NLDS: Games 1 & 2

The saying "it ain't over until it's over" applies perfectly to baseball. The Red Sox had a 9.0 game lead in the Wildcard on the Rays heading into September, yet they failed make the playoffs. Last week the Dodgers had the Diamondbacks down to their final out with a five run deficit and nobody on base, yet still lost the game. As of right now the Brewers are in great shape to advance to the NLCS, but that will not mean anything until the final out of the clinching game (Tuesday?) is recorded. 

That said, I can live with whatever happens. Watching the Brewers take games 1 and 2 at Miller Park in front of a raucous crowd was nothing short of incredible. That the Crew gave them a lot of things to cheer about was even better. A few scattered thoughts about those things:

Game One

-The key to the series thus far has been the Brewers scoring more runs than the Diamondbacks. A play that greatly ensured that happened was Braun throwing out Willie Bloomquist at home plate in the top of the 1st of game one. Gallardo was not settled in from the get-go, and an early deficit could have caused things to spiral out of control. Braun's throw nipped that in the bud and allowed Gallardo to dominate the rest of the way.

-Kirk Gibson's decision to pitch to Fielder in the bottom of the 7th with a base open and two outs was a decision that I would have made. I hate the intentional walk because it a) defeats the purpose of competition and b) deprives the fans of an opportunity to see something awesome. However, in this case Gibson (and a hypothetical, alternate reality version of myself) was wrong. 

-The 1-2-3 9th from Axford was much appreciated.

Game 2

-What Braun has been doing this season is transcendent. He has entered a level of offensive greatness at the plate I never thought I would see from a Brewer. He hits for power and average, he steals bases and rarely gets thrown out (33 SB, 6 CS in 2011), he's cut down on his strike outs, and he walks a decent amount. To top it off, he's become is decent fielder. That he's signed through 2020 make me happy to no end.

-Zack Greinke pitched like feared he would. He looked filthy at times and disturbingly hittable at others. The seven strikeouts are good, the three home runs are not. Hopefully he will have another start to redeem himself. Speaking of the pitching...

-...The bullpen did a great job by keeping the Snakes off the board. The collective efforts of Saito, Hawkins, Rodriguez, and Axford was very commendable. The Brewers would not be where they are without them. With that said, I hated watching just about every second of the last three innings. Hawkins and K-Rod made horrible visions dance in my head, while Axford was seemingly torturing us by delaying the inevitable victory as much as possible. Collectively they combined for three innings, six baserunners (1 hit, 5 BB) and 76 pitches. Some more efficiency in the future would be appreciated. 

-Finally, the five run outburst in the 6th inning was a long overdue dosage of euphoria for Brewer fans. The Crew has received tremendous support from its fans and has given precious little back in return. The bottom of the 6th was the "thank you" we've been waiting for. The way things are going, I don't think we'll have to wait much longer for the next one.