Bush fantasti-K against the Rox

Obviously, the game was not on TV today, so I was not able to watch it.  I did listen to it and see the highlights, however.  Here is the extended boxscore, if you are curious.

With all the attention on CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets (and rightly so), Dave Bush went out and gave a performance to remember.  It’s too bad that the game was not televised for anyone to see it.  The right-hander went 8 innings strong and struck out 13 batters.  And you thought Big Ben was impressive yesterday.

I was surprised Yost let Bush go 120+ pitches, but with the All-Star Break coming up, it should not be a problem.  Bushie had fantastic control this afternoon.  For the second start in a row, he did not walk a batter.  That is absolutely key for someone like Bush.  The strikeouts are just an added plus.  He has made an extremely strong push for the final spot in the rotation once Jeff Suppan comes back from the DL.  In his last two outings combined, Bush has gone 16 innings and only given up one earned run.

Dave Bush is notoriously a slow starter.  In his career, he has had an ERA above 5.00 in April and May.  When the weather heats up, however, so does Bush.  That is what we have seen this season as well.  He had a 3.65 ERA last month, and those numbers have only improved in July.  It looks as if the best option for Milwaukee is to move Seth McClung to the bullpen and give the ball to Bush every fifth day.  The ‘pen sure could use some help, considering how well Guillermo Mota has been pitching.

Speaking of Mota, Ned Yost says his mechanics are off.  He is “collapsing his back side,” which is causing his pitches to have little or no movement.  Mota and Mike Maddux are working extremely hard on correcting this fault.  Apparently, they corrected this before the season started, and Mota simply reverted back to his old ways.  I may simply be hard-headed, but I believe a part of it has to do with his reluctance to throw his change-up.  I will not beat that comment to death again though.  Hopefully, Maddux and Yost can get that situation worked out quickly because Mota has been absolutely brutal in the past two months.  The only question I have is: Why did it take 2 months for Maddux and Yost to notice this if they corrected it before?

Back to the game.  The offense came out to play today after getting embarrassed last night by Glendon Rusch.  Perhaps they all read everything being said about them last night, as the Crew walked four times today.  Not great, but certainly not bad.  J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart both hit home runs this afternoon.  Hart made the All-Star Game, by the way.  If you all have not seen the team mob him during the press conference, you should check it out.  Hart’s daughter got a good part of it too.  Congratulations, Corey.  You definitely deserve it!

Someone that deserves some ink is Gabe Kapler.  He produced again this afternoon, going 3-4 with three doubles and two RBI.  The comeback story is never-ending it seems.  I would love for Ned Yost to give Kapler more at-bats, but those at-bats are difficult to find.  Mike Cameron has been swinging the bat better as of late, and his defense is top-notch.  Did you see a couple of the plays he made last night?  He rarely makes a false step in center field and almost always takes a direct path to the ball.  It is an joy to watch him in the field.  Gabe provides the team with a more than capable fourth outfielder though, and that is extremely valuable.

Records: Brewers (51-41); Rockies (39-54)

Hero of the Game: Dave Bush

How can you go eight innings, give up only three hits, surrender zero earned runs, strike out 13, not walk a batter, and not get the Hero of the Game?  The only thing I would like to see is Dave have one of these performances on the road.  He always has been lights out at home, but has consistently struggled on the road.  He will need to deliver in his first road start after the All-Star Break to cement his status as Milwaukee’s #5 starter.

Goat of the Game: FSN North

Why was this game not on TV?  I understand the team does not have a contract to televise every game, but a game like this should never be only shown on tape delay.  Mark Attanasio should get a deal to televise all 162 games in the works.

On Tap

LHP Manny Parra will look to get the Brewers on a winning streak before the All-Star Break.  The Brewers will go up against RHP Josh Fogg, which is slightly concerning.  Yes, Josh Fogg is terrible, but he also went five innings and only gave up one earned run earlier in 2008 against the Brewers.  As Aaron said, the Crew has a way of making soft-tossing control pitchers look like aces.  Let’s hope the Brewers are patient at the plate and take their walks.  The game will start at 7:05pm CT.

Round ‘em Up: Thursday

UPDATE 07-10-08 1:55pm – Ned Yost says Milwaukee has no interest in releasing Guillermo Mota.  Oh good.

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Well, ladies and gentlemen. The Milwaukee Brewers pretended Glendon Rusch was the second coming of CC Sabathia last night. All the Brewers hitters (perhaps with the exception of Bill Hall) looked utterly lost against the left-hander. It’s not like he had an ERA of over 6 and a half coming into the game…

• Last night, Pete from Brewers Fanatics ran the first installment of The Brewers Blog Roundtable. Jared from Right Field Bleachers and myself took most of the questions, and we have a podcast for you all to listen to. As of right now, the Roundtable is going to be a sort of question-and-answer format. We are very open to making it a live call-in show if the audience is big enough. Until then, I will simply post the podcasts here for you to listen to.

  The first installment is a little rough, as Pete is getting used to the software. It was also our first run at the program, so it will get smoother down the line. It’s a pretty good product for the first try though. Enjoy.

  Brewers Blog Roundtable

• Tom Haudricourt says enough is enough with Guillermo Mota. He fully expects Mota to be designated for assignment today. I completely agree that he will be DFA’d, but it will probably not come until after today’s game. What if the Crew needs someone to handle mop-up time? Might as well get a few more innings out of Mota before cutting him loose.

  TH thinks Luis Pena will get the call to the big leagues. He struggled with his stuff to start the season, but has really turned it on as of late. Nashville’s closer has a 1.78 ERA in his last 30 1/3 innings. Not bad at all.

  I think that Doug Melvin and Ned Yost will go with big league experience at this point in the season, however. He may not have much, but Tim Dillard showed that he’s capable of handling himself on a big stage. It’s true that he lost his command a bit, but has been throwing the ball much better with the Sounds lately.

• In-Between Hops believes it may only take a trip to the DL to get Mota back on track. If only things were just that simple…
• The Brew Town Beat is absolutely ecstatic that Haudricourt is calling for Guillermo Mota’s head. Mota has been exceptionally awful over the past month and a half, and it is about time for Milwaukee to cut their losses and DFA the big guy.

  I also notice that Brew Town mentions me in their post when they criticize people for saying Mota has thrown good pitches like the pitch against Joe Mauer. I don’t shy away from criticism. That was a good pitch, and Mauer simply beat him. The problem is that Mota has not thrown many good pitches since that point. I did not defend him in the least bit against Arizona or last night. It was one game, and I stick by it. With that said, Mota’s time in Milwaukee has drawn to a close.

• Brew Crew Pub says something is missing from the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers. It is patience and a high on-base percentage. Agreed. I’m not sure Kenny Lofton is the best choice here. I would much rather send Rickie Weeks away from a high OBP second baseman like you’re suggesting. To my knowledge, Huntsville has not tried Alcides Escobar at second base.

  What would I suggest? This is clearly me in a dreamworld, but how about a package that sends Rickie Weeks, Brad Nelson, and Zach Braddock for Brian Roberts and George Sherrill? Both Roberts and Sherrill will be under Milwaukee’s control past the 2008 season, and it would provide the Brewers with a very solid arm in the bullpen and a bona fide lead-off hitter. The package would probably need another prospect though. Perhaps someone like a Alexandre Periard.

• Ned Yost does not want Ryan Braun to participate in the Home Run Derby. Milwaukee’s manager does not want Braun messing up his swing for the second half. I’m more worried about his sore hand at this point…
• Between the Green Pillars takes an excellent look at the Manny Parra situation. He is on pace to throw more innings than the Brewers organization originally wanted him to. History has shown that pitchers are at a higher risk for injury if they make a big jump in innings pitched like Parra is on pace to do. The author believes Milwaukee will not hold him back, as the CC Sabathia trade signifies that the team is all in for this season.

  I would agree with that, but I also do not fall in the camp that believes Parra’s innings should be limited this season. Younger pitchers coming out of high school do need to watch their innings, but Parra does not have a young arm. He has been slowed by injuries, yes, but he is not new to throwing on the mound. Older relievers that have never thrown many innings do just fine when stretching out their arms. In my opinion, Parra is certainly capable of going more than 163 innings. If he starts to experience a bit of “dead arm,” then Ned Yost should worry about it.

• Something tells me that Jason Kendall was a good pick-up this off-season.
• The Junkball Blues takes a look at what Chicago gave up to get Rich Harden compared to what Milwaukee gave up to get CC Sabathia. He concludes that Harden did cost a bit more than Sabathia, as he should.

  People keep overlooking the fact that Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, and Eric Patterson have all spent time in the big leagues. The Cleveland Indians did not get that from a single player from Milwaukee. Matt LaPorta may fizzle out before getting to the big leagues. After all, Nelson Cruz is still raking in Triple-A…

• The Cub Reporter says that Rich Harden may not be under Chicago’s control through the 2009 season like everyone believes. That would certainly change the dynamics of the trade completely. (Tip of the cap to Right Field Bleachers for this one.)
• Dugout Central says that Billy Beane is a dangerous GM to be making a deal with. He never loses a big trade. Most of the pitchers he loses end up fizzling out due to some sort of injury (Mark Mulder) or ineffectiveness (Barry Zito). I don’t know if I agree with the article when it says Tim Hudson has been mostly ineffective for two seasons. I definitely wouldn’t want that 3.16 ERA from this season or that 3.33 ERA from 2007. What a poor performance…

Glendon Rusch? Really?

The Rockies have heard all about the Milwaukee Brewers the past three days, and they must be sick of it.  They decided to put together a little fireworks show of their own tonight.  8-3 Rockies.

This wasn’t supposed to happen tonight.  Glendon Rusch took the mound for the Rox, a slow-throwing left-hander.  The Brewers trotted out ace #2 tonight, Ben Sheets.  On paper, the Brewers should have run away with this game.

Sheets did his part, fanning a season-high 11 Rockies.  He looked to have his ‘A’-stuff tonight.  The first seven outs of the game for Sheets were via the strike out.  From early on, fans thought they were going to see something special tonight from Big Ben.  Ben did pitch fantastically, but the Rockies took advantage of every mistake he made – even if they were few and far between.

In the sixth inning, Ben walked Matt Holiday after a long at-bat.  The right-hander was visibly upset with himself, talking and muttering intently on the mound.  At this point in the contest, it was 1-1.  Benny looked to get out of the inning with a ground ball, but served up a home run to Garrett Atkins.  The pitch count reached 110 pitches after the inning ended – fittingly on a strike out – and the bullpen took over.

The bullpen imploded and gave away any chance for the Crew to get back in the game.  Mitch Stetter, after my singing his praises this afternoon, struggled with his command and gave up an RBI bloop single to Scott Podsednik.  Colorado led 4-1 going into the bottom of the seventh.

Offensively, the Brewers came alive against Manuel Corpas.  The suddenly red-hot Bill Hall continued his fine swinging against a right-handed pitcher with a one-out double to jump start the Crew.  Mike Cameron followed with an RBI single, who later scored on an infield single by Russell Branyan.  Yes, Russell had a base hit that was not a home run.

In a 4-3 game, who is the last person Ned Yost should have called on at this point?  Guillermo Mota.  The veteran right-hander has struggled mightily over the past month and a half, and the Crew needed someone to come in and preserve the one-run deficit.  Instead, Guillermo gave up four runs on four hits, and the Brewers were suddenly down 8-3.  The Crew never got any closer.

Guillermo will not be seeing any meaningful playing time in the near future.  At least, he should not see any meaningful playing time.  Ned Yost is notorious for having too long of a leash, but the Brewers manager has been much better about that this season (see Derrick Turnbow and Julian Tavarez).  Do you want to know the most maddening part of his outing?  All four base hits came with two outs.  You have got to put a team away with two outs in an inning.  You simply cannot give up four straight hits, two of them being home runs, with two outs.  That will give you a lot of time on the bench to think about it.

I know I have harped on this for the past month now, but what is wrong with throwing a change-up?  Guillermo Mota threw it three times in the eighth inning.  He got Joe Koshansky – who later homered – to swing over the top of it, he got Matt Holiday to ground out weakly to the pitcher, and he got Omar Quintanilla to line out to Corey Hart.  That is three pitches and no hits.  Something tells me Mota should throw that a little more often.  What do I know though, right?

Overall, this is a devastating loss for the Brewers.  The Cardinals lost, but the Cubs won.  The Crew had a match-up that practically handed them a win.  Even after going six innings and giving up only one run, Rusch still has a 6.25 ERA.  He looked like an ace tonight.  Good grief.

Records: Brewers (50-41); Rockies (39-53)

Hero of the Game: Bill Hall

It’s nice to see Billy swinging a hot stick again.  It is even against righties and lefties this time around, which is huge for the Brewers third baseman.  In last night’s game, Billy hit a clutch two-run single against a right-hander, and he started off the mini-rally tonight in the seventh inning with a double off righty Manuel Corpas.  In the meantime, Hall is still raking against southpaws.  He provided the only offense against Glendon Rusch with his mammoth home run in the bottom of the second.

Goat of the Game: Guillermo Mota

Unfortunately, Mota’s $3.2M contract will be almost impossible to move before the trade deadline.  The big salary will almost certainly keep him on the roster.  Either Ned Yost will pitch Mota in some mop-up situations for right now and let him work out his issues, or Milwaukee will DFA the veteran right-hander and send him to the minors.  No one will pick-up Mota at this point, and he would likely accept a demotion to Nashville.  Even if he didn’t accept the move, he would forfeit his contract and become a free agent.  That sounds quite appealing, doesn’t it?

On Tap

RHP Dave Bush will look to help the Brewers split the series against LHP Jorge De la Rosa and the Colorado Rockies.  This is a huge game for the Crew, as they cannot afford to lose a 4-game series at home.  That would be devastating before the All-Star Break.  The game is not televised, but it will be on WTMJ at 1:05pm CT.

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: Thursday

Let’s get down to business and see what’s going on in the blogosphere.

• The site had been predicting Ryan Braun’s day off for a couple days now.  Yost seems to think it could be his hand, but his plate discipline has been especially terrible lately.  Taking a few pitches wouldn’t hurt him.  I think he may be sitting this afternoon as well, as Yost hopes a little time off will help Braun clear his head a bit.
• Brew Crew Pub has a game wrap from yesterday’s game.  Aaron does make a great point about Brian Shouse.  The veteran southpaw came in the game in a tight spot last night in the seventh, but he once again helped the Brewers escape unscathed.  In a tough spot, there is no one else – besides Salomon Torres – that I would like to see on the mound.
• TheJay from Brew Crew Ball analyzes the road/home split of the Brewers offense against relief pitchers.  Milwaukee is not especially stellar against relievers as a whole, but they struggle mightily on the road.  I don’t have any stats to back this up, as I have not analyzed this thoroughly, but it seems that Milwaukee hitters are incredibly impatient against relievers.  Even more so than against starters, if that is possible.  Needless to say, that may have to change.
• Al’s Ramblings notes that Peter Gammons said on the air that Milwaukee will not trade two of the Huntsville 5.  That means a trade package will not include two of Matt LaPorta, Mat Gamel, Angel Salome, Michael Brantley, and Alcides Escobar.  What’s crazy is that Huntsville still has Cole Gillespie and Chris Errecart in the starting lineup.  Double-A is stacked.
• Some are starting to think that Guillermo Mota is tipping his pitches.  I personally think that is a lame excuse.  Every time a pitcher struggles, he does not have to be tipping his pitches.  I do think Eric Gagne was doing so, but not Guillermo.  Perhaps he could actually throw his change-up, so hitters are able to sit on the fastball.  He does not throw his slider for strikes.  Therefore, hitters sit on the fastball.  He’s not tipping his pitches…
• Indians GM Mark Shapiro says that the Indians are clearly sellers at this point in the season.  That means the C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes are about to begin.
• Speaking of C.C. Sabathia, ESPN’s Buster Olney says that the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox are not going to be serious players in acquiring last year’s Cy Young winner.  That means the front-runners will be Milwaukee and Philadelphia.  Some say that the Angels will be players, but I believe they are looking for offense.  Apparently, they covet Matt Holliday.
• Eli’s MLB Rumors says the St. Louis Cardinals are also after Matt Holliday.  Eli did not provide a link, however, so I am unsure if there is any truth to that.
• SportsBubbler has this week’s Prospect of the Week, OF Caleb Gindl.  The young outfielder has really turned it on over the past month in West Virginia.  Add Caleb to the glut of quality outfield prospects in Milwaukee’s system.
• Mound Talk has a new ranking of the Top 50 Prospects.  The Brewers have four players that make the list: Matt LaPorta (who is #2), Mat Gamel, Angel Salome, and Jeremy Jeffress.  Not bad at all.
• Fan Graphs says Jeremy Jeffress is something special.  Tell us something we don’t know already.
• Do you remember Grant Balfour?  He made a brief appearance for Milwaukee last season before being traded for Seth McClung.  Last night, Balfour pitched the ninth against the Boston Red Sox for a save.  Balfour has always had great stuff, but he hasn’t been able to harness it.  Hopefully this is the beginning to a great career for Grant.

Crew holds off D’Back rally

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Goat of the Game: Ryan Braun

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

On Tap

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

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.

Home runs cannot push Crew past Twins

The offense did it’s part, but it wasn’t enough.

Corey Hart’s two homers were not enough to overcome Minnesota’s seven runs.  J.J. Hardy confused everyone watching by socking a two-run home run to the opposite field.  A monster blast by Russell Branyan was not enough.  The 12 hits pounded out by the Crew were not enough to pull out the ‘W’ tonight.

A long story short…one cannot blame Milwaukee’s offense for losing tonight’s game against the Twins.  Even Rickie Weeks continues to swing a pretty good bat since coming off the DL this week.  It may just be me, but Rickie always seems to rake after coming off an injury.  Just an observation.

The infallible Seth McClung came down to earth a bit this evening, struggling through 4.2 innings and giving up five runs.  Minnesota managed nine hits off the big right-hander.  Seth simply didn’t have his ‘A’ stuff tonight.  Heck, he didn’t even have his ‘C’ stuff.  After the bunch of fine performances in the past couple weeks, however, I am more than willing to look past this start.

Seth’s control was spotty at best today, as he found far too much of the plate far too often.  He seemed a little reluctant to throw the curveball this evening, and the Twins hitters jumped on his fastball.  The big man put together a poor outing in every sense, and he will look to rebound next week.  Let’s hope he does in a big way.  The rotation has begun to rely on Seth at the back-end.  If he begins to lose his command, the Brewers may seriously begin to push the C.C. Sabathia envelope.

With a tie game, Ned Yost turned to Guillermo Mota to preserve the 6-6 tie.  Mota has been struggling over the past month, but he looked to be throwing the ball quite well tonight.  Even Joe Mauer’s go-ahead solo shot was a 96 mph fastball at his shoulders.  That is not a location mistake.  A pitcher cannot do anything but tip his cap to the hitter at that point.  It was a good pitch.  Mota couldn’t go to the slider on an 0-2 count to a lefty.  If he hung it, it was gone.  He and Kendall made the right decision, and Mota threw it where Kendall wanted it.  Joe Mauer simply connected.  Ballgame.

The Brewers made it interesting in the top of the ninth against closer Joe Nathan, but were unable to capitalize.  Prince Fielder was up at the plate with runners and first and second.  A grounder to first base ended the threat, however.  Fielder is still over-aggressive when he has the chance to win the game in the ninth.  He needs to relax more at the plate.  Maturity will help alleviate that tension though.  It will come.

Records: Brewers (43-36); Twins (44-36)

Hero of the Game: J.J. Hardy

I know Corey Hart hit two home runs today, but J.J. did something I never thought I would see again.  He drove the ball with authority to the opposite field and hit a home run.  The Brewers shortstop went 2-5 in the two-hole in the lineup.  He has continued to look pretty good since being moved to the two spot.  If Hardy can consistently drive the ball to right field with authority, pitchers will have to pitch him inside again.  Brewers fans should know what Hardy can do with an inside fastball.  His scorching start to the 2007 season should be an indicator of that.  He mashes the inside fastball.

Goat of the Game: Seth McClung

This award cannot go to Guillermo Mota tonight.  He did not throw a bad 0-2 pitch to Joe Mauer.  It was shoulder-high and at 96 mph.  What more can you ask for from Guillermo?  The all-star catcher simply deposited his strikeout pitch over center field.

Seth McClung, on the other hand, had a terrible outing.  The big right-hander was unable to preserve any lead Milwaukee had over Minnesota, and it eventually came back to bite the Crew.  I look forward to next week when fans can see how he responds to this start.  He’s done nothing but impress thus far, so I suspect that will continue next week.

On Tap

Rookie left-hander Manny Parra will battle veteran right-hander Livan Hernandez tomorrow night in Minneapolis.  The game will start at 6:10pm CT.  Manny looks to rebound from a below-average start, but it will not be an easy task against the surging Twins.  Control will be key for Manny tomorrow evening.

Prince’s Power Hour Propels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hero of the Game: Prince Fielder

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

Stat May June

On Base Percentage .358 .432

Average .294 .343

Slugging: .450 .757

Promising stuff from the kid.

Goat of the Game: Davillermo RiskMota

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

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

On Tap:

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

By: Dan Wiersema

Bullpen blows up as Brewers fall to struggling Rockies

This loss stings a little more than the rest of them.

The Milwaukee Brewers continued their losing ways on the road yesterday, dropping the opening game of the series with Colorado 6-4. All looked fantastic for the majority of the game, too.

Right-hander Ben Sheets was not dominate by any stretch of the imagination. He did, however, get through six innings with only one run allowed. That’s what an ace does for his team. Even when he does not have his best stuff, Benny still puts zeros up on the board to keep Milwaukee in the game.

Milwaukee was more than in the game though. In fact, going into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Crew was up 4-1. Russell Branyan and J.J. Hardy both hit home runs in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie at the time, and Jason Kendall snuck a triple down the right field line to score Hardy in the seventh to stretch the lead to 4-1.

Carlos Villanueva looked brilliant in the bottom of the seventh, and I waited for Villy to trot out the mound in the eighth to shut down the Rockies again. That was not the case, however. Ned Yost called on Guillermo Mota for the eighth inning.

That backfired on Ned extremely fast. Mota fell behind in the count early and often to the Colorado hitters. He gave up back-to-back singles to Jonathan Herrera and Ryan Spilborghs. The hot-hitting Todd Helton then smoked a double off the center field wall. Mota then falls behind in the count again and serves up a game-tying triple to Garrett Atkins. Needless to say, Brewers fans were falling all over themselves they were so upset.

Brian Shouse then came in the game to try and escape the jam. It didn’t work so well for Brian. On the first pitch he through, Brad Hawpe tattooed a curveball for a two-run homer. Rockies up 6-4.

After getting the wind knocked out of their sails in the bottom of the eighth, the Crew was unable to put anything together in the ninth inning. Brewers dropped their first game in their last seven, and not surprisingly came on the road. Tough, tough way to lose a game.

I don’t normally question Ned’s pitching changes, as hindsight is an unfair and unprofessional way to criticize a manager. Ned’s management of the bullpen needs to be addressed, however. After last night’s game, the Brewers manager said that he went to Mota in the eighth because he’s been Milwaukee’s eighth inning pitcher for the majority of the year. Why change now?

Besides the closer’s position, do relievers really need to have assigned roles? Did Ned not specifically say at the beginning of the year that the bullpen was stacked with quality arms, so he would mix-and-match roles with who was throwing the ball well? There has not been a reliever pitching any better than Carlos Villanueva. Using that philosophy, it would have been a no-brainer to leave Carlos in the game.

Ned’s response is that he would have left Carlos in the game, but it was a save situation. Therefore, Ned must follow his prescribed plan that has Guillermo Mota pitching in the eighth and Salomon Torres in the ninth. I don’t know why it needs to be that way, but apparently it does.

I understand that relievers want to know their roles. I understand that if Mota cruised through the eighth, we wouldn’t be having this conversation this morning. You know what though? Mota did blow up. The Brewers did lose the momentum they gained at home this past week and a half. This is a loss that can really take the wind out of a team’s sails.

It is true that Carlos could have done the exact same thing as Mota. All signs pointed to an easy bottom of the eighth for the former starter, however. You stick with the hot hand in the bullpen, Ned. I thought Yost was beginning to understand that concept when he started Gabe Kapler in center (who had an RBI single in the first, by the way). Apparently not. Save the closer’s role, relievers do not need assigned roles in the bullpen. A win does not need to be formulaic. Why go to an unknown entity in Mota when you have visual proof that Carlos is throwing the ball exceedingly well? I just don’t understand.

Records: Brewers (32-29); Rockies (23-38 )

Hero of the Game: J.J. Hardy

J.J. had a solid game all around today. He scored two of the Brewers four runs yesterday. The power has returned a bit for the Brewers shortstop, as Hardy hit another home run. He also scored on Jason Kendall’s triple in the seventh inning. The Brewers need J.J. to keep hitting if they want to be more consistent on offense. With that said, Milwaukee didn’t lose last night’s game because of a lack of hitting.

Goat of the Game: Guillermo Mota

In the eighth inning of a road game, with a 4-1 lead, Mota gave up four earned runs without recording an out. You have to pound the strike zone when leading a close game. The former Met failed to do that the entire inning. He fell behind hitters consistently, and the Rockies made him pay. Throw strikes, Guillermo.

On Tap

After yesterday’s brutal loss, Milwaukee will trot RHP Dave Bush to the mound to take on LHP Greg Reynolds. Game two of the series will start at 7:05pm CT. The Brewers need to win this game. They do not want to start another losing trend on this road series.

Another blown save leads to Brewers loss

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hero of the Game: Manny Parra

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

Goat of the Game: Guillermo Mota

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

On Tap

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

Round ‘em Up: Monday

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

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

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: Wednesday

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

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

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

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

Round ‘em Up: Sunday

This is going to be quite short, I apologize.  I will be gone all day, so I will not be able to watch the game.  I will post later tonight though.

• Guillermo Mota made quite the change in his delivery, and it is paying big dividends.  Bullpen coach, Bill Castro, noticed that Guillermo was not standing completely upright, which negated the advantage of his tall frame.  As such, he is getting much more on a downhill plane.  That is obviously good for the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Here’s a bunch of stuff from Tom Haudricourt.
• Adam McCalvy writes about how J.J. Hardy is trying to adapt to the seven hole.  It is a rough spot for J.J.  He will not see many good pitches because he is just before the pitcher, and the ones he will see are on the outside half of the plate.  Unfortunately, Hardy is not one to hit the ball to the opposite field.  I think that is why he’s struggling.  He’s still trying to pull those pitches that are away from him.
• Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are asking to flip-flop positions in the batting order.  I cannot believe that it could possibly be factoring into their struggles thus far, but it couldn’t hurt, I suppose.  Does anyone else think it was Prince’s idea to change spots?  Mr. Baggy Pants has got quite superstitious over the past week or so.  No worries though.  He’s still the Prince.
• The Sports Bubbler takes a look at Bill Hall.
• The Sports Bubbler also continues their minor league prospect series.  Who has something to prove today?  Those that are struggling with injuries.  Mark Rogers, Jeremy Jeffress (marijuana), and Zach Braddock are all mentioned.

Parra impressive in Brewers win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hero of the Game: Manny Parra

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

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

Goat of the Game: The Brewers Defense

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

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

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

On Tap

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

Should Gagne be Milwaukee’s closer?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gagne sputters, but Brewers win in 10

It was not how Eric Gagne imagined his Brewers debut would turn out, but the Milwaukee Brewers scraped out a win in extra frames today against NL Central rival, Chicago Cubs.

Up 3-0 in the bottom of the ninth, Eric Gagne gave up a lead-off single to Derrick Lee and a walk to Aramis Ramirez, before giving up a three run shot by Kosuke Fukudome that tied the game 3-3.  Gagne was able to work the rest of the ninth without surrendering a run, and the Crew held on to win in the 10th inning.

Ben Sheets looked superb today.  He worked on the black with his fastball, and his curveball had a late, sharp break that gave Chicago hitters fits at the plate.  Sheets went 6 and 1/3 scoreless innings, only giving up the two hits to Fukudome.  Yost pulled Sheets in the seventh after his pitch count got a little too high for the manager’s liking.  Still, Sheets (along with Carlos Zambrano for the Cubs) gave fantastic outings to start the regular season.

Tony Gwynn Jr. had a fine day at the plate, going 2-3 with a walk and two sacrifices.  He knocked in Craig Counsell with a sacrifice fly to center, and it put the Brewers ahead for good in the 10th inning.  David Riske finished off the game with a scoreless frame to get the save.

Guillermo Mota looked very sharp in his Brewers debut, striking out two Cubs in the bottom of the eighth inning.  He had a very live fastball and a good change-up working.  Salomon Torres struggled a bit with his command, but pulled off an interesting scoreless inning in the seventh.  That inning featured Mark DeRosa getting hit by a pitch and committing a huge baserunning gaff that cost the Cubs a run in the seventh.

Records: Brewers (1-0); Cubs (0-1)

Hero of the Game:  Craig Counsell

One could certainly make a case for Gwynn, but the award has to go to the veteran who came off the bench to lead-off the 10th inning with a double.  Later in the inning, Counsell scored on Gwynn’s sacrifice fly to Felix Pie.  The Brewers are paying Counsell to do exactly what he did today.

Goat of the Game:  Eric Gagne

I just about gave this award to Bill Hall after watching him get picked off at second in the seventh inning, but Gagne’s struggles in the ninth inning speak for themselves.  I do have to give Gagne credit for getting through the rest of the ninth inning unscathed, but his blown save cannot be forgotten.  He relied far too much on his fastball to Lee, Ramirez, and Fukudome, and it backfired on him.  It was too straight to be relied on today.  After Fukudome’s home run, he started to mix in his curveball and change-up much more.  He had greater success after that.

Oh, I almost forgot the other reason I picked Gagne for this.  When Pie hits a sharp grounder to Prince Fielder, Gagne did not take off for first base to cover the bag.  Instead, Prince was forced to try to outrun Pie to the bag, and we all know that Prince will lose at that battle.  The announcers said that Prince should have tagged the bag and not the runner, but Prince would have been plowed over by Pie.  We do not need Prince getting hurt on Opening Day.  You could see how pissed off Prince was at Gagne after that play.  You can bet Gagne heard about that in the clubhouse after the game.

On Tap:

Jeff Suppan will take on Chicago’s Ted Lilly on Wednesday at 1:20pm.  The Brewers have a day off tomorrow, but the series will continue on Wednesday with game two.  Let’s hope that Soup bounces back from his Spring Training struggles just like Sheets did today.  I’d take 6 innings worth of three run ball from Soup Wednesday.  That’s the goal.

Round ‘em Up: Escobar, Mota, LaPorta

Today’s Round ‘em Up is going to be a little short.  There is just not that much out there today.  That’s probably because everyone is going to be doing what I will be doing in a little bit…watching the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament.  Here’s what I have for you though:

• Guillermo Mota has been very impressive this spring.  He is attributing that to a new team, some tweaks in his mechanics, and being back with his old teammate, Eric Gagne.  If those two can ever put together what they did with the Dodgers, the Brewers will win the division.  No questions asked.
• Adam McCalvy has a minor league report for us all.  Alcides Escobar is turning heads again this spring.  He made “the best play” that Mitch Stetter and Vinny Rottino had ever seen.  Ever.  Escobar is only 20-years old, and his teammates are already sure that he’s going to be a big league player in a year or two.  I hope they are right.  His defensive skills are something special.

  Mitch Stetter is playing with his delivery to right-handed batters.  He’s always been a sidearm pitcher to lefties, and an overhead pitcher to righties.  Mitch is beginning to switch arm slots during the at-bat to righties.  Apparently, some of the hitters this spring have been completely confused as to what’s going on when he does that.  Anything to gain an edge, right?

• Baseball Digest Daily has their 50 best hitters in the minor leagues.  Matt LaPorta comes in at number 23.
• Dugout Central has an interesting piece about the 10 biggest changes in Major League Baseball throughout its history.  Number one is the switch to allow batters to use maple bats.  Home runs galore after that.
• MLB Trade Rumors says that the Florida Marlins are looking for another pitcher to slot in their starting rotation.  They mention a couple Brewers that could fill that spot.  To me, this seems utterly unlikely.  The Marlins would never take on a contract over $3M right?  That’s what I thought.

JS Notes: Capuano, Weeks, Katin

Sorry this will be so short this morning, but I have to run.  Perhaps I’ll have time later today to get you a full-out Round ‘em Up.  Here are some Journal Sentinel goodies for you:

• The Brewers wiped the floor with Seattle yesterday, beating them 17-3.  Chris Capuano left the game in the fourth inning because of soreness in his elbow.  It’s beginning to look more and more like Cappy will either start the year in Triple-A or on the DL.  Either way, it seems clear that Chris Capuano will not be in the starting rotation on Opening Day.

  Brendan Katin had a huge day against the Mariners.  Katin, a former teammate of Ryan Braun at Miami, went 3-6 with a home run and six RBI.  Not a bad day for a player who had not played in a Spring Training game yet in ‘08.  I wouldn’t get too excited about Katin though, he’s not played above Double-A and he’s 25 years old.  He has zero plate discipline and strikes out too much, even for a Brewer.

  Corey Hart seems to have found his stroke.  He finished the day 2-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.  Perhaps he’s finding his swing just in time for Opening Day.  Don’t even say “See? I told you so.”  Rickie Weeks is still struggling way too much and is on the shelf with hyper-extended fingers.

• In the other game, Milwaukee tied the Chicago White Sox after 10 innings.  Neither team was able to break the 4-4 tie, so the game was just called.

  Mike Cameron and Gabe Gross supplied all the offense on a home run a piece.  Cameron hit a three-run shot that tied the game up in the 5th, and it was a pitcher’s duel after that.

  Carlos Villanueva got knocked around for the first time this spring.  He gave up four runs, only three earned, in five innings of work.  Guillermo Mota pitched two scoreless innings to follow that to continue his nice spring.

• The last article I have for you is about Rickie Weeks and how he is pressing too much.  Surprised?  I didn’t think so.  The interesting information in the article is that Doug Melvin said that Milwaukee will most likely not make a trade this spring if things do not heat up.  He said that people are looking internally to fix their problems.  They don’t want to give up the prospects, which is always difficult to do.

Fielder goes deep in Brewers win

The Milwaukee Brewers continued their solid play this spring, beating the San Diego Padres 6-2.  The win helped them stay in first place in the Cactus League standings.

Records: Brewers (11-6); Padres (8-7)

Batting

Much has been made about Prince Fielder and his switch to a vegetarian diet.  Would it affect his power?  Some fans were getting antsy because Prince had not hit a home run this spring.  Some were calling for Prince to go back to the carnivorous diet.  Prince Fielder quieted the crowd today when he hit a solo home run in the sixth inning off of Cla Meredith.

Mike Cameron had a very fine day today, going 2-3 with two singles and a run scored.  Craig Counsell continued his hot streak this spring.  He went 2-2 with an RBI and a run scored.  Craig is now hitting .444 for Spring Training.  So much for those who said that he didn’t have the offensive capabilities to make the big league squad.   Bill Hall helped himself by going 2-4 with a triple and a run scored.

Pitching

Today was a very nice day for the Brewers pitching staff.  Claudio Vargas pitched five very strong innings.  He gave up three hits and one run, while striking out three.  He’s making a very strong case for a starting job.  And I never thought I would say that…

Stop the presses!  Guillermo Mota actually gave up a run this spring.  Callix Crabbe, the former Brewers prospect, connected to launch a solo shot off of Mota.  Guillermo still pitched two innings and only gave up one run, striking out one.  Besides Mota, David Riske and Mitch Stetter pitched scoreless innings a piece.

On Tap

Dave Bush and Manny Parra are scheduled to pitch about five innings a piece tomorrow against the Kansas City Royals.  Wait.  Doesn’t that equal 10 innings?  Yes, yes it does.  The Brewers and Royals are scheduled to play a 10 inning game tomorrow, even if the umps leave the game after the ninth.  The game will start at 3:05pm CT.

Round ‘em Up: Friday

Morning everyone.  I’m here a little earlier this morning, so you all can get your Brewers fix a little sooner today.  Because there isn’t a game until late tonight (9:00pm CT), I’ll write another post or two throughout the day.  Here’s your Round ‘em Up for today:

• Abraham Nunez will likely not make the Opening Day roster unless someone gets injured (knock on tons of wood). He’ll be a great insurance policy down in Triple-A, though.  I know this news is shocking, especially since Ned Yost absolutely loves him.  He said:

  “He’s been very, very impressive,” Yost said. “I mean really impressive. I mean really, really impressive.”

  Oh wow, Ned.  You’re oh, so eloquent with your language.  I don’t even know how to respond to a comment like that…

• Yesterday, I mentioned that Mark Rogers suffered a setback in his rehab schedule because of his shoulder.  Here’s a longer article on that if you’re interested.  I expect you’re not, as Mark is likely to never see the lights of Miller Park unless he can get through a few months without being injured.
• Dugout Central writes an article that has the 10 least talked about stories in baseball.  It’s not a fantastic article, but it’s still interesting.  It does point out that every team besides the Chicago Cubs are experiencing pitching problems.  I think it would be wise to see who makes Milwaukee’s rotation before we deem the rotation as “problematic.”  Perhaps that’s just me though…
• The Brewers bullpen gets some love today.  Tom Singer from MLB.com ranks the Brewers ‘pen as the fourth best in all of baseball.  I never thought I would see that this season.  The ‘pen certainly has a chance to be that good.  I do find it rather funny that the article thinks that Guillermo Mota is the leading candidate for the set-up role.  Tom must have forgotten about Derrick Turnbow and David Riske.  Oh yeah, Milwaukee has Salomon Torres too.

  SI.com also has an article on the bullpen.  It doesn’t actually make an argument in the article, other than the fact that Milwaukee completely rebuilt its bullpen.  I suppose if you are not a Crew fan, you may not know that.  Maybe I should leave the little bubble I live in and realize that there are baseball fans that aren’t Brewers fans.  Nah, it’s warm in that bubble.  Everyone loves the Brewers.  Or at least they just don’t realize they do yet.

• I have another Brewers preview for you all today.  This time, it’s from RealGM.  They predict Milwaukee’s record to be 88-74.  Hmm…I think that’s pretty close to my prediction of 89-73.  It’s a good preview.  Give it a look!
• Not necessarily about the Brewers, but it affects them.  Kyle Lohse signed with the St. Louis Cardinals today.  The Cards only had to shell out $4.5M for one year of his services.  Sure Kyle Lohse is not anything special.  In fact, he’s a lot like Claudio Vargas, but $4.5M for a starter is way below market price in the past couple years.  I like this move a lot for the Cards.  Lohse will be in the rotation to start the year, and he’ll have a chance to show what he can do.  That very well may be absolutely nothing, by the way.  At least the Cardinals made a significant move this off-season, though.  Before this it was the Juan Gonzalez signing.  They were having an awful off-season.

Sheets shelled in loss to Giants

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

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

Batting

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

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

Pitching

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

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

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

On Tap

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

Cameron sparks Brewers win

Batting

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

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

Pitching

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

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

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

On Tap

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

Doubles galore in Brewers win

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

Batting

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

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

Pitching

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

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

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

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

On Tap

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