I find myself saying this over and over again but here it is again, it has been a while since I wrote a blog post. I'm trying my best to keep posting, I really am. But this post is dealing with how the Brewers finally appear to be getting back on track right before the season ends. Twice in the past couple weeks the Brewers had a chance to put the Cardinals away for the season and twice they lost the series to the red birds and followed up the second series losing three out of four to the Phillies and just like that the Cardinals were back in the picture. However, after this weekend sweep of the Reds the Brewers now have a six and a half game lead and their magic number for clinching the division is four.
The thing I really liked about this series against the Reds was that the starting pitching was great but also that the offense finally appears to be back. The Brewers put up 24 runs this series and only gave up five. Seeing the offense get back to its old wall-banging ways is always nice to see, but when you combine that explosive offense with shutdown pitching it makes you feel better about this team. When the Brewers were struggling a couple of weeks ago it was the offense that didn't show up, the pitching was still there. When you are thinking about how this team could perform in the playoffs you want the pitching to be sharp and the offense just good enough to get those key runs that are needed to win the game.
Now here is the part I'm still worried about. I know the Brewers can beat teams like the Reds. Its very nice to see the pitching staff hold down a potent lineup like the Reds' but I'm still concerned about how the offense will handle a stronger pitching staff. In the two series against the Cardinals and the series against the Phillies, the offense was limited and seemed to be missing that clutch hit that they needed in most of the games. In the playoffs the games will be closer and the offense will have to be clutch because they won't be scoring ten runs a game, and seeing the team struggle with that against playoff worthy teams, well it worried me.
Although I know that the Brewers can beat up on these weaker teams it will be a great way to gain some momentum as they go into the playoffs. I don't want to get to far ahead of myself but with the magic number at three and series against the Cubs, Marlins and Pirates left in the season, I think its pretty safe to say that the Brewers will win the central. So hopefully the pitching will stay good and the offense will be coming out of these series smashing the ball like we all know they can, and we carry that into the playoffs and make some noise. Only nine games left on the season, and then the real fun starts....if we do make it that is.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
It's been a while...
It's been nearly a month since I last wrote a blog post. In that time the Brewers have won 20 games and have increased their division lead from 3.5 games to 10.5. The Brewers now hold the second best record in the NL and the third best record in all of baseball. So with all this winning going on why haven't I written anything? I couldn't think of anything to write, thats why. I don't want this blog to be me just bashing the team or me just praising the team. I couldn't think of any angle to write about and the reason was the Brewers were just playing so well there was nothing really to talk about except how well they have been playing...I hope that makes some sense.
And the thing is, I still don't have an angle to write about but its been waaaay to long since I've written a post so something had to come out. My lame attempt at an angle is about this upcoming series against the Cards. While we are still in the month of August and have a whole month of regular season baseball left to play, you would have to think this could be the nail in the coffin for the Cardinals, thus letting the Brewers cruise to the division title. This is the second last series against the Cardinals all year, and its at home where the Brewers are 50-16. If the Brewers take at least two out of three this series, that puts their lead for the division at 12.5 games with only the month of September left in the season. With the way this team has been playing and especially the way they have played at home, you have to like the chances of the Brewers taking two out of three or even getting the sweep.
This team has put up impressive numbers so far this season. Braun and Fielder are the best one-two combo in all of baseball. Axford has 40 saves this season, the pitching has been outstanding, especially the starting pitching with Grienke being perfect at Miller Park this season, and the team's offensive, which has been good all year will only get better once Weeks gets back from his injury. I just don't know what to say, this team has been playing damn near perfect baseball the month of August. So this series against the Cardinals could be a big one. If the Brewers sweep they will pretty much secure the division. If the Cardinals sweep they put themselves back into the race, but with the way the Brewers are playing this month you have to think there is no way the Brewers lose this series.
So I"m already starting to repeat myself and I still don't have a solid angle to write about, so I'm going to end this thing before it gets real ugly. Hopefully I can come up with something creative to write about next time, I know the two of you reading this are waiting patiently.
And the thing is, I still don't have an angle to write about but its been waaaay to long since I've written a post so something had to come out. My lame attempt at an angle is about this upcoming series against the Cards. While we are still in the month of August and have a whole month of regular season baseball left to play, you would have to think this could be the nail in the coffin for the Cardinals, thus letting the Brewers cruise to the division title. This is the second last series against the Cardinals all year, and its at home where the Brewers are 50-16. If the Brewers take at least two out of three this series, that puts their lead for the division at 12.5 games with only the month of September left in the season. With the way this team has been playing and especially the way they have played at home, you have to like the chances of the Brewers taking two out of three or even getting the sweep.
This team has put up impressive numbers so far this season. Braun and Fielder are the best one-two combo in all of baseball. Axford has 40 saves this season, the pitching has been outstanding, especially the starting pitching with Grienke being perfect at Miller Park this season, and the team's offensive, which has been good all year will only get better once Weeks gets back from his injury. I just don't know what to say, this team has been playing damn near perfect baseball the month of August. So this series against the Cardinals could be a big one. If the Brewers sweep they will pretty much secure the division. If the Cardinals sweep they put themselves back into the race, but with the way the Brewers are playing this month you have to think there is no way the Brewers lose this series.
So I"m already starting to repeat myself and I still don't have a solid angle to write about, so I'm going to end this thing before it gets real ugly. Hopefully I can come up with something creative to write about next time, I know the two of you reading this are waiting patiently.
Monday, August 1, 2011
The "Big Inning"
This blog post is dedicated to a specific part of the offensive side of baseball and one that helped the Brewers greatly tonight. The "Big Inning" is something that teams want every night and when a team gets a it they can either secure the game, blow a game open, or take the lead and give a team momentum. Tonight the Brewers used the "Big Inning" to take the lead and used their pitching and defense to hold onto the win. The "Big Inning" usually contains three parts to it. Those parts are as follows:
1. The Start - The start to the "Big Inning" is just what the name implies. It can be two singles, a single and a stolen base, a double with a walk, etc. Basically its any form of consecutive batters of offense that gets a rally going.
2. The Turning Point - This is the part where the possible rally inning gives signs of the "Big Inning." This usually means bases loaded with no outs with a big hitter coming up, usually someone in the top part of your order. Its at this point that any hit will score multiple runs and still leave you with room for more.
3. The Big Blow - The final aspect to the "Big Inning" is the big blow. This is the hit that drives in runs and will ultimately end the "Big Inning" but will be what you need to pur that five or six spot in the score column for the inning.
The Brewers used every aspect described above during their five-run inning.
The Brewers entered the bottom of the fifth down 2-0 and Carpenter was shutting down the Brewers offense but that was all about to change. The inning began with Betancourt getting a single up the middle, followed by McGehee getting a single of his own. Then Lucroy gets a rbi single with a ball that bounces over Freese and just like that the Brewers have a start to the "Big Inning." Next came the turning point.
With runners at first and third and Zack Greinke at the plate you were expecting a bunt, possibly a safety squeeze but what happened was even better. It was a bunt by Greinke, and a good one at that. The ball rolled up the third base side and both the catcher, Yadier Molina and third baseman Freese were charing the ball. There was some indecision between the two and by the time Molina picked up the ball there was not enough time to throw out Greinke going to first. So the Brewers had bases loaded, no outs and the top of the lineup coming up. This is a perfect example of a turning point for a "Big Inning."
Corey Hart hit a single to center field to score one run making the score 2-2, bases loaded and still no outs in the inning. Then came the big blow and it came from Nyjer Morgan. Morgan ripped a hanging curveball that was a deep fly ball that kept slicing away from center fielder John Jay and landed on the warning track, scoring two runs with ease and because of Hart's speed he was able to score from first. And just like that the Brewers had a 5-2 lead. A lead they would hold on to, add an insurance run and eventually secure the win, final score 6-2.
So that was a breakdown of the Brewers use of the "Big Inning" tonight against the Cardinals. Not only did the win put them on the right track to start the month of August but it also increased their lead in the central to 3.5 games. Hopefully the Brewers have more "Big Innings" this season and if all goes well we could be having some "Big Innings" in the postseason.
1. The Start - The start to the "Big Inning" is just what the name implies. It can be two singles, a single and a stolen base, a double with a walk, etc. Basically its any form of consecutive batters of offense that gets a rally going.
2. The Turning Point - This is the part where the possible rally inning gives signs of the "Big Inning." This usually means bases loaded with no outs with a big hitter coming up, usually someone in the top part of your order. Its at this point that any hit will score multiple runs and still leave you with room for more.
3. The Big Blow - The final aspect to the "Big Inning" is the big blow. This is the hit that drives in runs and will ultimately end the "Big Inning" but will be what you need to pur that five or six spot in the score column for the inning.
The Brewers used every aspect described above during their five-run inning.
The Brewers entered the bottom of the fifth down 2-0 and Carpenter was shutting down the Brewers offense but that was all about to change. The inning began with Betancourt getting a single up the middle, followed by McGehee getting a single of his own. Then Lucroy gets a rbi single with a ball that bounces over Freese and just like that the Brewers have a start to the "Big Inning." Next came the turning point.
With runners at first and third and Zack Greinke at the plate you were expecting a bunt, possibly a safety squeeze but what happened was even better. It was a bunt by Greinke, and a good one at that. The ball rolled up the third base side and both the catcher, Yadier Molina and third baseman Freese were charing the ball. There was some indecision between the two and by the time Molina picked up the ball there was not enough time to throw out Greinke going to first. So the Brewers had bases loaded, no outs and the top of the lineup coming up. This is a perfect example of a turning point for a "Big Inning."
Corey Hart hit a single to center field to score one run making the score 2-2, bases loaded and still no outs in the inning. Then came the big blow and it came from Nyjer Morgan. Morgan ripped a hanging curveball that was a deep fly ball that kept slicing away from center fielder John Jay and landed on the warning track, scoring two runs with ease and because of Hart's speed he was able to score from first. And just like that the Brewers had a 5-2 lead. A lead they would hold on to, add an insurance run and eventually secure the win, final score 6-2.
So that was a breakdown of the Brewers use of the "Big Inning" tonight against the Cardinals. Not only did the win put them on the right track to start the month of August but it also increased their lead in the central to 3.5 games. Hopefully the Brewers have more "Big Innings" this season and if all goes well we could be having some "Big Innings" in the postseason.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Live blog Brewers vs. Cubs
So I've decided to give this another shot. I tried doing this on opening day but as you can read in my opening day post I had some problems and it didn't turn out so why not try again now? This style of a blog post is an idea I'm borrowing (aka: stealing) from my favorite sports writer Bill Simmons. This is not that important of a game for the Brewers but it is the start of a very important stretch for them. This game starts a string of 18 consecutive games against division opponents for the Crew and the first nine are at home which is good news, so a win tonight could put us on the right path to a successful homestand which could give the Brewers sole possession of first and possibly give them some breathing room from the Cardinals and Pirates(man it feels weird to say that). So here it is, hopefully this will be as good as I want it to.
7:03 P.M. - Stat flashes up on the pre-game show. Ryan Dempster is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA s his last five starts against the Brewers. This could be ugly...
7:06 - Dempster's career stats against Brewers. 15-3, 2.50 ERA. Is it too late to go back on this?
7:09 - Narveson has had pretty good success against the Cubs though so hopefully this pitching even outs. With that said the game will probably be seven to six by the third inning.
7:11 - Narveson's first pitch is hit for a single by Jeff Baker. That didn't take long, hopefully Narveson doesn't have one of his first inning melt-downs that he seems to have from time to time.
7:14 - Aramis Ramirez hits a 2-run homer on the first pitch. The first inning will always be Narveson's downfall.
7:19 - Corey Hart rips an 0-2 pitch for a double at the exact same time I open my first beer. This has to mean something.
7:21 - After two pathetic bunt attempts, Morgan strikesout on a pitch way out of the zone. Probably one of the worst at bats by a Brewer not named Yuniesky Betancourt all season.
7:24 - Braun's bat shatters in spectacular fashion and somehow finds room down the line for a double which scores Hart. 2-1 Cubs.
7:27 - Putting Weeks in the five spot has been one of the better things that Roenicke has done this season. He can produce so much more in this spot as compared to the leadoff spot.
7:28 - I can't stand hearing Cubs fans cheering when the game is at Miller Park. It makes me sick. I hate the Cubs.
7:30 - Casey McGehee hits an opposite field bullet that scores Braun and Fielder scores all the way from first. This of course happens just seconds after Brain Anderson says McGehee has some of his best moments against the Cubs. 3-2 Brewers.
7:38 - After a two-out triple, Narveson gets Dempter to pop up to Weeks to end the inning. Nice bounce back inning by Narveson who, if he follows his usual pattern, will surrender runs in the first and then go the next five or six innings allowing maybe two more baserunners. It will happen, just wait.
7:44 - Nice to see Miller Park pretty full on a Tuesday night. Looks like Milwaukee is getting swept up in Brewer fever! I can't believe I just typed that.
7:47 - To the hot girl that seems to be sitting in the front row of each Brewer's homegame, please give me your phone number. I won't actually call you but I will at least be able to brag to my friends. Lets make this happen.
7:55 - The Brewers are going to have a Craig Counsell bobble head day. I mean I like the guy, but is this really necessary?
7:58 - Narveson continues to baffle these Cubs hitters with his changeup. Its nice to see him continue to go to it and continue to get hitters out with it. Still looking for that perfect inning from Narveson but he has yet to give up any more runs so I am content with it so far. Still 3-2 Brewers after 2 and 1/2.
8:01- Nyjer Morgan strikes out on three pitches again. Is he even here to play today? Both of these at bats have looked half-assed.
8:05 - I have to say that Fielder's beard makes him look even more intimidating. Its not Brian Wilson level but its still pretty impressive. Its a shame it didn't help him avoid grounding into that inning-ending double play just now.
8:07 - I can't believe I'm saying this but I kind of wish that when I was watching MLB.TV they would have commercials. The dead silence is just so strange to me.
8:08- Brewers announcers say if they Brewers hold on to the lead it will be there 23rd come from behind victory of the season. It is currently the top of the 4th inning. To soon guys.
8:10 - CC Sabathia is currently perfect through six innings against the Mariners.
8:11 - Hey! Narveson finally has a clean inning. Three up, three down.
8:13 - MLB.com has a picture of Brian Wilson shaking Barrack Obama's hand while the team visited the white house. It could be one of the better pictures I have seen in my entire life.
8:16 - Betancourt has been hot since the all-star break, right around the same time I said I don't want to see him playing anymore. He must read my blog....On a related note he just got a hit and extends his hit streak to eight games.
8:18 - CC loses the perfect game and no hitter.
8:19 - An error by Bird in center gives runners at second and third with two outs for Narveson.....
8:21- ....who proceeds to ground out. No damage done but at least the pitcher spot is cleared for the next Brewer's at bat.
8:31 - Starlin Castro gets a swinging bunt and the Cubs fans cheer as if he just hit a grand slam. God I hate the Cubs.
8:34 - Ramirez flies out to the wall for a loud out number three. Narveson escapes with no runs given up. He's looked solid so far tonight but his pitch count is getting up there, currently 73. It would be nice to see the offense give him some extra runs so he has some more breathing room to continue pitching.
8:37 - Beer and baseball go hand-in-hand. Its the way god intended it to be. I'm sure you can find it in the bible somewhere.
8:39- Nyjer Morgan's great night continues. He just flew out to right on the first pitch. So far thats three at bats, seven pitches seen, two strikeouts and a flyout. I love Morgan but he is just not having a good night.
8:40- Dempter catches a ball that would have seriously taken his head off. Brewers do nothing. Still lead 3-2 after five innings of play.
8:42 - After watching the replay of the catch, that ball would have hit Dempster clearly on the side of the head. Could have been a very ugly situation.
8:47 - Narveson struggling with command and Kameron Loe is working in the bullpen. This game could get ugly very very fast.
8:48 - Bases loaded, no outs and Soriano coming up to bat. Time for another beer.
8:48 - Oh great, Loe coming in. Time for two beers possibly a third.
8:53 - Soriano grounds out to third but for some reason McGehee doesn't step on third and instead just throws home. So bases loaded and now one out.
8:54 - Sweet jesus! Double play! Cubs blow bases loaded, no outs opportunity!
8:56 - Texting conversation between my cousin and I, where we both are sure the end of the world is coming after Loe made an appearance without giving up any runs. It could be very well a sign of the apocalypse.
8:58 - I think this game will be a good blueprint for how the bullpen will be managed for the rest of the season. Loe in ground ball situations, Saiton/Hawkins for the 7th, K-rod for the 8th and Axford for the 9th. I like the sound of that.
9:11 - I still can't believe that the PIrates are in first place in the N.L. Central. Nobody saw that one coming, and if you say you did you are lying.
9:13 - It looks like Aramis Ramirez is always trying to hit home runs. He just about fell over after taking a swing that looked like he was trying to hit a home run and blow his shoulder out all with the same swing.
9:16 - Hawkins breaks Ramirez's bat and Prince catches the ball in foul territory. Brewers still up 3-2 after seven.
9:18 - I've resorted to opening Itunes and playing parts of songs to kill the time for commercial breaks. Seriously the dead silence during commercial breaks is driving me insane.
9:20 - A Craig Counsell sighting!
9:24 - I am still patiently awaiting the day where Corey Hart can lay off a slider low and away. Thats back-to-back he just swung and missed at in this at bat and probably the fourth time it has happened this game.
9:27 - K-rod is making his Miller Park debut. Although they didn't show it, I will assume he got a good hand from the Miller Park crowd. I'm just going to go ahead and say he did because I want to believe the Brewers fans were smart enough to applaud the new comer who will help us greatly for this pennant chase.
9:32 - K-rod goes 1-2-3 with two strikeouts and leaves to a standing ovation from the Brewer fans at Miller Park. If there is one way to be instantly liked by a fanbase like the Brewers its to perform when you are called upon. I have a good feeling K-rod will become a quick fan favorite in Milwaukee.
9:35 - It just fully dawned on me that nobody has scored since the first inning and the Brewers haven't really had any other chances to score since the first. This game should end fast before our luck runs out.
9:37 - Its really nice to see Braun play well again. He seems to be fully over that leg injury that was slowing him down these past couple of weeks.
9:45 - Brewers threaten but fail to add any more runs. Time for the Ax man to shut the door.
9:47 - Axford had a voting contest at the beginning of the season to see what song will play when he comes out to close and somehow this didn't win. If your going to be sporting a mustache like that all season how do you not use this song? In my never ending debate on what song would be my closer song I have finally come to a decision, and it has to be the theme from "The Good the Bad and the Ugly." Make it happen Axford!
9:49 - Number of times the TV crew has mentioned that McGehee used to play for the Cubs is up to five. I should have looked to place some bets on this.
9:57 - Strikes him out!! Axord gets the save! It wasn't a clean one but its his 25th consecutive save, which ties a franchise record. Brewers win 3-2 and improve to 55-49 and will remain a half game out of first because the Cardinals won tonight and the Pirates are still tied but a win is a win and hopefully this is the start of a winning streak.
Well there you have it. Hopefully that was enjoyable to read. I did my best to add in interesting comments but it was hard, seeing as the only runs scored where in the first inning. Like I said earlier, hopefully this is the start of a nice winning streak for the Brewers who could use this homestand to take first and possibly create some space between them and the Cardinals and Pirates. Seriously, it is so strange to say, "create space between them and the Pirates," I may never get over it.
7:03 P.M. - Stat flashes up on the pre-game show. Ryan Dempster is 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA s his last five starts against the Brewers. This could be ugly...
7:06 - Dempster's career stats against Brewers. 15-3, 2.50 ERA. Is it too late to go back on this?
7:09 - Narveson has had pretty good success against the Cubs though so hopefully this pitching even outs. With that said the game will probably be seven to six by the third inning.
7:11 - Narveson's first pitch is hit for a single by Jeff Baker. That didn't take long, hopefully Narveson doesn't have one of his first inning melt-downs that he seems to have from time to time.
7:14 - Aramis Ramirez hits a 2-run homer on the first pitch. The first inning will always be Narveson's downfall.
7:19 - Corey Hart rips an 0-2 pitch for a double at the exact same time I open my first beer. This has to mean something.
7:21 - After two pathetic bunt attempts, Morgan strikesout on a pitch way out of the zone. Probably one of the worst at bats by a Brewer not named Yuniesky Betancourt all season.
7:24 - Braun's bat shatters in spectacular fashion and somehow finds room down the line for a double which scores Hart. 2-1 Cubs.
7:27 - Putting Weeks in the five spot has been one of the better things that Roenicke has done this season. He can produce so much more in this spot as compared to the leadoff spot.
7:28 - I can't stand hearing Cubs fans cheering when the game is at Miller Park. It makes me sick. I hate the Cubs.
7:30 - Casey McGehee hits an opposite field bullet that scores Braun and Fielder scores all the way from first. This of course happens just seconds after Brain Anderson says McGehee has some of his best moments against the Cubs. 3-2 Brewers.
7:38 - After a two-out triple, Narveson gets Dempter to pop up to Weeks to end the inning. Nice bounce back inning by Narveson who, if he follows his usual pattern, will surrender runs in the first and then go the next five or six innings allowing maybe two more baserunners. It will happen, just wait.
7:44 - Nice to see Miller Park pretty full on a Tuesday night. Looks like Milwaukee is getting swept up in Brewer fever! I can't believe I just typed that.
7:47 - To the hot girl that seems to be sitting in the front row of each Brewer's homegame, please give me your phone number. I won't actually call you but I will at least be able to brag to my friends. Lets make this happen.
7:55 - The Brewers are going to have a Craig Counsell bobble head day. I mean I like the guy, but is this really necessary?
7:58 - Narveson continues to baffle these Cubs hitters with his changeup. Its nice to see him continue to go to it and continue to get hitters out with it. Still looking for that perfect inning from Narveson but he has yet to give up any more runs so I am content with it so far. Still 3-2 Brewers after 2 and 1/2.
8:01- Nyjer Morgan strikes out on three pitches again. Is he even here to play today? Both of these at bats have looked half-assed.
8:05 - I have to say that Fielder's beard makes him look even more intimidating. Its not Brian Wilson level but its still pretty impressive. Its a shame it didn't help him avoid grounding into that inning-ending double play just now.
8:07 - I can't believe I'm saying this but I kind of wish that when I was watching MLB.TV they would have commercials. The dead silence is just so strange to me.
8:08- Brewers announcers say if they Brewers hold on to the lead it will be there 23rd come from behind victory of the season. It is currently the top of the 4th inning. To soon guys.
8:10 - CC Sabathia is currently perfect through six innings against the Mariners.
8:11 - Hey! Narveson finally has a clean inning. Three up, three down.
8:13 - MLB.com has a picture of Brian Wilson shaking Barrack Obama's hand while the team visited the white house. It could be one of the better pictures I have seen in my entire life.
8:16 - Betancourt has been hot since the all-star break, right around the same time I said I don't want to see him playing anymore. He must read my blog....On a related note he just got a hit and extends his hit streak to eight games.
8:18 - CC loses the perfect game and no hitter.
8:19 - An error by Bird in center gives runners at second and third with two outs for Narveson.....
8:21- ....who proceeds to ground out. No damage done but at least the pitcher spot is cleared for the next Brewer's at bat.
8:31 - Starlin Castro gets a swinging bunt and the Cubs fans cheer as if he just hit a grand slam. God I hate the Cubs.
8:34 - Ramirez flies out to the wall for a loud out number three. Narveson escapes with no runs given up. He's looked solid so far tonight but his pitch count is getting up there, currently 73. It would be nice to see the offense give him some extra runs so he has some more breathing room to continue pitching.
8:37 - Beer and baseball go hand-in-hand. Its the way god intended it to be. I'm sure you can find it in the bible somewhere.
8:39- Nyjer Morgan's great night continues. He just flew out to right on the first pitch. So far thats three at bats, seven pitches seen, two strikeouts and a flyout. I love Morgan but he is just not having a good night.
8:40- Dempter catches a ball that would have seriously taken his head off. Brewers do nothing. Still lead 3-2 after five innings of play.
8:42 - After watching the replay of the catch, that ball would have hit Dempster clearly on the side of the head. Could have been a very ugly situation.
8:47 - Narveson struggling with command and Kameron Loe is working in the bullpen. This game could get ugly very very fast.
8:48 - Bases loaded, no outs and Soriano coming up to bat. Time for another beer.
8:48 - Oh great, Loe coming in. Time for two beers possibly a third.
8:53 - Soriano grounds out to third but for some reason McGehee doesn't step on third and instead just throws home. So bases loaded and now one out.
8:54 - Sweet jesus! Double play! Cubs blow bases loaded, no outs opportunity!
8:56 - Texting conversation between my cousin and I, where we both are sure the end of the world is coming after Loe made an appearance without giving up any runs. It could be very well a sign of the apocalypse.
8:58 - I think this game will be a good blueprint for how the bullpen will be managed for the rest of the season. Loe in ground ball situations, Saiton/Hawkins for the 7th, K-rod for the 8th and Axford for the 9th. I like the sound of that.
9:11 - I still can't believe that the PIrates are in first place in the N.L. Central. Nobody saw that one coming, and if you say you did you are lying.
9:13 - It looks like Aramis Ramirez is always trying to hit home runs. He just about fell over after taking a swing that looked like he was trying to hit a home run and blow his shoulder out all with the same swing.
9:16 - Hawkins breaks Ramirez's bat and Prince catches the ball in foul territory. Brewers still up 3-2 after seven.
9:18 - I've resorted to opening Itunes and playing parts of songs to kill the time for commercial breaks. Seriously the dead silence during commercial breaks is driving me insane.
9:20 - A Craig Counsell sighting!
9:24 - I am still patiently awaiting the day where Corey Hart can lay off a slider low and away. Thats back-to-back he just swung and missed at in this at bat and probably the fourth time it has happened this game.
9:27 - K-rod is making his Miller Park debut. Although they didn't show it, I will assume he got a good hand from the Miller Park crowd. I'm just going to go ahead and say he did because I want to believe the Brewers fans were smart enough to applaud the new comer who will help us greatly for this pennant chase.
9:32 - K-rod goes 1-2-3 with two strikeouts and leaves to a standing ovation from the Brewer fans at Miller Park. If there is one way to be instantly liked by a fanbase like the Brewers its to perform when you are called upon. I have a good feeling K-rod will become a quick fan favorite in Milwaukee.
9:35 - It just fully dawned on me that nobody has scored since the first inning and the Brewers haven't really had any other chances to score since the first. This game should end fast before our luck runs out.
9:37 - Its really nice to see Braun play well again. He seems to be fully over that leg injury that was slowing him down these past couple of weeks.
9:45 - Brewers threaten but fail to add any more runs. Time for the Ax man to shut the door.
9:47 - Axford had a voting contest at the beginning of the season to see what song will play when he comes out to close and somehow this didn't win. If your going to be sporting a mustache like that all season how do you not use this song? In my never ending debate on what song would be my closer song I have finally come to a decision, and it has to be the theme from "The Good the Bad and the Ugly." Make it happen Axford!
9:49 - Number of times the TV crew has mentioned that McGehee used to play for the Cubs is up to five. I should have looked to place some bets on this.
9:57 - Strikes him out!! Axord gets the save! It wasn't a clean one but its his 25th consecutive save, which ties a franchise record. Brewers win 3-2 and improve to 55-49 and will remain a half game out of first because the Cardinals won tonight and the Pirates are still tied but a win is a win and hopefully this is the start of a winning streak.
Well there you have it. Hopefully that was enjoyable to read. I did my best to add in interesting comments but it was hard, seeing as the only runs scored where in the first inning. Like I said earlier, hopefully this is the start of a nice winning streak for the Brewers who could use this homestand to take first and possibly create some space between them and the Cardinals and Pirates. Seriously, it is so strange to say, "create space between them and the Pirates," I may never get over it.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
First half thoughts
So we are officially half-way through the season and the Brewers are tied for first place in the NL Central, have three starters in the All-Star game, (well technically only two because of Braun's injury, but he did get voted in) and two players in the homerun derby. I thought I would take this time to reflect back on the first half of the season and give my predictions of where this team will go in the second half of the season.
Overall this team has played very well. Minus a few players who constantly seem to underperform, the team has been solid all around. The rocky start the Brewers faced turned into a fantastic month of May which included back to back sweeps of the Rockies and Nationals. That hot streak of baseball continued until early June until the Brewers reached interleague play which they struggled with but they came out of interleague and won four ouf of the last seven including two walk-off winners against the Reds and former Brewer, Francisco Cordero. So I'm going to go ahead and give different aspects of the teams grades, much like I did earlier in the season and go a little more in-depth with the grades. So here they are, you grades for the first half of the Brewers 2011 season.
Starting Pitching - B
I wanted to go more in-depth in this grading post than I did in my one earlier in the season so I decided to split up the pitching staff. Overall the starters have been good but not great. At times they do just enough to get the job done and thats all I can really ask for but there are times where we should be seeing more from them, especially Zack Greinke. Zack has been good in his starts but he isn't the ace we had hoped we would get when we traded for him. He gives up a lot of hits and runs but is able to keep his team in the game and he continues to rack up a ton of strikeouts. Still it would be nice to see him go seven scoreless innings one of these starts. Gallardo has become much more consistent but he still has those starts where he has absolutely nothing going for him. Marcum has been the most consistent but he has dealt with a hip injury that has prevented him from having very successful starts his last couple times out, but he should be back on track after the break. Wolf is a bend but don't break pitcher and I would say he is 50/50 in that sense. He is hot some starts, then garbage some others and the same can be said for Narveson. But overall they are getting the job done, I would just hope for some more consistency from them as a whole but other than that not much to complain about so far into the season.
Bullpen - C
This was always the Brewers biggest weakness this season and it continues to be the only real flaw so far this season. Axford and Hawkins are the only ones that seem to be able to get outs consistently. Axford has really come on after his rough start to the season and its great to see. The rest of the bullpen is another story. Loe and Estrada continue to give me headaches every time they go out. Braddock can't seem to get lefties out at a consistant pace, which is the main reason he is on the team. Saito just came off the DL so he gets a pass but overall the bullpen has been very disappointing. The addition of K-rod (just announced tonight) should help greatly, meaning we should have the 8th and 9th locked down and Hawkins could have the 7th, meaning we should have the end of each game on lockdown. But as for the first half, the bullpen was very disappointing.
Infield - B
This one was very hard to judge. Fielder and Weeks are great, heck they made the all-star team, but the other side of the infield is bad. McGehee is really struggling this year and although he is doing better as of late he is still slacking on the offensive side of the ball, and then there is Betancourt. I can not continue to sit and watch Brewers games with this guy on the field. When he was announced in the trade we were told he could hit but couldn't play defense. Well so far this year he can't hit and plays ok defense. While he has made some good plays this year he is pretty much useless when it comes to hitting. I am about to tear my hair out if I have to watch another one of his infamous, one pitch pop-up at bats. He never seems to come up with a clutch hit or even work the count! He continues to get out on weak ground balls and pop ups early in the count. Its driving me up the wall watching him do this game after game. As much as those two struggle, Weeks and Fielder are carrying the team. Fielder is having a MVP season and Weeks continues to impress me even more as the year goes on. McGehee should get back on track and Weeks and Fielder show no signs of slowing down so the infield should improve on offense. Defensively they have been fine but there is always room for improvement in that department, and that goes for the whole team.
Outfield - A
The only aspect of this team that continues to not only pass, but exceed my expectations is the outfield. They play defense well, anchored by speedy center fielders Gomez and Nyjer Morgan. They hit the ball great with Braun and Hart and even our bench outfielders like Kotsay continue to produce. There isn't much I can say about the outfield. Braun is doing well, minus his injury this last week, Hart is continuing his offensive pace he set last year and Nyjer Morgan has been one of the better pick ups the Brewers have made in the past couple seasons. The guy continues to get clutch hits, do all the little things right, and play great defense. This is clearly the best part of the team when it comes to each aspect of the game and it should continue in the second half of the season.
Overall grade - B+
This team did a good job of keeping around while everybody was hurt and now that everyone is healthy they are making their run for the division. Although they struggled through interleague play the Brewers have held their ground and continue to sit on top of the division or very close to it. The second half of the season should see the Brewers making their move to not only take the lead but hold it and eventually make the playoffs as the National League Central Champions. This team shows signs of greatness throughout the season and if they can find some consistent play from their best players, they could easily win six games in a row without breaking a sweat. It should be a very fun second half to the season and will hopefully contain great things for the team and us as fans.
Overall this team has played very well. Minus a few players who constantly seem to underperform, the team has been solid all around. The rocky start the Brewers faced turned into a fantastic month of May which included back to back sweeps of the Rockies and Nationals. That hot streak of baseball continued until early June until the Brewers reached interleague play which they struggled with but they came out of interleague and won four ouf of the last seven including two walk-off winners against the Reds and former Brewer, Francisco Cordero. So I'm going to go ahead and give different aspects of the teams grades, much like I did earlier in the season and go a little more in-depth with the grades. So here they are, you grades for the first half of the Brewers 2011 season.
Starting Pitching - B
I wanted to go more in-depth in this grading post than I did in my one earlier in the season so I decided to split up the pitching staff. Overall the starters have been good but not great. At times they do just enough to get the job done and thats all I can really ask for but there are times where we should be seeing more from them, especially Zack Greinke. Zack has been good in his starts but he isn't the ace we had hoped we would get when we traded for him. He gives up a lot of hits and runs but is able to keep his team in the game and he continues to rack up a ton of strikeouts. Still it would be nice to see him go seven scoreless innings one of these starts. Gallardo has become much more consistent but he still has those starts where he has absolutely nothing going for him. Marcum has been the most consistent but he has dealt with a hip injury that has prevented him from having very successful starts his last couple times out, but he should be back on track after the break. Wolf is a bend but don't break pitcher and I would say he is 50/50 in that sense. He is hot some starts, then garbage some others and the same can be said for Narveson. But overall they are getting the job done, I would just hope for some more consistency from them as a whole but other than that not much to complain about so far into the season.
Bullpen - C
This was always the Brewers biggest weakness this season and it continues to be the only real flaw so far this season. Axford and Hawkins are the only ones that seem to be able to get outs consistently. Axford has really come on after his rough start to the season and its great to see. The rest of the bullpen is another story. Loe and Estrada continue to give me headaches every time they go out. Braddock can't seem to get lefties out at a consistant pace, which is the main reason he is on the team. Saito just came off the DL so he gets a pass but overall the bullpen has been very disappointing. The addition of K-rod (just announced tonight) should help greatly, meaning we should have the 8th and 9th locked down and Hawkins could have the 7th, meaning we should have the end of each game on lockdown. But as for the first half, the bullpen was very disappointing.
Infield - B
This one was very hard to judge. Fielder and Weeks are great, heck they made the all-star team, but the other side of the infield is bad. McGehee is really struggling this year and although he is doing better as of late he is still slacking on the offensive side of the ball, and then there is Betancourt. I can not continue to sit and watch Brewers games with this guy on the field. When he was announced in the trade we were told he could hit but couldn't play defense. Well so far this year he can't hit and plays ok defense. While he has made some good plays this year he is pretty much useless when it comes to hitting. I am about to tear my hair out if I have to watch another one of his infamous, one pitch pop-up at bats. He never seems to come up with a clutch hit or even work the count! He continues to get out on weak ground balls and pop ups early in the count. Its driving me up the wall watching him do this game after game. As much as those two struggle, Weeks and Fielder are carrying the team. Fielder is having a MVP season and Weeks continues to impress me even more as the year goes on. McGehee should get back on track and Weeks and Fielder show no signs of slowing down so the infield should improve on offense. Defensively they have been fine but there is always room for improvement in that department, and that goes for the whole team.
Outfield - A
The only aspect of this team that continues to not only pass, but exceed my expectations is the outfield. They play defense well, anchored by speedy center fielders Gomez and Nyjer Morgan. They hit the ball great with Braun and Hart and even our bench outfielders like Kotsay continue to produce. There isn't much I can say about the outfield. Braun is doing well, minus his injury this last week, Hart is continuing his offensive pace he set last year and Nyjer Morgan has been one of the better pick ups the Brewers have made in the past couple seasons. The guy continues to get clutch hits, do all the little things right, and play great defense. This is clearly the best part of the team when it comes to each aspect of the game and it should continue in the second half of the season.
Overall grade - B+
This team did a good job of keeping around while everybody was hurt and now that everyone is healthy they are making their run for the division. Although they struggled through interleague play the Brewers have held their ground and continue to sit on top of the division or very close to it. The second half of the season should see the Brewers making their move to not only take the lead but hold it and eventually make the playoffs as the National League Central Champions. This team shows signs of greatness throughout the season and if they can find some consistent play from their best players, they could easily win six games in a row without breaking a sweat. It should be a very fun second half to the season and will hopefully contain great things for the team and us as fans.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Damn Yankees and my never ending man-crush on CC Sabathia
As I watched the Brewers flail at another CC Sabathia changeup I had flash backs to the 2008 season and thought to myself, "man wouldn't it be great to still have CC?" After his magnificent run with the team for that half a season in 2008 I wanted him in a Brewers uniform for life. But everybody knew he was a goner. The Yankees had missed the playoffs the previous year and they didn't want it to happen again so they did what they do best, they spent money and offered CC a contract the Brewers couldn't even dream of giving a single player.
So as I was watching the game, the crew of FSN kept cutting to highlights of the 2008 season. CC's almost no-hitter and the final game of the season. Seeing those replays still gives me chills. It was the best moment of my life when it comes to being a Brewer fan and I will never forget that summer. That season in itself deserves its own blog post but it was hard not to think about it while watching CC pitch again.
Now I'm not one to hate on the Yankees just because they spend a lot of money and they constantly win because of it. But for some reason I was getting infuriated watching the games. It didn't help that the Brewers were not playing well all series and a sweep was the worst thing that could have happened, because at the same time the Cardinals were sweeping the Orioles and the Brewers three game lead in the division was gone in the blink of an eye. The thing that was killing me the most was that the Yankees were doing all the little things right. They get a guy on base, he steals, the next hitter gets him to third, and then the next guy drives him in, and then of course hits pile up and Nick Swisher hits a three-run homerun, Nick Swisher hit a fucking homerun, of course he did, only his 10th on the year.
I started to look for reasons to hate the Yankees, stupid A-rod, even though he did close to nothing this series, stupid Teixeira, who hit his 300th career homerun, that dumb stadium that little leaguers could seemingly hit homeruns out of. Anything I could think of became reasons for me to hate the Yankees in that moment. And then CC came back out on the mound.
Suddenly the hate I was feeling towards the Yankees was gone. Weeks pops up, Gomez grounds out and then Braun gets a hit, extending his hitting streak to 20 games. This hit knocks CC out of the game with a high pitch count. No runs and 13 strikeouts over seven and two-thirds innings. As CC walked back to the dugout amongst a standing ovation from the Yankee fans I realized something. I could never hate CC, never in my life. Even though he is wearing pinstripes and probably will be for the rest of his career, nothing he does will make me hate him, not after what he did for the Brewers, the city of Milwaukee and me. He may be a Yankee but I will always remember him like this.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
3 up and 3 up
I know its been a very long time but since only two people read this blog I don't think most people really mind I haven't written in a while. I need an angle to write about and haven't really come up with one and still don't really have one but I don't really want to go to sleep at the moment so here it is.
This team is really good, much better than our record shows even though we are in first place. These past couple series, minus this sweep, have been really hard to watch as we were losing to teams we should have beat, except the Red Sox. The bullpen continues to be shaky minus Axford and the offense explodes one night and then gets three hits the next. With that being said, I am very happy with where we are in the season right now. Coming fresh off this sweep and the Cardinals getting swept we now have a three game lead in the division and interleague play is almost done, three against the Yanks in New York and then three again against the Twins but in Minneapolis.
The best thing about this sweep was how everybody was not only playing great but everybody was clutch. On Friday, Prince hits the go ahead double, Loe cruises through the 8th and Axford the same in the 9th for a good win that was much needed. Offense keeps rolling into game two and the Brewers blow out the Twins 11-1. Then game three we have clutch hitting again, Narveson pitches great and Loe and Axford finish off the game.
For as hard as I have been on the team they have really come around since that terrible start. The thing they have given me as a fan so far this season is hope. Although the play is still inconsistent, when they are playing like they should they look almost unbeatable, and thats what you want to see from your team.
From this sweep the Brewers have three games in New York which should be very interesting, I think the Brewers can do some damage there and hopefully leave with two wins. The Brewers should be able to handle the Twins in their stadium like they did this weekend but you never know, but we should be able to get two out of three. Then we have three games against the Diamondbacks who have been playing well and then finally four games against the Reds and then the All-Star break. I think this stretch will be tough but the Brewers should be able to handle it and they could be going into the All-Star break with some good momentum.
PS: Please ignore any grammar or spelling mistakes, I typed this up very quickly and was mostly just to get another post up. I need to let my two readers know that I'm still here.
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