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.

Prince reigns over Pittsburgh

Prince Fielder may be struggling at the plate, but sure saved the Brewers tonight with timely hitting in the bottom of the ninth inning.

In a 1-1 game in the bottom of the ninth, Rickie Weeks battled back from a 0-2 count to draw a huge walk to start the frame. That turned out to be a huge boost for the team.

J.J. Hardy then sacrificed his 16-game hitting streak by laying down a sac bunt to move Rickie to second base. Pittsburgh reliever Tyler Yates chose to next intentionally walk Ryan Braun to get to a struggling Prince Fielder and to set up the double play.

Brewers fans rose to their feet in support of their Prince. Yates started him off with a couple fastballs on the outside part of the plate to head in the count 0-2. The right-hander then tried to make Prince chase a ball at his eyes. Prince appeared to be too eager at the plate and almost obliged. Now down 1-2, I thought Yates was going to bury a ball in the dirt, as Prince showed he wanted to swing at everything. Instead, he tried to sneak an outside fastball by the big lefty. It didn’t work. Prince served a line drive to left-center field that scored Rickie from second. 2-1 Brewers. Ball game.

Milwaukee got an absolute gem of a start from right-hander Dave Bush. He changed speeds beautifully all day, and his curveball stayed down in the zone all day. Bushie had fantastic control this evening, especially on the outside corner. I’m not sure how often it has happened all season, but he did not walk an opposing batter all game, while striking out six.

It turned out that Dave Bush needed to pitch well tonight, as Paul Maholm also spun a gem on the mound. Besides a nice opposite field home run from Mike Cameron, Pittsburgh’s left-hander went eight innings without surrendering another run. His curveball and change-up fooled Milwaukee hitters all evening. Tonight’s game was the epitome of a pitcher’s duel.

Even Eric Gagne threw the ball well, pitching the top of the ninth without giving up a run. He gave up a hit and struck out one. While his velocity has gone way down since injuring his shoulder, the command has been a thousand times better. His change-up has been absolutely nasty for him, falling right through the zone and fooling opposing batters. The command on his fastball has been much better. He has been able to work the corners much more effectively than before his stint on the DL.

The lack of velocity will be a hindrance of Gagne, but the better control may land the former closer 8th inning duties. If he is able to keep up the fine performances, I wouldn’t mind that at all. Don’t worry, that’s not a self-fulfilling prophecy at all.

There is some news on the C.C. Sabathia trade front.

Tom Haudricourt reports that Doug Melvin is waiting for a response from the Indians on their trade proposal. All signs point to the package being Matt LaPorta/Taylor Green/Lorenzo Cain. The Indians will probably wait until Monday or Tuesday before deciding on anything. They could perhaps ask for more in return, but nothing new seems likely to occur before Monday.

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney says that the Indians are fielding other offers from the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Tampa seems more focused on a right-handed outfielder and probably lacks the motivation to make a strong offer for Sabathia. If they do decide to make a play, however, Milwaukee may be on the outside looking in. Tampa has an incredible farm system and can outplay the Brewers. They will test the waters, but most likely will look elsewhere.

The Dodgers need a shortstop, but could change gears and hone in on the left-hander. They should have enough to get the deal done. It all depends on the motivation and the transparency of their proposal. Olney says Los Angeles has a tendency to balk at proposals. They will say one player is available, then back off and say he’s not.

Most likely, the Philadelphia Phillies will be the toughest opponent if they choose to be aggressive. Their farm system does not have as many offensive five-star prospects, but they could offer more players to get the deal done. I have heard that Philadelphia prefers Erik Bedard though.

Records: Brewers (48-39); Pirates (40-46)

Hero of the Game: Prince Fielder

The award could easily go to Dave Bush for his gem of a performance, but I came away from the game very impressed with Fielder’s resilience in the ninth inning. He has fought his swing the past couple weeks, but the big guy came up big to win the game. After trying a little too hard on the first three pitches, the fourth pitch from Tyler Yates turned out to be the charm. He didn’t overswing and took the ball where it was pitched. A great win for the Brewers.

Goat of the Game: Jason Kendall

Jason just didn’t look comfortable at the plate tonight. He did call a superb game for Dave Bush this evening, but he went 0-3 at the plate. The catcher doesn’t really deserve the Goat. Sorry, Jason.

On Tap

RHP Jeff Suppan will battle LHP Zach Duke in the series finale at Miller Park. The Crew looks to sweep the Pirates and continue their fine play. The game starts at 1:05pm CT on FSN North.

Did that just happen? Bullpen implodes in Arizona heat

So much for a winning road trip.

The Brewers seemed to be on cruise control going into the ninth inning against Arizona.  They led the game 5-0.  The bottom of the D’Backs order was coming up.  There was one problem though…

Ned Yost called on Guillermo Mota to finish out the game.  Mota has struggled quite a bit in the last month, and that trend didn’t end today.  After an infield single to Robbie Hammock, a walk to Chris Burke, and another infield single to Augie Ojeda, Yost pulled the right-hander in favor of Brian Shouse.

Mota threw almost exclusively fastballs again today.  His location was awful, as most of his pitches were up in the zone.  With that said, he didn’t deserve the fate he left with.  Two infield singles is not his fault.  He even threw a change-up this afternoon.  It was an awful, hanging change-up, but at least he threw it.

Enter Shouse.  Before the game, everyone sang his praises – and rightfully so.  Not tonight, however.  On the first pitch he threw, Chad Tracy shot a 3 RBI double to the right-center field gap.  3-5 Brewers.

Enter Salomon Torres.  I actually felt very comfortable with Salomon on the mound.  He has been perfect since taking over the closers role.  I guess I shouldn’t have felt so comfortable.  Torres gave up three straight base hits, and the Brewers lost the game.

Seven batters came to the plate and not one out was recorded.  The Brewers blew a 5-0 lead in the ninth inning.  That takes any momentum Milwaukee gained over the past week out of the sails.  Sometimes you can make yourself feel better by saying, “These things happen.”  Not today.  You should never blow a 5 run lead in the ninth inning.  Pathetic.

The horrendous ninth inning did overshadow some good things that happened today though.

• J.J. Hardy now has a 15-game hitting streak.  He looks fantastic at the plate, driving the ball to all fields with power.  The Brewers shortstop went 4-5 today with 2 doubles, a broken-bat home run, and a single to right field.  What’s more impressive is that he’s upped his batting average 32 points this road trip.  That’s hard to do in July.
• The home run Mike Cameron hit in the sixth inning truly was a home run.  When they originally showed the replay, I thought it the ball clearly went foul.  Then I found out the third base umpire said it hit the foul poll.  After looking at the replay again, you can see the ball switch directions in midair.  The ball could not have moved like it did without hitting something.  Home run.

  Cam also showcased his Gold Glove defense in center field today.  He made many difficult plays look routine in the field.  Manny Parra actually should dedicate his shutout outing to Cam, as Milwaukee’s center fielder saved him a couple runs.  To top it off, Cam has been looking much more comfortable at the plate.  When he’s right, that short stroke is a joy to watch.

• Manny Parra may have gone six innings of shutout ball, but he did not have his best stuff.  On one hand, it shows how much Manny has grown as a pitcher in the past couple months.  He is learning to limit the damage and keep the team in the game.  On the other hand, I would caution anyone from getting too excited about today’s outing.  The southpaw’s control was not there, and he started off too many innings with runners on base.  That will eventually come back to bite him.
• MLB Trade Rumors says the Brewers are willing to shop either J.J. Hardy or Rickie Weeks before the trade deadline.  It suggests that the Crew could go after A.J. Burnett, as Toronto is yearning for a talented shortstop.  J.J.’s trade value is incredibly high at this point in the season.  It also shows how strongly the team feels about Alcides Escobar down in Huntsville.  It wouldn’t even be an option for the team if Alcides was not major league ready.
• This may be a knee-jerk reaction on my part, but today’s game highlights the team’s need for pitching in the bullpen.  A top-flight starter would be nice, but Milwaukee needs someone to pitch the eighth inning.  Guillermo Mota certainly isn’t the answer at this point.  Eric Gagne pitched a 1-2-3 inning, but his velocity was down and looked uncomfortable on the mound.  I’m not ready to hand the ball to him.  David Riske should be the option down the road, but he’s still getting comfortable on the mound.

  Milwaukee need a quality arm in the back-end of the ‘pen that they can control for the next couple years.  The latest rumor is that Milwaukee has a trade in the works with Arizona.  That could be for someone like Tony Pena or Juan Cruz.  Either would be upgrades for the ‘pen.

Records: Brewers (46-39); Diamondbacks (43-43)

Hero of the Game: J.J. Hardy

Wow.  J.J. is scorching hot at the plate.  He was an over-the-shoulder catch away from a 5-5 game with 3 doubles, a home run, and an opposite-field single.  Hardy is showing why Milwaukee’s coaches rave so much about him.  The defense is still stellar – did you see that diving play and flip to Weeks? – and the bat can still produce.  Milwaukee’s shortstop may be pushing for a bench role in the All-Star Game.  It is unlikely, but he’s playing like an All-Star right now.

Goat of the Game: The bottom of the ninth inning.

Read above.  I’m too upset to recap it again.

On Tap

The Milwaukee Brewers return home for a long homestand before the All-Star break.  Ben Sheets will face the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Tom Gorzelanny, who looked much better in his last outing.  The Brewers ace will try to help fans forget about what happened this afternoon.  It will be hard to accomplish, however.

Round ‘em Up: Monday

I think all Brewers fans are relieved that Interleague play is over.  More specifically, I think we’re all happy to get out of Minnesota.  They are playing some very, very good baseball right now.  They made the Milwaukee Brewers – who are playing good ball in their own right – look very pedestrian.

The Crew now moves on to Arizona to take on the D’Backs tonight.  Let’s see what’s in the news.

• I hope you all have some medicine handy.  The Milwaukee Brewers activated Eric Gagne from the 15-day DL and sent down Mark DiFelice.  Gagne has been analyzed every way possible, so I’ll leave that alone.

  DiFelice, on the other hand, has been a pleasant surprise this season.  He has struggled against left-handers in the big leagues, but still posted a 3.95 ERA in 10 appearances.  The word is that he’s going to start in Triple-A.  That should bring some relief to a horrid starting rotation in Nashville.

• Jayson Stark from ESPN.com says that one GM that has talked to Doug Melvin reported that Milwaukee will not be afraid to ship its prospects to Cleveland to get C.C. Sabathia in a Brewers uniform.  It will be interesting to see if this is true.  Will Doug be willing to ship the likes of Jeremy Jeffress, Matt LaPorta, or Mat Gamel to Cleveland?  I’m not so sure he is.

  This is not a very reliable source, but a post in the Brewerfan.net forum gives a recap of a radio show in which Doug Melvin appeared.  He said that the Brewers are interested in adding a #2 or #3-type starter to the rotation.  There are some untouchables in the farm system.  He says he will not trade someone he can control for six years for someone he only has for a couple months.  It would be a “quantity trade.”

  To me that “quantity trade” sounds like something right up Billy Beane’s alley in Oakland.  Rich Harden anyone?

• Right Field Bleachers gives a little review of the past week.  I didn’t realize that Ryan Braun was tied for third in the NL in outfield assists.  He does have a great arm out there, that’s for sure.
• The Brew Town Beat wonders if Ned Yost is setting up the Milwaukee Brewers for another Summerfest Swoon.  I still think it is crazy how their post after winning Saturday’s game is all about how 08 is totally different than 07, yet after a single loss, the whole season is going down the drain.  It’s a long season.  There are going to be ups and downs throughout the whole season.  I enjoy their writing at The Brew Town Beat, but their outlook on the season changes game-by-game.  Look at the bigger picture boys.
• Our friend Aaron has a Brewers-Diamondbacks preview for you all.  Give it a look, as he spends a lot of time writing those previews.  It’s good stuff.
• The Yost Infection is back after a long hiatus, and his target is Michael Hunt from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  The hilarity of his name aside, Mike Hunt is apparently a little slow in figuring out that Ben Sheets was going to test free agency all along.
• The newly drafted Evan Frederickson has performed so well in Helena in the couple weeks he’s been there, that he has been promoted to West Virginia.  (Hat tip to battlekow at Brew Crew Ball.  He certainly knows how to get it done.)
• There has been a lot of movement in the Brewers farm system in the past week or so.  Let me give you a run down of some of the promotions, demotions, etc.

  RHP Jason Shiell – Transferred from Nashville to Huntsville
  RHP Jake Orodizzi – Sent to AZL Brewers
  RHP Josh Wahpepah – Transferred from Huntsville to Brevard County
  LHP Troy Cate – Acquired from Orange County and sent to Huntsville
  RHP Joe Bateman – Transferred from Huntsville to Nashville
  LHP Steve Bray – Transferred from Nashville to Huntsville
  RHP Nic Ungs – Transferred from Nashville to Huntsville
  LHP Evan Frederickson – Transferred from Helena to West Virginia
  C Martin Maldonado – Transferred from Brevard County to Huntsville
  C Chris Corporan – Transferred from Huntsville to Nashville

Round ‘em Up: Sunday

UPDATE 06-29-08 1:08pm – Guillermo Mota successfully lowered his ERA after appealing a scoring decision that occurred against the Houston Astros.

It’s good to know Mota is far more concerned with his personal stat line than whether or not his team wins the game. Ned Yost didn’t seem too pleased about Mota’s stunt either.

——————————————————————————

Ben Sheets will lead the Milwaukee Brewers against the hottest team in baseball right now. If the Crew can win this afternoon, it will be an excellent series win and a successful road trip. Who would have thought I would be saying that right now?

• Eric Gagne expects to be back with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday. I’m not so sure he’s ready for game action though. Normally, Ned Yost is one for hyperbole when talking about his injured players. He always says something like, “[Insert name here] is throwing the ball great in the bullpen” or “[Insert name here] is absolutely mashing the ball in BP.” Not with Gage though. Concerning Gagne’s bullpen session, Yost says that Gagne’s fastball control was “decent.” Oh good…
• Jim Powell has a new post up, and he echoes my concern about Gagne. In fact, he says Gagne’s bullpen session was “just okay.” He had control issues. Why bring him off the DL if he’s not ready?
• The Junkball Blues has a very interesting look at the Brewers offense. He hypothesizes that a team that walks a lot, hits lots of home runs, and strikes out a lot will have a more consistent offense because they do not rely on luck very much. How so? All three of those categories do not involve the opposing defense at all. It’s an interesting way to look at it, but the result is that Milwaukee needs to walk more. That’s what BN reader Aaron has been saying allllll along.
• The post of the day goes to Between the Green Pillars. He talks about what the Brewers need to do concerning acquiring another starting pitcher. The article says that Milwaukee would be much better off trading for someone like Rich Harden, Zach Greinke, or Eric Bedard at this point, as all would be under team control beyond this season. I completely agree when BTGP says making a move for C.C. Sabathia would make 2008 an all-or-nothing season. If the Brewers make the playoffs with C.C., it would be a huge success. If they don’t, however, Milwaukee has nothing to show for their troubles. I would much rather have the likes of a Bedard/Harden/Greinke than Sabathia at this point.
• Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, and he reports that Seattle’s Jarrod Washburn is becoming much more attractive given his recent success. That wouldn’t be a bad move if the price was right.
• The Brew Town Beat notes that one year ago, the Brewers lost to the Chicago Cubs on that Aramis Ramirez walk-off home run. That marked the downfall of the Milwaukee Brewers last season. This year, however, the Crew started off slow, but has caught fire in June. My how things change.
• The Huntsville Times has a nice article on OF Michael Brantley and how his father impacted his life in the game of baseball. An interesting part of the article says that Michael is the best player on the Stars ballclub. That’s a bold claim, but he has the entire package.
• If you haven’t seen the recap of the Dodgers-Angels game from last night, check it out. Jerod Weaver for the Angels combined with Jose Arredondo to no-hit the Dodgers, but still lost the game 1-0. Two errors and a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning spelled doom for the Angels. Crazy game.

Round ‘em Up: Saturday

The Crew lost a wild one last night in Minnesota, but they will lace ‘em up and take the field again tonight. Let’s hope young Manny Parra can lead Milwaukee to a much-needed win against the scorching hot Twins.

Not to sound cryptic, but I wanted to let you know that there is some big news coming up about BrewersNation. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the specifics, but you will hear the exciting news as soon as I am able to relay that information to you. Stay tuned!

• All signs pointed towards the Brewers activating Eric Gagne today, but the plans have changed. Gagne will now throw another bullpen session to determine whether or not he is ready to come off the DL and rejoin the Brewers. It is obviously not a coincidence that the plans changed after Gagne struggled mightily in his final rehab outing. Perhaps Milwaukee will leave him on the shelf for a little while longer…just to be sure.
• FOX Sports has a video where they talk about the Milwaukee Brewers and their chances going forward. There isn’t much for substance, but I thought I would switch it up and include a video in the Round ‘em Up today.
• The Brew Town Beat laments over last night’s loss and Guillermo Mota’s struggles. I know I said it last night, but I will say it again. The pitch Joe Mauer took out of the park was a good pitch. It was a 96 mph fastball above the letters. What else do you want Mota to do? He can’t throw his slider to left-handed hitters, and his change-up is perfect for Mauer to hit to the opposite field like he does so much. The only real option was to take Mauer up the ladder. Unfortunately, Mauer made a great swing. You just have to tip your cap to the young catcher at that point. You cannot blame Mota.
• Two Fisted Slopper has a list of what’s gone wrong this season. Fortunately, it’s not too much. I think I would include the injuries to Yovani Gallardo and Chris Capuano to that list. If Yo was still in the rotation, the Brewers would not be looking to land C.C. Sabathia right now.
• Peter Gammons notes that Rickie Weeks has been one of the biggest disappointments of the year in the MLB. Yet, Peter still predicts that Rickie will turn it around and be one of the biggest contributors of the second half. That would be absolutely fantastic if that is true.
• LHP Mark Mulder is now back in the big leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards activated Mulder for the 15-day DL and placed him in the bullpen to get some work. It will be interesting to see if Mulder still has it after being injured for so long.

That’s about it, folks. As usual, there is not too much going on in the blogosphere over the weekends.

I also got an email last night asking if BrewersNation got rid of the Sunday Harvest feature. The answer is no. I was just out of town last weekend. It will be up and running tomorrow once again. I’m glad to hear people like that feature, as it is one of my favorites.

UPDATE 06-27-08 1:00 pm – Assistant GM Gord Ash says that the Milwaukee Brewers are actively scouring the trade market in search of starting pitching.  I’m not sure if we are to understand that as the team is in the C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes, or they are on the trail of someone like Cliff Lee.

Round ‘em Up: Friday

Hi everyone!  After a week-plus off, I’m back in the saddle.  Dan did a great job while I was gone, and I very much appreciate it.  Kudos to you, sir!

Anyway, I have quite a bit of news for you today.  Here we go:

• As you can all tell by the Minor League Boxscores from yesterday, Eric Gagne struggled quite a bit in his second rehab outing in Nashville.  That’s obviously not something you want to see.  Between the Green Pillars wonders what Ned Yost is going to do with Gagne.  Most likely, Gagne will be a seventh inning guy until he can prove himself capable of pitching in close games.  Either that, or Ned Yost will be stubborn and throw him out in a one-run game in the eighth inning just to prove something to the fans.  I hope its the former.
• Tom Haudricourt also writes about Gagne’s struggles, but brings up a good point.  Randy Choate has been lights-out in his rehab outings thus far.  The Brewers have a decision to make.  They can put him on waivers and hope he can clear.  Choate would then be sent to Triple-A Nashville.  It seems unlikely that a veteran left-hander would make it through waivers, so the Crew may simply have to promote him to the bigs.  That would mean Mitch Stetter may be saying goodbye to Milwaukee once again.
• Brew Crew Ball has a poll up about C.C. Sabathia.  Should the Brewers offer up stud prospects for a rental?  37% say the Brewers should trade for Sabathia, but only if no big name prospects were given up.  That’s obviously not going to be possible.  That leaves the 35% who say the Crew should trade for a lesser big name pitcher.  Like who?  Randy Wolf?  Please…
• Bugs and Cranks lets Brewers fans see how C.C. would look as a Milwaukee Brewer.  I don’t even know what to say about that.  It’s quite hideous, in fact.
• I wouldn’t be so quick to be so excited about a pending C.C. Sabathia acquisition.  NJ.com is reporting that the Cleveland Indians are attempting to sign the big left-hander to an extension.  This is most likely a token offer, however, as Sabathia has repeatedly stated that he does not wish to talk about his contract mid-season.

  Plus, MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that the Brewers most likely will not make a major acquisition before the trade deadline.  Starting pitching has been a major strength for the Brewers in the past month or so.  Why fix it if it ain’t broken?  If only it were that simple, right?

• The Milwaukee JS has a piece up about Salomon Torres.  Where would the Brewers be without their veteran closer?  He’s been one of the most pleasant surprises this season.  I think we all knew Doug Melvin had a steal when he acquired Torres for two no-name prospects during the winter.
• Here’s a Brewers-Twins series preview from SportsBubbler.com.  I wonder if a young man wrote the article.  I wouldn’t have guessed by the picture atop the article.
• SportsBubbler also recognizes LHP Zach Braddock as the player of the week.  He must have that “invisi-ball” working once again.  It will be extremely interesting to see how he fairs the rest of the season.  His arm is fragile, so his pitch count will most likely be quite strict throughout the year.  There is also a Vinny Rottino sighting in the Three Up section.
• Mat Gamel and Matt LaPorta have both been invited to play in the the U.S. Futures game.  Congratulations to both of them.  It is much deserved.
• Battlekow from Brew Crew Ball has been been quite proficient on the Minor League side of the game.  Today, he maps out the performances of some of the top prospects in the Brewers system.  Sure, the ranking is quite arbitrary, but it is still quite interesting to read.
• Get to know Tim Dillard from the Nashville Sounds.  I now know that if Tim is approached with the option A or B, he will choose C.  Interesting.
• Recently drafted RHP Trey Watten has been quite impressive in Helena thus far.  He only has two outings, but Trey has managed his nerves quite well in the beginning of his big league career.
• The Charleston Daily Mail has a nice article on 1B Curt Rindal from the West Virginia Power.  He has struggled with consistency for most of the year, but the young man has heated up quite nicely in June.  Let’s hope he can sustain this production for more than just one month.
• The Baseball Analysts have a list of the Best Players of Each Decade.  Both Hank Aaron and Robin Yount make the list.  Both very deserving.  Does anyone else from Milwaukee deserve to be mentioned?

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.

Brewers call up Dillard

The Milwaukee Brewers made the call for Tim Dillard from Triple-A Nashville today.  The sinkerballer has been extremely productive in Nashville, posting a 2.01 ERA with a 19:9 K:BB ratio.  I thought he deserved a call up over Zach Jackson anyway.

The team has not announced the corresponding move yet, but all signs point to Eric Gagne being put on the DL.  In fact, his “rotator cuff tendinitis” is much more serious than the team is letting on, so I would not be surprised if Gagne is out for longer than another week or so.  While the team has not specified anything yet, it only makes sense that Gagne’s going on the DL is the corresponding move.

Then again, Zach Jackson could be sent back down to the minors.  That’s just me reaching for something else that could happen.  Gagne’s getting put on the DL, don’t worry Zach.

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: Wednesday

Brewers fans went to bed happy last night after beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-2.  We will have to see if they can make it two in a row tonight.  Ben Sheets is on the mound, so I think the Crew has a good shot.  Benny might feel like he has a little something to prove after last week’s debacle in the seventh against the Dodgers.

BrewersNation reader BJ noted an article on the possibility of Randy Wolf being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.  I originally was going to include the article in the Round ‘em Up, but after BJ’s question…I thought I would give it its own post.  I’ll write on that later tonight.

• So…Ned Yost is not happy about the false report of his being fired yesterday.  I mean really displeased.  The Brewers manager let a bunch of four-letter words fly as he went through a tirade on the blog posting.  I think he has a right to be upset about the way the post was handled…especially by Tom Haudricourt and the Milwaukee JS.  For more on that…go here.

  While Ned got rightfully upset about the situation on Monday, his comments simply left me a little empty and quite upset.  Why have Brewers fans never seen Yost get this riled up before?  Why does he play this stoic, confident manager that is certain everything will turn out alright if he has this mean-streak in him?  Why not try to spur on his players by getting upset and admitting that maybe…just maybe…it isn’t early and things aren’t “okay”?  The stoic facade that Yost has been putting up the past couple months has obviously not been working, and yesterday’s comments gave Brewers fans a glimpse of what could be.

  After getting upset about the blog reports, Ned reverted back to his old self.  He’s not worried about the comments made by Ryan Braun because all teams lose confidence when they are losing.  Great, Ned…just act like everything is fine and nothing is wrong.  Perhaps Brewers fans would feel better if you treated your job and the team’s success with the same passion.  You may feel as passionately inwardly, but it certainly does not show in the media and in the dugout.

• The other big development yesterday was Seth McClung transitioning to the starting rotation, while Carlos Villanueva will search for more consistency and success in the bullpen.  In last night’s telecast, Brain Anderson raved about McClung’s mechanical adjustment and the development of his change-up.  It’s nice to hear those things, but I will have to see it before I believe it.
• Remember when Salomon Torres thought about retiring because of his dysfunctional relationship with the Pittsburgh organization.  He tries not to talk about it to the media, but his disrespect for the management is clearly still there.
• The Milwaukee Brewers struggle at PNC Park.  It is not a secret.  No Brewers fan has been able to understand how the team can have a losing record against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC, but it has been the overwhelming trend.  Jim Powell takes a look at the struggles.  Yesterday’s win is not a signifier that the curse is gone, but it is a start.
• The Brew Town Beat reacts to Eric Gagne’s struggles yesterday before being removed because of shoulder “stiffness.”  They believe that most or all of his success can be attributed to steriods of HGH.  I enjoy much of the writing that happens over at that site, but I believe that is a cop-out answer and a gross oversimplification.  HGH may have helped Gagne get a few miles per hour on his fastball.  I will grant them that.  HGH does not, however, improve your mentality on the mound.  It does not improve your release point and improve your control.  Sure, you can argue that HGH improves your stuff, so you trust it more.  That’s a valid point.  I would just hesitate to believe that Gagne got his reputation as “Game Over” because he had a few more mphs on his fastball.  His change-up was also better, and he had a better curveball when he was with Los Angeles.  HGH doesn’t help that.
• Beyond the Boxscore analyzes the strength of schedule for the NL Central.  The Brewers have had by far the most difficult schedule in the Central to this point.  Through the rest of the season, the Crew will have about 50% of their games against opponents with a sub-.500 record.  The moral of the post: Do not count out the Brewers yet.
• SportsBubbler names SS Alcides Escobar the Prospect of the Week.  Alcides has improved his plate discipline and power numbers in the past couple weeks, which greatly augments his status as an elite prospect.  The other name to look at is RHP Luis Pena.  Could he be a Brewer in the near future?
• LHP Sam Narron recently got called up to Triple-A Nashville, and he has continued rolling through hitters.  Sam went six innings, only giving up two earned runs.  His manager said that Sam didn’t have his best stuff, which is extremely encouraging for the young man.  The southpaw has increased his strikeout total a bit, but his value lies in his ability to induce the groundball.  Keep an eye on Sam.
• Here’s a nice article on RHP Patrick Ryan.  He’s quietly been having a productive season as a reliever in Double-A Huntsville.  The right-hander is being overshadowed by Omar Aguilar, but a call to Triple-A is not out of the question later in the season.

Bats continue to tease in Brewers win

UPDATE 05-20-08 11:55pm - I didn’t report on Eric Gagne leaving the game with the trainer, as no one seems to be worried about it.  More information is in, however.

Gagne is complaining of “stiffness” in his shoulder.  It is not pain.  It is not tightness.  It is stiffness, I guess.  I’m not sure if this is a cop-out on his part, or there is really something wrong.  I will know more tomorrow, and I, of course, will pass it your way.

——————————————————————————-

After pounding out 14 hits and scoring 7 runs, the Milwaukee Brewers look to be on the verge of breaking out of its offensive slump. This is one of the few games where multiple hitters put together good games. Let me show you:

Weeks – 2-4
Cameron – 3-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, BB
Braun – 2-5, RBI
Hart – 2-5, HR (3), RBI
Hardy – 2-4, BB
Hall – 2-3, 2B, RBI
Kendal – 1-4, RBI

Prince Fielder is the only Brewer to not record a hit today.

The most encouraging aspect of tonight’s game had to be the work of Rickie Weeks and Mike Cameron at the top of the order. When they are getting on base with consistency, the offense is completely different. Pitchers have to pitch Ryan Braun and Fielder differently. The middle of the lineup is like a firecracker waiting to go off and scatter hits in twenty different directions.

I’m not ready to declare the offense back on track tonight. Notice the “tease” in the title. The Crew needs to do a little more than string two games of solid offense together first. The offense has to put hits together on someone other than a left-handed pitcher who had a 5.02 ERA last season. They need to not squander runs on the basepaths. I realize I am being a little harsh and nitpicky, but I can definitely see the team reverting back to its sluggish ways tomorrow.

With that said, Bill Hall and JJ Hardy are looking better. Billy is shooting the ball up the middle (granted it was against a lefty) and drawing walks. Hardy is driving the ball a little more. It is certainly nice to see Corey Hart get the power back in his bat. He has hit two home runs in the past three games, and the opposite field power he flashed today proves he’s seeing the ball better.

Anyway, enough about the offense. I just haven’t had the opportunity to write good things about that subject lately. On to the pitching. Manny Parra pitched decently today. He almost got a quality start again for the Crew, but his pitch-count was far too high early in the game. The lefty only had one walk in his five and two-thirds innings, but he did not pound the strike zone. Again, that is simply getting picky in a well-pitched game by Manny.

Seth McClung, who will be in the starting rotation starting Saturday, relieved Manny and got out of a two-on, two-out jam. He then quickly dispatched of the Pirates in the seventh, sitting them down one-two-three. I’m not totally convinced Seth can flourish as a starter, but I am willing to give him a try. It is intriguing at least. He will need to develop a third pitch more consistently if he is going to succeed in the second or third time in the order. The announcers are claiming he’s working on a change-up, but that is still up in the air.

The success of Eric Gagne, on the other hand, is not up in the air. The closer came into the game in the ninth inning to get some work and looked utterly awful. The control was not there, he gave up a home run to Jason Bay, and he made another pitcher work in a blowout. I will not get too upset, as I am busy enjoying this win, but I am clearly not happy about it.

Records: Brewers (21-24); Pirates (21-24)

Hero of the Game: Corey Hart

As Dan pointed out today, Corey has been the most consistent Brewer in the lineup this season. People have been concerned with his lack of power, but his power stroke has been heating up the past few days. He socked another homer this evening, taking former Brewers-prospect Marino Salas to right with authority. Corey went 2-5 and is batting .303. Solid, solid, solid.

I considered Mike Cameron for the hero, but his baserunning gaffs were too much to overcome. You cannot get doubled off on a line drive to the right fielder. The caught stealing was not his fault, but it certainly killed the momentum the Brewers had in the fifth inning. Still, the Brewers would obviously benefit greatly if Cam got the stick working.

Goat of the Game: Eric Gagne

Really Eric? You felt it necessary to come in during the ninth inning and try to ruin the happiness that ran through me during the game? That is just cruel. He fell behind hitters. His fastball lacked the pop we have seen in the past couple weeks. It could just be because he has not pitched in a while. Either way, I am annoyed.

On Tap

Ben Sheets will face Ian Snell as the Brewers attempt to clinch the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road. The contest will start at 6:05pm CT. It should be a good one if you like pitching.

Round ‘em Up: Saturday

The Brewers interleague opener against the Boston Red Sox got postponed due to rain last night.  The teams will play two today, with the first game starting at 2:55pm CT on FOX.

• Tom Haudricourt has a breakdown of the contract Ryan Braun signed a couple days ago.  It looks a little something like this:
  2008: $455,000 plus $2.3 million signing bonus
  2009: $745,000
  2010: $1 million
  2011: $4 million
  2012: $6 million
  2013: $8.5 million
  2014: $10 million
  2015: $12 million

  If Braun becomes eligible for salary arbitration after 2009 as a “Super 2″ player, these salaries change:

  2010: $3.5 million
  2011: $5.5 million
  2012: $7.5 million
  2013: $9 million

  That doesn’t look too shabby, does it?  It is an extremely team-friendly deal, a type of deal you can only work out if a player is not near arbitration-eligibility (see Prince Fielder).  MLB Trade Rumors loves the deal for the Milwaukee Brewers and says that Braun will be extremely inexpensive in his prime compared to what the market-value would be.  Nice work Doug Melvin.

• The Brewers reacquired 2B Callix Crabbe from the San Diego Padres yesterday.  The Padres did not keep Callix on the big league roster after he struggled to start the season.  That left San Diego with the choices of sending Crabbe back to Milwaukee or working out some type of trade.  Obviously, the Padres chose the latter.  Callix will greatly help the infield depth in Triple-A.
• How many people have been complaining about Rickie Weeks this season?  I have been less than pleased, but I am certainly not calling for his head at second.  Today, Ned Yost declared that Rickie will not be moved from the lead-off spot in the order just because fans are displeased.  I applaud that decision…not so much because Ned is sticking up for his player, but because the team has no one to replace him at the lead-off spot.
• SportsBubbler has a series preview for the Brewers-Red Sox series that will take place in the next two days.  I hope the Brewers can come out and impress on the big stage this weekend.
• The Florida Today has a nice article on the return of Jeremy Jeffress to the mound in Brevard County.  I predicted before his return that he would struggle with his command because he would be so amped up, and it proved to be true.  He walked four batters in two and two thirds innings, but Jeremy did strike out five batters as well.  I liked the fact that Jeremy admits going to the rehab clinic was good for him.  Don’t be ashamed, young man.  Get your life together and pitch like you know how.  You have a special arm.
• Between the Green Pillars takes a look at “the one that got away” during the off-season.  That is, what if the Brewers signed Troy Percival instead of Eric Gagne?  Throughout the winter, I truly hoped the Brewers would win out in the Percival sweepstakes, but it was not meant to be.  Hindsight is 20/20 though, so I do not criticize Doug Melvin for either of the moves.
• The Brew Town Beat is calling for something that we here at BrewersNation have been screaming about for about a week and a half now.  Call Russell Branyan up already!!!  Last night, Russell clobbered three home runs for the Sounds and knocked in 6 RBI.  With Bill Hall scuffling against righties, the move makes a lot of sense right now.
• Minor League Ball has John Sickels’ draft rankings up for the 2008 draft.  Most of you reading this most likely have no idea who any of these pitchers are, but it is still interesting to look at.  The blog In-Between Hops has a post that says Baseball America predicts the Milwaukee Brewers to take RHP Joshua Fields, as he will not need much polishing in the minors before making an impact in the Brewers bullpen.  I think the Brewers will take either Fields or LHP Christian Friedrich.  We’ll have to see though.
• Baseball Musings takes a look at the run differential between the AL and the NL once the DH comes into play.  The AL has a significant advantage when the pitcher does not have to bat.  David Pinto believes this is because the benches in the NL are weaker.  I disagree.  The NL does not have to worry about signing a DH-type player.  A team would rather spend money on a reliever or starter than drop a couple million on someone who cannot field.  What good would a player like Jim Thome or Frank Thomas be in Milwaukee?  Pretty useless.
• Cardinals former closer, Jason Isringhausen, is now on the DL because of a lacerated hand after punching a TV earlier in the week.  Probably not a good idea, Jason…

Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

Three wins in a row!  It’s funny how momentum can change for a team once they return home.  Carlos Villanueva upped the quality start streak to four games.  Manny Parra looks to continue that tonight.  That would mean, of course, that Ned has to let him pitch through the sixth inning.  Heaven forbid…

I hope you all like Dan Wiersema’s recap of yesterday’s game against the Dodgers.  Dan is now an official contributor to BrewersNation.  I had some reservations about opening my site to another blogger, but the time commitment proved too much for me.  Dan is a great writer, and I’m excited to have him working on BrewersNation with me.  His addition will help keep a constant flow of information and posts heading your way.  No more dead-time when I cannot make it to the computer for a couple days.  Anyway, let’s take a look at the news for today.

Post of the Day

SI.com follows the young Milwaukee Brewers on their recent road trip.  It captures many behind-the-scenes moments that fans normally are unaware of.  I did not realize that J.J. Hardy is such a good ping-pong player.  I also do not understand why the first picture I see when reading the article has Bob Uecker standing in the background with very short shorts.  Questionable choice in photography right there.

• In a surprise move by Ned Yost, Eric Gagne returned to the closer’s role last night.  It certainly wasn’t pretty, but he got Juan Pierre to pop out to short to end the game.  Jim Powell has an interview with Gagne after the game.  The relief and happiness in Eric’s voice is evident.
• In that same vein, David Pinto from Baseball Musings believes that Eric Gagne must have been tipping his pitches.  Nobody has offered any concrete evidence for this, but Yost’s comments do seem to imply that Gagne was doing just that.
• Michael Hunt from the Milwaukee JS says that hitting is contagious.  I was not aware.  I wonder if winning is too…  Perhaps not hitting worth a darn is contagious?
• Chris Capuano is going to have his second Tommy John surgery.  Unfortunately, I do not see Cappy being able to come off of this surgery and be anything other than a situational lefty.  His velocity will most likely decrease, and it was not overpowering to begin with.  Then again, it would be impressive if Cappy can bounce back at all.  Tommy John is not a pleasant surgery.  Good luck, Chris!
• Speaking of surgery, Yovani Gallardo had a very successful operation Tuesday morning.  Here’s to hoping that Milwaukee does not rush Yo back to the mound.  He needs to be 100% next season after Ben Sheets has most likely moved on to another team.
• The Milwaukee Brewers’ farm system and Brevard County will be getting a very welcome addition tomorrow night.  Jeremy Jeffress has served his 50-game suspension for marijuana use and is scheduled to pitch Thursday night for Brevard County.  I suspect that Jeremy will be out on that mound with something to prove to everyone.  He will have a fantastic season, as he will try to silent all of his critics and doubters.  Unfortunately, all that adrenaline will be difficult to harness tomorrow night.  He may struggle with his command tomorrow, but Jeremy will have a great season.
• The Baseball Analysts examine NL players that are trying to avoid the sophomore jinx.  Ryan Braun is the first on the list.  He’s been heating up lately at the plate, to the tune of six extra-base hits in the past three games.  His walk rate has dropped to 4.9%, which is so bad it’s almost stupid.  Plate discipline is something Ryan needs to work on very hard.
• In one of the most interesting posts of the day, The Brew Town Beat suggests that the Brewers should offer Tony Gwynn Jr. to San Diego for Greg Maddux.  It is a very intriguing idea, as Greg would presumably waive his no-trade clause for Milwaukee to work with his brother, Mike Maddux.  With that said, the Brewers pitching staff may be coming around at the right time.  Doug Melvin is not one to fix something that isn’t broken.  That, and the Brewers would need to ask for more than Maddux for Tony Gwynn Jr.  The young center fielder has more value than Maddux because of his upside.  As of right now, I would say no to the trade.  If Greg is struggling in the best pitcher’s park in the majors, how will he do at Miller Park?
• Gabe Gross scored another game winning run last night for the Tampa Bay Rays.  Dan pointed out to me that it is very uncommon for a player to get mobbed heroically by two separate teams in a single season.  I do not know how often that has happened in the past 10 years or so, but my guess is not many.
• Eric Farris, the number one rated second baseman in the minors for Milwaukee, made his debut for West Virginia on Tuesday.  He spent time in extended Spring Training rehabbing a tweaked left hamstring.  I am extremely interested as to how Eric will perform this season in West Virginia.  The Brewers do not have many intriguing internal options at second base.  I would not be surprised to see Jack Z draft a second baseman in the first few rounds.
• Speaking of the draft, John Sickels touches on some of the best high school hitters that will be available in this years draft.
• This is not Brewers related, but The Hardball Times examines what makes a curveball effective.  The graphs really help elucidate why a good curveball is almost impossible to hit.
• Jim Edmonds is almost certainly going to sign with the Chicago Cubs in the coming days.  Cubs fans really, really do not like this move.  I cannot understand why.  His sub-.200 batting average helps the Milwaukee Brewers a lot.  I like this move for the Brewers Cubs.

Brewers vs. Dodgers – Game 1 Recap

For the second consecutive night the Brewers faced a staff ace in the Dodgers’ Brad Penny. And for the second consecutive night the Brewers emerged with a solid team-driven win. Carlos Villanueva took the mound for the Brew Crew and gave the home side their fourth consecutive quality start and subsequently their third consecutive win. Who would have thought that solid starting pitching would translate to wins?

The Dodgers came into town having just been hosed by the Houston Astros (been there, done that) and registering a paltry 1.8 runs a game during the four-game losing streak. The news got worse for LA as the injured Rafael Furcal was put on the disabled list (back). Despite these numbers the Dodgers have been a streaky team all year and with Penny on the mound (with a 5-3 record and a deceiving 4.79 ERA) anything is possible.

The early innings looked troublesome for the Brewers as the Dodgers tagged three runs on V-Dub (my new nickname for Villanueva in the first four innings. V’s breaking ball was looking good, but a couple of two out runs in the first and third showed that the young pitcher had trouble focusing to get the third out of each inning.

The Brewers proved apt in keeping the game close. Mike Cameron struck with a two out RBI single to score Rickie Weeks in the third and Bill Hall’ssolo shot in the fourth (his ninth of the season) made it 2-3.

The Brewes heroics were saved for the fifth inning (normally reserved for opposing teams to break out here) when Milwaukee scored three runs all with two outs. Ryan Braun continued his hot hitting (2-4) with a two-run double to left and Prince Fielder scored him on a single.

Villanueva’s efforts paralleled Dave Bush’s from last night as he limited hit damage (eight) over six strong innings. Despite Penny’s season-high six strikeouts (I saw this as troublesome early on that a low strikeout pitcher was getting so many) the Brewers’ hitting was superb.

The biggest surprise of the game was the appearance of Eric Gagne in the closer’s role. After throwing two innings in relief last night and only two games since he deemed himself “unfit” for the role, Gagne came out, made everyone’s heart beat a bit harder, and the got Juan Pierre to pop out to JJ Hardy to end the game.

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

Hero of the Game: Clutch Hitting

No so much a player, but a concept. For a team that has struggled to bring runs home with runners in scoring position, the Brewers, of late, have found their “clutch” setting. All five runs were scored with two outs. The team’s small ball approach (manufacturing rather than homering in runs) has proved to be successful. Cameron, Hall, Braun, and Fielder all came through with two-out RBIs.

Goat of the Game: Corey Hart

Its always hard to “goat” anyone in a solid win, but Hart’s attempted steal of third in the fourth inning was a bit stupid. With one out and Hall at the plate Hart got greedy. I don’t know if he had the green light to take himself or he was sent, but he got caught badly. An inside fastball from Penny made it the perfect pitch for the Dodger’s catcher to toss him out. It just looks worse when Billy hits a dinger and instead of it being a two-run shot the Crew settles for another solo homer. Hart has been hitting wonderfully lately so I’ll cut him some slack if he gets some RBIs tonight.

On Tap:Manny Parra (1-2) takes on Derek Lowe (2-3) tonight in the second game of the series at 7:05pm at Miller Park.

By: Dan Wiersema

Two more for Braun in Brewers win

Ryan Braun told anyone who would listen in Houston that he was on the verge of getting on a major hot streak.  He sounded like a player who hoped to get on a hot streak more than anything.

It turns out that Ryan did not lie.  Braun hit two more solo home runs today off of Cardinals starter, Adam Wainwright.  Both were shots to left field, and he set the pace for a balanced Brewers offensive attack.  How often have I gotten to type that this season?  Not very…

The Crew got its third straight quality start, as right-hander Dave Bush went six strong innings.  The struggling Bush got his first win of the season, only giving up one run and striking out one.  In the first inning, it was clear that Bushie had his good stuff.  Normally hitting 87-88mph on the gun, Dave came out firing fastballs in the 90-92mph range.  He gave up a home run to Rick Ankiel on a hanging curveball in the top of the first inning, but Bush shut the Cards down after that.

I was slightly surprised to see Dave pulled after only six innings.  His pitch count was at a manageable 92 pitches.  Ned Yost must have wanted Bush to feel good about his outing, so he pulled him before anything bad could have happened.  That, and Ned saw a prime opportunity to get Eric Gagne some work in a pressure-free situation.

Eric did get in two innings of work, but it did not go as well as planned.  His command still alluded him with his fastball and change-up…basically all his pitches.  He induced a double play to get out of the seventh unscathed, but he gave up a run in the eighth after Skip Schumaker laced a single to right that scored Cesar Izturis.  Eric may need a little more work than previously thought before regaining the closer role.

Mitch Stetter entered the game in the ninth inning and made it interesting.  Mitch walked four out of the six batters he faced, and he left the contest with the bases loaded.  Ned Yost then called upon Guillermo Mota to finish off the game.  It worked out, as Guillermo struck out Ankiel to end the game.

The Brewers broke it open in the third inning.  Corey Hart delivered a two-RBI single with two outs, and two more scored when Bill Hall reached on an error.  Billy later homered off Wainwright for his eighth long ball of the season.

Records: Brewers (19-19); Cardinals (23-17)

Hero of the Game: Ryan Braun

What can you say about a player that had back-to-back multiple home run games?  He’s obviously found a comfort zone at the plate.  Ryan even took a walk in the game.  That is only his seventh free pass of the season.  All Brewers fans would like to see that number climb, especially in front of Prince Fielder.  Ryan finished the day two for three, even though he looked to be safe on his final at-bat.  His batting average is now .288.  Last year’s Rookie of the Year has finally found his stroke at the plate.  It is fun to watch him hit the ball when he’s on a tear like this.

Goat of the Game: Prince Fielder

You will not see this name here very often this year.  Prince had a game to forget this evening.  He struck out with the bases loaded in the third inning.  That could have potentially killed the Crew, but Corey Hart picked up his teammate with that two-out single to score two runs.  Prince looks utterly lost at the plate right now.  He’s trying to hit a home run on every pitch, and he’s trying to pull every ball he sees.  The big guy needs to slow down a bit at the plate and take a couple pitches the other way.  Home runs will come in bunches for Prince.  The Brewers simply need a few base hits from him now.

On Tap

Carlos Villanueva and the Milwaukee Brewers will welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to Miller Park tomorrow.  Villy will look to give the Crew its fourth straight quality start.  He will take on the hard-throwing Brad Penny in Game 1 at 7:05pm 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…

Gagne no longer Brewers closer

After yesterday afternoon’s game, Eric Gagne said that he did not deserve the closer’s job in Milwaukee. He said that his struggles have been embarrassing. I agree.

Apparently, so does Ned Yost. After being informed of Gagne’s comments after the game, Yost removed Gagne as Milwaukee’s closer. He did not say who would take over the job, but did imply that it would be a mix of relievers. Salomon Torres, David Riske, and Guillermo Mota have all had experience in the closer’s role. I would like to believe Mota is first on the list, followed closely by Torres. Time will tell, however. Yost said that it will depend on matchups.

If you want more detail on Gagne’s struggles, read down a couple posts.

Changes needed in Milwaukee

I am not one for knee-jerk reactions. Everyone says that when they are about to call for a change in the ranks on the team, but you have to realize that I have defended everyone on the Brewers for the past month plus. Today’s loss finally broke me, however. Things need to change. Let me outline them for you:

• Eric Gagne needs to be replaced. He has proven that he does not have what it takes to be the closer for the Milwaukee Brewers. This afternoon, Gagne showed me that he cannot pitch in important situations with effectiveness.

  It all comes down to the first pitch for Eric. If he throws a strike to the batter, he will get them out more often than not. It’s that simple. If the first pitch is a strike, the opposing hitter has an average of .161 with 11 strikeouts. Gagne has not walked a batter this season after getting ahead 0-1 in the count.

  How about if the pitch is a ball? The opponent’s batting average jumps to .417. Gagne has walked 10 batters after falling behind 1-0 in the count. He has struck out 6 batters as well, but the sharp contrast between the levels of success is astounding. One would think Eric could adjust fairly easily, even after throwing one ball, but apparently not. His command has been spotty all season. It is time for Eric to find his groove elsewhere in the bullpen. There are pitchers who can get the job done.

  Who do I mean? Try Guillermo Mota. The Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets essentially swapped contracts in the off-season when the Johnny Estrada trade was made. Mota faced a lot of opposition before he even threw a pitch in a Brewers uniform.

  A simple change in his mechanics appears to have changed his success. He now stands much taller on the mound to get a much more downward plane to the plate.It has done wonders for Guillermo. He has a 2.40 ERA with 18 strikeouts. The 10 walks leave much to be desired, but the damage has not been too severe. Mota has not given up run in the past six innings he has pitched, and opposing hitters have managed to hit a measly .241 against him for the year. Even more impressively, Guillermo has yet to give up a run on the road. He has pitched 8 scoreless innings away from Miller Park.

  It is clearly time to move Eric from the closer’s role. Guillermo Mota has proven that he deserves a shot. I am not claiming that he will get 25 saves this season, but I believe he has a better chance to succeed in the role.

• After being shuffled around from position-to-position in the past few years, Bill Hall has found a home defensively at third base. The switch has been amazingly smooth for the former infielder, and he has shown a penchant for making the spectacular play. I have been pleasantly surprised with the switch for Billy.

  Offensively, however, Bill has had his ups and downs. His power stroke, which was notably absent last season, has returned. Through May 10, he already has 7 home runs and 19 RBI. Some have attributed this success to his contact lenses. Some have wondered whether or not Billy has more energy to hit since he’s not running all over the place in center. Whatever the reason, Bill has become a power threat for the Brewers once again.

  The problem is that his average is pitiful. After struggling again today, Bill is now hitting .206 on the 2008 season, with an astounding 37 strikeouts. That is a lot of strike outs. Left-handed pitchers have not been the issue. Billy is mashing lefties, to the tune of a .333 batting average.

  Righties are a different story. The power-hitting third baseman has only managed to hit .163 against right-handers. He has struck out 30 times against righties, while only whiffing 7 times against southpaws. Bill Hall has also shown Brewers fans that he is not productive against right-handed pitching. It may not be a popular move, but a platoon could be extremely beneficial for the Brewers offense.

  Enter Russell Branyan. Russell is mashing pitchers in Triple-A Nashville. He has matched Hall’s 7 home runs thus far and has plated 23 runners. The power is clearly there. The important thing is that Russell would need to be able to hit righties to make the platoon beneficial.

  Trust me, Russell Branyan has noooo problems hitting right-handed pitching. In the 2008 season, the veteran has hit .405/.479/.750 against righties, and all seven home runs have come against them. These numbers have come after 84 at-bats, so the sample size is large enough to prove convincing. I am sure that Branyan is not as good defensively as is Billy, but those gaudy numbers outweigh the defensive difficulties (which are not all that great). The offense needs a boost right now, and it is foolish to not reward Russell for mashing in the minors. That is what Doug Melvin brought him in for, after all. A Hall/Branyan platoon could be a huge spark for a struggling offense.

• As much as I do not want to endorse a managerial change mid-season, The Ned Yost Experiment has run its course. Ned no longer has the excuse that he is still learning on the job. Brewers teams under his tutelage have notoriously collapsed, or at lease swooned, after the All-Star break. That would spell disaster for this Brewers team after its slow start.

  Ned has traditionally handled the bullpen very poorly as well. I am not naive enough to blame Eric Gagne’s struggles on the skipper, but it is something to be concerned about. He has also managed the pitch counts of starting pitchers poorly, which has been well-chronicled during the off-season. I do not feel the 2008 Brewers can afford to wait until July or August to realize that Ned is doing the same thing again. I would give Ned another week or so to turn things around. If he cannot, a change may be in order. Perhaps Ted Simmons can light a fire under this team. Someone has to do it.

These changes could help the Brewers get back to their winning ways, and it could help them immediately. None of these would create a championship-caliber team instantly. I admit that. The starting rotation still has issues. Manny Parra and Carlos Villanueva need to step up. Jeff Suppan must be the innings-eater that the Brewers are paying him to be. Hopefully Dave Bush will be able to find his command consistently. Brewers starters need to fix their problems in the fifth inning!

All in all, Gagne must go, Russell Branyan should get a call-up to platoon with Bill Hall, and Ned Yost should have a very short leash. The 2008 Milwaukee Brewers have serious issues that need to be addressed. The “It’s still early” excuse is no longer relevant. Doug Melvin needs to make some moves to help the team succeed. That is what he is paid for, after all.

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: Wednesday

I don’t really have anything to say that hasn’t already been said, so let’s jump right into it.

• One of the most refreshing pieces of the day comes from Anthony Witrado from the Milwaukee JS.  Like all Brewers fans, I am sick of hearing people say that it’s “early” and the bats will come around.  BrewersNation regular, Kyle, had a very astute post yesterday.  What if the Brewers are simply not a very good hitting team?  It looks like Witrado is also sick of excuses.  Ryan Braun even dropped a four-letter word to express his frustrations.  Of course, Ned is busy saying that everything is fine.  Really Ned?  You think getting two-hit by Scott Olsen is a good thing?  Best rethink that one.
• In-Between Hops has a nice article that addresses Ned Yost.  Is his job safe this season?  If the Brewers keep scuffling in the coming weeks, I believe that Ned may be pushed out the door rather quickly.
• Rickie Weeks is perhaps the most frustrating player on the team right now.  He is striking out a lot for a lead-off hitter.  At the same time, however, he’s also near the league lead in runs scored.  I agree with Ned Yost on this one.  Rickie is valuable at the top of the batting order, even if he is not getting on base as much as he should.  When he is getting on base, there is a pretty good chance that he will score.  In fact, I just did a quick calculation.  Rickie has been on base 44 times this season, and he has scored 28 runs.  That is a 64% conversion rate.  Not too shabby.
• The Southern League named Matt LaPorta the Player of the Week for the second time this season.  Matt had a 1.802 OPS this week.  That’s so good, it almost doesn’t make sense.  He also hit his 10th home run of 2008 last night.
• Dayn Perry says that Eric Gagne is one of the worst free agent signings of the winter.
• Tom Haudricourt actually took the time to write an article that proves that the Brewers win more games when Prince Fielder plays well.  I personally could have told you that without writing an article about it.  That is like saying the Brewers score more runs than normal, they win more games.  Tom writes many, many great articles.  Unfortunately, he waisted his time writing this one.
• Dugout Central has an article that runs down the best players that never made it to the 400-home run plateau.  Robin Yount and Paul Molitor made the list to represent the Milwaukee Brewers.  I appreciate that Molitor made the article.  He was a great player.
• SportsBubbler has named Cole Gillespie the Brewers Prospect of the Week.  They admit that Mat Gamel and Matt LaPorta had better weeks, but they wanted to give someone else a little time in the sun.  Make sure you take a look at the numbers Mark DiFelice is putting up in Triple-A.  He may be someone the Brewers take a look at in the coming weeks.  That 25/0 K/BB rate is just nasty.
• David Pinto wrote a very interesting article about a potential power shift from the AL to the NL starting this season.  The NL is outscoring the AL by quite a bit to start the season, and Pinto believes this stems from the youth movement gaining momentum in the NL.  The NL has consistently gotten younger in the past few years, and the AL has gotten older.  Pinto asserts that this trend could continue and mark a monumental power shift in Major League Baseball.

Round ‘em Up: Tuesday

Good afternoon everyone.  Now I knew that my post yesterday about trading Prince Fielder was going to ruffle a few feathers, but I did not expect to get a nice profanity-laden reply.  Fans have this glorified picture of a Milwaukee Brewers that can pay Prince Fielder $15M+ per year and still field a competitive team around him.  We just do not have the payroll.  It sucks.  I would love to see Prince in a Brewers uniform for the next 10 years.  At some point, however, you have to realize that long-term contracts cripple small market teams.  Our farm system is how we got to where we are now.  It would be naive to believe that we can maintain this level of success and not replenish the system.  Anyway, I digress.  Here’s what I have for you today:

• At the risk of sounding like a broken record…the Brewers offense neeeeeeds to get going!  Ned Yost and the players are trying to deflect the questions and say all the right things, but it is obvious that the team is frustrated.  It seems that the offense is very, very close to breaking out.  I’ve been saying that for about three weeks now though.  I do not even know what to believe anymore.
• Doug Melvin says that Eric Gagne is not going to be moved from the closer spot just yet.  Gagne is not producing, but he has not been nearly as bad as everyone has made him out to be.  His stuff is a lot better now than it was at the beginning of the season.  We do not want another Derrick Turnbow here.  How about the fans give Eric some support?  Success follows confidence, after all.
• Jerry Crasnick from ESPN.com believes that Milwaukee will not be able to overcome their pitching issues to win the division.
• Brewerfan.net recaps April 2008 in the minor leagues.  Mat Gamel and Matt LaPorta are co-Players of the month, and Omar Aguilar is the pitcher of the month.  Omar Aguilar is nasty, in case you have not noticed.  The article also has a great round-table discussion about various newsworthy stories in the Brewers organization.
• Dugout Central has the solution for the Milwaukee Brewers.  They should trade for Huston Street from the Oakland A’s.  The Brewers would have to give up Mat Gamel, Cole Gillespie, and Gabe Kapler to get the young closer.  The positive aspect of this trade is that Street still has two years of arbitration left before becoming a free agent.  He would thus not be a “rental player.”  I would not make this trade, however, as Street has battled arm injuries in the past year.  It’s probably not a good idea to get rid of your second best prospect for someone that has had injury problems.  Not to mention that Billy Beane would probably ask for more than Gamel, Gillespie, and Kapler.
• Remember Nelson Cruz?  The Brewers traded him to Texas in the Carlos Lee deal a couple years back.  Nelson has become the quintessential AAAA player, one that mashes in Triple-A, but cannot find success in the bigs.  WIth that said, his numbers in 2008 down in Triple-A have been ridiculous.  He’s batting .375/.520/.781 with 11 home runs.  Those are video game numbers right there.

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.

Braun lifts Crew over Cubs

The Brewers have been criticized for choking after the halfway point of the season.  People like Dayn Perry think that the Brewers will crumble again during the mid-season.

They just may do that this season again, but my money is that they will not.  Why?  This year’s Milwaukee Brewers were able to pick themselves up off the floor after yesterday’s shellacking and get the win in the top of the ninth inning off Kerry Wood.  The 2008 Milwaukee Brewers look to be much more resilient than the teams from years past.

In the top of the ninth, Wood plunked Craig Counsell.  Gabe Kapler doubled to left, and it appeared that Alfonso Soriano could have gotten the ball if he would have kept running.  Instead, he stopped short of the warning track.  Jason Kendall then hit a well-placed grounder for an infield single to score Counsell.  Rickie Weeks walked, and Mike Cameron struck out.  Ryan Braun then whiffed badly at a slider that was nowhere near the strike zone.  He easily could have taken the next pitch to get his bearings.  Ryan Braun doesn’t do that.  Ryan took a 96 mph fastball and smacked it over Kosuke Fukudome’s head to score Kapler and Kendall.

Eric Gagne came in and recorded his ninth save of the season.  Quite the win for your Milwaukee Brewers.  Let’s hope that the Crew can keep this momentum going for the rest of the road trip.

The Brewers did skirt disaster earlier in the game, however.  When trying to cover first base, Yovani Gallardo crumpled to the ground after his knee gave out on him.  He looked to have injured the same knee he had surgery on.  Yo went back out the next inning though.  Yost said that the fall scared Yo more than anything.  After the game, Yovani said that everything is fine.  Thank goodness.

Records: Brewers (16-12); Cubs (17-11)

Hero of the Game: Ryan Braun

Ryan went 3-5 in the game with a solo home run in the sixth inning off Carlos Zambrano.  The big blow came in the top of the ninth, however, when he lifted the game winning RBI double over Kosuke Fukudome.  Ryan is still a little over-aggressive at the plate, but he is beginning to find his stroke at the plate.  His average is now .287 and on the rise.  He is making defensive strides in left field as well.  The Brewers may be getting their NL Rookie of the Year back to form.  The offense could certainly use him.

Goat of the Game: Kerry Wood

I cannot help but give it to Kerry.  A tip of the hat to you, my friend.  Thanks for the victory.

On Tap

The Milwaukee Brewers will give the ball to Carlos Villanueva to battle Roy Oswalt tomorrow night at 7:05pm CT.  The Crew will continue their road trip with a three game series in Houston.  The bats in Houston are beginning to heat up.  Carlos looks to quiet them down tomorrow night.

Round ‘em Up: Sunday

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

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

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

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.

Fielder homers in comeback victory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Player of the Game: Prince Fielder

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

Goat of the Game: Manny Parra

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

On Tap

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

Homer barrage helps Brewers halt skid

This morning I said someone needed to do something to get the Brewers bats going. The Crew did not necessarily pound out the hits, but nobody expected them to against Johan Santana. While hits were semi-difficult to come by, home runs were not. Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall, and Gabe Kapler all hit big flies that carried the Milwaukee Brewers to a win over the Mets ace.

Those contact lenses seem to have helped Bill Hall see the ball a little better, as he has five home runs on the season thus far. His overall contact has been lacking, and his strikeout rate has been quite high. Overall though, the transition back to the infield has done a lot for his offense. People may call it a coincidence, but Bill has pointed out that his legs are a lot less tired when he plays in the infield. Tired legs do translate to trouble at the plate.

I can not say enough about Gabe Kapler. He has done nothing but produce, in both the field and at the plate. He has a veteran approach to the game, and he has been a rock in the lineup. No one could have predicted that before the season started.

Rickie Weeks looks good at the plate. His .209 batting average is not going to impress anyone, but his approach has been great. He’s taking many pitches and drawing walks. Off-speed pitches are still giving him trouble, but he has not gotten completely locked in yet. That 100+ points separating his batting average and his on-base percentage is why he’s a lead-off hitter. He’ll get hot.

Many Brewers fans were wondering how Ben Sheets was going to start the season after a rough spring. How about 16 straight scoreless innings to start the year? How about 18 straight batters retired after a rough first two innings? I think Benny is just fine, thank you very much.

Eric Gagne came in to close out the game today. I am not going to lie. I had my reservations. I was holding my breath the whole time. Eric looked good though. His fastball had a little life today, and he commanded it beautifully. The velocity is still not where I would like it to be, as it’s only in the 92-93mph range, but good location will beat velocity every time. He had a relatively good change-up today. His curveball was a non-factor, but it was good that he still threw it. He needs to keep the batters off-balance. Nice job today, Eric.

Records: Brewers (7-4); Mets (5-5)

Hero of the Game: Ben Sheets

Ben did not look to have his best stuff early in the game. His curveball was getting a little too high in the zone, and his fastball lacked his usual velocity. He gave up two runs in the first and struggled in the second. His pitch count neared 50 after the second inning. Then, Ben decided it was time to play. He retired every batter after the second inning until David Wright hit a solo-homer off Ben in the eight inning. Benny was just out there for a batter too long. He is an bona fide ace. The Brewers are a different team when he is on the mound. That 2-0 record and 1.17 ERA look mighty nice.

Also, hats off to Hernan Iribarren who got his first Major League hit in the top of the ninth inning. He got picked off right after, but it was a great moment for the young man. Congratulations from BrewersNation!

Goat of the Game: Ryan Braun

This is a rough pick for the youngster, but if he is going to be MVP-caliber like he is capable of, he needs to step it up. When there are runners on the corners with 1 out against Johan Santana, you cannot strike out. You simply cannot. There is no telling as to when you’re going to get another chance to score against a pitcher like that. If he is going to be such a feared hitter in the lineup, he needs to draw more walks and not strike out so much. On a different down note, he also got caught stealing. Everyone is allowed to have a bad game though. Turn it around tomorrow, Ryan!

On Tap

Jeff Suppan and the Milwaukee Brewers will take on Oliver Perez and the New York Mets in Game 3 of the series. The rubber match will at 12:10pm CT. Control is a problem for Oliver Perez, so patience and plate discipline will be a key tomorrow. Let’s get the road series victory tomorrow boys!

Round ‘em Up: Thursday

Your Milwaukee Brewers fell out of first place last night with a loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Let’s hope that Carlos Villanueva can pitch a gem today and get the Crew a series win before heading out of town. Plus, maybe the Pittsburgh Pirates can actually beat the Chicago Cubs in extras today because we all know it will go to extras for the third game in a row.

• Here are the starting lineups for today. I’m not one to normally criticize Yost’s lineups, but I agree with Tom Haudricourt on this one. Are we really going to have Gabe Gross start ahead of Gabe Kapler simply because the stats say he should? The theoretical stats, that is. Because if you looked at the actual stats, you would see that Gross is hitting .091 and Kapler is hitting .412. You’re right though, Ned. Gabe makes much more since here.
• I had a sneaking hunch that Tony Gwynn Jr. was going to be put on the DL. His “tight hamstring” seemed to be a little more than that. Today, Tony was put on the 15-day DL. Who got called up? Triple-A center fielder, Hernan Iribarren. Hernan has been fairly impressive in Nashville thus far. I thought that Laynce Nix was going to be called up, but I remembered that he would be out of options then. He’d have to clear waivers after Tony came back.In addition to Tony getting put on the DL, Yovani Gallardo will join the team today. He will not be taken off the 15-day DL yet, but it will be nice to have Yo back in the clubhouse. Perhaps he will be the one to personally tell Dave Bush that he may be heading to the bullpen. Probably not, but I would like that.
• Between the Green Pillars takes a look at Eric Gagne. Gagne may have blown the save, but he did not throw the ball poorly. As of right now, I’m sticking with my stance that he will be just fine in the closer’s role. But I do have the right to change my mind and be seething mad at Eric if he blows a save during today’s game.
• Prince Fielder will be wearing #42 to honor Jackie Robinson. Wouldn’t it be better if anyone on the Brewers could wear it if they wanted to?
• The Hardball Times says that Mat Gamel is one of the minor league hitters to watch in 2008. It is a very good analysis of his swing and his improvement in the last three years. It even has video of his swings from 2006 and 2007 for you to compare and analyze. I like it.
• The Sports Bubbler takes a look at Rickie Weeks and how he obviously makes the team immensely better when he is right. Nothing groundbreaking, but give it a look anyway.
• Continuing with the Sports Bubbler, they continue their look at prospects in Milwaukee’s system that have something to prove. Today’s category is defense. Who needs to improve their glove to improve their stock as a prospect? Obviously Mat Gamel and Brent Brewer fall into that category right away. They also add Matt LaPorta to that list. I’m not sure if I necessarily agree with that, as Matt has been okay in left field. He does not need to be a Gold Glover with that bat he has. He just needs to be average. I think he is on track to hit that benchmark this season.