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!
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