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.

Brewers come from behind to bite the D’Backs

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

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

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

And come back they did.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hero of the Game: Mike Cameron

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

Goat of the Game: Prince Fielder

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

On Tap

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

Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

Last night was a little frustrating to watch down the stretch, but the Brewers were able to pull out a win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 2008 Brewers certainly have a knack for making their wins tough at the end of the game. They need a few blow-out wins. My heart gets a little stressed out after wins like last night.

• Brew Crew Pub has a recap of the game from last night. Make sure you show BN reader Aaron a little love.
• Jim Powell has an interview with Ryan Braun about the All-Star Game and a mailbag from last night’s game. He has a little token recap of the game, but nothing in-depth.
• In case you were confused last night, Rickie Weeks missed the game because of a stomach virus. I’m not sure how long he will be out, but stomach viruses can last for a few days. At least Joe Dillon has looked incredibly solid in his past couple games. It might be good for him to get a few more at-bats.
• Before last night, Milwaukee had not scored in 22 and 1/3 innings against relief pitchers. It is amazing that they have won as many games on this road trip as they have with those numbers. Part of the struggles have been due to the lack of patience at the plate. The streak ended last night when Mike Rivera it that ridiculous opposite-field double at his eyes.
• FOX Sports Fantasy Baseball says that Salomon Torres appears to have secured the closer’s role in Milwaukee. Really? Perhaps the fact that Ned Yost said Torres is Milwaukee’s closer was a little too subtle. Sheesh. Salomon has been 13 for 13 in save situations since Eric Gagne went on the DL. Of course he’s staying put.
• Al’s Ramblings has a quote from Peter Gammons on his blog today. It says that scouts believe there are at least five legitimate major league players on that roster. Another scout says that Huntsville has the best prospects he has ever seen in a minor league system. Jack Zuriencik, I thank you on behalf of all Brewers fans.
• Ken Rosenthal from FOX Sports says that the Brewers are interested in RHP Vicente Padilla. Rosenthal says that it would take quality young pitching to get Padilla out of Texas, however. The 30-year old right-hander has a 4.06 ERA playing in the tight Texas ballpark. Let me put it this way, Vicente Padilla is not my first, second, or third choice for a starting pitcher acquisition. In fact, he was not on my radar. Doug can do better than that.
• Dugout Central has a nice look at the year thus far, giving a bunch of stats on every team in every division.
• The Baseball Analysts has a Triple-A All-Star team on its site. Today, the site selected its starting rotation and bullpen. Mark DiFelice is coming out of the ‘pen. His walk-to-strike out ratio is ridiculous. I very much like DiFelice and think he can be a productive member of Milwaukee’s bullpen in September and into next season.
• Diamond Hoggers gives Ben Sheets the NL Comeback Player of the Year award. I understand the logic, but Gabe Kapler deserves a look for that award. He was completely out of baseball last season and is now hitting north of .300 in the major leagues. That’s a comeback.Oh, and I utterly disagree with Joey Votto being the NL Rookie of the Year. I’ll excuse it though, as the site has an obvious Cincinnati bias. Not that it’s a bad thing. This site may or may not have a pro-Milwaukee bias.
• C Michael Roberts made quite the debut last night for the Helena Brewers. He homered in his first professional at-bat, and also had a two-run triple later in the game. Not bad, young man.
• The Philadelphia Phillies demoted Brett Myers to the minors yesterday, and he surprisingly accepted the move. This all but cements Philadelphia’s inclusion in the starting rotation market. They are said to covet Erik Bedard, but C.C. Sabathia could become a real possibility in a couple weeks.

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: Friday

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

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

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

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

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

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

Small Ball, Sheets Win the Night

The polar opposite of the night before where all seven of the Brewers’ runs came courtesy of the home run ball, the Brewers put their faith in timely hitting, smart base running, and another solid, albeit short, outing from Ben Sheets. The victory last night, 5-4, guaranteed another series win for the Crew and the win over the Blue Jays meant the Brewers are sitting on a three game win streak.

Sheets, who threw six innings, was relieved by Carlos Villanueva, who quickly gave up two hits and a run in 2/3 of an inning of work. The relief pitching was more troubling when Guillermo Mota came in to work the eight. Showing a troubling pattern of alternating strong appearances with downright scary appearances, Mota brought out his Halloween game allowing three hits, a walk, and a run in only 23 pitches.

Salomon Torres to the rescue. Torres showed up in the eight inning with two outs, escaped unscathed and proceeded to record his ninth save of the season the next inning.

Besides a little solo home run love from Russell Branyan in the second and Mike Cameron in the sixth it was the small ball that propelled the Crew to the win. The key inning was the bottom of the fourth, with the game tied at ones, when Corey Hart lead of with a ground rule double. Hart would then be put over to third by Branyan’s sac fly. On the ensuing play Cameron rolled what amounted to a swing bunt back to the Jay’s pitcher Shaun Marcum. Hart, on a dead sprint from third, beat the fielder’s choice throw at home and Cam was safe at first (he should have made it to second as the catcher spiked the ball after Hart was safe).

Cam stole second, advanced to third on Jason Kendall’s single, and scored on a squeeze play. Squeeze plays have been notoriously bad for the Brewers this year with either the batter or runner missing the calls on multiple occasions leaving runners for dead, but this one played out perfectly, if not a bit unmethodically (if that’s a word). Sheets put down a great bunt, catcher Gregg Zaun looked Cameron back to third and threw Sheets out at first. That was when Cam broke for home scoring without even having to slide.

Sheets working from the mound look good in the opening frame striking out two, but unraveled a bit as the game went on. Sheets walked for batters, tossed two wild pitches, and gave up several hard hits. Yost lifted Sheets for a pinch hitter in the sixth, a call that I second guess.

Records: Brewers (38-33), Blue Jays (35-38 )

Hero of the Game: Mike Cameron

I’ve been harping on Cameron a bit lately, but last night he epitomized an all around solid baseball player. He mixed small ball with the powerball scoring Hart on his (very) small ball and scoring himself with a solo homer later in the game. But it was his smart base running to sneak a run in from third in the fourth that gets the big kudos. The box score 1-for-4 doesn’t show how intelligent one is on the base paths to try to take home plate on a bunt, hold, then break for the base, and beat the tag with some great speed. Good work, Cam.

Goat(s) of the Game: Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder

Both the big men in the line up had “oh fer” nights. RB and PF came to the plate and left empty all four times and racked up two Ks each. The plate discipline is looking a bit shaky guys… work it out.

On Tap:

David Bush (2-7, 5.37) takes on AJ Burnett (6-6, 4.90) in the matinée wrap up of this Interleague series. Which Bush will show up? Game time 1:05 CT on FSN.

By: Dan Wiersema

Brewers squeak past Rockies to avoid sweep

The Milwaukee Brewers never make it look easy on the road, do they?

The pitching staff wiggled off hooks left and right, but managed to pull out a 3-2 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field.  Jeff Suppan struggled mightily with his command early in the contest, but he settled down a bit in the third through fifth innings.  The veteran was not sharp.  He did keep the Brewers in the game today, and that’s all you can ask for from the pitching staff.

In the sixth inning, Ned Yost called on Carlos Villanueva to get the final two outs after Soup scuffled to start the frame.  The former starter did it on one pitch, getting Ian Stewart to ground into a double play.

The Brewers got in trouble again in the seventh inning.  Joe Dillon, who had a great day at the plate, bobbled the ball and committed a costly error on a relatively easy double play ball.  The inning should have been over right there.  Carlos gutted out the rest of the inning without giving up a run.  He struck out Todd Helton on a questionable called third strike and got Garrett Atkins to ground out to short.  After Friday’s game, I think Ned Yost rethought about taking out Villanueva in a pinch.  Yost stuck with the young right-hander, and Carlos showed Brewers fans why he’s so valuable in the ‘pen.

The day didn’t get any easier in the eight, however.  Left-handed specialist Brian Shouse gave up a base hit to Brad Hawpe, who got to second on a careless error by Gabe Kapler.  Ned Yost then called on Salomon Torres to get the final 5 outs of the game.  The veteran closer happily obliged, and the Crew avoided the sweep.

Joe Dillon got the start for the injured Rickie Weeks today.  He responded well, getting on base four times – three walks and a hustle double.  Bill Hall still looks lost against right-handed pitching, and Prince Fielder swung out of his shoes all day.  The offense had very little plate discipline after the first couple innings, and their offense struggled because of it.

The Crew had 13 runners left on base today.  That cannot happen on the road.  The only reason the Brewers won today’s game is because the Rockies were worse with runners in scoring position.  Colorado left 20 runners on base.  It was an ugly game all around.

After losing Friday and Saturday to the Rockies, the series unbeaten streak ends at five.  It should still be going after Friday night’s game, but you can argue that Milwaukee should not have won tonight  The Brewers will take what they can get and travel to Houston to take on the Astros on Tuesday.

Records: Brewers (33-30); Rockies (24-39)

Hero of the Game: Carlos Villanueva

The young-right hander was thrown into the fire in the sixth inning, but he responded by getting two outs with one pitch.  Things looked good in the seventh until Joe Dillon botched the easy double-play ball with one out.  The inning should have been over right there.  Carlos beared down and got the Brewers out of the inning without surrendering a run.  If Salomon Torres was not pitching so well in the closer’s role, I think I would begin to support the idea of giving Carlos a shot.  Villanueva is a very, very valuable part of the bullpen.  Ned Yost should think about keeping the young man there all season.

Goat of the Game: Bill Hall

I know Bill got the job done in the field and got a base hit in the first inning to score a run, but he was a big reason the Brewers couldn’t tack on any runs in the late innings.  He continues to take defensive swings against right-handed pitching, and I’m beginning to think that Russell Branyan should have pinch hit for Billy in the seventh inning.  Bill left four runners on base in the last three innings.  Others did too, but Bill looked terrible doing it.

On Tap

The Brewers have a day off tomorrow.  They will travel to Houston to take on the Astros.  Right-hander Seth McClung will face the Astros’ ace, RHP Roy Oswalt.  The Brewers will attempt to not get swept in Houston for the second time this season.

Round ‘em Up: Tuesday

If you haven’t heard or haven’t read a little further down on the blog, Bill Hall no longer wants to be in Milwaukee.  He wants to play everyday somewhere.  What does the blogosphere have to say about the subject?  I’m so glad you asked.

• The Brew Town Beat suggests a trade with the Chicago White Sox for Joe Crede.  I’m not so sure that’s the direction the Brewers want to go in July.  The thought does hold some credence, however, as Crede to Milwaukee was a hot rumor all winter.  I just don’t believe it makes sense for Milwaukee anymore.
• Dexter Sports wonders if Tampa Bay and Milwaukee could hook up again for a trade.  The Rays certainly have a wealth of pitching they could move, so it makes sense on that level.  They are also in desperate need of a shortstop with some pop.  Jason Bartlett has been horrendous for Tampa, so Hall could make a lot of sense there.  Who would Milwaukee get from Tampa?  Could they package Hall and a couple of prospects together to get Jeff Niemann?  I’m not sure Gwynn and Hall would be enough.
• Between the Green Pillars thinks Doug Melvin shouldn’t be so quick to trade Hall.  There is no use making a bad trade.  I completely agree with that sentiment.  I do not think anyone believes Melvin will rush to get a deal done simply because of the comments Hall’s agent made.
• In one of the most interesting coincidences of the day, I was browsing through the trade rumors on ESPN.com (insider only, unfortunately).  Just under Hall’s name, there is a post saying that the Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly very close to acquiring a veteran infielder to help bridge the gap until Rafael Furcal can get back on the diamond.  The Dodgers did like Hall during the winter…

Enough about the Bill Hall soap opera.  Here’s some other news.

• Jim Powell has his interview up with Salomon Torres after yesterday’s game.  I was unable to watch last night’s game, but I understand he pulled quite the Houdini trick in the ninth inning.  It’s interesting that Salomon has worked a scoreless inning in Milwaukee and in Washington in the past week and a half when the defense committed two errors in both innings.  Eric Gagne couldn’t stop runs from crossing the plate even without the defense making errors behind him.
• LHP David Welch from Double-A Huntsville threw a no-hitter in a seven inning game last night.  The best part is that he accomplished this on his birthday.  Read about it here.
• Brew Crew Pub wonders where the Brewers will go in the first couple rounds of the draft.  I agree that the Brewers need to get a couple collegiate arms in the system on Thursday, but I’m beginning to second guess my theory that Milwaukee will go with a pitcher in the first round.  The more I analyze the picks, the less certain I am that there will be an arm worth taking with the #16 pick.  SS Anthony Hewitt is really growing on me.  The problem is that Milwaukee would have to convince him to give up his scholarship and go to the pros.
• John Sickels from Minor League Ball is one of the foremost experts on the minor leagues.  He has his mock draft up through the Supplemental Round.  In the first round, he has Milwaukee selecting RHP Joshua Fields.  This wouldn’t be a terrible move.  He could potentially be in a Brewers uniform as early as next season.  With the majority of the bullpen signed to only a one-year deal, that could be the way to go.  In the Supplemental Round, Sickels stuck with pitching for the Brewers.  If the Crew takes Lawrie or Hewitt in the first round, expect a run of pitchers to be selected shortly afterwards.

Round ‘em Up: Thursday

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

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

Pitchers’ Duel Goes Brewers Way

If you were to tell me that we were in for a pitchers’ duel last night, frankly, I would have been very surprised.  It’s not that I don’t think that Brewers pitcher Jeff Suppan can’t throw a good game, but Jo-Jo Reyes?  The Braves lefty walked into Miller Park with a 5.84 ERA after having just been shelled by Arizona last week.  Well, color me surprised as the Suppan and Reyes faced off over eight (almost) scoreless innings.  I’m pleased to write that the Brewers came out on top, 1-0.

I’ve said it before, but the Brewers plate discipline has made many pedestrian pitchers look like staff aces and last night was shaping up to be a dozy for the Crew.  Reyes handcuffed the Milwaukee bats, striking out eight and allowing only three hits over seven innings.

Suppan was equally masterful.  He gave up only four hits and while his walk count was higher than usually (five) he countered that with a season-high in strikeouts (seven).  Suppan was supported by some awesome defensive plays that help strand eight Braves batters on base.

Reyes was marching right along until the bottom of the eighth when he issued his third walk of the evening to JJ Hardy.  Braves manager Bobby Cox brought in Blaine Boyer and Jason Kendall bunted Hardy to second.  Things were looking a bit perilous when pitch hitter Joe Dillon struck out to leave next batter Rickie Weeks with two outs.

Weeks had other ideas as he laced a perfect shot that hugged the third base foul line to bring Hardy home with a RBI triple.

Weeks’ contribution was good enough as Salomon Torres came into to record a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his fourth save of the season.

Records: Brewers (26-27); Braves (28-25)

Hero of the Game: Jeff Suppan

I said it already, but Soup’s night was a masterstroke.  Finally, we’re getting some mileage out of our starting pitchers.  After struggling to make six innings for a lot of our guys, seeing Suppan and Sheets pull extended duties and get quality outings from McClung and Bush has to leave Brew Crew fans with some optimism and the bullpen a big sigh of relief.

Getting back to Suppan, I usually expect that he’ll give up a few hits and tally a few runs being the ground ball pitcher he is.  Suppan’s style requires a tight defense behind him and after Hall’s error in the second I thought this might be another night where the bats would have to be the major contributor.  The defense tightened up (in fact on the next play it was superb D by Kendall, Hall, and Weeks to turn a cross diamond double play) and was above average all night (finishing in style with Hardy’s layout snag to end the game).

Suppan, obviously, had no runs with seven strikeouts… a total that is very un-Suppan-like.  I felt like I was watching something special last night and I was willing to bet that Ned Yost would have walked him out for the ninth if his spot in the line up didn’t come in the crucial eighth.

Runner-Up Hero: Rickie Weeks. Knocks in the only run of the night… need I say more?  Sure? How about 2-4 (making up 2/3rds of the Brewers hits) and some solid DP turning on the defensive side.  That’s the Pretty Rickie we like to see.

Goat(s) of the Game: Mark Texiteira and Ryan McCann

I know Jim usually has to pick a Brewer for this part, but I didn’t want to do the whole wrap without commenting on a bit of drama that helped Suppan get out of the eighth innings thanks to a few PO’ed Braves.  Texiteira got all huffy about a called third strike (there were a TON of them last night… Reyes has six Ks on called third strikes) and spent a few moments belly aching about the call.  The real drama came when the next batter McCann had the same issues with home plate umpire Mark Wenger.  After a first called strike McCann refused to get back in the box and according to new rules set down at the owner’s meetings umps can charge a strike to stalling batters or have the pitcher throw even thought the batter isn’t in the box.

I’ve never seen a more uncomfortable pitch thrown in my life then the second called strike that Suppan threw with McCann half in the batter’s box.  Suppan subsequently struck out McCann who had more words for Wegner and Cox came out to argue his batter’s case.  No one was tossed, but a bit of stubbornness on the part of the Braves batters cost them some ABs when chances were few and far in-between in this game.

On Tap:

The Braves march out Jorge Campillo (1-0, 0.86 ERA) against Seth McClung (2-1, 3.55 ERA) this afternoon to try and steal one game of the series from the Brewers.  It will be the battle of the stretched out relievers as Campillo makes his third start of the season and McClung his second.  The game gets started at 12:05pm and is ON FSN (schedule change).  Good thing, too. I’m recovering from knee surgery and this is just what I need to get through a boring day on the couch.

By: Dan Wiersema

Brewers eke out a win in extra innings

Prince Fielder, Gabe Kapler, Carlos Villanueva, and Salomon Torres may have saved Ned Yost his job for the time being.  They were the instrumental players in the extra frames and led the Brewers to a victory over the Washington Nationals 4-3.

Prince served an opposite-field double over the head of Ryan Langerhans.  I wasn’t completely sure what happened next was the correct move, as Corey Hart sacrifice bunted Prince to third.  If he would have done this earlier in the count, it would have made plenty of sense.  A 3-1 count though?  You have to let the best clutch hitter on the Brewers do some damage there.

The move appeared to be the incorrect one, as big Russell Branyan struck out for the fourth time of the game to follow Corey.  Gabe Kapler picked up his teammates, however, and laced the first pitch he saw into center to score Prince.  Milwaukee had a chance to add to that one run lead, but Rickie Weeks grounded out to end the inning with the bases loaded.

Salomon Torres then came in and shut the door relatively easily on the Nats.  It was very nice to see a Brewers closer breeze through in inning.  Perhaps Ned has found someone he can trust at the back-end of the bullpen.  Torres sure looked good this afternoon.

I cannot tell you how impressed I was with Carlos Villanueva today.  After struggling in the rotation and getting flak from every Brewers fan and their mother, Carlos came into the game in the ninth inning and struck out the side to send the game into extras.  He then set the Nats down 1-2-3 again in the bottom of the 10th to prolong the game.  In that inning, the young man struck out the first two batters before getting Christian Guzman to ground out to Craig Counsell.  Carlos was sharp today.  Perhaps there is something to the closing idea that The Brew Town Beat has thrown out for the past couple weeks.

The Brewers were down early after Ben Sheets gave up a first inning home run to Christian Guzman on a hanging curveball.  Benny pitched fairly well today, going six innings and striking out six.  He could have gone more, as the Brewers’ ace only had 86 pitches.  The Brewers needed offense though, so Ned pulled Benny in the top of the seventh in favor of Joe Dillon.  Joe reached on an error.

Overall, this was a good win for the Brewers.  They split the series with the Nationals, and the team went 4-6 on the road trip.  After getting swept by the Boston Red Sox, I cannot complain.  I have no way of proving this, but my gut tells me that the Brewers saved Ned’s job today with this extra innings win.  Gord Ash, Doug Melvin, and Mark Attanasio were on hand today.  They were no doubt scouting the skipper to see how he handled himself.  So far, so good for Ned.

Records: Brewers (24-27); Nationals (22-30)

Hero of the Game: Gabe Kapler

Gabe saved the Brewers today with his RBI-single in the top of the 11th.  After sitting on the bench all day, he steps into the batters box and lines a first-pitch fastball into center to score Prince Fielder.  It turned out to be the winning run.  One of the most difficult aspects of baseball is being a pinch-hitter, and most batters take a pitch or two to get comfortable in the box.  Not Gabe.  Not today.  He manned up and roped one to center.  I’ll consider today’s win a Memorial Day present.

Goat of the Game: Russell Branyan

It’s tough to give Russell the Goat after being so excited about his being called up yesterday, but he definitely deserves the award.  After a very nice performance in yesterday’s game, Russell struck out four times tonight.  The big one came in the top of the eleventh, as he only needed a sacrifice fly to get Prince home.  Instead, Russell swung at the first three pitches and quickly got sent back to the dugout.  Rough outing for Branyan today.

On Tap

Milwaukee will head home tonight and start a tough homestand tomorrow against the Atlanta Braves.  The struggling Dave Bush will looked to straighten himself out against the veteran Tim Hudson.  The game will start at 6:05pm CT.

Round ‘em Up: Sunday

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

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

Post of the Day:

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

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

Great article.

McClung is McSolid in D.C.

The hard-throwing Seth McClung certainly knows how to make a good first impression.

After fans (including myself) have been lamenting over his inability to throw strikes as a starter, Seth comes out this evening and pounded the strike zone for five very strong innings…with zero walks.  So much for my theory about his BB:K ratio.  Seth was taken out after the fifth and only 68 pitches (46 of which were strikes), presumably because Ned is still stretching Seth’s arm out.  No use in putting too much pressure on his arm this early in the season.

Offensively speaking, Corey Hart continued on his homer binge, socking his fifth home run of the season off John Lannan.  It was a very balanced attack tonight.  Every Brewer position player collected a hit, except for Ryan Braun.  The left fielder took the hat trick, striking out three times. 

Mike Cameron also had a strong game, going deep in the 8th inning.  He finished the game with 2 hits and scoring twice.  That is the player the Brewers paid for during the off-season.  I’ve said it many times before, but when Rickie Weeks and Cam are getting on base with regularity, Milwaukee’s offense is infinitely better.  Funny how that works out.

As Ned Yost promised, the closing duties tonight went to Salomon Torres.  It was interesting that Salomon threw almost exclusively fastballs tonight.  My guess is that he did not wish to make a mistake with a hanging off-speed pitch with a three-run cushion.  Even though Bill Hall forced Torres to get five outs instead of three, the former Pirate was able to retire the side yielding no damage.

Records:  Brewers (23-26); Nationals (21-29)

Hero of the Game:  Seth McClung

No, Seth didn’t pitch a complete game.  No, he didn’t pitch a scoreless five innings even.  What Seth did bring to the rotation was hope.  Brewers fans around the country are now hopeful that Seth McClung and his mysterious “mechanical adjustment” are the answers to the fifth spot in the rotation.  The big right-hander pounded the strike zone, which is a refreshing sign.  With his velocity and his nasty curveball, Seth does not need to work the corners so much.  He simply needs to throw strikes.  McClung’s solid outing this evening has caused me to get my hopes up for him this season.  Do not disappoint me, Seth.

Goat of the Game:  Bill Hall

Sure, Ryan Braun took the collar and struck out three times.  Billy had two errors in the ninth inning, however, and almost made the game too close for comfort.  I told you the Brewers cannot even win comfortably.  They need to make everything nerve-racking.  Even though Bill has shown the capability to make highlight plays at the hot corner, he is also showing the propensity to be incredibly error-prone.  His play is making Russell Branyan infinitely more appealing.

On Tap

Left-hander Manny Parra will battle Washington’s Tim Redding tomorrow afternoon to decide the series.  The game will start at 12:35pm CT.  

Bill Hall will be sitting out the game, so I don’t have to be mad at him so much tomorrow.  Seriously, two errors in the ninth?

Round ‘em Up: Wednesday

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

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

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

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

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

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

Braun mashes on mother’s day

Ryan Braun sent his mother a very happy Mother’s Day gift today.  He hit two solo shots off of Braden Looper and led the Brewers to a much-needed victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.  One was a towering shot to left, and one was a bomb to center.

It takes a special hitter to hit the ball with power to all fielder.  When Prince Fielder is right, he can do that.  So can Corey Hart.  Ryan may not be seeing many pitches per at bat or walking very much, but he is one of the only hitters that has been consistently producing for the Crew of late.

Jeff Suppan gave Milwaukee a strong start on the mound today.  It is Milwaukee’s second quality start in as many days, and the bullpen surely needs the rest.  Soup did not have his best stuff today, as he walked five Cardinals, but he was good enough to go seven innings and only allow one run.  This is exactly what Doug Melvin signed Soup for last off-season.  Well done, Jeff.

The closer by committee idea got off to a shaky start today for the Crew.  Salomon Torres came in to finish the game, but after allowing a lead-off double to Troy Glaus and another baserunner, Brian Shouse came in to close it out.  He allowed another man on base, but he got out of the inning without further damage.  Shouse gets the save, and the Brewers get the win.  Great day all around.

J.J. Hardy may have gone under the radar today, but I came away very impressed.  He used right field very well today at the plate, knocking a double and a single to the opposite field.  The Brewers need J.J. to heat up in front of the pitcher.  After a 3-4 day with an RBI, perhaps he is beginning to heat up.  That would do wonders for the Brewers offense.

Records: Brewers (18-19); Cardinals (23-16)

Hero of the Game: Ryan Braun

Ryan continues to be one of the most consistent producers on Milwaukee’s team.  He has raised his average to .281 and has now socked seven home runs.  His defense remains passable in left, and the offensive firepower he can bring to the lineup more than makes up for those shortcomings.  I love the way Ryan is using center field and playing gap to gap at the plate.  He appears to be heating up at the plate.  Then again, I have been saying that for the past week.  Let’s hope that I am correct this time.

Goat of the Game: Salomon Torres

This is tough giving the Goat to Salomon, but today was not an impressive campaign to be the team’s closer.  He looked very much like Eric Gagne on the mound, making things much more difficult than they need to be.  Closers must avoid the lead-off hit and cannot afford to walk batters.  Salomon did both today.  Fortunately, this has not been a trend for the workhorse-righty, so I will not dwell much on this fact.

On Tap

Dave Bush will again attempt to win his first game of the year, as he takes on Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals in the series finale tomorrow night.  The game will be at Miller Park and will start at 7:05pm CT.  Go Crew!

Extra innings, extra special

Well Brewer fans, the series against the Cincinnati Reds started much like the series did against the Chicago Cubs. Eric Gagne faltered and blew a save, but the Crew scrapped out a win in extra racks.

Eric Gagne looked strong to start the inning. He was mixing in his off-speed pitches, and he located his fastball well. Corey Patterson, the center fielder for the Reds, parked a 2-2 pitch just over the right field wall to tie the game. Brewers fans stood throughout the park in shock after Patterson tied the game, but Gagne worked out of the inning to preserve the tie.

The top of the 10th inning turned out to be very uneventful, as Salomon Torres worked around a walk to Adam Dunn to finish the scoreless frame. Torres threw the ball very well today. It is invaluable to have good, durable arms stashed away in the pen like the Brewers have.

J.J. Hardy then started out the bottom of the 10th with a single. Joe Dillon bunted him over with a perfect sacrifice on the first pitch from David Weathers. Jason Kendall followed up with a broken bat single for his third hit of the game. The flare was a little too weak to score J.J. from second, however. Next to the plate was Rickie Weeks. Last season, there is no doubt in my mind that Rickie would have struck out. Tonight, however, Rickie was able to shoot a ball into the outfield for the walk-off single.

Before the game, I was incredibly excited to see the youngster, Johnny Cueto, pitch tonight. He did not disappoint. He has a mid-90s fastball and an absolutely electric slider. Cueto struck out eight Brewers in 6.1 innings. This was one of those days when the hype surrounding this kid lived up to reality. I would like to point out that before the season even started, I picked Johnny to be the breakout player of this Reds squad.

Jeff Suppan was not to be outdone, however. He was not flashy in any way, but he frustrated the Cincinnati hitters and consistently got outs. Pitching through seven strong innings, Soup gave up six hits and only allowed one earned run. I did not expect Jeff to start the season this well. I highly doubt anyone did. Brewers fans everywhere are getting a glimpse of what Doug Melvin thought he was getting when signing Soup to the $40M deal last winter. Jeff looked very solid today.

Records: Brewers (6-1); Reds (4-4)

Hero of the Game: J.J. Hardy

It was almost like J.J. must have read what I wrote after the last game. After struggling offensively over the first six games of the season, J.J. broke out in a big way today. He ended the game going 3-4 with two runs scored, including the game-winner. If it works out that every “Goat of the Game” turns out to score the winning run of the following game, I will take it.

Goat of the Game: Eric Gagne

I did not want to give this “award” to Eric. I thought that he threw the ball very well. He made one bad pitch. Unfortunately, Corey Patterson connected on that pitch to tie the game. People are going to criticize Gagne for blowing two saves in the first two weeks of the regular season, but this instance was much different.

On Opening Day, Gagne did not have his control or a very good fastball. He did not use his off-speed pitches effectively at all. Tonight, he had a good curveball and a good change-up. Granted, the blown save is tempered because the Brewers were able to pull out the win, but I would have no problem if Eric threw the ball like this every time out (except that 2-2 pitch, of course). I’m not going to give Gagne too much longer of a leash before I start calling for his head, but let’s still give him a chance. He did not throw the ball poorly today. Let Eric ride a little bit. After all, Francisco Cordero blew nine saves over the course of his year-and-a-half tenure with the crew.

On Tap

Dave Bush will look to keep the Brewers rolling along with their winning ways tomorrow in Game 2 against the Cincinnati Reds. Cincy will trot Josh Fogg out to the rubber tomorrow. The game will start at 7:05pm CT.

Round ‘em Up: Tuesday (cont’d)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brewers romp in home opener

Home sweet home. The Milwaukee Brewers’ offense came alive in a big way today, helping the Crew to a 13-4 clobbering of the San Francisco Giants.

Bill Hall is the story of the day. He parked two home runs into the bleachers and hit another single to end the day with six RBI. Many people have questioned Hall’s offensive abilities after last season. If Hall can have even half the game he had today consistently, he’ll be in the top echelon of offensive players in the National League. It’s only one game, but perhaps the move to third base is really helping his offense.

Rickie Weeks continued to impress today at the top of the batting order. He set the tone for the game in the first inning again today, singling against Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez to start the game. Rickie then swiped second base, and Prince Fielder brought him home with a ground ball that found its way through the shift. Weeks ended the day going 2-4 with two singles, an RBI, a walk, three runs scored, and a stolen base. Not a bad day for a lead-off hitter. It’s just amazing how impressive Milwaukee’s offense can be when Rickie is right.

I cannot tell you how impressed I was with Carlos Villanueva today. He came into a very adrenaline-packed Miller Park and stayed incredibly calm. Carlos changed speeds particularly well and had fairly good control for the most part. Not known for his strikeout capabilities, he struck out six Giants in five and a third today. His pitch count was a little high early in the game for my liking, but I’m really reaching for something negative to say here. Carlos Villanueva showed maturity beyond his years today. A tip of the cap to you, young man.

The rest of the Brewers offense came up big today as well, belting out 16 hits. It would take quite a bit of time for me to outline what the rest of the Crew did today at the plate, so I’m not going to talk about the rest too much. If you want to see how everyone else did, take a look at the boxscore. It is impressive. Prince Fielder looked much more comfortable at the plate today, going 3-4 with a double and two singles. It was very nice to see Prince looking like himself in the batter’s box today. Jason Kendall also kept his hot bat sizzling today.

Salomon Torres also scored a three-inning save today. Those are a bit silly, but it is so nice to have a reliever that can go more than one inning consistently.

Records: Brewers (3-1); Giants (1-3)

Hero of the Game: Bill Hall

How can someone who belted two homers and had six RBI not be the player of the game? Billy was flat-out impressive today at the plate, and he’s more than held his own at third base thus far this season. It is amazing what type of damage he can do when he does not try to overswing and trusts his ability to hit the ball with power. Did anybody else see Bill hit the ball to the opposite field today? I thought I was dreaming for a second. When Bill Hall is waiting back on the ball and allowing himself to hit the ball to right, he is a force in the lineup. I look forward to the next week or so to see if Bill can keep it up.

Goat of the Game: J.J. Hardy

It is hard to pick anyone to be the goat, but J.J. did go 0-4 with two strikeouts. I could have easily chosen Ryan Braun for this award as well, but J.J. is now batting .059 on the young season. It is only four games, yes, but he does have the tendency to go in prolonged offensive droughts. Let’s hope that J.J. can turn his luck around in the next two games of the series. If not, I expect we may see a Craig Counsell sighting at shortstop sometime soon.

On Tap

Manny Parra will toe the rubber against the San Francisco Giants in Game 2 of the series tomorrow. Parra will be facing off against right-hander Kevin Correia. The game will start at 12:05pm CT.

Soup solid in win over Cubs

After Opening Day, I mentioned that anything at or better than six innings pitched and three runs allowed for Jeff Suppan would be a successful outing.  Count Wednesday’s start against the Chicago Cubs as a success then.  It was a typical Soup outing.  Jeff was not flashy, but he did keep the ball down and make the Chicago hitters battle.

Soup’s finishing line was 6.1 innings pitched, while allowing two runs and two walks.  Those two runs came on solo shots by Derrick Lee and rookie Geovany Soto.  Other that those long balls, Jeff nibbled at the strike zone and kept the ball down.  Few Cub hitters squared up a ball.

When they did, the improved Brewers defense picked up the slack.  Bill Hall made a couple slick plays at the hot corner, and even Gabe Kapler got into the act with a twisting catch in center field.  Even Ryan Braun made a couple nice plays in left field.  They did not look spectacular.  In fact, they looked very routine.  That is exactly my point.  There were a couple balls that were very difficult to judge because they were hit down on the trademark.  Ryan did not struggle with those tricky balls, even though the wind pushed the ball around all day.  The best compliment Ryan can get is that people did not notice him in left field.  The transition looks to be going very well.

After Suppan, Salomon Torres heightened Brewers fans’ blood pressures a little in the seventh.  He allowed a couple runners to get on base, but got Alfonso Soriano to strike out to end the inning.  Torres seems to be a level-headed guy on the mound, but even he jumped up and gave a huge fist pump.  The commentators were right when they said that Torres’ performance was “save-worthy.”  Saves do not always happen in the ninth inning.  Torres saved the game in the seventh by stopping any momentum the Cubs gained to that point.

Enough about the pitching.  The bats also came out to play today.  Rickie Weeks started the game with a bang, blasting the opening pitch from Ted Lilly out of the ballpark.  That home run gave the Brewers the lead, and they never relinquished it.  Ryan Braun continued his fine start to the season, going 3-5 with a double, two singles, an RBI, and a run scored.  Not a bad day.

Corey Hart was impressive on the basepaths.  After drawing a walk off of Cubs reliever Kevin Hart, Corey stole second and third off the young pitcher.  Corey also had a double that scored Bill Hall earlier in the game.  Stop the presses!  Who said that Jason Kendall couldn’t play from the nine hole?  Jason went 3-4 with a walk.  He broke the game open in the ninth inning with a two-run double that just about left Wrigley.  I suppose that was for all the Cubs fans that criticized his uselessness at the plate.  He also beat out and infield single.  Johnny Estrada wouldn’t have made it halfway down the first baseline by the time Jason made it to first.

All in all, it was a great win for the Milwaukee Brewers.  They begin the season 2-0 for the fifth year in a row, and they begin the season with the ever-elusive road series win.  Obviously, this is also very important because of the fact that it was against the Chicago Cubs.  The unfortunate thing is that the Cubs will certainly rebound to have a fine season.  They are a very good team.

Records: Brewers (2-0); Cubs (0-2)

Hero of the Game:  Jason Kendall

Jeff Suppan and Salomon Torres got considerable consideration for this award, but Jason Kendall won out because of his gritty play.  His throw to get Aramis Ramirez stealing at second after Suppan struck out Kosuke Fukudome was perhaps the biggest play of the game.  Who says Kendall cannot throw?  It looks like the mechanical adjustment Jason worked on over the off-season is working well.  He’s getting his momentum going forward much quicker, and his throws are much crisper.

I also gave Jason the award because of his work at the plate.  In the eighth inning, Jason beat out an infield single.  In the ninth, he broke open the game with the two-run double mentioned earlier.  That double crushed any momentum the Cubs could have been holding on to.  After that double, there was no way the Cubs were going to come back in the ninth inning like they did the day before.  It may have looked like icing on the cake, but it made the ninth inning a lot easier for every Brewers fan watching the game at Wrigley or at home.

Goat of the Game:  Geovany Soto

I tried to find someone from the Milwaukee Brewers to give this award to, but nobody came to mind.  Bill Hall and Corey Hart struck out in the seventh inning with the bases loaded.  That could have easily come back to haunt the Brewers, but it didn’t.  Salomon Torres could have given up a couple runs in the seventh inning, but he didn’t.  Everyone on the Brewers contributed today.  It was a fine team effort today.  I will not make a habit of giving this award to someone from the opposing team.  I just could not bring myself to bring any Brewers player down today.

Geovany Soto, however, may have given the game to the Brewers in the sixth inning.  He made a terrible throw to the second baseman after double clutching.  The ball sailed into the outfield and allowed Corey to score on the play.  He nearly let a couple of easy fastballs get by him, which would have certainly given up a couple more runs.  I did not think he called a good game for Ted Lilly at all, but that may not have been his fault.  He did hit the solo home run in the seventh inning, but that did not make up for the stupid, inexperienced play in the seventh.

On Tap

Dave Bush and the Milwaukee Brewers will attempt to complete the season sweep of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.  The Crew will have to face veteran pitcher Ryan Dempster to get that done.  The game will start at 1:20pm CT.  It would be a huge start of the season for the Brewers if they can pull out a sweep against the Cubs.

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: The Sunday Edition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JS News

Today’s lineup against the flamethrower, Felix Hernandez will look like this:

2B Rickie Weeks
CF Mike Cameron
1B Prince Fielder
LF Ryan Braun
RF Corey Hart
3B Joe Dillon
SS J.J. Hardy
DH Matt LaPorta
C Jason Kendall
SP Ben Sheets (not hitting)

Mike Cameron will also see less time in center field during the next couple weeks, as Ned Yost wants to see Gabe Kapler, Tony Gwynn Jr., and Gabe Gross battle for playing time.  They all have been swinging the bat well thus far in Spring Training.  Ned Yost did mention the other day that he wants to see Tony less concerned about impressing the coaches with his at bats and just to start getting good at-bats in.

Salomon Torres is chomping at the bit to get in the Spring Training action.  He says that his arm feels great and that he’s ready to go whenever needed.  The Brewers staff will continue to bring him along slowly, though.  He still has a couple bullpen sessions to pitch before Ned will consider bringing him into a live game.  Milwaukee has been sticking to the “Cordero plan” for Torres.  They’re bringing him around slowly, so he does not wear out his arm too early in camp.  This happened after Torres complained of soreness in his arm and elbow when camp started.

“The Cordero Plan”

Ned Yost and the Milwaukee Brewers are trying to stay away from nagging injuries this spring.  That concern caused Yost to put Salomon Torres and Eric Gagne on ‘The Cordero Plan,’ according to Tom Haudricourt.

Last season, the Brewers held back Fransisco Cordero from throwing off a mound during Spring Training as long as they possibly could.  The hope was to keep their closer as fresh as possible through the spring, and let him come out throwing strong at the beginning of the regular season.  That plan worked to perfection last year, as Cordero set a Brewers record with the most saves in a season.

Gagne is being put on the plan because of his history of injuries and just because the Brewers do not wish to waste him during Spring Training.  His version of the Cordero Plan seems to be coming along a bit differently, as Gagne is even throwing unscheduled bullpen sessions.  I am beginning to get a little worried that Gagne is getting a little too worked up about proving his critics wrong.  It is fantastic that he wants to pitch well for the Brewers and is putting extra time in to make sure he’s prepared, but he cannot overwork himself.  Closers do not need that much time to get ready for the regular season, so expect Yost to slow down Gagne’s workout schedule a bit.

Salomon Torres, on the other hand, has been placed on The Cordero Plan because he has been complaining of general soreness in his pitching elbow and shoulder.  This exact ailment caused Torres to be placed on the DL early last year for the Pirates, but he said it was because did not tell the Pittsburgh staff about the problem.  This season, he is being more upfront about his injury problems, and Ned Yost does not expect Torres’ soreness to be an issue.

I hope Yost is correct on this front.  General soreness in the pitching elbow and shoulder is not something to be taken lightly.  This could turn into a nagging injury that lasts all season, but I will trust Ned’s judgment.  Yost said that Torres has been fighting the The Cordero Plan and wanting to get on the mound and pitch, so the soreness cannot be all that painful.  Still, I will be on the lookout for more news concerning Torres.  I will keep you posted, as always.

Torres lured by the sausages

I did not feel the need to post this because it does not pertain to Spring Training, but I cannot seem to get away from this story. I’ve even gotten a couple emails asking why I have not posted this story. Here it is:

The story is very cute, I admit. Remember how the acquisition of Salomon Torres was in limbo for a while? It had been rumored that Torres was contemplating retirement. Salomon talked to his three young children about moving to Milwaukee. They did not understand where Milwaukee was, so he told them it was where the racing sausages were. Sold. Torres and his family were moving to Milwaukee.

Sports Illustrated’s off-season grades

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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