Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

I’m feeling well today after the Brewers pulled out an exciting, yet also frustrating, game against the Atlanta Braves.  The Crew will face a lefty in Jo-Jo Reyes today, so Bill Hall will be in the lineup.  Perhaps he’ll play with that same emotion he played with, especially since he said he hasn’t lately.  Interesting comment…

• After Russell Branyan’s call-up on Monday, MLB Trade Rumors says that Bill Hall could be one of a handfull of third baseman that could be had near the trade deadline.  That would be an interesting move for the Brewers to make, and I believe they will seriously consider it if the Brewers continue to scuffle.

  Anyone else notice Dallas McPherson on that list.  He would be an interesting player to have in Triple-A.  He’s young, been hampered by injuries, but he can flat out hit.  Doug Melvin won’t make the move, as the Marlins are notorious for demanding an arm and a leg.  It would be an intriguing move though.

• Speaking of trades, Eli from MLB Rumors says that Prince Fielder will not be moved this summer.  I hope he doesn’t believe he’s relaying some groundbreaking news here.  The Brewers are not moving their superstar when they still have control of him for another three years.  They might consider it once his salary reaches the $10M range, but not now.

  Eli also says that the Brewers may entertain trade proposals for Ben Sheets near the deadline if the Brewers cannot return to their winning ways.  Really?  I just don’t understand why he feels this is enlightening.  People have been saying this since the season began.  Before that even.

• Eli is just Brewers central today.  He also says that the Brewers are still probably interested in Huston Street.  First of all, Milwaukee is in no position to be buyers right now.  Milwaukee is playing worse than Oakland.  That trade makes no sense.  Secondly, Salomon Torres has handled the closer’s role just fine, thank you very much.  The Brewers will not be trading prospects for Street (who has a history of arm troubles, by the way).  Eli has lost a lot of credibility to me right now.
• Brewerfan.net has a 2008 Draft Preview up.  You all should definitely check this out.  Get to know some of the faces that may be a part of the Brewers farm system in just a couple months.
• Dugout Central names Ned Yost as one of the five managers who are most likely to get fired.  Duh.
• Brewers Fanatics has a little prospect information up about Jeremy Jeffress.  If you want a little more in-depth look at Jeremy, here’s a Prospect Profile of him that I did when I first created this site.  The site has come a long way, no?
• SportsBubbler.com names RHP Omar Aguilar the Prospect of the Week.  I agree that his fly-ball tendencies are a cause for concern, but Ben Sheets also is a fly-ball pitcher.  Benny’s doing just fine.  If Omar can spot his slider, the fly-balls will not matter so much.
• Tennessean.com has an article about Derrick Turnbow and how he’s trying to find his stuff down in Nashville.  Do you want to know why Derrick cannot make it in the big leagues anymore?  Look at what he had to say:

  “I felt like I was always one more bad game away from getting sent down or released,” Turnbow said. “Pitching under that kind of pressure doesn’t lead to good things.”

  If you cannot pitch under pressure, Derrick, I do not want you coming into tight games.  I do not want to rely on you to get an out with runners on base if you cannot deal with pressure.  That comment from Derrick just makes me sick.

• John Sickels has a round-up of the Top 50 pitching prospects and how they are doing.  He says that Manny Parra has been struggling with his command, which is why he has posted a 5.00+ ERA.  John still likes him for the long-term though.  Me too, John.  Me too.
• Here’s an article from Charleston, WV about OF Eric Fryer.  Eric came to WV as a catcher, but has played strictly in the outfield thus far.  He’s done everything the team has asked him to do, and he’s produced along the way in 2008.  You have to like a guy that will play wherever the manager wants him to play and still produce.

Round ‘em Up: Sunday

Writing the Round ‘em Up in the morning is a lot more pleasant after a win. The Brewers sites are a lot more pleasant to read, and I don’t have to relive the loss thirty times each morning. Not too much has been written on the Brewers this morning, however. That’s probably due to the people that are wasting gas and traveling this weekend.

• This post made my entire night last night. Russell Branyan has been called up from Nashville and will start tonight against the right-handed Tim Redding. To make room for the veteran, Tony Gwynn Jr. got sent down to Triple-A. The young man needs to play every day.Russell is not going to come into Milwaukee and hit .400 against righties, but I can almost guarantee you that he’ll succeed more than Bill Hall against right-handed pitching. It’s nice to see Doug Melvin taking steps towards improving the team. You can only say “it’s early” for so long before time comes to adjust the lineup. I am happy this morning.
• Tom Haudricourt says that Derrick Turnbow is not going anywhere, despite his downright awful numbers in Triple-A. It’s to the point that I don’t really care now. Jeff Weaver, however, has the option to be released from his contract in a couple weeks if he does not make the big league squad. If he continues pitching the way he has, Jeff may be searching for another team soon.
• After spouting off about the Brewers yesterday, The Brew Town Beat is markedly happier today. Seth McClung has infused them with a bit of hope as well. Russell Branyan is another reason to put a smile on your face this morning, Brewers fans. The article also mentions that Carlos Villanueva should get an opportunity in the closer’s role. Disagree. Carlos does not have the stuff to be a closer. His change-up is not good enough right now to be the Trever Hoffman-type closer. And I completely disagree with the comment on Salomon Torres struggling. If Bill Hall wouldn’t have forced him to get five outs last night, he wouldn’t have had to throw many pitches. In fact, Torres almost got two saves in one night…
• Dugout Central mentions that the Milwaukee Brewers have had eight straight seasons with a losing record on the road. In past years, the Brewers were under .500 on the road because they were a bad team. Now, I blame Ned Yost. If you cannot get your players energized to play for you on the road, you are not doing your job as manager.
• As mentioned yesterday, RHP Donovan Hand was promoted to Huntsville yesterday after dominating high Class-A ball with Brevard County. Here’s a nice article on Donovan.  He credits his fine pitching this year to his hard-breaking slider he worked on this off-season. Before 2008, Donovan got by with a fastball and a change-up. He needed that third pitch.It’s crazy to think that Donovan has been promoted three times already in his minor league career, and he was only drafted in June. He was still pitching in college at this point last season. Impressive.

Post of the Day:

After talking about Mat Gamel and his defensive improvements at third base, The Huntsville Times wrote a very, very nice article about Gamel. You cannot help but like the guy after reading this article. He’s taking his defensive trouble’s personally. He wants to prove everyone wrong about his defensive capabilities. His coaches say that his throws have gotten much more consistent this year, but he has still made 11 errors this season. It’s not great, but it’s a step in the right direction.

The other aspect of the article I very much enjoyed was Gamel’s humility. He didn’t tell his girlfriend he was a star prospect in the Brewers system until after she came home to meet his parents. He didn’t tell anyone about being considered for a call up to the big leagues to play DH against Boston. The third baseman is too concerned with becoming a complete baseball player. That starts on the defensive end.

Great article.

Round ‘Em Up Thursday

Twenty cent rise in gas prices in the last 24 hours got you down?  Here are some of the Milwaukee Brewers stories floating around the Inter-Web today.  Maybe that will pick up your spirits…

First off, congrats to the work horse Ben Sheets for his fantastic outing last night. It was even more amazing that after the fourth inning (he had five by then) he didn’t have a single strikeout until the final batter.  Taking 11 hits last night and only allowing one run to score (which was a homer) is a credit to Sheets and a solid defense behind him. P.S. Nice catch Mike Cameron!

* Worried about Eric Gagne?  Yeah, me too… I haven’t slept at all since he blew our first shutout since April. Just in case you were hoping the you might never see him again.  Your chances just got a little bit better in the short-term.  The J-S is reporting that Gagne and his sore shoulder will keep him sidelined “indefinitely”.” Gagne has been experiencing “tightness and inflammation” since his duty against the Pirates on Tuesday.  Ironically those are the same words I would use to describe myself when Gagne gets on the mound and then follows with blowing up.

* The Junkball Blues has a bunch of stat break downs of what is the best battling line-up approach for the Brewers.  Its kinda cool that you can see hitting, power, and patience.  For that last one I don’t know if we can even field a line-up! Ha! Get it? Because we have no patience and strike out a lot! Funny!

* Fox Sports Dayn Perry looks at the red-hot Chicago Cubs and decides there is no freakin’ way that these guys can keep up the torrid hitting, pitching, and defense.  He says that its the pitching that will eventually fall off. Works for me. I don’t care how they fall apart as long as they do.

* Is the Brewers’ front office racist?  Brewers Bar thinks is might be a possibility in considering why Braun got a contract before Fielder.  I’ve got to be honest and in no way, shape, or form, did this thought even consider forming itself in my head.  Where do people get stories like this?  Must have gone to the Badger Blogger School of Journalism.

* Is Eric Gagne Fidel Castro?  Bugs & Cranks makes the case that the low-profile of the Cuban dictator of the last ten years matches up with the rising profile of Gagne.  Makes sense to me.

* V-Dub (aka Carlos Villanueva) is cool with heading to the ‘pen.  He’s just glad that he’s not rooming with Turnbow in Triple A.

* Any finally, Brew Crew Pub grades Doug Melvin over the last couple of years.  Tough teacher!

This is the first time for me doing the Round ‘Em Up so please feel free to link to any stories I might have missed today.  Thanks!

By: Dan Wiersema

Round ‘em Up: Saturday

Finally!!!  Rickie Weeks comes through last night with a huge hit in the bottom of the ninth.  Unfortunately, I was unable to catch the game last night.  I missed a dandy.  It feels wonderful to get off the losing streak.

• Derrick Turnbow has accepted his move to Triple-A Nashville.  I figured that Derrick would not be able to forfeit his $3.2M contract just to keep his pride.  Four teams were apparently interested in Turnbow, but a deal could not be worked out.  The teams wanted Doug Melvin to pay for most of Turnbow’s contract and were only offering a middling prospect in return.  That is certainly not worth losing an arm like Derrick’s.  I hope he can figure something out in Nashville.
• Tom Haudricourt is reporting that Yovani Gallardo should be having surgery next week.  Yo says that he hopes that he can get back before the season is done.  I appreciate the enthusiasm, but the Brewers need him for the next few years.  Yo cannot jeopardize his future with Milwaukee trying to rush back.
• (Hat tip to Right Field Bleachers) I has been reported, albeit from an unreliable source, that Ryan Braun has signed a long-term contract with Milwaukee.  It appears to be worth between $8-9M per year and will buy out one of his free agency years.  That price tag seems a little steep to me, especially for a player with only one year of experience.  We shall see.
• The Junkball Blues has my favorite post for today that analyzes the struggles the offense has dealt with.  It outlines the attributes that are taken into consideration for what a good approach at the plate truly means.  Let me give you a little hint, Ryan Braun does not take many pitches and does not walk often.  Shocked?  Check out the rest of the post.
• Al’s Ramblings believes that Seth McClung should get a shot at the starting rotation.  Really?  I think he’d have to come in during more important situations and prove himself before I give him the ball every fifth day.
• RHP Amaury Rivas from the West Virginia Power is getting some praise.  This article delves a little into Amaury’s arsenal.  He has a 95mph fastball that overpowers young hitters, and a slider that is big league ready…according to his manager.  It sounds like he still has some control issues, but his stuff is electric.  The 22-year old Dominican will be one to watch out for this season.

  The article also notes that LHP Mike Ramlow will be on his way to Brevard County sometime soon.  The big lefty has shown dominant stuff in West Virginia thus far in 2008.

• Florida Today writes an article on Brevard County’s CF Darren Ford.  In case you did not know, he’s fast.  He had five stolen bases in a game last week.  He has 21 stolen bases already.  That is seven more than his closest competitor in the entire league.  The article does note that his swing needs some work.  The offense as a whole is not where it needs to be, but Darren does possess some special gifts that will separate him from everyone else in the system.  Don’t blink, you just might miss Darren as he flies up the prospect list.

Don’t forget to comment on Dan’s article from yesterday.  I would really like to know if Dan’s work is something you all would like to see on BrewersNation regularly, and I’m sure Dan would love to get some feedback.  So please, comment on the article below!!!

Round ‘em Up: Friday

The Brewers are mired in a six-game slide.  This stretch may mark the lowest part of the season, even though it is early in 2008.  Starters are not going deep into games, and the offense is obviously not producing a lick.  The Crew will look to turn it around against the Cardinals this weekend.  Thank goodness we’re back at home…

• Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, and Jason Kendall were all absent from the Brewers lineup last night.  Was it a shake-up to get the offense going?  Ned Yost says no.  It was simply a scheduled day off for some of the starters.  The team will play 29 out of the next 30 days, and Yost felt like he needed to get his players some rest.
• The Sports Bubbler has a preview of the Brewers-Cardinals series.  Let me give you a little hint: the bats and the arms need to start producing.
• The Yost Infection believes it is time to give Ned Yost the boot.  I agree with the article in the fact that the team’s struggles are certainly not the manager’s fault.  That does not mean that the team could use a little shake-up at the top.  Personally, I believed that the signing of Ted Simmons meant that Ned was going to have a short leash in 2008.  If the team cannot turn it around on the homestand, Yost may be on his way out.
• It appears that Derrick Turnbow will be on his way to Triple-A Nashville.  The distinct possibility of a trade is dwindling quickly, and Derrick will most likely not forfeit his $3.2M contract.  Hopefully, Derrick will be able to fix his control problems in the minors.  Perhaps he needs a little time in Nashville to get back his appreciation for the game.  Perhaps he simply needs to be away from booing fans in Milwaukee.  Either way, a change is needed.
• Michael Hunt also believes that Ned Yost is in danger of getting the boot.
• The Junkball Blues analyzes the last handfull of starts by Brewers starters.  There have been no quality starts since Yovani Gallardo’s start against the Cubs at Wrigley.  I honestly believed that the starting pitching had a chance to be a strength for the Crew this season.  Apparently, that is not the case.  Jeff Suppan and Manny Parra need to step it up specifically.
• In one of the most interesting articles of the day, The Brew Town Beat contends that it is time for a change at the closer’s spot.  Who would replace Eric Gagne?  Guillermo Mota?  David Riske?  Nope, none of the above.  Try Carlos Villanueva.  I have personally not examined his splits, but Brew Town asserts that Carlos is most effective early in his starts.  This is not a persuasive argument, as Manny Parra is also most effective in the first three innings as well.  In fact, so is David Bush.  Gagne is not the reason the Brewers are losing games.  There is no need for a change.
• Beyond the Boxscore compares Matt LaPorta to Ryan Braun.  That is not a bad comparison at all for the former Florida Gator.  The article goes on to say that LaPorta will most likely play right field for the Crew, while Corey Hart moves to center, and Braun stays in left.  Hmmm…where have you heard that before?  Oh yes, I said that just a couple days ago.  It’s funny how people write that stuff like they thought of it first.  (Yes, I do realize that I was not the first to come up with that too.)
• Mark Rogers, a former first-round pick for the Crew, is experiencing more pain in his shoulder.  I believe he should be re-named Mark Prior Jr.
• How about some good news for the day?  Doug Davis has been declared “cancer-free.” Doug had been battling thyroid cancer and had surgery a few weeks ago.  That is fantastic news for the ex-Brewer.  Let’s hope that he gets back on the mound very quickly and that the cancer is indeed gone for good.
• Another ex-Brewer, Richie Sexon, charged the mound last night against the Texas Rangers.  Richie charged after Kason Gabbard threw a ball up and in on the big righty.  This is a rather humorous video, as the ball was not very close to Richie’s head.  Plus, he apparently needed to throw his helmet at Gabbard instead of using his 6′8″ frame to pummel him.  Lame.
• Here is a nice article about John Axford.  The Brewers gave the young pitcher another chance after the New York Yankees released him after last season.
• It is largely accepted that the Milwaukee Brewers will be taking a pitcher in the first round of the 2008 First Year Player draft.  Minor League Ball has a rundown of some of the likely pitchers to be taken early in the draft.  One of these pitchers is likely to be a Brewer in a couple months.  My money is on LHP Christian Friedrich from Eastern Kentucky University.  Just a prediction though.

Round ‘em Up: Monday

The Brewers lost a heartbreaker last night in Houston. Eric Gagne pitched better than his line suggested. The umps were awful, but they were awful to both teams. Houston got a couple terrible calls against them earlier in the game. Milwaukee’s bad calls just came at a more crucial part of the game. I’m beginning to get a little more pensive about the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers, and I’ll be working on a nice article in the upcoming days. For now, the Brewers have a much-needed day off. Here’s a Round ‘em Up to keep you entertained.

• The Brewer Nation spouts off about the game last night. Apparently, last night’s debacle is Ned Yost’s fault. I understand that many people, especially those writing at The Brewer Nation, do not like Ned even a little bit, but I fail to see why this loss can be blamed on Ned. People are just looking for someone to blame.Otherwise, I do agree with some of the article. Jim Cuzzi, last night’s home plate umpire, squeezed the strike zone for Eric Gagne in the bottom of the ninth. Even Rock mentioned it last night on the air, and he tends to stay neutral most of the time. Michael Bourn did get a couple of friendly calls, but they did not compare to the calls Lance Berkman got. I must admit that a couple of those ball calls were ridiculous. At the same time, ball four to Berkman was not even close.

  Geoff Blum was out at first base. The first base umpire flat missed it. I didn’t even need to see the slow-motion replay to call him out. That would have changed the complexion of the inning. Gagne actually got four outs that inning, and he threw way more strikes than he got granted. Overall, it was a tough loss. Gagne was throwing good pitches for the most part. Cuzzi did not reward him though.

• Tom Haudricourt has a nice informational piece. Eric Gagne leads the major leagues in blown saves. Oh, really? Thanks. That really brightened my day.Gagne is improving. His velocity is increasing with every outing, and his change-up still bites hard. His control was a little off yesterday, but he is pitching well right now. Yost should not demote Gagne here. If he does, however, I see Guillermo Mota getting the ball. After Gagne’s first blown save, I did note that Mota had the best stuff to succeed Gagne as closer if he were to falter. My prognostication looks to be right on there. Not to toot my own horn or anything….
• Jim Powell talks about the trip to Houston. Let me summarize it for you. Thank goodness we are getting out of town.
• The New York Mets are internally discussing whether or not signing Derrick Turnbow would be a good decision. It looks like Doug will not be finding a trading partner for Derrick. Teams will wait until he is released.
• I have more about Eric Gagne. Yes, I know you love it. Remember how during the off-season, Ned Yost claimed that Gagne’s struggles last season in Boston related to the fact that he was not in the closer’s role anymore? An article on Dugout Central takes a look as to whether that actually matters. In general, it seems that there is very little correlation, but who knows? It’s just something else to look at concerning the subject.
• Brewerfan.net unveiled their new Power 50 a couple of days ago. Matt LaPorta has taken over the #1 spot on the prospect rankings, while Mat Gamel is nipping at his heels. Take a look at Josh Butler though, he debuts on the list at #14. It is most likely wishful thinking on the part of the ranker, but he certainly has a higher ceiling than most of the Brewers pitching prospects. He’s looked fairly good since coming to Brevard County.

Mini-Round ‘em Up: Sunday

The Milwaukee Brewers lost to the Houston Astros again last night.  What is it with Carlos Villanueva and Manny Parra when it comes to the fifth inning?  It is getting a little ridiculous…

• Jim Powell sums up what Brewers fans around the world thought and probably said when they heard about the Yovani Gallardo injury.
• MLB Trade Rumors indicates that there are four unnamed teams that are interested in Derrick Turnbow.  A trade seems unlikely, unless the Brewers are willing to eat some of the contract or take a comparable contract back in return (like the Guillermo Mota acquisition).  I suspect that Doug will try to get a deal done in the next few days.  If I had to guess which teams were interested, I would say the Tigers, Braves, White Sox, and Mariners.  Just guesses though.

  The post also notes that the Brewers passed on Gerald Laird.  I guess I did not realize that we were in the market for a player we do not need.

• Sticking with MLB Trade Rumors, the site says that the Texas Rangers are not interested in Derrick Turnbow.  I suspect that Doug attempted to get Laird for Turnbow, but the Rangers probably laughed at that deal.  The Rangers most likely then countered with an obnoxious deal, so the talk died quickly.
• The Junkball Blues makes the case for a four-man rotation for the majority of the next 71 games (the amount of games until the All-Star Break).  The kicker is that it makes the case for Jeff Weaver to replace Manny Parra in the rotation for the most part.  You want to know what is scary?  I could easily be brought around to that argument.  Manny’s lack of command and lack of going deep into games has been annoying thus far in 2008.  The starting rotation has problems, ladies and gentlemen…in case you have not noticed.

Pitching staff loses Gallardo, Turnbow

I’m gone all morning, I get home, and I miss some major news this morning.  I have some awful news, and some good or bad news…depending on your point of view.

Yesterday, Yovani Gallardo looked to have injured his knee severely.  He and Ned Yost insisted he was fine, and he even went back out the next inning to pitch.  Disaster seemed to have been averted, and BrewersNation breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Hold your breath again, Brewers fans.  Yovani had a test on his knee today, and it did not bring good news.  He has torn his ACL, and he will be out the rest of the season.  The team is saying that he may be able to come back late in 2008.  There’s no way that can happen, however.

Yo had been pitching very well so far in 2008.  He was 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA, and he looked to have found his comfort zone in the rotation.  This injury is terrible news for the Milwaukee Brewers.  Dave Bush has been called up to fill Yovani’s spot in the rotation, but the talent disparity between the two pitchers is huge.  The pitching staff just got worse today.

In addition to losing Yovani Gallardo, the Milwaukee Brewers designated Derrick Turnbow for assignment and call up Joe Dillon to the big league roster.

Derrick has an electric arm, but he cannot find the strike zone lately to save his life.  At least, to save his big league job.  He looked to have found something last week when he recorded a save in the place of Eric Gagne.  Since then, however, he has looked lost on the mound in his last two outings, and Doug Melvin was almost forced to make this move.

The Brewers have 10 days to trade him, release him, or send him to the minors.  Derrick has the right to reject the move to Triple-A Nashville, but he would have to forfeit his $3.2M salary.  There is probably no way any team would trade for Turnbow at this point because of his huge salary, and he will most likely not accept the move to Nashville.  Therefore, Derrick Turnbow may be a free agent in 10 days.  Joe Dillon will be in uniform tonight in Houston.

That’s a lot of news to digest in about a five minute timespan.  Goodness gracious…

Round ‘em Up: Thursday

I was going to write about yesterday’s game, but I’m a little too upset about it.  Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and try again tomorrow.  That’s what I’m going to do.  The Round ‘em Up is going to be a little short today, as there is not too much out there.  Here’s what I have:

• You want to know why I’m upset?  Read this.
• Should Derrick Turnbow be released?  Tom Haudricourt seems to think it is only a matter of time before Derrick gets let go by the Crew.  I must admit…Derrick has looked absolutely lost on the mound his last two outings.  He does, however, also have flashes of brilliance.  Granted, it is a guessing game with Derrick.  Like Ned Yost said yesterday, you never know if you’re going to get three strikeouts in an inning, or three walks and three hits.  I would much rather send Derrick to the minors and see if he can straighten himself out.
• The Hardball Times right a little about the insanity of carrying 14 pitchers.  I must admit, when you have to have a pitcher bat late in the game because you do not have any position players left, that is a little ridiculous.  I hope that the Brewers do not have to resort to that again, as it did affect our offense.
• The Baseball Analysts go over all the stats from April.  The only Brewer to make any of the lists is Ben Sheets.  The offense needs to pick it up.

Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

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

———————————————————————–

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

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

Round ‘em Up: Thursday

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

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

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.

Round ‘em Up: Friday

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

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

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.

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.

Brewers fall to Cubs in series finale

We all knew the Brewers were going to lose eventually.  Still, any loss to the Chicago Cubs hurts. 

Dave Bush struggled with his stuff and command all day.  He walked home a run in the fourth inning that ended up being the winning run for Chicago.  Bush had his typical high pitch count and was unable to pitch out of the sixth inning.  I understand it is early in the season, but five walks is a little ridiculous.  Especially walking in a run in the fourth inning.  Bush will certainly need to shape up his stuff before his next outing.

The game actually started out with a bang, if you do not mind the pun.  Rickie Weeks led off the game with a walk, and Tony Gwynn Jr. continued his hot streak with a double to left.  Prince Fielder then hit a fly ball to the outfield.  Cubs catcher Geovany Soto stood in front of the plate getting ready to field the throw from the outfield, but Rickie plowed him over.  It was not a dirty play, as Soto was blocking the plate without the ball.  While Soto retrieved the ball that inevitably passed him, Gwynn came around to score.

After the first inning, though, Ryan Dempster settled down and stymied the Brewers offense.  It was a little annoying to watch Dempster, who is frankly very mediocre, mow down the Brewers hitters.  Dempster particularly owned Bill Hall, who struck out in consecutive at bats against Dempster.  I know it is only one game, but the Crew cannot afford to have their bats be as streaky as they were last season.  They must be more consistent.  Hall and Corey Hart cannot swing for the fences every at bat.  It is still early, however, so I will digress.

Later in the game, Derrick Turnbow struggled with his command.  He hit Felix Pie and proceeded to walk Daryl Ward.  He did retire the next three batters to escape with a scoreless inning.  His command is a crap-shoot each game though.  That is why Turnbow cannot be the closer for the Milwaukee Brewers.  He still has fantastic stuff and should be a 7th or 8th inning guy, but not a closer.

Tony Gwynn Jr. left the game in the 6th inning, I believe, with a tight hamstring.  Hopefully it is nothing major.  Gwynn has been very impressive to open the season.  Perhaps the Mike Cameron suspension is all he needed to show his stuff.  He needs to be a little more consistent at the plate for a longer period of time to convince me still, but he’s off to a great start.

Records:  Brewers (2-1); Cubs (1-2)

Hero of the Game:  Rickie Weeks

Rickie did exactly what he is supposed to do today as a lead-off hitter.  He worked the count and drew a walk in the first inning.  He was aggressive on the basepaths with a stolen base, and he did not strike out.  He finished 2-3 with a single, a double, and two runs scored.  If Rickie can produce like this at the top of the lineup, the Brewers offense will be very difficult this season.   Not to mention I loved the fact that Rickie drilled Soto in the first inning.  I’m not one for much contact at home plate, but after being hit twice in the first game and Prince Fielder getting hit twice yesterday and grazed today, I’m sure Rickie did not want to shy away from that contact.

Goat of the Game:  Dave Bush

I understand that the offense did not pick him up today, but his control was not where it needed to be today.  There is no excuse for walking in a run in the fourth inning.  You have to make the guy put it in play.  Let your defense help you out behind you.  To be effective, Dave needs to keep that walk rate down.  He does not have overpowering stuff, so his location is key.

In addition, Dave needs to work on keeping his pitch count down.  Sheets and Suppan did a great job working into the seventh inning the last two games.  One of the biggest reasons the Brewers lost the division last season is the fact that their bullpen was way too tired.  Again, it is only one game, but Bush had this problem last season as well.  I still maintain that Bush would be a great long man in the bullpen.  It’s not going to happen because Ned Yost seems to have an unnatural love for him, but it would be an idea.

On Tap

Carlos Villanueva will toe the rubber tomorrow in Milwaukee’s home opener against the San Francisco Giants.  Carlos will take on Jonathan Sanchez, with the game starting at 1:05pm CT.  Let’s start off the home season with a win!!!

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.

Parra struggles against Rockies

The Milwaukee Brewers played against the Colorado Rockies today on TV.  It was great to see the Crew live again.  Unfortunately, Milwaukee fell to the Rockies, 6-5.

Manny Parra had a chance to impress Ned Yost and a chance to solidify his place in the starting rotation.  I think the pressure got to Manny a little too much, as he constantly seemed to be overthrowing the baseball.  His control was not with him all day.  He was throwing the ball well, but it was up in the zone and in the center of the plate.  This was not a good way to impress the coaching staff, and he may have shown that the pressure may be a little too much.  Manny needed to slow down and trust his stuff a bit more.

The offense looked fairly good today.  Rickie Weeks impressed for a third day in a row, going 2-3 at the top of the lineup.  Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun looked absolutely locked in and ready for Opening Day.  Today was the first time that I have paid specific attention to Alcides Escobar.  I’ve seen plenty of highlights and seen him play, but I paid very close attention today.  Man, I came away impressed.  He is much faster than people think, and he actually handles the bat pretty well.  In his first at-bat, he shot the ball the opposite way against Rockies starter, Ubaldo Jimenez.  I still think he does not take enough pitches, but he waits back nicely on the ball.  That is very impressive for a young hitter.  He’ll be in the majors next season.

Derrick Turnbow pitched fairly well today.  His slider/curveball still needs a little work this spring, but his fastball is moving very well.  Derrick is also locating it very well.  Eric Gagne was very impressive today.  His change-up looked especially good, and his velocity is solid at 92-93 mph.  That velocity should increase come April.  His adrenaline will increase.  Thus, his velocity will to about 93-95 mph.

The Brewers may have lost today, but the offense and bullpen looked solid.  Manny Parra struggled, obviously, but I felt that he threw the ball well.  With that said, he’ll need to improve with his next outing.

Monday’s Round ‘em Up

I have today’s Round ‘em Up for you.  The final one before the regular season starts tomorrow in Japan.  Lets see what we have:

• Tom Haudricourt breaks down some of the roster decisions that Milwaukee will have to make.  Most of them I completely agree with, but I do wish that Carlos Villanueva could make the starting rotation.  I don’t know who he would replace though.  Claudio Vargas needs to be in the rotation because he has no options left.  I would say that he should be the long man in the pen, but Seth McClung seems to have that spot wrapped up.

  It will be interesting to see who gets bumped out when Yovani Gallardo gets back into the rotation.  I feel like Manny Parra may be the victim, as Ned Yost seems reluctant to send Dave Bush anywhere.  Ned does want a lefty in the rotation though, so I’m not completely sure what will happen.  If Manny pitches well for the first couple starts, he’ll be in the rotation when Yo comes back.

• Beyond the Boxscore thinks that Derrick Turnbow is one of the most unlucky pitchers in the bigs.  The stats say that his WHIP goes way up after runners get on base, and apparently that makes Derrick unlucky.  To me, that simply means that Derrick gets ungodly worse when a runner gets on first.  He’ll obviously have to work on that.
• Seamheads.com has an NL Central preview.  The problem?  They forgot to pick a winner.
• If you are interested, RealGM Baseball previews the Chicago Cubs.  Apparently, Kosuke Fukudome and Jon Lieber are going to make a very big difference.  In fact, they think that Fukudome should bat third.  I know the Cubs will be good, but it’s obvious that a Cubs fan wrote this.
• Are you confused about Chris Capuano’s injury?  Baseball Digest Daily breaks down the injury and explains what Chris will need to do to rehab his elbow.  It does not sound fun.

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.

Angels rout Brewers

Jeff Suppan struggled again today, giving up six runs on six hits and three walks.  He has not been commanding the ball well, and he’s not getting batters to hit the ball on the ground.  He claims he was trying to work on his cut fastball today.  He says it’s just Spring Training, and he’s not worried about it.

Eric Gagne and Derrick Turnbow also put some crooked numbers on the board.  Eric gave up two runs on three hits, and Derrick gave up three runs on two hits and walk.  Gagne said that he’s not worried about the outcomes either.  He’s still working on getting himself physically ready.

They had better start worrying about it.  Even if Suppan and Gagne were trying to work on something, they obviously were not doing it very well.  Yost said with the off day coming up tomorrow, it is time for the pitchers to get in game shape.  After the off day, everyone should be in regular season mode.  The games will start to matter more to Ned.  It’s about time he’s said something like that.  Soup had best be sharp the next time he pitches, or Brewers fans will start to get a little antsier than they are right now.

Round ‘em Up: The Sunday Edition

You thought I forgot about you all this morning, didn’t you?  Of course not.  Here are some links for you to get your Brewers fix:

• Adam McCalvy was quite the busy man last night.  He has several tidbits of news concerning the Brewers.  First, the Brewers added three names to the list of first cuts.  Catcher Andy Bouchie, LF Matt LaPorta, and RHP Tim Dillard have been sent to the minor league camp to get more regular work in.  The Brewers optioned Dillard to Triple-A Nashville, while LaPorta and Bouchie made their way to the general minor league camp.

  Yovani Gallardo threw against live batters again yesterday.  He said that everything is good and healthy, and he is slated to pitching in a minor league game in about a week or so.  There is relatively zero chance that Yovani will be ready for Opening Day, but he should be back in action in the middle of April.  Mike Maddux said that he’s going to have the same Spring Training program as everyone else.  He just will start a little later than everyone else.

  Adam talks about Rickie Weeks‘ and Corey Hart’s struggles.  Ned Yost thinks that they’ll be fine come March 31.  What else is he going to say?  Of course he thinks they will be fine.  Jim Skaalen takes a little different angle.  He says that he’s not concerned right now, but if they are still struggling in a week, he’ll start to get worried.  Corey and Rickie will start getting to the park earlier and take extra practice.  It’s good to know someone is at least a little worried.  Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado add Prince Fielder to that list of players struggling.

  Ned Yost is getting really worked up about the looming pitching situation.  He repeatedly says that he does not want to send anyone down to Triple-A because he believes they are all big league pitchers.  Nothing really new in this article, as Ned says experience will matter…but it’s not the only thing that matters.  Nothing like being vague, right?  Well, a pitcher will be traded before too long, I think.  That will help ease Ned’s mind.

• Mike Bauman from MLB.com writes an article about the Brewers and their porous defense.  Everyone in the Brewers organization is utterly convinced that the defense will be better this season.  Not may be better, but will be better.

  I do agree that the Brewers defense will improve this season, but yesterday’s game against the Royals did not ease my mind too much.  Rickie Weeks committed his fourth error of the spring.  J.J. Hardy committed an error.  Big ole Prince Fielder did too.  That’s not what I would call solid fielding.  The amazing thing is that Manny Parra was still able to only give up one run in those five innings.  In one inning, he actually had to get five outs because of errors by the defense.

• John Lackey on the Los Angeles Angels will be sidelined for a month because of a strained right triceps muscle.  The Angels’ rotation is losing a pitcher by the day, it seems.  The Brewers do not want to trade a pitcher inside the division, so perhaps the Angels could be a good fit for Claudio Vargas or Chris Capuano.  As Opening Day gets closer, more and more teams are experiencing starting pitching troubles.  The Texas Rangers could be a potential trading partner as well, especially with their wealth of young catching prospects.
• Since Rocco Baldelli has been unable to get over his chronic fatigue, the Rays are on the lookout for a starting outfielder.  Ken Rosenthal speculated a couple days earlier that Gabe Gross could be on the list of potential replacements.  One thing is clear though, the Rays do not want to look to the free agent market to find their man.  Expect Doug Melvin’s phone to at least get a jingle or two from the Rays.
• Eric Gagne, Derrick Turnbow, and Salomon Torres threw in a Triple-A game yesterday because the fight for the starting rotation is taking pitching opportunities from the relievers.  Gagne gave up a home run, but that was the extent of the damage in his outing.  Turnbow pitched very well again yesterday, retiring the side on 11 pitches.  Torres struck out the first two batters he faced, but was later pulled when he reached his 20-pitch limit.  Yost and Maddux are still bringing Salomon along slowly, and he should pitch in a game sometime this week.

JS Notes: Turnbow, Simmons

Hi everyone.  I have a lot of Brewers news to get to you today, so I think I’ll split it up into two posts.  Here’s what the Milwaukee JS has for us:

• Tom Haudricourt has a nice piece on bench coach, Ted Simmons.  It tells about how he matured in baseball and whatnot.  It’s a good read.
• Derrick Turnbow is absolutely in a groove lately.  It seems that his mechanical switch has helped his control immensely this spring.  The article also notes that his mindset has changed on the mound.  He’s no longer trying to strike every batter out.  He is trying to throw strikes and keep the ball low in the zone.  That’s what I like to hear from Derrick.

  With that said, however, Ned Yost said that Derrick will not be getting the sole 8th inning duties this season.  The team brought in pitchers like David Riske, Guillermo Mota, and Salomon Torres to lessen the workload on Derrick.  It should be a welcome rest for him, as he complained this season about being overworked last season.

Brewers pitchers shine in wins

Since Milwaukee had its first split squad games today, this will be the first time that I put both games into one post.  In case you didn’t see the scores, Milwaukee beat Seattle 2-0.  Milwaukee turned the tables on the Mariners from last week and only allowed them to put two hits on the scoreboard.  Oakland also fell to the Brewers, 5-2.

Records: Milwaukee (7-4); Seattle (4-6); Oakland (8-3)

Batting

There was generally no offense to speak of in the Seattle game.  J.J. Hardy recorded a two-RBI double in the third inning to score the only two runs of the day.  Rickie Weeks continued to struggle at the plate today.  He went 0-3 with a strike out.  He is now hitting only .130 this spring.  It looks like those “breakout” projections are going to be a little off unless he can pick it up sometime soon before Opening Day.

The Oakland game gave Brewers fans a little more offense, but most of it came from minor league players or reserves.  Tony Gwynn Jr. continued his fine play at the plate, going 2-4 at the plate.  Cole Gillespie played in his first Spring Training game of the year, and he started it off in a big way.  He went 1-1 with a three-run bomb in the 8th inning to put the Brewers up on Oakland for good.

Pitching

In the Seattle game, Claudio Vargas pitched brilliantly.  Claudio threw five scoreless and hitless innings, while only allowing one walk.  He had the best pitching performance by a Brewers starter so far this spring.  This certainly gives him a strong case for a starting rotation spot, or perhaps he simply increased his trade value.  We’ll have to see.

Also in the Seattle game, Derrick Turnbow seems to have found a nice groove, as he pitched another scoreless inning.  He struck one batter out and did not allow a batter to get on base.  Seattle’s first hit came against Eric Gagne in the seventh inning, but it didn’t much matter.  Eric shut the door on the rest of the batters he faced and also posted a scoreless inning.  It’s very nice to see those two have a couple nice outings in a row.  Minor leaguers Erasmo Ramirez and Tim Dillard also pitched scoreless innings to hold Seattle scoreless for the game.

Now to the Oakland game.  Non-roster invitee, Chris Narveson, also had a very successful outing for the Crew.  He pitched four scoreless innings with two strike outs, while giving up two hits and a walk.  The 26-year old used to be a prospect in the St. Louis organization before needing surgery on his arm.  It looks like he’s bounced back rather nicely and could provide some quality depth in Nashville this season.

Mitch Stetter worked one scoreless inning and struck out two A’s.  Luis Pena continued his fine spring by throwing another scoreless inning.  He may make a charge for a bullpen spot if he continues to pitch like this.  Everyone that’s seen him pitch this spring has said that he’s looked extremely good.  Seth McClung gave up one run on two hits, while striking out one.  That is certainly not a bad outing, but compared to all the scoreless frames Brewers pitchers put up, it does look that way.  Fantastic work by Brewers pitchers today.

On Tap

Dave Bush gets the start tomorrow against the Chicago Cubs at 3:05pm CT.  Dave looks to rebound from a couple rough starts.  Ned Yost called him out yesterday and said that Dave needs to show some major improvement to secure a spot in the starting rotation.

Turnbow tweaks mechanics

Derrick Turnbow has looked fantastic in his past two outings this spring.  He hasn’t given up a run.  His fastball has had amazing life on it, and batters are just beating it into the ground.  The only hiccup came during a game against the Oakland A’s.  The ball felt like it was slipping out of his hand.

Mike Maddux, Bill Castro, and Derrick decided it was time to fix his grip on his fastball.  He now holds his four-seamer with his thumb on the seam, which has stopped the slipping feeling he had problems with.  Players in the field for Milwaukee keep saying that the ball looks like it’s cutting and diving in every direction.  It’s doing something different on every pitch.

This sounds like fantastic news for Derrick Turnbow.  Perhaps this grip problem had been a major cause of his wildness in the past few years.  If the ball has been slipping out of his hand, it would solve a lot of mysteries to Derrick’s inconsistency.  It will be interesting to see him pitch in the upcoming couple outings to see if the success continues.

Yovani Gallardo also pitched off a mound in a bullpen session today for the first time since having his knee scoped.  Yo says that everything feels fine, and today was a big step for him in his recovery.  The youthful exuberance and desire to come back from this injury has been refreshing, and Yo looks to be back on schedule.

Mariners shut down Brewers bats

Ben Sheets may have won the battle of the aces against Felix Hernandez early in the game, but the Milwaukee Brewers were unable to pull out the victory against the Mariners. The Crew only managed two hits in the game and lost 5-2.

Records: Milwaukee (4-4); Seattle (4-3)

Batting

The Brewers struggles mightily at the plate today. They only managed two hits and did not draw a single walk against the Mariner pitchers today. Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks both socked home runs off of Felix Hernandez early in the game, but those were the only hits all day for the Brewers. That’s simply an awful day at the ballpark for the hitters today.

Corey Hart continued to slump at the dish. He was 0-2 with two strikeouts today. Let’s just hope that he’s progressing slowly this spring and that he’ll turn it on in a couple weeks. Matt LaPorta struggled for the first time in a Brewers uniform today, going 0-3 with a strikeout. Nothing to worry about here, just something to note.

Pitching

Ben Sheets cruised again in his three inning stint. He gave up only two hits in those three innings and struck out three. It’s been great to see Benny throwing the ball so well in Phoenix. He’s been notorious in the past couple seasons for struggling in the Arizona dry-heat.

Zach Jackson got saddled with the loss today. He gave up three runs, but they were all unearned thanks to Rickie Week’s third error of the spring. Rickie needs to pick it up defensively at the second base position if the Brewers are going to compete in the NL Central this season. He’s continued to improve every season, but this is not a good sign for things to come in ‘08.

Derrick Turnbow and Eric Gagne both threw scoreless innings for the Crew today. Derrick continued his fine pitching this spring, and it is nice to see Eric perhaps get a little more comfortable in a Brewers uniform. It’s way too early to tell, but it’s still a good sign. Mitch Stetter gave up a two-out, two-run home run in the 8th inning that put the game out of reach for the Crew. From the sounds of it, Mitch did not pitch too badly for the most part. He simply made a bad pitch with two outs. Still, his struggles this spring thus far make it unlikely that he’ll make the Opening Day roster. There’s plenty of time though.

On a defensive note, Jason Kendall threw out the M’s second baseman, Willie Bloomquist on a strike ‘em out-throw ‘em out play. It may seem rather insignificant, but Kendall showed some people that he can throw out a runner at second base. Perhaps Yost’s “mechanical adjustment” is making a difference already. Wouldn’t that be nice?

On Tap

The Brewers will have a rematch with the Texas Rangers tomorrow at 2:05pm CT. Ned Yost will change up the schedule a bit and start Carlos Villanueva, with Chris Capuano also pitching to get his work in.

Padres pound minor league pitchers, beat Brewers 12-4

Today’s game is one of those that looks a lot worse than it actually was. The game was going along smoothly through six innings, with the score being 2-1 in favor of the Padres. Then some pitchers from the Brewers’ minor league camp came in the game to eat some innings for Ned Yost. I guess it’s fair to say that it didn’t go too smoothly. As a group, Erasmo Ramirez, Robert Hinton, Steve Hammond and Josh Wahpepah gave up 7 hits, 9 walks, and 10 runs over three innings. Yost said that they were all overthrowing the ball, but it still must have been painful to watch.

Batting

Brewers regulars were pretty quiet at the plate tonight. The only projected starter that had an RBI was J.J. Hardy with an opposite-field RBI single to score Rickie Weeks. Jason Kendall and Prince Fielder were the only other starters who got hits, and they were only singles. Brad Nelson did hit a three-run shot in the 8th inning, though. That was the only spark of life in the Brewers bats today.

Matt LaPorta finished 1-1 from the plate today. He had a pinch hit single in the 4th inning, and he is now batting .571 in Spring Training so far. I think this is going to prompt a new daily feature in the game recaps called…LaPorta Watch.

LaPorta Watch = 1-1, a pinch hit single in the 4th inning.

Pitching

Jeff Suppan pitched two innings today and gave up two innings.  Suppan did not throw too much other than fastballs today, but he still gave up three hits and hit a batter today.  As suspected, he did not sound too concerned about the start.  Typical Spring Training stuff from a veteran pitcher.

Derrick Turnbow, on the other hand, was absolutely lights out today.  He pitched a 1-2-3 inning with all three outs coming via the ground out.  Yost said that Turnbow could not have pitched any better than he did today, which is a great sign heading into the regular season.

Besides D-Bow and Soup, the only other potential big league pitcher that threw today was Mitch Stetter.  A Brewers fan at the last game Stetter pitched at pointed out that Stetter looked a lot better than his line showed.  Stetter didn’t have to worry about an unseemly stat line today.  He made quick work of the Padres, allowing a hit, striking out one batter, and giving up no runs.  Solid work.

Records:  Milwaukee (2-3); San Diego (2-2)

On Tap

The Milwaukee Brewers take on the division rival Chicago Cubs.  Claudio Vargas will take the mound against Chicago’s Ryan Dempster.  The game will start at 2:05pm central time.

JS Notes: Turnbow, Sheets

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had some good articles this morning about the Brewers.  Here’s what they had to say:

• Is Derrick Turnbow an asset or a detriment to the Milwaukee Brewers?  Turnbow has been booed mercilessly by the Brewer faithful, but it is deserved?

  Despite Turnbow’s wildness and the fact that you’re never sure he’ll hit the strike zone when brought in the game, he gave up ZERO runs in 80.5% of his appearances.  I cannot help but believe that people are too hard on Derrick.  He holds batters to a .183 batting average.  He is lights out 80% of the time.

  I do also understand the problems associated with Derrick Turnbow.  In seven appearances last season, he gave up a total of 24 runs.  That’s horrendous.  It’s all because of a loss of control.  The mark of a good pitcher is to be able to reign it back in after losing control, and Derrick has consistently shown that he cannot do that.  He had 46 walks in 68 innings.

  I take the high road when discussing Derrick Turnbow.  I am an optimist by nature and tend to focus on the days when he is lights out.  By no means do I want to have him as Milwaukee’s closer, but he can be a very valuable part of the bullpen.  I expect Derrick to start out strong again this year, and he’ll silence the critics again.  That is…until he blows his first game.  Even if it’s in July.

• Michael Hunt wonders what the Brewers are going to do with Ben Sheets after the season.  Will Milwaukee attempt to resign him if he has a big season?

  I understand this is a big question, but the answer is fairly obvious.  The Brewers do not have the money to bring Ben Sheets back, especially when Milwaukee is trying to hold together Hardy, Hart, Fielder, Weeks, and Braun.  Melvin cannot try to make a fan-friendly move and try to resign Ben because he’ll handcuff the team’s finances.  Fans need to realize that Milwaukee’s big stars will not be here for all that long.  Milwaukee is a small-market team.  It cannot pretend to be a big-market team (i.e. the Seattle Mariners) and sacrifice the long-term for right now.  It’s not glamorous, but it’s how Milwaukee must run its business.

A’s get revenge, win 11-4

Oakland evened up the two-day series against Milwaukee today, winning 11-4.  Jack Cust started off the scoring for the A’s in the first with a grand slam off Dave Bush.  The pitchers struggled overall today.

Batting:

It is difficult to say that the Crew had a bad day at the plate, as they managed to post 12 hits.  Prince Fielder went 2-3.  Hardy went 3-3 with three singles, and Corey Hart finished the day 2-3 with a two-RBI triple off Alan Embree.   Gabe Gross hit his first home run of Spring Training today, belting a solo shot in the 7th.

Rickie Weeks had a rough day at the plate, going 0-3 with three strikeouts.  That is not the ideal line for a leadoff man, to say the least.  I do know that Ricky was focused on taking pitches, but striking out three times is unacceptable at the top of the order.

Pitching:

Dave Bush, Eric Gagne, and Derrick Turnbow all struggled today for the Brewers.  Bush gave up a first inning grand slam to Jack Cust, after letting the first the batters get on base.  He was able to right the ship in the second inning and get through unscathed.  Gagne, in his much hyped debut, could simply not keep the ball down today.  Even all three of his outs were fly-outs.  After his outing, Gagne said that he felt tired and began to overstride in his mechanics.  I’m a little concerned that Gagne felt tired after a simple bullpen session today…perhaps something to keep an eye on.  Turnbow gave up a two-run homer to Bobby Crosby and walked someone in one inning of work.  Mitch Stetter also struggled mightily in the 8th inning, giving up three hits and allowing one run.

On a side note, I do not like the excuse “it’s only Spring Training, so I’m not worried.”  That seems to be a double standard.  If players perform well in Spring Training, fans and managers get excited and sing a player’s praises, yet when a player struggles, everyone is quick to say that it’s too early to make judgments.  While there is admittedly some truth to that statement, there needs to be some consistency.  If we are going to judge a player for playing well and praise him for that, the exact opposite should happen in Spring Training.

Manny Parra had an average outing today.  He pitched two innings of one-run ball, with a walk and a strikeout.  Manny did only give up one hit, but it was Jack Cust’s second home run of the day.  A little concerning is the fact that 4 of Manny’s outs were fly-ball outs.  That will not work in Miller Park.

Tomorrow:

Ben Sheets and David Riske are scheduled to pitch tomorrow for Milwaukee, as they will face the Colorado Rockies at 2:05pm central time.