Box Score
I am as happy as you can be about splitting a 4-game road series against a third place team. As the spike in the win expectancy graph shows, once again the final three outs were not easy to come by.
While I have written many things about how John Axford likes to make things interesting (as he did today, though poor defense factored in), the fact of the matter is that he's an excellent closer. He has blown on only two saves this season (25/27, he went 24/27 last season), he strikes out over one batter per inning, has surrendered only three home runs in his MLB career, and when you remove his opening day meltdown from the equation he has a tidy 2.11 ERA. He can also hit 98 and has a nasty, nasty curve ball. Add Francisco Rodriguez to the mix with a dash of salt and you have a recipe for a dominant late-inning set up.
Also of note: I like what Roenicke has done with the lineup. It paid off last night when Weeks hit the game-winning homer from the 5-hole, and long term I think it's a logical move. Weeks gives protection to Fielder, and considering Fielder gets on base at a .421 clip I would imagine Weeks will be rewarded for his protection by getting pitches to hit.
Moving along, my hope is that the Brewers can squeeze three more wins out of this road trip and finish with a 5-6 record. If they can do that and find it in them to tread water on the road for the rest of the season, I like their chances of winning the division. That said, asking this team to not be terrible on the road seems like a lot to ask for. Ah yes, the joys of being a Brewers fan.
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