Few pairings are perfect as baseball and optimism. With each spring comes the hope that the filthy but erratic pitcher will harness his nastiness and your second baseman will finally develop his power stroke. These hopes are easy to harbor and oddly fulfilling, but they are not always grounded in reality. Eleven games is all it's taken to turn the optimism of the 2013 season into the impending dread of the 2002 campaign--being 3-8 with an unsightly -26 run differential will do that to you. It's also hard to feel good about losing a series to your most hated rival thanks to two consecutive shutouts, yet from the smoldering wreckage of the weekend emerged a trio of bona fide positives.
1) Outside of one inning, the pitching was very good.
For starters, Kyle Lohse was efficient and democratic in seven innings on Friday. He needed only 82 pitches to complete 7 innings, allowing just 6 hits while striking out 2 and walking none. In two starts this season he'd been everything the Brewers could have hoped for. Even better, his success is more than smoke and mirrors to this point, as evidenced by his 2.91 FIP.
On Sunday Marco Estrada had another solid outing, allowing three runs while striking out seven in six innings. Estrada has always made me nervous because he didn't settle into the majors until 27, doesn't throw hard, and his stuff is not overwhelmingly nasty. I keep waiting for an implosion a la Victor Santos, but I think I'll have to keep waiting. If anything Estrada's results have been worse than what they should be, so provided good health he has the makings of a right handed Chris Capuano.
A tip of the cap must also go to the bullpen which held the Cardinals scoreless for four innings on Sunday. This was especially important after the Brewers squandered a chance to take the lead in the top of the 9th of getaway day, as a loss there would have severely reduced my will to live. John Axford even got into the action by pitching his first clean frame of the season on Saturday. It was a mop-up inning, but it still counts. Hopefully he'll get a few more chances to eat some innings...in the opposite situation, of course.
Brewers pitching was excellent outside of the bottom of the sixth on Saturday. The primary culprit of this meltdown was one Yovani Gallardo. Oddly enough, his struggles provide a nice segue in the next positive takeway from the weekend.
2) Regression can be your friend
Professional athletes have a lot in common with automatons. Assuming good health and normal luck a baseball player will perform pretty much the same every season. Gallardo is a perfect example of this phenomenon.
Since becoming a full-time started in 2007, Gallardo has had ERAs of 3.67, 3.73, 3.84, 3.52, and 3.66, respectively.* A mere 0.32 separates his high ERA from his low, which leads me to believe his current 6.61 ERA will regress to the mean. He'll come around and when he does the Brewers will have three reliable starters in their rotation. That said, Ron Roenicke should seriously consider skipping his starts versus St. Louis, against whom he's 1-10 with a 6.84 ERA.
*2008 was not included because he only pitched 24.0 innings due to injury.
3) The way things are going, winning one game in St. Louis is perfectly acceptable.
Had the Brewers' record entering this series been reversed I would have been fine with the series unfolding exactly as it did. Struggles aside, the Cardinals are a mighty fine team that's currently on a tear. They way the Brewers pitching staff performed you would expect them to take 2 of 3 in most series', it just happened the Cardinals' staff collectively became Bob Gibson for a few games.
Also, that the Brewers broke out of a 32-inning scoring drought to tie and win the game on Sunday against said team at the very least demonstrated the same never-say-die attitude that got them to the brink of the playoffs last season.
Looking ahead, the Brewers return home to square off against the defending champion Giants. This will be followed by six games against the Cubs and Padres. Should the Crew take at least one from San Francisco a path to respectability emerges. It all starts tomorrow with Barry Zito versus Wily Peralta.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Game Eight: Cubs 6, Brewers 3
Box Score
I'll start by being is optimistic as possible.
The success of the Brewers' 2013 campaign hinges on several 50/50 propositions going the right way. One of them is Wily Peralta being a viable starting pitcher. He rebounded nicely from an ineffective start against the Rockies to generally stifle the Cubs for 6.2 innings. At the very least he's going to have to consistently shut down inferior opponents, so tonight was an encouraging sign.
Another 50/50 proposition is the play of Jean Segura. He's off to a fantastic start to the season at the plate, batting .454 in 24 ABs. That pace will not not last, but after hitting .313 in 1570 minor league ABs and a respectable .264 in limited major league action last season I'm feeling confident he'll be a regular contributor to the offense.
The last bit of optimism I can offer is that Ryan Braun is a raking machine. It's just a matter of him staying on the field for one reason or another. And now for some realistic discussion.
Until the bullpen gets straightened out his team will not consistently win games. Three runs is generally not enough to win a major league game, but tonight it was good enough to have a lead going into the 7th. At some point you just need to be able to send some relievers out there to nail it down for multiple innings. Like the 2012 team, the Brewers simply cannot hold a lead and in the rare event they do its in the most agonizing fashion imaginable. Sadly, it's not going to get better unless it gets better. There is no regression to the mean on the horizon or immediate help in AAA to save the day. The best hope is for the starters to pitch deeper into games and increase the odds of bullpen Russian Roulette.
All things considered the Cubs are a terrible team. One with a better record than the Brewers, but a terrible team nonetheless. Tomorrow it's Kyle Lohse versus the hittable Scott Feldman. This is a game the Crew should win and it's quite necessary the do so. I can live following a bad team, just not one that's hopelessly out of contention this early. There's a big difference between 2-7 and 3-6. Based on how things are going that two game swing would feel like twenty.
I'll start by being is optimistic as possible.
The success of the Brewers' 2013 campaign hinges on several 50/50 propositions going the right way. One of them is Wily Peralta being a viable starting pitcher. He rebounded nicely from an ineffective start against the Rockies to generally stifle the Cubs for 6.2 innings. At the very least he's going to have to consistently shut down inferior opponents, so tonight was an encouraging sign.
Another 50/50 proposition is the play of Jean Segura. He's off to a fantastic start to the season at the plate, batting .454 in 24 ABs. That pace will not not last, but after hitting .313 in 1570 minor league ABs and a respectable .264 in limited major league action last season I'm feeling confident he'll be a regular contributor to the offense.
The last bit of optimism I can offer is that Ryan Braun is a raking machine. It's just a matter of him staying on the field for one reason or another. And now for some realistic discussion.
Until the bullpen gets straightened out his team will not consistently win games. Three runs is generally not enough to win a major league game, but tonight it was good enough to have a lead going into the 7th. At some point you just need to be able to send some relievers out there to nail it down for multiple innings. Like the 2012 team, the Brewers simply cannot hold a lead and in the rare event they do its in the most agonizing fashion imaginable. Sadly, it's not going to get better unless it gets better. There is no regression to the mean on the horizon or immediate help in AAA to save the day. The best hope is for the starters to pitch deeper into games and increase the odds of bullpen Russian Roulette.
All things considered the Cubs are a terrible team. One with a better record than the Brewers, but a terrible team nonetheless. Tomorrow it's Kyle Lohse versus the hittable Scott Feldman. This is a game the Crew should win and it's quite necessary the do so. I can live following a bad team, just not one that's hopelessly out of contention this early. There's a big difference between 2-7 and 3-6. Based on how things are going that two game swing would feel like twenty.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Game Seven: Brewers 7, Cubs 4
Box Score
The game was immensely satisfying for 8.5 innings, so I'll start by focusing on that.
Marco Estrada was the pitcher the Brewers need him to be today. With the exception of a dinger in the second, Estrada dominated the Cubs and provided the longest start of the season by any Brewers starter. He had great command all day long and his breaking stuff was fantastic. All in all it was a confidence-inspiring start from Estrada as it demonstrated that when he's on he's very effective. His RBI double in the 7th added what turned out to be some much needed insurance.
On the offensive side it was good to see Braun get three hits in his return. The Brewers desperately need his bat in the lineup and today simply demonstrated what we already know. The hit of game came from Martin Maldonado in the form of a bases-clearing double with two outs in the top of the first. The hit extended the Brewers lead to 4-0 and built a comfortable margin before Edwin Jackson inevitably settled in. Too often teams fail to tack on runs in the early inning and had Maldonado not hit the double the Brewers probably would have lost. In this hypothetical loss the culprit would have been--what else--the bullpen.
Regardless of the lead you can never relax with the Brewers. Leading 7-2 heading into the bottom of the 9th Brandon Kintzler promptly started a dumpster fire which allowed the Cubs to come far too close for an iconic Opening Day victory for comfort. In a telling sign of the state of the Brewers' embattled closer, Jim Henderson came in to shut the door. It was not easy as he first allowed a run to score on a hit and Martin Maldonado committed an error on what could have been a game-ending double play. Despite this I had an odd feeling watching him pitch the 9th, a feeling that can only be described as confidence.
One quick blurb on the last out of the game: Off the bat my first concern was a walk-off grand slam. Fortunately a stiff wind was blowing in, but on any other day it could have been much worse. Once it became apparent the ball was going to stay in the park my concern shifted to the catch being secured. I've seen many an outfielder lose a ball in the sun at Wrigley and was relived Norichika Aoki decided to save his Brant Brown impression for another day.
The Brewers survived and now are one win away from taking the series. Tomorrow it's Wily Peralta vs. Travis Wood. The Cubs are a great team to build some confidence against, and hopefully Peralta takes advantage of the opportunity.
The game was immensely satisfying for 8.5 innings, so I'll start by focusing on that.
Marco Estrada was the pitcher the Brewers need him to be today. With the exception of a dinger in the second, Estrada dominated the Cubs and provided the longest start of the season by any Brewers starter. He had great command all day long and his breaking stuff was fantastic. All in all it was a confidence-inspiring start from Estrada as it demonstrated that when he's on he's very effective. His RBI double in the 7th added what turned out to be some much needed insurance.
On the offensive side it was good to see Braun get three hits in his return. The Brewers desperately need his bat in the lineup and today simply demonstrated what we already know. The hit of game came from Martin Maldonado in the form of a bases-clearing double with two outs in the top of the first. The hit extended the Brewers lead to 4-0 and built a comfortable margin before Edwin Jackson inevitably settled in. Too often teams fail to tack on runs in the early inning and had Maldonado not hit the double the Brewers probably would have lost. In this hypothetical loss the culprit would have been--what else--the bullpen.
Regardless of the lead you can never relax with the Brewers. Leading 7-2 heading into the bottom of the 9th Brandon Kintzler promptly started a dumpster fire which allowed the Cubs to come far too close for an iconic Opening Day victory for comfort. In a telling sign of the state of the Brewers' embattled closer, Jim Henderson came in to shut the door. It was not easy as he first allowed a run to score on a hit and Martin Maldonado committed an error on what could have been a game-ending double play. Despite this I had an odd feeling watching him pitch the 9th, a feeling that can only be described as confidence.
One quick blurb on the last out of the game: Off the bat my first concern was a walk-off grand slam. Fortunately a stiff wind was blowing in, but on any other day it could have been much worse. Once it became apparent the ball was going to stay in the park my concern shifted to the catch being secured. I've seen many an outfielder lose a ball in the sun at Wrigley and was relived Norichika Aoki decided to save his Brant Brown impression for another day.
The Brewers survived and now are one win away from taking the series. Tomorrow it's Wily Peralta vs. Travis Wood. The Cubs are a great team to build some confidence against, and hopefully Peralta takes advantage of the opportunity.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Series Recap: Deflating Sweep Edition
It is never too early to panic. The Brewers are off to the second worst possible start to the season (1-5), but more concerning is how bad they've looked doing it. In terms of hopeless losing, the sweep at the hands of the Diamondbacks was about as bad as it gets.
The two concerns I had going into the seasons were the bullpen and starting pitching. I can now add injuries to that list as Aramis Ramirez is on the DL and Ryan Braun did not play due to neck spasms. I'll get to those in a bit, but for now I will focus on pitching.
John Axford surrendered all of four home runs in 2011; a total he has matched in four innings this season. Furthermore, as we saw today the outs on balls in play are dangerously close to leaving the park or smoked right at someone. He regressed in 2012 and it's clear he has regressed more in 2013. He is no longer the effectively wild flame thrower with a hammer that keeps hitters guessing. Instead he peppers batters with a steady stream of easy-to-read fastballs and hanging curve balls. There is no reason to keep him as the closer and at this point it's hard to justify having him on a Major League roster. He should spend some time in Nashville getting his mechanics worked out. The Brewers are doing him and the team a disservice by not allowing him to get right.
The addition of Kyle Lohse was a great move to bolster the spotty starting rotation. His start on Friday was like manna from Heaven, even if it did not yield a win. Though his late-game pinch hitting skills are lacking, he'll be a fine anchor to Gallardo, whose struggles I do not expect to last. Conversely, the struggles of Mike Fiers seem here to stay. He pitched poorly at the end of last season and in spring training, thus his most recent start is the exact opposite of what I wanted to see. I don't expect much from Fiers, but at this point I'm not confident in his ability to be consistently average. Right handers that top out at 90 make me nervous, and for good reason. That said, he has had success in the show and its very possible he will again.
Struggles of Axford and Fiers aside, the biggest issue emerging is injuries. Hart, Ramirez, and Braun are the three best hitters on the team and tops in the majors at their positions. You win baseball by scoring more runs than your opponents, so not having them in the lineup is simply devastating. One way to mask the pitching woes it by putting a lot of runs on the board, a task not helped with Yuniesky Betancourt or Khris Davis in the lineup. If Braun and Co. do not get healthy soon this will turn into a lost season.
Even though the doomsday scenario for 2013 is seemingly unfolding for the Brewers, I remain optimistic they will finish the season north of .500. Once healthy they still have the top offense in the NL and generally speaking I think their starters and bullpen will be average on the whole. If my math is correct: Excellent offense + slightly below average starting pitching + average bullpen = 83 wins. Of course, this optimism also happens to be heavily reliant on taking at least two of three from the Cubs. Anything less that that will cause me to sound doomsday alarm.
The two concerns I had going into the seasons were the bullpen and starting pitching. I can now add injuries to that list as Aramis Ramirez is on the DL and Ryan Braun did not play due to neck spasms. I'll get to those in a bit, but for now I will focus on pitching.
John Axford surrendered all of four home runs in 2011; a total he has matched in four innings this season. Furthermore, as we saw today the outs on balls in play are dangerously close to leaving the park or smoked right at someone. He regressed in 2012 and it's clear he has regressed more in 2013. He is no longer the effectively wild flame thrower with a hammer that keeps hitters guessing. Instead he peppers batters with a steady stream of easy-to-read fastballs and hanging curve balls. There is no reason to keep him as the closer and at this point it's hard to justify having him on a Major League roster. He should spend some time in Nashville getting his mechanics worked out. The Brewers are doing him and the team a disservice by not allowing him to get right.
The addition of Kyle Lohse was a great move to bolster the spotty starting rotation. His start on Friday was like manna from Heaven, even if it did not yield a win. Though his late-game pinch hitting skills are lacking, he'll be a fine anchor to Gallardo, whose struggles I do not expect to last. Conversely, the struggles of Mike Fiers seem here to stay. He pitched poorly at the end of last season and in spring training, thus his most recent start is the exact opposite of what I wanted to see. I don't expect much from Fiers, but at this point I'm not confident in his ability to be consistently average. Right handers that top out at 90 make me nervous, and for good reason. That said, he has had success in the show and its very possible he will again.
Struggles of Axford and Fiers aside, the biggest issue emerging is injuries. Hart, Ramirez, and Braun are the three best hitters on the team and tops in the majors at their positions. You win baseball by scoring more runs than your opponents, so not having them in the lineup is simply devastating. One way to mask the pitching woes it by putting a lot of runs on the board, a task not helped with Yuniesky Betancourt or Khris Davis in the lineup. If Braun and Co. do not get healthy soon this will turn into a lost season.
Even though the doomsday scenario for 2013 is seemingly unfolding for the Brewers, I remain optimistic they will finish the season north of .500. Once healthy they still have the top offense in the NL and generally speaking I think their starters and bullpen will be average on the whole. If my math is correct: Excellent offense + slightly below average starting pitching + average bullpen = 83 wins. Of course, this optimism also happens to be heavily reliant on taking at least two of three from the Cubs. Anything less that that will cause me to sound doomsday alarm.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Game Three: Rockies 7, Brewers 3
Box Score
Today's game (and yesterday's for that matter) was in line with my concerns for the season. Spotty starting pitching, unbalanced offense, and unreliable relief pitching once again doomed the Brewers as they dropped the opening series to the Rockies.
Wily Peralta extended the Brewers' streak of starters going less than six inning by surrendering 4 runs and 9 base runners in 5.1 innings. There is also the issue that such starts cause game to drag on. In this case the fans that endured the full 3:31 game were treated to another John Axford dumpster fire, which brings me to the most acute issue facing the Brewers.
Axford cannot be trusted in the closers role. This is what happens when you give up a 3 homers in 1.2 innings pitched, but it goes deeper than that. Batters are simply sitting on his fastball or in the case of Dexter Fowler tonight, his hanging curveball. He has neither the location or movement on his fastball to survive without a reliable second pitch, which he does not have at the moment. His raw stuff is good enough to warrant a spot on the roster, just not closing games.
Looking ahead, a strong start from Kyle Lohse on Friday will go a long way towards instilling some early season hope in the prospects of the team. Sadly I'll have to wait through an agonizing off day to see what's he has in store for 2013.
Today's game (and yesterday's for that matter) was in line with my concerns for the season. Spotty starting pitching, unbalanced offense, and unreliable relief pitching once again doomed the Brewers as they dropped the opening series to the Rockies.
Wily Peralta extended the Brewers' streak of starters going less than six inning by surrendering 4 runs and 9 base runners in 5.1 innings. There is also the issue that such starts cause game to drag on. In this case the fans that endured the full 3:31 game were treated to another John Axford dumpster fire, which brings me to the most acute issue facing the Brewers.
Axford cannot be trusted in the closers role. This is what happens when you give up a 3 homers in 1.2 innings pitched, but it goes deeper than that. Batters are simply sitting on his fastball or in the case of Dexter Fowler tonight, his hanging curveball. He has neither the location or movement on his fastball to survive without a reliable second pitch, which he does not have at the moment. His raw stuff is good enough to warrant a spot on the roster, just not closing games.
Looking ahead, a strong start from Kyle Lohse on Friday will go a long way towards instilling some early season hope in the prospects of the team. Sadly I'll have to wait through an agonizing off day to see what's he has in store for 2013.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Game Two: Rockies 8, Brewers 4
Box Score
By losing tonight the Brewers went from being on pace to finish 162-0 to 81-81. Though the first outcome is preferred, with this team the second seems much more likely. Tonight's game highlighted a couple points as to why that is.
First, I like Marco Estrada in the rotation. He strikes out a batter an inning, limits walks, and is generally good about keeping the ball in the park. His ceiling is as a rich man's Dave Bush, meaning he'll be slightly above league average in the aggregate and occasionally dominant. This also means he'd have a place on just about every rotation in the majors. However, the problem lies with the fact he's the #2 starter in the Brewers' rotation. Tonight's start was respectable enough (5 IP, 8 SO, 0 BB, 9 H, 4 ER), yet something that will directly lead to victory. Estrada will have several starts like this, which will be more of a problem if the Brewers do not score more runs. This leads to the next point...
...Their offense really needs Corey Hart to come back. Alex Gonzalez is batting .000 in his place. Small sample aside, he's a career .691 OPSer. It's hard to be consistent when a premium offensive position is filled with a black hole. Though this is a small point, the injury to Hart removes the margin for error from the rest of the bats in the lineup. On the bright side, Jean Segura has looked good in limited action and Aramis Ramirez is still a doubles machine.
All that aside, tonight's loss was a standard defeat that will only be problematic if it becomes a consistent occurrence. With this in mind the first month of the season is something to watch closely. In particular, the Brewers have huge questions marks in their rotation. Tomorrow's game is the first start for Wily Peralta, which hopefully will be a sign of good things to come.
By losing tonight the Brewers went from being on pace to finish 162-0 to 81-81. Though the first outcome is preferred, with this team the second seems much more likely. Tonight's game highlighted a couple points as to why that is.
First, I like Marco Estrada in the rotation. He strikes out a batter an inning, limits walks, and is generally good about keeping the ball in the park. His ceiling is as a rich man's Dave Bush, meaning he'll be slightly above league average in the aggregate and occasionally dominant. This also means he'd have a place on just about every rotation in the majors. However, the problem lies with the fact he's the #2 starter in the Brewers' rotation. Tonight's start was respectable enough (5 IP, 8 SO, 0 BB, 9 H, 4 ER), yet something that will directly lead to victory. Estrada will have several starts like this, which will be more of a problem if the Brewers do not score more runs. This leads to the next point...
...Their offense really needs Corey Hart to come back. Alex Gonzalez is batting .000 in his place. Small sample aside, he's a career .691 OPSer. It's hard to be consistent when a premium offensive position is filled with a black hole. Though this is a small point, the injury to Hart removes the margin for error from the rest of the bats in the lineup. On the bright side, Jean Segura has looked good in limited action and Aramis Ramirez is still a doubles machine.
All that aside, tonight's loss was a standard defeat that will only be problematic if it becomes a consistent occurrence. With this in mind the first month of the season is something to watch closely. In particular, the Brewers have huge questions marks in their rotation. Tomorrow's game is the first start for Wily Peralta, which hopefully will be a sign of good things to come.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Game One: Brewers 5, Rockies 4 (10)
Box Score
The last time John Axford blew a save on Opening Day the Brewers went on to win the NL Central. One might consider the 9th inning of today's game to be a good omen, but I'm more inclined to harbor concern.
Axford is one of my favorite players in the majors. I love how he spits hot fire and is generally a cool dude. That he picked 14 of 15 Oscar winners is just tremendous. I want him to do well because I like the guy and I need him to do well for my mental health as a Brewers fan because he's the closer. Unfortunately his blown save was far too reminiscent of his 2012 struggles for my liking.
After Axford struck out the first two batters of the 9th he was one out away from closing the victory. His attempt to seal the deal involved leaving a first-pitch 95-mph heater in a location best described as middle-middle. Dexter Fowler ripped it over the right field fence to tie the game at four. Though blown saves happen, on far too many occasions in 2012 Axford recorded the first two outs with ease before allowing the tying or winning runs to score, and far too often this was the result of a fastball the batter was sitting on. Given how hard he throws every batter is a potential home run threat. If he does not figure out his location soon the city of Milwaukee is going to quickly find itself in short supply of Tums.
Blown save aside, all's well that ends well. Axford's biff opened the door for Jim Henderson to show the depth he adds to the bullpen and Jonathan Lucroy to be hero for a day. Also of importance is that after three consecutive underwhelming home openers the Brewers gave fans a reason to get excited. The 8th inning rally was about as good as it gets.
Other conclusions from a sample size that's as small as it gets:
-Brewers pitchers came within three strikeouts of setting the major league record last season. Despite the struggles or Axford and Yovani Gallardo, Brewers pitchers stuck out 11 batters today.
-Other positive trends include Norichika Aoki getting on base twice and Aramis Ramirez ripping the would-be game winning double in the bottom of the 8th. Hopefully they're picking up right where they left off from last year.
Tomorrow it's former Brewers Jorge De La Rosa versus Marco Estrada. I'm expecting Estrada to have a solid year, so it'll be interesting to see how he pitches tomorrow. De La Rosa is a former Brewer pitcher, meaning you can pencil him in for 7 innings, 3 hits, and one run allowed.
The last time John Axford blew a save on Opening Day the Brewers went on to win the NL Central. One might consider the 9th inning of today's game to be a good omen, but I'm more inclined to harbor concern.
Axford is one of my favorite players in the majors. I love how he spits hot fire and is generally a cool dude. That he picked 14 of 15 Oscar winners is just tremendous. I want him to do well because I like the guy and I need him to do well for my mental health as a Brewers fan because he's the closer. Unfortunately his blown save was far too reminiscent of his 2012 struggles for my liking.
After Axford struck out the first two batters of the 9th he was one out away from closing the victory. His attempt to seal the deal involved leaving a first-pitch 95-mph heater in a location best described as middle-middle. Dexter Fowler ripped it over the right field fence to tie the game at four. Though blown saves happen, on far too many occasions in 2012 Axford recorded the first two outs with ease before allowing the tying or winning runs to score, and far too often this was the result of a fastball the batter was sitting on. Given how hard he throws every batter is a potential home run threat. If he does not figure out his location soon the city of Milwaukee is going to quickly find itself in short supply of Tums.
Blown save aside, all's well that ends well. Axford's biff opened the door for Jim Henderson to show the depth he adds to the bullpen and Jonathan Lucroy to be hero for a day. Also of importance is that after three consecutive underwhelming home openers the Brewers gave fans a reason to get excited. The 8th inning rally was about as good as it gets.
Other conclusions from a sample size that's as small as it gets:
-Brewers pitchers came within three strikeouts of setting the major league record last season. Despite the struggles or Axford and Yovani Gallardo, Brewers pitchers stuck out 11 batters today.
-Other positive trends include Norichika Aoki getting on base twice and Aramis Ramirez ripping the would-be game winning double in the bottom of the 8th. Hopefully they're picking up right where they left off from last year.
Tomorrow it's former Brewers Jorge De La Rosa versus Marco Estrada. I'm expecting Estrada to have a solid year, so it'll be interesting to see how he pitches tomorrow. De La Rosa is a former Brewer pitcher, meaning you can pencil him in for 7 innings, 3 hits, and one run allowed.
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