Hello again, Brewer fans. I made it back from the heat of Louisiana and now I'm ready to talk baseball. I kept track of my beloved Brewers via ESPN while I was gone, and I had to do a double-take a couple of times. Surely that crawl line didn't say we lost 6-5 to KC? I thought it was a joke the next day when I saw that we got shut out by KC. KC?? Are you kidding me?
I can deal with losing two to Detroit, ( I don't like it but I can deal), because they are the best team in baseball. But losing two of three to the worst? Exactly how do the Brewers plan to contend this season when they're getting shut out by the freaking Royals?? I can't comment too much on this series, however, because I didn't get to see any of it. Brewers highlights on Sportscenter, or even Baseball Tonight, are a very rare thing. Believe me, I was looking! Hell, ESPN didn't even feel it was necessary to include the final lines for our pitchers in the crawl.
At least we got the best of Chicago. We won one we should have lost, and lost one we should have won, but we took three of four from the Cubbies, and that's always a good thing. How sweet was it to watch Derrick Turnbow smoke a fastball past Derrek Lee yesterday? D-Bow pitched his first four-out game since last September, and notched his 23rd save of the season. Matt Wise was still suffering a bit (apparently) from the nasty run-in with the salad tongs, but he managed to get out of a couple of jams without two much damage.
I still don't understand how you cut your finger open on a pair of salad tongs. I can see a pinch maybe, but a bleeding cut? Do we need an instructional video sent to the clubhouse? Incidentally, Journal Sentinel Food Editor Nancy Stohs offered some safe dining tips to Matt in her column today.
Geremi Gonzalez recorded his first win as a Brewer, despite screwing up a play that my 4-year-old niece could have made. That goof cost the Brewers when Jacque Jones lined a two-run single to cut the Crew's lead 1. It also cost the Brewers in terms of their bullpen. Ned was forced to call in the cavalry sooner than he wanted to, but at least they got the job done. It wasn't pretty, but they got it done.
So as June fades into July, the Brewers are once again at .500, but can they stay there as they travel to Minneapolis to take on the white-hot Twins? The Twins have been on a definite hot streak lately, and they have a great record in the Metrodome, 27-10. This is not good news for a team that usually doesn't play great on the road. But hey, streaks are made to be broken right?
Carlos Villanueva is the man being given the ball tonight to try to do just that. The Twins are offering up Brad Radke to face Carlos, and Radke doesn't have a good history with the Crew. Radke is 3-7 against the Brewers, with five straight losses. Maybe our guys can take advantage of that.
On the other hand, Carlos has been doing his homework. Apparently his downtime in Chicago was spent watching film of Twins batters, and creating his own scouting report for each one. You gotta hand it to this kid. He's really not letting any of this phase him. How many young guys could keep it together the way he did when he made his first start against Cincy? On ESPN, no less! He's here and it seems like he plans to stay. Good on you, Carlos. Go get 'em!
NO MORE MOELLER?
It looks like backup catcher Chad Moeller may be in jeopardy of losing his job. Ned Yost wouldn't say for certain, but he did say that Chad's lack of productivity had the plate had been duly noted. I guess it's hard to justify keeping him around when we've got Mike Rivera tearing up AAA. Time will tell. We all know something needs to be done. We all know Chad was the last Brewer to hit for the cycle, (in 2004), but as Janet Jackson would say, what have you done for me lately?
INJURED ARMS ON THE MEND
It looks like our DL may get a bit smaller in the coming weeks. Tomo Ohka is scheduled to pitch this weekend in Brevard County, Florida. This will be the first of (most likely) three minor league rehab starts for Ohka. Ben Sheets is scheduled to throw batting practice this weekend in Minnesota, and says he might soon be ready for a rehab assignment. Jorge De La Rosa is currently on rehab assignment and combined with Travis Phelps last night for a five hitter in AA Huntsville.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Brewers are currently even at 40-40, while this time last year, they were 37-42. Not going to make any predictions, but it's always good when your current record is better than it was the same time last year. At the beginning of the season, Ned Yost set a goal to win 1 1/2 - 2 extra games per month in order to improve on last season's record. At five games better than last season after three months, (not counting tonight, obviously), it looks like the Brewers are on pace to achieve that goal.
And finally, as I was writing this post, I got a call from Kelly with the Milwaukee Brewers telling me I had just won four tickets to this Wednesday's game against Cincinnati. How about that? Until next time, go Brewers!
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 22, 2006
No Baseball for Me
Not by choice, of course. I'm leaving in the morning to go spend some time with my family in Louisiana for my niece's birthday. That means I won't be able to watch or listen to the KC series, and I'll miss the first two games of the Cubs series. Thank goodness for ESPN. At least I can find out each night who wins.
I also won't be able to post anything until after I get back Tuesday night. My sister has dial-up internet, which is about as reliable as Kerry Wood getting back on a mound this season, so I won't risk writing something that could be lost to cyberspace at a moment's notice.
Quickly though, I have to point out that Chris Capuano was once again outstanding yesterday. He kept his team in the game through seven innings, and his team gave him his 8th win. He also notched his 15th quality start of the season.
Props to Rickie Weeks for turning around that wicked fastball from Zumaya yesterday. Rickie also hasn't made an error in 16 games, I think. Way to go, Rickie. Keep it up!
Most importantly, I hope our guys don't get lazy going into KC thinking it's going to be an easy series. Let's not forget how we got embarrassed by Pittsburgh at PNC Park. That cannot happen again. Seems like that always happens when we play the teams who aren't playing well.
Anyway, I hope you all will pick up my slack and cheer for me while I'm out of town. I'll be back to root for the guys on Wednesday. Until next time, go Brewers!
I also won't be able to post anything until after I get back Tuesday night. My sister has dial-up internet, which is about as reliable as Kerry Wood getting back on a mound this season, so I won't risk writing something that could be lost to cyberspace at a moment's notice.
Quickly though, I have to point out that Chris Capuano was once again outstanding yesterday. He kept his team in the game through seven innings, and his team gave him his 8th win. He also notched his 15th quality start of the season.
Props to Rickie Weeks for turning around that wicked fastball from Zumaya yesterday. Rickie also hasn't made an error in 16 games, I think. Way to go, Rickie. Keep it up!
Most importantly, I hope our guys don't get lazy going into KC thinking it's going to be an easy series. Let's not forget how we got embarrassed by Pittsburgh at PNC Park. That cannot happen again. Seems like that always happens when we play the teams who aren't playing well.
Anyway, I hope you all will pick up my slack and cheer for me while I'm out of town. I'll be back to root for the guys on Wednesday. Until next time, go Brewers!
Monday, June 19, 2006
Close But No Cigar
Apparently, home plate umpire Brian Gorman isn't familiar with the "foot outside the batter's box" rule. If he was, then Magglio Ordonez would have been out before he had the chance to hit the double that scored what turned out to be the game winning RBI's. Most of you will remember that Brady Clark was called out on this very rule by Alfonso Marquez in Philadelphia back on May 27. Bill Schroeder and Darren Sutton commented that this was a very obscure rule, and one that was not called very often.
Well Marquez has made fans aware of this rule now, and many people around me in the stands were complaining about the lack of call on Ordonez's positioning in (or out, as it were) the batter's box. Personally, I don't give a crap whether this rule is enforced or not, but we can't have one rogue umpire who calls it when it suits him. It's gotta be all or nothing.
But back to my point, Magglio Ordonez had not just part of his foot, but his entire foot at least eight inches outside the back line of the batter's box. The rule says that a batter is out when he hits a ball, fair or foul, with one or both feet outside the batter's box. Brady had only part of one foot outside the box and he was rung up. Brian Gorman, are you paying attention?
I'm not saying that's the only reason the Crew lost last night, but it didn't help. Neither did that crappy throw from Matt Wise to first, or the crappy throw from Corey Koskie to first. Neither one of them had a play. Hold the ball, give up the base, but don't give up a run on a bad play, which is exactly what they did.
It really was a shame, too, because Doug Davis was brilliant last night. Doug held the Tigers to three hits through seven innings, walked only one (which is huge for Doug), and struck out nine. He also picked off a runner at first, although the first base ump didn't agree with me, or my entire section, for that matter. My section (213) was directly above first base, and trust me Eric Cooper, Doug nailed that runner, and you blew the call. (Seems like a lot of that was going on last night. No wonder the Tigers have the best record in baseball. Do they take this umpire team with them all the time?)
Before I forget, props to Geoff Jenkins for that spectacular catch he made last night to take a hit away from Pudge Rodriguez.
I'm not sure what's going on with Matt Wise. He used to be lights out all the time, but he hasn't been reliable at all lately. I never used to get nervous when Matt came into a game, but these days, it seems like it's a crap shoot whether he'll be on or off. He gave me one of his signed photo cards at a Friday night autograph signing, and told me I could throw darts at it. If he keeps pitching like he did last night and making stupid errors, I might take him up on it.
Moving on. Rick Helling is back with the Crew and takes the mound for his first start this season again Zach Miner. I mentioned the other day that this looks like it should be a good matchup for Helling, but I'm not one to say anything to jinx the team. As I mentioned the other day, Miner has thrown only 17 innings this season, and has allowed 14 hits, five ER's and three homers. He's walked five and struck out eight. During his last start in Tampa Bay last week, he threw 32 pitches in the first inning alone before he settled down. This is a matchup in which (hopefully) Helling's experience will benefit the Crew.
One negative that Rick will have to overcome tonight is Pudge Rodriguez. Rodriguez was Rick's catcher in Texas, and can provide probably the best scouting report the Tigers could hope to get. Rodriguez is a dangerous hitter in his own right, (.304 career average), but it's going to make it a lot worse that he probably knows what's going to be thrown at him. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Rick has something up his sleeve that Pudge hasn't seen.
That's all I have for this edition Brewer fans. Until next time, go Brewers!
Well Marquez has made fans aware of this rule now, and many people around me in the stands were complaining about the lack of call on Ordonez's positioning in (or out, as it were) the batter's box. Personally, I don't give a crap whether this rule is enforced or not, but we can't have one rogue umpire who calls it when it suits him. It's gotta be all or nothing.
But back to my point, Magglio Ordonez had not just part of his foot, but his entire foot at least eight inches outside the back line of the batter's box. The rule says that a batter is out when he hits a ball, fair or foul, with one or both feet outside the batter's box. Brady had only part of one foot outside the box and he was rung up. Brian Gorman, are you paying attention?
I'm not saying that's the only reason the Crew lost last night, but it didn't help. Neither did that crappy throw from Matt Wise to first, or the crappy throw from Corey Koskie to first. Neither one of them had a play. Hold the ball, give up the base, but don't give up a run on a bad play, which is exactly what they did.
It really was a shame, too, because Doug Davis was brilliant last night. Doug held the Tigers to three hits through seven innings, walked only one (which is huge for Doug), and struck out nine. He also picked off a runner at first, although the first base ump didn't agree with me, or my entire section, for that matter. My section (213) was directly above first base, and trust me Eric Cooper, Doug nailed that runner, and you blew the call. (Seems like a lot of that was going on last night. No wonder the Tigers have the best record in baseball. Do they take this umpire team with them all the time?)
Before I forget, props to Geoff Jenkins for that spectacular catch he made last night to take a hit away from Pudge Rodriguez.
I'm not sure what's going on with Matt Wise. He used to be lights out all the time, but he hasn't been reliable at all lately. I never used to get nervous when Matt came into a game, but these days, it seems like it's a crap shoot whether he'll be on or off. He gave me one of his signed photo cards at a Friday night autograph signing, and told me I could throw darts at it. If he keeps pitching like he did last night and making stupid errors, I might take him up on it.
Moving on. Rick Helling is back with the Crew and takes the mound for his first start this season again Zach Miner. I mentioned the other day that this looks like it should be a good matchup for Helling, but I'm not one to say anything to jinx the team. As I mentioned the other day, Miner has thrown only 17 innings this season, and has allowed 14 hits, five ER's and three homers. He's walked five and struck out eight. During his last start in Tampa Bay last week, he threw 32 pitches in the first inning alone before he settled down. This is a matchup in which (hopefully) Helling's experience will benefit the Crew.
One negative that Rick will have to overcome tonight is Pudge Rodriguez. Rodriguez was Rick's catcher in Texas, and can provide probably the best scouting report the Tigers could hope to get. Rodriguez is a dangerous hitter in his own right, (.304 career average), but it's going to make it a lot worse that he probably knows what's going to be thrown at him. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Rick has something up his sleeve that Pudge hasn't seen.
That's all I have for this edition Brewer fans. Until next time, go Brewers!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Lee Delivers Sweep for Crew
The Brewers are back to .500 tonight thanks in large part to Carlos Lee. Carlos delivered a one-out, two-run homer to propel the Crew to a 6-3 victory over the Indians today. It was the third victory in as many days for the Brewers, who swept Cleveland in the weekend series. Let's recap.
FRIDAY
Chris Capuano pitched probably the best game of his career Friday night, tossing seven outstanding innings, limited the Tribe to only six hits, two runs, and recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts. In those seven innings, he threw 109 pitches, 74 for strikes. Friday's game marked the 14th quality start of the season for Chris. Incidentally, he know holds the record alone for the most quality starts in MLB, as Mike Mussina got tagged for six ER's in 5.2 innings of work on Thursday. Mussina is now 13 for 15 in quality starts, and Cappy is 14 for 15. Good job, Cap!
Chris was definitely on top of his game Friday, and has picked up more than his share of the slack left by the ailing Sheets and Ohka. Apparently he changed his between-starts routine, and it seemed to have worked like a charm. Congrats, Chris!
Another positive I noticed was Rickie Weeks' lack of errors in recent games. Could it be that he's finally worked out whatever was causing his fumble fingers? Only time will tell, but it's encouraging so far that he hasn't committed an error since June 4. Keep it up Rickie!
I'm sure many of you remember the day that Brady Clark was called out for having part of his foot outside the batter's box a couple of weeks ago. Well I noticed Friday night that Travis Hafner had his entire foot outside of the box on every at-bat. I guess no one else really follows that rule, huh? Too bad for Brady that day that he didn't have Joe Brinkman behind the plate. I've included a photo of Hafner in the batter's box. It's not a great shot, but I'd be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts on the foot placement.
SATURDAY
Dave Bush continued the pitching mastery on Saturday night, going eight innings for the Crew, allowing only two runs on four hits. Bush has struggled with consistency a bit this season, so it was great to see him pitch so well. He didn't strike out twelve, but he kept his team in the game. Bush was tough tonight, and it sucked he couldn't get the win. He threw 75 of 110 pitches for strikes, fanned 6, and walked only two. The win went to Jose Capellan, who pitched a scoreless 9th, allowing only two hits.
The team got the win, though, thanks to a laser beam shot to right field off the bat of Geoff Jenkins in the bottom of the 9th. I must admit I groaned a bit when Geoff came up to bat, because he has been so streaky lately, and prone to strikeouts. But he delivered big time on Saturday, and clinched the series win with his big one-out single. Guess he felt like he needed to do something to get the crowd to stop booing him.
The defense was strong again, and no errors for anyone. Gotta keep that up!
SUNDAY
Bill Hall hit a walk-off home run on Mother's Day, and Carlos Lee countered with one of his own on Father's Day, securing the three-game sweep for the Crew. This series marks the first time the Brewers have swept the Indians since 1989.
Zach Jackson wasn't particularly sharp today, lasting only three innings. But he did manage to get out of a couple of jams, and allowed only two runs on eight hits. He wasn't pitching badly; 50 of his 78 throws were for strikes, but I think Ned thought it best to get him out of there while the getting was still good. He did record his first major league (and first professional) hit of his career, and scored his first run when Corey Koskie hit one out to right field.
Geremi Gonzalez managed to hold the Indians down during his three innings of work, allowing only one run on two hits. Dan Kolb and Brian Shouse each tossed a scoreless inning, and Derrick Turnbow finished it off, striking out the side to record the win.
As I predicted on Thursday, this was a great series, and every game came down to pitching. For a change, thankfully, our guys got it done better, and got run support when it counted. The whole team contributed offensively throughout the series, and played tight defense as well. Our pitching staff seems to have further stabilized, and finally, finally, thank goodness, Rick Helling is ready to come off the DL.
It's not yet clear what his role will be once a change is made, but Tuesday's pitching roster has been changed from Villanueva to "to be announced." Based on that, it looks like Helling will get the start on Tuesday, but you never know. It was announced originally that Jackson would get the start on Monday, which meant Davis would have started today. But Ned decided Saturday to switch it around so that everyone would get five days rest instead of four.
HERE COME THE TIGERS
I'm actually glad that he made that change. The Detroit Tigers come to town for a three game series starting tomorrow, and this team currently has the best record in MLB. Not that I doubt Jackson's ability, but I much prefer having veterans going up against a team like Detroit. If Helling does get the start on Tuesday, (Tuesday's schedule on Yahoo! sports lists Helling as the starting pitcher), then we'll have Davis, Helling and Capuano taking on the Tigers.
This is going to be a tough series for the Brewers, but they seem to play well against teams that are doing well, so maybe that will be the case again this time. The pitching matchups look to make for some interesting games. Doug Davis, (4-4, 5.07) faces Jeremy Bonderman, (6-4, 5.07) tomorrow night, Rick Helling, (no stats) possibly takes on Zach Miner, (2-1, 2.65) on Tuesday, and Chris Capuano, (7-4, 3.30) will duel with Nate Robertson, (7-3, 3.43) on Wednesday afternoon.
Zach Miner could be the reason for the Villanueva-Helling switch, if that is in fact the case. Miner has appeared in only three games for Detroit, tossing seventeen total innings. Perhaps Ned thinks this would be a good match up for easing Helling back into the rotation. I don't know, but it should be interesting.
But all in all, this was a fantastic weekend for Brewers baseball. They swept the Tribe, made it back to .500, and have their most experienced pitchers on the mound to face, at least statistically, the best team in baseball. Let's all head out to the park and show some support! Until next time, go Brewers!
FRIDAY
Chris Capuano pitched probably the best game of his career Friday night, tossing seven outstanding innings, limited the Tribe to only six hits, two runs, and recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts. In those seven innings, he threw 109 pitches, 74 for strikes. Friday's game marked the 14th quality start of the season for Chris. Incidentally, he know holds the record alone for the most quality starts in MLB, as Mike Mussina got tagged for six ER's in 5.2 innings of work on Thursday. Mussina is now 13 for 15 in quality starts, and Cappy is 14 for 15. Good job, Cap!
Chris was definitely on top of his game Friday, and has picked up more than his share of the slack left by the ailing Sheets and Ohka. Apparently he changed his between-starts routine, and it seemed to have worked like a charm. Congrats, Chris!
Another positive I noticed was Rickie Weeks' lack of errors in recent games. Could it be that he's finally worked out whatever was causing his fumble fingers? Only time will tell, but it's encouraging so far that he hasn't committed an error since June 4. Keep it up Rickie!
I'm sure many of you remember the day that Brady Clark was called out for having part of his foot outside the batter's box a couple of weeks ago. Well I noticed Friday night that Travis Hafner had his entire foot outside of the box on every at-bat. I guess no one else really follows that rule, huh? Too bad for Brady that day that he didn't have Joe Brinkman behind the plate. I've included a photo of Hafner in the batter's box. It's not a great shot, but I'd be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts on the foot placement.
SATURDAY
Dave Bush continued the pitching mastery on Saturday night, going eight innings for the Crew, allowing only two runs on four hits. Bush has struggled with consistency a bit this season, so it was great to see him pitch so well. He didn't strike out twelve, but he kept his team in the game. Bush was tough tonight, and it sucked he couldn't get the win. He threw 75 of 110 pitches for strikes, fanned 6, and walked only two. The win went to Jose Capellan, who pitched a scoreless 9th, allowing only two hits.
The team got the win, though, thanks to a laser beam shot to right field off the bat of Geoff Jenkins in the bottom of the 9th. I must admit I groaned a bit when Geoff came up to bat, because he has been so streaky lately, and prone to strikeouts. But he delivered big time on Saturday, and clinched the series win with his big one-out single. Guess he felt like he needed to do something to get the crowd to stop booing him.
The defense was strong again, and no errors for anyone. Gotta keep that up!
SUNDAY
Bill Hall hit a walk-off home run on Mother's Day, and Carlos Lee countered with one of his own on Father's Day, securing the three-game sweep for the Crew. This series marks the first time the Brewers have swept the Indians since 1989.
Zach Jackson wasn't particularly sharp today, lasting only three innings. But he did manage to get out of a couple of jams, and allowed only two runs on eight hits. He wasn't pitching badly; 50 of his 78 throws were for strikes, but I think Ned thought it best to get him out of there while the getting was still good. He did record his first major league (and first professional) hit of his career, and scored his first run when Corey Koskie hit one out to right field.
Geremi Gonzalez managed to hold the Indians down during his three innings of work, allowing only one run on two hits. Dan Kolb and Brian Shouse each tossed a scoreless inning, and Derrick Turnbow finished it off, striking out the side to record the win.
As I predicted on Thursday, this was a great series, and every game came down to pitching. For a change, thankfully, our guys got it done better, and got run support when it counted. The whole team contributed offensively throughout the series, and played tight defense as well. Our pitching staff seems to have further stabilized, and finally, finally, thank goodness, Rick Helling is ready to come off the DL.
It's not yet clear what his role will be once a change is made, but Tuesday's pitching roster has been changed from Villanueva to "to be announced." Based on that, it looks like Helling will get the start on Tuesday, but you never know. It was announced originally that Jackson would get the start on Monday, which meant Davis would have started today. But Ned decided Saturday to switch it around so that everyone would get five days rest instead of four.
HERE COME THE TIGERS
I'm actually glad that he made that change. The Detroit Tigers come to town for a three game series starting tomorrow, and this team currently has the best record in MLB. Not that I doubt Jackson's ability, but I much prefer having veterans going up against a team like Detroit. If Helling does get the start on Tuesday, (Tuesday's schedule on Yahoo! sports lists Helling as the starting pitcher), then we'll have Davis, Helling and Capuano taking on the Tigers.
This is going to be a tough series for the Brewers, but they seem to play well against teams that are doing well, so maybe that will be the case again this time. The pitching matchups look to make for some interesting games. Doug Davis, (4-4, 5.07) faces Jeremy Bonderman, (6-4, 5.07) tomorrow night, Rick Helling, (no stats) possibly takes on Zach Miner, (2-1, 2.65) on Tuesday, and Chris Capuano, (7-4, 3.30) will duel with Nate Robertson, (7-3, 3.43) on Wednesday afternoon.
Zach Miner could be the reason for the Villanueva-Helling switch, if that is in fact the case. Miner has appeared in only three games for Detroit, tossing seventeen total innings. Perhaps Ned thinks this would be a good match up for easing Helling back into the rotation. I don't know, but it should be interesting.
But all in all, this was a fantastic weekend for Brewers baseball. They swept the Tribe, made it back to .500, and have their most experienced pitchers on the mound to face, at least statistically, the best team in baseball. Let's all head out to the park and show some support! Until next time, go Brewers!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad
The Brewers finally managed to win on the road this week, taking two games of three from the hard hitting Cincinnati Reds. Of course, they played only three games on this road trip, but I'm focusing on the positive here.
And speaking of positive, how about Carlos Villanueva? I don't know if it was a fluke, beginner's luck, or the fact that there wasn't much in the way of a scouting report on him, but this kid kicked butt yesterday. Thank goodness we had a good start the day we were on national television!
Carlos threw six innings, gave up four hits, and no runs. No runs! In his first major league start. Starts don't get much more quality than that. Leave it to the rookies to show up the veterans yesterday. Reds rookie pitcher Elizardo Ramirez was on the mound for Cincy. It was a pitchers duel to the end, and their side won, unfortunately, when veteran pitcher Dan Kolb who gave up the game-winning home run to Adam Dunn.
But back to the positive. I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but it seems like the sinking ship that has been our pitching staff is starting to bail out the water and right itself. Newbie Zach Jackson was confident, aggressive and effective in his start, and Villanueva was just about lights out yesterday. If this continues, it means we will have a starting rotation that isn't rotating. It means we might have an effective starting rotation that can carry the team until Tomo Ohko and (if?) Ben Sheets return from the DL.
Couple this with the fact that Rick Helling is scheduled to make another rehab start tonight, meaning he could actually be back in the lineup on Tuesday. Again, I hate to get ahead of myself, but it seems things are looking up for the Brewer bullpen. (fingers crossed, knock on wood!)
I certainly hope that is the case as interleague play resumes this weekend when the Crew takes on the Cleveland Indians. These two teams seem to be pretty well matched. Both are three under .500, and are at about the same spot in the standings. Cleveland is 3rd of five teams in the their division, and we are 4th of six teams in ours.
The Brewers do seem to have one big advantage. The Indians don't play great on the road, and the Crew plays better at home. Cleveland is 13-19 on the road, and the Brewers are 21-15 at home. We have our most reliable pitcher on the mound tomorrow night (Chris Capuano for those of you who have been living under a rock the last couple of months), followed by Dave Bush on Saturday and Doug Davis on Sunday. Cappy will face CC Sabathia, Bush goes up against Jake Westbrook, and Davis takes on Paul Byrd.
The pitching seems fairly well matched up too. Sabathia is 5-2, 2.62 and Cappy is 6-4, 3.35. Bush is 4-6, 5.04 and Westbrook is 6-3, 4.77. Finally, Davis is 4-4, 5.07, while Byrd is 5-5, 4.81. (Technically, Zack Jackson should be up to pitch on Sunday, and is listed as the starting pitcher on Yahoo! sports, but I read in the Journal Sentinel that Jackson's start will be pushed back to Monday in order to keep Cappy, Dave and Doug on their normal rotation.)
At any rate, it should be a fun series. Friday night is autograph night, and Sunday is Cecil Cooper Bobblehead day, so come on out and cheer on our guys. Until next time, go Brewers!
And speaking of positive, how about Carlos Villanueva? I don't know if it was a fluke, beginner's luck, or the fact that there wasn't much in the way of a scouting report on him, but this kid kicked butt yesterday. Thank goodness we had a good start the day we were on national television!
Carlos threw six innings, gave up four hits, and no runs. No runs! In his first major league start. Starts don't get much more quality than that. Leave it to the rookies to show up the veterans yesterday. Reds rookie pitcher Elizardo Ramirez was on the mound for Cincy. It was a pitchers duel to the end, and their side won, unfortunately, when veteran pitcher Dan Kolb who gave up the game-winning home run to Adam Dunn.
But back to the positive. I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but it seems like the sinking ship that has been our pitching staff is starting to bail out the water and right itself. Newbie Zach Jackson was confident, aggressive and effective in his start, and Villanueva was just about lights out yesterday. If this continues, it means we will have a starting rotation that isn't rotating. It means we might have an effective starting rotation that can carry the team until Tomo Ohko and (if?) Ben Sheets return from the DL.
Couple this with the fact that Rick Helling is scheduled to make another rehab start tonight, meaning he could actually be back in the lineup on Tuesday. Again, I hate to get ahead of myself, but it seems things are looking up for the Brewer bullpen. (fingers crossed, knock on wood!)
I certainly hope that is the case as interleague play resumes this weekend when the Crew takes on the Cleveland Indians. These two teams seem to be pretty well matched. Both are three under .500, and are at about the same spot in the standings. Cleveland is 3rd of five teams in the their division, and we are 4th of six teams in ours.
The Brewers do seem to have one big advantage. The Indians don't play great on the road, and the Crew plays better at home. Cleveland is 13-19 on the road, and the Brewers are 21-15 at home. We have our most reliable pitcher on the mound tomorrow night (Chris Capuano for those of you who have been living under a rock the last couple of months), followed by Dave Bush on Saturday and Doug Davis on Sunday. Cappy will face CC Sabathia, Bush goes up against Jake Westbrook, and Davis takes on Paul Byrd.
The pitching seems fairly well matched up too. Sabathia is 5-2, 2.62 and Cappy is 6-4, 3.35. Bush is 4-6, 5.04 and Westbrook is 6-3, 4.77. Finally, Davis is 4-4, 5.07, while Byrd is 5-5, 4.81. (Technically, Zack Jackson should be up to pitch on Sunday, and is listed as the starting pitcher on Yahoo! sports, but I read in the Journal Sentinel that Jackson's start will be pushed back to Monday in order to keep Cappy, Dave and Doug on their normal rotation.)
At any rate, it should be a fun series. Friday night is autograph night, and Sunday is Cecil Cooper Bobblehead day, so come on out and cheer on our guys. Until next time, go Brewers!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Lucky #13
How about Zach Jackson tonight? True, it wasn't a quality start, but he kept his team in the game, and his team gave him his first major league win as the Brewers defeated the Reds 6-5 in Cincinnati. Congratulations Zach on a job well done.
Zach, in only his second big league start, pitched seven strong innings. It wasn't necessarily a pretty outing for Zach, allowing four home runs, nine hits and five earned runs. But he struck out six, and walked none. That is huge. This kid came up from AA, and has been outstanding. He spent only one year in the minors, but is pitching like he's been the majors for years. He's confident and aggressive, and doesn't get rattled easily. He's doing what Dana Eveland, Justin Lehr and all the others couldn't do; go after batters, keep the team in the game, and eat up a lot of innings.
Jackson's seven-inning stint preserved the bullpen, who had to eat up five innings yesterday when Bush couldn't go the distance, and five innings on Friday, when De La Rosa left the game with his finger ailment. If you haven't figured it out, I'm trying to avoid talking too much about the weekend series, as there wasn't much good to write about except, of course, Chris Capuano, who recorded his 13th quality start of the season. (Incidentally, I was at Alpine Valley Saturday night at the Jimmy Buffett concert, with my sports radio in hand, following the game between songs!)
But I digress. The point is that our bullpen is once again rested and should be ready to go tomorrow, if need be. Hopefully it shouldn't come to that, as Doug Davis gets the start tomorrow, and has been throwing the ball much better lately.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Bill Hall and his outstanding catch tonight. I thought for sure that ball would hit, but Bill made an amazing belly-flop catch to record the out. What an athlete that guy is. Once again, Doug Melvin, I'm begging you. Multi-year contract!!
As I have mentioned repeatedly, the team wins when everyone contributes offensively. Once again, everyone in the lineup, except Jackson, got a hit, a walk, or hit by a pitch. Rickie Weeks was on fire at the plate tonight, notching three hits, an RBI and a run scored. His good buddy Prince Fielder chipped in with two hits, two RBI's and a run scored.
All told, tonight was just a great effort by everyone on the team. There were outstanding defensive plays, smart at bats that resulted in walks and runs scored, and confident aggressive pitching. The holy trinity will win it every time.
As I mentioned, Doug Davis takes the mound tomorrow night against Bronson Arroyo in game 2 of the series. Arroyo has been pitching very well since joining the Reds, carrying an ERA of 2.31 and a record of 8-2. On the other hand, Doug is starting to become more consistent in his outings, and pitched seven innings in his last start, allowing only three earned runs. The Brewers need to jump on Arroyo early and make the Reds go to their bullpen, which has been struggling lately.
TO TRADE OR NOT TO TRADE?
I would also be remiss if I didn't address the Geoff Jenkins trade issue. One of my readers brought to my attention that I have been silent on the subject of Jenkins. (Thanks, Steven!) There has been a lot of talk lately about possible trades involving either Jenkins or Carlos Lee. Even Journal Sentinel columnist Michael Hunt put his two cents in today. I'm no GM, so I don't really understand all the finer workings of trades and salaries and such. Jenkins has been consistently productive, on average. The problem is that he goes through low lows and high highs. All those streaks and slumps average out to pretty good numbers over the course of his career. But it seems that he streaks when it really doesn't matter, i.e. we're already out of the hunt.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I apologized to Jenks for badmouthing him last season when he went through his slump before the All Star break. I felt bad because he had been on such a tear since then. Well I'm back to badmouthing, and this time, I won't apologize! I hate to see one of our "power hitters" go through such a slump, but I have to trust that the GM and Mr. Attanasio will do what's best for the team when decision time rolls around. I do know that Mark and Doug have money to work with, although the exact amount wasn't revealed. (Doug let that little tidbit slip at the Pen and Mike Luncheon last month.) So like everyone else, I will continue to jump and down and curse the television when Jenkins records 2-4 punchouts per game, and jump and down and scream when he starts hitting again. And like everyone else, I will wait and see what happens come July 31st.
Until next time, go Brewers!
Zach, in only his second big league start, pitched seven strong innings. It wasn't necessarily a pretty outing for Zach, allowing four home runs, nine hits and five earned runs. But he struck out six, and walked none. That is huge. This kid came up from AA, and has been outstanding. He spent only one year in the minors, but is pitching like he's been the majors for years. He's confident and aggressive, and doesn't get rattled easily. He's doing what Dana Eveland, Justin Lehr and all the others couldn't do; go after batters, keep the team in the game, and eat up a lot of innings.
Jackson's seven-inning stint preserved the bullpen, who had to eat up five innings yesterday when Bush couldn't go the distance, and five innings on Friday, when De La Rosa left the game with his finger ailment. If you haven't figured it out, I'm trying to avoid talking too much about the weekend series, as there wasn't much good to write about except, of course, Chris Capuano, who recorded his 13th quality start of the season. (Incidentally, I was at Alpine Valley Saturday night at the Jimmy Buffett concert, with my sports radio in hand, following the game between songs!)
But I digress. The point is that our bullpen is once again rested and should be ready to go tomorrow, if need be. Hopefully it shouldn't come to that, as Doug Davis gets the start tomorrow, and has been throwing the ball much better lately.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Bill Hall and his outstanding catch tonight. I thought for sure that ball would hit, but Bill made an amazing belly-flop catch to record the out. What an athlete that guy is. Once again, Doug Melvin, I'm begging you. Multi-year contract!!
As I have mentioned repeatedly, the team wins when everyone contributes offensively. Once again, everyone in the lineup, except Jackson, got a hit, a walk, or hit by a pitch. Rickie Weeks was on fire at the plate tonight, notching three hits, an RBI and a run scored. His good buddy Prince Fielder chipped in with two hits, two RBI's and a run scored.
All told, tonight was just a great effort by everyone on the team. There were outstanding defensive plays, smart at bats that resulted in walks and runs scored, and confident aggressive pitching. The holy trinity will win it every time.
As I mentioned, Doug Davis takes the mound tomorrow night against Bronson Arroyo in game 2 of the series. Arroyo has been pitching very well since joining the Reds, carrying an ERA of 2.31 and a record of 8-2. On the other hand, Doug is starting to become more consistent in his outings, and pitched seven innings in his last start, allowing only three earned runs. The Brewers need to jump on Arroyo early and make the Reds go to their bullpen, which has been struggling lately.
TO TRADE OR NOT TO TRADE?
I would also be remiss if I didn't address the Geoff Jenkins trade issue. One of my readers brought to my attention that I have been silent on the subject of Jenkins. (Thanks, Steven!) There has been a lot of talk lately about possible trades involving either Jenkins or Carlos Lee. Even Journal Sentinel columnist Michael Hunt put his two cents in today. I'm no GM, so I don't really understand all the finer workings of trades and salaries and such. Jenkins has been consistently productive, on average. The problem is that he goes through low lows and high highs. All those streaks and slumps average out to pretty good numbers over the course of his career. But it seems that he streaks when it really doesn't matter, i.e. we're already out of the hunt.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I apologized to Jenks for badmouthing him last season when he went through his slump before the All Star break. I felt bad because he had been on such a tear since then. Well I'm back to badmouthing, and this time, I won't apologize! I hate to see one of our "power hitters" go through such a slump, but I have to trust that the GM and Mr. Attanasio will do what's best for the team when decision time rolls around. I do know that Mark and Doug have money to work with, although the exact amount wasn't revealed. (Doug let that little tidbit slip at the Pen and Mike Luncheon last month.) So like everyone else, I will continue to jump and down and curse the television when Jenkins records 2-4 punchouts per game, and jump and down and scream when he starts hitting again. And like everyone else, I will wait and see what happens come July 31st.
Until next time, go Brewers!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Padres Out, Cardinals In
Talk about a great week for our starting pitchers to get it together. Chris Capuano, Dave Bush, Zach Jackson, and Doug Davis all notched quality starts this week, and pitched a combined total of 28 innings. This means that our bullpen had to pick up only eight innings all week, and that is great news for the Crew with the Cardinals coming to town today for a weekend series.
Chris Capuano started things off on Monday night with a win. He didn't have his best stuff, but he managed to keep the team in the game, and tossed six innings. He even contributed offensively with an RBI single. Chris took his record to 6-4, and the Crew snapped that ugly eight game losing streak, once again cementing Cappy's title of "streak stopper."
Dave Bush took over Tuesday night, and pitched a complete-game gem. Bush finished the game with only 105 pitches, 74 of them for strikes. Dave did it all on Tuesday. He was almost lights out on the mound, made some great defensive plays, and almost socked one out of the park. He had to settle for an RBI double, but still a great night for Bush. That Overbay trade just keeps looking better and better.
Zach Jackson made his first major league start on Wednesday and was fairly impressive. He gave up ten hits, but managed to induce three double-play grounders to end three different innings. Even though the team lost, Jackson didn't. The loss was credited to Matt Wise, who gave up back to back homers. The important things to take away from this, though, are that this kid came into his first major league start, pitched aggressively, showed no nerves at all, and pitched into the seventh inning. Not only that, but he almost hit one out of the park during his first major league at bat, and was on track to get a win from his first start. Did I mention that Overbay trade?
Finally, Doug Davis finished off the Padres on Thursday, throwing seven innings, holding San Diego to only thre runs, but was denied the win once again. Davis just can't catch a break when it comes to getting a decision. Besides going seven innings, the big shining bright spot of this outing for Double D was that he issued no walks. That is huge for Doug, who has been called stubborn by our on-air commentators. They say Doug would rather just walk some batters than give them something to hit. At any rate, Davis kept the guys in the game, and Brady Clark and Bill Hall delivered a win to take this series 3-1, and win the season series four games to three.
There were other heroics this week, for sure, but those of you who read this probably watch the games and read the sports sections, so you don't need me to rehash all the things you've already seen and read. I just mainly wanted to focus today on the stellar job done by our pitching staff this week. I just think it's going to be huge for us this weekend to know our bullpen is well rested and ready to take on the Cards, should the need arise.
Jorge De La Rosa takes on Mark Mulder tonight to start the series. In his last two starts, Jorge has started out strong, but faltered after a few innings. I think this might have something to do with the fact that he's still being stretched out as a starter. He went three innings in his first outing, then five in his second. If he can stay in and toss four or five strong innings tonight, keep the runs low, then our bullpen can come in and finish it off.
Mark Mulder, who carved up our Brewer hitters in the opener in St. Louis, has lost his last three starts. He's given up at least three earned runs in those last three outings, and got touched for eight against San Diego on May 28th. He's also allowed five homeruns in his last two starts, and gave up 12 hits to the Cubs on June 3rd.
Chris Capuano will challenge Jason Marquis on Saturday night. Cappy is currently 6-4, with an ERA of 3.31. He has recorded 76 K's to only 22 walks in 87 innings of work. Marquis has a record of 8-4, with an ERA of 5.03. He has notched only 32 strikeouts versus 31 walks in 77 innings. Marquis has a WHIP of 1.34 as opposed to Cappy's 1.18.
Sunday afternoon has Dave Bush facing off against Jeff Suppan. Bush's record is only 4-5, with an ERA of 4.45. His WHIP has remained low, though, at 1.14. Suppan, on the other hand, sports a 1.49 WHIP, 5.01 ERA and a record of 5-4. K's to walks for Suppan is 36 to 25, whereas Bush is 69 to 20.
Cardinals' pitchers have better records, but higher ERA's, than most of our pitchers. In my humble opinion, though, I think that has a lot to do with their power hitter Albert Pujols. I would imagine they typically get a lot of run support from him, as well as the rest of their lineup, so they can afford to give up a few runs here and there. But the Cards have lost three of the four games they've played since Pujols went on the DL. They were just swept by the Reds, and finished 3-6 in their last homestand.
I would say this is a great chance for the Crew to kick the Cards while they're down, but our guys seem to struggle against teams who have been struggling, and come on strong against the hot teams. This weekend would be a good time to reverse that trend. Until next time, go Brewers!
Chris Capuano started things off on Monday night with a win. He didn't have his best stuff, but he managed to keep the team in the game, and tossed six innings. He even contributed offensively with an RBI single. Chris took his record to 6-4, and the Crew snapped that ugly eight game losing streak, once again cementing Cappy's title of "streak stopper."
Dave Bush took over Tuesday night, and pitched a complete-game gem. Bush finished the game with only 105 pitches, 74 of them for strikes. Dave did it all on Tuesday. He was almost lights out on the mound, made some great defensive plays, and almost socked one out of the park. He had to settle for an RBI double, but still a great night for Bush. That Overbay trade just keeps looking better and better.
Zach Jackson made his first major league start on Wednesday and was fairly impressive. He gave up ten hits, but managed to induce three double-play grounders to end three different innings. Even though the team lost, Jackson didn't. The loss was credited to Matt Wise, who gave up back to back homers. The important things to take away from this, though, are that this kid came into his first major league start, pitched aggressively, showed no nerves at all, and pitched into the seventh inning. Not only that, but he almost hit one out of the park during his first major league at bat, and was on track to get a win from his first start. Did I mention that Overbay trade?
Finally, Doug Davis finished off the Padres on Thursday, throwing seven innings, holding San Diego to only thre runs, but was denied the win once again. Davis just can't catch a break when it comes to getting a decision. Besides going seven innings, the big shining bright spot of this outing for Double D was that he issued no walks. That is huge for Doug, who has been called stubborn by our on-air commentators. They say Doug would rather just walk some batters than give them something to hit. At any rate, Davis kept the guys in the game, and Brady Clark and Bill Hall delivered a win to take this series 3-1, and win the season series four games to three.
There were other heroics this week, for sure, but those of you who read this probably watch the games and read the sports sections, so you don't need me to rehash all the things you've already seen and read. I just mainly wanted to focus today on the stellar job done by our pitching staff this week. I just think it's going to be huge for us this weekend to know our bullpen is well rested and ready to take on the Cards, should the need arise.
Jorge De La Rosa takes on Mark Mulder tonight to start the series. In his last two starts, Jorge has started out strong, but faltered after a few innings. I think this might have something to do with the fact that he's still being stretched out as a starter. He went three innings in his first outing, then five in his second. If he can stay in and toss four or five strong innings tonight, keep the runs low, then our bullpen can come in and finish it off.
Mark Mulder, who carved up our Brewer hitters in the opener in St. Louis, has lost his last three starts. He's given up at least three earned runs in those last three outings, and got touched for eight against San Diego on May 28th. He's also allowed five homeruns in his last two starts, and gave up 12 hits to the Cubs on June 3rd.
Chris Capuano will challenge Jason Marquis on Saturday night. Cappy is currently 6-4, with an ERA of 3.31. He has recorded 76 K's to only 22 walks in 87 innings of work. Marquis has a record of 8-4, with an ERA of 5.03. He has notched only 32 strikeouts versus 31 walks in 77 innings. Marquis has a WHIP of 1.34 as opposed to Cappy's 1.18.
Sunday afternoon has Dave Bush facing off against Jeff Suppan. Bush's record is only 4-5, with an ERA of 4.45. His WHIP has remained low, though, at 1.14. Suppan, on the other hand, sports a 1.49 WHIP, 5.01 ERA and a record of 5-4. K's to walks for Suppan is 36 to 25, whereas Bush is 69 to 20.
Cardinals' pitchers have better records, but higher ERA's, than most of our pitchers. In my humble opinion, though, I think that has a lot to do with their power hitter Albert Pujols. I would imagine they typically get a lot of run support from him, as well as the rest of their lineup, so they can afford to give up a few runs here and there. But the Cards have lost three of the four games they've played since Pujols went on the DL. They were just swept by the Reds, and finished 3-6 in their last homestand.
I would say this is a great chance for the Crew to kick the Cards while they're down, but our guys seem to struggle against teams who have been struggling, and come on strong against the hot teams. This weekend would be a good time to reverse that trend. Until next time, go Brewers!
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Eight is Enough
Finally, finally something good to write about! Chris Capuano got back on his quality track, Dave Bush pitched a beauty of a game, our hitters found their swing again, and the defense has tightened up. The Brewers thankfully snapped their eight game losing streak Monday night, and have won two in a row against San Diego.
Chris Capuano got the ball rolling on Monday night, notching his 12th quality start of the season, and is again tied for the most in baseball. He didn't have his best stuff, but he managed to get out a couple of jams, and even pitched in offensively with a RBI single.
As I've mentioned previously, this team wins when everyone contributes offensively. Every single starter got on base Monday night, either through a hit or a walk. Brewer batters walked a total of nine times Monday, and Jeff Cirillo somehow managed to walk three times! Our offense took advantage of some not-so-great pitching from San Diego's starter Clay Hensley, chasing him after only 3.2 innings.
Our guys got through the game with no errors, two double plays and one masterful Capuano pick off. It was certainly nice to see them playing true to form after those miserable eight games.
That form continued on Tuesday as Dave Bush got a win in his second complete game of the season, and what a game it was. Bush pitched a three hitter, and didn't allow a run until the eighth inning. Dave even helped himself offensively with a booming RBI double that just missed being a home run.
The rest of the offense came mainly in the form of Geoff Jenkins, who went four for four Tuesday night, in his first game back after the collision with Prince Fielder Sunday afternoon. Jenks joked around after the game, saying he might have to let Fielder knock him out again. Rickie Weeks was three for four, Carlos Lee was two for four, and Corey Koskie and Dave Bush rounded out the offense with a hit apiece. Brady Clark pitched in with a walk and run scored.
Besides the fact that it's great our guys won two in a row, the pitching offered by Capuano and Bush over the last two games has given a much needed rest to our revolving door bullpen.
Speaking of that bullpen, Zach Jackson is the latest pitcher to take the hill for the Brewers. He goes up against Chan Ho Park tonight, who is 7-0 against the Brewers. The Crew has their work cut out for them with Park pitching, but maybe tonight will be the night they can snap his streak. On the flip side, with any luck, Jackson will be able to take advantage of the Padres slumping offense.
Well sorry to cut this short, Brewer fans, but it's 7:05 and that means it's time for baseball. Until next time, go Brewers!
Chris Capuano got the ball rolling on Monday night, notching his 12th quality start of the season, and is again tied for the most in baseball. He didn't have his best stuff, but he managed to get out a couple of jams, and even pitched in offensively with a RBI single.
As I've mentioned previously, this team wins when everyone contributes offensively. Every single starter got on base Monday night, either through a hit or a walk. Brewer batters walked a total of nine times Monday, and Jeff Cirillo somehow managed to walk three times! Our offense took advantage of some not-so-great pitching from San Diego's starter Clay Hensley, chasing him after only 3.2 innings.
Our guys got through the game with no errors, two double plays and one masterful Capuano pick off. It was certainly nice to see them playing true to form after those miserable eight games.
That form continued on Tuesday as Dave Bush got a win in his second complete game of the season, and what a game it was. Bush pitched a three hitter, and didn't allow a run until the eighth inning. Dave even helped himself offensively with a booming RBI double that just missed being a home run.
The rest of the offense came mainly in the form of Geoff Jenkins, who went four for four Tuesday night, in his first game back after the collision with Prince Fielder Sunday afternoon. Jenks joked around after the game, saying he might have to let Fielder knock him out again. Rickie Weeks was three for four, Carlos Lee was two for four, and Corey Koskie and Dave Bush rounded out the offense with a hit apiece. Brady Clark pitched in with a walk and run scored.
Besides the fact that it's great our guys won two in a row, the pitching offered by Capuano and Bush over the last two games has given a much needed rest to our revolving door bullpen.
Speaking of that bullpen, Zach Jackson is the latest pitcher to take the hill for the Brewers. He goes up against Chan Ho Park tonight, who is 7-0 against the Brewers. The Crew has their work cut out for them with Park pitching, but maybe tonight will be the night they can snap his streak. On the flip side, with any luck, Jackson will be able to take advantage of the Padres slumping offense.
Well sorry to cut this short, Brewer fans, but it's 7:05 and that means it's time for baseball. Until next time, go Brewers!
Sunday, June 04, 2006
This is Getting Painful
I just don't know what to think these days. My Brewers have now lost eight games in a row, and are five games under .500. To make matters worse, the teams that put us there were Pittsburgh and Washington. Everyone (well at least I) viewed those series as chances to firmly secure third place in the standings, and instead the Crew was swept twice in a row, and one series at home. That's the first time that's happened this season.
But there are a couple of bright spots. Doug Davis was outstanding in his outing last night. It sounds juvenile, but is really isn't fair that Doug got a no decision, and the team took a loss after the beautiful game he threw. He recorded 11 punchouts, and allowed only two runs in eight innings of work. Talk about a quality start, and about time.
Jorge de la Rosa started off strong today, but floundered in the sixth, loading the bases with a walk to pitcher Tony Armas. Newcomer Joe Winkelsas couldn't pitch his way out of that jam, and gave up a grand slam to Alfonso Soriano.
Zach Jackson was very impressive in his major league debut. He took the mound in the top of the ninth inning, and promptly struck out the first two batters he faced. He looked as if pitching in the majors was no big deal. There didn't seem to be any hint of nerves. The rumor is that Jackson will get the start in Wednesday's game against San Diego. He would have started last night in AAA, so his one inning stint today would get him prepared for a start on Wednesday. Guess we'll wait and see. At any rate, great job today, Zach, and welcome to Milwaukee.
Geoff Jenkins left the game with a mild concussion after colliding with Prince Fielder today. Geoff says he'll see how he feels tomorrow before deciding whether he'll play in the series opener against San Diego.
IN OTHER NEWS
Albert Pujols is out indefinitely after straining an oblique muscle. He's expected to be out for several weeks, so this could be good news for the rest of the NL Central.
Ben Sheets, Carlos Lee, Bill Hall and Damian Miller made an appearance at the Milwaukee Art Museum on Saturday in connection with the Masters of American Comics exhibit. Ben Sheets seemed a bit annoyed to be there, and kind of acted like he'd rather be anywhere else than having to deal with fans. Maybe he was upset because the Admirals lost the night before. In my opinion, for $11 million, he should be doing whatever the teams asks of him, and with a smile on his face.
The other guys were very pleasant, and I've added some new pics to my gallery. See the link to the right, Milwaukee Art Museum, to see the photos from Saturday, as well as those taken a few weeks ago. For those of you who don't know this, Art Museum members can get $17-$35 tickets to Monday night home games for half off with your museum membership card. Not a bad deal, and I'm thinking I might take advantage of that tomorrow night.
Once again, our group out in the bleachers had a good time Saturday night, despite the loss. Although we are starting to think our four pack of tickets wasn't such a bargain since we're 0-2. At any rate, hello to Sharon, Jeff, Leah and Matt. See you in August for the Cubs!
Well that's about it for now, Brewer fans. Chris Capuano will once again attempt to stop this losing streak when he takes the mound tomorrow night against Clay Hensley and the rest of the Padres. Hensley is 4-3, with an ERA of 3.82, just a bit higher than Cappy's 3.33. Here's hoping Cappy and the rest of the Crew can turn the tide tomorrow night and get back to winning. Until next time, go Brewers!
But there are a couple of bright spots. Doug Davis was outstanding in his outing last night. It sounds juvenile, but is really isn't fair that Doug got a no decision, and the team took a loss after the beautiful game he threw. He recorded 11 punchouts, and allowed only two runs in eight innings of work. Talk about a quality start, and about time.
Jorge de la Rosa started off strong today, but floundered in the sixth, loading the bases with a walk to pitcher Tony Armas. Newcomer Joe Winkelsas couldn't pitch his way out of that jam, and gave up a grand slam to Alfonso Soriano.
Zach Jackson was very impressive in his major league debut. He took the mound in the top of the ninth inning, and promptly struck out the first two batters he faced. He looked as if pitching in the majors was no big deal. There didn't seem to be any hint of nerves. The rumor is that Jackson will get the start in Wednesday's game against San Diego. He would have started last night in AAA, so his one inning stint today would get him prepared for a start on Wednesday. Guess we'll wait and see. At any rate, great job today, Zach, and welcome to Milwaukee.
Geoff Jenkins left the game with a mild concussion after colliding with Prince Fielder today. Geoff says he'll see how he feels tomorrow before deciding whether he'll play in the series opener against San Diego.
IN OTHER NEWS
Albert Pujols is out indefinitely after straining an oblique muscle. He's expected to be out for several weeks, so this could be good news for the rest of the NL Central.
Ben Sheets, Carlos Lee, Bill Hall and Damian Miller made an appearance at the Milwaukee Art Museum on Saturday in connection with the Masters of American Comics exhibit. Ben Sheets seemed a bit annoyed to be there, and kind of acted like he'd rather be anywhere else than having to deal with fans. Maybe he was upset because the Admirals lost the night before. In my opinion, for $11 million, he should be doing whatever the teams asks of him, and with a smile on his face.
The other guys were very pleasant, and I've added some new pics to my gallery. See the link to the right, Milwaukee Art Museum, to see the photos from Saturday, as well as those taken a few weeks ago. For those of you who don't know this, Art Museum members can get $17-$35 tickets to Monday night home games for half off with your museum membership card. Not a bad deal, and I'm thinking I might take advantage of that tomorrow night.
Once again, our group out in the bleachers had a good time Saturday night, despite the loss. Although we are starting to think our four pack of tickets wasn't such a bargain since we're 0-2. At any rate, hello to Sharon, Jeff, Leah and Matt. See you in August for the Cubs!
Well that's about it for now, Brewer fans. Chris Capuano will once again attempt to stop this losing streak when he takes the mound tomorrow night against Clay Hensley and the rest of the Padres. Hensley is 4-3, with an ERA of 3.82, just a bit higher than Cappy's 3.33. Here's hoping Cappy and the rest of the Crew can turn the tide tomorrow night and get back to winning. Until next time, go Brewers!
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