Saturday, April 28, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Series 3: Brewers at Braves
It is not common that a team will take three of four in a series despite being outscored, yet that is what happened with the Brewers and Cubs at Wrigley Field this week. The Brewers won the first three games by a combined total of six runs and lost today 8-0.
Despite Greinke's meltdown today, the Brewers demonstrated that they are simply better than the Cubs. I do not believe Chicago is going to be a threat in the division until at least 2014 and I will be impressed if they win 75 games this year. They're a collection of scrappers and gamers that would compliment a contender quite well, but by themselves make for a pretty crappy ball club.
Next up for the Brewers are the Atlanta Braves. Fans of the St. Louis Cardinals are forever indebted to the Braves for blowing a 10.5 game wild card lead last season. Conversely, I'm a little more sour about the collapse because, what the hell, had the Braves made the playoffs instead the Brewers would have made the World Series. But that was last year and this is now. Moving along...
Five things to watch for:
1) There are few things that inspire less confidence than the Aramis Ramirez's start to the 2012 season. He's currently 2 for 22 with three walks and zero home runs. His .374 OPS would not win the batting title in most seasons. Sooner or later he'll start picking things up, but will he pick things up at his 2010 pace or his 2011 pace?
2) Norichika Aoki is known for having long at-bats while playing in Japan. He held to form in his first start on Wednesday, seeing 29 pitches in four plate appearances. Aoki is still something of an unknown, but for now the evidence suggests he has the make up to be a tough out with a decent batting average. Or top put it another way, another Nyjer Morgan.
3) The Brewers have been outscored 28-8 in their losses. Baseball teams lose a lot of games every year. Even the good ones lose 70ish times. Even more, a good game that results in a loss is still a good game. That said, the Brewers could be a little more entertaining in defeat. Considering I expect them to lose a game or two in Atlanta, I'm morbidly curious what the carnage will look like.
4) Shaun Marcum will be starting on Saturday and once again I'm going to pay special attention to how he performs. If he can put together a sharp start it will all but eliminate any fears his performance in the playoffs last season caused.
5) Randy Wolf starts on Friday and Chris Narveson starts on Sunday. Both are soft-tossing lefties that throw a lot of junk. How will Narveson fare on Sunday when the Braves have essentially had a chance to practice against him?
Despite Greinke's meltdown today, the Brewers demonstrated that they are simply better than the Cubs. I do not believe Chicago is going to be a threat in the division until at least 2014 and I will be impressed if they win 75 games this year. They're a collection of scrappers and gamers that would compliment a contender quite well, but by themselves make for a pretty crappy ball club.
Next up for the Brewers are the Atlanta Braves. Fans of the St. Louis Cardinals are forever indebted to the Braves for blowing a 10.5 game wild card lead last season. Conversely, I'm a little more sour about the collapse because, what the hell, had the Braves made the playoffs instead the Brewers would have made the World Series. But that was last year and this is now. Moving along...
Five things to watch for:
1) There are few things that inspire less confidence than the Aramis Ramirez's start to the 2012 season. He's currently 2 for 22 with three walks and zero home runs. His .374 OPS would not win the batting title in most seasons. Sooner or later he'll start picking things up, but will he pick things up at his 2010 pace or his 2011 pace?
2) Norichika Aoki is known for having long at-bats while playing in Japan. He held to form in his first start on Wednesday, seeing 29 pitches in four plate appearances. Aoki is still something of an unknown, but for now the evidence suggests he has the make up to be a tough out with a decent batting average. Or top put it another way, another Nyjer Morgan.
3) The Brewers have been outscored 28-8 in their losses. Baseball teams lose a lot of games every year. Even the good ones lose 70ish times. Even more, a good game that results in a loss is still a good game. That said, the Brewers could be a little more entertaining in defeat. Considering I expect them to lose a game or two in Atlanta, I'm morbidly curious what the carnage will look like.
4) Shaun Marcum will be starting on Saturday and once again I'm going to pay special attention to how he performs. If he can put together a sharp start it will all but eliminate any fears his performance in the playoffs last season caused.
5) Randy Wolf starts on Friday and Chris Narveson starts on Sunday. Both are soft-tossing lefties that throw a lot of junk. How will Narveson fare on Sunday when the Braves have essentially had a chance to practice against him?
Series Two: Brewers at Cubs
The Brewers opened the 2011 season by getting swept by the Reds. All was well and good because any three games of a 162 game season will usually not make or break your season. The Brewers opened this season by getting hammered in their home opener by the Cardinals and eventually dropping two of three. While a 1-2 start to any season is not what you would call an inescapable hole, that the Cardinals got the best of the Brewers after beating them in the NLCS is just kind of cruel. Of course it could always be worse. Instead of losing to the Cardinals in the NCLS and in the subsequent opening day, it could have been the Cubs. Speaking of which:
Five thing to watch for:
1) Ryan Braun was greeted with an standing ovation and chants of MVP! in Milwaukee. Will the same happen at Wrigley Field? I tend to doubt it. The boos are a given, but what I'm most interested is seeing what signage and heckles Cubs fans will come up with.
2) Nyjer Morgan and Chris Volstad have a bit of history. In 2010, Morgan was the catalyst for a brawl between the Nationals and Marlins. What set of the brawl was Morgan rushing the mound after Volstad hit him with a pitch. The two squared off in 2011 and the result of the first AB was Morgan hitting a rare home run. Volstad is scheduled to start on Monday, so there could be some theatrics going down.
3) The Brewers would not have made the playoffs last season without Shaun Marcum. However, he was beyond awful in those very playoffs, going 0-3 with a 14.90 ERA. My hope is Marcum had dead-arm at the end of 2011 and was simply physically incapable of pitching well. I'll be keeping a close eye on his velocity and location, with emphasis on the location.
4) Ryan Dempster has a career ERA of 4.40, but a 2.75 ERA in 186.2 innings against the Brewers. He seems like a nice guy, but his dominance of the Crew drives me nuts. I'm hoping the Brewers will chase him after the third inning, but I'm not holding my breath.
5) Mat Gamel did not do much to make us forget about Prince Fielder. Considering Wrigley Field is a hitters park (depending on the wind) and the Cubs will be trotting out Chris Volstad and Paul Malholm to start the series, this is good chance for him to get settled into his new role. Or at the very least mash some marginal pitching and make me feel better about first base for the rest of the year.
Five thing to watch for:
1) Ryan Braun was greeted with an standing ovation and chants of MVP! in Milwaukee. Will the same happen at Wrigley Field? I tend to doubt it. The boos are a given, but what I'm most interested is seeing what signage and heckles Cubs fans will come up with.
2) Nyjer Morgan and Chris Volstad have a bit of history. In 2010, Morgan was the catalyst for a brawl between the Nationals and Marlins. What set of the brawl was Morgan rushing the mound after Volstad hit him with a pitch. The two squared off in 2011 and the result of the first AB was Morgan hitting a rare home run. Volstad is scheduled to start on Monday, so there could be some theatrics going down.
3) The Brewers would not have made the playoffs last season without Shaun Marcum. However, he was beyond awful in those very playoffs, going 0-3 with a 14.90 ERA. My hope is Marcum had dead-arm at the end of 2011 and was simply physically incapable of pitching well. I'll be keeping a close eye on his velocity and location, with emphasis on the location.
4) Ryan Dempster has a career ERA of 4.40, but a 2.75 ERA in 186.2 innings against the Brewers. He seems like a nice guy, but his dominance of the Crew drives me nuts. I'm hoping the Brewers will chase him after the third inning, but I'm not holding my breath.
5) Mat Gamel did not do much to make us forget about Prince Fielder. Considering Wrigley Field is a hitters park (depending on the wind) and the Cubs will be trotting out Chris Volstad and Paul Malholm to start the series, this is good chance for him to get settled into his new role. Or at the very least mash some marginal pitching and make me feel better about first base for the rest of the year.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Season's Greetings!
It is time for another season of Milwaukee Brewers baseball, and more importantly, another go-round of the Brew Crew Project.
The format this season is going to be different than last. Instead of trying to recap every game and then running out of things to say after game 14, this year I am going to write a preview for each series and use this blog as a forum to vent as necessary. In theory, this will enhance the quality of each post, allow me to learn more about other teams, and prevent me from breaking things during a losing streak. My primary hope of version 2.0 is to expand my knowledge of the NL and in the process find new reasons to despise the Cubs and Cardinals. What will the new format look like? I'm glad you asked. It will look a something like this...
Series One: Cardinals versus Brewers
Five things I'll be paying attention to:
1) Ryan Braun was booed and heckled viciously throughout spring training. Apparently people are still a little peeved about the whole "Steroids in baseball" thing. It does not help that the common perception is that Braun got off on a technicality. I'm inclined to believe Braun got off for good reason, but I can see why non-Brewer fans would beg to differ. Thus, Braun can expect to hear lots and lots of boos in 2012. On the road, that is. I expect Miller Park to be a safe haven for him this season and I'll be interested to see what type of ovation he'll receive on Opening Day. Busch Stadium will be another story, which is kind of hypocritical considering Mark McGuire used steroids when he hit 70 homers and is currently the Cardinals' hitting coach.
2) Mike Matheny is best known in Milwaukee for the time he took a fastball to the face and barely showed any signs of pain. Speaking of pain, watching Tony La Russa manage every game like it was Game 7 of the World Series was like getting cavities filled with just enough anesthesia to feel the lovely sting of dental pain. Fortunately Mr La Russa is gone, which hopefully means I will not have to sit through three consecutive pitching changes during the 8th inning of a 9-2 game anymore.
3) The loss of Prince Fielder left a huge hole in the Brewers' lineup. The loss of Yuniesky Betancourt did not. Offense aside, the Brewers upgraded defensively at shortstop and first (I mean, I can't imagine Mat Gamel being any worse than Fielder at first). I think the Brewers are going to make up for the loss of Fielder's bat with better defense at short and first (as well as Gamel hitting .280 with 25 homers). I expect we'll find out pretty early on if this will actually be the case.
4) Zach Greinke was more dominant last season than his 3.83 ERA would indicate. He struck out 201 batters despite only pitching 171 innings. Minus his last start, Greinke has been totally locked in this spring. I think Greinke is primed for a dominant season. I'll feel even better about Greinke if he can shut down the Cardinals on Saturday.
5) For the first time since 2001 the Cardinals will not have Albert Pujols starting. I, for one, am happy his is in the AL. Even so, I don't think the Cardinals offense will suffer too much without him. David Freese (who is poised to be a star) and Carlos Beltran (if he stays healthy) should pick up most of the slack left by the departure of Pujols. Of course, I will feel a lot more comfortable when the 3-spot comes up during a high-leverage situation and Mr Pujols is 2,000 miles away.
The format this season is going to be different than last. Instead of trying to recap every game and then running out of things to say after game 14, this year I am going to write a preview for each series and use this blog as a forum to vent as necessary. In theory, this will enhance the quality of each post, allow me to learn more about other teams, and prevent me from breaking things during a losing streak. My primary hope of version 2.0 is to expand my knowledge of the NL and in the process find new reasons to despise the Cubs and Cardinals. What will the new format look like? I'm glad you asked. It will look a something like this...
Series One: Cardinals versus Brewers
Five things I'll be paying attention to:
1) Ryan Braun was booed and heckled viciously throughout spring training. Apparently people are still a little peeved about the whole "Steroids in baseball" thing. It does not help that the common perception is that Braun got off on a technicality. I'm inclined to believe Braun got off for good reason, but I can see why non-Brewer fans would beg to differ. Thus, Braun can expect to hear lots and lots of boos in 2012. On the road, that is. I expect Miller Park to be a safe haven for him this season and I'll be interested to see what type of ovation he'll receive on Opening Day. Busch Stadium will be another story, which is kind of hypocritical considering Mark McGuire used steroids when he hit 70 homers and is currently the Cardinals' hitting coach.
2) Mike Matheny is best known in Milwaukee for the time he took a fastball to the face and barely showed any signs of pain. Speaking of pain, watching Tony La Russa manage every game like it was Game 7 of the World Series was like getting cavities filled with just enough anesthesia to feel the lovely sting of dental pain. Fortunately Mr La Russa is gone, which hopefully means I will not have to sit through three consecutive pitching changes during the 8th inning of a 9-2 game anymore.
3) The loss of Prince Fielder left a huge hole in the Brewers' lineup. The loss of Yuniesky Betancourt did not. Offense aside, the Brewers upgraded defensively at shortstop and first (I mean, I can't imagine Mat Gamel being any worse than Fielder at first). I think the Brewers are going to make up for the loss of Fielder's bat with better defense at short and first (as well as Gamel hitting .280 with 25 homers). I expect we'll find out pretty early on if this will actually be the case.
4) Zach Greinke was more dominant last season than his 3.83 ERA would indicate. He struck out 201 batters despite only pitching 171 innings. Minus his last start, Greinke has been totally locked in this spring. I think Greinke is primed for a dominant season. I'll feel even better about Greinke if he can shut down the Cardinals on Saturday.
5) For the first time since 2001 the Cardinals will not have Albert Pujols starting. I, for one, am happy his is in the AL. Even so, I don't think the Cardinals offense will suffer too much without him. David Freese (who is poised to be a star) and Carlos Beltran (if he stays healthy) should pick up most of the slack left by the departure of Pujols. Of course, I will feel a lot more comfortable when the 3-spot comes up during a high-leverage situation and Mr Pujols is 2,000 miles away.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Brew Crew Epilogue
As it turns out, the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers only had 101 wins in them.
Before I get going, let me be clear that I actively dislike the Cardinals. They are an unlikable crew that was managed by the dour, hypocritical, and sanctimonious Tony la Russa. That this team stood in the way of the Brewers winning the pennant was maddening. That they went on to win the World Series in an improbable manner was similarly frustrating. But kudos to them for participating in (and winning) an insanely enjoyable Fall Classic.
Back to the Brewers, I want to see them win a pennant. I want to see them win a World Series. It is possible that I will see neither in my lifetime; time will tell. That would be a bummer, but it would be nowhere near as bad as following a consistently feeble baseball team. I know this all too well as someone that followed them from 1993-2006 without witnessing a single winning season.
So if you're not going to win a pennant, at least don't be feeble. And as long as you're not being feeble, you may as well have some iconic moments along the way, such as:
-Having a stretch of 25 games where you go 22-3
-Celebrating a division title courtesy of a monster home run from Ryan Braun
-Setting a franchise record with 57 home wins
-Winning Game 5 of the NLDS on an extra-inning walk-off home run (a play I will watch thousands of times in the future)
-And many more!
At the end of the day we watch sports for entertainment and iconic moments. That's what the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers gave us and that's what they'll be remembered for.
Before I get going, let me be clear that I actively dislike the Cardinals. They are an unlikable crew that was managed by the dour, hypocritical, and sanctimonious Tony la Russa. That this team stood in the way of the Brewers winning the pennant was maddening. That they went on to win the World Series in an improbable manner was similarly frustrating. But kudos to them for participating in (and winning) an insanely enjoyable Fall Classic.
Back to the Brewers, I want to see them win a pennant. I want to see them win a World Series. It is possible that I will see neither in my lifetime; time will tell. That would be a bummer, but it would be nowhere near as bad as following a consistently feeble baseball team. I know this all too well as someone that followed them from 1993-2006 without witnessing a single winning season.
So if you're not going to win a pennant, at least don't be feeble. And as long as you're not being feeble, you may as well have some iconic moments along the way, such as:
-Having a stretch of 25 games where you go 22-3
-Celebrating a division title courtesy of a monster home run from Ryan Braun
-Setting a franchise record with 57 home wins
-Winning Game 5 of the NLDS on an extra-inning walk-off home run (a play I will watch thousands of times in the future)
-And many more!
At the end of the day we watch sports for entertainment and iconic moments. That's what the 2011 Milwaukee Brewers gave us and that's what they'll be remembered for.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Cardinals Win NLCS, 4-2
There will be more to come later, but for now I'll just say that I had too much fun following this team to get down about their unraveling in the final two games of this series.
More to come in the next couple of days...
More to come in the next couple of days...
Thursday, October 13, 2011
NLCS Game Four: Brewers 4, Cardinals 2
Box Score
We're back in business, baby!
Before the game started the season was on the brink. The Brewers were down 2-1 in the series and had looked mostly atrocious on the road. Even more concerning was the fact that Randy Wolf, who had a disaster start last time out in Arizona was taking the mound. Quite frankly, I did not believe this series would come back to Milwaukee. But at the very least, that is what's going to happen.
Wolf was the crafty lefty that he absolutely, positively needed to be and the offense finally found a way to get some hits with runners in scoring position. Even better, K-Rod and Axford were pitched (mostly) stress-free innings en route to a 4-2 victory. Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves an incredible series on our hands. A few quick thoughts:
-The slide Jerry Hairston made as he scored the tying run was incredibly beautiful. The throw beat him to the plate, but he was able to contort himself in a way to touch the plate safely. The play happened because...
-...Yuni Betancourt of all people is having a fantastic series at the plate. He's 7-16 in the NLCS with 4 RBI and a home run. That he's become the Brewers' ace in the hole this post season is not something I would have bet on under any circumstances.
-Ryan Braun is continuing to cement his legacy as a Wisconsin sports legend. Should he stay healthy for the duration of his contract he will absolutely make the Hall of Fame.
-Prince Fielder has done the impossible: make me like Albert Pujols a little. Pujols, who is often dour and likes to admire his home runs, was smiling with Prince Fielder when he was on first base. Kudos to Pujols for appearing human and an even bigger kudos to Fielder for causing that to happen.
-Speaking of Fielder, he gave props to Ryan Theriot after he sharply grounded into an inning-ending double play. It was an incredible act of sportsmanship that deserves a lot of national attention. This, as well as the previous point, demonstrates that Prince Fielder gets it. Yes, the stakes are high, but at the end of the day baseball is just a game. The sooner fans, players, and owners realize this, the better.
-Whatever happens from here on out, I am ecstatic the series will end in Milwaukee. And hey, if we're lucky the series will end in the best way imaginable.
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