The San Francisco Giants have an absurdly dominant pitching staff. They lead the NL in ERA (3.11), strikeouts (835), and walks allowed (298). In order to beat them you cannot beat yourself. Unfortunately the Brewers lead the league in beating themselves (they've made more outs on the bases than any other team in the majors).
In today's game the winning run was scored because the Josh Wilson lost a pop-up in the sun. This lead to a sac fly that otherwise would have been the last out of the inning. In addition to that mishap, Wilson struck out on three pitches with a runner on third and one out in the third. Given how well Gallardo was pitching and how feeble the Giants' offense is, a positive outcome on those two plays most likely would have led to a Brewers victory.
Yesterday the Brewers were victimized by Nyjer Morgan getting thrown out trying to steal third base. This not only ended the inning, but at the time Ryan Braun had a 3-1 count. Getting a hit is the hardest thing in sports to accomplish, so there is no guarantee Braun would have driven Morgan home. But still, the stupidity of Morgan in that situation is staggering. There is no need to provide any assistance to the best pitching staff in the majors.
Despite the last two games, I am happy with the road trip. The Brewers have survived a brutal stretch of games, are tied for first place, and have a very favorable schedule for the rest of the season. The only dominant team they will play for the rest of the season is the Philadelphia Phillies. The bulk of their remaining schedule features games against their mediocre NL Central brethren.
The road to the playoffs begins on Tuesday.
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