Game Twenty Six: Astros 2, Brewers 1

Box Score

There is never one thing that causes a team to win or lose a baseball game. There are events that influence the outcome more than others, but it's never just one thing.

The primary culprit in the Brewers' loss tonight was Wandy Rodriguez. He was in top form as evidenced by going 8 innings while allowing no runs or walks. With that said, the Brewers certainly helped themselves lose the game.

First there was Carlos Gomez. Gomez hit a double in the top of the 8th with the Brewers down 1-0, nobody one, and two away. Despite being extremely fast, already in scoring positing, and having Ryan Braun on deck, Gomez was thinking triple for reasons that defy logic. Needless to say, he was called out at third (though according to replay he might have been safe).

Then there was Kameron Loe. After two quick outs he issued two walks and surrendered the game-winning single to Jason Bourgeois. I know this was a tied game and one run would beat you, but you have to throw strikes. I would rather lose on a home run or a back-to-back-to-back hits than two walks and one hit. Jeepers.

Other thoughts:

-The game-tying home run by Prince Fielder was awesome. While it's a bummer it was on vain, as a baseball fan it was awesome. A joy of sports is watching elite players in do-or-die situations. This will also make me feel better in the future as this is not the last time Fielder will have a chance to tie or win a game.

-Building on the last point, this was the second consecutive blown save Brandon Lyon had against Milwaukee. Both were directly caused by Fielder.

-I do not expect Randy Wolf to keep pitching this well, but it's pretty clear he's going to have a very good season. Take a look at his past 3 seasons:

2010: 215.2 IP, 4.17 ERA
2009: 214.1 IP, 3.23 ERA
2008: 190.1 IP, 4.30 ERA

Cy Young caliber? No. Better than Suppan, Looper, Parra, Bush, and Davis? That's not even a question.

-The Brewers finished April with a 13-12 record. Though I feel they should have a better record (probably because I want to believe they are super-awesome and going to win the World Series), I feel they're right around where they should be. Here's to a successful May.