I love the Brewers. God knows I bleed Brewer blue, and way too much of my salary is spent on baseball tickets. But not even I, who would probably walk on hot coals for a playoff spot, can deny the source of the stench that's been emanating from PNC Park for the last two nights. Quite frankly, the Brewers are stinking up Pittsburgh. It pains me to say that, but sadly, it's true.
Our pitching staff has been decimated by the worst team in the NL Central, the third worst team in MLB, for two straight games. The Pirates are 16 games under .500 for Pete's sake! Once again, I'm left scratching my head. How can the Brewers win the season series against Philly, a team that is a definite contender for the NL East, split the season series with the Mets, the team leading the NL East, and then get drubbed so soundly by Pittsburgh? And against Victor Santos to boot? Santos pitched like crap when he played for us, and we have probably the best pitching coach in baseball in Mike Maddux. Now suddenly Santos is unhittable? Of course, if memory serves, Santos doesn't melt down till after the All Star Break. So when we face him again in July, August and September, we should be able to beat the crap out of him.
It's embarrassing to admit, but I went into the first game of this series almost feeling sorry for Pittsburgh because they were playing so badly and losing so much. I almost felt bad that we were about the sweep them in their own park. Then my Brewers got their assess handed to them. I guess that will teach me to get cocky about my team, huh? I'll have to remember this when we play Florida and Kansas City. More importantly, the team needs to remember this when they play against Florida and KC.
But seriously, I don't think our guys are getting cocky. The pitching situation has simply taken its toll. The boys held their heads above water as long as they could, and now I think our pitchers are starting to drown. Doug Davis's meltdown on Monday forced Mike and Ned to raid the bullpen early in the game, and when Jorge de la Rosa left the game in the 3rd last night, Ned had to do it again. Our bullpen has been forced to eat up 14 innings in the last two games, when usually it would only be six to eight. We do have a solid bullpen, but they are simply overextended lately because of our lack of dependable starters. Of course, I'm excluding Chris Capuano from that statement. He is nothing if not dependable.
Jorge de la Rosa showed some nasty stuff last night to start off, but he started to struggle in the third inning, when he got tagged for five runs. Jorge has been a reliever thus far this season, and according to Bill and Daron, hasn't quite gotten the knack of how to make adjustments when he's facing the lineup for the second and third time. It looks like they just figured him out and started to pound him. Then again, it could have been the blister that developed on the middle finger of his left hand. Since he pitched so well to start, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. This time. Ned Yost said after the game that we will be seeing Jorge start again in five days.
It looks as if the pitching woes are starting to affect the rest of the team. "We were a little flat," Brewers catcher Damian Miller said. "It's tough when you fall down. You can't come back every time. When you fall down by nine runs, you can't help but get deflated. You still have to play with intensity, it's just not as easy."
Apparently, that excuse isn't going to fly with manager Ned Yost. "You can use any excuse you want to be a failure," Yost said. "We can sit back and say, 'Woe is us. We don't have Ben [Sheets], and we don't have Tomo [Ohka] and we don't have Rick Helling. Bull," he said defiantly. "Somebody else needs to pick up the slack, and let's go."
Chris Mabeus started off strong, pitching a scoreless first frame for the Brewers in his major league debut on Monday, but he got rattled after giving up a home run. "After I gave up the home run I started thinking way too much," Mabeus said. "I started thinking about the home run more than anything."
Jeremi Gonzalez was ok in his first outing as a Brewer, also on Monday. He gave up only three hits in his three innings of work, but two came around to score. He struck out three, but also walked two. Not great, but he could be an option for a starter should the need arise.
On a higher note, Joe Winkelsas has been pretty reliable in his outings. He's been doing exactly what was expected of him, which is induce ground ball outs. In fact, he's induced 11 ground outs versus only two fly outs. In his 4.2 innings of work, he's surrendered only five hits and two earned runs. It's great to see him doing so well, and taking full advantage of this opportunity. Keep it up, Joe!
Unfortunately, it's not just the pitching that's been flailing lately. Rickie Weeks is back to his old ways, sadly, making two errors in two consecutive nights. Had you all gotten to read the post that was erased due to technical difficulties, you would have seen that I commended Rickie on not committing an error in almost two weeks. Guess I spoke too soon.
The Crew's bats have been silent lately as well. The Brewers have managed only 16 hits in the last two games combined, 11 on Monday and 5 last night.
Hopefully the tide will turn tonight when leftie Chris Capuano takes the hill against right hander Ian Snell. Chris is currently 11 for 11 in quality starts, and the team is 7-4 when he pitches. The statistics look good for tonight's game, but they looked good for the last two as well. There's a lot of pressure on Chris right now to live up to the title he's earned of "streak stopper." He seemed pretty confident this morning on his call in radio show, when he assured Bob and Brian of 102.9 The Hog, "Don't worry, we'll get 'em tonight." I certainly hope so. Until next time, go Brewers!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Technical Difficulties
Well I was about two paragraphs away from publishing my last post, which discussed the series in Philadelphia, when my internet connection went down and I lost everything. Guess that'll teach me to create my posts online instead of in Word. I'll try to recap what I was going to say.
We won the series on the road, which was huge, and only the second road series we've won this season. Chris Capuano was awesome again on Friday. 11 for 11 in quality starts. The offense was great up and down the lineup as well. Dave Bush struggled on Saturday, but we still won because of that great offense. Dana Eveland struggled on Sunday, as did our offense, and defense. Joe Winkelsas did what he was supposed to do, which is get ground balls, but the defense behind him couldn't pick up the slack.
There was more to it than that, but in a nutshell, that's what I was going to post. So tonight the Crew is in Pittsburgh to face the Pirates. Doug Davis will face off against Zach Duke, and Jorge de la Rosa will face former teammate Victor Santos tomorrow. This is a great opportunity for the Brewers to move up in the Central Division, because as we all know, the Pirates aren't having a great season. Of course I said that about Minnesota too.
The Pirates play better at home than on the road, but with a 12-12 home record, that's not saying much. But these guys aren't to be taken lightly, as they have pulled out some shocking wins against teams like St. Louis and Houston.
As we near the end of May, and our last series, it's important to win these games if the Crew wants to accomplish those 1 or 2 extra wins per month, as Ned Yost mentioned at the beginning of the season. Right now the team sits at 26-24. This time last season, they were 24-26. To stay on track for a 90-win season, the Brewers really need to pull out at least three wins in Pittsburgh. A sweep would be ideal, don't get me wrong, but to maintain Ned's goal of 2 more wins per month than last season, I think we need at least three.
Brady Clark's batting average continues to rise, and is now up to .287 after the Philly series. Looks more and more like the Brady of last season. Another good sign for the Crew is that Rickie Weeks hasn't made an error (officially) since May 18. I think that's a record for Rickie! With any luck, it's a sign of things to come for our second baseman.
So I apologize for the abbreviated post today. The first one was much better, but since I make it up as I go along, I couldn't remember everything I wrote. I'll do better next time. Best of luck to the Crew tonight as they suit up against the Pirates. Until next time, go Brewers!
We won the series on the road, which was huge, and only the second road series we've won this season. Chris Capuano was awesome again on Friday. 11 for 11 in quality starts. The offense was great up and down the lineup as well. Dave Bush struggled on Saturday, but we still won because of that great offense. Dana Eveland struggled on Sunday, as did our offense, and defense. Joe Winkelsas did what he was supposed to do, which is get ground balls, but the defense behind him couldn't pick up the slack.
There was more to it than that, but in a nutshell, that's what I was going to post. So tonight the Crew is in Pittsburgh to face the Pirates. Doug Davis will face off against Zach Duke, and Jorge de la Rosa will face former teammate Victor Santos tomorrow. This is a great opportunity for the Brewers to move up in the Central Division, because as we all know, the Pirates aren't having a great season. Of course I said that about Minnesota too.
The Pirates play better at home than on the road, but with a 12-12 home record, that's not saying much. But these guys aren't to be taken lightly, as they have pulled out some shocking wins against teams like St. Louis and Houston.
As we near the end of May, and our last series, it's important to win these games if the Crew wants to accomplish those 1 or 2 extra wins per month, as Ned Yost mentioned at the beginning of the season. Right now the team sits at 26-24. This time last season, they were 24-26. To stay on track for a 90-win season, the Brewers really need to pull out at least three wins in Pittsburgh. A sweep would be ideal, don't get me wrong, but to maintain Ned's goal of 2 more wins per month than last season, I think we need at least three.
Brady Clark's batting average continues to rise, and is now up to .287 after the Philly series. Looks more and more like the Brady of last season. Another good sign for the Crew is that Rickie Weeks hasn't made an error (officially) since May 18. I think that's a record for Rickie! With any luck, it's a sign of things to come for our second baseman.
So I apologize for the abbreviated post today. The first one was much better, but since I make it up as I go along, I couldn't remember everything I wrote. I'll do better next time. Best of luck to the Crew tonight as they suit up against the Pirates. Until next time, go Brewers!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Lee and Davis Lead Crew Past Reds
Doug Davis pitched like classic Doug Davis, and Carlos Lee hit his 200th home run, just in time to propel the Brewers past the Reds last night in Cincinnati. This was a much-needed win for the Brewers as they head into a three game series in Philadelphia.
DD threw seven strong innings last night, bailing out the limping bullpen, allowing only five hits and two runs, and recording a quality start. Davis managed to get through those seven innings using only 98 pitches, 58 of them for strikes. Doug got into some trouble in the 3rd, but he somehow managed to get out of it after allowing only one run to score. This guy is some kind of Houdini the way he manages to pitch out of those tight spots. At least he seems to be returning to typical Davis form. God knows the pitching staff needs to know they can rely on someone besides the always dependable Chris Capuano.
The bullpen got some more relief today, as Chris DeMaria was sent packing in exchange for Chris Mabeus. The Crew attempted to call Mabeus up last week, but got a lesson in roster rules instead. But all is resolved and Chris is now dressed in Brewer blue. Maybe he can stick around longer than Lehr. Or Hendrickson. Or DeMaria. Or Fernandez. Or Adams. Or those high dollar starters that I keep hearing we have but haven't seen for a while.
Carlos Lee socked his 200th career homer last night, and he said later it was a bit of a relief. Carlos had cooled off in the hitting department lately, and hadn't hit a homer in 13 games, and said he felt he had hit a wall mentally. Hopefully that homer will be the start of another hot streak for Carlos. This road trip would be a great time for it!
Brady Clark has certainly returned to form lately as well. Everyone expected Brady to get off to a hot start after posting a .306 average last season, but he started off the season slowly. Very slowly, falling below .200 a few times. But in the last few games, Brady has found his stroke, and was 3 for 4 last night. In fact, Brady has raised his average up to .271, and is hitting .404 over his last 15 games. That's 19 for 47 for those of you who don't want to do the math.
Now I must admit that I spend some time reading the message boards on the Brewers' website. To all of you who have been complaining about Brady and saying he should be traded, SHUT UP!! Brady has been saying all season that he usually starts off slow in April, that last season was somewhat of a fluke. Ned Yost and Butch Wynegar have been saying all along that Brady would find his swing and get right back into it, and guess what, he did! So leave him alone. He's not the typical choice for the lead off spot, although he did very well there last season, but he's doing great in the eight hole. Having someone reliable (yes I said reliable because Brady was the most clutch hitter last season, and will be again this season!) in the eight spot is a great way to make sure you clear the pitcher, and start off the next inning with the top of the lineup. Way to go, Brady! I told you at the museum you were my favorite everyday player, and I'm thrilled to see my faith hasn't gone to waste. I'm also thrilled to get to say "I told you so!" to all those naysayers who wanted to get rid of you!
Ok, I'm done with that rant now. Moving on. Everyone on the team managed to chip in last night. Even guys who didn't get a hit still managed to score runs. Rickie Weeks scored twice on two walks, Prince Fielder had two RBI's on a sac fly, and even Doug Davis got an RBI last night on a sweet sac bunt.
Incidentally, did anyone else notice that Damian Miller sat out the last two games, and we lost the last two games? Miller is back in the lineup last night, and we won. Think there's any correlation there? Something to ponder. . .
It still just amazes me sometimes how hot and cold this team runs. We play fantastic baseball against tough teams like the Mets and the Phillies, and then suddenly against teams like the Twins and the Dodgers, (which both should have been easy series), we look like amateurs. Consistency is the key, but I guess they should know that by now. I hope to see it executed soon!
There is an excellent interview with Chris Capuano posted on the Brewers' website. Once again I'm amazed at how someone so unbelievably talented can be so modest and gracious, with such a good head on his shoulders. He is the standard that all players should aspire to. But then again, you all know I can't say enough good things about Chris. I hope his attitude doesn't change after he gets his big raise next season.
Chris will be looking for his 11th quality start of the season tomorrow night as he takes the mound against Cory Lidle and the rest of the Phillies. Cappy's 10 for 10 record in quality starts ties him with Mike Mussina of the Yankees for the most in baseball. Chris currently has an ERA of 2.78, and a record of 5-3. Lidle is 4-4, with an ERA of 4.80. Tomorrow night will be a rematch for Chris and Cory. The Crew got a look at Lidle back on the 16th when he pitched here in Milwaukee, coincidentally, against Chris Capuano. Both pitchers were very effective, but a throwing error in the 9th handed the victory to Milwaukee. (We would have won anyway, but I digress.) As we all know, the Brewers got the win and Philly got their winning streak broken. The Phillies have lost seven of their last ten games, including three against Milwaukee, and are 13-13 at home. Let's get that record below .500 shall we boys? Until next time, go Brewers!
DD threw seven strong innings last night, bailing out the limping bullpen, allowing only five hits and two runs, and recording a quality start. Davis managed to get through those seven innings using only 98 pitches, 58 of them for strikes. Doug got into some trouble in the 3rd, but he somehow managed to get out of it after allowing only one run to score. This guy is some kind of Houdini the way he manages to pitch out of those tight spots. At least he seems to be returning to typical Davis form. God knows the pitching staff needs to know they can rely on someone besides the always dependable Chris Capuano.
The bullpen got some more relief today, as Chris DeMaria was sent packing in exchange for Chris Mabeus. The Crew attempted to call Mabeus up last week, but got a lesson in roster rules instead. But all is resolved and Chris is now dressed in Brewer blue. Maybe he can stick around longer than Lehr. Or Hendrickson. Or DeMaria. Or Fernandez. Or Adams. Or those high dollar starters that I keep hearing we have but haven't seen for a while.
Carlos Lee socked his 200th career homer last night, and he said later it was a bit of a relief. Carlos had cooled off in the hitting department lately, and hadn't hit a homer in 13 games, and said he felt he had hit a wall mentally. Hopefully that homer will be the start of another hot streak for Carlos. This road trip would be a great time for it!
Brady Clark has certainly returned to form lately as well. Everyone expected Brady to get off to a hot start after posting a .306 average last season, but he started off the season slowly. Very slowly, falling below .200 a few times. But in the last few games, Brady has found his stroke, and was 3 for 4 last night. In fact, Brady has raised his average up to .271, and is hitting .404 over his last 15 games. That's 19 for 47 for those of you who don't want to do the math.
Now I must admit that I spend some time reading the message boards on the Brewers' website. To all of you who have been complaining about Brady and saying he should be traded, SHUT UP!! Brady has been saying all season that he usually starts off slow in April, that last season was somewhat of a fluke. Ned Yost and Butch Wynegar have been saying all along that Brady would find his swing and get right back into it, and guess what, he did! So leave him alone. He's not the typical choice for the lead off spot, although he did very well there last season, but he's doing great in the eight hole. Having someone reliable (yes I said reliable because Brady was the most clutch hitter last season, and will be again this season!) in the eight spot is a great way to make sure you clear the pitcher, and start off the next inning with the top of the lineup. Way to go, Brady! I told you at the museum you were my favorite everyday player, and I'm thrilled to see my faith hasn't gone to waste. I'm also thrilled to get to say "I told you so!" to all those naysayers who wanted to get rid of you!
Ok, I'm done with that rant now. Moving on. Everyone on the team managed to chip in last night. Even guys who didn't get a hit still managed to score runs. Rickie Weeks scored twice on two walks, Prince Fielder had two RBI's on a sac fly, and even Doug Davis got an RBI last night on a sweet sac bunt.
Incidentally, did anyone else notice that Damian Miller sat out the last two games, and we lost the last two games? Miller is back in the lineup last night, and we won. Think there's any correlation there? Something to ponder. . .
It still just amazes me sometimes how hot and cold this team runs. We play fantastic baseball against tough teams like the Mets and the Phillies, and then suddenly against teams like the Twins and the Dodgers, (which both should have been easy series), we look like amateurs. Consistency is the key, but I guess they should know that by now. I hope to see it executed soon!
There is an excellent interview with Chris Capuano posted on the Brewers' website. Once again I'm amazed at how someone so unbelievably talented can be so modest and gracious, with such a good head on his shoulders. He is the standard that all players should aspire to. But then again, you all know I can't say enough good things about Chris. I hope his attitude doesn't change after he gets his big raise next season.
Chris will be looking for his 11th quality start of the season tomorrow night as he takes the mound against Cory Lidle and the rest of the Phillies. Cappy's 10 for 10 record in quality starts ties him with Mike Mussina of the Yankees for the most in baseball. Chris currently has an ERA of 2.78, and a record of 5-3. Lidle is 4-4, with an ERA of 4.80. Tomorrow night will be a rematch for Chris and Cory. The Crew got a look at Lidle back on the 16th when he pitched here in Milwaukee, coincidentally, against Chris Capuano. Both pitchers were very effective, but a throwing error in the 9th handed the victory to Milwaukee. (We would have won anyway, but I digress.) As we all know, the Brewers got the win and Philly got their winning streak broken. The Phillies have lost seven of their last ten games, including three against Milwaukee, and are 13-13 at home. Let's get that record below .500 shall we boys? Until next time, go Brewers!
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Road Woes Continue
So why can't the Brewers win consistently on the road? Do they miss their wives/girlfriends? Do they miss sleeping in their own beds? Could it be stomach issues from eating strange food? I don't know, but someone needs to figure something out if this team intends to finish over .500 this season.
Last night was another example of what the Brewers do when they travel. Everything started off great; we had a 3-1 lead. But then Eveland threw a meatball to Jr. and that was all she wrote.
I can think of all sorts of excuses for why the Crew loses on the road, but none of them would fly. Other teams win on the road, why can't we? Are our guys just a bunch of sissies who miss their favorite pillow? I don't think so, but something afflicts them once they get on that charter. Hmmm, maybe opposing teams have planted fake flight attendants on our guys' charter, and these girls are drugging our players! Or hypnotizing them into forgetting how to play! Even better, they're being brainwashed into believing they actually play for the other team!!
It would be nice if there was an easy answer to be found. I just find it difficult to swallow that our guys can play so damn well in Miller Park, but turn into the Three Stooges when they go somewhere else. If we continue to play like this on the road, even Pittsburgh will have a chance to sweep a series this season. God forbid we get swept by, or even lose the series to Pittsburgh.
The Crew has one more chance tonight to redeem themselves at Great American Ballpark before going on to face an even tougher opponent in Phildelphia. Maybe since tomorrow is an off day, they can regroup and go into Philly with a different mindset. It would certainly be nice to go in there coming off of a win today. I sure don't want to fall under .500 again any time soon.
On the upside, the two guys called up from AA this week performed pretty well last night. Joe Winkelsas had me worried at first with that lead off walk to load the bases, but he worked out of it to finish the inning. It would definitely be understandable that he would be nervous up there. There aren't many 32-year-old, ex-drug addicted, former garbage man/pitching coach rookies running around MLB. After reading his story, though, you can't help but root for the guy to do well.
Carlos Villanueva threw a scoreless frame last night in his first outing in Brewer blue. He allowed only one hit, but no runs. In fact, Winkelsas and Villanueva were the only Brewer pitchers to not allow runs last night, and Villanueva was the only pitcher other than Eveland to record a strikeout. And these guys came from AA!
I read that there were probably some guys in Nashville who were pissed off becuase they were passed over in favor of the guys from Huntsville. But you know what? Most of those guys in Nashville had their chance. Fernandez, Adams, and Sarfate have all been up to the show this season, and apparently they couldn't get it done, or they wouldn't be back in AAA. But that's just my opinion. The story on the Brewers' website also noted that the bullpen was far from settled, and more changes are likely. Changes for the better, I hope, because I would hate to see it get any worse!
Ned Yost was ejected from the game for the second time this season after the home plate umpire had a "discussion" with Brady Clark in the first inning. Neither Ned nor Brady will elaborate on what actually transpired, but it seems Bill Welke called Brady "bush league" for sticking out his left elbow, perhaps in an effort to get hit by a pitch. Ned waited until after the inning to confront the ump, but once he did, he got hot in a hurry!
This morning on 102.9 The Hog, Bob and Brian talked with Brewer pitcher Chris Capuano about being able to understand what Ned was saying by lip reading. Well, I didn't have to lip read at all. Thanks to FSN, anyone watching the game last night got a big bomb dropped in their living room. An F-bomb that is. Immediately after Ned was ejected, he clearly said, "I will not get the F*%$ out!" Could that be the first time the F-word was actually audible on broadcast television? Thanks to some timely camera shots and minimal lip reading ability, we've all seen players express their frustrations, but last night was the first time I actually heard it. At least it made for a very interesting first inning.
It looks like Doug Davis will be the sacrificial lamb, uh I mean, starting pitching tonight in Cincy, going up against Brandon Claussen for the Reds. Claussen was the pitcher who gave up four of the five homers that the Brewers hit in that one inning back on April 22 in Miller Park. With any luck, Claussen hasn't improved since then and we can get some runs on the board.
Well that's all I have for now Brewer fans. Hopefully Davis and the rest of the Crew can stop the bleeding, pull out a win, and take us into Philly on a high note. Until next time, go Brewers!
Last night was another example of what the Brewers do when they travel. Everything started off great; we had a 3-1 lead. But then Eveland threw a meatball to Jr. and that was all she wrote.
I can think of all sorts of excuses for why the Crew loses on the road, but none of them would fly. Other teams win on the road, why can't we? Are our guys just a bunch of sissies who miss their favorite pillow? I don't think so, but something afflicts them once they get on that charter. Hmmm, maybe opposing teams have planted fake flight attendants on our guys' charter, and these girls are drugging our players! Or hypnotizing them into forgetting how to play! Even better, they're being brainwashed into believing they actually play for the other team!!
It would be nice if there was an easy answer to be found. I just find it difficult to swallow that our guys can play so damn well in Miller Park, but turn into the Three Stooges when they go somewhere else. If we continue to play like this on the road, even Pittsburgh will have a chance to sweep a series this season. God forbid we get swept by, or even lose the series to Pittsburgh.
The Crew has one more chance tonight to redeem themselves at Great American Ballpark before going on to face an even tougher opponent in Phildelphia. Maybe since tomorrow is an off day, they can regroup and go into Philly with a different mindset. It would certainly be nice to go in there coming off of a win today. I sure don't want to fall under .500 again any time soon.
On the upside, the two guys called up from AA this week performed pretty well last night. Joe Winkelsas had me worried at first with that lead off walk to load the bases, but he worked out of it to finish the inning. It would definitely be understandable that he would be nervous up there. There aren't many 32-year-old, ex-drug addicted, former garbage man/pitching coach rookies running around MLB. After reading his story, though, you can't help but root for the guy to do well.
Carlos Villanueva threw a scoreless frame last night in his first outing in Brewer blue. He allowed only one hit, but no runs. In fact, Winkelsas and Villanueva were the only Brewer pitchers to not allow runs last night, and Villanueva was the only pitcher other than Eveland to record a strikeout. And these guys came from AA!
I read that there were probably some guys in Nashville who were pissed off becuase they were passed over in favor of the guys from Huntsville. But you know what? Most of those guys in Nashville had their chance. Fernandez, Adams, and Sarfate have all been up to the show this season, and apparently they couldn't get it done, or they wouldn't be back in AAA. But that's just my opinion. The story on the Brewers' website also noted that the bullpen was far from settled, and more changes are likely. Changes for the better, I hope, because I would hate to see it get any worse!
Ned Yost was ejected from the game for the second time this season after the home plate umpire had a "discussion" with Brady Clark in the first inning. Neither Ned nor Brady will elaborate on what actually transpired, but it seems Bill Welke called Brady "bush league" for sticking out his left elbow, perhaps in an effort to get hit by a pitch. Ned waited until after the inning to confront the ump, but once he did, he got hot in a hurry!
This morning on 102.9 The Hog, Bob and Brian talked with Brewer pitcher Chris Capuano about being able to understand what Ned was saying by lip reading. Well, I didn't have to lip read at all. Thanks to FSN, anyone watching the game last night got a big bomb dropped in their living room. An F-bomb that is. Immediately after Ned was ejected, he clearly said, "I will not get the F*%$ out!" Could that be the first time the F-word was actually audible on broadcast television? Thanks to some timely camera shots and minimal lip reading ability, we've all seen players express their frustrations, but last night was the first time I actually heard it. At least it made for a very interesting first inning.
It looks like Doug Davis will be the sacrificial lamb, uh I mean, starting pitching tonight in Cincy, going up against Brandon Claussen for the Reds. Claussen was the pitcher who gave up four of the five homers that the Brewers hit in that one inning back on April 22 in Miller Park. With any luck, Claussen hasn't improved since then and we can get some runs on the board.
Well that's all I have for now Brewer fans. Hopefully Davis and the rest of the Crew can stop the bleeding, pull out a win, and take us into Philly on a high note. Until next time, go Brewers!
Monday, May 22, 2006
Crew Avoids Sweep
I think by now we're all aware of the fact that Ben Hendrickson pitched like crap on Saturday night, and has been sent back to AAA. We're also painfully aware of the fact that Rickie Weeks has more errors than the entire Red Sox team. So let's just skip ahead and talk about Sunday's game, ok? Rickie, mercifully, sat this one out, and Chris Capuano once again excelled on the mound, leading his team to 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Capuano once again turned in a quality start, pitching seven strong innings, allowing eight hits, two earned runs, and one homer. He walked two and struck out four. His pitch count for this outing was 108, 74 thrown for strikes. I don't care what anyone says. Chris Capuano is this team's ace. Cappy also notched another pickoff, which puts him first in MLB with three for the season. His ERA stands at 2.78, and he is now 10 for 10 in quality starts. I would imagine he's leading MLB with that stat, but I can't find any proof of that.
I was worried Chris would have to take another loss yesterday, but the team rallied in the 7th inning, coming out on top 5-3. Matt Wise pitched a scoreless 8th, and rock star Derrick Turnbow finished it off for his 14th save in 15 chances.
This win was Milwaukee's 15th come-from-behind victory at Miller Park. No other NL team has had more than eight come-from-behind wins at home, and the Orioles currently lead the AL with ten. That information courtesy of ESPN.com.
Damian Miller left the game in the 4th inning with back spasms yesterday. No word yet on his current condition, or if he'll be playing tonight in Cincinnati. (Just caught an update during the game. Damian is fine and should be back in the lineup tomorrow night.) Rick Helling pitched off of a mound Saturday for the first time, and said he felt pretty good. The Crew is expecting Helling to be back in the bullpen, or starting rotation, sometime in early June. I've even heard talk that Jorge de la Rosa might take a stab at a starting spot after his impressive stints recently. Maybe he's finally worked out his inconsistencies. I've always thought of Jorge as a "Jeckyll and Hyde" type of pitcher. When he's good, he's really good, but when he's bad, he's really bad, and you never know which one you're gonna get. He's been all Jeckyll lately. Let's see if he can keep it up.
Jeff Cirillo started at second base yesterday, and did a pretty good job. Of course, compared to Rickie, sometimes that's not saying much. Cirillo contributed offensively, as well, with a single, a double, and a run scored.
Bill Hall continued to dominate at the plate, and is now on a ten game hitting streak. Bill was charged with a throwing error yesterday, but I'm not sure it was entirely his fault. It looked to me like Prince Fielder had the ball, and the lost control. I was at the game, though, without the benefit of instant replay, so I can't be sure.
Brady Clark seems to have worked out whatever mechanical difficulties he's been having. He's been hitting well in his last few games, and his batting average is steadily climbing. Some people have been bad-mouthing Brady, but I've said along that he would find his swing. He's one of the hardest working guys on the team, and too good to have an average below or close to the Mendoza line. Way to go, Brady. Keep it up!
Well the game is on, so I must go veg on the sofa and watch. I wanted to get an update posted because I know all my readers (all 7 of you) have been waiting breathlessly for my latest thoughts on the team. The score is now 5-1, 2 outs, 2 on. I must go send good karma. Go Brewers!
Capuano once again turned in a quality start, pitching seven strong innings, allowing eight hits, two earned runs, and one homer. He walked two and struck out four. His pitch count for this outing was 108, 74 thrown for strikes. I don't care what anyone says. Chris Capuano is this team's ace. Cappy also notched another pickoff, which puts him first in MLB with three for the season. His ERA stands at 2.78, and he is now 10 for 10 in quality starts. I would imagine he's leading MLB with that stat, but I can't find any proof of that.
I was worried Chris would have to take another loss yesterday, but the team rallied in the 7th inning, coming out on top 5-3. Matt Wise pitched a scoreless 8th, and rock star Derrick Turnbow finished it off for his 14th save in 15 chances.
This win was Milwaukee's 15th come-from-behind victory at Miller Park. No other NL team has had more than eight come-from-behind wins at home, and the Orioles currently lead the AL with ten. That information courtesy of ESPN.com.
Damian Miller left the game in the 4th inning with back spasms yesterday. No word yet on his current condition, or if he'll be playing tonight in Cincinnati. (Just caught an update during the game. Damian is fine and should be back in the lineup tomorrow night.) Rick Helling pitched off of a mound Saturday for the first time, and said he felt pretty good. The Crew is expecting Helling to be back in the bullpen, or starting rotation, sometime in early June. I've even heard talk that Jorge de la Rosa might take a stab at a starting spot after his impressive stints recently. Maybe he's finally worked out his inconsistencies. I've always thought of Jorge as a "Jeckyll and Hyde" type of pitcher. When he's good, he's really good, but when he's bad, he's really bad, and you never know which one you're gonna get. He's been all Jeckyll lately. Let's see if he can keep it up.
Jeff Cirillo started at second base yesterday, and did a pretty good job. Of course, compared to Rickie, sometimes that's not saying much. Cirillo contributed offensively, as well, with a single, a double, and a run scored.
Bill Hall continued to dominate at the plate, and is now on a ten game hitting streak. Bill was charged with a throwing error yesterday, but I'm not sure it was entirely his fault. It looked to me like Prince Fielder had the ball, and the lost control. I was at the game, though, without the benefit of instant replay, so I can't be sure.
Brady Clark seems to have worked out whatever mechanical difficulties he's been having. He's been hitting well in his last few games, and his batting average is steadily climbing. Some people have been bad-mouthing Brady, but I've said along that he would find his swing. He's one of the hardest working guys on the team, and too good to have an average below or close to the Mendoza line. Way to go, Brady. Keep it up!
Well the game is on, so I must go veg on the sofa and watch. I wanted to get an update posted because I know all my readers (all 7 of you) have been waiting breathlessly for my latest thoughts on the team. The score is now 5-1, 2 outs, 2 on. I must go send good karma. Go Brewers!
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Bill Hall in "In Touch"
It seems word has gotten out about Bill Hall. I was standing in line today at Miller Park waiting for Prince Fielder to show up for his autograph session. I have a hat and jersey for my niece and nephew, and I've spent the last season getting them autographed, which is why I was at Miller Park this morning. Since I know Prince Fielder is wildly popular, I brought along my weekly dose of celebrity gossip (in the form of "In Touch" magazine) to read while I passed the time waiting in line.
Imagine my surprise when I turned to the "News at a Glance" page and saw a photo of Bill Hall swinging his pink bat on Mother's Day. This is in no way a sports related magazine, as evidenced by the cover. In fact, in the year or two that I've been reading this magazine, I can tell you that the only stories that I've seen about sports figures all involve them dating some movie or television star. There was a little blurb once about Susan Sarandon throwing out the first pitch at a game last season between the Brewers and Tampa Bay. I'm sure most of you know that Susan Sarandon played Annie Savoy in "Bull Durham," and the Durham Bulls are the AAA affliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
But I digress. My point is that this magazine does not focus on sports in any way, shape or form, but yet there is Bill, pictured on the same page with the likes of Bono, Whoopi Goldberg, Selma Hayak and Tom Hanks, among others.
What a boost to Brewers' baseball to have one of our own featured in the pages of a prominant national magazine. Ok, so it's not "Time" or "People," but it's still a very popular magazine. Out of the 50 or so players who used pink bats that day, "In Touch" chose to focus on our small-market club. Of course, I bet none of those other guys hit the game winning home run, on Mother's Day, with his mom in the stands. I'm sure Vergie Hall never thought she would end up on the pages of a celebrity gossip magazine when she woke up on Mother's Day!
At any rate, I thought it was really cool that Bill was featured in the magazine, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Congratulations Bill!
Friday, May 19, 2006
No Rally for Crew
You know, I said specifically yesterday that it was time to stop breaking opponents' streaks. Apparently, none of the Brewers paid attention, as they helped to snap the Twins' five game losing streak, falling 7-1 in a very ugly contest at Miller Park.
Davis, who was 2-0 against the Twins, was all over the place tonight. He threw 117 pitches, but only 69 for strikes. He walked only two, but gave up seven hits and four runs, with only three strikeouts. Francisco Liriano, on the other hand, in his first start, threw 41 of 68 for strikes. He surrendered only two hits and one run while fanning five.
Jose Capellan, who has been stellar in his last few outings, was off his game tonight, giving up a gram slam to Tony Batista. That just added insult to injury, because our guys couldn't get anything going.
There was no dramatic rally tonight. Our batters tonight couldn't have hit water if they fell out of a boat. Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't pretty. We managed one run in the third, but that was it. Carlos Lee made it to third base on a Prince Fielder ground rule double in the 7th, but that was as close as the Crew would get to the plate. Ironically, if the ball had stayed in the park, Carlos could have scored.
This was not a good night to lose either, as all three teams above us in the standings won their games. St. Louis came back to beat Kansas City. Houston defeated Texas and Cincinnati came back to rout Detroit, snapping the Tigers' seven game winning streak. At least the Cubs lost.
I thought tonight would be a good night to try out my Jenkins jersey again, since he's been on such a hot streak. He went 0-3. The Brewers lost the last time I wore this shirt. I'm going to have to burn this jersey or have it exorcised or something, because it seems to have some bad juju attached to it. Maybe I'll just let it hang in the closet the rest of the season.
So moving on. Ben Hedrickson takes on Scott Baker tomorrow night. Ben looked sharp in his first outing back with the Crew, when he relieved Ben Sheets in the third inning versus Houston on May 2. Not so great since then. He gave up three runs in his first start and seven in his second. Luckily for us, Baker doesn't look much better, giving up at least four runs in each of his last three starts, as well as two homers in all three. He threw 203 of 285 pitches for strikes in those three starts, but somehow managed to walk only one. It looks like he's predominantly a fly ball pitcher, so with any luck our guys can stay out of the double plays.
Well that's all I have for tonight Brewer fans. I'm going to go drown my sorrows in some ice cream and try to forget tonight's game. Matt, feel free to send your comments, and have fun at the game tomorrow night! Until next time, go Brewers!
Davis, who was 2-0 against the Twins, was all over the place tonight. He threw 117 pitches, but only 69 for strikes. He walked only two, but gave up seven hits and four runs, with only three strikeouts. Francisco Liriano, on the other hand, in his first start, threw 41 of 68 for strikes. He surrendered only two hits and one run while fanning five.
Jose Capellan, who has been stellar in his last few outings, was off his game tonight, giving up a gram slam to Tony Batista. That just added insult to injury, because our guys couldn't get anything going.
There was no dramatic rally tonight. Our batters tonight couldn't have hit water if they fell out of a boat. Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't pretty. We managed one run in the third, but that was it. Carlos Lee made it to third base on a Prince Fielder ground rule double in the 7th, but that was as close as the Crew would get to the plate. Ironically, if the ball had stayed in the park, Carlos could have scored.
This was not a good night to lose either, as all three teams above us in the standings won their games. St. Louis came back to beat Kansas City. Houston defeated Texas and Cincinnati came back to rout Detroit, snapping the Tigers' seven game winning streak. At least the Cubs lost.
I thought tonight would be a good night to try out my Jenkins jersey again, since he's been on such a hot streak. He went 0-3. The Brewers lost the last time I wore this shirt. I'm going to have to burn this jersey or have it exorcised or something, because it seems to have some bad juju attached to it. Maybe I'll just let it hang in the closet the rest of the season.
So moving on. Ben Hedrickson takes on Scott Baker tomorrow night. Ben looked sharp in his first outing back with the Crew, when he relieved Ben Sheets in the third inning versus Houston on May 2. Not so great since then. He gave up three runs in his first start and seven in his second. Luckily for us, Baker doesn't look much better, giving up at least four runs in each of his last three starts, as well as two homers in all three. He threw 203 of 285 pitches for strikes in those three starts, but somehow managed to walk only one. It looks like he's predominantly a fly ball pitcher, so with any luck our guys can stay out of the double plays.
Well that's all I have for tonight Brewer fans. I'm going to go drown my sorrows in some ice cream and try to forget tonight's game. Matt, feel free to send your comments, and have fun at the game tomorrow night! Until next time, go Brewers!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Red Hot Phillies Left Cold After Brewers Sweep
Rheal Cormier had not given up an earned run all season. Then he pitched to Prince Fielder and Corey Koskie. Streak broken. Usually, left handed batters don't fare well against left handed pitchers. Apparently, someone forgot to tell that to Prince Fielder, who is currently batting .410 against lefties. It seems when an opposing team sends in their southpaw to pitch to Fielder, more often than not, Fielder lights them up. The reason for this stems back to Fielder's dad, All Star Cecil Fielder, who warned Prince that lefties would be sent in to get him out. Because of this, Prince focused even more on hitting the ball back up the middle. That focus is certainly paying off for the Brewers.
Once again, the Brewers have cooled off one of the hottest teams in baseball, sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies at Miller Park. Every game of this series was a knucklebiter, suspenseful till the very end. There was the throwing error that ended Tuesday's game. Turnbow being taken out in the ninth last night, and the team rallying back from a 4-1 deficit today.
Dave Bush struggled a bit last night, and left the game in the middle of the 6th with his team down 4-1. The Crew then rallied in the bottom, scoring 5 runs, and staking Dave to a win. An insurance run in the 7th seemed to ensure that Bush would get the win. Then the unthinkable happened. Derrick Turnbow came in and put the tying run on base. Brian Shouse plated it. Bush's win was gone, and he had to settle for a no-decision. Young rightie Jose Capellan, who has been outstanding lately, came in and cleaned up the mess to get his team back in the dugout.
Manager Ned Yost admitted later that it might not have been the best decision to pull Turnbow with a save still on the line, but hindsight is always 20/20. The bottom line is that the Brewers pulled out a win, thanks to Geoff Jenkins' walk off single to deep right field.
Geoff was the hero again today, hitting a double in the 7th, and driving in what turned out to be the winning runs. Chad Moeller got things started in the 7th with a two run homer to put the crew on the board, but still trailing by two. Carlos Lee scored Jeff Cirillo with a sac fly, and Jenkins finished it off.
Dana Eveland was shaky again, giving up three runs in the first inning. He also walked four and struck out only six in his five innings. Justin Lehr was near flawless in his two frames, striking out three, and surrendering only one hit. Dan Kolb and Brian Shouse worked the 8th, and Turnbow wrapped up the 9th, recording his 13th save of the season.
I have to commend Jorge de la Rosa, as well, for his outstanding performances of late. I get really nervous when Jorge comes into a game, because he's a bit of Jeckyll and Hyde pitcher, and you never know which one you're gonna get. But I have to admit, he's looked really sharp his last few outings. I hope this is a sign of things to come. What a great boost it would be to the bullpen to be able to rely on Jorge in tight games.
So after this series, it seems that the Brewers have become quite adept at snapping opponents' streaks. They did it to San Diego, then the Mets, and now the Phillies. Great job guys, but I have to ask you to stop. The Minnesota Twins are coming to town on a five game losing streak. Let's not snap that one, ok?
Doug Davis leads the Crew tomorrow night against Francisco Liriano and the rest of the Twins in the first game of interleague play. Liriano is 1-0 after 12 games, but no starts. He's thrown 22.1 innings, notching 32 punchouts, and only four walks. He's given up only one homerun, eight earned runs, and 27 hits. Not bad. However, Liriano hasn't thrown more than three innings in any of his outings. This could bode well for the Crew.
Doug struggled in some of his earlier outings, but he seems to have cured whatever what ailing him. He's looked much better in his last few outings, more like the Doug Davis we've come to know. He's still dealing with a few too many walks, but that's just classic Doug. Our 8th season veteran should be A-OK against their 2nd season newbie. (knock on wood!)
Well that's all for now Brewer fans. Only three more games on this homestand, so let's all head out to the park and cheer for our guys! Until next time, go Brewers!
Once again, the Brewers have cooled off one of the hottest teams in baseball, sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies at Miller Park. Every game of this series was a knucklebiter, suspenseful till the very end. There was the throwing error that ended Tuesday's game. Turnbow being taken out in the ninth last night, and the team rallying back from a 4-1 deficit today.
Dave Bush struggled a bit last night, and left the game in the middle of the 6th with his team down 4-1. The Crew then rallied in the bottom, scoring 5 runs, and staking Dave to a win. An insurance run in the 7th seemed to ensure that Bush would get the win. Then the unthinkable happened. Derrick Turnbow came in and put the tying run on base. Brian Shouse plated it. Bush's win was gone, and he had to settle for a no-decision. Young rightie Jose Capellan, who has been outstanding lately, came in and cleaned up the mess to get his team back in the dugout.
Manager Ned Yost admitted later that it might not have been the best decision to pull Turnbow with a save still on the line, but hindsight is always 20/20. The bottom line is that the Brewers pulled out a win, thanks to Geoff Jenkins' walk off single to deep right field.
Geoff was the hero again today, hitting a double in the 7th, and driving in what turned out to be the winning runs. Chad Moeller got things started in the 7th with a two run homer to put the crew on the board, but still trailing by two. Carlos Lee scored Jeff Cirillo with a sac fly, and Jenkins finished it off.
Dana Eveland was shaky again, giving up three runs in the first inning. He also walked four and struck out only six in his five innings. Justin Lehr was near flawless in his two frames, striking out three, and surrendering only one hit. Dan Kolb and Brian Shouse worked the 8th, and Turnbow wrapped up the 9th, recording his 13th save of the season.
I have to commend Jorge de la Rosa, as well, for his outstanding performances of late. I get really nervous when Jorge comes into a game, because he's a bit of Jeckyll and Hyde pitcher, and you never know which one you're gonna get. But I have to admit, he's looked really sharp his last few outings. I hope this is a sign of things to come. What a great boost it would be to the bullpen to be able to rely on Jorge in tight games.
So after this series, it seems that the Brewers have become quite adept at snapping opponents' streaks. They did it to San Diego, then the Mets, and now the Phillies. Great job guys, but I have to ask you to stop. The Minnesota Twins are coming to town on a five game losing streak. Let's not snap that one, ok?
Doug Davis leads the Crew tomorrow night against Francisco Liriano and the rest of the Twins in the first game of interleague play. Liriano is 1-0 after 12 games, but no starts. He's thrown 22.1 innings, notching 32 punchouts, and only four walks. He's given up only one homerun, eight earned runs, and 27 hits. Not bad. However, Liriano hasn't thrown more than three innings in any of his outings. This could bode well for the Crew.
Doug struggled in some of his earlier outings, but he seems to have cured whatever what ailing him. He's looked much better in his last few outings, more like the Doug Davis we've come to know. He's still dealing with a few too many walks, but that's just classic Doug. Our 8th season veteran should be A-OK against their 2nd season newbie. (knock on wood!)
Well that's all for now Brewer fans. Only three more games on this homestand, so let's all head out to the park and cheer for our guys! Until next time, go Brewers!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Capuano is Quality
Well last night was another outstanding outing for leftie Chris Capuano. He is now 9 for 9 in quality starts. He didn't get the win, sadly, but it was still a great night for Brewers baseball as the Crew defeated the Phillies 3-2.
Cappy was staked to a win until the 7th inning, when he gave up a run to tie the game. He tossed seven complete innings, scattering only six hits and one walk while striking out seven. 67 of his 95 pitches were for strikes. Newcomer Brian Shouse threw the 8th inning. Three batters, seven pitches, three outs, inning over.
Derrick Turnbow, of course, made an appearance in the 9th, and went on to get the win. He gave up one walk and one hit, but that one hit was a triple that threatened to put the Phillies back in the lead. Derrick managed to work out of it and get the guys back in the dugout.
The one negative last night was that we lost JJ Hardy for two to six weeks. JJ slid into Phillies catcher Sal Fasano and sprained his ankle. Luckily, nothing was broken, and we have Bill Hall to cover short stop. Corey Hart has been recalled from Nashville to fill JJ's spot on the roster. Get better soon, JJ!
There were a few interesting pitching manuevers last night by Philadelphia. At one point, they pitched around Geoff Jenkins to get to Carlos Lee. I'm assuming this was in an effort to get a double play. Why else would you want to pitch to Carlos Lee? He's been crushing home runs this season, and putting a couple of men on base in front of Carlos is never a good idea.
Then later in the game, they pitched around Corey Koskie to get to Damian Miller, who has been on fire lately. This was the fatal error, as Damian laid down a bunt right to the pitcher, but a throwing error to third allowed Bill Hall to come home and score the winning run. Guess they'll think twice next time about intentionally walking our guys.
Besides the fact that it's always great to win against a hot team, last night was an especially sweet win. St. Louis lost. Houston lost. Cincinnatti lost. The Cubs and Pirates won, but they're below us in the standings. The important thing is that we won while everyone above us lost. Guess the Mets followed my directions about beating the crap out of St. Louis. I hope they do it again tonight!
All right Brewer fans. It's now game time and Dave Bush takes the hill against Gavin Floyd. I'll be back after the game. Go Brewers!
Cappy was staked to a win until the 7th inning, when he gave up a run to tie the game. He tossed seven complete innings, scattering only six hits and one walk while striking out seven. 67 of his 95 pitches were for strikes. Newcomer Brian Shouse threw the 8th inning. Three batters, seven pitches, three outs, inning over.
Derrick Turnbow, of course, made an appearance in the 9th, and went on to get the win. He gave up one walk and one hit, but that one hit was a triple that threatened to put the Phillies back in the lead. Derrick managed to work out of it and get the guys back in the dugout.
The one negative last night was that we lost JJ Hardy for two to six weeks. JJ slid into Phillies catcher Sal Fasano and sprained his ankle. Luckily, nothing was broken, and we have Bill Hall to cover short stop. Corey Hart has been recalled from Nashville to fill JJ's spot on the roster. Get better soon, JJ!
There were a few interesting pitching manuevers last night by Philadelphia. At one point, they pitched around Geoff Jenkins to get to Carlos Lee. I'm assuming this was in an effort to get a double play. Why else would you want to pitch to Carlos Lee? He's been crushing home runs this season, and putting a couple of men on base in front of Carlos is never a good idea.
Then later in the game, they pitched around Corey Koskie to get to Damian Miller, who has been on fire lately. This was the fatal error, as Damian laid down a bunt right to the pitcher, but a throwing error to third allowed Bill Hall to come home and score the winning run. Guess they'll think twice next time about intentionally walking our guys.
Besides the fact that it's always great to win against a hot team, last night was an especially sweet win. St. Louis lost. Houston lost. Cincinnatti lost. The Cubs and Pirates won, but they're below us in the standings. The important thing is that we won while everyone above us lost. Guess the Mets followed my directions about beating the crap out of St. Louis. I hope they do it again tonight!
All right Brewer fans. It's now game time and Dave Bush takes the hill against Gavin Floyd. I'll be back after the game. Go Brewers!
Pen and Mike Luncheon
My coworker asked me yesterday to accompany him to a Pen and Mike Luncheon at the Milwaukee Athletic Club. I asked him what it was, and he told me it was a club for sportswriters and sportscasters, hence the name "pen" and "mike." Do I qualify as a sportswriter?
At any rate, I went with him and enjoyed some chicken parmesan while listening to Doug Melvin, who was the featured speaker. Since the Journal Sentinel and the Brewers' website have already fully covered Doug's remarks about the pitching staff, I want to tell you what he said about Rickie Weeks.
When asked what area the Brewers needed to improve, he answered, "Defense." He went on to talk about the errors, and specifically Rickie. He mentioned that Robin Yount had 44 errors in his second year in the majors, and told Rickie not to feel like he needed to break that record. (which, of course, prompted much laughter throughout the room) Well, Rickie is definitely on pace to do just that. With another error last night, Rickie now has a total of 13, and is on pace for 54 for the season.
Mr. Melvin also spoke about his time playing baseball, and how he became a general manager. He talked about some of his favorite trades (Richie Sexson from Arizona, from which we are still profiting), how hard it was to trade away the popular players every year (Richie, Scott Podsednik, Lyle Overbay), and how important it is for all of us to buy tickets, because more revenue = higher payroll = we get to keep good players (think Carlos Lee!). He didn't say the part about Carlos. That's just my own opinion.
So that's about it for the Pen and Mike Club luncheon. Until next time, go Brewers!
At any rate, I went with him and enjoyed some chicken parmesan while listening to Doug Melvin, who was the featured speaker. Since the Journal Sentinel and the Brewers' website have already fully covered Doug's remarks about the pitching staff, I want to tell you what he said about Rickie Weeks.
When asked what area the Brewers needed to improve, he answered, "Defense." He went on to talk about the errors, and specifically Rickie. He mentioned that Robin Yount had 44 errors in his second year in the majors, and told Rickie not to feel like he needed to break that record. (which, of course, prompted much laughter throughout the room) Well, Rickie is definitely on pace to do just that. With another error last night, Rickie now has a total of 13, and is on pace for 54 for the season.
Mr. Melvin also spoke about his time playing baseball, and how he became a general manager. He talked about some of his favorite trades (Richie Sexson from Arizona, from which we are still profiting), how hard it was to trade away the popular players every year (Richie, Scott Podsednik, Lyle Overbay), and how important it is for all of us to buy tickets, because more revenue = higher payroll = we get to keep good players (think Carlos Lee!). He didn't say the part about Carlos. That's just my own opinion.
So that's about it for the Pen and Mike Club luncheon. Until next time, go Brewers!
Monday, May 15, 2006
In Other News . . .
Carlos Lee was named Milwaukee Brewers Player of the Month for April, while Chris Capuano earned the title of Pitcher of the Month. These team honors are voted on by members of the traveling media.
Prince Fielder was named Brewers' Player of the Week by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after socking two homers in Friday nights' victory over the Mets. His second homerun of the night was a 475 foot blast, the second longest in Miller Park history. Russell Branyan still holds the top spot with a 480 foot shot.
I'd like to send out a warm welcome to Brian Shouse, who joins the Brew Crew from the Texas Rangers. Brian reported for duty Friday and was promptly put to work. He made his first appearance in Miller Park on Friday night against Carlos Delgado. Shouse is considered a left-handed specialist, something the Brewer bullpen hasn't had during Ned Yost's tenure as manager. Again, welcome to Brian and his family.
It looks like Tomo Ohka won't need surgery on his shoulder, and team physician William Raasch predicts Ohka will be back on the mound after the All Star Break. More news from the DL indicates that Rick Helling should be ready to pitch off the mound sometime this week. That's great news for the Brewer bullpen. Rick Helling has been sorely missed in long relief. We can't get him back soon enough!
Still no word, however, on when Ben Sheets might be able to resume throwing. He sure is making a lot of money riding pine. One poster on the Brewers' message board suggested that Sheets should return some of his salary until he can get up and earn it. Not a bad idea actually . . .
That's it for now Brewer fans. Until next time, go Brewers!
Prince Fielder was named Brewers' Player of the Week by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after socking two homers in Friday nights' victory over the Mets. His second homerun of the night was a 475 foot blast, the second longest in Miller Park history. Russell Branyan still holds the top spot with a 480 foot shot.
I'd like to send out a warm welcome to Brian Shouse, who joins the Brew Crew from the Texas Rangers. Brian reported for duty Friday and was promptly put to work. He made his first appearance in Miller Park on Friday night against Carlos Delgado. Shouse is considered a left-handed specialist, something the Brewer bullpen hasn't had during Ned Yost's tenure as manager. Again, welcome to Brian and his family.
It looks like Tomo Ohka won't need surgery on his shoulder, and team physician William Raasch predicts Ohka will be back on the mound after the All Star Break. More news from the DL indicates that Rick Helling should be ready to pitch off the mound sometime this week. That's great news for the Brewer bullpen. Rick Helling has been sorely missed in long relief. We can't get him back soon enough!
Still no word, however, on when Ben Sheets might be able to resume throwing. He sure is making a lot of money riding pine. One poster on the Brewers' message board suggested that Sheets should return some of his salary until he can get up and earn it. Not a bad idea actually . . .
That's it for now Brewer fans. Until next time, go Brewers!
Happy Mother's Day, Vergie Hall!
Bill Hall was determined to end Sunday's game against the Mets one way or another. He tried to do it with the sac bunt in the 8th that gave the Brewers the lead. He made an amazing throw to Prince Fielder in the top of the 9th, but Fielder couldn't hold on to it, and the Mets tied it up again. By the bottom of the 10th, Billy had had enough. Using his pink bat in honor of his mother, Vergie, and despite the three strikeouts he had already racked up with it, Bill drilled a two-out, walk-off home run to left field, giving the Brewers a 6-5 win over the Mets, as well as the win for the series.It seemed Bill knew that ball was gone from the moment he hit it. He threw his arm up, flipped away his pink bat, and trotted around the bases with that arm in the air. It was almost as if Bill was saying "take that" to Chad Bradford, who had not given up a homer this season. (Photo of Bill Hall taken by Morry Gash, AP) What a great gift for Vergie for Mother's Day, and a fitting end to her trip to Milwaukee. To say Bill Hall has been hot lately is an understatement, and again I send out desperate pleas to Doug Melvin. Multi-year contract! For pete's sake, multi-year contract!!
Derrick Turnbow had another rough outing, blowing his first save of the season. Well, like I said yesterday, he's not perfect. It was bound to happen sooner or later. The good news is that we ended up winning, and none of our pitchers had to take a loss. Now Derrick can breathe a sigh of relief that the first blown save, and first loss, are behind him, and he can go out and rack up another 12 saves in a row.
Damian Miller stayed red-hot yesterday, racking up two hits, including a three-run homer in the 2nd. Damian is on a ten game hitting streak, and currently has a batting average of .337 after 98 plate appearances. Lucky for the Crew and fans that Chad Moeller was down with the flu. Chad usually catches day games that follow night games to give Miller some time off. Miller says, though, that he feels better without the days off. It would certainly seem so.
Mets' starter Pedro Martinez had some nice words to say about the Brewers yesterday. "Every mistake I make is a home run, it's not a double," Martinez said. "Those guys must be good. Talk about being hot. Those guys are lucky, hot, they have it going offensively." Thanks, Pedro. Now you boys run along and beat the crap out of St. Louis, will ya?
Of course, not everyone had a great series this weekend, RICKIE!! Milwaukee is now not only second in the NL for errors, but also second in MLB. Mr. Weeks owns 12 of the 35 errors the Brewers have committed. He's now on pace for 51 errors for the season. That would beat Robin Yount's 1975 season total of 44. It's never a good thing to give teams extra outs, but when we're playing in one of, if not the toughest division in baseball, you can't give away outs and expect to contend for a playoff berth. JJ Hardy has been riding pine because he's been in a hitting slump. Why not let Rickie join him for a few games and keep Bill Hall's hot bat in the lineup?
My favorite southpaw takes the hill tomorrow night against the Cory Lidle and the rest of the Philadelphia Phillies. Lidle hasn't had a great season so far. He's currently 3-4 with an ERA of 5.12 after seven games and 38.2 innings. He's surrended only four homers and seven walks versus 38 strikeouts. Only four of his seven starts have been quality starts, however, as compared to our staff ace, Chris Capuano, who is eight for eight in quality starts. (and yes I know that technically Ben Sheets is our ace, but if Bill and Daron are calling Cappy our ace then I can too!)
Chris currently is 4-3, with an ERA of 2.83. He has given up four homers as well, with 13 walks, but this in addition to 49 punchouts over 54 innings. Maybe it's just me, but it looks like our guy might have an edge over their guy. We'll find out tomorrow night. I'll be there to cheer on my favorite pitcher, and I hope to see lots of you there as well. Until next time, go Brewers!
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Bobblehead Night Unlucky for Turnbow
Ok, we knew it would happen eventually. Derrick Turnbow blew an outing. He's not perfect. Damn close, but not. Unfortunately, it had to happen on the night 45,150 fans turned up to collect Derrick's bobblehead doll, and the Brewers had rallied in the bottom of the 8th to cut a 4 run deficit.
The crowd was in an absolute frenzy going into the 9th inning. The Crew had tied the game with a 3 run shot from Corey Koskie, and a solo shot from Damian Miller. We knew without a doubt we were going to win that game because Turnbow is infallible. It just couldn't happen that he would blow his first win opportunity on his bobblehead night.
Well the gods were definitely not with Derrick last night. They sided, instead, with Paul LoDuca, who blasted a home run to give the Mets a one run edge that proved to be the nail in the coffin.
On the upside, Dana Eveland looked ok in his first outing of the season. He was pretty sharp in the first couple of innings, struggled a bit in the third, and lasted almost through the sixth. All of our starters got at least one hit last night, and we had the go ahead run at the plate in the 9th in the form of Corey Koskie. Home plate umpire Tim Tschida took the bat away from Corey, however, calling third strike looking to end the game.
Even though our team lost, it was still a good game, and I had a great time in the bleachers with my new friends, Leah, Jeff, and Sharon. Leah, you never told me your husband's name! I look forward to seeing a winning game with you guys in June!
Well the game is on and our Brewers are about the pick up their bats. Doug Davis is on the mound today against Pedro Martinez. Fingers are crossed that the Crew can pull out a win for this series. Until next time, go Brewers!
The crowd was in an absolute frenzy going into the 9th inning. The Crew had tied the game with a 3 run shot from Corey Koskie, and a solo shot from Damian Miller. We knew without a doubt we were going to win that game because Turnbow is infallible. It just couldn't happen that he would blow his first win opportunity on his bobblehead night.
Well the gods were definitely not with Derrick last night. They sided, instead, with Paul LoDuca, who blasted a home run to give the Mets a one run edge that proved to be the nail in the coffin.
On the upside, Dana Eveland looked ok in his first outing of the season. He was pretty sharp in the first couple of innings, struggled a bit in the third, and lasted almost through the sixth. All of our starters got at least one hit last night, and we had the go ahead run at the plate in the 9th in the form of Corey Koskie. Home plate umpire Tim Tschida took the bat away from Corey, however, calling third strike looking to end the game.
Even though our team lost, it was still a good game, and I had a great time in the bleachers with my new friends, Leah, Jeff, and Sharon. Leah, you never told me your husband's name! I look forward to seeing a winning game with you guys in June!
Well the game is on and our Brewers are about the pick up their bats. Doug Davis is on the mound today against Pedro Martinez. Fingers are crossed that the Crew can pull out a win for this series. Until next time, go Brewers!
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Brewers' Offense Rains Down on Mets
What an amazing victory last night. The Brewers once again possessed the holy trinity of pitching, hitting and fielding to beat the red-hot Mets 9-6. A surge of offense in the5th inning gave the Brew Crew a lead they never surrended, and they evened out their record to 18-18.
Dave Bush struggled through the first few innings, but still managed to get the win and a quality start. Geoff Jenkins was amazing with his not one, but two diving catches, and that clutch two-out, bases clearing double. Brady Clark displayed some very quick reflexes last night as he scrambled back to third base. I wonder if he got hurt trying to get back to the bag, because he had a big gash on his left arm today at the Milwaukee Art Museum event.
Let's not forget Prince Fielder, with another two-homer game last night. He crushed a tape measure home run to right center field, hitting the Road Runner sign. Turned out to be the second longest home run hit in Miller Park history, at 475 feet, second only to Russell Branyan's 480 foot blast. Then he went to left with a shot that landed in the Brewers' bullpen. That kid is going to do good things for this club, and I'm sorry I ever doubted him.
The offensive push in the 5th inning secured a win for the Brewers, and the first ever loss against the Brewers for Jose Lima. Daron Sutton had mentioned before the game that it was time to start snapping the winning streaks of opposing pitchers. Guess he was right.
Derrick Turnbow entered the game in the 9th last night after Dan Kolb faltered a bit, giving up 3 hits, a walk and a run. Suddenly with two outs, the game turned and became a save situation for Derrick. Of course, he came in, threw three pitches and game over, notching his 12th save in as many attempts. Derrick is now 51 for 55 in saves for the Brewers. It's hard to believe that he had never recorded a major league save before coming to Milwaukee. Just goes to show the talent and influence of a superb pitching coach like Mike Maddux.
It seems something almost magical happens to the Brewers when they play in Miller Park. They just came off a very disappointing road trip, but they get back here and everything turns around. Everyone chipped in last night. The pitching was on, the defense was solid, and the bats were certainly hot.
Hopefully that magic will continue tonight as Dana Eveland makes his season debut on the hill against Jeremi Gonzalez, who is making his debut with the Mets. Dana had a rough spring, to say the least, and pitched his way back into AAA before camp broke. According to skipper Ned Yost, Dana went down and worked out a lot of his issues. He left Nashville with an ERA of 0.75 through 36 innings. He surrendered only three earned runs over six starts, with one homerun, seven walks and 33 punchouts.
Dana will need calm nerves and a steady hand tonight, because he'll be making his start in front of a sell-out crowd. Approximately 45,000 fans will be on hand tonight to collect their Derrick Turnbow Bobblehead dolls, myself included. With any luck, Dana will collect his first win of the season, and the Crew will rise back above .500. Until next time, go Brewers!
Dave Bush struggled through the first few innings, but still managed to get the win and a quality start. Geoff Jenkins was amazing with his not one, but two diving catches, and that clutch two-out, bases clearing double. Brady Clark displayed some very quick reflexes last night as he scrambled back to third base. I wonder if he got hurt trying to get back to the bag, because he had a big gash on his left arm today at the Milwaukee Art Museum event.
Let's not forget Prince Fielder, with another two-homer game last night. He crushed a tape measure home run to right center field, hitting the Road Runner sign. Turned out to be the second longest home run hit in Miller Park history, at 475 feet, second only to Russell Branyan's 480 foot blast. Then he went to left with a shot that landed in the Brewers' bullpen. That kid is going to do good things for this club, and I'm sorry I ever doubted him.
The offensive push in the 5th inning secured a win for the Brewers, and the first ever loss against the Brewers for Jose Lima. Daron Sutton had mentioned before the game that it was time to start snapping the winning streaks of opposing pitchers. Guess he was right.
Derrick Turnbow entered the game in the 9th last night after Dan Kolb faltered a bit, giving up 3 hits, a walk and a run. Suddenly with two outs, the game turned and became a save situation for Derrick. Of course, he came in, threw three pitches and game over, notching his 12th save in as many attempts. Derrick is now 51 for 55 in saves for the Brewers. It's hard to believe that he had never recorded a major league save before coming to Milwaukee. Just goes to show the talent and influence of a superb pitching coach like Mike Maddux.
It seems something almost magical happens to the Brewers when they play in Miller Park. They just came off a very disappointing road trip, but they get back here and everything turns around. Everyone chipped in last night. The pitching was on, the defense was solid, and the bats were certainly hot.
Hopefully that magic will continue tonight as Dana Eveland makes his season debut on the hill against Jeremi Gonzalez, who is making his debut with the Mets. Dana had a rough spring, to say the least, and pitched his way back into AAA before camp broke. According to skipper Ned Yost, Dana went down and worked out a lot of his issues. He left Nashville with an ERA of 0.75 through 36 innings. He surrendered only three earned runs over six starts, with one homerun, seven walks and 33 punchouts.
Dana will need calm nerves and a steady hand tonight, because he'll be making his start in front of a sell-out crowd. Approximately 45,000 fans will be on hand tonight to collect their Derrick Turnbow Bobblehead dolls, myself included. With any luck, Dana will collect his first win of the season, and the Crew will rise back above .500. Until next time, go Brewers!
Milwaukee Art Museum "Masters of American Comics"
Museum members got up close and personal with four of the Milwaukee Brewers who were on hand today to promote the new exhibit, "Masters of American Comics." Milwaukee Brewers Chairman and Principal Owner Mark Attanasio is funding the Masters of American Comics visit to Milwaukee. Rickie Weeks, JJ Hardy, Brady Clark and Geoff Jenkins were on hand to sign autographs and take photos with eager fans.
The first hour of the event featured JJ Hardy and Rickie Weeks, and I was lucky enough to not only get autographed cards of the players drawn as comic book figures, but also photos with each guy. They were nice enough as well to autograph a hat and jersey for my niece and nephew. Brady Clark and Geoff Jenkins were the players on hand for the second hour of the event.
It was cool to meet JJ and Rickie, (even though I slam Rickie for his errors, he's still a nice kid), but I was waiting for Brady Clark. Brady has been my favorite Brewer since 2004, but he's almost impossible to meet. The autograph on my Clark jersey was obtained by a friend of mine, Tom Hecker, who has access to the clubhouse. Unfortunately, I couldn't accompany my jersey into the clubhouse, but at least it got signed!
So I was very excited to get the chance to meet Brady and tell him how great I think he is, as well as congratulate him on his baby girl, who was born last summer. Brady was super nice, and signed the gifts for my family members, as well as his comic card, and even took a photo with me. It's really nice when your favorite players turn out to be good guys off the field as well.
Geoff Jenkins was running late today, and showed up about 20 minutes after the start time. I still had time to get him to sign my items, though, and take a photo with me. I think I may have pissed Geoff off a little bit, however. The first half of last season, as you all know, Geoff wasn't playing so great, and I really didn't have a kind word to say about him. As a matter of fact, I cursed him up one side and down the other. Then after the All-Star break, it was as if someone lit a fire under Geoff that's still burning pretty well.
So I promised myself that if I ever met Geoff I would apologize to him. Well, I did, but he didn't seem to appreciate it too much. His handler seemed to think it was kind of neat that I was making my confession, but I don't think Geoff felt the same. Oh well. I did what I said I was going to do. I did tell him how spectacularly he had played the night before to try to butter him up beforehand, but I guess it didn't work. Guess I'll keep my confessions to myself from now on!
Some photos of the event are posted in my album for those of you who weren't there. I forgot my camera, though, and had to use my phone. So I apologize for the quality. But I guess it's better than nothing.
Damian Miller, Ben Sheets, Carlos Lee and Bill Hall will be appearing at the Museum next month as part of the same exhibit.
The first hour of the event featured JJ Hardy and Rickie Weeks, and I was lucky enough to not only get autographed cards of the players drawn as comic book figures, but also photos with each guy. They were nice enough as well to autograph a hat and jersey for my niece and nephew. Brady Clark and Geoff Jenkins were the players on hand for the second hour of the event.
It was cool to meet JJ and Rickie, (even though I slam Rickie for his errors, he's still a nice kid), but I was waiting for Brady Clark. Brady has been my favorite Brewer since 2004, but he's almost impossible to meet. The autograph on my Clark jersey was obtained by a friend of mine, Tom Hecker, who has access to the clubhouse. Unfortunately, I couldn't accompany my jersey into the clubhouse, but at least it got signed!
So I was very excited to get the chance to meet Brady and tell him how great I think he is, as well as congratulate him on his baby girl, who was born last summer. Brady was super nice, and signed the gifts for my family members, as well as his comic card, and even took a photo with me. It's really nice when your favorite players turn out to be good guys off the field as well.
Geoff Jenkins was running late today, and showed up about 20 minutes after the start time. I still had time to get him to sign my items, though, and take a photo with me. I think I may have pissed Geoff off a little bit, however. The first half of last season, as you all know, Geoff wasn't playing so great, and I really didn't have a kind word to say about him. As a matter of fact, I cursed him up one side and down the other. Then after the All-Star break, it was as if someone lit a fire under Geoff that's still burning pretty well.
So I promised myself that if I ever met Geoff I would apologize to him. Well, I did, but he didn't seem to appreciate it too much. His handler seemed to think it was kind of neat that I was making my confession, but I don't think Geoff felt the same. Oh well. I did what I said I was going to do. I did tell him how spectacularly he had played the night before to try to butter him up beforehand, but I guess it didn't work. Guess I'll keep my confessions to myself from now on!
Some photos of the event are posted in my album for those of you who weren't there. I forgot my camera, though, and had to use my phone. So I apologize for the quality. But I guess it's better than nothing.
Damian Miller, Ben Sheets, Carlos Lee and Bill Hall will be appearing at the Museum next month as part of the same exhibit.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Crew Comes Home for Nine
So what’s the deal with the Brewers and the West Coast? They just can’t seem to get anything going out there. There was that disastrous L.A. series, and now they were able to take only one game from the Padres. Yes they rallied last night, and managed to score five runs, but it still wasn’t enough. Hendrickson got lit up like a Christmas tree, and according to Ned Yost, “Your game generally goes on how your starting pitcher fares.” So right from the start, the Brewers must have known they were in trouble.
Hendrickson, who fared pretty well in his first outing at Miller Park when he relieved the ailing Ben Sheets, gave up five runs in the first inning alone, and was yanked after 2 1/3, allowing a total of seven runs. Fernandez fared a little better, and gave up only one run, but the damage was done. An 8-zip deficit in the 5th inning is no easy feat to overcome.
Couple the horrendous pitching with the fact that the top of our order, with the exception of Carlos Lee, couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat, and you have a very ugly series in San Diego.
So with this West Coast trip, the Crew falls to a game below .500 going into a nine game homestand. Mike Maddux definitely has his work cut out for him if he’s going to straighten out our pitching situation. We’ve picked AAA clean since two of our starters and our best long reliever are on the DL, and so far, what we’ve gotten hasn’t been too impressive. Our situation at the moment isn’t dire, but we need a big winning streak to keep it from becoming that way. At least we’re still ahead of Chicago!
Dave Bush gives it a go tonight against Jose Lima and the Mets. Lima is 0-1, with a 9.00 ERA. He surrendered seven hits and five runs in five innings of work, striking out five and walking four. Doesn’t sound too tough, but crappy pitchers seem to have a way of finding incredible stuff when they throw against the Brewers. Bush is coming off of an ugly outing against the Dodgers, when he was forced to start on short rest to fill in for Sheets. Maybe he’ll have his good stuff tonight.
Ok everybody. We’ve got nine games at home. Let’s all get out to the park and show our guys some support. I’ll see you all there tomorrow. Until next time, go Brewers!
Hendrickson, who fared pretty well in his first outing at Miller Park when he relieved the ailing Ben Sheets, gave up five runs in the first inning alone, and was yanked after 2 1/3, allowing a total of seven runs. Fernandez fared a little better, and gave up only one run, but the damage was done. An 8-zip deficit in the 5th inning is no easy feat to overcome.
Couple the horrendous pitching with the fact that the top of our order, with the exception of Carlos Lee, couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat, and you have a very ugly series in San Diego.
So with this West Coast trip, the Crew falls to a game below .500 going into a nine game homestand. Mike Maddux definitely has his work cut out for him if he’s going to straighten out our pitching situation. We’ve picked AAA clean since two of our starters and our best long reliever are on the DL, and so far, what we’ve gotten hasn’t been too impressive. Our situation at the moment isn’t dire, but we need a big winning streak to keep it from becoming that way. At least we’re still ahead of Chicago!
Dave Bush gives it a go tonight against Jose Lima and the Mets. Lima is 0-1, with a 9.00 ERA. He surrendered seven hits and five runs in five innings of work, striking out five and walking four. Doesn’t sound too tough, but crappy pitchers seem to have a way of finding incredible stuff when they throw against the Brewers. Bush is coming off of an ugly outing against the Dodgers, when he was forced to start on short rest to fill in for Sheets. Maybe he’ll have his good stuff tonight.
Ok everybody. We’ve got nine games at home. Let’s all get out to the park and show our guys some support. I’ll see you all there tomorrow. Until next time, go Brewers!
Monday, May 08, 2006
Brewers Can't Dodge Sweep in L.A.
Well I'm not really sure where to start today. The dismal LA series? The fact that Sheets couldn't pitch (again)? The fact that this would have been an excellent chance to boost our division standings? Nothing positive to focus on, that's for sure. Except maybe the fact that Dave Bush pitched fairly well on three days' rest. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get past the Dodgers, and the Brewers suffered their first sweep of the season.
So what's going on with Sheets? He started the season on the DL, and missed the first two weeks. Then he came in and pitched four games, only two of them well, and now he's out again? This is our "ace," who's making over $9 million a year, and this is what we're getting? He was out for, what, half the season last year, and isn't off to a great start this year.
Chris Capuano makes a fraction of Ben's salary, and he made every single one of his 35 starts last season. He's made every start this season. Doug Davis makes about a third of what Sheets is getting, but he made 35 starts last season, and has been there every five days so far this year. I'm just wondering what, exactly, we're getting for $9.6 million dollars?
Granted, 2002-2004, Ben was there for 34 starts, and his numbers were good. But it seems like once he got the big money, Ben went to pot. 22 starts last season, and only 4 this season? Do I know what should be done? No. I like Ben, except for the fact that he went to college at Northeast, and I'm a Northwestern girl, and his stuff is top notch when he can deliver. It's the "when he can deliver" part that worries me. $9.6 million seems like a whole lot of money to pay for what we've been getting from Ben lately. Sure would be nice to have some more money to throw at Carlos Lee. God knows he's earning his salary!
This past weekend in LA was the pits. The Dodgers were 12-17 coming into this series and the Brewers were 16-13. The Dodgers had lost their last five games. Seemed like we would have a great series, and make some headway in the Central division. But no, Nomar had to be a hero, not once but twice! Granted, the Dodgers got some help in the form of the crappy umpires and a magically shifting strike zone, but hey, let's face it. The Brewers didn't play so well.
Capuano notched another quality start on Friday, but there was little offense to back him up. At least he got out with a no decision and didn't have to take the loss. "Little Ben" Hendrickson pitched a respectable game on Saturday, filling in for Ohka only two days after picking up Big Ben's slack on Wednesday. He too managed to escape with a no decision when the bullpen took the loss in the bottom of the 9th. Thanks a lot Nomar!
As to what happened yesterday, I was taking a break from baseball. I know, who would have thought it, right? For once, I had something better to do than watch the TV and pull my hair out, but that's another story. So I did not watch or listen to the game, and after seeing the score, I'm glad I missed it. I'm also glad I missed seeing Rickie fumble for his 10th error of the season. Seriously, what's it gonna take for this kid to get it together? If this team wants to contend for the wild card spot, or at this point, a winning season, the errors have got to stop.
The Cubs got swept this weekend. Houston lost this weekend. St. Louis lost this weekend. Pittsburgh lost, but that's no big news. This weekend was a golden opportunity to make some headway in our tough division, but as it is, we stay in the same spot. But on the bright side, at least we are a game ahead of the Cubs.
Nothing too interesting to say today, unfortunately. I just needed to rant a bit and get it off my chest. Our guys have a day off in San Diego today before starting a three game set against the Padres tomorrow. The Padres swept the Cubs this weekend, and are coming off an 8 game winning streak. I'd love for our guys to snap it! Doug Davis goes up against Clay Hensley tomorrow in game one of the series, with Capuano to follow on Wednesday against Chan Ho Park. Come on guys! Time to stop this win some lose some cycle and start winning 'em all! Until next time, go Brewers!
So what's going on with Sheets? He started the season on the DL, and missed the first two weeks. Then he came in and pitched four games, only two of them well, and now he's out again? This is our "ace," who's making over $9 million a year, and this is what we're getting? He was out for, what, half the season last year, and isn't off to a great start this year.
Chris Capuano makes a fraction of Ben's salary, and he made every single one of his 35 starts last season. He's made every start this season. Doug Davis makes about a third of what Sheets is getting, but he made 35 starts last season, and has been there every five days so far this year. I'm just wondering what, exactly, we're getting for $9.6 million dollars?
Granted, 2002-2004, Ben was there for 34 starts, and his numbers were good. But it seems like once he got the big money, Ben went to pot. 22 starts last season, and only 4 this season? Do I know what should be done? No. I like Ben, except for the fact that he went to college at Northeast, and I'm a Northwestern girl, and his stuff is top notch when he can deliver. It's the "when he can deliver" part that worries me. $9.6 million seems like a whole lot of money to pay for what we've been getting from Ben lately. Sure would be nice to have some more money to throw at Carlos Lee. God knows he's earning his salary!
This past weekend in LA was the pits. The Dodgers were 12-17 coming into this series and the Brewers were 16-13. The Dodgers had lost their last five games. Seemed like we would have a great series, and make some headway in the Central division. But no, Nomar had to be a hero, not once but twice! Granted, the Dodgers got some help in the form of the crappy umpires and a magically shifting strike zone, but hey, let's face it. The Brewers didn't play so well.
Capuano notched another quality start on Friday, but there was little offense to back him up. At least he got out with a no decision and didn't have to take the loss. "Little Ben" Hendrickson pitched a respectable game on Saturday, filling in for Ohka only two days after picking up Big Ben's slack on Wednesday. He too managed to escape with a no decision when the bullpen took the loss in the bottom of the 9th. Thanks a lot Nomar!
As to what happened yesterday, I was taking a break from baseball. I know, who would have thought it, right? For once, I had something better to do than watch the TV and pull my hair out, but that's another story. So I did not watch or listen to the game, and after seeing the score, I'm glad I missed it. I'm also glad I missed seeing Rickie fumble for his 10th error of the season. Seriously, what's it gonna take for this kid to get it together? If this team wants to contend for the wild card spot, or at this point, a winning season, the errors have got to stop.
The Cubs got swept this weekend. Houston lost this weekend. St. Louis lost this weekend. Pittsburgh lost, but that's no big news. This weekend was a golden opportunity to make some headway in our tough division, but as it is, we stay in the same spot. But on the bright side, at least we are a game ahead of the Cubs.
Nothing too interesting to say today, unfortunately. I just needed to rant a bit and get it off my chest. Our guys have a day off in San Diego today before starting a three game set against the Padres tomorrow. The Padres swept the Cubs this weekend, and are coming off an 8 game winning streak. I'd love for our guys to snap it! Doug Davis goes up against Clay Hensley tomorrow in game one of the series, with Capuano to follow on Wednesday against Chan Ho Park. Come on guys! Time to stop this win some lose some cycle and start winning 'em all! Until next time, go Brewers!
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Sheets Fades as Hall Shines
Nine hits and seven earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. That's what was given up by our "ace" Ben Sheets last night in the Brewers 8-5 loss to the Houston Astros. After last night's outing, I really don't want to hear anyone pissing and moaning about how Ben doesn't get run support. He lost that game all by himself. Ben wasn't hurt. He simply said that this was only his fourth start, and he usually doesn't do well in spring. He also said that if he's still pitching this way in June to "knock him upside the head." OK Ben. I'll reserve judgment till a later date.
Someone who is not getting off to a slow start this season is Bill Hall. Looking back over my previous posts, I realized that I had totally forgotten to mention Bill and what a spectacular job he's been doing. Since I'd rather not focus on Sheets' negative outing last night, I'm going to accentuate the positive, namely Bill Hall. He was one hit short of the cycle on Sunday and Monday, and he socked another home run last night. That was the fourth consecutive game in which Bill has homered.
Anyone who was reading my posts on Milwaukeeworld.com knows I think the world of Bill Hall, and I was a little bit peeved when he was again bumped from third base in favor of veteran Corey Koskie. Koskie has proven to be a valuable asset, however, and his acquisition has given Hall a chance to really show what he can do, and I don't think anyone doubts what an enormous impact Bill Hall has on this team.
Ned Yost has been quoted more than once as saying that he does whatever he can do to get Bill into the lineup, and he has certainly stood behind those comments. He routinely plays Bill at third against lefties, and rotates days off between Rickie Weeks and JJ Hardy to get Bill playing time at second and shortstop. After last night's game, it seems that Brady Clark is going to enter the day off rotation, as Hall got his first start at center field while Brady sat on the bench.
To say Bill was spectacular in center last night would be somewhat of an understatement. He made one of the most amazing catches I've ever seen. It was absolutely incredible, proving again what a fantastic athlete this guy is. I sincerely hope that Doug Melvin has not abandoned the idea of a multi-year deal with Bill. I can't even begin to describe what a blow it would be to our team to lose Bill Hall.
He proved last night that not only can he play four, count 'em, four positions, but he can play each one as good as the next. Bill plays every position as if he's been playing it his whole life, with speed, precision and, surprisingly, modesty. He has been quoted most recently as saying that when he's batting, he doesn't think about what position he's playing. He just wants to do what he can to help the team win. What a guy. Doug, can you hear me? Two year deal, three year deal, four year deal. Whatever it takes, Doug, lock him in!
Of course I can't wrap up without pointing out that Rickie Weeks racked up two more errors last night. Maybe I should send him some super glue to keep him from dropping the ball. Or maybe he needs a bigger glove. And he looked so good over the weekend. Maybe I jinxed him by saying something nice. At any rate, we all know the Brew Crew can't expect to contend with teams like St. Louis and Houston with Rickie screwing up every other inning. Get it together, Rickie.
Moving on. Dave Bush takes the mound tonight against Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants, who have lost their last three games. Jason Schmidt will be doing the pitching for SF. It should be an interesting pitching duel tonight as both hurlers are similarly matched. They are tied with 26 punchouts each, Schmidt has given up 4 homers to Bush's 3, but Schmidt has issued three times as many walks as Bush. Bush's ERA is a bit lower than Schmidt's as well, 4.24 to 4.76. Hopefully Dave can deliver a better outing than Sheets. Mr. I Never Took Performance Enhancers needs only two more home runs to tie for second place with Babe Ruth. Let's hope he doesn't get 'em at Miller Park. Go get him, Dave. Until next time, go Brewers!
Someone who is not getting off to a slow start this season is Bill Hall. Looking back over my previous posts, I realized that I had totally forgotten to mention Bill and what a spectacular job he's been doing. Since I'd rather not focus on Sheets' negative outing last night, I'm going to accentuate the positive, namely Bill Hall. He was one hit short of the cycle on Sunday and Monday, and he socked another home run last night. That was the fourth consecutive game in which Bill has homered.
Anyone who was reading my posts on Milwaukeeworld.com knows I think the world of Bill Hall, and I was a little bit peeved when he was again bumped from third base in favor of veteran Corey Koskie. Koskie has proven to be a valuable asset, however, and his acquisition has given Hall a chance to really show what he can do, and I don't think anyone doubts what an enormous impact Bill Hall has on this team.
Ned Yost has been quoted more than once as saying that he does whatever he can do to get Bill into the lineup, and he has certainly stood behind those comments. He routinely plays Bill at third against lefties, and rotates days off between Rickie Weeks and JJ Hardy to get Bill playing time at second and shortstop. After last night's game, it seems that Brady Clark is going to enter the day off rotation, as Hall got his first start at center field while Brady sat on the bench.
To say Bill was spectacular in center last night would be somewhat of an understatement. He made one of the most amazing catches I've ever seen. It was absolutely incredible, proving again what a fantastic athlete this guy is. I sincerely hope that Doug Melvin has not abandoned the idea of a multi-year deal with Bill. I can't even begin to describe what a blow it would be to our team to lose Bill Hall.
He proved last night that not only can he play four, count 'em, four positions, but he can play each one as good as the next. Bill plays every position as if he's been playing it his whole life, with speed, precision and, surprisingly, modesty. He has been quoted most recently as saying that when he's batting, he doesn't think about what position he's playing. He just wants to do what he can to help the team win. What a guy. Doug, can you hear me? Two year deal, three year deal, four year deal. Whatever it takes, Doug, lock him in!
Of course I can't wrap up without pointing out that Rickie Weeks racked up two more errors last night. Maybe I should send him some super glue to keep him from dropping the ball. Or maybe he needs a bigger glove. And he looked so good over the weekend. Maybe I jinxed him by saying something nice. At any rate, we all know the Brew Crew can't expect to contend with teams like St. Louis and Houston with Rickie screwing up every other inning. Get it together, Rickie.
Moving on. Dave Bush takes the mound tonight against Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants, who have lost their last three games. Jason Schmidt will be doing the pitching for SF. It should be an interesting pitching duel tonight as both hurlers are similarly matched. They are tied with 26 punchouts each, Schmidt has given up 4 homers to Bush's 3, but Schmidt has issued three times as many walks as Bush. Bush's ERA is a bit lower than Schmidt's as well, 4.24 to 4.76. Hopefully Dave can deliver a better outing than Sheets. Mr. I Never Took Performance Enhancers needs only two more home runs to tie for second place with Babe Ruth. Let's hope he doesn't get 'em at Miller Park. Go get him, Dave. Until next time, go Brewers!
Monday, May 01, 2006
The Holy Trinity
The Milwaukee Brewers, fresh off of their series win in Chicago, looked at the Houston Astros tonight and said, "Bring it on!" The Brew Crew used great pitching, outstanding defense and timely hitting to defeat the Astros 4-2.
Where do I even start? Ohka finally managed to put together good back to back starts. He threw only 64 pitches, leaving the game after the 5th with a strained rotator cuff, but 40 of those pitches were strikes. He's also damn near unhittable with runners in scoring position. I think I heard Bill or Daron say that Ohka was 1 for 35 with RISP. Gotta love it. Good job, Tomo. Hope the shoulder's ok.
Jose Capellan threw two good innings, giving up a homerun. But that one run was the only hit he allowed in his two innings. I think we can expect to see really good things from this young right hander.
Matt Wise looked completely back to form tonight, giving up only one hit in his scoreless frame. He gets the win tonight, as the homerun given up by Capellan knotted the game at 2. Matt set the stage for his good buddy Derrick Turnbow to come in and finish it off, which he did in most impressive fashion.
He gave up a lead off hit to Lance Berkman, which could have been big trouble had Berkman been paying attention and hustled to second when Carlos failed to make the catch. Luckily he thought he was out and by the time he tried to run Carlos had recovered and held him to first. Derrick then wrapped it up by striking out the next three batters, notching his 9th save in as many attempts. Anyone else notice it looked like Derrick got his hair cut?
Let's talk about the defense tonight. How about Brady Clark with another diving catch in the 4th inning tonight? It was almost an exact replica of the catch he made in Chicago yesterday. His fielding percentage is at 1.000. Pretty damn good.
Then there was Prince Fielder with his diving stab at first base to take extra bases away from Taveras. I admit I was nervous when we traded Overbay, but Prince has been absolutely outstanding defensively. I think he's playing well above the caliber expected from a rookie.
Even Rickie Weeks was on top of his game tonight. A spectacular play in the 8th robbed Craig Biggio of a triple. Biggio whacked the ball to deep right field, but a precision, rocket throw from Jenkins to Weeks, then another pinpoint laser to Hall at third and Biggio was gone. Looks like Rickie has been doing something right in practice, because he has looked pretty good lately. About time Rickie!
The bats were still working hard tonight too. Homeruns by Carlos Lee and Bill Hall got the Brewers on the board, but timely hitting and manufactured runs won the game. Prince Fielder walked to lead off the 8th, then Bill Hall socked a key double, moving Prince to third. A sacrifice fly by Damian Miller scored Prince, then another sac fly from Brady Clark scored Bill Hall.
Tonight was a textbook example of how to win ballgames. Everything was working. The pitching was on, the defense was tight, and the bats were hot. I've been saying it all along. These guys can play, and play well, and tonight they proved it. Great, great game guys. Well done!
Now for a final thought. The game Wednesday against Atlanta wasn't broadcast on FSN, as most of you know, so I had to watch it on TBS. I was just glad it was on somewhere! After listening to the commentators that the poor folks in Atlanta are stuck with, I have to say I'm pretty glad we have Bill and Daron. They may not be the best play by play guys, but they are a hell of lot better than the guys calling for TBS. Althought I do have to laugh every time someone hits a foul ball, or "fowell," as Daron Sutton is prone to saying. But hey, they know what they're talking about, so you gotta love 'em!
That's it for tonight Brewer fans. Let's take this momentum into tomorrow's game and take another one from Houston. I'll be there to cheer our guys on to victory as Ben Sheets takes the mound against Fernando Nieve. Until next time, go Brewers!
Where do I even start? Ohka finally managed to put together good back to back starts. He threw only 64 pitches, leaving the game after the 5th with a strained rotator cuff, but 40 of those pitches were strikes. He's also damn near unhittable with runners in scoring position. I think I heard Bill or Daron say that Ohka was 1 for 35 with RISP. Gotta love it. Good job, Tomo. Hope the shoulder's ok.
Jose Capellan threw two good innings, giving up a homerun. But that one run was the only hit he allowed in his two innings. I think we can expect to see really good things from this young right hander.
Matt Wise looked completely back to form tonight, giving up only one hit in his scoreless frame. He gets the win tonight, as the homerun given up by Capellan knotted the game at 2. Matt set the stage for his good buddy Derrick Turnbow to come in and finish it off, which he did in most impressive fashion.
He gave up a lead off hit to Lance Berkman, which could have been big trouble had Berkman been paying attention and hustled to second when Carlos failed to make the catch. Luckily he thought he was out and by the time he tried to run Carlos had recovered and held him to first. Derrick then wrapped it up by striking out the next three batters, notching his 9th save in as many attempts. Anyone else notice it looked like Derrick got his hair cut?
Let's talk about the defense tonight. How about Brady Clark with another diving catch in the 4th inning tonight? It was almost an exact replica of the catch he made in Chicago yesterday. His fielding percentage is at 1.000. Pretty damn good.
Then there was Prince Fielder with his diving stab at first base to take extra bases away from Taveras. I admit I was nervous when we traded Overbay, but Prince has been absolutely outstanding defensively. I think he's playing well above the caliber expected from a rookie.
Even Rickie Weeks was on top of his game tonight. A spectacular play in the 8th robbed Craig Biggio of a triple. Biggio whacked the ball to deep right field, but a precision, rocket throw from Jenkins to Weeks, then another pinpoint laser to Hall at third and Biggio was gone. Looks like Rickie has been doing something right in practice, because he has looked pretty good lately. About time Rickie!
The bats were still working hard tonight too. Homeruns by Carlos Lee and Bill Hall got the Brewers on the board, but timely hitting and manufactured runs won the game. Prince Fielder walked to lead off the 8th, then Bill Hall socked a key double, moving Prince to third. A sacrifice fly by Damian Miller scored Prince, then another sac fly from Brady Clark scored Bill Hall.
Tonight was a textbook example of how to win ballgames. Everything was working. The pitching was on, the defense was tight, and the bats were hot. I've been saying it all along. These guys can play, and play well, and tonight they proved it. Great, great game guys. Well done!
Now for a final thought. The game Wednesday against Atlanta wasn't broadcast on FSN, as most of you know, so I had to watch it on TBS. I was just glad it was on somewhere! After listening to the commentators that the poor folks in Atlanta are stuck with, I have to say I'm pretty glad we have Bill and Daron. They may not be the best play by play guys, but they are a hell of lot better than the guys calling for TBS. Althought I do have to laugh every time someone hits a foul ball, or "fowell," as Daron Sutton is prone to saying. But hey, they know what they're talking about, so you gotta love 'em!
That's it for tonight Brewer fans. Let's take this momentum into tomorrow's game and take another one from Houston. I'll be there to cheer our guys on to victory as Ben Sheets takes the mound against Fernando Nieve. Until next time, go Brewers!
Capuano is Player of the Week
It looks like the rest of baseball has finally noticed what I've known all along: Chris Capuano is a force to be reckoned with. Chris beat out over 25 other nominees this week to take the title of National League Player of the Week.
Chris is currently tied with Curt Schilling for most strikeouts in MLB, with 40, and he pitched a masterful game on Sunday, shutting out the Cubs for a 9-0 victory for the Brewers.
In my opinion, Chris has long lived in shadow of Ben Sheets and Doug Davis, even though he posted 18 wins last season. I'd like to point out that no Brewer has notched that many wins since Teddy Higuera won 18 in 1987.
All six of Cappy's starts this season have been quality starts, meaning he threw at least six innings and gave up 3 or fewer runs, and his record is currently 4-2 with an ERA of 2.36. In his 42 innings pitched this season, he has struck out 40, and walked only nine. Again, Doug Melvin, I'm begging you. Long term contract! Lock him in for a few more years! This is one pitcher we cannot afford to lose!
The National League Player of the Week award is presented by Bank of America.
Chris is currently tied with Curt Schilling for most strikeouts in MLB, with 40, and he pitched a masterful game on Sunday, shutting out the Cubs for a 9-0 victory for the Brewers.
In my opinion, Chris has long lived in shadow of Ben Sheets and Doug Davis, even though he posted 18 wins last season. I'd like to point out that no Brewer has notched that many wins since Teddy Higuera won 18 in 1987.
All six of Cappy's starts this season have been quality starts, meaning he threw at least six innings and gave up 3 or fewer runs, and his record is currently 4-2 with an ERA of 2.36. In his 42 innings pitched this season, he has struck out 40, and walked only nine. Again, Doug Melvin, I'm begging you. Long term contract! Lock him in for a few more years! This is one pitcher we cannot afford to lose!
The National League Player of the Week award is presented by Bank of America.
Capuano Shuts Out the Cubs
Chris Capuano threw his first complete game yesterday at Wrigley, shutting out the Cubs in a 9-0 victory for the Brewers. Chris was damn near perfect yesterday, tossing 91 pitches, 69 for strikes, giving up only five hits, striking out six and walking none. He's now tied with Curt Schilling for the most strikeouts in MLB with 40. Congratulations Chris! Keep up the good work!
Speaking of good work, our Brewers were on a tear this weekend in Chicago. Rickie Weeks finally got his first home run of the season, and managed to get through the whole weekend without an error. Dare I say it, but his defense looked relatively strong this weekend. Prince Fielder socked two home runs, and everyone of our starting players got a hit and a run scored on Saturday, even Doug Davis. I was very happy to see that Doug finally recorded his first win of the season, and he certainly looked like he was getting his command back on track. Good going, Doug! I hope those hot bats are a sign of things to come and not just a fluke. We're going to need them against Houston!
Our guys definitely played some great baseball this weekend, without a doubt, but I'd like to revisit Friday's game. Yes I know we lost, but what is being overlooked, I think, is that the Brewers were hitting Maddux. I'm sorry to say it because I think he's great, but the game Friday was lost by our starting pitcher, Dave Bush. Maybe he had an off night, but he gave up way too many hits. That's neither here nor there at this point. My point is that everyone is talking about how Maddux is such a phenomenal pitcher, and don't get me wrong, there are very few of his caliber. But he did give up eight hits in that game, three to Geoff Jenkins alone. Granted I'm trying to extract some positive out of that negative, but I think it's something worth commenting on. If our guys, even just a few of them, can get eight hits off of a pitcher like Maddux, then that's definitely a good sign, and hopefully it will be a sign of good things to come.
One final thought. Ned Yost went into spring training asking his team to give him two more wins per month. The Brewers have ended April with a record of 14-11. Last season, the team finished April 10-13. After 25 games last season, the record was 12-13. No matter how you look at it, Ned got his two wins this month. Great job guys, keep 'em coming!
That's it for now Brewer fans. Don't forget our Brew Crew takes on the Astros again tonight at 7:05. Maybe Tomo Ohka can post two good starts back to back and take this one away from Houston. Until next time, go Brewers!
Speaking of good work, our Brewers were on a tear this weekend in Chicago. Rickie Weeks finally got his first home run of the season, and managed to get through the whole weekend without an error. Dare I say it, but his defense looked relatively strong this weekend. Prince Fielder socked two home runs, and everyone of our starting players got a hit and a run scored on Saturday, even Doug Davis. I was very happy to see that Doug finally recorded his first win of the season, and he certainly looked like he was getting his command back on track. Good going, Doug! I hope those hot bats are a sign of things to come and not just a fluke. We're going to need them against Houston!
Our guys definitely played some great baseball this weekend, without a doubt, but I'd like to revisit Friday's game. Yes I know we lost, but what is being overlooked, I think, is that the Brewers were hitting Maddux. I'm sorry to say it because I think he's great, but the game Friday was lost by our starting pitcher, Dave Bush. Maybe he had an off night, but he gave up way too many hits. That's neither here nor there at this point. My point is that everyone is talking about how Maddux is such a phenomenal pitcher, and don't get me wrong, there are very few of his caliber. But he did give up eight hits in that game, three to Geoff Jenkins alone. Granted I'm trying to extract some positive out of that negative, but I think it's something worth commenting on. If our guys, even just a few of them, can get eight hits off of a pitcher like Maddux, then that's definitely a good sign, and hopefully it will be a sign of good things to come.
One final thought. Ned Yost went into spring training asking his team to give him two more wins per month. The Brewers have ended April with a record of 14-11. Last season, the team finished April 10-13. After 25 games last season, the record was 12-13. No matter how you look at it, Ned got his two wins this month. Great job guys, keep 'em coming!
That's it for now Brewer fans. Don't forget our Brew Crew takes on the Astros again tonight at 7:05. Maybe Tomo Ohka can post two good starts back to back and take this one away from Houston. Until next time, go Brewers!
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