since 2009. I have a very bad feeling about tomorrow's game.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Game Fifty Three: Brewers 6, Giants 0
Box Score
I don't have much to say other than the past three weeks have been a lot of fun. The Brewers are 15-5 over their past 20 games and look nearly unbeatable at home. If the Brewers can stay healthy I see no reason why they will not contend for the division title. Well, that's not entirely true.
The Brewers need to play better on the road. I don't think their struggles are anything other than aberration, I also acknowledge possibility that they could have one of those seasons were everything goes right at home and things rarely go right on the road. It's unlikely, but I've followed sports closely enough to know that weird stuff like that happens from time to time. Let's hope this is not one of those seasons.
Last point of the day: I enjoy following Tom Haudricourt's twitter page. He has a sarcastic sense of humor that I find very amusing and he often makes good points. For example, today he tweeted:
#Brewers have 2nd consecutive sellout crowd. Today it's 43,035. Averaging well over 33,000 in this market and economy is remarkable.
I have two thoughts on this tweet.
First, Milwaukee is one of the best baseball towns in America. This is overwhelmingly demonstrated by the attendance figures over the past five seasons, and it's even more evident when you remember that the Brewers have made the playoffs only once since 1982.
Second, Milwaukee's love of baseball makes me think about the Miller Park sales tax. Personally I am not too supportive of raising taxes for the purpose of building sports arenas. I believe the economic impact is overstated and tax revenue is best used for education, social programs, infrastructure, et cetera. However, had George Petak* not voted for the Miller Park funding bill (which led to his recall) the Brewers would have relocated. Considering that Miller Park is a fantastic facility and the Brewers (as terrible as they can be) are a unifying force that provide a lot of people with a lot of enjoyment, I'm have a hard time believing anything other than the 0.5% sales tax was well worth it.
In conclusion, when you consider all sides of an argument, it's hard to come to a conclusion.
*I had Mr Petak autograph a Brewers pennant shortly after he cast his vote. He signed his name and wrote "Play Ball!" I still think that's pretty cool.
I don't have much to say other than the past three weeks have been a lot of fun. The Brewers are 15-5 over their past 20 games and look nearly unbeatable at home. If the Brewers can stay healthy I see no reason why they will not contend for the division title. Well, that's not entirely true.
The Brewers need to play better on the road. I don't think their struggles are anything other than aberration, I also acknowledge possibility that they could have one of those seasons were everything goes right at home and things rarely go right on the road. It's unlikely, but I've followed sports closely enough to know that weird stuff like that happens from time to time. Let's hope this is not one of those seasons.
Last point of the day: I enjoy following Tom Haudricourt's twitter page. He has a sarcastic sense of humor that I find very amusing and he often makes good points. For example, today he tweeted:
#Brewers have 2nd consecutive sellout crowd. Today it's 43,035. Averaging well over 33,000 in this market and economy is remarkable.
I have two thoughts on this tweet.
First, Milwaukee is one of the best baseball towns in America. This is overwhelmingly demonstrated by the attendance figures over the past five seasons, and it's even more evident when you remember that the Brewers have made the playoffs only once since 1982.
Second, Milwaukee's love of baseball makes me think about the Miller Park sales tax. Personally I am not too supportive of raising taxes for the purpose of building sports arenas. I believe the economic impact is overstated and tax revenue is best used for education, social programs, infrastructure, et cetera. However, had George Petak* not voted for the Miller Park funding bill (which led to his recall) the Brewers would have relocated. Considering that Miller Park is a fantastic facility and the Brewers (as terrible as they can be) are a unifying force that provide a lot of people with a lot of enjoyment, I'm have a hard time believing anything other than the 0.5% sales tax was well worth it.
In conclusion, when you consider all sides of an argument, it's hard to come to a conclusion.
*I had Mr Petak autograph a Brewers pennant shortly after he cast his vote. He signed his name and wrote "Play Ball!" I still think that's pretty cool.
Game Fifty Two: Brewers 3, Giants 2
Box Score
The ending of today's game was a thing of beauty. With the score tied at 2-2 the Brewers had the bases loaded with one out. Jonathan Lucroy took the first pitch for a ball and on the next pitch laid down a perfect bunt that allowed Ryan Braun to score on a suicide squeeze. But the beauty of the play goes beyond the play itself.
When Lucroy came to the plate I was thinking "Sac fly! Sac fly! Please, oh please get a sac fly!" A suicide squeeze was the last thing on my mind, yet that turned out to be exactly what won the game for the Brewers. The play perfectly illustrated exactly why people watch sports: something amazing happened, and we had no idea it was coming. We watch sports because in the back of our minds we know that at any given moment something incredible can happen. It rarely does, but occasionally we're rewarded with something like a walk-off suicide squeeze. Wow.
I am not entirely certain, but I am willing to say this was the only game in MLB history to involve both an inside the park home run and a walk-off suicide squeeze.
One last point: the events of the bottom of the ninth were made possible because the Brewers have two of the best hitters in the majors and an up and coming catcher in Jonathan Lucroy. It's nice to know that the Brewers have the talent necessary to make the unlikely possible. Let the good times roll.
The ending of today's game was a thing of beauty. With the score tied at 2-2 the Brewers had the bases loaded with one out. Jonathan Lucroy took the first pitch for a ball and on the next pitch laid down a perfect bunt that allowed Ryan Braun to score on a suicide squeeze. But the beauty of the play goes beyond the play itself.
When Lucroy came to the plate I was thinking "Sac fly! Sac fly! Please, oh please get a sac fly!" A suicide squeeze was the last thing on my mind, yet that turned out to be exactly what won the game for the Brewers. The play perfectly illustrated exactly why people watch sports: something amazing happened, and we had no idea it was coming. We watch sports because in the back of our minds we know that at any given moment something incredible can happen. It rarely does, but occasionally we're rewarded with something like a walk-off suicide squeeze. Wow.
I am not entirely certain, but I am willing to say this was the only game in MLB history to involve both an inside the park home run and a walk-off suicide squeeze.
One last point: the events of the bottom of the ninth were made possible because the Brewers have two of the best hitters in the majors and an up and coming catcher in Jonathan Lucroy. It's nice to know that the Brewers have the talent necessary to make the unlikely possible. Let the good times roll.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Game Fifty One: Giants 5, Brewers 4
Box Score
When the Brewers were up 3-0 in the top of the 6th inning I was almost totally convinced they were going to win the game. Shawn Marcum was dealing and the Giants have a very putrid offense. But then, as it tends to happen when Marcum goes through the lineup for the third time, things got dicey. A pair of well-placed hits and a walk lead to the first major league hit of Brandon Crawford, which just happened to be a grand slam. I think what Brandon Crawford did was was awesome, except that it happened against the Brewers, so I think it actually kind of sucked.
All things considered, this was an enjoyable baseball game. Despite the loss, the Brewers created some excitement in the 8th and 9th innings and had their chance at a comeback victory. It did not happen, but if this means the Brewers are playing well enough so even their losses are entertaining, then I look forward to the rest of the season.
Other scattered thoughts:
-Jonathan Lucroy reminds me a lot of Jeff Cirillo and Mark Loretta. He puts together a lot of good at-bats and has the aura of a "professional hitter." Even better: he's a catcher. If he can manage to hit .260 he'll be as good as any catcher the Brewers have had since Dave Nilsson.
-I really like having Nyjer Morgan in the lineup. He's the spark plug the Brewers need and he allows Carlos Gomez to be a role player instead of a starter. In other words, Morgan helps tie the lineup together very nicely.
-I think we can officially say the Brewers are a good team. It's been a bit of a rough start, but they're finally heading in the right direction.
When the Brewers were up 3-0 in the top of the 6th inning I was almost totally convinced they were going to win the game. Shawn Marcum was dealing and the Giants have a very putrid offense. But then, as it tends to happen when Marcum goes through the lineup for the third time, things got dicey. A pair of well-placed hits and a walk lead to the first major league hit of Brandon Crawford, which just happened to be a grand slam. I think what Brandon Crawford did was was awesome, except that it happened against the Brewers, so I think it actually kind of sucked.
All things considered, this was an enjoyable baseball game. Despite the loss, the Brewers created some excitement in the 8th and 9th innings and had their chance at a comeback victory. It did not happen, but if this means the Brewers are playing well enough so even their losses are entertaining, then I look forward to the rest of the season.
Other scattered thoughts:
-Jonathan Lucroy reminds me a lot of Jeff Cirillo and Mark Loretta. He puts together a lot of good at-bats and has the aura of a "professional hitter." Even better: he's a catcher. If he can manage to hit .260 he'll be as good as any catcher the Brewers have had since Dave Nilsson.
-I really like having Nyjer Morgan in the lineup. He's the spark plug the Brewers need and he allows Carlos Gomez to be a role player instead of a starter. In other words, Morgan helps tie the lineup together very nicely.
-I think we can officially say the Brewers are a good team. It's been a bit of a rough start, but they're finally heading in the right direction.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Game Fifty: Brewers 6, Nationals 4
Box Score
Back in April the Nationals showed the Brewers what it is, and how it is done during a 3-game sweep. This time around the Brewers flipped the script and returned the favor.
Today's game looked like it was going to be an easy victory until Michael Morse continued his tyranny against the Brewers to the tune of a game-tying 3-run homer in the 4th. But Greinke put the Brewers ahead for good with his second career homer and did not have any issues the rest of the way. Greinke now has 39 Ks and only 3 BBs in 28 innings of work. As soon as he breaks the habit of allowing a big inning in each start he's poised to show an level of dominance not seen since CC Sabathia in 2008.
Coming up is a compelling series vs. the Giants. This will double as a showcase of excellent starting pitching and a litmus test for the Brewers. Naturally I will be on a camping trip this weekend so I will not see any of it; nor will I be around to blog about it.
To fill the void left in my absence, I suggest you see 'Hobo With a Shotgun':
Back in April the Nationals showed the Brewers what it is, and how it is done during a 3-game sweep. This time around the Brewers flipped the script and returned the favor.
Today's game looked like it was going to be an easy victory until Michael Morse continued his tyranny against the Brewers to the tune of a game-tying 3-run homer in the 4th. But Greinke put the Brewers ahead for good with his second career homer and did not have any issues the rest of the way. Greinke now has 39 Ks and only 3 BBs in 28 innings of work. As soon as he breaks the habit of allowing a big inning in each start he's poised to show an level of dominance not seen since CC Sabathia in 2008.
Coming up is a compelling series vs. the Giants. This will double as a showcase of excellent starting pitching and a litmus test for the Brewers. Naturally I will be on a camping trip this weekend so I will not see any of it; nor will I be around to blog about it.
To fill the void left in my absence, I suggest you see 'Hobo With a Shotgun':
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Game Forty Nine: Brewers 7, Nationals 6
Box Score
Livan Hernandez is one of my least favorite players in the majors. His fastball tops out at 83 mph, his career ERA is 4.37, and the Brewers never seem to perform well against him. He looks like someone I should be able to get a few hits off of, and yet the Brewers consistently struggle against him. And I hate him for it.
But all's well that ends well. The bullpen shut down that Nationals after they had their way with Chris Narveson and the Brewers were able to pick their way back until Jonathan Lucroy's RBI single in the 8th plated the tying and go-ahead runs.
This leads us to the top of the 9th, which once again made question whether or not John Axford intentionally makes things interesting. Losing a game after striking out the side, only to have the would-be final out reach base and extend the inning on a dropped third strike would have put me in a rather sour mood. But it didn't happen, the Brewers won their 5th in a row, and are a season-high 3 games over .500. Life is good...for now.
Last thing: Ryan Braun should not have slammed his helmet in front of the umpire in the 3rd inning. For the most part I like seeing athletes lose their temper from time to time; it shows that, much like the fans that allow them to be professional athletes, they care about the outcome of the game. In the case of Braun, he's too valuable for the Brewers to lose. He can lose his temper all he wants, he just needs to remember to take his frustration out on the Gatorade bucket in the dugout.
Also: Welcome back, Corey Hart.
Livan Hernandez is one of my least favorite players in the majors. His fastball tops out at 83 mph, his career ERA is 4.37, and the Brewers never seem to perform well against him. He looks like someone I should be able to get a few hits off of, and yet the Brewers consistently struggle against him. And I hate him for it.
But all's well that ends well. The bullpen shut down that Nationals after they had their way with Chris Narveson and the Brewers were able to pick their way back until Jonathan Lucroy's RBI single in the 8th plated the tying and go-ahead runs.
This leads us to the top of the 9th, which once again made question whether or not John Axford intentionally makes things interesting. Losing a game after striking out the side, only to have the would-be final out reach base and extend the inning on a dropped third strike would have put me in a rather sour mood. But it didn't happen, the Brewers won their 5th in a row, and are a season-high 3 games over .500. Life is good...for now.
Last thing: Ryan Braun should not have slammed his helmet in front of the umpire in the 3rd inning. For the most part I like seeing athletes lose their temper from time to time; it shows that, much like the fans that allow them to be professional athletes, they care about the outcome of the game. In the case of Braun, he's too valuable for the Brewers to lose. He can lose his temper all he wants, he just needs to remember to take his frustration out on the Gatorade bucket in the dugout.
Also: Welcome back, Corey Hart.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Game Forty Eight: Brewers 11, Nationals 3
Box Score
There is an inverse correlation between how well the Brewers are playing and how easy they are to write about. Part of the reason I started this blog was so I'd have a place to vent when the Brewers are playing poorly. Of course, I can't say that I'm upset when I don't have anything to vent about.
Though Gallardo has been pitching quite well since his near no-hitter versus St. Louis, this is the first time his performance matched the delusional expectations I have of him. Seven innings, one ER, nine strikeouts, and only one walk. It's also nice to see him finish the night with only 102 pitches.
Writing of Gallardo, I'd almost like to see him bat 8th. His career OPS is .661 and he has 9 homers in only 215 plate appearances. Carlos Gomez has a career .641 OPS. I would do this because I think Gallardo is a better hitter than Gomez. That written, I don't think it would make much of a difference.
One last thought: Professional athletes get a lot flak for having massive egos. This criticism is mostly undeserved because otherwise I have no idea how anybody can handle being a professional athlete without going crazy. The Brewers have looked like a middling minor league team at different points of the season. To go from that to looking like a contender requires a mental make-up like that of Dennis Quaid in The Right Stuff. You may come across as cocky or abrasive, but it's either that or withering like Greg Norman in the 1996 Masters. If I had to choose, I'd rather be perceived as cocky.
EDIT: I should also add that Corey Hart hitting three booming home runs was pretty awesome. It was also awesome that the second homer was the 100th of his career. I'd write more, but highlights are more fun: Highlights
There is an inverse correlation between how well the Brewers are playing and how easy they are to write about. Part of the reason I started this blog was so I'd have a place to vent when the Brewers are playing poorly. Of course, I can't say that I'm upset when I don't have anything to vent about.
Though Gallardo has been pitching quite well since his near no-hitter versus St. Louis, this is the first time his performance matched the delusional expectations I have of him. Seven innings, one ER, nine strikeouts, and only one walk. It's also nice to see him finish the night with only 102 pitches.
Writing of Gallardo, I'd almost like to see him bat 8th. His career OPS is .661 and he has 9 homers in only 215 plate appearances. Carlos Gomez has a career .641 OPS. I would do this because I think Gallardo is a better hitter than Gomez. That written, I don't think it would make much of a difference.
One last thought: Professional athletes get a lot flak for having massive egos. This criticism is mostly undeserved because otherwise I have no idea how anybody can handle being a professional athlete without going crazy. The Brewers have looked like a middling minor league team at different points of the season. To go from that to looking like a contender requires a mental make-up like that of Dennis Quaid in The Right Stuff. You may come across as cocky or abrasive, but it's either that or withering like Greg Norman in the 1996 Masters. If I had to choose, I'd rather be perceived as cocky.
EDIT: I should also add that Corey Hart hitting three booming home runs was pretty awesome. It was also awesome that the second homer was the 100th of his career. I'd write more, but highlights are more fun: Highlights
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Game Forty Seven: Brewers 3, Rockies 1
Box Score
I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not particularly skilled at keeping track of the number of games the Brewers have played. I'm sure I'll be able to figure out some sort of system to solve this problem.
Moving along, the Brewers are beginning to look like a team worth getting excited about. I'd write more, but my synapses are not functioning as efficiently as they could be. So instead of further analysis I present you with the music video for 'The Big Money' by Rush:
I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not particularly skilled at keeping track of the number of games the Brewers have played. I'm sure I'll be able to figure out some sort of system to solve this problem.
Moving along, the Brewers are beginning to look like a team worth getting excited about. I'd write more, but my synapses are not functioning as efficiently as they could be. So instead of further analysis I present you with the music video for 'The Big Money' by Rush:
Friday, May 20, 2011
Game Forty Five: Brewers 7, Rockies 6
Box Score
With one swing of the bat Prince Fielder turned an agonizing defeat into a thrilling victory. There's nothing quite like a walk-off home run that occurs when the home team is trailing. It's even better when, as was the case tonight, when the homer is the result of the ball being hit really, really hard.
Two quick thoughts:
-The Brewers scored seven runs in Los Angeles and San Diego. They scored seven runs tonight. I have never seen such a discrepancy of performance between the home and road. This is too extreme to last, but for the time being it's pretty bizarre.
-This season Zack Greinke has pitched 21 innings, has 29 strikeouts, only 2 walks, a decent 1.24 WHIP, and and ERA of 6.43. One of those things is not like the other. All signs point to him being dominant, and I think that's what we'll be seeing from him very soon.
With one swing of the bat Prince Fielder turned an agonizing defeat into a thrilling victory. There's nothing quite like a walk-off home run that occurs when the home team is trailing. It's even better when, as was the case tonight, when the homer is the result of the ball being hit really, really hard.
Two quick thoughts:
-The Brewers scored seven runs in Los Angeles and San Diego. They scored seven runs tonight. I have never seen such a discrepancy of performance between the home and road. This is too extreme to last, but for the time being it's pretty bizarre.
-This season Zack Greinke has pitched 21 innings, has 29 strikeouts, only 2 walks, a decent 1.24 WHIP, and and ERA of 6.43. One of those things is not like the other. All signs point to him being dominant, and I think that's what we'll be seeing from him very soon.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Game Forty Four: Padres 1, Brewers 0
Box Score
I'm happy the Brewers went 2-2 on their brief west coast trip. I'm happy Narveson and Gallardo had good starts in San Diego. I'm happy the Brewers did not flush any of the momentum from the 5-1 homestand down the drain. I am not happy with tonight's game (see what I did there?).
This was a game I feel the Brewers should have won 4-0. They were 0-8 with RISP and had Aaron Harang on the ropes in the first with runners on 2nd on 3rd and one out. It's easy to say that a timely hit in the top of the 1st would have led to a victory because what would the alternate outcome have been? A loss? Well, that already happened, so any variation in the space-time continuum would increase the likelihood of a Brewers victory. Or something like that. Where was I? Oh, right, the top of the 1st. Harang has been shaky all season long. The Brewers let him off the hook, let him get settled in, and let him shut them down.
Other news: Ryan Braun left the game with a sore shoulder. Form what I've read so far it seems like something that (at worst) will cause him to miss a game or two. I hope to read the same thing in the morning.
In the meantime I will be anxiously awaiting the day the Brewers return to .500.
I'm happy the Brewers went 2-2 on their brief west coast trip. I'm happy Narveson and Gallardo had good starts in San Diego. I'm happy the Brewers did not flush any of the momentum from the 5-1 homestand down the drain. I am not happy with tonight's game (see what I did there?).
This was a game I feel the Brewers should have won 4-0. They were 0-8 with RISP and had Aaron Harang on the ropes in the first with runners on 2nd on 3rd and one out. It's easy to say that a timely hit in the top of the 1st would have led to a victory because what would the alternate outcome have been? A loss? Well, that already happened, so any variation in the space-time continuum would increase the likelihood of a Brewers victory. Or something like that. Where was I? Oh, right, the top of the 1st. Harang has been shaky all season long. The Brewers let him off the hook, let him get settled in, and let him shut them down.
Other news: Ryan Braun left the game with a sore shoulder. Form what I've read so far it seems like something that (at worst) will cause him to miss a game or two. I hope to read the same thing in the morning.
In the meantime I will be anxiously awaiting the day the Brewers return to .500.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Game Forty Three: Brewers 5, Padres 2
Box Score
John Axford is a good pitcher. He can hit 97-mph on the gun and has a nasty curveball. So far this season, it appears as if he also likes allowing base runners. His WHIP on the season (Walks + Hits/Innings pitched) is 1.47, and tonight he allowed the tying run to reach base with one out. Thankfully he was able to strike out the next two batters and the Brewers got a rare road win.
As for the rest of the game, the Brewers did the impossible: got four hits with runners in scoring position. Wouldn't you know it, hits with RISP lead to runs, and runs lead to wins. It's a simple game really, well, if you forget that getting hits with RISP requires you to hit a baseball thrown by a major league pitcher, which is arguably the most difficult thing in the world.
Yovani Gallardo was Gallardo-esque in his 6 inning, 9 strikeout, 114 pitch performance. While I'd like to see him become more efficient, I'm beginning to think Gallardo is what he is: a very effective, high-strikeout pitcher that will struggle to reach the next level of excellence because he throws too many pitches. Of course, he's only thrown 556.1 innings. Cliff Lee did not become awesome until he was 29 and had thrown 600+ innings in the majors. My point: I have no idea what I'm talking about, but by this point in the season you should know that already.
John Axford is a good pitcher. He can hit 97-mph on the gun and has a nasty curveball. So far this season, it appears as if he also likes allowing base runners. His WHIP on the season (Walks + Hits/Innings pitched) is 1.47, and tonight he allowed the tying run to reach base with one out. Thankfully he was able to strike out the next two batters and the Brewers got a rare road win.
As for the rest of the game, the Brewers did the impossible: got four hits with runners in scoring position. Wouldn't you know it, hits with RISP lead to runs, and runs lead to wins. It's a simple game really, well, if you forget that getting hits with RISP requires you to hit a baseball thrown by a major league pitcher, which is arguably the most difficult thing in the world.
Yovani Gallardo was Gallardo-esque in his 6 inning, 9 strikeout, 114 pitch performance. While I'd like to see him become more efficient, I'm beginning to think Gallardo is what he is: a very effective, high-strikeout pitcher that will struggle to reach the next level of excellence because he throws too many pitches. Of course, he's only thrown 556.1 innings. Cliff Lee did not become awesome until he was 29 and had thrown 600+ innings in the majors. My point: I have no idea what I'm talking about, but by this point in the season you should know that already.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Games 38-42: Brewers Sweep Pirates 5-2, 8-2, 9-6, Split with Dodgers 2-1, 3-0
The lack of posts was a result of me being 2,700 miles away from where I live. Considering that the Brewers swept the Pirates and knocked off the Dodgers last night, I began to wonder if I should post less often. If some celestial force notifies me of a connection this blog will be shut down immediately. Until then...
...I'm beginning to think that the Brewers are just a really bad road team. The Brewers scored seven runs during their seven-game losing streak during their disastrous road trip. During the home stand the Brewers had three games where they scored eight runs or more. I can live with the Brewers being a bad on the road if they are excellent at home. But please note that I wrote "bad on the road" and not "unfathomably awful." The Brewers are currently on pace to win 55 games at home and 26 on the road. Though that comes to a respectable 81-81 record, that will not get you to the playoffs.
So why are the Brewers so bad on the road? I would point to their collective .211 average with runners in scoring position (RISP). During the split with the Dodgers they were 2-23 (.080). And why are they so bad with RISP on the road? Hell if I know. It's probably a combination of bad luck and the general difficulty of playing on the road, but this could be one of those things in sports that defy explanation, such as...
...the Pirates being 3-33 at Miller Park since 2007 (.083). Over that same time frame the Pirates are 109-237 on the road (.315). Though that's very, very bad, it's about what you'd expect from a team with the caliber of the Pirates. Their record at Miller Park, on the other hand, is simply absurd. That's said, I would have no issue with this trend continuing.
For the time being the Brewers are 20-22. I think they're trending in the right direction. Corey Hart and Casey McGehee are showing signs of life, Yovani Gallardo has put together a pair of very solid starts, and Zack Grienke's back. Even though Mr Grienke has been shaky, I'm not concerned about his future performance. If these trends continue, the Brewers will be back in the NL Central race very soon.
...I'm beginning to think that the Brewers are just a really bad road team. The Brewers scored seven runs during their seven-game losing streak during their disastrous road trip. During the home stand the Brewers had three games where they scored eight runs or more. I can live with the Brewers being a bad on the road if they are excellent at home. But please note that I wrote "bad on the road" and not "unfathomably awful." The Brewers are currently on pace to win 55 games at home and 26 on the road. Though that comes to a respectable 81-81 record, that will not get you to the playoffs.
So why are the Brewers so bad on the road? I would point to their collective .211 average with runners in scoring position (RISP). During the split with the Dodgers they were 2-23 (.080). And why are they so bad with RISP on the road? Hell if I know. It's probably a combination of bad luck and the general difficulty of playing on the road, but this could be one of those things in sports that defy explanation, such as...
...the Pirates being 3-33 at Miller Park since 2007 (.083). Over that same time frame the Pirates are 109-237 on the road (.315). Though that's very, very bad, it's about what you'd expect from a team with the caliber of the Pirates. Their record at Miller Park, on the other hand, is simply absurd. That's said, I would have no issue with this trend continuing.
For the time being the Brewers are 20-22. I think they're trending in the right direction. Corey Hart and Casey McGehee are showing signs of life, Yovani Gallardo has put together a pair of very solid starts, and Zack Grienke's back. Even though Mr Grienke has been shaky, I'm not concerned about his future performance. If these trends continue, the Brewers will be back in the NL Central race very soon.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Game Thirty Six: Brewers 8, Padres 6
Box Score
After the 4th inning I was convinced Shawn Marcum was going to throw a complete-game shutout. He needed only 35 pitches to reach that point, the Padres looked helpless against his change-up, and the Brewers had an 8-0 lead. And then the wheels came off with a vengeance. I was a three-run homer from Ryan Ludwick away from swearing off the Brewers forever, but John Axford was kind enough to spare me a metaphorical kick in the pants.
Tomorrow the Brewers go for the sweep. It's nice to know that as bad as they are on the road, at least they can hold serve at home.
After the 4th inning I was convinced Shawn Marcum was going to throw a complete-game shutout. He needed only 35 pitches to reach that point, the Padres looked helpless against his change-up, and the Brewers had an 8-0 lead. And then the wheels came off with a vengeance. I was a three-run homer from Ryan Ludwick away from swearing off the Brewers forever, but John Axford was kind enough to spare me a metaphorical kick in the pants.
Tomorrow the Brewers go for the sweep. It's nice to know that as bad as they are on the road, at least they can hold serve at home.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Game Thirty Five: Brewers 4, Padres 3
Box Score
Good things happen when you score more than one run.
Zack Greinke looked very sharp against tonight as evidenced by his nine strikeouts and zero walks in six innings. How many pitchers can paint the black with a 94-mph fastball and flip a 65-mph curveball out of nowhere? He's as fun to watch as anybody in the majors.
You know who's not as fun to watch? Yuniesky Betancourt. But you would not know that after the game tonight. He was involved in one of the most incredible double plays I have ever seen. You can watch the play here. Oddly enough, this is not the first time Betancourt has made an unbelievable defensive play. If you recall, earlier in the season he did this. A great thing about professional sports is that even the worst (a relative term if there ever was one) players are capable of amazing things.
Moving on, the offense was solid. They were able to both get a lead and tack on insurance runs, which it turned out they needed. The lesson here: the Brewers will win a lot of games (or at least be worth watching) if they can consistently score 3-5 runs. Hopefully they read this blog and will do this, if for no other reason than to make me happy.
Good things happen when you score more than one run.
Zack Greinke looked very sharp against tonight as evidenced by his nine strikeouts and zero walks in six innings. How many pitchers can paint the black with a 94-mph fastball and flip a 65-mph curveball out of nowhere? He's as fun to watch as anybody in the majors.
You know who's not as fun to watch? Yuniesky Betancourt. But you would not know that after the game tonight. He was involved in one of the most incredible double plays I have ever seen. You can watch the play here. Oddly enough, this is not the first time Betancourt has made an unbelievable defensive play. If you recall, earlier in the season he did this. A great thing about professional sports is that even the worst (a relative term if there ever was one) players are capable of amazing things.
Moving on, the offense was solid. They were able to both get a lead and tack on insurance runs, which it turned out they needed. The lesson here: the Brewers will win a lot of games (or at least be worth watching) if they can consistently score 3-5 runs. Hopefully they read this blog and will do this, if for no other reason than to make me happy.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Game Thirty Four: Cardinals 3, Brewers 1
Box Score
Another day, another feeble offensive performance. What we are seeing from the Brewers offense is the result of three things:
1) The quality of pitching across the majors has increased tremendously over the past few seasons.
2) The Brewers' offense is not as good as advertised.
3) The Brewers are going through one of the worst offensive slumps you will ever see.
There is not much that can be done about (1) other than make sure you have good starting pitchers, which Doug Melvin has done. Regarding (2), the Brewers were 4th in the NL in runs scored last season and 3rd in 2009. They have a good offense and at the end of the season I expect the numbers to show this. However, they are not a juggernaut and they are clearly prone to stretches of futility. Regarding (3), we'll just have to wait this one out. The Brewers are on an unsustainable pace of awfulness that seems like it will go on forever, but it won't. I think.
Today's game was mostly a dud. I say mostly because Narveson had a good outing and the 14-pitch AB Counsell had in the top of the 9th was amazing to watch. If the Brewers fire Dale Sveum as the hitting coach they should hire Counsell to immediately take his place.
Craig Counsell does not hit for average or power. He also does not swing at bad pitches or anything out of the zone. He's at his best in situations were pitchers have to throw strikes, such as when the bases are loaded. He's a career .376/.403/.554 hitter with the bases loaded, and that's not a surprise. The sooner the rest of the Brewers can take his approach at the plate, the better.
Thirteen of the next sixteen games are against teams with losing records and twelve of those game are at home. We're about to find out just where this season is heading.
Another day, another feeble offensive performance. What we are seeing from the Brewers offense is the result of three things:
1) The quality of pitching across the majors has increased tremendously over the past few seasons.
2) The Brewers' offense is not as good as advertised.
3) The Brewers are going through one of the worst offensive slumps you will ever see.
There is not much that can be done about (1) other than make sure you have good starting pitchers, which Doug Melvin has done. Regarding (2), the Brewers were 4th in the NL in runs scored last season and 3rd in 2009. They have a good offense and at the end of the season I expect the numbers to show this. However, they are not a juggernaut and they are clearly prone to stretches of futility. Regarding (3), we'll just have to wait this one out. The Brewers are on an unsustainable pace of awfulness that seems like it will go on forever, but it won't. I think.
Today's game was mostly a dud. I say mostly because Narveson had a good outing and the 14-pitch AB Counsell had in the top of the 9th was amazing to watch. If the Brewers fire Dale Sveum as the hitting coach they should hire Counsell to immediately take his place.
Craig Counsell does not hit for average or power. He also does not swing at bad pitches or anything out of the zone. He's at his best in situations were pitchers have to throw strikes, such as when the bases are loaded. He's a career .376/.403/.554 hitter with the bases loaded, and that's not a surprise. The sooner the rest of the Brewers can take his approach at the plate, the better.
Thirteen of the next sixteen games are against teams with losing records and twelve of those game are at home. We're about to find out just where this season is heading.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Game Thirty Three: Brewers 4, Cardinals 0
Box Score
Yovani Gallardo picked a good time to break out of his slump. The only thing he did wrong today was not pitch a no-hitter, though he came within six outs of doing so. I guess we'll just have to settle for 8.0 innings, one hit, zero runs, and the win.
Once again the offense did not look good. Kyle Lohse held the Brewers to one run and six hits through 8.0 innings. He also struck out Rickie Weeks to end the inning with the bases loaded in the top of the second. Under most circumstances that would have caused me to throw something at a wall, but the previous seven games sucked a lot of life out of me so I responded like a normal human being. That said, watching the Brewers score three insurance runs in the top of the 9th was very cathartic.
Otherwise I do not have much more to add. Any day the Brewers win is a good day. Let's hope tomorrow is a good day as well.
Yovani Gallardo picked a good time to break out of his slump. The only thing he did wrong today was not pitch a no-hitter, though he came within six outs of doing so. I guess we'll just have to settle for 8.0 innings, one hit, zero runs, and the win.
Once again the offense did not look good. Kyle Lohse held the Brewers to one run and six hits through 8.0 innings. He also struck out Rickie Weeks to end the inning with the bases loaded in the top of the second. Under most circumstances that would have caused me to throw something at a wall, but the previous seven games sucked a lot of life out of me so I responded like a normal human being. That said, watching the Brewers score three insurance runs in the top of the 9th was very cathartic.
Otherwise I do not have much more to add. Any day the Brewers win is a good day. Let's hope tomorrow is a good day as well.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Game Thirty Two: Cardinals 6, Brewers 0
Box Score
I cannot remember watching any team in any sport look this feeble. The was the third time the Brewers were shut out during their seven-game skid and the fifth time they score less than two runs. Right now the Brewers have the same look as a I-AA team playing Florida or Texas; they don't look like they belong on a major league field right now.
There are some harsh truths about this team that are being exposed. The most discussion worthy being that they may be a bad offensive team. They are getting a lot of production from Braun, Fielder, and Weeks. Lucroy has been very solid as well. But take a look at the rest of their lineup (today's game not included):
Casey McGehee: 126 PA; .252/.310/.365
Carlos Gomez: 124 PA; .234/.275/.315
Yuniesky Betancourt: 116 PA; .243/.276/.346
Mark Kotsay: 65 PA; .268/.369/.304
Craig Counsell: 37 PA; .188/.278/.188
Erick Almonte: 29 PA; .103/.103/.207
That is a whole lot o' awfulness right there. If McGehee played to his career norms and Corey Hart was not hurt, the offense would be in much better shape. But McGehee's been awful and Hart has been hurt. Though Hart's back, he's not exactly hitting the ground running.
So what are the Brewers to do? Fire Sveum? That might do some good, though I tend to doubt it. As the saying goes, he can't hit for the players. The Brewers need to find a way to upgrade at shortstop and center field (CF being the most frustrating because Nyjer Morgan came of the DL and promptly broke his finger). Other than that I'm not sure what else they can do besides hope McGehee and Hart start hitting baseballs with greater efficacy.
It's panic time in Milwaukee. The Brewers are digging themselves into a hole that may become too deep for them to dig themselves out of. Or maybe they're just a bad team that's doing their thing. I'm not sure, but it'll be fun to find out! Right? Anybody?
I cannot remember watching any team in any sport look this feeble. The was the third time the Brewers were shut out during their seven-game skid and the fifth time they score less than two runs. Right now the Brewers have the same look as a I-AA team playing Florida or Texas; they don't look like they belong on a major league field right now.
There are some harsh truths about this team that are being exposed. The most discussion worthy being that they may be a bad offensive team. They are getting a lot of production from Braun, Fielder, and Weeks. Lucroy has been very solid as well. But take a look at the rest of their lineup (today's game not included):
Casey McGehee: 126 PA; .252/.310/.365
Carlos Gomez: 124 PA; .234/.275/.315
Yuniesky Betancourt: 116 PA; .243/.276/.346
Mark Kotsay: 65 PA; .268/.369/.304
Craig Counsell: 37 PA; .188/.278/.188
Erick Almonte: 29 PA; .103/.103/.207
That is a whole lot o' awfulness right there. If McGehee played to his career norms and Corey Hart was not hurt, the offense would be in much better shape. But McGehee's been awful and Hart has been hurt. Though Hart's back, he's not exactly hitting the ground running.
So what are the Brewers to do? Fire Sveum? That might do some good, though I tend to doubt it. As the saying goes, he can't hit for the players. The Brewers need to find a way to upgrade at shortstop and center field (CF being the most frustrating because Nyjer Morgan came of the DL and promptly broke his finger). Other than that I'm not sure what else they can do besides hope McGehee and Hart start hitting baseballs with greater efficacy.
It's panic time in Milwaukee. The Brewers are digging themselves into a hole that may become too deep for them to dig themselves out of. Or maybe they're just a bad team that's doing their thing. I'm not sure, but it'll be fun to find out! Right? Anybody?
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Game Thirty One: Braves 2, Brewers 1
Box Score
I decided to ignore tonight's game and only check the box score when it was over. I may have to do this more often.
The Brewers have yet to win in the month of May, have lost six in a row, and have scored seven runs in the process. If the Brewers keep up this pace they will be the worst offensive team in the history of professional sports. That will not happen. But even outside of this stretch, scoring runs has been a problem. I'm kind of at a loss for why.
The Brewers have plenty of talent on their roster. Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Casey McGehee, and Corey Hart are all established major league hitters. Jonathan Lucroy is having a great start to the season, and even though Carlos Gomez and Yuniesky Betancourt are generally black holes, their ability to pull in matter is not so great that no offense can escape. The should be a good offensive team, but instead they are frequently awful at scoring runs. How bad? They are currently on pace to score 670 runs, which (by 56 runs) would be their worst offensive output since 2004...when they won 64 games. For the time being I refuse to believe the Brewers have regressed to the beginning of the Ned Yost era. For now.
So what is the solution to the Brewers' woes? I have no idea. As we all learned from Bull Durham, baseball is a simple sport: You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. As far as I can tell there are three reasons the Brewers are having problems with hitting the ball, in order from most to least likely:
1) They are in a collective funk
2) They are facing excellent starting pitching
3) They are not good
There could be other issues, but I don't know what.
Moving aside from the offensive woes, the Brewers are on the brink of panic time. Not only do they trail St. Louis by 4.5 games, but wouldn't you know it, they get to travel there next for a three game series! And they get to face Jamie Garcia (3-0, 2.48 ERA), Kyle Lohse (3-1, 2.44 ERA), and Kyle McClennan (4-0, 3.79 ERA)! In the event of a sweep, the Brewers would be 7.5 games out of first. It doesn't matter that it's only May: that would be a huge problem. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to the next three games.
I decided to ignore tonight's game and only check the box score when it was over. I may have to do this more often.
The Brewers have yet to win in the month of May, have lost six in a row, and have scored seven runs in the process. If the Brewers keep up this pace they will be the worst offensive team in the history of professional sports. That will not happen. But even outside of this stretch, scoring runs has been a problem. I'm kind of at a loss for why.
The Brewers have plenty of talent on their roster. Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Casey McGehee, and Corey Hart are all established major league hitters. Jonathan Lucroy is having a great start to the season, and even though Carlos Gomez and Yuniesky Betancourt are generally black holes, their ability to pull in matter is not so great that no offense can escape. The should be a good offensive team, but instead they are frequently awful at scoring runs. How bad? They are currently on pace to score 670 runs, which (by 56 runs) would be their worst offensive output since 2004...when they won 64 games. For the time being I refuse to believe the Brewers have regressed to the beginning of the Ned Yost era. For now.
So what is the solution to the Brewers' woes? I have no idea. As we all learned from Bull Durham, baseball is a simple sport: You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. As far as I can tell there are three reasons the Brewers are having problems with hitting the ball, in order from most to least likely:
1) They are in a collective funk
2) They are facing excellent starting pitching
3) They are not good
There could be other issues, but I don't know what.
Moving aside from the offensive woes, the Brewers are on the brink of panic time. Not only do they trail St. Louis by 4.5 games, but wouldn't you know it, they get to travel there next for a three game series! And they get to face Jamie Garcia (3-0, 2.48 ERA), Kyle Lohse (3-1, 2.44 ERA), and Kyle McClennan (4-0, 3.79 ERA)! In the event of a sweep, the Brewers would be 7.5 games out of first. It doesn't matter that it's only May: that would be a huge problem. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to the next three games.
Game Twenty Nine: Braves 8, Brewers 3; Game Thirty: Braves 8, Brewers 0
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
The Brewers fell to 0-4 in doubleheader games today and could not have looked more feeble in the process. Two games, six hits, three runs.
Unfortunately today was not isolated awfulness, but rather a continuation of a losing streak that is now at five. It is worth noting that in the past five games the Brewers have been outscored 29-6.
The only positive thing I can think of is that the Brewers are not this bad. At some point they will have a prolonged stretch of success because the season is too long for that not to happen. In the meantime it would be nice if the Brewers could do something, anything, worth watching.
Game Two Box Score
The Brewers fell to 0-4 in doubleheader games today and could not have looked more feeble in the process. Two games, six hits, three runs.
Unfortunately today was not isolated awfulness, but rather a continuation of a losing streak that is now at five. It is worth noting that in the past five games the Brewers have been outscored 29-6.
The only positive thing I can think of is that the Brewers are not this bad. At some point they will have a prolonged stretch of success because the season is too long for that not to happen. In the meantime it would be nice if the Brewers could do something, anything, worth watching.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Game Twenty Eight: Braves 6, Brewers 2
Box Score
Nothing lends itself to second guessing quite like baseball. When your team loses a close game it's easy to highlight a particular play and say "if that did not happen, we win the game." Though we all do this, it's a faulty mode of analysis. Take tonight's game as an example of why:
In the bottom of the 6th with a runner on first base on nobody out, Prince Fielder failed to catch a pop-foul (because he's a poor defender). Given an extra chance, Dan Uggla hit a single on the next pitch. Then there was a walk. Then there was a base-clearing double which effectively won the game for the Braves. Maybe Gallardo gets out of the inning cleanly if Fielder makes the catch and the Brewers go on to win the game. Or maybe not. Though the truth is the Brewers have a better chance of winning if the play is made, however, analyzing a game by only looking at "What ifs?" ignores more important issues, such as...
...Yovani Gallardo. His ERA is now 6.10. I have no idea what exactly is going on, but I do know that each dreadful start is making me more concerned. Though the most likely explanation is that he's slumping and will start pitching better at some point, the longer the slump, the greater the frequency of thoughts like "I wonder if he stopped being a good pitcher?" Gallardo needs to remember that by pitching well he can prevent me from having irrational thoughts, so he needs to start dealing.
Another issue: the offense. I think the offensive output over the last three games had more to do with good pitching than anything else. At the same time, however, I feel the offense should be better. For the time being I'm going to blame everything on Roenicke batting Gomez in the 2-spot. I really, really, really hope that Nyjer Morgan takes over for Gomez when he's healthy. His career OBP is 50 points higher than that of Gomez, and it might help to have someone on base for Braun on Fielder.
Nothing lends itself to second guessing quite like baseball. When your team loses a close game it's easy to highlight a particular play and say "if that did not happen, we win the game." Though we all do this, it's a faulty mode of analysis. Take tonight's game as an example of why:
In the bottom of the 6th with a runner on first base on nobody out, Prince Fielder failed to catch a pop-foul (because he's a poor defender). Given an extra chance, Dan Uggla hit a single on the next pitch. Then there was a walk. Then there was a base-clearing double which effectively won the game for the Braves. Maybe Gallardo gets out of the inning cleanly if Fielder makes the catch and the Brewers go on to win the game. Or maybe not. Though the truth is the Brewers have a better chance of winning if the play is made, however, analyzing a game by only looking at "What ifs?" ignores more important issues, such as...
...Yovani Gallardo. His ERA is now 6.10. I have no idea what exactly is going on, but I do know that each dreadful start is making me more concerned. Though the most likely explanation is that he's slumping and will start pitching better at some point, the longer the slump, the greater the frequency of thoughts like "I wonder if he stopped being a good pitcher?" Gallardo needs to remember that by pitching well he can prevent me from having irrational thoughts, so he needs to start dealing.
Another issue: the offense. I think the offensive output over the last three games had more to do with good pitching than anything else. At the same time, however, I feel the offense should be better. For the time being I'm going to blame everything on Roenicke batting Gomez in the 2-spot. I really, really, really hope that Nyjer Morgan takes over for Gomez when he's healthy. His career OBP is 50 points higher than that of Gomez, and it might help to have someone on base for Braun on Fielder.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Game Twenty Seven: Astros 5, Brewers 0
Box Score
Sometimes I will have a strong feeling about what the outcome of a Brewer game will be. These feelings are accurate about 50% of the time, but today my sense of impending doom proved to be correct.
I had no doubt the Brewers would lose convincingly and that's exactly what happened. Why? The Brewers always seem to lose Sunday road games. I'll have to research how accurate this is, but that's certainly how it feels.
There's not much to say other than Bud Norris totally dominated the Brewers and that was that. Narveson had another strong start spoiled by a three-run homer, though I am encouraged by his seven strikeouts and zero walks. Otherwise the game was nothing more than a boring loss. Now I know how Astros fans feel after the first game of the series.
Sometimes I will have a strong feeling about what the outcome of a Brewer game will be. These feelings are accurate about 50% of the time, but today my sense of impending doom proved to be correct.
I had no doubt the Brewers would lose convincingly and that's exactly what happened. Why? The Brewers always seem to lose Sunday road games. I'll have to research how accurate this is, but that's certainly how it feels.
There's not much to say other than Bud Norris totally dominated the Brewers and that was that. Narveson had another strong start spoiled by a three-run homer, though I am encouraged by his seven strikeouts and zero walks. Otherwise the game was nothing more than a boring loss. Now I know how Astros fans feel after the first game of the series.
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