Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

UPDATE 04-30-08 3:52pm – Here is the article Adam was talking about.  Miller Park is the second-highest rated stadium in the MLB behind Jacobs Field.  I personally think that Safeco is the nicest and Miller Park is second.  Just me though.

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The Brewers took the first game against Chicago in fine fashion. The offense looks to have shaken the slump that has plagued them throughout the year. Ben Sheets looks to have gotten over his tight triceps. Mike Cameron played extremely well yesterday. I’m a happy Brewers fan right now.

• Tom Haudricourt has a few quotations from Mike Cameron about his return yesterday. I don’t think Mike could have hand-crafted a better Brewers debut at the plate after the double and a run scored in the first inning.
• Amy Nelson from ESPN seems to enjoy writing the human interest pieces for ESPN.com. She has a nice article about Mike Cameron and his lonely road back to the big leagues to start the 2008 season. It’s cliche, but Mike seems to have found a more profound respect for the game this season. I respect a man who can sit back and reflect a bit on his life. Professional baseball players get to play the game they love and make loads of money doing it. They have it pretty good. Mike now knows that and does not take the game for granted anymore. If only everyone could find that kind of humility and respect for what we have in our lives. The world would be a better place, that’s for sure.
• Lost in Mike Cameron’s return yesterday was the return of Ben Sheets. He had a night he would like to forget, as he walked seven Cubs hitters. The Crew won the game, so that is of little importance. Everyone expected him to be a little rusty. The important thing is that he reported no pain in his right triceps after the game. I don’t know about this morning, but that was the best news of yesterday.
• Ned Yost has vehemently defended Derrick Turnbow to fans and reporters alike. He has said that he has full confidence in Derrick even when fans were booing him off the field. Let’s be honest…it was getting a little annoying. Ned’s tone changed today, however. He says that he no longer has the confidence to send Derrick out in important situations until he can become more consistent. Ned’s right, it is a guessing game with Turnbow. He can be electric and dominating, but he can also be just terrible. Turnbow needs to prove a little something to the skipper to get in the game again.
• The Brewer Nation wants to know what will happen when Joe Dillon is available to come up to the big league squad again. My response? Until the bullpen can see its workload diminish a bit, Joe will stay in the minors. We’ll revisit this question once it becomes relevant again. The Crew needs 13 pitchers right now.
• SportsBubbler says that 3B Mat Gamel is the prospect of the week. Gamel has been absolutely mashing in Double-A Nashville. If he can get his defensive deficiencies figured out, he may be in a big league uniform sooner rather than later. With that said, it is a big “if.” Mat is pretty bad defensively.
• Do you remember Greg Aquino? He couldn’t find the strike zone for the Brewers, and when he did, the baseball usually found its way out of the ballpark. It seems that the Baltimore Orioles have figured that out too. Baltimore DFA’d him today. It’s too bad. He has a great arm.

Offense sparkles against Cubs

I don’t know what happened, but the Milwaukee Brewers decided it was time to break out of their offensive funk.  They broke out of it in a big way yesterday.

It all started with Mike Cameron in the first inning.  In his first at-bat with his new team in 2008, Mike ripped a double and later scored on a Prince Fielder sacrifice fly.  It set the tone for the day, and the offense never quieted against Jason Marquis and the Chicago Cubs.  Cameron finished the day going 3-5 with a double, two RBI, and two runs.  Not a bad way to start the year as a Brewer, eh?

Ben Sheets certainly did not have his best stuff today, but it was just nice to have him on the mound again.  He walked seven batters yesterday.  SEVEN!  In his previous four starts, he had four walks total.  I must admit, it was rather frustrating to see Benny have the control problems he did.  The most important thing, however, is the fact that he is pitching again without discomfort in his triceps area.  Hopefully, the Brewers were able to avoid any big injuries right there.

Back to the offense though.  Mike was not the only Brewer to have a big day.  Corey Hart went 3-5 and was just a home run short of the cycle.  J.J. Hardy went 3-4, which was crucial to the Brewers victory today.  The best at bat of the year for J.J. thus far was the at bat in the second inning when he stayed back on a Jason Marquis sinker and roped it to the opposite field.  Known as a straight pull hitter, it was very impressive to see Hardy take it the opposite way.  Bill Hall, Prince Fielder, and Ryan Braun also had nice games.

Records: Brewers (15-11); Cubs (16-10)

Hero of the Game: Mike Cameron

What a debut for Mike Cameron yesterday.  He got a double in his first at-bat with the Brewers, and he later scored.  I think that opened the floodgates for the team as a whole, but it also allowed Mike to relax and not worry about having to impress anyone on the team.  He already got his first hit out of the way, so he did not have to press.  I said it before yesterday’s game, and I’ll say it again: Mike Cameron could be the sparkplug this offense needed to get going.  If yesterday’s game is any indication, that could be correct.

Goat of the Game: Salomon Torres

It is hard for me to get too picky at this point, but Salomon almost blew an easy win for the Brewers.  In the seventh inning, the Brewers offense blew the game open with a three-run inning.  Torres came into the game looking to protect that lead so the bullpen (and Eric Gagne in particular) could rest.  Instead, he allowed the Cubs to put a three spot on the board.  It quickly became a game once again.  It turned out to be of very little significance, but it could have mattered.

Round ‘em Up: Tuesday

If you haven’t read Dan’s article below, give it a look.  Please give a comment and tell me what you think of it!  Also, if you would like the opportunity to write for BrewersNation, send me an email.  We can set up a day where your article would run, and we’d see what kind of response it got.  Anyway, on to the Round ‘em Up!

• Today is a big day for the Milwaukee Brewers.  In case you did not know that, Tom Haudricourt spells it out for you.  Mike Cameron will make his debut for the Crew today, and I am very excited to see him today.  Perhaps he can be a sparkplug for the Brewers offense.  We all know it needs it.  In addition, Ben Sheets comes back from his injury to take on the Chicago Cubs.  It is incredibly easy to overestimate the importance of a game this early in the season, but it is hard to say that this series against the Cubs does not hold some importance.  If the Crew can go into Wrigley and take two games, this week will be an automatic success.
• Prince Fielder looks to be getting hot at the plate.  In case you needed another reason to think he’s about to break out, Prince looooves the long ball at Wrigley.
• Sticking with Tom Haudricourt to start the day, he analyzes the clutch hitting for the Brewers.  They were ungodly awful with runners in scoring position (RISP) this weekend against the Florida Marlins.  I would prefer to forget that series ever happened, thank you very much.  J.J. Hardy and Rickie Weeks have been terrible with runners in scoring position this season.  Hardy is a little more worrisome, as he is batting ahead of the pitcher.  If he cannot get the runners in, the team will most likely not score that inning.  We all know the pitcher spot will not drive in the runs.  He needs to step up his game this week.
• Adam McCalvy answers fans questions in the Brewers mailbag this week.  Is it me, or does Adam seem to shy away from making any bold predictions or any concrete statements?  I suppose that comes with being a writer for the MLB.  You cannot afford to make anyone upset.
• Here’s an interesting article on Alcides Escobar and how he became such a good fielder.  He actually practiced as a youngster.  What a concept, huh?!  He is a fantastic fielder, but he’s struggled this year defensively for Huntsville.  I’ve been very surprised by that.
• Are you scrambling for information on Josh Butler, the player the Brewers acquired for Gabe Gross?  Here’s an article about what happened when the trade occurred.  Interestingly enough, Butler was about ready to pitch against Brevard County when he received word that he was just traded to Milwaukee.  Instead of pitching in that game, he simply crossed the diamond and put his stuff in Brevard County’s dugout.  That is incredibly ironic!
• Do you hate the Chicago Cubs?  Play Whack-A-Cub and relieve some of that stress.  Plus, it will save you from doing work for a while.
• RealGM Baseball has their Power Rankings up following Week 4.  I do not mean to be crass, but these rankings are stupid.  There is no possible way that the Cincinnati Reds are four spots better than the Milwaukee Brewers.  Zero chance that is true.
• People are beginning to ask if Francisco Cordero is worth the money the Reds are paying him.  The answer is no, no closer is worth that much money.  With that said, he has done nothing but convert every save opportunity for Cincinnati.  The problem is that Cincy has given Coco only four chances at a save.  That’s probably not good.

Visiting Writer: Analyzing Milwaukee’s defense

Because I’ve been so busy lately, I have decided to open a search for another blogger that can help keep the content running. This person would take part in writing articles for the site, and just running things when I am unable to do so. If you are interested in the position, shoot me an email. Send me an article, and we’ll see what kind of response it gets. Here’s what we have for today. It’s good stuff. Tell us what you think!

Hi my name is Dan and I’ll be helping out BrewersNation here from time to time. I wanted to take the opportunity today to look at the Brewers defense and how it stacks up so far this year. Jeff Sackmann at Brew Crew Blog was talking about it the other day and I agreed with the whole of his argument, but disagreed on some of the details. When I say “defense,” just for clarification, I’m looking at the position players that support the starting pitcher and not the pitcher himself. Moving along….

The big picture is that, overall, the Brewers defense is looking remarkably improved from last season. Here’s a position by position look at our defense:

Catcher: Jason Kendall is something special behind the plate. First off , I want to say that I absolutely hated Estrada last year. I felt his calling of the game for his pitchers was sub-par (thus some of our pitching problems last year) and his pick off percentage was dreadful. One only has to look at how our starting rotation is pitching this season to see that Kendall is calling a much better game behind the plate. His throws to second are much better too. Hanging near the bottom of the league in “caught runners” with Estrada must have worried the veteran catcher. But actually in spring training coaches worked with Kendall on not leaning so far forward in his throw. The result is better accuracy and opposing offensives have taken note.

First Base: Prince’s wife, Chanel, not only showed Fielder where meat comes from, but also pointed out that his defense ranked near the bottom of all MLB first basemen. Whether its off-season moves, veggie burgers make him lighter on his loafers, or a combo of both the slugger is looking quicker and more agile holding on to the #1 bag. Several acrobatic catches, stops, and dig outs have made Prince a threat both offensive and, now, defensively. Emulating Pujols as a true player on both sides of the playing field is a welcome goal for the youngster.

Second Base: Rickie Weeks is heralded as a “young talent” on the brink of a “breakout” season, but so far in this infant year I have been less than impressed with him. Putting aside his seizuring bat and anemic offensive production, Weeks is looking shaking on the defensive end as well. A few spectacular plays does not cover up the fact that Rickie has had trouble not only turning double plays (like the ninth inning dirt ball that should have gotten Gagne out of a blown save against the Cardinals last week), but turning outs into outs. He frequently is spiking the ball in the dirt on routine plays and only the improved glove of Fielder is saving Weeks from further embarrassment. I don’t want to be too hard on Rickie, statistically he is looking better without as many errors, but numbers don’t always tell the whole story. If he is going to have that breakout season, the second baseman is going to have to step up his game.

Shortstop: J.J. Hardy is playing well. There’s nothing spectacular to report from this spot on the diamond. His throws continue to by laser beams and on the money. He’s certainly not giving poor service to Weeks when they’re trying to turning the double play. I was particularly impressed with the couple of times that he’s found himself in shallow left trying to gun the runner down at first. Even though he came up short the other day on that exact play, his accuracy, range, and effort is something to be applauded. Keep up the good defensive work.

Third Base: Whatever frustration Bill Hall might still harbor for getting schlepped around the field from SS to Center to 3rd now should hopefully be subsiding. Hall certainly looking more natural playing in the dirt rather than the lonely grasses of the outfield. His throws have been pretty good and the range has been acceptable. No one can question that booting Braun to left field and filling the position with Hall is a down grade. He might not win any Gold Gloves, but Hall will always give you a solid game at the hot corner.

Left Field: Ryan Braun is the other beneficiary of the off-season merry-go-around. The reigning ROY’s offensive contributions often wiped away the dozens of runs his errors contributed to the opposition. So far Braun has looked pretty good in the outfield. He misplay a flyball in the inaugural series against the club, but had otherwise played decently back there. His great diving catch against the Marlins on Friday and the airmail (no connecting flights with the cut-off man) to snag Pujols at the plate put him on the highlight reels; the caliber of play that he never could produce at third. Like Hall, Braun may never win any awards in left, and he’s no Jenkins (yet), but the kid has the range and the arm to make the position his own.

Center Field: The trifecta of Gabe Gross, Gabe Kapler, and the now return Tony Gwynn held down the fort during the 25 game absence of Mike Cameron. Tony’s gets good marks before he got injured, but Kapler is the real surprise at this positions. Not only has his bat been a wonderful addition to the team, but he covered the center of the field wonderfully. I was thinking that Hart might cover center once Gwynn got injured, and a platoon would take right, but Kapler proved more than capable in getting to balls in center. Gross on the other hand was disappointing. Yost kept on insisting that he just needed regular playing time to help both his bat and glove, neither which proved to be true once Kapler also hit the wall (pun intended) and got injured. Save a small spike in offensive production right before he got traded to Tampa Bay, Gross didn’t have the speed, range, or know-how to get to the hits that Kapler, Gwynn, Cameron, or most center fielders would have gotten to. Cameron will hopefully lock down center for good and we can look for another Gold Glove for him.

Right Field: Corey Hart’s height and speed have always made him an asset in the Brewer’s outfield. Its obviously the reason I thought he might take center during Gwynn’s downtime, but it is his glove and a few fundamentals that have shaken my confidence in him lately. Don’t get me wrong, I like Hart (and my girlfriend has an unhealthy obsession with him), but he’s missing the mark on a number of throws to home that might (just might) have been outs if they were on the money. I would expect Braun to miss the plate, but since Hart has jumped to the top of many sleeper star lists because of such previously good defense the bar is now higher for him. I know that lights might have caused some trouble for Corey the other day as well, but lights are as standard to a ballpark as mid-day drunks so Hart better get used to both. Its probably just a misnomer for the shaggy Texan, so I look forward to better games ahead for him.

Like I wrote at the top of the article (which probably seems like hours you wish you could have gotten back) the Brewers defense has gotten better since its disastrous last season. They are turning outs into outs and taking away a few hits unexpectedly too. This all helps the man in the middle of the diamond throw a much better game when he knows he has competent defenders behind him. While the bats have been quite it is this improved defense that have kept the Brewers in the game.

Minor League Boxscores: Tuesday

Nashville Sounds (5-18), 8.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Colorado Springs	4	0	0	2	0	3	0	0	0		9	12	2
Nashville	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	4	2

RHP Richie Gardner - (L, 0-1) 3.1 IP, 7 hits, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K – 7.20 ERA
3B Joe Dillon – 2-4, 2 1B – .227 BA

Huntsville Stars (17-8), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Jacksonville	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0		2	9	2
Huntsville	1	2	1	0	0	3	0	0	X		7	12	3

LHP Sam Narron – (W, 4-1) 6.0 IP, 8 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K – 2.90 ERA; 1-2, HR (1), 2 RBI – .500 BA
3B Mat Gamel – 2-3, 2 1B, 2 BB, SB (2), 3 runs – .367 BA
1B Chris Errecart – 4-4, 2 RBI, BB – .303 BA
SS Alcides Escobar – 2-5, 2 1B, SB (3), run – .272 BA

Brevard County Manatees (15-10), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Vero Beach	1	1	0	2	1	0	0	1	0		6	12	1
Brevard County	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	6	X		7	9	1

RHP Alexandre Periard – ND, 6.0 IP, 9 hits, 5 ER, 1 BB, 9 K – 4.50 ERA
RHP Omar Aguilar – (S, 8 ) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 0.64 ERA
2B Jimmy Mojica – 1-4, HR (2), 3 RBI – .343 BA
1B Stephen Chapman - 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI – .260 BA

West Virginia Power (9-15), 6.5 GB

Did not play.

Bush vs. Parra debate

Dave Bush has been sent down to Triple-A now that Yovani Gallardo is back in the roation and Ben Sheets is fully healthy.  We have been speculating for weeks that Bush may be traded, but the Brewers opted to simply send him to the minors to work some of the kinks out.  Good.  Fine.  Moving on.

Not so fast.  Many people believe that Manny Parra should have been sent to Nashville instead of Bush.  I personally believe that Parra saved his job in the big leagues with his outing yesterday, so I understand that line of thinking.

Brewers Bar believes that Parra should have gotten sent down because he cannot go deep into games.  Citing the bullpen’s heavy workload, Jesse asserts that it would be better to have Bush go six or seven innings and give up a run or two more than stick with Parra who will tax our bullpen.  Parra certainly has better stuff than does Bush.  That does not mean he should stay in the bigs, however.

In-Between Hops, however, argues that people are reading too much into Parra’s short outings.  Fans and critics are saying that he simply cannot go six or seven innings.  Scott Segrin disagrees.  Parra can go deeper into games, but Ned Yost and the Brewers are trying to save his arm and pull him before he throws too many pitches.  Parra has thrown the fewest pitches per game (only 90 pitches/game), so perhaps there is some truth to that.

I believe Brewers Bar has the more persuasive argument here.  Ned Yost and the Brewers are almost certainly attempting to limit the number of pitches Manny Parra is throwing, but it does make our bullpen work harder.  After Manny went 5.1 innings, David Riske, Guillermo Mota, Mitch Stetter, Derrick Turnbow, and Eric Gagne all worked.  Because it went to extra innings, so did Seth McClung.  That is a lot of relievers to be in every five days.  Dave Bush does not have the ceiling that Parra has, but he does have the durability that Parra lacks.  That is huge for the Crew’s ‘pen right now.

Before you accuse me of having the same type of “Bush-love” that Ned has for Dave Bush, let me explain a little more.  Dave Bush actually has given up three fewer hits in one inning less of work.  Parra has walked one more batter than Bush as well.  Bush does have problems with giving up the long ball, however.  In one less start, he has given up three more home runs than Parra.  This does raise a red flag, but one must notice that Dave has pitched 22.2 innings in four starts.  Manny has pitched 23.2 innings in five starts.  That may seem innocuous this early in the season, but it will multiply throughout the rest of the season.

Finally, I would like to suggest that Manny would be a great fit as a long man in the bullpen.  It would keep his pitch count and innings down, while allowing him to enjoy success early in his pitch counts.  In his first 25 pitches, Parra allows opposing hitters to hit a measly .160.  In his next 25 pitches, he only gives up an opposing batting average of .260.  As a long reliever, most of his work would be in these areas.

Once Parra gets above the 50 pitch mark, however, things go downhill very quickly.  Between pitch number 51 and pitch 75, opposing hitters are hitting a fine .357, with an on-base percentage at .406.  His effectiveness dwindles significantly the further he gets into the game.  Between pitches 76 and 100, hitters are batting a staggering .563!  If Parra were the long man in the ‘pen, the Brewers would be able to utilize his strengths.  He is young, so these numbers are bound to get better, but he is most effective pitching only three to four innings at a time.

Dave Bush is not as flashy as Manny Parra, but he eats plenty of innings.  He is certainly more frustrating than Parra, but he is a solid number five starter in the rotation.  Placing Manny as the long man in the bullpen would allow Manny to gain big league experience, while still making a spot start or two along the way.  This, of course, would mean that the Brewers would have to get rid of one of the other arms in the bullpen.  That would be a whole different argument.  All in all, it is a positive thing for the Milwaukee Brewers that there are more major league caliber players than positions on the roster.  Depth is key to a division title.

Minor League Boxscores: Monday

UPDATE 04-28-08 12:45pm – Brewerfan.net is reporting that LHP Zach Braddock is getting called up to Brevard County after yesterday’s dominating performance.  In case you missed it, Zach struck out 10 batters in only four innings of work.  Don’t be too worried about the short outing.  The Brewers organization is just being cautious with his arm.  It’s special.  Congratulations Zach!

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Nashville Sounds (5-17), 8.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0		2	7	1
Omaha	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	X		3	5	0

LHP Chris Narveson – (L, 0-4) 7.0 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K – 4.18 ERA
DH Russell Branyan – 2-4, 2 1B, RBI – .412 BA
2B Hernan Iribarren – 1-5, RBI, SB (5) – .321 BA

Huntsville Stars (16-8), 0.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Jacksonville	0	0	0	0	2	1	5	0	1		9	12	0
Huntsville	0	0	2	0	0	2	4	1	1		10	13	1

LHP Brae Wright – ND, 5.0 IP, 9 hits, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K – 3.33 ERA
3B Mat Gamel – 3-4, 2 3B, HR (3), 4 RBI, BB, 3 runs – .358 BA
C Angel Salome – 3-4, HR (2), 2B, RBI, 2 runs – .310 BA
RF Matt LaPorta – 1-3, 2B, 2 runs – .289 BA

Brevard County Manatees (14-10), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13		R	H	E
Vero Beach	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		2	8	3
Brevard County	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	8	4

RHP Mike Jones - ND, 3.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – 4.09 ERA
RHP John Axford – ND, 4.0 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K – 3.98 ERA
CF Darren Ford – 1-6, 1B, SB 2 (13)
C Anderson de la Rosa – 2-5, 2B, RBI – .360 BA

West Virginia Power (9-15), 6.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Delmarva	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	0		4	6	4
West Virginia	2	0	0	0	1	3	1	0	X		7	13	2

LHP Zach Braddock – ND, 4.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K – 0.00 ERA
RHP Wes Etheridge – (S, 4) 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 2.31 ERA
1B Curt Rindal – 2-4, 2B, HR (3), RBI – .211 BA
RF Caleb Gindl – 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI – .256 BA
DH Jonathan Lucroy – 2-4, 2 1B, RBI, run – .318 BA

Bush optioned to Nashville

Manny Parra saved his big league job today with his outing.  He pitched 5.1 innings of two-run ball, and that may have been the outing he needed to beat out Dave Bush in the race for the last spot in the rotation.

Tom Haudricourt reports that Dave Bush has cleared waivers and is on his way to Triple-A Nashville, who could really use some quality pitching right now.  This move clears room for Mike Cameron who will make his debut in a Brewers uniform Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs.

I was initially surprised that Dave Bush was able to clear waivers.  His 0-3 start with a 6.75 ERA will not impress anyone, but he has a live arm and is still relatively young.  I figured that some team would swoop in and snatch him away from the Crew.

I did not realize that there is a “gentleman’s agreement” between major league GMs to not pick up players off of waivers that still have options left.  This would only complicate the process, as the Brewers could have simply chosen to place him back on the major league squad to block the move.  Players that have three years of major league experience must clear waivers in order to get sent down to Triple-A, but Dave still had a minor league option left.

I am excited to see Mike Cameron in a Brewers uniform.  Hopefully, he’ll be able to inject some life into this lethargic Brewers offense.  I was unable to watch the game today, but I understand that the Brewers were again unable to hit with runners in scoring position.  I was ready to write a recap of the game, but I unfortunately was unable to watch it.  Look for one following Tuesday’s game.  I apologize for the lack of posting after games, but I have been terribly busy lately.  I’m doing what I can for right now.

What do you think?  Should Dave have gotten sent down?

Round ‘em Up: Sunday

The Milwaukee Brewers were able to avoid another extra-innings game last night, courtesy of Prince Fielder and hit bomb in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Renyel Pinto.  Prince looks to be locking in at the plate a bit, which is a great sign for a struggling offense.  Carlos Villanueva mixed in his change-up and curveball very well today and logged a quality start for Milwaukee.  Villa looks to be settling into the rotation nicely.  His last two starts have been of the quality variety, and his command was much better last night (0 BB).

Manny Parra takes the hill this afternoon, and I have a sneaking hunch that he is pitching for his job.  If he cannot come out and go about 7 innings and allow 3 runs or less, I believe he will be sent down to the minors on Tuesday when Mike Cameron comes back.  Man, it will be nice to have Mike in the lineup.

• Ah, the Ben Sheets saga continues.  Will he pitch Tuesday or won’t he?  Benny threw a side session today, and everything went really well.  The fact that none of the coaches or Sheets himself would commit to a decision for next week worries me.  That normally means that something is up.  I hope Ben is able to go on Tuesday, but I would guess that he will sit out for one more start.
• Jim Powell says that Milwaukee caught the Marlins at a bad time in the year.  They’re a hot team right now.  I don’t know if I would necessarily agree with that.  Milwaukee’s offense is just in a terrible slump right now that is keeping the Fish in these games.  I look for the offense to break out in a big way today…yes, I just made that prediction.
• How about a little look at the starting rotation and their pitching efficiency?  The Junkball Blues analyzes the numbers, and guess what?  Ben Sheets is our best pitcher.  Shocking!  Although, it is fantastic to see Jeff Suppan come in second on the list.  He’s pitched very nicely this year.
• Dugout Central says that the real race this April has been a race between Manuel Corpas and Eric Gagne.  Who can have more blown saves in April?  Both are tied with four thus far.  My guess is that Eric Gagne will have more because Corpas lost his job to Brian Fuentes.  Plus, the Milwaukee Brewers have won three out of the four of Gagne’s blow saves.  Not to mention one of those blow saves was not his fault.
• Baseball Analysts take a look at the 2003 MLB Draft.  Rickie Weeks came in at the top of the list, but it is the general consensus that he has underachieved thus far.  At least he is still getting on base…
• In non-Brewers news, Matt Morris is absolutely terrible.  And the Pittsburgh Pirates finally figured it out.  Maybe it is his 9.67 ERA.  Maybe it’s the fact that he hasn’t been good in a while now.  Either way, the Pirates are trying to save face and salvage something out of Matt.  A bullpen move could be good, but he hasn’t started out games well either.  Sometimes, you just have to cut your losses and deal with it Pittsburgh.

Minor League Boxscores: Sunday

Nashville Sounds (5-16), 7.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	3	0	0	4	1	3	0	2	0		13	13	3
Omaha	1	1	3	3	0	0	1	0	0		9	13	1

LHP Zach Jackson – ND, 3.1 IP, 9 hits, 8 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 8.89 ERA
LHP Erasmo Ramirez - (W, 1-0) 2.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 2.08 ERA
CF Mike Cameron – 1-4, BB, 2 runs – .250 BA
DH Brad Nelson – 3-4, 3 1B, 3 RBI, BB, 3 runs – .364 BA
1B Russell Branyan – 4-4, HR (4), 2B, 5 RBI, BB – .406 BA
C Vinny Rottino – 2-4, HR (4), BB, 2 runs – .233 BA

Huntsville Stars (15-8), 1.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Jacksonville	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		2	10	0
Huntsville	0	1	0	2	3	1	0	0	X		7	14	0

LHP David Welch – (W, 3-1) 7.0 IP, 8 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – 3.45 ERA
CF Freddy Parejo - 3-5, 2 RBI, SB (2), run – .489 BA
SS Alcides Escobar – 3-5, 3 1B, RBI – .280 BA
3B Mat Gamel – 3-5, HR (2), RBI – .341 BA
LF Cole Gillespie – 1-4, HR (3), RBI, BB, 2 runs – .212 BA

Brevard County Manatees (14-9), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Vero Beach	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	8	5
Brevard County	0	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	X		5	7	0

RHP Donovan Hand - (W, 3-1) 7.2 IP, 8 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 2.25 ERA
LHP Casey Baron – (S, 1) 1.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 2.51 ERA
DH Charlie Fermaint – 3-4, 2 2B, run – .244 BA
2B Matt Cline – 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs – .265 BA

West Virginia Power (8-15), 7.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Delmarva	0	0	0	2	3	1	3	0	0		9	14	2
West Virginia	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	2	0		7	9	4

RHP Evan Anundsen – (L, 2-2) 5.0 IP, 7 hits, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 3.62 ERA
3B Steffan Wilson – 3-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, 2 runs – .221 BA
CF Lee Haydel – 1-5, 3B, 3 RBI, run – .287 BA
SS Brent Brewer – 1-5, 2B, SB (5), run – .221 BA

Round ‘em Up: Saturday

Good morning all.  The Brewers lost a tough one last night.  Yovani Gallardo pitched an absolute gem last night, but the offense was absent.  The Brewers had their lead-off hitter on base eight out of ten innings, yet they were unable to score a run the entire game.  It is hard to get upset with Guillermo Mota too much.  Sure, he essentially walked the game away, but the offense should have scored before that.  Plus, if the infield would have been playing at double play depth, J.J. Hardy would have been able to turn a pretty easy 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.  Instead, he makes an off-balance and difficult throw home that ended up being late and cost the Crew the game.

The Brewers play again tonight, as Carlos Villanueva will battle Mark Hendrickson.  Someone needs to do something to get this offense going…

• Some of the sabermetrics people are saying that having Jason Kendall bat ninth is paying dividends for the team offensively.  Kendall is playing like a rejuvenated player, but I would like to see the rest of the offense pick it up a bit before I call it a “success.”  It may be working for Kendall personally, but baseball is a team sport.  It shouldn’t affect anyone else, but something is causing this team to slump at the plate.
• Dugout Central has a recapping of the game last night.  I think the ball and glove logos should be lost.  I haven’t done statistical analysis on it, but I’m pretty sure we lose almost every time we wear them.  Surely Prince Fielder is superstitious enough to note that.
• The Junkball Blues have stats for the bullpen after the Cardinals and Phillies series.  They are getting WAY overworked.  Something needs to happen so they can get some rest.  Maybe we need 15 pitchers on the roster?!
• Eli from MLB Rumors is reporting that sources close to Nez Balelo, Ryan Braun‘s agent, are reporting that a long-term deal is close to being completed.  This is very good news for the Brewers and their organization.  I’m not surprised that this will be completed.  Eli does say that he thinks this signing will help in negotiations with Prince Fielder.  My response is…don’t hold your breath.
• Do you want to vote for who the Brewers should take with the 16th pick in this year’s first-year player draft?  Minor League Ball is conducting a fan draft, and it is the Brewers turn.  It is obvious from the results so far that fans believe that the Crew should take a college-proven pitcher.  I completely agree with that sentiment.
• Baseball Digest Daily believes that the Brewers should trade for C.C. Sabathia at the trade deadline.  Ummm…do they forget that the Brewers are a small market team?  They cannot afford to mortgage the future for the present.  If that happened, I’m pretty sure I would fall out of my seat out of disgust.  C.C. is a great pitcher, but the Brewers cannot get rid of three or four prospects for him.  And no, we could not sign him to a contract extension.

Friday’s NL Central Review

Chicago Cubs (15-7), — GB

This has been an enormous week for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubbies have taken over first place in the NL Central by having a six-game win streak to overtake the St. Louis Cardinals. Alfonso Soriano has made his way to the DL, but it has not seemed to faze Chicago. In fact, many analysts have claimed that the Cubs have played better without Soriano because they now have a true lead-off hitter. The team has a whole has been mashing the ball this week, and the team looks to be in mid-season form. Let’s take a look as to what the bloggers are saying.

• Bleed Cubbie Blue asks whether or not Alfonso Soriano should even be on the team any longer. One reader suggests that the Cubs should offer Soriano for Philadelphia’s Pat Burrell and a pitcher like Cole Hamels. It is an interesting idea, but I have a feeling the deal would fall flat on its face. The Phillies are shopping Burrell because they want to drop his contract, so why would the Phillies pick up a monstrous contract like Soriano’s? Secondly, Cole Hamels is going nowhere. In fact, it would probably take more than Soriano to pry Hamels away from Philadelphia. I think it could be an interesting idea to shop Soriano. That will not happen though.
• More on Alfonso Soriano. The View From the Bleachers talks about comments made by Chicago’s third base coach, Mike Quade. He says that there is something not right about Soriano since he got injured last season. Soriano has definitely lost a step on the basepaths. It causes Quade to rethink telling him to round third base. TVFB thinks that Chicago will have Quade retract his comments, but Cubs fans should be worried about Soriano if that is true.
• Goat Riders of the Apocalypse writes a ground breaking piece. If the Cubs give up more runs in the middle innings of the game, they have a better chance of losing. Really? Amazing.

St. Louis Cardinals (14-9), 1.5 GB

The Cardinals have been playing .500 baseball since starting out absolutely on fire. .500 baseball is all St. Louis needs to play right now, however, especially in the Central. The Cards lead the major leagues in walks with 115 walks. 115 walks. That is plate discipline right there. Todd Wellemeyer is tied for second most strikeouts with 31. Yes, Todd Wellemeyer. The same Todd Wellemeyer that had 60 strikeouts all of last season. What world am I living in right now? The same world where Kyle Lohse has a 2.54 ERA when he has a career 4.77 ERA. They are certainly playing some good baseball right now

• Viva El Birdos discusses the issues with the middle infield. What would be the problem you ask? The Cardinals have Cesar Izturis, Adam Kennedy, and Aaron Miles starting at shortstop and second base. Nobody is extremely excited with those names. The author says that Kennedy and Miles have been playing fairly well, but none of the three have any real power. He argues that hitters have to have some sort of power threat to keep major league pitchers honest. Brendan Ryan looks to be a boost for the middle infield, but those players leave a lot to be desired in the middle.
• Rockin’ the Red looks at some of the possibilities to play the middle infield outside the organization. Many of the options are top prospects in other organizations, and Michael Young seems to be a long shot. I don’t see any of these options happening unless the Cardinals are willing to make a void in their starting lineup right now. Their farm system is not deep enough to offer any real blue chip prospects there, so they would have to offer the likes of Brad Thompson or Anthony Reyes. It would be wise to try though.
• ESPN.com says that Albert Pujols is the most feared hitter in the major leagues. No kidding.

Houston Astros (11-12), 4.5 GB

The Houston Astros have come out of the cellar in a big way. Last week’s NL Central Review essentially said that the Astros should be prepared to have a firesale in the summer. This week, the Astros come into tonight’s game winning five games in a row. My how the tone can change after a week. Miguel Tejada hit .469 last week. That’s not too shabby, especially for someone that has gotten a lot of heat after fans found out that he’s older than advertised. The offense has broken out as a whole though. The team has averaged 8.2 runs per game in the midst of this five game winning streak. The bloggers were disgusted last week. Let’s see what they are saying this week.

• The Crawfish Boxes has pretty much all the statistical analysis you could ask for when breaking down this streak. Lance Berkman and Miguel Tejada are heating up. Roy Oswalt has finally looked like the ace that he is. Jose Valverde has been extremely shaky this entire year thus far, but he has looked much better. Hunter Pence looks to have broken out of his sophomore slump start. All in all, everything looks up for the Astros right now.
• Houston Astros Baseball is going as far to say that Ed Wade deserves some praise for the moves he made this off-season. I don’t know I would go that far. Just because all the new players on the Astros contributed in one game, it does not mean that Ed Wade did a nice job. Kaz Matsui is still being paid way too much. Michael Bourn is a sleeper in my opinion, and Miguel Tejada is certainly still good. I don’t know about Brandon Backe and Jose Valverde. Time will tell though.

Pittsburgh Pirates (9-13), 6.0 GB

The Pirates are chugging along in standard Pittsburgh form. They are okay, but certainly not good. Okay, that may be a little harsh. The comment does hold some credence though, right? They got swept by the Chicago Cubs, and split games with the Florida Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals. There is no shame to getting swept by the Cubs right now though, as they are playing very good baseball. Pittsburgh looks to turn it around this weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies.

• Bucs Dugout wants to know what is wrong with Tom Gorzelanny. The velocity is not there, and the results are certainly not there. I think the blogger puts it nicely. The fact that fans are hoping that John van Benschoten pitches over Gorzelanny shows that the team is having problems. I personally wonder if there are some arm problems brewing in Gorzelanny’s shoulder. He had a huge innings increase last season, and the team shut him down for a while during Spring Training because of discomfort in his shoulder. The team should consider getting his shoulder looked at.
• Do you remember when Pittsburgh bloggers were yelling for Ryan Doumit to be benched because his defense is so bad? Apparently his offense is more than making up for it, as there are articles being written about how Doumit is making the most of his playing time. Read the article and make up your own mind. Should Doumit be behind the plate for the Pirates?

Cincinnati Reds (9-14), 6.5 GB

The Reds have had a rough couple of weeks. They have hired a new GM in Walt Jocketty to turn the franchise around. In case you had not heard, the Reds former GM got fired this week because the team has failed to live up to expectations thus far this season. They lost 2 out of 3 to the Milwaukee Brewers last weekend, they split with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they got swept by the hot Houston Astros. Bronson Arroyo has been impressively awful this season, and even he does not understand why he is struggling. That is not a good sign for goldilocks. Perhaps big Adam Dunn and the Reds will be able to break out of their slump this week. They will try this weekend against the lowly San Francisco Giants. That’s a good way to start a streak.

• Here’s an article on the Walt Jocketty hiring (courtesy the Red Reporter).
• Reds Insider takes a look at the possible call-ups of Homer Bailey and Jay Bruce. Should Dusty Baker and the Reds call up the phenoms? Dusty is just as anxious as everyone else to see the youngsters in the big leagues, but he understands the logistics of the call-ups. It is not beneficial to either of the players to get called up but not play. The Reds would much rather have the players shine in Triple-A and get called up when needed, rather than have them sit on the bench and lose valuable playing time.
• Ken Griffey Jr. is quickly approaching a fantastic milestone. He is only three home runs away from No. 600. Good luck to you Mr. Griffey.

Minor League Boxscores: Friday

UPDATE 04-25-08 12:30pm – I apologize that I have not posted the Friday NL Central Review, but I have not had time to sit down and write it yet.  I have meetings this afternoon, so it will not be posted until later tonight.  It will be up either tonight or early tomorrow morning.  I’ll try to make it extra good to make up for it!

———————————————————————-

Nashville Sounds (4-16), 8.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	3	0	1	7	0	0	0	0	0		11	12	2
Omaha	0	0	7	1	2	0	2	0	X		12	14	1

RHP Nic Ungs – ND, 2.2 IP, 8 hits, 7 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – 12.86 ERA
1B Brad Nelson – 3-5, HR 2 (6), 5 RBI – .339 BA
CF Mike Cameron - 1-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, BB, 2 runs – .250 BA
RF Brendan Katin – 1-4, HR (2), 2 RBI – .283 BA

Nashville Stars (13-8), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Jacksonville	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0		3	10	2
Huntsville	0	2	0	1	0	0	3	5	X		11	14	1

LHP Steve Hammond – ND, 6.0 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K – 3.42 ERA
RHP Doug Johnson – (S, 1) 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – 3.12 ERA
RF Matt LaPorta – 3-4, HR 2 (6), 4 RBI, BB, 3 runs – .301 BA
3B Mat Gamel – 3-5, 3 1B, 2 runs – .317 BA
SS Alcides Escobar – 2-4, 2 1B, RBI, run – .250 BA

Brevard County Manatees (12-9), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Jupiter	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0		5	11	2
Brevard County	0	0	1	2	0	2	0	2	X		7	12	0

RHP Mike McClendon – ND, 4.0 IP, 10 hits, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – 7.27 ERA
RHP Omar Aguilar – (S, 7) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 0.69 ERA
DH Taylor Green - 2-5, 2 1B, RBI – .342 BA
RF Chuck Caufield – 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI – .298 BA

West Virginia Power (7-14), 7.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Delmarva	2	1	0	0	4	0	0	1	0		8	12	0
West Virginia	0	2	0	0	1	1	1	0	0		5	10	1

RHP Amaury Rivas - (L, 1-1) 4.0 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – 2.53 ERA
RHP Rob Bryson – 4.0 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K – 6.23 ERA
RF Caleb Gindl – 2-4, 2 1B, 2 runs – .247 BA
LF Kurt Crowell – 2-4, HR (1), RBI, 2 runs – .186 BA

Prospect Profile: 3B Taylor Green

Taylor Green had a phenomenal year in the minors last season, snagging the Player of the Year in the Brewers Organization in 2007.  In Single-A West Virginia, he hit .327/.406/.516/.922.  Those are numbers that Ryan Braun may even blush at after one season as a professional.

One aspect of Taylor’s game that stands out to me is his plate discipline.  Most of the Brewers top prospects are free-swingers, as are most of the Brewers on the major league roster.  Taylor, on the other hand, has an 11% walk rate and only struck out 65 times last season.  Those are more than respectable for someone that just started playing pro ball.

His power is acceptable, as he hit 14 home runs last season, but I would like to see it increase a bit.  To be a legitimate starting third baseman in the major leagues, he has to get that total over 20.  Taylor can obviously do that once he fills into his body a bit more and progresses as a complete player.  His power numbers will be skewed next season playing in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, so it will be hard to judge until he hits Double-A.

Taylor did play second base in college, so the switch to second has been a bit uncomfortable for the youngster (sound familiar to anyone?).  His 23 errors at third base are a big concern, but he has plenty of time to improve at the position before sniffing the big leagues.  He has the natural athleticism that should enable him to get the footwork and arm angles down to be very successful at the hot corner.

His path to the big league has gotten a bit clearer now that Ryan Braun has moved to left field, but Mat Gamel still stands in his way.  Gamel has notoriously butchered the third base position in the field, so Taylor has an edge in that category (even if it is a slight edge).

Taylor does have a long way to go before getting to the big leagues, but he’s proving last year wasn’t a fluke.  Through the first 19 games of the season, Taylor is hitting .338 and has a .434 on-base percentage.  His walk to strikeout ratio is 11:13, which is fantastic thus far.  He has yet to register a home run this season, but I blame the Florida State League for most of those troubles.  Taylor Green is one of the most exciting Brewers prospects, and it would be foolish not to keep an eye on him.  He bats for average and draws walks, while hitting for power.  If he can improve that defense, Brewers fans may see Taylor in the big leagues a couple seasons down the road.

Brewers sloppy in loss to Phillies

The Milwaukee Brewers should not have lost this game.  There is absolutely no excuse.  Jeff Suppan pitched seven innings of one-run ball…an absolute gem of a game.

With a right-handed power-laden lineup against a soft-throwing left-hander, this game was made for the Brewers.  The offense, however, could not handle Jamie Moyer.  Rickie Weeks and Bill Hall both got picked-off, which naturally kills any momentum the team had gathered to that point.  Corey Hart tried to stretch a no-out double into a triple, and got gunned down easily.  That cost the Brewers a run.  The Brewers had the bases loaded in the seventh.  No runs scored.  Tony Gwynn Jr. and Rickie Weeks both struck out looking against Tom Gordon.

To top the game off, David Riske lost the game for the Crew in the top of the eighth inning.  He got the first two batters of the inning to strike out, and all things looked up for the Brewers.  Riske then walked Greg Dobbs, however, and gave up two 0-2 hits that cost the Brewers two runs in the inning.  I repeat, two 0-2 hits.  I understand it can happen once, but not twice.  Riske was understandably upset after the game.  He should be.

All in all, the Milwaukee Brewers should forget this game ever happened.  The Philadelphia Phillies practically handed the game to the Brewers, but the team gave it right back to them.  It’s about three and a half hours since the game ended, and I’m still seething mad.

Oh well, we play tomorrow again, right?  At least the Chicago Cubs lost…

Minor League Boxscores: Thursday

Nashville Sounds (4-15), 7.5 GB

Did not play.

Huntsville Stars (12-8), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	4	0	0	1	0	3	0	1	0		9	13	0
Mississippi	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	2	0

LHP Sam Narron – (W, 3-1) CG, 2 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K – 3.24 ERA
SS Alcides Escobar – 3-5, 3 1B, 2 RBI, run – .237 BA
LF Freddy Parejo – 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, 2 runs – .488 BA
RF Matt LaPorta – 1-5, 2B, RBI, run – .275 BA

Brevard County Manatees (11-9), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Jupiter	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0		4	7	2
Brevard County	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	7	0

RHP Alexandre Periard – ND, 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K – 3.60 ERA
LHP Bobby Bramhall – (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) 3.0 IP, 4 hits, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 3.63 ERA
DH Chuck Caufield – 3-4, 3 1B, run – .291 BA
LF Charlie Fermaint – 1-4, 2B, RBI, run – .213 BA

West Virginia Power (7-13), 6.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	0	1	3	3	0	1	2	2	0		12	22	0
Lexington	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2		2	7	0

RHP R.J. Seidel – (W, 1-1) 5.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 3.86 ERA
3B Zelous Wheeler – 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 runs – .302 BA
DH Steffan Wilson – 1-5, HR (1), 2 RBI – .196 BA
CF Lee Haydel – 4-6, 2B, 2 runs – .299 BA
C Jonathan Lucroy – 4-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, BB, 3 runs – .314 BA

Round ‘em Up: Thursday

Derrick Turnbow came into the game last night and silenced everyone that called for his being traded yesterday.  I felt like he walked into my living room and told me to shut up as I cheered for him in the top of the ninth.  He was impressive last night.  That does not change the fact that I believe that he should stay in more of a mop-up role, but he proved he still has closer-stuff.

• Yesterday, I posted an article that said Milwaukee Brewers fans are the unluckiest fans in baseball.  Interesting.  Today, however, ESPN reports that Milwaukee Brewers fans are the fourth most satisfied with their team in the MLB.  Fans have Doug Melvin and Jack Z to thank for that.
• The Baseball Savant makes a revolutionary and eye-opening comment.  The Milwaukee Brewers need Ben Sheets to be healthy.  Oh, I wasn’t aware of that.  Thanks.
• Speaking of Derrick Turnbow, Tom Haudricourt has a nice post about last night’s game.  You know Derrick has been struggling when he’s getting this emotional about a save.  Interestingly enough, it had been one year to the day since his last save.  It came against the Chicago Cubs in 12 innings.  Prince Fielder also hit two home runs in that game.  I have April 23, 2009 marked down as a save for Derrick Turnbow.  He may not be on the team at the time, but it has to happen.
• Jim Powell sums up yesterday’s happenings.  No one should be worried about Prince Fielder’s diet anymore.  Everyone watching the game should have been happy for Derrick Turnbow last night.  Geoff Jenkins deserved the standing ovations he received last night.  No one was a better person and ambassador for the game in Milwaukee.  He played hard every night and gave much back to the community.  I was glad to see the fans remember that and not boo him.
• The Hardball Times has a great analysis of Yovani Gallardo.  The side-by-side videos of his fastball and curveball are extremely interesting.  The Brewers organization have a stud on their hands…in case you didn’t already know.
• After last night’s awful strike zone called by Rick Reed (if you didn’t see it, it was absolutely atrocious), it seems fitting that Beyond the Boxscore does a study on the consistency of a strike zone.
• Do you remember Dana Eveland?  He is now on the Oakland Athletics, and he is throwing the ball very well.  Everyone who remembers Dana knows that he has the stuff to be successful at the big league level.  He did have problems with the mental side of the game, but he looks to have figured that stuff out.  Minor League Ball does a nice analysis of Dana right here.

Gross traded to Tampa

UPDATE 04-23-08 6:00pm – Here’s what Baseball America has to say about Josh Butler (courtesy Tom Haudricourt and the Milwaukee JS):

“Butler reached high Class A in his first full pro season, continuing to show filthy stuff even after a sprained thumb cost him three weeks starting in mid-July. The 47^th overall pick in 2006, he had his pro debut cut short by biceps tendonitis. His arm strength returned last season, and he has one of the best repertoires among Tampa Bay pitching prospects.

“Butler owns a 92-95 mph fastball with outstanding movement, including late sinking action. He has an overhand curveball with tight spin and hard, sharp slider. His changeup continues to show improvement though he tends to abandon the pitch too readily.

“The Rays like Butler’s competitive streak and his work ethic. He simply needs innings against better competition so he can become more consistent with his changeup and his release. Tampa Bay has worked with him to incorporate his legs more in his delivery. He’ll open the season back in high Class A and should move up to Double-A at some point in 2008.”

————————————————————————

Doug Melvin decided to alleviate some of the congestion in the outfield yesterday by shipping Gabe Gross to Tampa Bay for RHP Josh Butler.

I like this move a lot from Doug. He may not have gotten a sure thing in return for Gross, but it is much better than attempting to have him clear waivers. That almost certainly wouldn’t have happened. Getting a power arm for someone that we could have gotten nothing for is a plus.

Gabe has shown flashes of power and production with the Milwaukee Brewers, but it has been few and far between. He’s performed well the past couple of games, but he is only hitting .179/.303/.205 in 48 plate appearances. I think it is safe to call that “very bad.” Gabe has a chance in Tampa to prove that he can produce, as he should get ample playing time now that Cliff Floyd is hurt. This is a good pick-up by the Rays.

The Brewers received Tampa’s second-round draft pick in the 2006 First Player Draft. Josh Butler has struggled out of the gates this year, posting a 6.35 ERA in three starts. Don’t let that turn you off though. Josh has a fastball that runs about 93-95 mph and a very hard breaking 12-6 curveball. He has a lot of movement on his fastball, and he even has a decent change. His ground-out to air-out ratio is fantastic as well, as he has posted a 2.23 GO/AO ratio so far. Doug Melvin did a very nice job getting a quality, high-upside arm for Gabe Gross. Time can only tell if it works out for the Brewers, but the organization has done wonders for pitchers in recent years. Perhaps Butler can challenge for a spot in the bullpen a couple years down the road. I’ll keep an eye on him in the coming weeks.

Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

Alright, is anyone else sick of extra-inning games yet?  I know it’s great because we have won the majority of them, but this is getting a little ridiculous.  It is exhausting our bullpen…not to mention my attention span.  Here’s to a victory today in 8 1/2 innings.

• Obviously the big news today is that Gabe Gross got traded yesterday to the Tampa Bay rays for Josh Butler.  Gross simply had no space on the team anymore.  I’ll take a look at the trade in a little more depth later today.  Tony Gwynn Jr. got called up to fill the spot on the roster.
• I certainly did not see this coming:  Eli from MLB Rumors is reporting that the Brewers organization is trying to get Eric Gagne out of the closer’s role.  That would presumably put David Riske next in line.  I just don’t see this happening quite yet.  Ned Yost is prone to giving about ten second chances.  Not to mention Gagne’s blown save yesterday was not his fault.  You can ask Rickie Weeks about that if you wish.
• Now that Gabe Gross has been traded, many people believe that the dominoes have started to fall and Derrick Turnbow will be on his way out.  I do not quite see this happening as quickly as many people believe, but I do agree with a couple articles that have been posted today.

  One from Dugout Central and the other from Between the Green Pillars both agree that Derrick’s time in Milwaukee has passed.  I admit that his stuff is absolutely nasty, but he cannot control it to save his life.  Yost does not trust him in close games anymore.  Turnbow has been vocal about his displeasure about this, but I wonder if he complained after blowing another game Monday night.  Turnbow can still deliver, but he may need a change of scenery.  Perhaps another trade is in order down the road?  Until then, Derrick will find himself in mostly mop-up situations.

• Milwaukee Brewers fans have now been dubbed the Unluckiest Fans in Major League Baseball.  I disagree.  I love the Crew.
• Has Eric Gagne been less effective because he has pitched so much in the past week?  The Hardball Times takes a look at how effective relief pitchers are after they pitch more than one day in a row.  Gagne pitched four days earlier in the week, and it is no wonder his stuff was not all that solid.  Perhaps Yost would have been better served to rest Gagne on the fourth day…
• Matt LaPorta is SportsBubbler’s Prospect of the Week.  I think I’ve decided to run that feature on Sundays myself.
• Albert Pujols is getting a bit impatient.  He struck out against Guillermo Mota after being up 3-0 in the count.  After the count was 3-1, Albert swung at two low pitches and struck out.  He knew they were low.  He just did not want to walk.  Understandable, I suppose, but you have to take your walks when you get them Sir Albert.

Minor League Boxscores: Wednesday

Alright folks, I am officially back and ready to get back on the horse. I apologize for the inconvenience and the fact that I was gone. Perhaps I’ll be able to find a partner to help on the days I am unable to post. I know you all understand though. Here we go with yesterday’s boxscores…

Nashville Sounds (4-15), 7.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	3	0	2	2	0	0	0	2	4		13	18	0
Albuquerque	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	1		3	7	0

RHP Mark DiFelice – (W, 1-0) 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K – 1.50 ERA
CF Hernan Iribarren – 3-6, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 runs – .341 BA
3B Joe Dillon – 2-6, 2B, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 runs – .300 BA
C Vinny Rottino – 2-5, HR (3), 3 RBI – .212 BA
RF Brendan Katin – 2-5, 3B, HR (1), RBI – .286

Huntsville Stars (11-8), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	0	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	1		6	10	2
Mississippi	2	0	2	3	0	0	0	0	X		7	7	1

LHP Brae Wright – (L, 1-2) 3.1 IP, 7 hits, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K – 3.27 ERA
CF Michael Brantley – 3-4, 2B, RBI, BB, SB (7), run – .375 BA
3B Mat Gamel – 2-4, 2 1B, RBI, BB, SB (1) – .301 BA
LF Matt LaPorta – 1-4, 2 RBI – .281 BA

Brevard County Manatees (11-8), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Brevard County	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	4	0
Vero Beach	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	X		2	7	1

RHP Mike Jones – ND, 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 5.63 ERA
1B Stephen Chapman – 2-4, 2B, HR (4), RBI – .282 BA
2B Jimmy Mojica - 1-2, 2B, BB – .385 BA

West Virginia Power (6-13), 7.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	0	3	0	3	0	0	1	1	0		8	8	3
Lexington	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0		2	7	6

LHP Zach Braddock - 2.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 0.00 ERA
RHP Nick Tyson – (W, 1-1) 5.0 IP, 7 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 3.21 ERA
SS Brent Brewer – 2-5, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, BB, run – .224 BA
CF Lee Haydel - 1-5, BB, 3 runs – .262 BA

I will be absent

Unfortunately, I will be on the road starting tomorrow.  I will be back home late Monday evening.  I apologize for the inconvenience.

I may be able to post over the weekend.  It will totally depend on whether or not I can get internet connection in the hotel I will be staying at.  I fully plan on posting throughout the weekend, but I cannot guarantee anything.

If I’m unable to post the next couple days, have a wonderful weekend.

Sheets exits early in Brewers victory

The Brewers were having enough trouble with their starting pitching staff before Friday night.  Sure, the Brewers won the game, but an air of uncertainty and anxiety hangs over the victory.

Why so somber, you ask?  Ben Sheets left the game after the fifth inning due to tightness in his triceps muscle.  He only threw 60 pitches and was pitching a lights-out game, but Ned Yost took him out for precautionary reasons.  No need to take any chances in April.

If that were the case, all would be okay.  We could be cautiously optimistic about Sheets’ next start.  Then the team revealed more bad news.  Sheets actually has had soreness in his triceps muscle since his start against the New York Mets.  He’s been receiving treatment for it every day.  I have a headache…

The rest of the game did happen, however, and the Brewers bullpen got a little scare late in the game.  Newly promoted Mitch Stetter loaded the bases in the eighth inning, but struck out the next two batters.  David Riske finished off the inning to preserve the 5-0 lead.  Riske then gave up a bunt single to Ken Griffey Jr. and a single to Brandon Phillips and Adam Dunn.

Enter Eric Gagne.  Edwin Encarnacion got a ridiculous bloop single to fall in shallow right, and all looked down for the Crew.  Gagne proceeded to strike out the next two Reds to finish out the game.  It was a heart-racer though.

Bill Hall seems to have benefited from the switch to sixth in the batting order.  Yes, I’m preemptively calling that after one game.  He absolutely smashed a two-run home run off of Bronson Arroyo.  Billy may not be hitting for average, but he certainly has his power stroke going.

Records: Brewers (10-6); Reds (7-10)

Hero of the Game: Eric Gagne

Eric came into the game and successfully halted the Cincinnati rally.  He gave up a bloop single to Edwin Encarnacion, but he struck out the next two to finish the game.  His change-up was absolutely electric today, and he had a nice fastball today.  93-94mph is exactly where he needs to be.  A tip of the cap goes to Eric today for saving the game.

Goat of the Game: David Riske

He did come in during the eighth inning and keep the Reds scoreless.  He also came in during the ninth inning and lost his control.  He fell behind 3-1 to Adam Dunn.  Riske is seriously lucky that Dunn did not take that belt-high fastball right out of the park.  The control has been a little sketchy for Riske lately, and that needs to improve.  On a lighter note, however, Riske is known as a slow starter.  If he can only improve throughout the season, I’m excited to see it.  He could use a little lighter workload though.

On Tap

Jeff Suppan will take on the phenom, Johnny Cueto at 12:10pm CT.  Let’s be 2-0 against the kid.

Friday’s NL Central Review

St. Louis Cardinals (11-5), — GB

The St. Louis Cardinals still hold onto the NL Central. The Cardinals have their backs against the wall, as no one is giving them a chance, and they are churning out win after win. Their pitching has remained fantastic. Kyle Lohse pitched seven innings of scoreless ball before running into trouble in the eighth against the Brewers. How is he doing it? He’s really not that good. I expect his performance to regress towards the mean, but it has not happened thus far. Perhaps St. Louis is the home he’s been looking for? Skip Schumaker, on the other hand, has risen from the dead. After starting the season in a 0-16 slump, he has broken out in a big way. He personally killed the Milwaukee Brewers this week, and he’s hit over .400 since that slump. I just don’t understand…

The Cardinals will take on the San Francisco Giants again this weekend, as Todd Wellemeyer will take the mound against Matt Cain. I never thought I would be cheering against the Cardinals this early in the season, but go Giants!

• Viva El Birdos has a man-crush on Kyle McClellan. He did look good yesterday, I must admit. Those three breaking pitches against Joe Dillon made Joe look just plain silly. Sure the third pitch was a bit high, but you have to pull the trigger on that one. K-Mac, as he is known as, seems to be developing into an absolute workhorse in St. Louis.
• This is certainly after the fact, but C70 at the Bat has some good statistical analysis concerning the Brewers-Cardinals series. I did not know Braden Looper had struggled so much against the Brewers. Too bad that did not last.

Chicago Cubs (9-6), 1.5 GB

The Cubs start today tied for second place in the Central with your Milwaukee Brewers. They have had an up and down week. They did beat the Cincinnati Reds in two out of the three games at home, which is more than the Brewers were able to do last week. All in all, the bullpen is looking good. Kerry Wood has rebounded from his performance against the Crew on Opening Day. His velocity is up, and he is consistently getting outs. He and Carlos Marmol will be quite difficult at the back-end of the Cubs bullpen. Alfonso Soriano injured his calf this week and is on the DL. He seems to get hurt every year now.

Rich Hill will face Ian Snell tonight to start the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. I think everyone in both organizations is hoping that there are not two extra-inning games this time. The Cubs will most likely take care of business, but Ian Snell is quietly performing like a stud. He could surprise Chicago tonight.

• Do you want to know how classy the fans at Wrigley are? These blatantly racist t-shirts are the most popular items being sold out side of the stadium. I understand that we should not judge all Cubs fans by events like this, but it makes it rather hard. How does anyone think this is a good idea? Kosuke Fukudome is a class act and deserves to be treated as such.
• The View from the Bleachers is calling for Ted Lilly to be removed from the starting rotation. Well, it does not take long for Cubs fans to forget the successful season he had last season. Then again, I believe everyone knows last year was a fluke. This is the true Ted Lilly.
• Everyone believes that Alfonso Soriano hurt his calf on his annoying little hop he does before catching a fly ball. I will ignore the fact that Soriano is one of my least favorite players because of his cockiness (there is a difference between cockiness and supreme confidence). Apparently, this injury was not caused by his little hop. He injured it in Pittsburgh, but he tried to play through it. That plan obviously did not work.

Pittsburgh Pirates (7-8), 3.5 GB

The Pittsburgh Pirates are toying with the hearts of the Pirates faithful. They go out and take the series against the Cincinnati Reds, yet they turn around and lay an egg against the hot Los Angeles Dodgers. Players like Nate McLouth and Tyler Yates have been wonderful surprises, but one wonders if they will be able to keep up their current pace. Then again, players like Paul Maholm and Jason Bay continue to disappoint. Pirates fans assume that they should be pessimistic about the entire season, but the optimism cannot be held down. I’ll look at that more in a second.

As stated above, Ian Snell will lead the Pirates against Rich Hill and the Chicago Cubs this afternoon at Wrigley Field. It should be an interesting match-up. These two pitchers have the potential to be studs. You could even argue that Snell already is.

• The Pittsburgh Lumber Co. addressed the exact topic that I mentioned above. Are there reasons for optimism? Matt Bandi seems to be a little confused. He knows that Nate McLouth will not be able to keep up his current pace, and he calls Tom Gorzelanny an arm injury waiting to happen. I tend to agree with Matt about that one, by the way. The Pirates pushed Gorzelanny far too hard last season, and they may have to pay the repercussions for that strategy. Matt believes that Ryan Doumit is a positive for the team, but I would tend to disagree. His defense is terrible.
• How about something that is a little more pessimistic about the Pirates? Bucco Blog does not believe that the Pittsburgh Pirates are on the right track. Not even a little bit.
• The Bucs Dugout takes a closer look at the Pirates bullpen. It is not a pretty sight for the most part, but it does have some bright spots. Like I’ve said numerous times, Tyler Yates has been lights-out thus far. Evan Meek is a promising young pitcher that needs more time for development. Unfortunately, he is Pittsburgh’s Rule 5 draft pick, so he must stay on the big league roster. I tend to agree with the author here. Give him more time. It’s not like the Pirates are playing for anything right now anyway.

Cincinnati Reds (7-9), 4.0 GB

The Reds did not have an enjoyable week.  They lost five straight road games since the last time we checked in with them.  Getting swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates must have hurt incredibly badly.  There are some positives though.  Ken Griffey Jr. is starting to heat up at the plate.  He is chasing the elusive #600, but he is getting much closer.  Young first baseman, Joey Votto, has made his arrival known the last couple days.  He had a big day yesterday with a home run and five RBI.  Nothing like demanding playing time!  Hopefully he cools off a bit as Milwaukee comes to town, but the kid can legitimately hit.  He’s a big leaguer for sure.  Francisco Cordero has struggled a bit, on the other hand.  I know Brewers fans especially like to see that, but it has hurt the Reds.  He’s even struggled in mop-up roles like yesterday.  He’ll have to turn it around for the Reds to improve.

Bronson Arroyo will welcome Ben Sheets and the Milwaukee Brewers to town tonight.  The game will be the beginning of a three-game weekend series at the Great American Ballpark.

• Red Reporter takes a look at the first 10% of the season for the starting pitchers.  Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, and Aaron Harang have all pitched well.  In case any of you are living under a rock, Harang owns the Brewers.  He will take the mound against the Crew on Sunday.
• Josh Fogg is out of the rotation.  That should not be overly surprising.  He is average at best.  With all those power, young arms that Cincinnati has at their disposal, it would be foolish to keep Fogg in the starting rotation.  Will he remain on the team?  That has yet to be decided.  All I know is that Dusty Baker did not want Fogg on the team in the first place.  In fact, he was only told about Fogg coming to Cincy after the deal was already finalized.  Classy move by the management there.

Houston Astros (6-10), 5.0 GB

The Houston Astros put their first series victory on the board this week against the Philadelphia Phillies.  Roy Oswalt looked like he found what has been missing the entire year.  Doug Brocail has quietly been one of the best signings of the off-season for the Astros.  Lance Berkman is also starting to heat up at the plate.  There are lots of positives coming out of the last couple days, but all is not sunshine and roses in Houston.  Jose Valverde is beginning to look like the 2006 version, not the shut-down 2007 version.  He has been wild and giving up lots of runs.  Perhaps that trade is not working out like everyone thought.  Hunter Pence has been dreadful this season too.  Just dreadful.  He’s too good of a player to go through such a stretch.  He’ll break out of it.

The Astros will play hosts to the Colorado Rockies this weekend.  Chris Sampson will take on rookie Franklin Morales tonight in Game 1.  It is a match-up of rather disappointing teams this season.  We’ll see who can get it going.

• There is still a lot of cynicism and sarcasm floating around in the Astro world.  Take the article from The Astros Dugout.  The headline is about Geoff Geary getting a 1-2-3 inning.  That should not be such a big deal.  I guess it is, however, when no other Astro pitcher in the game did that.  At least the Dugout is celebrating the achievements of its team…
• It turns out that Miguel Tejada is older than everyone thought.  That’s just silly to me.  That happened with Wandy Rodriguez and now Miggy.  I cannot help but laugh a little bit.

Round ‘em Up: Friday

Here’s a short smattering of links while I gear up for Friday’s NL Central Review:

• Prince Fielder is on pace to hit as many home runs as he did last season.  Through 15 games in ’07, he had only one HR.  We’ve brought up this point before though.
• Prince Fielder may have not been getting too many hits early in the season, but 7 of his 13 hits came with runners in scoring position.  That’s being productive.
• Bugs and Cranks outlines the situation at the end of the rotation.  Yovani Gallardo will be coming back.  Who will get knocked out?
• Even Ken Rosenthal is obsessed with Gabe Kapler.  Then again, aren’t we all?
• John Sickels from Minor League Ball takes a very in depth look at Carlos Villanueva.  John’s stuff is always good.
• The Brewers call up Mitch Stetter!!!  Hernan Iribarren gets sent back down to Triple-A.  He did well while he was here though.  We’ll see him again.
• Derrick Turnbow is not happy with his role in the bullpen.  Well, throw more strikes and get more people out, and that will probably change.

Minor League Review

Nashville Sounds (3-12), 6.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Omaha	0	3	1	1	0	0	1	0	0		6	12	0
Nashville	0	0	0	1	3	0	1	0	0		5	8	0

Huntsville Stars (8-6), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Chattanooga	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4		6	7	0
Huntsville	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	1	0		4	8	3

Brevard County Manatees (9-5), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
St. Lucie	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	1		6	8	2
Brevard County	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	4	X		8	15	2

West Virginia Power (3-12), 6.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	0		3	3	4
Asheville	0	0	2	1	0	0	3	0	X		6	12	1

Offensive Player of the Week: 3B Taylor Green

Taylor was named the Brewers Organization Player of the Year last season, and he is picking up exactly where he left off.  His stat line thus far is .362/.464/.468 with 3 SB.  Nobody is going to argue with production like that.  Taylor is the reason I believe Mat Gamel is somewhat expendable.  The only knock against the young man is his defense.  He already has three errors this season.  Hopefully, that will improve with coaching.

Honorable Mention: CF Darren Ford, CF Michael Brantley, 3B Russell Branyan

Pitcher of the Week: LHP Derek Miller

This was a difficult decision for this week, as no pitcher threw the ball extremely well this week.  There were many that did pitch well though.  Derek brings an 0-1 record into next week, but he only has a 1.84 ERA in three starts and 14.2 innings pitched.  He had a complete game, in which he gave up zero earned runs.  It ended up being only five innings long because of rain, but it still counts.  If Derek is going to keep his fly-out tendency (0.79 GO/AO), he will need to get the strikeouts a bit higher.  10 Ks in 14.2 innings is certainly nothing to be upset about, especially from a lefty, but I would still like to see it higher.

Honorable Mention: RHP Omar Aguilar, RHP Evan Anundsen, RHP Donovan Hand

Fielder homers in comeback victory

Everyone has questioned his switch to a vegetarian diet. People have questioned his pitch selection. Should he wear the high socks? Prince Fielder has heard it from everyone…including himself.

Prince put the Brewers ahead for good with his two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning off of Brad Thompson. He was obviously overjoyed to get the first one out of the way. He smacked Ryan Braun in the head after crossing the plate and jumped up and down looking for anyone to high-five in the dugout. It was a big moment for the big man. Hopefully, this home run can spark a power surge for him.

Manny Parra struggled mightily with his control today. He only pitched four innings, and it was not pretty. It looks like he may be the pitcher sent to the minors once Yovani Gallardo comes off the DL on Sunday. The young man has the stuff, but he’s pressing too much.

After Parra left the game, Seth McClung came in and worked three innings of scoreless ball. He certainly made a nice statement today, as he is also playing for his job with the big league club in the coming days. He kept the Brewers in the game when it looked to be a blowout.

The Brewers offense looked lifeless again today for the most part. Kyle Lohse continued his fine performance this spring by throwing seven innings of shutout baseball until running into trouble in the eighth. The Crew struck for three runs in the eighth inning. Better late than never, I suppose.

Eric Gagne made it interesting in the 10th inning, but he regained his composure and shut down the game. He looks to have the tendency to overthrow a bit in big games, but he settled down nicely. His change-up was spectacular today. Notch another save for Gagne.

Records: Brewers (9-6); Cardinals (11-5)

Player of the Game: Prince Fielder

How can you not give it Prince? He had the game-tying bloop double in the eighth inning, and the go-ahead two-run bomb in the tenth. If today’s home run can spur him on to a hot streak, the Brewers will greatly benefit. Their offense looked awful again for the most part, going after balls way too early in the count and making it simple for Kyle Lohse most of the day. This win is huge for the Brewers, as well as Prince Fielder.

Goat of the Game: Manny Parra

This kid has the potential to be a big time major league pitcher. He showed what he can do against the San Francisco Giants, but has not been consistent enough. Today was a perfect depiction of how he’s been the past couple starts. He is falling behind hitters, throwing too many pitches, and walking too many batters. He threw 86 pitches through four innings today. The personnel decision for Ned Yost may have just gotten much easier this weekend. Manny needs a couple more months in the minors. He’ll be back though. He’ll be back, and he’ll be dynamite.

On Tap

The Milwaukee Brewers will head to the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, OH to face the Cincinnati Reds for the second time in as many weeks.  Ben Sheets will face Bronson Arroyo at 6:10pm CT.  I believe it is time to get some payback for what happened at Miller Park.  A road series victory would be wonderful to see!

Minor League Boxscores: Thursday

Hi all.  I have to apologize for my lack of posting the last couple of days, but I have been quite busy.  As you probably know, this site does take a lot of work to keep going.  I do love doing it, however, so I’m more than happy to spend the time.  Like everyone else, I am sometimes busy and am simply unable to post some mornings or afternoons.  I’ll try to make up for it in the coming days, however.

Nashville Sounds (3-11), 5.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Omaha	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1		3	7	2
Nashville	0	0	0	0	6	0	3	0	X		9	8	1

RHP Tim Dillard – (W, 1-0) 3.1 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 1.00 ERA
LF Mel Stocker – 2-4, 2 1B, BB, SB (4), 2 runs – .391 BA
CF Laynce Nix – 2-4, GS (2), 4 RBI, 2 runs – .269 BA

Huntsville Stars (8-5), 1.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Chattanooga	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0		4	7	1
Huntsville	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	X		7	9	0

LHP David Welch – ND, 5.2 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K – 3.24 ERA
RHP Joe Bateman – (S, 3) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 0.00 ERA
SS Alcides Escobar – 2-4, HR (1), RBI, 2 runs – .204 BA
CF Michael Brantley – 1-3, BB, run – .356 BA

Brevard County Manatees (8-5), 1.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
St. Lucie	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	1		4	8	2
Brevard County	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2		5	11	0

RHP Donovan Hand – ND, 6.0 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K – 3.57 ERA
1B Stephen Chapman – 1-3, HR (2), RBI, BB – .255 BA
CF Darren Ford – 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB, SB 2 (8), run – .352 BA
RF Lorenzo Cain – 2-4, 2 1B, SB (2), 2 runs – .185 BA

West Virginia Power (3-11), 6.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0		2	5	4
Asheville	2	0	1	0	4	0	0	0	X		7	7	1

RHP R.J. Seidel - (L, 0-1) 4.1 IP, 3 hits, 5 ER, 6 BB, 4 K – 5.56 ERA
2B Zelous Wheeler - 2-3, BB, run – .256 BA
SS Brent Brewer - 2-3, 2B, BB, run – .167

Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

I hope you all will be pulling hard for the Milwaukee Brewers tonight.  A series win in St. Louis would be huge for the Crew at this point in the season.  Let’s see what we have today:

• Gabe Kapler is the biggest surprise thus far for Sports Illustrated.  That is no shocker here.  We’ve been raving about Kapler and his production since Spring Training.  Still, no one expected this.
• Well, we heard the good news about Gabe Kapler.  How about some bad news?  Kapler was shagging balls during warm-ups yesterday when he ran full tilt into the wall trying to catch a ball.  He was scratched from yesterday’s game with a bruised shoulder.  I appreciate his all-out playing style and all, but you have to temper it sometimes.  The outfield is looking a bit thin right now.
• Ned Yost gave Ryan Braun the day off yesterday, so he can reflect and learn to relax at the plate a bit.  It turns out that Ryan was not all that pleased with getting a day off.  I think that agitation speaks to how much he was pressing to produce at the plate.  He needs to take more pitches.  He’s a stud.  He just needs to harness that raw talent a bit.
• Tom Haudricourt says that the Milwaukee Brewers are lucky to be 8-5 right now.  Look at the stats that he has posted.  I would never have guessed that the Brewers could be 8-5 with those anemic offensive stats.  Crazy.
• Rob Bryson takes the Prospect of the Week award home from the Sports Bubbler.  This is a nice feature that they do over there.  Perhaps I will have to adopt a similar feature.  Not the same thing though, that would be copying…
• Alfonso Soriano had to leave yesterday’s game because of a strained calf.  He’s struggled with injuries the past couple of years.  I hope he gets better because it is awful to see someone get hurt, but it does help the Brewers that this happened.
• Antonio Nararainsami, 36, died yesterday in an unfortunate accident at Shea Stadium.  He seems to have simply lost his footing and fell.  Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to his family and friends.

Minor League Boxscores: Wednesday

Nashville Sounds (2-11), 6.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Omaha	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0		4	8	0
Nashville	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	5	0

LHP Chris Narveson – (L, 0-3) 6 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K – 3.94 ERA
DH Brad Nelson – 2-4, HR (2), RBI – .359 BA
3B Russell Branyan – 1-3, 2B, BB – .400 BA

Huntsville Stars (7-5), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Chattanooga	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	0	0		7	14	2
Huntsville	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	0	0		5	11	0

LHP Derek Miller – ND, 5 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 4 BB, 2 K – 1.84 ERA
RHP Ben Stanczyk – (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) 2 IP, 8 hits, 7 ER, 1 BB, 0 K – 17.47 ERA
LF Cole Gillespie – 3-4, 2B – .171 BA
3B Mat Gamel - 1-4, HR (1), RBI – .256 BA

Brevard County Manatees (7-5), 1.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
St. Lucie	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	7	1
Brevard County	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	3	X		6	10	1

RHP Omar Aguilar - (S, 4) 1.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 1.04 ERA
3B Taylor Green – 2-4, 2 2B, 2 runs – .350 BA
2B Jimmy Mojica – 1-1, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 runs – .368 BA
DH Chuck Caufield – 3-4, 2B, RBI – .314 BA

West Virginia Power (3-10), 5.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	4	2
Asheville	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	5	X		9	8	2

RHP Evan Anundsen – (L, 1-1) 5 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K – 2.81 ERA
C Jonathan Lucroy – 2-4, 2 2B – .310 BA
CF Lee Haydel – 1-3, 1B, BB – .267 BA

Cardinals beat listless Brewers

This game was not enjoyable to watch at all.

The Brewers offense did not show up in any facet of the game, and the Brewers pitchers were unable to put away innings after getting two outs.

In a very important outing for Dave Bush, he performed like he always does.  He struggled early, settled down for a bit and pitched well, then blew up in the fifth inning.  Normally it is the sixth inning where Dave blows up, but he decided to try it a little early this game.

David Riske did not do much better.  He snagged a come-backer off the bat of Cesar Izturis to get two outs in the inning.  Instead of putting Skip Schumaker away, however, David threw a fastball right down the center of the plate.  Skip pounded it down the right field line for a two-out, RBI double.

Derrick Turnbow came into the game in the bottom of the eighth inning to keep the game manageable.  He did not do that, to say the least.  The Cardinals scored two runs off Turnbow to stretch the lead to 6-1.  Turnbow has been extremely reluctant to throw his curveball, and his command has been spotty at best.  He does not look dominant at all.

The bats did nothing.  Prince Fielder walked four times, and Corey Hart went 2-3.  Besides a single from Joe Dillon, nothing else happened.  Literally.  It was boring.

Records: Brewers (8-5); Cardinals (10-4)

Hero of the Game: Corey Hart

Corey kept his hot bat going after the off-day yesterday, finishing 2-3 and collecting the only RBI for the Brewers.  That’s it.  Like I said, boring.

Goat of the Game: Bill Hall

This award could go to any pitcher that took the mound today, save Brian Shouse.  Yet I felt that Billy played exceptionally poorly today.  He had two strikeouts and grounded into two double plays.  That is not the protection Prince Fielder needs behind him.  Bill was a rally killer today, and I think it is a matter of days before we see Corey Hart move ahead of Hall.  Billy has the power stroke going, but he is lacking everything else.  It was a rough day for Bill, but he was not alone.

On Tap

The Milwaukee Brewers will take on the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of the series.  Carlos Villanueva will match up against Adam Wainwright.  Unfortunately, the game will not be on FSN North.  You will need to be in the Milwaukee area to see the game on TV.  I am not.  The game will start at 7:00pm CT.  GO CREW!!!  We need this game.