Reds series highlights Brewers shortcomings

After another devastating loss tonight against the Cincinnati Reds, it’s time to take a look at what has gone wrong. How have the Brewers lost two straight games to a team they are much better than? At home, no less.

These last two games serve as a microcosm for Milwaukee’s struggles in 2008. It’s been the big three for the Brewers.

1) Struggles at the back end of the bullpen – mainly Guillermo Mota and Eric Gagne.

2) Below-average defense.

3) Poor plate discipline and too many strikeouts.

The Bullpen

In tonight’s game against the Reds, David Riske and Brian Shouse simply needed to keep the deficit at 3-2 in the eighth inning. They needed to give the Brewers a chance to put something together against the Cincinnati’s bullpen, as Edinson Volquez dominated through seven innings.

Instead of holding the score 3-2, Riske gave up a one-out double to Jerry Hairston – who has owned the Brewers. Ned Yost then called upon Brian Shouse to strand the runner at second. Thus far in 2008, Shouse could almost guarantee results. He has struggled in the past week, however.

Those struggles continued tonight. After striking out Jay Bruce on three pitches, he gave up an RBI single to Ken Griffey Jr. Shouse has had issues keeping the ball down the past week. The deception of his sidearm delivery can only do so much. He needs to keep the ball down and away from left-handers. That has not been happening, and the team is suffering.

The score is now 4-2 after the Crew couldn’t get anything going against the unimpressive David Weathers. There is still a slim glimmer of hope in the hearts of Brewers fans, however. Maybe the offense can score two off Francisco Cordero in the ninth. Perhaps the Crew can come back against their old teammate. Again, all the bullpen needs to do is keep the deficit the same.

Enter Eric Gagne – the newly-anointed set-up man. Milwaukee’s ten million dollar man has looked extremely solid in his couple outings since coming off the DL. Adam Dunn changed that. Dunn clobbered a 3-2 fastball out of the park to increase Cincinnati’s lead to 5-2. The lead only grew after Edwin Encarnacion went deep to make it back-to-back home runs. Before the inning could end, Gagne gave up four runs on four hits. The lead was now 8-2, and all the hopes of the Brewers winning the game left when Gagne left the game for Guillermo Mota. You know there are problems if you need Mota to get you out of an inning.

Defense

Doug Melvin and the Brewers went out and signed Mike Cameron to a one-year contract to sure-up center field. He has been very impressive patrolling center and has vastly improved Milwaukee’s defense from last year. Bill Hall was forced to learn on the job last season, and Cameron is an obvious improvement with his Gold Glove-caliber defense.

Friday night, however, that exceptional defense was not on display. Cameron got an excellent jump on a ball in the left-center gap (as usual), but he lost the ball in the lights. The ball almost hit the Brewer center fielder in the head, and it resulted in a triple for Jerry Hairston. Did I mention Hairston has owned the Brewers this series? It tied the game up in the seventh.

Then, with a tie game in the eighth inning, Bill Hall fields a routine ground ball at third base. The Brewers moved him to third during the winter to improve on the defense Ryan Braun gave the Crew last season. It hasn’t improved the defense as much as Doug Melvin and the team hoped. Hall rushed his throw and spiked it in the dirt. Prince Fielder was unable to handle the low throw, and the inning continued with two on and one-out, rather than one on and two-out. It turned out to cost the Brewers the game, as Hairston scored on a wild pitch by Salomon Torres.

The sloppy defense directly led to Milwaukee’s loss to the Reds Friday night. If Hall or Cameron could have come up with only one of those plays, the worst the score could have been was a tie game going into the bottom of the ninth. What ifs are pointless, but the sloppy defense does point to a chink in the armor of the Milwaukee Brewers. Doug Melvin certainly improved the defense this off-season, but it is certainly not perfect. The defense will need to improve to catch the Chicago Cubs.

Plate Discipline

Milwaukee has a powerful offense.  No one will dispute that fact.  The team does struggle to score runs when the long ball is not present.  Manufacturing runs does not come easy for a team that strikes out a lot and does not walk very often.  As a whole, the Brewers are too over-aggressive at the plate and make soft-tossing control pitchers like Josh Fogg and Glendon Rusch look like aces.

In Friday night’s game against Fogg, the Reds’ veteran right-hander cruised along the first five innings.  He kept the free-swinging Brewers off-balance by rarely throwing a first pitch fastball and inducing a lot of pop-ups.  You know a team has a strikeout problem when Josh Fogg strikes out six in five and a third.  Fogg threw everything but the kitchen sink up there, and the aggressive Brewers hitters obliged by swinging at difficult pitches.

After Friday night’s offensive struggles against Fogg, the Reds threw out the hard-throwing Edinson Volquez to the mound.  I am not suggesting a bad outing against Volquez is indicative of offensive struggles, as almost every team that has gone against Volquez has struggled immensely.  It is the way the Brewers scuffled that indicates potential offensive problems.

Volquez struck out ten Brewers in seven innings.  He kept hitters off-balance with his exceptional change-up, and the aggressive Brewers swung over it again and again.  J.J. Hardy – who has been one of the hottest hitters in the league the past month – whiffed three times against the NL All-Star.  Strikeouts do not move runners over on the basepaths.  Strikeouts do not even give Mike Cameron a chance to score the tying run from second in Friday night’s game in the ninth inning.  Strikeouts do not allow any sacrifice flies to get runners in from third base with no outs or one out.

Right now, the Milwaukee Brewers live and die by extra base hits.  When the team is going well, they will score in bunches.  The over-reliance on extra-base hits is a recipe for offensive slumps, however.  That is what the Brewers have been unable to overcome the past two games against the Cincinnati Reds.

If the Brewers are going to catch the Chicago Cubs and stay ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, the defense will need to improve, the bullpen will need to improve, and the offense will need to draw more walks and play more small ball.

Brewers come from behind to bite the D’Backs

Milwaukee has secured at least a split in the road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The way almost all of the major leagues has played on the road this season, that is a victory in itself.  When you consider Brandon Webb will be on the hill tomorrow afternoon, the magnitude of this win is augmented greatly.

In one of the brightest stories of the 2008 season thus far for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seth McClung continued to impress on the mound as a starter.  I will be the first to admit that he did not have his A-stuff tonight.  The big guy may not have even had his B-stuff, but he battled and scraped together 5.1 innings while only giving up two runs.  The main thing: He gave the Crew a chance to win the game.  That’s what a starting pitcher must do.

Finishing with six strikeouts and only one walk, Seth excited the game in the sixth inning.  He scattered 8 hits and limited the damage.  Five of those hits, however, came in the first two innings.  His fastball had lots of life this evening, and McClung was dialing it up on the radar gun.  The big right-hander kept the team in the game and gave them a chance for a comeback.

And come back they did.

After Mike Cameron laced a two-out double in the seventh inning, Ned Yost called on Rickie Weeks to pinch hit.  Rickie has been out with a stomach virus the past two games, so it was a risky call on the part of the skipper.  Beware of the weary, however.  Weeks absolutely crushed an 0-2 pitch out of the park to left field.  3-2 Brewers.

The lead was short-lived though.  David Riske – who did throw more than fastballs today, by the way – gave up a first pitch bomb to Justin Upton.  It was almost a carbon copy of the Weeks home run.  3-3 Brewers.

For all the flak Mike Cameron has been getting from Brewers fans the past couple weeks, he came through in a big way tonight.  After Russell Branyan led off the inning with a single that ricocheted off Arizona first-baseman Mike Reynolds, Cam fought off a couple tough pitches before depositing the eventual game-winning single to left-center field.  That’s clutch hitting from the veteran center fielder.  That is why Doug Melvin signed him in the off-season.

Salomon Torres converted his 14th save after Branyan tagged third and threw a bullet to first base to end the game on a double play.  It was a big play by Russell, as Salomon worked himself in a spot of trouble after Orlando Hudson led off with a single and got to second after a deep fly ball to left.  All was for naught, however, as the Crew pulled out another one-run victory.

A couple other things to note after tonight’s game.  Did anyone else think that Stephen Drew’s cleat shot to Jason Kendall in the eighth was a cheap shot?  I understand he was trying to knock the ball loose from Kendall’s glove, but he risked seriously injuring Milwaukee’s catcher by spiking him in the gut.  I thought Kendall showed his true veteran mentality when he simply walked away from the situation.  Whether or not the Brewers catcher pursued the matter, I’m a little surprised a fine player like Stephen Drew would do that.  It was in the heat of the moment, but those metal spikes are no joke.

Joe Dillon pinch hit this evening and continued his fine approach at the plate.  He hit an absolute rocket out into deep left-center.  It looked to have a chance to get out of the park.  It certainly was going to give Milwaukee some insurance on the scoreboard.  That is, until Chris Young came out of nowhere to make a spectacular play, jumping into the wall and hanging on to the ball.  Fine play, Mr. Young.

Big Prince Fielder is still struggling at the plate.  He is going to very much welcome a little home cooking starting this weekend.  I’m not so sure Miller Park is going to help much unless he changes his approach at the plate, however.  He has a natural upper cut on his swing, which is why he hits so many home runs.  The upper cut is so pronounced right now though, that it is getting to Jim Edmonds territory right now.  Flatten out the swing, big boy.  That and don’t try to hit every ball out of the park.  That may help too.

This may be jinxing him, but J.J. Hardy continued his hit streak.  It is now at 14 games after a 2-4 performance with a clutch RBI in the sixth inning to start off the scoring for the Crew.  His bat is staying through the hitting area much longer right now, and he’s naturally getting better wood on the ball as a result.  That two-spot fits J.J. well, I think.

I have been unable to confirm this, but Arizona commentator Darron Sutton apparently said there is a deal going on between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Milwaukee Brewers.  I did find it a little strange that Doug Melvin and Gord Ash have been attending this series, but there has been no confirmation.  The words were that the deal was going to come through “very, very soon.”

The only thing I can think of is a little help in the bullpen.  Arizona has some expendable arms with the likes of Tony Pena, Juan Cruz, and Chad Qualls.  They would almost certainly be looking for a bat in return.  Could Mike Cameron find himself on a plane to Arizona soon?  It could make some sense, as Gabe Kapler has been terrific.  Perhaps Gabe is the one in question.  Or perhaps this is completely unsubstantiated and nothing will happen.  Only time will tell.

Records: Brewers (46-38); Diamondbacks (42-43)

Hero of the Game: Mike Cameron

Mike came through today in a big way at the plate.  He almost hit one out of the park in the second inning, but it hit a little too far down on the trademark.  That at-bat was a sign of things to come for Mike, as he finished the game going 2-4 with two huge RBI.  His single in the ninth inning proved to be the difference in the game.  This is the type of player Mike Cameron can be on a daily basis.  Hopefully he can get on a hot streak sometime soon.

Goat of the Game: Prince Fielder

I understand Prince is an incredibly streaky hitter, but that swing needs to get a little flatter.  The plate discipline needs to improve.  He’s far too talented to fall into huge funks like he has this season.  Prince sorely needs to see Miller Park again.

On Tap

Manny Parra will take on Brandon Webb tomorrow afternoon in the series finale.  Parra has looked much better on the mound lately, and he’ll have to pitch effectively for Milwaukee to stand a chance against the fantastic Brandon Webb.

Crew holds off D’Back rally

It’s not often that a Brewers fan says this, but Ned Yost played his cards right today.

Milwaukee’s starting lineup did not include the likes of Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, or Mike Cameron.  Prince certainly needed a day off after his struggles this road trip.  Their replacements, however.  Did more than hold their own against Randy Johnson and the Diamondbacks.

Joe Dillon swung a good bat tonight, hitting a two-run bomb off Johnson in the second inning.  The veteran utility man hit the ball hard in every at-bat, but only had one hit to show for it.  It’s okay though, Joe.  We all know how well you handled the stick tonight.

In for Prince at first base, the seldom-used Mike Rivera played his heart out tonight.  The opposite-field, two-out double to score Corey Hart was definitely a highlight of the game.  That ball was at his eyes and off the outside part of the plate.  There is no good reason he should have gotten any wood on that ball.  No matter.  Mike Rivera continues to produce at the plate without many opportunities to get in a groove.

To round out the subs for the day, Gabe Kapler roamed center Monday night.  Gabe didn’t do anything overly impressive tonight, going 1-4.  He continues to play defense though, which makes him invaluable coming of the bench.  Let’s not forget he’s hitting over .300.  Not bad for someone who was managing a minor league team last season.

Speaking of days off, one player that sorely needs a day off is Ryan Braun.  The announcers keep saying he has an injured muscle in his right thumb, but he’s in the lineup day in and day out.  If he’s truly hurt, give him a day off.  Even if he’s not hurt, the young man looks awful at the plate.  Ryan is getting over-aggressive again, trying to pull everything.  We all know he doesn’t want to take a walk, either.  Take a day off tomorrow, Ryan.  Come back Thursday afternoon and start tearing the cover off the ball again.

There is one more player that seems completely lost at the plate.  Want to take a guess?  Bill Hall.  Bill Schroeder hit the nail right on the head (if you will excuse the cliche).  The Brewers third baseman is swinging at balls off the plate, and taking strikes.  He is so frustrated at the plate that I could hear him yelling obscenities after fouling a ball off at the plate this evening.  That’s never a good sign.  I’m almost inclined to say Billy could use a little time in Triple-A to get his feet back under him.  Too bad that’s not an option at this point.

As far as pitching goes, Jeff Suppan was very unimpressive against the D’Backs.  The veteran right-hander could not find the plate to save his life in the fourth and fifth innings, and when he did, it split the heart of the plate.  Soup does not have the stuff to consistently fall behind hitters and get away with it.  His performance was utterly underwhelming, as have most of his starts lately.  Milwaukee needs Jeff to pick it up and be the leader he came here to be.  It’s easier said than done, but now is the time.

I want to follow up on something I mentioned a couple games ago.  David Riske again pitched an entire inning without straying from his fastball.  It ranged from 88-90 mph according to MLB Gameday.  He pitched extremely effectively with it tonight, but I am a little concerned about Mr. Riske.  He’s not throwing his best pitch.  Milwaukee signed him over the off-season because he has two outstanding split-finger fastballs.  One acts much like a change-up and dips into the high-70s, but the other is a true split.  It comes in to hitters in the mid-80s and falls off the table when it reaches home plate.  Those two pitches are non-existent right now.  I truly hope his elbow is okay.

I realize I’m going a little more in-depth about individual players this evening, but I have a couple things to note about Guillermo Mota.  As the play-by-play announcers said tonight, Mota is catching far too much of the plate with his fastball.  That is obvious.  All four balls were smoked by the D’Backs tonight, and the Crew could have been in big trouble had Mike Rivera not made a fantastic diving play at first to double off Chris Young.  The control problem is obvious.

Another thing I noticed about Guillermo is the complete absence of his change-up.  The big guy threw exclusively fastball-slider the entire inning, until getting Miguel Montero on a change to end the inning.  The change-up is arguably Mota’s best pitch.  It complements his 95-96 mph fastball very well, and it dives away from lefties when it reaches the plate.  He has not been throwing the change with any regularity, and the result has been more hard hit balls and more runs scored.  If Guillermo uses that change-up more often, it won’t matter if his 96 mph fastball is right down the middle.  Hitters will be off-balance and unable to catch up.  Sometimes it can be that simple.  Put the third finger around the ball, choke the ball back in your grip, and let it fly, Guillermo.  It would benefit you and the Brewers greatly.

I also must admit that Salomon Torres pitched very well to get the save tonight.  He had not pitched in a week, but he mowed down Arizona hitters after hitting Augie Ojeda to start the inning.  A tip of the hat to you, Senor Torres.  You have been a hero for the Crew the entire year.

Records: Brewers (45-38 ); Diamondbacks (42-42)

Hero of the Game: J.J. Hardy and Mike Rivera

I’m not one to give out multiple Heroes of the Game, but tonight is an exception.  J.J. Hardy looks like a completely different hitter at the plate over the past couple weeks.  He has been more patient and is driving the ball all over the field.  The hitting streak is now at 13 games after he hit two home runs this evening.  Perhaps he’s going to get on a two month streak like he did to start last season.  That would be dangerous for opposing teams.

Mike Rivera has quickly become one of my favorites on the team.  He plays maybe once a week.  He never complains about a lack of playing time, yet produces more than some of the regulars – I’m talking about you, Bill Hall.  That ridiculous two-out double that was at his eyes and off the outside part of the plate not withstanding, the back-up catcher flashed some fancy glovework at first base.  He made a couple nice flips to the pitcher, fielded the bunt rather nicely, and made an absolutely sick diving stab that turned into an unassisted double play.  That may have saved the game for Milwaukee.  I cannot say enough about Mike Rivera tonight.  Well done, sir.

Goat of the Game: Ryan Braun

Ryan and Prince Fielder have both fallen into a funk at the same time.  Braun, however, is still in the lineup while Prince gets the day off.  All signs point to Braun’s injury being worse than the team is saying.  Give him a day off to clear his head and heal his thumb.  Seeing such a talented player struggle at the plate as much as he has the past week or so is difficult to watch.  He’s in an 0-18 streak now.  A day off is sorely needed.

On Tap

Seth McClung will look to bounce back after a rough outing last week against Micah Owings and the D’Backs in Game 3 of the series.  The game starts at 8:40pm CT at Chase Field.  The Crew needs a win tomorrow night, as Brandon Webb is slated to pitch the finale.  Enough said.

Parra stops Minnesota’s win streak at 10

The winning formula this evening was early offense and Manny Parra on the mound.

The top of the order got it going early for the Crew against right-hander Livan Hernandez.  Rickie Weeks walked to start the game, J.J. Hardy drove a single up the middle, and Ryan Braun delivered an opposite field single to score Rickie for the first run of the game.

Livan Hernandez doesn’t throw hard, but he nibbles around the strike zone and understands how to pitch.  After Bill Hall smoked a double to the right-center gap off Livan – yes, a right-hander – the veteran pitcher shut down the Brewers.  His off-speed repertoire is immense, and he will throw any of those pitches on any count.  After giving up five runs in the first three innings, Livan settled down nicely.

The damage was done, however.

Manny Parra held the red-hot Minnesota Twins to zero runs on two hits in seven innings of solid work.  The rookie struggled with his command again today – see the four walks.  He did keep the Twins off-balance though.  He began to pound the zone much more after the third innings, and his pitch count benefited because of it.

While Manny couldn’t find the strike zone early in the game, his stuff impressed everyone.  His fastball came in at about 94-95 mph this evening, and his curveball had a pretty big bite to it.  Did I even see a slider/cut fastball too?  Perhaps he’s been working on that with Mike Maddux during his throwing sessions.

The play-by-play announcers for the Crew did hammer home an aspect of Manny’s wildness.  He always misses low in the zone, which limits his vulnerability to the long ball.  While that is a good point, walks do not benefit a pitcher.  Neither does a high pitch count.  His lack of control…even if it is down in the zone…has given Manny some fits this season.  I will admit that he has limited the damage though.  A guy with great stuff can do that.  If he can combine that great arsenal of pitches with the confidence to pound the strike zone, he and Yovani Gallardo could make a stellar top of the rotation.  That is too premature to think about that though.

I may simply be reading too much into one performance, but I’m a little concerned about David Riske.  Yes, he pitched a one-two-three inning this evening.  Part of that can be attributed to Mike Cameron’s fine sliding catch in the outfield, however.

What I am concerned with is that Riske’s unwillingness to throw anything but fastballs.  In the 12 pitches he threw against the Twins tonight, 11 of them were fastballs.  He did throw one change-up to Carlos Gomez, but that is it.  Why is this?  Isn’t his split finger pitch supposed to be his best pitch?  In fact, he has two split finger fastballs that he throws.  Where are they?  Is he saving them for a closer situation?

There are two possibilities.  One, tonight is a small sample size and David simply chose to throw fastballs tonight against the patient Twins lineup.  He was able to get ahead of the hitters this evening because most of the Twins will take a pitch or two before swing.  That, of course, excludes Delmon Young.  He swings at everything.  He actually makes Ryan Braun look patient at the plate.  A statistical anomaly could be the answer.

The other possibility is that Riske’s elbow is not 100%.  The split finger fastball would put the most strain on his elbow, which is why he could be avoiding the pitch.  Most pitchers are a little gun shy when coming back from an injury.  This could be something more, however.  Wait until David throws again, but keep an eye on his pitch selection.  If it is mostly fastballs again, something could be up.

Records: Brewers (44-36); Twins (44-37)

Hero of the Game: Manny Parra

Any time a Brewers pitcher goes seven innings of shutout ball, he will get the hero of the game.  Even though he fought his command a bit in the early going, Milwaukee’s rookie pitcher showed his plus stuff again and again.  He handcuffed Twins hitters all game, striking out six and only giving up two hits before leaving because of a high pitch count.  Ned Yost and Mike Maddux stuck with Manny through the growing pains early in the season, and Manny is making their patience well worth it.  The young left-hander is proving himself to be a bona fide major league pitcher.

Goat of the Game: Russell Branyan

Sorry Russell.  You went 0-3.  No other Brewers hitter did that today.  The walk doesn’t count either, as it was an intentional walk early in the game.  Shrug it off, big man.  Come back tomorrow and hit a bomb.

On Tap

Ben Sheets looks to secure a series victory tomorrow against RHP Kevin Slowey for the Minnesota Twins.  The Brewers ace has pitched brilliantly all season thus far.  Slowey will not make it easy for Milwaukee, however.  In their last meeting, the right-hander confused Brewers hitters all day.  Let’s hope the Crew can figure him out tomorrow.  The game starts at 1:10pm CT.

Prince’s Power Hour Propels

The big boys came out to play in the Milwaukee Brewers’ final game against American League opposition, the Baltimore Orioles. Home runs from Corey Hart, Bill Hall, and a pair from Prince Fielder bailed out an out-of-sorts Manny Parra. Sprinkle in some nice defensive plays and a season-tying high for double plays and the result was good 7-3 victory finishing off a 6-3 homestand for the Crew.

From the get-go it looked like Parra might set up Milwaukee for a long afternoon. His pitch locations were off and a tight zone from the home plate umpire wasn’t helping his cause. Parra walked six guys including four in the first three innings. Two of Baltimore’s three runs were walks that came around to score.

Rickie Weeks was back in the lineup today (and in the lead off spot in the order) and looked shaky early on. Jason Kendall caught Jay Payton off of first, but Weeks, attempting to get Payton out, dropped Kendall’s throw.

Fielder has also looked shoddy on defense recently (something that he had looked to improve this season. He misplayed a bunt single in the second inning failing to pick up the ball and get it to Parra at first base. Earlier in the season is looked as though Fielder was making big strides in his defensive play, but in the last few series he has made several mistakes on plays that should be outs.

If the defense has fallen, the offensive game of Fielder has shown brightly. Prince belted a double and two home runs today. Fielder was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. His monster, two run blast in the seventh gave the Crew some breathing room heading into the closing frames.

The secondary storyline of the game is the positive defensive plays that the Brewers made to back up the struggling Parra. Ryan Braun made two outstanding sliding catches (the one in the sixth was ESPN’s #5 “Web Gem” today) to rob Baltimore of base hits. The infield also turned five double plays on an Oriole team that has the grounded into the least amount of double plays in the American League (45). Weeks was strong on his DP turns (something that has been troubling… low throws to first) and made a fantastic play to end the seventh inning.

Guillermo Mota and David Riske both continue to struggle in relief appearances this afternoon issuing two walks apiece. A strikeout for Riske and two nice defensive plays by JJ Hardy and the already mentioned Weeks grab bailed out David. It took an appearance by Salomon Torres and a double play to get Mota off the hook in the ninth. Mark DiFelice had a good outing, going 1-2-3 in the sixth, but otherwise this bullpen is starting to worry. There are a bunch of bright spots (DiFelice, Torres, Shouse), but they can’t pitch everyday and allow the inconsistent guys to shake down games.

Records: Brewers (41-34), Orioles (38-36)

Hero of the Game: Prince Fielder

The Prince has been going on a power binge of late. He’s got five home runs in the last six games. For June all of his vitals are skyrocketing. Take a look at his May/June comparisons:

Stat May June

On Base Percentage .358 .432

Average .294 .343

Slugging: .450 .757

Promising stuff from the kid.

Goat of the Game: Davillermo RiskMota

What’s up with these guys? I know the zone was tight, Parra struggle with his stuff all night, but Riske and Mota’s inability to find a strike lately is looking Gagnesqe. I guess I’m particularly worried about Riske because I never was that high up on him since the beginning of the season. For the money we paid for him I feel like the Brewers haven’t gotten a lot of relief security.

A few good outings early in the season was marred by several rough outings before going on the DL. Since being activated from the DL two days ago, Riske has participated in the almost-loss on Thursday against Toronto and stunk it up today. These sorts of trouble should be worked out with a player before he comes back from his rehab stint in the minors. I know he blew threw the opposition in his one inning of work in Nashville, but there’s nothing wrong with playing it safe and seeing he’s all there.

On Tap:

The Crew hits the road to take on the Atlanta Braves. Jo-Jo Reyes (3-4, 4.05 ERA) is on the mound versus Ben Sheets (8-1, 2.74 ERA). Game time: 6:05 CT.

By: Dan Wiersema

Tavarez Designated for Assignment

Looks like Freddy Krueger is going to have to haunt elsewhere. From the JS Online Brewers Blog (which I still hate, but will link to grudgingly):

The Brewers made room on their roster today to activate reliever David Riske from the DL by designating reliever Julian Tavarez for assignment.

The Brewers signed Tavarez a few weeks ago to a minimum-salary contract after he was released by Boston but he did not impress club officials in his seven relief outings. Tavarez was 0-1 with a 8.59 ERA, allowing 13 hits, five walks and 10 runs (seven earned) in 7 1/3 innings.

The dumping of Tavarez shows that the Brewers have been impressed with the showing of rookie relieves Mark DiFelice and Tim Dillard.

Riske will be available to pitch in the game today against Toronto.

By: Dan Wiersema

Round ‘em Up: Monday

Unfortunately, I had to move to a new place yesterday, so I was unable to watch the game. It is pretty hard to give analysis of the game without watching it. The last thing I want to do is patronize you all with secondhand commentary.

Here are a couple game wraps for you – SportsBubbler – Milwaukee JS.

Today’s Round ‘em Up will be much better than yesterday’s. There is much more for you all to read, as the work week started. Let’s take a look:

• The bullpen looks to be getting some help with the return of David Riske next week, but Eric Gagne could be coming back in a few weeks. He threw his first bullpen session since being injured. It’s not much, but it is a start. Salomon Torres appears to have the closer’s role secured upon Gagne’s return, but Eric will be a very valuable part of the middle relief squad.
• Perhaps the best story of the year has been the success of Seth McClung in the starting rotation. After another very solid start yesterday, Brew Crew Ball analyzes the release point and movement of McClung’s pitches. Both have been much, much more consistent since he’s switched to the starting rotation. That mysterious “mechanical fix” has worked wonders for the big right-hander. He’s throwing much more over-the-top, which makes his curveball very much like that of Ben Sheets.
• Speaking of David Riske and his imminent return, The Brew Town Beat hopes Doug Melvin and Ned Yost will send down Julian Tavarez rather than Mark DiFelice. I understand the reasoning, but Ned’s preference for gritty veterans will help Tavarez stick in the bigs. DiFelice would have more upside, however.
• The Brew Town Beat also says that Brewers fans should give Lyle Overbay a huge standing ovation upon his return to Milwaukee tomorrow. I completely agree. Let’s not be like Cubs fans. Lyle gave the Brewers many good years, and he deserves to be congratulated for it. Brewers fans proved they are classy when giving Randy Johnson a standing ovation after moving into second in the career strikeout list. They should give that same respect to one of their own, Lyle Overbay.
• Brew Crew Pub takes a look at the situations at third base and in center field. I agree that Russell Branyan has done nothing but prove he deserves more playing time. His defense has been better than anyone thought, as well. In center field, I’m not sure what should happen. There are arguments for both Mike Cameron and Tony Gwynn Jr. I will have to think about this a little more before coming up with a conclusion.
• Brew Crew Ball interviewed RHP Garrett Sherrill, the Brewers’ 12th-round pick from Appalachian State University.
• Brewerfan.net has their Farm Hops for May 2008. It’s a little late, but it has a great overview of the whole system. It even takes a look at a couple of the players the players drafted in the MLB First Year Player draft. They particularly like Jake Orodizzi with the sandwich pick. He’s compared to Will Inman, which cannot be anything but positive.
• Fire Ned Yost is quite concerned with the Helena Brewers. Yost’s son, Ned IV is now the manager. Oh goodness…
• There were a couple promotions yesterday in the minor leagues!LHP Chris Cody has been promoted to Brevard County.
  C Jonathan Lucroy has also been promoted to Brevard County.

  Congratulations to both players. They both were a bit old to be playing in West Virginia, so this promotion was a long-time coming.

UPDATE 06-16-08 – Jeff Sackmann from Brew Crew Ball is done with Tom Haudricourt and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

I agree with the sentiment that Haudricourt and Witrado can be snippy at times, but the Milwaukee JS still has incredible ties to the Brewers organization.  They can get information that no one else can.

I’m not willing to sever ties with the Milwaukee JS at this time.  I may change my mind if the trend continues, however.  His comments to Mass Hass at Brewerfan.net were inexcusable.  Mass Hass is a fantastic resource and extremely credible.  Tom Haudricourt was out of line.

Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

Last night officially sucked. I’m glad I was unable to catch any of the game, as it would have made for a disappointing evening. I have a good feeling about today’s game though. Manny Parra has been looking good, and Brandon Backe is due to get shelled by the Crew.

Be sure to check out the tab just under the banner on the site – 2008 MLB Draft Selection / Signing. It has every player Milwaukee drafted. It is sorted by round selected, and there is a scouting report linked to every player. I know, I know…I overdid. Enjoy!

• Since Rickie Weeks went down with injury, Ned Yost made wholesale changes in the lineup. I know hindsight is 20/20…but I think last night showed that it didn’t work. Then again, Roy Oswalt was absolutely dealing last night.
• On to some good news. David Riske is feeling much better after a 30-35 pitch bullpen session yesterday. He will be sent to the minors for a couple rehab starts during the Brewers’ next homestand. My guess is that Mark DiFelice will be sent down to make room for Riske. That’s too bad, as he has better stuff than Julian Tavarez. He probably can make a throw to first base as well.
• The Brewer Nation (not to be confused with this site, BrewersNation) is losing faith in Milwaukee’s road offense. After the past four games, I have too.
• Jim Powell has a short little recap of yesterday’s game, along with a couple of audio clips. He seems to believe that Seth McClung has cured his control problems for good. I must admit, I have been very impressed with Seth since he’s been plugged in the rotation. He needs to hit the 100-pitch mark soon, as his arm should be sufficiently stretched out.
• Right Field Bleachers has a nice Week in Review type of post. The Brewers’ batting average has actually been quite high this week, including on this road trip. The problem is that the hitters cannot plate any runs with runners in scoring position. Aggressiveness at the plate is great, but you have to show some semblance of plate discipline. I’m talking to you Ryan Braun.
• Between the Green Pillars analyzes Milwaukee’s Pythagorean record, and things do not look all that promising. Unless the team can start scoring some runs consistently, the Brewers will not get too far above or below .500.
• In-Between Hops takes a look at the road woes of the Brewers. It’s fine to simply look at the stats, but that means nothing unless it has some sort of analysis with it.
• Ken Rosenthal from FOX Sports says that the Brewers are poised to make a run at a starting pitcher. The wealth of valuable trade chips in Double-A Huntsville very much appeal to other teams. Who will the Crew try to nab though? I don’t expect any big names to be coming this way.
• The Baseball Analysts love Brett Lawrie’s bat. If I hit over .400 against pro talent in the Dominican Republic at age 18, they would love my bat too. I’ll work on that… The only hard part is that I would have to be able to reverse years to be 18 again. I’ll just lie like Miguel Tejada. Problem solved.
• Huntsville has a new utility infielder, Michael Garciaparra. That’s right, Nomar’s younger brother. Michael was once regarded as a star prospect, but injuries have slowed him down considerably. He is now in a back-up role on the talented Huntsville Stars team. Perhaps he can find his game again.

UPDATE 06-11-08

For any fans hoping Jeff Weaver had found something in the minor leagues, it may be time to give up hope.  He had posted a couple of very solid starts together down in Nashville.  Hopes were high that he would help out at the big league level sometime soon.

Today, however, Jeff went out and gave up 8 earned runs in six innings of work.  He gave up 11 hits and walked 4 batters.  It seems his opt-out clause may be calling his name in the near future.

Round ‘em Up: Thursday

Well wasn’t that a fun game last night!  The strike zone was a bit obnoxious and sporadic, which accounted for the plethora of strikeouts, but both Jo-Jo Reyes and Jeff Suppan threw superb games last night.  Both were on the corners, changing speeds, and keeping the hitters off-balance.  I always love a good pitcher’s duel, so I very much enjoyed last evening’s game.  Great win boys.

• Someone that will not be helping the team any time soon is David Riske.  He is eligible to come off the DL on Friday, but he will not be ready.  The team says there is no structural damage in his elbow.  There is still discomfort, however.  Needless to say, David Riske will not be pitching in a major league game for a little while.
• Adam McCalvy thought it was necessary to point out that Salomon Torres is the top guy in the “closer by committee” schema.  Really?  I couldn’t figure that out after seeing Torres in the game four out of the last five games in the ninth inning.  I suppose I’m also posting the story here…but that’s more because I find it ridiculous the story was written in the first place.
• The Milwaukee JS gives some compelling evidence as to why Ned Yost shouldn’t be fired if the team still has a chance to make the playoffs.  I’m not sure I completely agree in this case, but it’s very hard to argue with cold statistics.
• Here’s an interview Mike Cameron did with Sports Illustrated.
• The Baseball Analysts examine some of the top picks of last year’s draft, including Matt LaPorta.  They make the very astute (and correct, I believe) observation that Prince Fielder may not have his own long-term contract because LaPorta is waiting in the wings.
• MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo believes that the Brewers will take high school shortstop Anthony Hewitt with their first pick in the 2008 draft.  I’m having a tough time seeing the Brewers go any other direction but pitching with their first pick…especially if Joshua Fields is there.
• RHP Omar Aguilar has been absolutely dominant thus far in 2008, sporting a minuscule 0.35 ERA.  Omar was rewarded Tuesday night with a promotion to Double-A Huntsville, and he got off to a good start with two scoreless innings last night.  He didn’t allow a hit and struck out one.  Not a bad start.
• RotoWorld wants you to know that C Angel Salome is pretty good.  He can hit.

Sheets shelled in seventh

Ben Sheets was the model of efficiency through six innings. The Brewers ace had his best stuff, keeping the ball down and pitching to contact to keep his pitch count low. He was locked in a scoreless dual with Dodgers starter, Chad Billingsley.

Then came the seventh inning. Andruw Jones clobbered a shoulder-high fastball out of the park, and Jeff Kent followed by depositing a belt-high curveball over the fence. The Dodgers then added insult to injury when the relatively powerless catcher, Greg Bennett, hit a three-run bomb on another belt-high curveball. Why did Sheets struggle? His pitches were belt-high. Big league hitters will not miss those.

The offense reverted back to its listless ways today. Ryan Braun hit a home run in the eighth inning, but the Crew only managed two hits prior to the seventh inning. One of those was by Ben Sheets. It’s not a positive situation when Benny is providing half of your offense. Something needs to be done with this offense. I’ll think about stuff and write an article this weekend.

Records: Brewers (20-21); Dodgers (21-19)

Hero of the Game: Brian Shouse

This is only because he prevented the game from becoming a laugher in the ninth inning, cleaning up Mitch Stetter’s mess. Stetter walked the bases loaded. Shouse got out of it unscathed, however.

Goat of the Game: Ben Sheets

I feel bad giving Ben the goat because he pitched a great game until the seventh inning. Still, there is a reason the game is nine innings long. I am willing to look past this game as an aberration. Sheets had good command until the seventh, walking no one. Perhaps he got a little fatigued later in the game and started to get the ball up. Yes, I’m grasping for straws here. There is no way he was tired…his pitch count was under 80 pitches to start the seventh. I don’t know what happened.

Links

Because I missed the Round ‘em Up for the day, I decided to include some links here. To all that were concerned about tomorrow’s NL Central Review, there will be one tomorrow…don’t worry.

• David Riske got placed on the 15-day DL today with a hyper-extended right elbow. Tom Haudricourt also says that there is a bone chip or a bone spur that may need to be cleaned out. David will be out for a while.
• Right-hander Mark DiFelice has been called up to fill Riske’s spot in the ‘pen. DiFelice started for Triple-A Nashville and was 3-0 with a 3.91 ERA. He had only one walk in 23 innings and struck out 28 strikeouts. How’s that for a BB:K ratio?!
• ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark is reporting that the Brewers made a major push for Julian Tavarez this week. After Boston released him this week, I thought the Brewers may make a play for him. I just didn’t realize it would be considered a major play. The Brewers would rather keep Jeff Weaver in the mix and pay him less anyway.
• Between the Green Pillars wonders whether or not Carlos Villanueva should be moved to the bullpen. I understand the logic, and it could be interesting. In fact, I believe they might do that once June approaches. They will want to get Jeff Weaver up in the big leagues before they lose him because of the opt-out in his contract.
• Is it time to move Rickie Weeks down in the order? No. He may not be hitting much, but he does get on base. When he does get on base, he scores. Plus, who else do you want to put at the lead-off spot? Mike Cameron? Yesterday should show you how that would work out…and please do not tell me Corey Hart. He is the only protection that Prince Fielder has right now.

Another blown save leads to Brewers loss

I called for Eric Gagne’s head in the closer’s role.  I wanted Guillermo Mota to get a shot in the ninth inning.  He deserved a shot with the way he’s pitched this year.  Guillermo got the ball in the ninth tonight.  It did not go as planned, however.

Mota got too much of the plate with his fastball the whole inning, and he could not get the ball down to save his life.  A ball right down the middle of the plate to Andre Either and a belt-high fastball to Juan Pierre cost the Brewers the game tonight.  Guillermo got his chance.  He simply did not make the most of it.  It’s safe to say Gagne will be getting the ball again.

I suppose it is not correct to say Guillermo Mota cost the Brewers the game tonight.  The Brewers gave up the momentum in the seventh inning.  Manny Parra pitched his best game of the season to date, and the defense let him down in the top of the inning.  Prince Fielder made an error on a simple ground ball to first that cost the Brewers a run.  The Crew should have been out of the inning right there.  Instead, Juan Pierre got an at-bat.

Parra made a great pitch and got Pierre to get hardly any wood on it.  Instead of being an easy out, Ryan Braun had to make a diving play at the ball.  He had it in his glove on the way down, but the impact of his fall caused the ball to bounce out.  Another run scored.  After seven innings, it was 4-3 Brewers.  It should have been 4-1 Brewers.  Manny deserved a better fate tonight.

The Brewers offense was largely stagnant tonight, but they were able to put three runs on the board in the second inning.  Manny Parra delivered a bases-loaded single that scored two runs.  Jason Kendall followed up with a single of his own to make it 3-0.  After that, however, Milwaukee could not get much going besides a Corey Hart RBI-single.

If a tough loss were not bad enough, the Brewers may be without reliever David Riske for an extended period of time.  The team is calling it a hyper-extended right elbow right now.  I have a hunch that it could be something much more serious.  I am hoping that I do not hear the words “Tommy John” tomorrow at some point concerning Riske.  He will be examined by a team doctor tomorrow.

Records: Brewers (20-20); Dodgers (20-19)

Hero of the Game: Manny Parra

Manny pitched a solid game today.  He mixed speeds and his pitches very well, and I was very happy to see him save his curveball for the third time through the order.  His troubles in the fifth and sixth innings may be alleviated by saving a pitch until that time.  The lefty even helped himself at the plate today, knocking in two Brewers with a single in the second.  Manny gave the Brewers another quality start tonight, and he should have gotten the win.  The Brewers defense and Guillermo Mota owe the rookie one after tonight.

Goat of the Game: Guillermo Mota

Guillermo has been brilliant this entire year thus far.  He’s been mixing his pitches well.  The big righty deserved a shot closing the game out.  I felt he was too reliant on his fastball tonight, as he hardly threw anything other than fastballs after Blake DeWitt grounded out to start the inning.  His slider was non-existent tonight, and he may have only thrown one or two of them.  Like I said earlier, Mota could not keep his fastball down in the zone tonight.  That is what cost him.  It’s only one appearance, and he’s been stellar thus far….but this one is tough to swallow.

On Tap

Ben Sheets will take on Chad Billingsley in the rubber match tomorrow afternoon.  Game 3 will be at Miller Park, starting at 12:05pm CT.

Round ‘em Up: Monday

The Milwaukee Brewers won one for the mothers in the stands yesterday.  Ryan Braun looked to have enjoyed using those pink bats.  Let’s hope they can pull out a series win today against the Cardinals!

• For more on yesterday’s win, here’s the Milwaukee JS article.
• Yovani Gallardo will have surgery tomorrow morning.  The team sought second and third opinions on the injury.  Apparently, the team wanted Yo to avoid having the surgery if possible.  That would have been foolish on the team’s part, in my opinion.  You do not take chances with your young ace.
• Between the Green Pillars discusses the “dreaded Closer By Committee” now happening in Milwaukee.  Ryan seems to believe that the Brewers do not have someone that can consistently be the closer, as he wishes the team would acquire one elsewhere.  Give Guillermo Mota and David Riske a shot before we go giving players away for a closer.  Plus, there is not a quality closer available right now.  Huston Street is struggling, and the only other worthwhile closer would be George Sherrill in Baltimore.  Not impressed?  Me neither.
• Al’s Ramblings notes that a starter has not been announced for Thursday’s game.  Perhaps this signifies that Seth McClung will get an opportunity to get a spot start for the Crew.  That would be interesting, even though it would not be my first choice.  It may be a long shot, but Thursday would also be near-regular rest for Mark DiFelice.  He’s put up a 3.91 ERA in Nashville thus far.
• The Brew Town Beat has some suggestions for the Brewers offense.  They like my idea of a Bill Hall/Russell Branyan platoon.  They also suggest that Tony Gwynn Jr. should get more at bats in lieu of Mike Cameron.  Sure, Cameron has not lit the world on fire with his start for Milwaukee, but no one expected him to hit .300.  Mike is someone that can give you 20/20 stats, but will only hit about .240 with lots of strikeouts.  Those who thought Milwaukee was getting something else is either naive, or didn’t know much about Cameron as a player.
• Also from The Brew Town Beat…they are wondering if Eric Gagne is tipping his pitches.  After Ned Yost’s cryptic comments the other day, I began to think the same thing.  Brew Town makes a very convincing argument.  If that is the case, Eric should be able to get back on track fairly easily.
• In-Between Hops says that Prince Fielder is not performing as well because of his vegetarian diet.  Either that or he is trying to hit every pitch 500 feet.  I’m tired of the vegetarian talk.
• Tom Haudricourt has a preview of the 2008 First Year Player Draft.  Actually, he does not really preview anyone the Crew might draft.  The article simply dwells on the fact that Milwaukee has many more picks early in the draft than usual.  That has been well-chronicled here.  I’d like to see some analysis of actual potential-draftees.
• The Huntsville Times has an article on Matt LaPorta.  This just in: Matt LaPorta can hit very well.
• MLB Trade Rumors notes that the Chicago Cubs are considering signing veteran centerfielder, Jim Edmonds.  He would replace Felix Pie in the lineup.  Personally, I hope they sign Edmonds.  He has hit .178/.265/.233 in 103 plate appearances.  That would be an improvement for them…

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…

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.

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.

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.

Offense struggles as Brewers fall again

I was fully prepared to write this article and complain about how much first pitch-swinging the Brewers did against the unknown Nelson Figueroa.  The offense was so anemic again, and I simply assumed that had to be the answer.  It had been in the past few games.

I started to look at each individual at-bat on MLB’s Gameday, and I was very surprised.  The Milwuakee Brewers only swung at the first pitch 18%, or six times out of thirty-three at-bats.  That’s a very good number to get a pitcher’s pitch-count up quickly.  In case you were wondering, Gabe Gross swung at the first pitch three out of the four times he came up to the dish.  I’m pretty sure he’ll be packing his bags once Mike Cameron comes back from his suspension.

Why is the offense unable to string any hits together?  Why is Nelson Figueroa, who is frankly not very good at all, able to no-hit the Crew until the fifth inning?  There are a couple reasons that I will posit.  First, the Brewers are collectively pressing way too much to get the offense going.  It seems counterintuitive, but when you struggle at the plate, you have to relax and try to hit the ball the opposite way a bit.  The Crew is not doing that, especially Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Billy Hall.  Secondly, the Brewers are still striking out too much.  I understand that the team will always strike out a lot, as it is in their character, but they cannot be trying to hit a home run when down two strikes.  The only two players that are shortening up their swings are Jason Kendall and, surprise, Rickie Weeks.

The Milwaukee Brewers have one of the most potent offenses in the league.  Excuse me, they have the potential to have one of the most potent offenses in the league.  Right now, they only have one player hitting over .260, and that is Jason Kendall.  That is not acceptable.  Someone needs to do something to get this offense going.  Maybe everyone should go with the baggy pants.  Maybe they should turn their hats inside out and go with the rally cap right away.  I have no idea.  Something needs to change though.

Anyway, on to Manny Parra.  Today was not one of his brighter days.  He actually looked very good through three innings, but he completely lost it in the fourth.  I hope he is not the second-coming of Dave Bush.  Manny has far better stuff than Dave, but he needs to be more consistent.  I was very disappointed with Manny today.  Hopefully he will have the chance to pitch once more in a big league uniform before Yovani Gallardo comes back.  I would love to see Manny stay on the big league squad.  I’m just not totally convinced he deserves it yet.

Records: Brewers (6-4); Mets (5-4)

Hero of the Game: David Riske

I thought David Riske did a fantastic job controlling the damage after he entered the game in the fifth inning.  Manny Parra had just given up three runs in the fourth, and the New York Mets had a lot of momentum on their side.  Riske came in and gave the Crew two scoreless innings and kept them in the game.  He allowed the Brewers to pull to a 2-3 deficit before Salomon Torres gave up a run in the seventh.  Riske does not have overpowering or overly-impressive stuff, but he simply gets it done.  A tip of the cap to you, David.  Nice work.

Goat of the Game: the Milwaukee Brewers offense

I was going to give this to Manny Parra, but the entire offense takes the cake on this one.  The pitching staff only allowed four runs, but the Brewers could not pull the game out.  Why?  Because they got two hits all game.  Two.  I discussed the problem with the offense above, so I will not do it again.  Yet four runs is not all that much to ask from an offense, especially one that has a lot of power like Milwaukee’s.  Especially against Nelson Figueroa.  Ugh, the game was just brutal.  Put some hits together boys!

On Tap

Ben Sheets vs. Johan Santana.  12:30pm CT.  That is all you need to know.

Reds pound Brewers to end winning streak

The Brewers may have taken the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, but they certainly wasted little time in giving it back to the Cincinnati Reds.

Starter Dave Bush gave up five runs, only four of them earned, but he gave up three key runs in the top of the sixth.  Bush did not have very good stuff today, in my opinion.  He needs to keep his walk rate down, as he walked three more batters today.  His fastball got up in the zone.  I thought his curveball was fine, but why would any of the Cincinnati Reds swing at a curveball when they know they can get a belt-high fastball later in the count?

The bullpen did not help, either.  David Riske came in and had zero control of his fastball.  It was very straight and over the plate.  I was confused as to why he did not want to throw his splitter very much, but he must have not had a very good feel for it today.  He escaped the inning without giving up an earned run, but it does not mean he pitched well.

Derrick Turnbow displayed his characteristically wild command.  He walked Ken Griffey Jr. to start the inning, and Adam Dunn parked a home run just over the outstretched arm of Gabe Gross.  Actually, Gross should have had that ball, but that is a different story.  Seth McClung came in to mop up the game for the Crew in the eighth and ninth innings.  Instead of keeping the score manageable, Seth gave up five earned runs and walked three batters in two innings.  I understand momentum can be a big thing in baseball, but it was amazing how poorly everyone threw the ball once Bush started to struggle.

At the plate, all was fairly quiet.  Ryan Braun and Bill Hall both hit solo shots to continue their hitting ways.  Jason Kendall and Corey Hart had two hits a piece, but no one else got a hit in the game.  Dave Bush did in the fifth inning, but no other Brewer position player tallied a hit in the game.  With that said, the game was not out of reach until the bullpen blew up.

Poor games like this will inevitably happen.  The Crew started the season in great shape, and fans are kidding themselves if they think that a blowout was not going to happen this month.  The important thing is that the Brewers rally around Carlos Villanueva tomorrow and score a third-straight series win.

Records: Brewers (6-2); Reds (5-4)

Hero of the Game: Bill Hall

Billy hit another home run in the bottom of the ninth to put his season total up to four.  He is seeing the ball pretty well, and he has his power stroke back.  That is not the main reason for naming him the hero of the game.  I’ve been incredibly impressed with his defense this season.  Brian Anderson mentioned that Billy is making one highlight-caliber play per game at the hot corner.  I agree.  He has made the Brewers defense immensely better.  He made a very nice play on Ryan Freel, I believe it was.  He ranged to his right, picked the ball cleanly with his glove, spun, and fired a perfect ball to Prince Fielder over at first.  That play is not easy.  It certainly looked like it was though.

Goat of the Game: David Bush

David.  You simply cannot, I repeat cannot, come into the game in the top of the sixth and give away the lead your team just stole in the bottom of the fifth.  The momentum had begun to swing towards Milwaukee, and the bats looked like they were about ready to break out in a big way.  Instead of building on that momentum, Bush imploded and lost all momentum for the Brewers.  All Brewers fans know that David is susceptible to the big inning, but it always comes at the wrong time (if there ever is a good time).  I am sick of seeing the Brewers offense get the lead and then watch Dave Bush come in and give it right back.  I admit that David Riske did not help a bit after getting the call to pitch, but Bush started the carnage.  I can only hope that when Yovani Gallardo comes back from the DL, Bush is the pitcher to go.  I don’t know what to do with him at this point.  I will address this when I am in a better state of mind, but he needs to go.

On Tap

Carlos Villanueva will toe the rubber tomorrow in the series finale against the Cincinnati Reds.  He will go up against Cincy’s ace, Aaron Harang.  The rubber match will start at 12:05pm CT.  This will be a tough match-up for the Crew, but they need this win badly.  Milwaukee does not want to head out to Shea Stadium on a sour note.

Round ‘em Up: Tuesday (cont’d)

Sorry the previous Round ‘em Up was so short.  I wanted to make up for it by finishing up this evening.  Here’s some more for you:

• The Milwaukee JS has the lineups for later tonight.  Still no Tony Gwynn Jr. That is probably not an ideal thing to hear…
• (Hat tip to BN reader, Nate, on this one) The Wisconsin Sports Bar points out that Gabe Kapler and Ryan Braun are the first Jewish tandem to hit a home run in a single inning.  They also have the same nickname: The Hebrew Hammer.  I’ve come to realize that if Kapler hits a home run in a game, that simply means that Braun has to later.  It’s not complicated…just science…
• Jeff Sackmann, writer of Brew Crew Ball, has a very interesting article posted that discusses the over-right-handedness of the Brewers lineup.  Jeff notes that it should only turn out to cost the Crew about a win over the whole year.  I don’t care if you are left-handed or right-handed heavy in the lineup.  If you are seeing the ball well and have talented hitters, they will produce.  I’m not trivializing the subject, but stats can only take you so far…

  In case you were wondering…I have an interview in the works with Jeff Sackmann.  Jeff was nice enough to take time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions.  Hopefully, it will be posted in the next couple days.

• The Hardball Times says that the Milwaukee Brewers have started off on a very high note.  Hold back the shock on that one, please.  They believe that the Crew has performed a bit over their heads on the defensive end, but the author seems to come away impressed with Milwaukee thus far in the season.  It could be the Brewers are playing over their heads on the defensive side of the ball, or perhaps moving Ryan Braun to left and Bill Hall to third really helps the team overall.  And maybe, just MAYBE, some of the younger players worked on their defense in the off-season.  Nah, that can’t be the reason though, right?
• In the most interesting article of the day, Francisco Cordero seems to hold a little grudge against the Brewers.  He wanted to sign an extension in the Spring of last season, and when Melvin did not offer it to him, the Brewers effectively lost their chance at the closer.

  If what I am reading is correct, Cordero is upset that the Brewers organization wanted to see him perform before offering him a high-priced contract.  Oh the humanity!!!  I think that Cordero pitched wonderfully for most of the season in ‘07, and he greatly contributed to the Brewers having a winning record last season.  All the fans should be grateful to Coco and treat him with respect when the Reds visit Miller Park the next couple days.  At the same time, Coco going to the Reds greatly benefited Milwaukee, in my opinion.  It opened some cap room that allowed us to sign David Riske, acquire Salomon Torres, and sign Mike Cameron.  Resigning Cordero would have handcuffed the team to a big, big contract.

• The love-fest surrounding Johnny Cueto continues, this time on Dugout Central.  Let’s hope that the Brewers bats can quite this enthusiasm a bit.  It will be hard though.  Cueto has electric stuff.
• Turning away from the Milwaukee Brewers for a second, is anyone else surprised by the Detroit Tigers and their 0-7 start?  The Boston Red Sox shut them out today to prolong the agony for Tigers fans.  David Pinto takes a statistical look at their playoff chances.

There.  Hopefully this makes up for the short post earlier in the day!!!

Parra impressive in Brewers win

Manny Parra was supposed to be nervous in his first start of the season for the Milwaukee Brewers.  He wasn’t.  Just ask the seven San Francisco Giants he fanned on his way to pitching five no-hit innings.  Manny began to tire in the sixth, and he was unable to make it out of the inning.

Still, the young Brewers hurler showcased a fine arsenal of curveballs, change-ups, and a low-to-mid nineties fastball.  The defense, which had been stellar in the first four games of the season, did not help Parra.  Craig Counsell made an awful throw to first early in the game, and almost tossed another one into the stands later in the game.  Bill Hall let a ground ball eat him up at third.

Manny was able to shrug off the sloppy defense behind him and hold the Giants hitless until the sixth inning.  He obviously began to tire.  His pitches began to inch up in the strike zone.  After an impressive 5.1 innings, Parra left the game only allowing two earned runs and striking out seven Giants.

David Riske then came into the game and got Jose Castillo to fly out to center field.  Ray Durham then tried to tag up from first, but Gabe Gross gunned him down at second to end the inning.  Actually, “gunned him down” is not quite correct there.  It was more like Gabe got lucky that the ball bounced right to Rickie Weeks at second base.  In the seventh, Riske lost his command and walked a couple hitters.  He was able to limit the damage and only allow one run.

I thought that Guillermo Mota threw the ball very well again today, even though he gave up a solo shot to Ray Durham.  Durham connected with a fastball that ran right over the plate.  Besides that pitch, Mota continued to show great stuff and great command.  He finished the inning giving up that lone run and striking out two.

On to Eric Gagne, the target for much criticism in the past few days.  Eric looked very good today, in my opinion.  It is easy to say that because he got the win, but he threw the ball much better.  He mixed up his pitches and featured his nasty change-up.  His fastball was not electric, but it does not have to be.  Gagne even mixed in a couple curveballs.  He kept Giant hitters off-balance very well.  I was very pleased with Eric’s performance today.

Enough about the pitching.  Rickie Weeks was unable to extend his consecutive runs scored streak to 18.  He just missed a home run in the eighth and drew a walk earlier in the game.  Ryan Braun clobbered his first home run of the young season, parking a hanging change-up from Kevin Correia over the bullpen in left field.  His plate discipline has been suspect this season, but that swing is still sweet.

The Brewer bench played fairly well today.  Mike Rivera had a two-RBI game, but that is a little deceiving.  He hit a little dribbler to the third baseman and beat it out, but on the play, Corey Hart continued hustling and scored from second on the play.  Mike did have a nice hit to center field to score Corey later in the game though.  In addition to Rivera, Gabe Kapler hit a pinch-hit home run in the eighth to stretch the lead to two.  It turned out to be the difference in the game.

Records: Brewers (4-1); Giants (1-4)

Hero of the Game: Manny Parra

I cannot say enough about the performance Manny had today.  He located the ball very well in the lower part of the strike zone, and his curveball was near unhittable today.  Parra had the curve working to get ahead of the count, as well as being his strikeout pitch.  I’m sure Mike Maddux enjoyed seeing that today.  The one pitch he did not feature today was his split-fingered fastball, but I expect he’s saving that for a rainy day down the road.

Manny weathered the storm that was the Brewers defense today.  He was forced to get four outs two (perhaps even three) times today, but he did not let it faze him.  The at bat with Rajai Davis to end the fifth inning obviously took a lot out of Manny.  He came into the sixth inning fatigued, and it showed with his command.  Nonetheless, I think Brewers fans may have gotten a little taste of what the rookie can bring to the mound this season.  He has special stuff.

Goat of the Game: The Brewers Defense

The defense did make some nice plays, I must admit.  Bill Hall made a sweet diving catch at third, and Prince Fielder climbed the later to snag a line drive early in the game.  Overall, however, the defense nearly cost the Brewers the game.  Craig Counsell had trouble with his throws early in the game.  Bill Hall needs to get in front of that grounder that ate him up at third.  Those ended up not costing the Brewers any runs, so I will let those fly today.

Mike Rivera somehow got his signals crossed with Manny Parra in the sixth inning, and the past ball allowed a run to score.  Rickie Weeks did not turn a double play in the seventh that would have gotten the Brewers out of the inning without allowing a run.  I realize that Prince could have dug out that ball, but there is no excuse as to why Rickie couldn’t have made that throw.  He had plenty of time to get it done.

Against a better team than the Giants, those types of plays are going to come back to bite the Brewers.  They had been very solid defensively this entire season up until today, so let’s hope that this game is just a fluke.  If it becomes a trend, however, Brewers pitchers and the team’s record will suffer.

On Tap

Ben Sheets will take on Barry Zito in a battle of the aces tomorrow at Miller Park.  The Crew guaranteed a series victory today with a win and will go for a series sweep against the lowly Giants.  The game is scheduled to start at 1:05pm CT.  Let’s break out the brooms, boys!

Should Gagne be Milwaukee’s closer?

After Eric Gagne had his well-chronicled meltdown yesterday against the Chicago Cubs, people have begun to question whether or not he should be the closer for the Milwaukee Brewers.  People are certainly overreacting because of one bad outing, but is there something behind this?

Gagne is far removed from his insane streak of successfully closed games and when he nickname was “Game Over.”  In Texas last season, however, he proved that he could still get three outs in the ninth inning to close games.  The Boston Red Sox then acquired him from the Rangers at the trading deadline, and Gagne struggled mightily.  He was not a closer for Boston.  Ned Yost and Doug Melvin have said that his struggles were because of this role change.  Closers are meant to be closers, I guess.

The numbers suggest that Gagne still has the stuff to be a closer.  Even when he came undone in Boston during the second half of the season last year, he still averaged over one strikeout per inning.  His change-up is still one of the best in the game, and his curveball is better than advertised.  Sometimes (like yesterday) his fastball tends to be very straight, and thus, very hittable.  In addition, his walk rate is relatively low.  He walks about .41 batters per inning, while Derrick Turnbow walks an average of .624 batters per inning.  Opponents’ on-base percentage is thus much lower than that of Turnbow’s.

Much of Gagne’s struggles yesterday came from the uncharacteristic loss-of-command, and an over-reliance on his fastball.  Once Kosuke Fukudome hit his three-run shot to tie the game at three-apiece, Gagne threw nothing but change-ups and curveballs to Mark DeRosa.  I think there is no coincidence that DeRosa was Gagne’s first out of the inning.  Even Felix Pie, who managed to get on-base because of a fielding mishap, harmlessly grounded to Prince Fielder.  That should have ended the inning right there.  Gagne needs to use his change-up and curveball much more often if he expects to have success for the Brewers.

What about the other Milwaukee Brewers pitchers in the bullpen?  What about Derrick Turnbow, Guillermo Mota, Salomon Torres, and David Riske?  Would they be a better fit in the closer’s role?

Derrick Turnbow, in my opinion, is an obvious no.  He is a very fine set-up man, but he walks far too many people to be a reliable closer.  I am not questioning his stuff, which is undeniably electric.  Occasionally, however, he cannot get it over the plate.  That and Brewers fans obvious displeasure with Turnbow rule him out, no matter what Ned Yost and Doug Melvin say.

Salomon Torres potentially could take on the closer’s role, but it would be a waste of his talents.  He is much more of a “rubber armed reliever” that can take the ball three times a week and even go more than one inning if needed.  Strapping him to the closer’s role would deplete the bullpen of an innings’ eater that it so desperately needs.  In addition, I would want my reliever to have an opponent batting average to be under .263 and an on-base percentage of .335.  Throughout his career, he has consistently gotten stronger as the season wears on, and the Brewers would be depriving their bullpen of a reliable middle reliever that can go one or two innings several times a week.  I am not denying that Salomon could do the job, but his struggles as the Pirates’ closer and his high opponent batting average suggests that he is much better served as a 7th inning guy.

Ah, David Riske.  He did come in yesterday to close out the game in the tenth inning, and he cruised to a 1-2-3 inning.  That was most impressive, especially after seeing Gagne struggle in the ninth.  Riske made a good impression on a big stage, but I do not think that he is the answer to be Milwaukee’s closer.  Referring back to the article that categorized relievers, as written by The Baseball Analysts, Riske has a below average strikeout rate for his career, and he is a fly-ball pitcher.  Relievers like that have a fine line to walk, and I do not want to have a closer that could give up a bomb at any time.  In only fifteen more innings of work last season, Riske gave up five more home runs than did Gagne.  Even while struggling in Boston last season, Gagne only gave up two home runs.  Milwaukee needs a closer that will keep the ball in the ballpark.  I know Gagne did not show that capability yesterday, but his career numbers show that he can.  Riske, on the other hand, is more susceptible to the long-ball.  Riske is a fantastic pitcher and he will be invaluable this season, but I believe that he should be the set-up man for the Crew.

On to Guillermo Mota.  I saved him for last because I believe he is the most intriguing pitcher in the Brewers bullpen.  Yes he blew up last season for the New York Mets, but it was very uncharacteristic of Mota.  His opponent batting average was almost thirty points higher than his career average, and one would expect his performance to regress to the mean.  He does not have an above-average strikeout rate, but that trend seems to be changing with the mechanical fix he and Mike Maddux worked on this off-season.  Mota is throwing harder, and his pitches are moving much more.  Guillermo has always been a ground-ball pitcher, which is a positive attribute for a closer.  If his strikeout rates continue to be improved this season, Guillermo Mota would be an excellent candidate to close for Milwaukee.

After all of this analysis, I still believe that Eric Gagne can be successful as the closer for the Milwaukee Brewers.  He needs to be more confident in his off-speed pitches, and I think that he realized this after the Fukudome home run yesterday.  His peripheral stats are the best on the team, and he was very successful last season for the Texas Rangers.  He may take a long time between pitches and may not have a lightning fast fastball, but his change-up and curveball could carry him to a successful season.

If Eric Gagne continues to struggle, however, Ned Yost will most likely ask David Riske to fill the role.  Ned loves the way that Riske throws strikes and is aggressive on the mound, but his fly ball tendencies without a high strikeout count scares me.  If Gagne cannot find the stuff he had last season in Texas, Guillermo Mota could be the unsung hero for the Brewers this season.  Everyone hated the move when Melvin made it, but Doug must have seen something that everyone missed.  Mota has been brilliant this spring and on Opening Day.  Perhaps he will just ride that momentum to the closer’s role.  I hope not though…because that would mean that Eric Gagne’s struggles did not subside.  Milwaukee needs Gagne to succeed.

It may be the optimist in me, but I think he will.  I hope he will.

Round ‘em Up: Tuesday

After yesterday’s meltdown by Brewers closer Eric Gagne, I expected this Round ‘em Up to be filled with articles bashing Gagne and calling for him to be traded or released.  It turns out that I did not find one, not one, article calling for that.  I expect that would have been different had the Crew lost the game in the 10th.

• Adam McCalvy gives a recap of the game yesterday.
• Michael Hunt from the Milwaukee JS comes close to calling for Eric Gagne’s head, but he resorts to praising the Brewers for being resilient and coming away with the win.  Come on now…if we’re going to overreact over one outing, let’s do it right and call for him to be cut!  Oh…and shorten Michael’s name to Mike, and he has a very funny name.  Mike Hunt…sorry I could not resist.  I’m sure he never heard about that in high school.
• Let me take this moment to say that I was incredibly impressed by Ben Sheets yesterday.  Not only did he pitch a fantastic game after struggling mightily in Spring Training, but he only got stronger after the 49-minute rain delay.  For someone as injury-prone as Benny, I came away very impressed by that.  I understand it is only one start, but let me remind you all that my NL Cy Young pick for this season was Ben Sheets.
• Craig Counsell reminded everyone why he still is on this team, even after many Brewers fans called for his release this off-season.  Tom Haudricourt says that Craig’s changes in his batting stance are helping him get to the ball much quicker than he had been before.  I think yesterday’s performance and his constant production throughout Spring Training echo that sentiment.
• The Baseball Analysts discuss some of the games from Opening Day.  I have a sneaking feeling that the San Francisco Giants are going to be epically bad this season.
• Should the pitcher bat 8th?  It worked out for the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday.  Dugout Central has another article bashing the idea.  It focuses solely on the St. Louis Cardinals, but the point remains the same.  My opinion is that it will not make a difference this season.
• The Yost Infection has an article about Derrick Turnbow and Ned Yost’s decision to go with David Riske in the 10th inning.  When watching the game yesterday, I just thought that Ned wanted to parade all his new toys in the bullpen.  Plus, after Gagne had his command issues, the last person Yost wanted on the mound would be someone with more command problems.  It’s just nice that the Brewers have four different pitchers that can pitch in that situation…Turnbow, Riske, Guillermo Mota, and Salomon Torres.
• This is not about the Milwaukee Brewers, but it is very interesting.  Why should the Brewers not shell out top-dollar for someone like Prince Fielder or Ben Sheets?  Their production could just plummet, and the organization could be handcuffed financially for seasons to come.  See Barry Zito on this one.  He may be a large reason why the Giants are so bad.

Round ‘em Up: Knuckleballs, Pitching Duel, Narveson

Sorry about the lack of a Round ‘em Up yesterday all.  I was swamped yesterday and just did not have much time to get to the computer.  Here are some of today’s reads:

• Squawking Baseball has a cool idea for an article.  They have an “over-under” projection for every team.  The Milwaukee Brewers are predicted to win over 84.5 games.  In fact, they predict “over” for pretty much every team…
• Remember R.A. Dickey?  He was a starter for Triple-A Nashville last season.  The Seattle Mariners liked the knuckleballer so much that they swiped him in the Rule 5 Draft this season.  Here’s ESPN.com writer Jim Caple with Dickey, and he’s trying to catch his knuckleball.  It’s quite humorous.
• Dugout Central has a March Madness bracket for baseball infielders.  It’s a little goofy in how it is set up, and it seems to be completely arbitrary.  Nonetheless, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun match up in the first round.  The winner?  Ryan Braun.  The author then goes on to say that Ryan Braun will pass Alex Rodriguez sometime in the next couple years.  That’s quite the prediction, but I could see it.
• A couple days ago, I linked to The Baseball Analysts graph on starting pitching and how they categorized them.  It was very interesting stuff.  Today, they have the same categorizing system, but they focus on relief pitchers.  The Brewers have a couple relievers that check in on the list.

  Derrick Turnbow: Above-average strikeout and ground ball rates.  Now if we could just solve his walk problem, he’d be one of the best relievers in the league.
  Eric Gagne: Above-average strikeout rate, but below-average ground ball rate.  Exactly what the Brewers expected when getting Gagne.  He does need to get his change-up working, however.
  Carlos Villanueva: Above-average strikeout rate, below-average ground ball rate.
  Brian Shouse, Guillermo Mota, AND Chris Spurling (yes, that Chris Spurling): Below-average strikeout rates, but above-average ground ball rates.  It’s nice to see Guillermo in that category.
  David Riske: Below-average strikeout and ground ball rates.  This really surprised me, and it does worry me a bit.  He’ll have to get one of those up if he’s going to find success in Miller Park.  It’s not necessarily the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in the MLB.

• Chris Narveson has been brilliant this spring.  He’s only given up one run in 15 2/3 innings (0.57 ERA).  In years past, Chris would be pushing for a starting job, but the Brewers are just too deep now.  He did say that he understood that coming in though.

  With that said, he’s putting himself in position to be one of the first Triple-A call-ups if he continues pitching as well as he has.  His cut fastball has been his best pitch this spring, and coaches have been raving about his command with his offspeed stuff.  I have to say that I’ve been very impressed with Narveson.  He may even get a call to be the long man in the bullpen in a couple months.

• Tom Haudricourt handicaps the likelihood of each starter getting a job in the rotation.  Because of the injuries to Yovani Gallardo and Chris Capuano, the field has slipped to just four men to fill three spots.

  Tom has Claudio Vargas and Dave Bush as “locks” for the starting rotation.  Vargas’ lock comes mostly from the fact that he has no options left, so he needs to make the big league squad.  My response to that is that he could be the long man in the bullpen.  Manny Parra is slated to be the fifth man in the rotation, which was nice to see because he’s been absolutely dominant this spring.  That leaves Carlos Villanueva as the odd man out.  People may say he should go back to being a reliever, but Ned Yost said that Carlos is a starter.  The Brewers organization wants to treat him as a starter.  If he does not make the starting rotation, he will be sent back to Triple-A until he is needed.  I guess experience won out over performance after all.

Sheets shelled in loss to Giants

The first place Milwaukee Brewers lost 8-4 to the lowly San Francisco Giants today.  It was a day to forget for Ben Sheets and most of the other Brewer regulars.

Records: Brewers (9-5); Giants (4-10)

Batting

Rickie Weeks started the game getting hit by a pitch and a stolen base.  Mike Cameron quickly followed it up with an RBI-triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Prince Fielder.  Besides that, nothing too interesting happened at the plate.  It was generally a yawner of a game.

Bill Hall struggled today, going 0-3 with three strikeouts.  Let’s hope he gets away from that trend quickly.

Pitching

Ben Sheets had not been scored upon yet this spring.  That changed today, however, in a big way.  The Brewers ace gave up 8 hits, 2 walks, and 5 runs in three innings of work.  Ben will likely try to forget this outing as quickly as possible.  It was not a good showing today by Sheets.

Zach Jackson did not fair much better.  He allowed 5 hits and 3 runs in three innings.  Zach continues to show that he is not quite ready for the big leagues.  He’s beginning to be known as a Quadruple-A player.  That is, one that performs well at Triple-A, but cannot transfer that success to the big leagues.

The one bright spot for the Brewers was the work done by the bullpen.  David Riske, Guillermo Mota, and Tim Dillard continued to show their fine work this spring by throwing a scoreless inning a piece.  The ‘pen has looked very good thus far in Spring Training, and Brewers fans across the nation hope that continues into the regular season.

On Tap

The Brewers will take on the Seattle Mariners again at 3:05pm CT.  Carlos Villanueva and Chris Capuano are slated to get their innings in tomorrow.  This looks to be an important outing for Capuano, as reports have surfaced that Doug Melvin is actively shopping the lefty.  He’s been very unimpressive this spring, surrendering 8 runs in four innings.

Cameron sparks Brewers win

Batting

Mike Cameron hit his second home run for the Brewers this spring.  His homer came in the bottom of the first and sparked the rest of the scoring for the Crew.  Mike also walked later in the game, which is exactly what Yost wants to see from him.

Joe Dillon smacked a two-run bomb off Royals pitcher Chin-hui Tsao in the 8th inning.  He also added an RBI-single later in the game to finish 2-4 and a three-RBI night.  Not too bad at all.  Ryan Braun extended his hitting streak to five games.  Alcides Escobar, Melvin’s prized prospect, had a nice day, going 1-2 with two-RBI double in the 8th.  He’s only hitting .167 this spring, but perhaps this will help him turn it around.  Corey Hart finally broke out of his little slump today.  He only went 1-2, but it’s a start.  He needed to get out of his little funk.

Pitching

Jeff Suppan had a shaky day at the office today.  He gave up three hits in the first inning, but managed to only surrender one run.  He finished the day with 5 hits and 2 runs against him, along with 2 walks and a strike out.  Not exactly what Brewers fans want to see out of their $40M man.

The bullpen, however, pitched brilliantly.  They went six innings and did not give up a run.  David Riske pitched well today, giving up one hit and striking out one batter in an inning of work.  Randy Choate and Guillermo Mota continued their fine pitching today, as they both pitched a scoreless inning.  Both are yet to surrender a run this spring.  Choate could be challenging for a spot in the bullpen if he keeps this up.  Steve Bray and Jason Shiell also worked scoreless innings today.

Records: Brewers (6-4); Royals (5-5)

On Tap

Claudio Vargas will take the mound for Milwaukee tomorrow.  The Brewers get a rematch with the Seattle Mariners tomorrow.  The M’s will trot out Miguel Batista out to start.  Here’s hoping that the Brewers manage more than two hits this time.  The game will start at 3:05pm CT.  Remember to set your clocks ahead an hour tonight!

Doubles galore in Brewers win

The Brewers moved over .500 in Spring Training today with a 12-6 win over the Texas Rangers.

Batting

Craig Counsell lead the Brewers today, going 2-3 with 3 RBIs and a run to spark the Brewers to a 9-0 start.  It was very impressive to see Craig come out and see the ball well, especially since fans were beginning to wonder whether or not he can help enough offensively to make the team.

Bill Hall and Gabe Kapler both had a very nice day as well.  Bill went 2-4 with 2 runs and an RBI, while Gabe finished 1-2 with a two-RBI double.  Gabe has seen the ball very well the last couple days.

Pitching

Manny Parra pitched extremely well today.  He went 3 innings, gave up 2 hits, no runs, no walks, and four strikeouts.  Tom Haudricourt said that Manny Parra looked very, very good.  He’s been my favorite candidate for the 5th spot, but he’s beginning to try to kick that door to the starting rotation open.  I don’t think that Yost can keep him out of the rotation if he continues to pitch like he did today.

Dave Bush, on the other hand, struggled today.  He cruised through his first two innings, but he hit a wall after that.  Bush gave up five runs in the 6th inning, even though only three of those runs were earned.  In five innings of work this Spring Training, Bush has given up six earned runs and 10 hits.  He’ll need to pitch better than that to make the starting rotation.

Other than the two starters, David Riske struggled a bit, giving up three hits and a run, but Guillermo Mota and Randy Choate have continued their fine pitching.  Neither of them have given up a run this spring.  Perhaps Mota is not as bad as we all thought?

Records: Milwaukee (4-3); Texas (4-3-1)

On Tap

Milwaukee will play the Seattle Mariners tomorrow.  It will be a battle between Felix Hernandez and Ben Sheets.  It should be a fun game for the first few innings.

McCalvy’s notes

Adam McCalvy has some thoughts for us today.

David Riske has a nice little human-interest piece written on him today.  Brewers fans are surely happy that he decided to switch to the mound, rather than stay at shortstop.

Ryan Braun’s agent attended camp this week, and let’s just say there was some business to attend to as well.  Doug Melvin and Braun’s agent, Nez Balelo, are examining a long-term deal for Braun that would buy out his arbitration-eligible years and presumably one or two of his free agent years.

I’ll have my thoughts on this either tomorrow or Monday.  I don’t have time to delve too much into this question right now, as I won’t be home again until tomorrow.  I stole away for a second to post a couple things for you all today.

What do you all think about giving Braun a long-term contract?

Eric Gagne has large expectations

Dayn Parry came out with another list today.  This time, it is the list of what players have the biggest shoes to fill.  Top of the rankings?  Eric Gagne of course.

Gagne has to fill the shoes of Francisco Cordero, who set the single season save record for the Brewers last season.  In earlier posts, I mentioned that Cordero was not as good as everybody may think.  He did blow 7 games for Milwaukee, after all.  Still, his 86 Ks in 63.1 innings pitched will be sorely missed.

Dayn thinks that if Gagne struggles, David Riske will get the call for the Crew.  I definitely agree with that.  I still think it was one of the most brilliant moves of the off-season to bring Riske to Milwaukee.  Melvin signed him before the Brewers had a true closer, so Riske felt that he would get a shot at being closer.  Then Melvin brought in Gagne.  That’s thinking.

Sports Illustrated’s off-season grades

Jon Heyman from SI graded every team’s off-season moves today. I’m not sure if Heyman is a pessimist, but his look at the Brewers was definitely from the “glass half empty” point of view.

He criticizes the Mike Cameron signing because of the 25-game suspension. He implies that the Gagne signing is a bust because he was accused of taking HGH in the Mitchell Report. He also says that Jason Kendall is an awful signing because of his unimpressive play last season.

These criticisms are beginning to sound like a broken record. Heyman is a great sportswriter and I very much enjoy reading his articles, but this assessment seems a bit off. Let me explain:

• Mike Cameron may not have been the left-handed LF that Doug Melvin sought at the outset of the off-season, but he brings a veteran clubhouse presence, above-average speed, Gold Glove-caliber defense, and plenty of pop to the lineup.He improves Milwaukee’s defense drastically, which alleviates a major problem from last season. Cameron may strikeout a lot at the plate, as shown by his 160 Ks in ‘07, but it is not because of a lack of plate discipline. He consistently takes 4+ pitches per at-bat, and his OBP was 86 points higher than his batting average (.242 compared to .328). Milwaukee also lacked a solid running game on the base paths last season, and Cameron brings a legitimate 20/20 caliber player into the mix. In pitcher-friendly PETCO last season, he still slugged 21 HR and had 18 SB. He gives the Brewers a versatile player to place potentially in the two-hole when he returns.

  That brings us to the 25-game suspension. It is obviously not ideal for a player to miss the first month of the season, but Milwaukee does not have to pay him for those games, at least. In addition, the Brewers learned firsthand last season that the division is not won at the beginning of the season. The Crew started off 24-10, yet they ended up losing the division to the Chicago Cubs down the stretch. If they are able to start the season strong again, Cameron will be a nice addition to keep that winning spirit alive. Melvin is looking long-haul with Cameron, understanding that players need to be there in September, not just in March.

• Now on to Eric Gagne. There is no excuse for using PEDs, but Selig has not suspended anyone for anything at this point in time. It may not be a great PR move for the Brewers, but it stabilizes the back of the ‘pen for the year. Gagne will most likely not address the issue publicly, as it could affect MLB investigations, but it is important to note that HGH was not banned by Major League Baseball at the time Gagne is accused of buying it. Federally, however, that is a crime. That would involve a trial, so the Brewers should get Gagne for the whole year.Plenty of experts have focused on Gagne’s struggles in Boston, while choosing to ignore the fact he pitched very well in Texas before the trade. In fact, a 2.16 ERA in 33.3 innings pitched is fine work from a closer. In addition, Gagne is moving to the NL, which usually causes prognosticators to lower their projections for pitchers because the lineups are not as powerful as AL lineups. Instead, experts look at less than 19 innings of work and assume that Gagne will always pitch like that. He may never be as good as he was in L.A., but he is certainly not the pitcher he was in Boston. Expect improvement in Milwaukee.
• I am tired of everyone dwelling on the fact that Jason Kendall is not an offensive force. Do they really think that Milwaukee signed him with the expectations that he would put up a .300 batting average 20 HR and 70 RBI? Obviously not.Melvin signed Kendall to be a stabilizing force behind the plate and to help make pitchers more comfortable. It has been widely publicized that the majority of the Oakland’s pitching staff’s ERAs went up almost a full point after Kendall left the team. Pitchers have publicly said that Kendall makes them feel much more comfortable and calm when on the mound, yet people say that Kendall cannot help the Brewers because he cannot produce offensively. Milwaukee has plenty of offense. Kendall is there to help Milwaukee’s starting pitching, which was a large factor in the bullpen’s meltdown late in the season. If you would prefer, call it a signing banking on “intangibles.”
• Finally, Heyman mentions nothing about David Riske or Salomon Torres.I understand these are not glamorous signings, but they can potentially help the bullpen immensely. Riske has been called the best value-signing of the off-season, and his 2.45 ERA in the American League echoes that sentiment. Riske will probably be called on to stabilize the 8th inning role for Milwaukee, which will allow Turnbow to slide into a middle relief role that will ease the stress of late-inning situations that he had been struggling with.

  Salomon Torres, on the other hand, is the exact type of pitcher the Brewers needed to acquire. Yost lamented last season about the bullpen’s lack of pitchers that could pitch more than one inning. Torres is an innings-eater that can also pitch in the late-inning situations.

  Last season, Torres struggled with injuries to a 5.47 ERA in 52.7 innings. Melvin is banking on a healthy Torres can return to the form he had between the 2004 and 2006 seasons. During those seasons, Salomon never pitched less than 92 innings in a year, while posting a 2.64, 2.76, and a 3.28 ERA, respectively. If he can bounce back from his injury-plagued season, Torres will serve as an important cog in the Brewers bullpen.

I am not naive enough to say that the Brewers deserve an A for their off-season moves, but they certainly do not deserve a C+. How a team like the Rockies (who’s main acquisition has been Yorvit Torrealba) can receive a better grade than the Brewers, I do not understand. Sure, the moves may not pan out like Doug Melvin plans, but Melvin has gone out and actively improved areas that needed improvement. Plus, he did it without sacrificing the farm system, which is incredibly important for a small-market team. I would give the team more like a B+…which is what the Rockies and Cubs got, coincidentally.