The 9th inning of tonight's game was both frustrating and nerve-wracking. Watching Carlos Gomez hit into a double play when a simple bunt would have sufficed was a textbook palm-to-forehead moment. (Is playing for one insurance run too much to ask?) Without the aid of margin for error, Jim Henderson allowed a one-out double to Andrew McCutchen and did not inspire confidence by exhibiting shaky command. Alas, the tying run was kept at bay and the Brewers won 7-6. This resulted in a fist pump from both me and any Cardinals fan following the game; that last part has me feeling a tinge of winner's remorse.
Baseball games are not played in a vacuum, meaning what happens in Pittsburgh can have implications in St. Louis. This is all well and good until the implications are not exactly what you'd like to see. I feel a tinge of guilt knowing I was rooting for a result that helped the most loathed team in the National League extend their lead in the Central to 1.5 games.
The Brewers will not make the playoffs or finish the season .500. Their role for the rest of the season is to play spoiler, and I expect them to play it well. Unfortunately this may help the Cardinals win the division, and I do not fully support this. While I was never rooting for the Pirates, had they prevailed I would have taken comfort in the silver lining. Of course, being a fan means rooting for your team even when it's not totally convenient, or in this case, in opposition to the greater good.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
You're not Jewish unless Jeff Passan says you are
Previously on this blog I wrote about focusing exclusively on the positive aspects of baseball. I need to take a quick break from to briefly comment on the most recent column from every Brewer fan's favorite sportswriter, Jeff Passan:
The greatness of Miguel Cabrera will get its due. In five years, or 10, or 25, or 100, when we’ve rid our minds of the telenovela that is Alex Rodriguez’s life and forgotten that Ryan Braun, who wasn’t even raised Jewish, used anti-Semitic charges to smear an innocent man, Cabrera's amazing 2013 season will be appreciated for what it is, which is potentially one of the best hitting seasons ever.
White it's true Ryan Braun does not identify himself as Jewish, (as his mother stated in 2007) Passan is horribly off base in deciding the conditions of ethnicity. The implication that Braun is not Jewish because he was not raised Jewish is not a particularly accurate thought process, and I'm not sure why he or his editor thought it worth the risk to offend readers to take a potshot at Braun. After all, how you identify yourself is, you know, kind of a personal thing. To set forth such criteria as basis for gratuitously expressing your indignation at Braun is just stupid, regardless of how deserving of scorn you think he is.
This also illustrates how the self-righteous, vitriolic rhetoric of some sportswriters following the Biogenesis scandal have made their work unreadable. If Passan, like me, took 30 seconds to research Braun's heritage he would have written something less inflammatory, such as "Ryan Braun, who doesn't even consider himself Jewish." Better yet, he could have written nothing and simply referenced his recently discredited allegations. But why should somebody concerned with Miguel Cabrera's 2013 season being overshadowed do that?
The greatness of Miguel Cabrera will get its due. In five years, or 10, or 25, or 100, when we’ve rid our minds of the telenovela that is Alex Rodriguez’s life and forgotten that Ryan Braun, who wasn’t even raised Jewish, used anti-Semitic charges to smear an innocent man, Cabrera's amazing 2013 season will be appreciated for what it is, which is potentially one of the best hitting seasons ever.
White it's true Ryan Braun does not identify himself as Jewish, (as his mother stated in 2007) Passan is horribly off base in deciding the conditions of ethnicity. The implication that Braun is not Jewish because he was not raised Jewish is not a particularly accurate thought process, and I'm not sure why he or his editor thought it worth the risk to offend readers to take a potshot at Braun. After all, how you identify yourself is, you know, kind of a personal thing. To set forth such criteria as basis for gratuitously expressing your indignation at Braun is just stupid, regardless of how deserving of scorn you think he is.
This also illustrates how the self-righteous, vitriolic rhetoric of some sportswriters following the Biogenesis scandal have made their work unreadable. If Passan, like me, took 30 seconds to research Braun's heritage he would have written something less inflammatory, such as "Ryan Braun, who doesn't even consider himself Jewish." Better yet, he could have written nothing and simply referenced his recently discredited allegations. But why should somebody concerned with Miguel Cabrera's 2013 season being overshadowed do that?
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Are the Brewers a decent team?
Last place teams are usually last place because they're bad at baseball. In some rare cases a team will be in the cellar due to playing in a brutal division or exceptionally bad luck, but even then it's safe to assume you are what your record says you are. That said, I find myself progressively less disheartened by the Brewers' feeble record.
The month of May was one of the worst in franchise history. When the 28-game dumpster fire ended and the smoke cleared, the Brewers had gone 6-22 and were without hope for the playoffs. However, if, like me, you simply pretend May never happened you'll notice the Brewers are 46-45. Granted, the Brewers are also undefeated if you ignore all of their losses, but stick with me here.
Despite injuries and suspensions the Brewers are 7th in the NL in OPS and 4th in homers. Overall their pitching has been surprisingly effecting, collectively posting a 100 OPS+ and shutting out opponents 10 times since June 15. They've also yet to lose a game when leading after 8 innings, which would have been helpful last season.
The Brewers have also benefited from outstanding individual performances. Carlos Gomez leads the NL in WAR (6.2), Jean Segura leads the NL in hits (144), Jonathan Lucroy is a Jedi master at framing pitches and is batting .309/.357/.547 with 13 homers since May 15. On the rubber, Kyle Lohse is earning his paycheck with a 3.26 ERA and Wily Peralta has made an unlikely transition into a pitcher you're excited to watch, posting a 2.62 ERA in his last 75.2 IP. The performances by the core talent are being supplemented by capable baseballing from Juan Francisco (126 OPS+ with the Brewers, we'll forget about the defense for now), Caleb Gindl, and Scooter Gennett.
Though I'm nowhere near declaring the Brewers title contenders for 2014, I'm also no longer bracing for a 1993-2004 stretch of futility. They have a promising collection of core players and depth that, when paired with health and better fortune, should be pretty fun to watch. All things considered (except May), the Brewers are the most deceptively decent team in majors. Good luck finding higher praise than that.
The month of May was one of the worst in franchise history. When the 28-game dumpster fire ended and the smoke cleared, the Brewers had gone 6-22 and were without hope for the playoffs. However, if, like me, you simply pretend May never happened you'll notice the Brewers are 46-45. Granted, the Brewers are also undefeated if you ignore all of their losses, but stick with me here.
Despite injuries and suspensions the Brewers are 7th in the NL in OPS and 4th in homers. Overall their pitching has been surprisingly effecting, collectively posting a 100 OPS+ and shutting out opponents 10 times since June 15. They've also yet to lose a game when leading after 8 innings, which would have been helpful last season.
The Brewers have also benefited from outstanding individual performances. Carlos Gomez leads the NL in WAR (6.2), Jean Segura leads the NL in hits (144), Jonathan Lucroy is a Jedi master at framing pitches and is batting .309/.357/.547 with 13 homers since May 15. On the rubber, Kyle Lohse is earning his paycheck with a 3.26 ERA and Wily Peralta has made an unlikely transition into a pitcher you're excited to watch, posting a 2.62 ERA in his last 75.2 IP. The performances by the core talent are being supplemented by capable baseballing from Juan Francisco (126 OPS+ with the Brewers, we'll forget about the defense for now), Caleb Gindl, and Scooter Gennett.
Though I'm nowhere near declaring the Brewers title contenders for 2014, I'm also no longer bracing for a 1993-2004 stretch of futility. They have a promising collection of core players and depth that, when paired with health and better fortune, should be pretty fun to watch. All things considered (except May), the Brewers are the most deceptively decent team in majors. Good luck finding higher praise than that.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
The series I've been waiting for
It's difficult to attend Brewers games when you're a 1,991 drive from Miller Park, so having the Brew Crew play a weekend series in Seattle was made this task just a tad easier. I've only been to a pair of games since moving to the Pacific Northwest, including a drought encompassing the 2010, 2011, and 2012 seasons. The 2013 campaign has been exceptionally rough, but that did not hinder my excitement in the slightest. Now that the series is over I can do a rare deed: write a recap from the perspective of someone that was there.
1) Figurative fireworks are even better
Injuries and such have prevented the Brewers from being the wallbangers of seasons past. This has largely put the kibosh on the figurative fireworks we've come to expect from their bats. Having the likes of Yuniesky Betancourt is often an indicator of offensive futility, though that was not the case on Friday (or in 2011 when the Crew led the NL in homers). Leading 5-2 in the top of the 9th, Yuni B terrorized his old team by hitting a grand slam that effectively clinched the game.
Even tragically bad seasons such as this have beautiful moments, and I'd classify Yuni's salami as one of them. I never expect Betancourt to do anything good at the plate, but what often causes frustration will occasionally beget something twice as gratifying as it otherwise would be. For example, if you see Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis, Jay Bruce, or Jose Bautista hit a big home run you're not caught off guard. But the shock of seeing a .598 OPS hitter blast a grand slam is cause for pure excitement. For this I tip my cap in the general direction of wherever Yuni B is at the moment.
Also: The literal fireworks show was really cool.
2) There's a reason I've not embraced the Mariners
The start of Saturday's game was delayed due to a terrific ceremony inducting Ken Griffey Jr. into the Mariners Hall of Fame. SafeCo Field was packed with 46,027 people waiting to celebrate...and then the Mariners lost 10-0 while managing four hits. As much as this outcome made me happy, a 10-9 Brewers victory would also have been acceptable. The Mariners are like a band you really want like because they were really good ten years ago. Occasional they'll produce decent songs, but are now seemingly incapable of writing hooks that keep you listening. I really want to embrace the Ms as my AL team, but until they have more than a fantastic stadium and Felix Hernandez, that's not going to happen.
3) Are F9 home runs a thing?
SafeCo Field is one of my favorite parks because of the dozens of unique vantage points available to anyone willing to explore the stadium. In the top of the 7th I found myself in the center field concourse, directly in line with the right field fence. There were few spots where you'd have a better view of Scooter Gennett's homer that bounced off Michael Morse's glove. Unlike Lucroy's homer that was assisted by Giancarlo Stanton, this would have cleared the fence. That said, it still makes me wonder if the Brewers practice the right fielder-assisted homer.
4) Wily Peralta is turning into a beacon of hope
On Sunday Peralta pitched the second complete game of the season, for both himself and the Brewers. It's a shame he got the loss, though I won't complain about seeing a tidy, 2:11 pitchers duel with a rising young pitcher and Cy Young winner. This might be baseless conjecture, but I would not be surprised if the rest of the Brewers feel the same way.
For the first time since Yovani Gallardo I'm legitimately excited about the long term future of a young pitcher on the Brewers. Speaking of Gallardo, if he can rebound in 2014 and Lohse can repeat his performance and Peralta keeps developing and Hart comes back, next year is shaping up to be pretty fun. It'll be even better if the Brewers are scheduled to play four games in the Pacific Northwest.
1) Figurative fireworks are even better
Injuries and such have prevented the Brewers from being the wallbangers of seasons past. This has largely put the kibosh on the figurative fireworks we've come to expect from their bats. Having the likes of Yuniesky Betancourt is often an indicator of offensive futility, though that was not the case on Friday (or in 2011 when the Crew led the NL in homers). Leading 5-2 in the top of the 9th, Yuni B terrorized his old team by hitting a grand slam that effectively clinched the game.
Even tragically bad seasons such as this have beautiful moments, and I'd classify Yuni's salami as one of them. I never expect Betancourt to do anything good at the plate, but what often causes frustration will occasionally beget something twice as gratifying as it otherwise would be. For example, if you see Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis, Jay Bruce, or Jose Bautista hit a big home run you're not caught off guard. But the shock of seeing a .598 OPS hitter blast a grand slam is cause for pure excitement. For this I tip my cap in the general direction of wherever Yuni B is at the moment.
Also: The literal fireworks show was really cool.
2) There's a reason I've not embraced the Mariners
The start of Saturday's game was delayed due to a terrific ceremony inducting Ken Griffey Jr. into the Mariners Hall of Fame. SafeCo Field was packed with 46,027 people waiting to celebrate...and then the Mariners lost 10-0 while managing four hits. As much as this outcome made me happy, a 10-9 Brewers victory would also have been acceptable. The Mariners are like a band you really want like because they were really good ten years ago. Occasional they'll produce decent songs, but are now seemingly incapable of writing hooks that keep you listening. I really want to embrace the Ms as my AL team, but until they have more than a fantastic stadium and Felix Hernandez, that's not going to happen.
3) Are F9 home runs a thing?
SafeCo Field is one of my favorite parks because of the dozens of unique vantage points available to anyone willing to explore the stadium. In the top of the 7th I found myself in the center field concourse, directly in line with the right field fence. There were few spots where you'd have a better view of Scooter Gennett's homer that bounced off Michael Morse's glove. Unlike Lucroy's homer that was assisted by Giancarlo Stanton, this would have cleared the fence. That said, it still makes me wonder if the Brewers practice the right fielder-assisted homer.
4) Wily Peralta is turning into a beacon of hope
On Sunday Peralta pitched the second complete game of the season, for both himself and the Brewers. It's a shame he got the loss, though I won't complain about seeing a tidy, 2:11 pitchers duel with a rising young pitcher and Cy Young winner. This might be baseless conjecture, but I would not be surprised if the rest of the Brewers feel the same way.
For the first time since Yovani Gallardo I'm legitimately excited about the long term future of a young pitcher on the Brewers. Speaking of Gallardo, if he can rebound in 2014 and Lohse can repeat his performance and Peralta keeps developing and Hart comes back, next year is shaping up to be pretty fun. It'll be even better if the Brewers are scheduled to play four games in the Pacific Northwest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)