Thankfully, the Milwaukee Brewers answered the call and delivered a win for fans across the state and world (one dude was from Germany?!?). The Mets faltered and the Brewers stood strong. Although the team has had a lack of hits in the past week, Ryan Braun crushed another game altering homerun in the 8th which lead to the eventual win over Chicago.
CC Sabathia was clutch and made the trade for LaPorta a successfull one. He was lights out the entire game. Had it not been for Prince Fielders effortless error in the 1st...the Cubs would've been shut out. Giving up only 1 run (not earned) and 4 hits, CC dominated the relaxed Cubs line up. The odds were in our favor. It was almost as if Lou wanted us in the playoffs when he pinched hit Carlos Zambrano. Granted, he is one of the best hitters in the league at his position. But once I saw that, I figured Lou was basically shutting down the team.
I do NOT look forward to meeting the Cubs in the Playoffs. Their bullpen will be a tough challenge.
Meanwhile, over on the Eastcoast the lowly Mets faltered once again. Granted, it didn't help that they were playing a pissed off Marlins team. A team that was in first place a good chunk of the season. In the end, everything worked out for the Brewers.
-Ryan Braun proved once again that he is the best player in the Brewer line up and certainly should be mentioned for the NL MVP. Granted, Ryan Howard will probably take the cake.
-Milwaukee is in serious danger of getting their clocks cleaned in the Philly. This is a dangerous team who will surely come alive even more in the playoffs. The Brewers on the other hand, need to wake up and start doing a better job hitting.
More to come as we head up to Wednesday.
I purchased Saturday tickets for 516.00, 3 tickets terrace.
Miller Park Women divert their attention away from Hardy after they see this guy.
Ryan Braun's (36) walk-off Grand Slam home run (lot of words, wow) ignited Miller Park and sent shock waves through the city that this team is for real. They control their own destiny. No longer should they watch the Mets scoreboard. They should in fact set their eyes on an elimination game at Shea Stadium early next week.
It was a close one and for a few seconds there I thought the Crew would fall a game behind the Mets, but they stood fast. In fact, Braun's walk-of HR came at a time when Milwaukee was questioning his mental and physical toughness. At least this guy was (thumbs point inward). Granted, he's had a ribcage issue the last 2 months which has effected his swing greatly. But sometimes the adrenalin gets the best of you.
-That was Milwaukee's first grand slam of the season. Oddly enough. What a great time to hit one Braunie.
-That was Braun's first homerun in 87 at-bats. You know the guy is hurting when you see stats like that.
-Yovanni Gallardo was lights out last night. That guy can throw. To think, it was only 5 months ago that we witnessed that horrid collision at first base in Chicago. In front of a sell-out crowd of 40k+ people, Yo threw 4 innings surrendering only 1 run (HR) 3 hits, and striking out 7 batters. Granted, he may be a liability at the plate come post season (yes, that's right, post season) as he simply stands there at the plate and allows pitches to whiz by. Can't blame him though, he hasn't touched a bat since Spring.
-Despite it being the lowely Pirates, our bullpen was magnificent. Throwing 6 scoreless innings. The only area of concern was the 3 strike outs. That should hope to be higher as the post seas (yes, post season) dawns upon us.
-Eric Gagne purchased 5,000 tickets last night and gave them away via Brewers.com website. Pretty nice guy. I mean, he has sucked balls more than not sucked balls this season, so this is his way to make up for it. I see no problems in giving up some change on that 10MM contract. Plus, he gives to charity more than most other players in the league.
Prince Fielder continued his hitting streak and inching towards JJ's 16 gamer earlier in the second half. He's at 14 games with a .407 average and 21-54 at the plate.
Take out those folded up Brewer shirts you stowed away for the winter. Dust off the caps you put away this past weekend. And start apologizing to the Brewer players for withing they would trade Weeks, Hall, and Hart....okay, skip that last sentence there. The Brewers are back in it...officially.
CC tossed a hell of a game last night that resulted in a 4-2 win at Miller Park. Striking out 11 batters and retiring 13 straight before handing it to his relievers. That is why Melvin made the trade. He has been mr. clutch since coming on board, despite last nights win being his first in September. CC gave up only 4 hits and 2 walks, going 7 complete innings.
Eric Gagne has been very decent as of late, pitching a scoreless inning last night. That's just like him though. He will be plain stinky for 3 games, and then pitch 5 strong games after that. He's due for a mistake...a big mistake here in the next 4 games. Beware.
The Brewers only had 2 hits last night. That is a concern. Prince made his count as he drove in 2 runs. The deciding factor was the 6 batters Maholm (9-9) walked.
Weather will be a factor this weekend in Philly and NY. If double headers are scheduled, that could favor the Brewers with back-to-back doubleheaders being scheduled.
-What if Philly, NY, and Milwaukee all tie? Of course, being how unlucky Milwaukee is...they lost coin flips to both teams. Meaning Milwaukee can't host a do-or-die game.
-This moron tried to answer the question of who the Cubs would want to face in the playoffs...NY or Milwaukee? Well...look at the map genious. Chicago would consume Miller Park if they face Milwaukee. Meaning, they would play all games with a huge "home" crowd. Cubs need/want Milwaukee to get in. If they were smart of course. Not to mention the Brewers would play Philly (or the NL East winner), as they can't play someone in their division.
Wow. Another emotional roller coaster last night, even before the game started. I tuned in to XM Radio covering the Cubs-Mets game and saw that the Mets were down by 2 runs in the 3 or 4th inning. I thought to myself..."don't screw this up Brewers, let's pull even". I then turned on the Brewer game...
Well, it was a nailbiter to say the least. Thank God Bush kept it close giving up 3 runs and 5 hits. Karstens also gave up 3 runs for the Pirates. Tores notched another win.
-Mike Cameron went 2 for 5 last night with two doubles, in the lead-off. He also gave the Brewers the lead (briefly) with a clutch double. He has been playing some great defense lately as well, judging some tough liners out to center.
-Prince Fielder (34) hit a two run homer to win the game in the bottom of the ninth, with 2 outs. He crushed it. That's the clutch-Prince we've been missing all season. He may be good for a couple more homers this season bringing his total to 36 or so. Not bad, considering he hit 40 last year and was the youngest to do so.
-Jason Kendall hit a two-run double
-Our pinch hitting was HORRIBLE last night. Mike Lamb was the only one who got a hit. Mike Lamb.
-Mets still have two more games left with the Metropolitians. Let's all hope the Cubbies can pull off another win. CC is on the mound tonight for us, thus allowing him to pitch the finall game of the season and the first game in the post season. Yes, that's right, I said post season. Sveum doesn't know who will follow CC in the rotation for the remaining 4 games. One would think that Sheets would pitch Saturday, Supan (yikes) on Friday, and McClung tomorrow?.?.?
-Milwaukee activated Gallardo and Branyan from the DL. On the pre-game show yesterday Gallardo said that he has yet to pick up a bat. So one would think that he will surely be used as a relief pitcher for the rest of September. He and Parra both provide some deep help if our starters go adrift early on in the games. Not to mention Villanueva. I just hope YO isn't rughing back. He is our ace next year unless we land a different one.
Here we go Brewer fans. With Sundays win in Cincy matched with the Mets losing their last 3 games....I can't help but get excited again! We will catch the Mets.
Prince earned player of the week honors. Finally, he heats up. He did have a spark earlier in the second half...but he's been lights out the past week and a half.
The Brewers are still alive. This is what bi-polar is like...it has to be. I am down in the dumps the entire first month and a half of the season. I then shoot up to cloud 9 for most of the season from that point on. Then, all of a sudden I crash like heroin addict after an all-night binge for the month of September. Now it's the last week of September and I'm on the fence. I just don't know what to think.
The Brewers are alive and kicking, once again. A game to make up is not impossible with 6 games left. Meanwhile, old man Lou of the Cubs is saying they will NOT rest anyone during the last two series. I'm calling bullshit on that one though. They need to, especially after Zambrano got rocked in his last outing. I would expect the Cubs to win two more in the series with the Mets in this 4 game series for the split. The Brewers should sweep the Pirates...but heh, it's September and the Brewers have been crapping the bed lately (love that line, graphic.). So they will have to win the series at the VERY LEAST.
It's been much more of the same BS this past week. Waking up feeling sad, disgusted, and hurt. The Brewers lost ANOTHER game that they should have easily won. I used the term "easily" because they were up 6-2 in the 9th with two outs. It wasn't until Ryan Braun made, what I thought was, an error. That (should have been scored as an) error proved to be costly as the Cubs went on a tear and ripped Tores for 4 runs. It wasn't until Derek Lee drove in the winning run off of Carlos Villenueva (with 2 strikes mind you).
I can't type. Too sad.
Thankfully, Prince has been on a hitting binge as of late.
Well, the Crew travel to Cincinatti to play the horrid Reds. Minus Dunn and Grifey Jr., one would think they could pull of a sweep and pull even with the Mets. The Metropolitians play a 3 game series in Atlanta and should drop at least one to them. Johan won't be pitching, as he did his damage yesterday at the plate and on the mound.
We are certainly to the point where we need the Cubs to now lose to the Cardinals this weekend, hopefully get swept (which is a long shot...i know). I just don't want them to lock up the central and then be in cruise control when they play the mets yet this season. We need to have our eyes on the Mets. We need the Cubs to clinch the Central during the first game of their series with the Mets. That way we shoud be even, or a .5 game under. We would then play a Cubs team that will rest its starters for the playoffs...one would think. A sweep at home to end the season isn't not asking the world here Brewer fans. They should be able to do that if the Cubs already clinched it.
The line up was a toss up for me. I like the veterans at the top, but Mike Cameron strikes out far too much. He is still a decent batter, just not in the lead off. If anything, Sveum should flip-flop Durham for Cameron. But that's just me.
Prince had a hell of a game, but failed when needed most. C'mon, you get caught looking? I don't care what Anderson and Schroeder say, that was a pitch that should have went yard. Wood challenged you with a fast ball down the middle of the plate and you got caught with your pants down. That ball should have been smacked out to Sheffield Ave.
That being said, most of the team did plaay decent. CC struggled early on earning his first loss in a Brewer uniform. It's as if Soriano plays his best ball against us (CC).
Tonight, Ben Sheets had better start raising his stock because he hasn't done jack shit lately. He wants the big bucks in the off-season? Well start pitching like it. And Sveum should have him pitch deep in to the game if we have the lead. Stop protecting his arm like we need him October, right now we need him tonight. Same goes with CC's next start, which should be Sunday against the Reds. And as for his "I never pitched on shortened rest" bull shit....throw that out the door. Drop McClung back down to the pen and go to a 4 man rotation. CC's arm will handle it!
-Milwaukee now has to shift it's focus on to the Mets, who have a 1/2 game lead over The Crew in the WildCard. Even if the Brewers win at least one game in Chicago, we could still quite easily take the WildCard. The Mets are also having a downward slide and it's between them and Milwaukee to limp in to the playoffs. I like our chances. Mets still have to play a menacing Braves team as well as the Marlins, Cubs, and Washington (currently playing the Nats). We still have a chance...with the Cards diminishing and the Astros barley holding on. Win one in Chicago and then both series' in Cincy and at home against he Pirates! By then, the Cubs will have clinced the Central and be in rest-mode when they come in to town for the last series of the season. Their magic number is 5 I believe! So...we almost want the Cubs to lock up the Central sooner rather than later. Sorry, twisted way to look at it. But it's the only way.
Milwaukee's last chance to stay alive in the playoff hunts begins tonight in Chicago. The Brewers traveled south on I-94 to spar with the obnoxious Cubs. Yes, the team that just had a no-hitter two days ago and came dangerously close last night as well (see Ted Lilly). This is going to be a tough one. Considering the Cubs are back to playing their excellent brand of baseball. One must give credit when credit is due. Zambrano and Lilly both pitched their brains out the past couple of nights.
That brings us to tonight's match up.
CC Sabathia (15-8) going toe-to-toe with Ryan Dempster (15-6) in a showdown at Wrigley.
Dale Sveum says he's going to make some changes . Let's hope it's Billy Hall sitting his ass on the pine. Perhaps going down to a 4 pitcher rotation is now needed. I would think so. 1. Sheets 2. CC 3. Supan 4. Bush
Robin Yount is returning to be the bench coach for the Brewers. Unless Sveum delivers the team to the Playoffs....I think Robin Yount will be tapped as the new manager come next season. Dale Sveum has a shot too.
How many times are we gonna hear the term "Good Baseball Guy"?
As for the choice of Sveum, Yost said, "He's as good a baseball coach as anybody I've ever met in my life. Those players trust him. Dale is a real calming influence, a steady guy. I don't think they could have picked a better person to finish out the next 12 games."
Frank Kremblas was also dismissed. Look for Don Money to move up next year, or even make the jump to the coaching staff in Milwaukee. He knows how to handle the younger players, which make up almost 85% of the Milwaukee team.
WTMJ's Todd Welter, and I would agree, believes that Ted Simmons was offerred the position first. Being a Yost's buddy, he declined, therefore taking a step back in his role as a result. We all had a hunch that Simmons was the guy should Yost be given walking papers. Of course Mr. Welter provides no proof, only a theory...I still feel that Simmons was the guy. Despite him looking like a man who just woke up from a week's - binge of booze and drugs, every time I see him.
I must say, I was suprised as hell to hear on WIFC over the intercom in my office that Ned Yost was canned. I mean...WIFC? Todays top 40 music radio station breaking it to TeamWisconsin that Yost was indeed let go? Wow.
Here is what I think of the events that transpired today....
A. I did not type a word about the Philly debacle on this blog. I figure that I missed one series the entire season (besides the first week) in my blogging endeavor. I couldn't bring myself to type. That being said, go read rightfieldbleachers.com to get the inside scoop with what went down. They are a squared-away bunch of fellers who even have Jeff Cirillo blogging for them. His nice hair and all.
B. Yost being canned today was one that shocked me. I mean, has this ever went down before with the team in the hunt and only 12 games left? Probably not. I think the straw that broke the camels back was the no-hitter thrown by the dirtbagZambrano, at our park. Mr Attanasio probably saw that and puked in his mouth before getting on the horn with Melvin to cuss him out. Yes, the Phillies series was surely a gut-wrencher for the ownership.
Now what? How will the team respond? ESPN quotted an undisclosed Brewer that something needed to be done. The player didn't mention firing Yost because he didn't make them hit bad. But "something" had to be done. Well, with 12 games left there isn't a hell of a whole lot a teams' brass can do.
Thus the firing of Ned Yost. In turn bringing us a lowly Dale Sveum to interim....hmmmm....not so sure about that one. I feel that a manager should never have job security. I feel that Yost felt that at the end of August, the club would simply coast in to the playoffs. That of course led to the manager taking a load off and letting things go on the fly. Like the Reds and Padres series respectfully. He did not speak a word of criticism to the team or any players. That's bullshit right there. You think ol' Lou would do that? No! He would be calling out everyone who played a role in playing shitty and letting them have it.
I like it that our ownership has balls. Granted, this could have been done after the Boston series....but Mark wanted to wait it out. Which made sense. But now it's too late and something had to be done. I feel that this will have a 75% chance of igniting the team and result in Milwaukee taking both series with Chicago, series win in Cincy, and a sweep against Pittsburgh. Will that be enough? One never knows. With the Phillies and NY Mets playing a weak schedule for the next two weeks, one can only imagine how extraordinary the Brewers will have to play.
** I also feel that the Astros-Cubs series being played at Miller Park is complete bullshit. That should not have happened. Instead of Chicago flying back tonight from Houston or some other park in the South/Southwest, the Cubs have to drive back to Chicago and play our Brewers. Bullshit. How could this of been allowed to happen?
Jsonline.com reported just now that Ned Yost was fired this afternoon after this horrid collapse. This has to be the first time EVER a manager was canned while his team was in the lead (shared) for the Wild Card, and with 12 games left.
This will surely effect the club in a negative manner and they will fold the rest of the season. Too bad. So close.
With the weekend arrival of Hurricane Ike, the Cubs and Astros series is up in the air. The game scheduled for tomorrow night at Tropicana Field (er...Minute Maid Park...my bad) has been postponed. So the Cubs will depart St. Louis and head home after tonight's game. Of course, Saturdays and Sundays game are in limbo at this point too.
What does this mean?
Well, for starters the Cubs will be well-rested for their showdown against the Brewers which starts on Monday at Wrigley. This is of course could be bad for the Brewers who face a tough team in Philly for a 4 game series this weekend, only to get on the plane and head over to Wrigley for a night game on Monday. This could be a bad 1-2 punch for the Crew as they will surely be fatigued, as they have proven to be in the month of September thus far.
Best case scenario for Milwaukee...and of course the people of SE Texas, is that the Hurricane slows it's role and doesn't collide with the coast. For selfish reasons only, Milwaukee needs that to occur so that Chicago can still face Houston on Saturday and Sunday, with a possible make-up game/double header on Sunday. That would of course mean a late departure for the Cubs and could land them back in Chicago early Monday morning. With the problems that are sure to mount after the hurricane hits, that will be no easy feat as there may be flight delays.
So there is a list of possible effects from the Hurricane in relation to Baseball. For those whose lives will be disrupted, you will surely be in my thoughts.
If the series in Houston is completely cancelled, the league has no other option but make the games up after the regular season. This would of course cause a ripple effect on the entire post season, in both leagues. American League would wait for the National League to start, would they not? Regardless, this would mean added rest for all other teams except for the Cubs. Which is great. Worse case scenario is that Astros sneak up on the Brewers and the two become locked in a tie for the Wild Card. Milwaukee may have to sit idle for the Astros to finish the make-up series on October 1st and 2nd.
Holy balls, this is a mess...I should say it has the potential to be a grand mess.
The moral boost I was referring to was the idea of Milwaukee gaining ground on the Cubs due Chicago being idle over the weekend, should Ike hit. This could mentally trick the Crew who would then realistically have a 1/2 game lead over Chicago when all is said and done by this Sunday night. That of course could only happen if the entire season is postponed until after the Cubs/Astros make their series up. WOW. I am a realist here however, and the Crew should split this weekend. So that would put us 1.5 games back.
Lastly, the entire series could be rescheduled to a neutral site, which the league has mentioned. Could that be done it time for this weekend? Chicago is already said they are returing home after tonights game.
With 16 games left in the season it is imparitive that Milwaukee pulls off (at least) a split in Philly.
Milwaukee is only 4 games ahead of Philly and HOUSTON. All those blogs and critics who laughed when Cecil Cooper all but guaranteed a playoff spot back in the first week of August, are now eating their words. I knew that team could be deadly. The good news is that Milwaukee does not have to face Houston in the final three weeks of baseball's regular season.
The scary thing is that the Astros have a weak schedule to end the season (as does Philly, which you will see): Cubs (tough one) , Florida (not so tough anymore) , Pittsburgh, Cincinatti, and Atlanta. With their last 6 games at home against sub .500 teams. That is an area of concern for this Brewer fan. Considering that we get to play Chicago twice and Philly in a 4-game series starting tonight. Milwaukee needs to pull off a sweep at the bare minimum.
The 'stros have now won 14 of 15 and face Chicago at home. Now, it may not be so bad if the Astros win 2 of 3 in that series..... Just as long as Milwaukee splits with the Phillies. That way you have the Brewers only 2.5 games back of Chicago and the Astros 2.5 games back, pending the Astros win today against the Pirates.
Meanwhile, the forthcoming Phillies have the easiest schedule remaing. Besides the 4-game series with Milwaukee, they face Florida which may cause some pain. But they then have the Nats at home then on the road, and likewise for the braves. Florida, Braves, Nats, Braves, Nats series'.
So, I still feel that the Brewers have to only look ahead of themselves. Like Torres said in the papers....they can only control their destiny, not others. Go after Chicago hard! Look ahead, never look back to see the pissing matches underneath you.
If the playoffs were to start today: White Sox at Rays Red Sox at Angels Dodgers at Cubs Brewers at Mets
Thankfully, the Milwaukee Brewers decided to show up today. What started off as a "oh shit, here we go again" type game for the Crew, turned out to be a feel-good win. Mike Camerson provided the heroics as he drove home the winning run, represented by Ryan Braun. Braun was able to advance to third base thanks impart to Prince Fielders CLUTCH single in the bottom of the 8th inning. They actually manufactured a run that won the game for them.
CC Sabathia was spared the loss, which would have been his first in a Milwaukee uniform since coming on board. Instead, he earned his second straight no-decision, which he will take with a smile. The usually sturdy LHP gave up 3 earned runs and a surprising 8 hits, despite striking out a typical 8 batters.
Even more amazing was Ray Durham replacing the awful Rickie Weeks and Craig Counsell filling in for Billy Hall. Both Hall and Weeks should be benched in tomorrows series opener in Philly, if the Crew would like to compete. Both Counsell and Durham had a hit each, with Ray being walked twice. A hell of a lot better than the other two douche bags.
No Brewer had more than 1 hit in todays game. All that was needed was Mike Cameron's RBI single to halt a retched September skid.
Tony Gwynn JR almost cost the game for the Crew in the 8th when he hit in to a double play, which did allowed JJ Hardy to score after the Reds turned two on first and second base. So in retrospect, Gwynn should be credited!
Mota did earn the win, a much deserved win! He is now 5-5 on the year which was filled with descriptive swear words that fans through out at him or to themselves.
Torres redeemed himself and earned the save striking out the side and earning his 27th save in 34 appearances. Not too bad for a set-up man who is well seasoned.
Yes folks, it's time push the proverbial panic button. Despite what you read in blogs, Journal-Sentinel, and in the news...it's time to panic. Why? Well, because we haven't been this close to possibly winning a pennant and/or making the playoffs in many, many years (decades). So, with that being said.
Milwaukee lost......AGAIN.......Last night against the poor pitching-Reds. This game was simply awful to watch. I even turned the station because it's my anniversary with lovely wife. She doesn't like my attitude when the Brewers lose, especially in games that count. Well, last night was one of those. Supan gave up back-to-back homers after pitching 5 solid innings, resulting in a 4-1 lead. Supan gave up 6 hits, 4 earned runs, and only struck out 2 FUCKING batters. I don't know what to think of Supan. Right when he starts to turn it on and pitch lights out in August...he pulls this shit. Excuse my swearing, but I'm am so enraged right now. I am losing sleep...literally. This is getting to be sick.
All NedyYost can do is say,
“We need to score some runs,” manager Ned Yost said. “We had some opportunities to get a big hit but we didn’t get the hit. We need to find ways to get hot and score some runs.”
No shit you dumby. Yosts' lack of fire in the clutch month of September evidently isn't there. In fact, once can write it off. We have yet to see him confront Prince Fielder's horrendous slump. Nor have we seen him bench Billy Hall, despite the douche bag batting awful numbers and committing errors that are costing us wins. No.... he sits there.
Hat's off to the guy for getting the Brewers to where they are at. But, I have been saying it all season long... He's good enough to get us out of the cellar, but not in to the playoffs. Everything the team has accomplished can be thrown out at this point.
We are only 3.5 games ahead of the Cardinals. Yes, the team that we dismantled all season long. The team who was completely out of it 2 weeks ago. More importantly, we are still only 4.5 games back of the Cubs. However, the Brewers now go on a 10 game road trip starting Thursday (game tonight vs reds). We play the team that has been nipping at our heels for the last couple of weeks in the Wild Card race, the Phillies.
Time to get the head out of the ass and start playing.... Hit the fricken ball. Durham certainly did last night, and that was a pinch hit.
Hell, if needed, sit Prince Fielder. Give the young guys a shot. It's never too late to do a gut check with the "veterans".
Brewers were stomped, at home, and almost made history (in a bad way) in yesterdays ass-whooping. Padre RHP Chris Young had a no-hitter going in to the 8th inning. It wasn't until Gabe Kapler's homerun did Milwaukee fans breathe easier. Flashbacks of Verlander's n0-no last year in Detroit were lingering in our heads. In all, it was a horrific game that sheds light on the team being fatigued. There is no other excuse to struggle defensively and offensively.
Billy Hall has been awful as of late. Yet Ned continues to start him, thus ignoring the idea of starting Mat Gamel a game or two.
This is what Yost and Melvin envisioned when they traded away a couple of top prospects for the seasoned CC Sabathia. Two solid pitchers, one who throws from the left the other from the right, leading the Brewers in the quest to reach the post season and possibly win the pennant. Despite Jeff Supan's flop on Thursday night (after going 5-0 in August) the Brewers threw their best stuff at San Diego.
Friday night consisted of CC going 7 innings and exiting the game with a victory in place. It would have been his 10th victory since coming on board the Brewers. Instead, a certain Canadian couldn't keep his pitches down, giving up a thunderous Brian Giles homer and then followed with a double given up to Rodriguez. Despite pitching himself out of further damage, Greasy Bear was able to get out of the inning. I urge Yost and the State of Wisconsin to not pull the plug on the veteran quite yet. He usually brings his best stuff after struggling a couple of games. We could use that when we face the Cubs coming up.
Back to CC...
The giant struck out 9 batters and gave up only 2 free passes.
It was the reliable (second half of the season) JJ Hardy that pulled the Brewers out of trouble again with a clutch hit that drove in the winning run.
______________________
Well, with CC pitching another gem the night before it was time for Ben Sheets to follow suit. And that he did. The righty pitched a complete game (5) shut out (3) and gave Brewer fans a quick, short victory. Most impressive was how he threw in the top of the ninth inning. It was a rematch from pitting two of the National Leagues most consistent pitchers, Jake Peavy winning the earlier match up a month ago in San Diego...barely. This time around it was Peavy that made a mistake to Prince Fielder who crushed a line-drive double. That hit brought home Ryan Braun all the way from first base, to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead in the third.
The game was a great display of pitching by Sheets (7 k's and 5 hits). He did need his fair share of help with some fantastic defensive plays be Craig Counsell and Rickie Weeks to name a few. Fun battle to watch between two supurb pitchers.
-Prince Fielder was 2 for 16 this homestand before he hit the (prove to be) winning double that drove home Ryan Braun. He is batting a lowly .264 on the season. He needs to heat up before we play Chicago.
-I am becoming more and more inclined to backing CC to win the NL Cy Young award. Prior to, I was pretty subjective to the thought of CC coming over to the NL for a little more than half of a season and competing with Brandon Webb. However, Webb has had a major problem in earning his 20th win and has pitched slightly above average (at best) in the last couple of games. That being said, CC's numbers (in only 125 innings) are hard to ignore.
9 wins in 12 starts
1.42 ERA
6 complete games (most impressive)
3 shut outs
1 hitter (should've been a no-hitter)
4 more starts left in the season
If CC Sabathia earns the CY Young, he would have a pretty good shot of coming back next year to Milwaukee. In my gut (which is large), the feeling I get is that CC would stick with Milwaukee because he has connected with it, similar to what he did with Cleveland. Plus, Antanasio would be hard pressed to pony up the bigger bucks to bring him back. It would be a win-win-giant win situation if CC wins the Cy Young. For all of those involved.
-Brett Lawrie was (finally) introduced to Milwaukee last night and he took batting practise. The kid is making the coaching staff salivate. Yost calls him young "Braunie", referring to Ryan Braun when he came on board 3 years ago. The kid has been using a wooden bat for most of his life. His swing makes for a nice smooth motion that most baseball recruiters/scouts have been raving about since his sophomore year in HS. The kid IS THE REAL DEAL.
Not one to wish ill-will on anybody including my enemies. But Zambrano doesn't count as neither. The prick Milwaukeeans love to see suffer, Carlos Zambrano, had an MRI done on his throwing arm today to see what, if anything, was wrong with his nagging shoulder problem. Turns out it may be "right rotator cuff tendinitis and inflammation". He will surely miss a start or two and this should effect his arm in to October. The cold weather of autumn makes for a great ingredient in causing further tightness and strain. Sweet.
Now, with the discomfort Rich Harden has experienced in his throwing arm, one can only imagine that the Cubs are going to rest two of their top 3 pitchers in the coming series. Great news to Milwaukee who plays a light schedule in the next two series'. Meanwhile, Chicago faces Cincinatti this weekend, and then take on killer teams the remainder of their schedule (see below).
Chicago Cubs September Schedule
--------------------
Cincinatti 5th-7th
@St Louis 9-11
@Houston 12th-14th
Milwaukee 16th-18th
St. Louis 19-21st
@NY METS 22nd-25th (This will be the tell-tale series)
@Milwaukee 26-28th
Milwaukee Brewers September Schedule
-----------------------
Padres 4th-7th
Cincinatti 8th-10th
@Philly 11th-14th
@Chicago 16th-18th
@Cincinatti 19th-21st
Pittsburgh 23rd-25th
Chicago 26th-28th!
Do the math people...Milwaukee has 3 series' on the road, while Chicago has 4. This is the best predicament the Brewers can be in.
Furthermore....
Out of the 7 teams Chicago has left to play, all but 1 team is above .500...that's putting in lightly too, they are well above .500 by at least 10 games.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee faces only 3 teams that are over .500...out of their last 7 teams they face. Milwaukee beats the teams they are suppose to, which is much
different than the last couple of years.
For Milwaukee's fans to think that taking the division is a long shot? I ask you to annalyze the situation a little closer. Closer than the amateur numbers I just provided above.
If Milwaukee takes the Pad's 3 games to 1...we are then positioned to take the penant, in my eyes. Chicago will probay sweep the Reds...that's a given. But there is no way, come the end of September, they can win a series in NYC and then in Milwaukee. With no days off in between. No Way.
The New York Mets came in to town, pulled out pants down, and gave Wisconsin a big kick in the ass. If anything, this series sweep that just took place shows me that the Brewers can not beat the contenders. They just got blanked by the Cubs in late July, swept by Eastern Division leading Mets, and beaten by the Western contending Dodgers. We should be winning these games, and we used to. Hell, we would have a tough time beating the nobody's. No it's turned around. New York spanked Milwaukee 9-2 in a convincing manner.
Dave Bush had a rough day on the mound yesterday afternoon. We all know that Bush has a hell of a time getting out of the first two innings with out damage. That being the case when he gave up 5 runs right away in the 1st, including a grand salami to Ryan Church. In all, Bush pitched 5 complete innings giving up 7 hits and 6 runs, while striking out only 2 (ouch on the last part). Had he not botched the first inning, the Wake Forest alumnus would've fared well...as he finally settled in. You will have a rough game here and there and Bush can still be relied on.
-Hardy remained hot blasting his 21st HR -Weeks went hitless, but did get walked twice. Nice job to the underachiever. -The young guns got their shot, with only Escobar cashing in with his first career hit in the Bigs. Congrats to the up and coming star. Salome flied out and Gamel, well, I didn't catch what Gamel did. -River went 0-3 with a walk playing first. Prince got a much needed day off. -Ryan Braun struck out twice and went 0-4.
*Luckily, the Cubs are severely struggling right now losing their 5th straight last night 4-0 to the 'Stros. They are also having pitching problems. It's just too bad that the Brewers weren't able to capitalize off this turn of events for the Shitheads....er....Cubs.
Ouch. How does a 21 year old kid come up to the Bigs and wax the Wild Card leading Brewers in his first game? Good question. Man that was ugly last night. How many times did Mike Cameron bite on that breaking ball?
Anyways. The Brewers lost last night and Manny Parra got absolutely rocked by the Carlos Brothers. In all the young south paw gave up 6 hits and 4 earned runs in another shaky start for Parra. The bull pen was actually pretty damn decent last night and held the Mets at bay for most of the game. Had it not been for an uncommon miss throw by Jason Kendall to Rickie Weeks, who was covering for Prince.
The game was hard fought by both sides, only the Mets wanted it just a little bit more. Mike Cameron has certainly cooled off a bit going 5 for his last 25 at-bats. He went 0 for 5 last night, which is quite a surprise, considering the fact that the Mets threw a first-timer at them in Jonathon Niese and then a bunch of scrub relievers.
-Rickie Weeks had a huge game last night by going 0 for 4, yet the guy couldn't notch a a hit in Milwaukee last at-bat. What happened to Milwaukee's clutch hitting?
-Chicago Cubs lost.....again, to the Houston Astros. Make that 4 straight now. The sad thing is Milwaukee keeps on losing.
-Milwaukee is now 4.5 games ahead of Philly, and 4.5 games back from Chicago. So, we're still sitting purty.
-I really like Brad Nelson. They guy is just simply gi-normous. Love him. How is his defense though? Can he bend down to pick the ball up? I'm a fat guy, and I have a hart time tying my shoes.
-Yosts' confidence in his club can be scary at times. However, when you're a guy in his position who faces the certainty of being fired if they don't make the post season, you're suddenly a guy with nothing to lose. I like the relentlessness he displays.
-It's about fricken time that the Brewers team up with Harley-Davidson in sponsorships. Miller Park will offer a new fan-zone "Harley" section in the outfield that will offer a deck, both elevated and at ground level. Looks pretty sweet...not over the top either. Perhaps they will give away a bike again to whomever hits for a cycle. I don't believe Chad Moeller received one. This new seating section will be ready by the 2009 season.
-This is a story on "Where are they now" that covers Prince Fielder's old man, Cecil.
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Did anyone catch the Tennessee-UCLA game on Monday Night? I forgot to type about it. That game was phenomenal. A great game to watch that only proves that College Football is better than the NFL. Where else can you rush the field after the first win of the season? Well, for Rick Neuheisel's team that was the case on Monday. They celebrated like they won the damn BCS title game! It was a nice accomplishment, considering that he was the first UCLA coach to win in his debut. Here is a good story on his baggage that he his bringing to his new job.
NFC North 1. Green Bay- Rodgers will lead the NFC North in passing...by far 2. Chicago-No QB...again 3. Minnesota-Absolutely no QB, can AP stay healthy? 4. Detroit-Again...no QB. Rudi is not enough to power that O.
NFC West 1. Seattle-Too many good receivers for Matt to throw to. 2. San Fran-JT will surprise the league...including Green Bay. 3. St. Louis-Jackson will fall with season-ending injury. Isaac Bruce is wrinkly. 4. Arizona-Two hack quarterbacks commanding a team of over-hyped players.
NFC East 1. Dallas-I hate Romo...but they have too many weapons. 2. NY Giants-Eli is not that good, but either are DC and Philly 3. Washington DC- Campbell will be benched for Collins by week 5 4. Philly-Get it through your heads...Donavon can NOT play anymore.
NFC South 1. Carolina-Delhomme is back! People forget just how good he is! 2. Tampa Bay-Simply better than the two bottom teams. 3. New Orleans-Weak Defense, no weapons on O besides an undersized twerp in Bush. 4. Atlanta-Rookie QB has to pay dues first. ____________________
AFC North 1. Pittsburgh-Great offensive backfield and reliable corps to throw to for Big Ben. 2. Cleveland- Effective O-Line protecting Anderson. No one to back up Jamal though. 3. Cincinnati-Until they get rid of Ocho-Dildo, they will not go ANYWHERE. 4. Baltimore-Flacco is your starter? Holy Balls....good luck with that one!
AFC West 1. San Diego-LT and Rivers make them great....throw in Chambers and Jackson? Oh dang. 2. Oakland- Jamarcus should have a strong year with a great one-two punch in his backfield. 3. Denver- Too many cancers in that locker room. 4. KC- I just can't see Brody making an impact in the NFL. LJ is back though...for a short while.
AFC East 1. New England- The senior citizens can still play. Hell, they could win with Cassel at QB. 2. NY Jets-Favre is still Favre. A hungry franchise, now with a hungry leader. 3. Miami-Doing good things with Parcells as VP...but it will take a while. Williams is not it! 4. Buffalo- I didn't know where to stick them, so I put them in last because of Trent Edwards.
AFC South 1. Jacksonville- Even with their off field problems, these guys are just too good. 2. Indianapolis-Need Adai to have an even better year. 3. Houston- Your better off with Sage running the offense. 4. Tennessee-Vince Young will go down....again. Too fragile. _____________________
NFC Wild Card: NY Giants & San Fransisco AFC Wild Card: Indy & NY Jets
Super Bowl: Jacksonville vs Dallas Winner: Jacksonville
Gagne blew the game wide open for the Mets yesterday in the top of the eighth inning. Prior to that, Milwaukee had control of the situation and was even up 2-o in the seventh. However, after Ben Sheets left the game early with a tight crotch the Brewer relievers were unable to hold the Mets at bay. I should say: Gagne was unable to hold them at bay.
Eric Gagne (4-3) lost the game for the Crew. Ryan Braun had a great game yesterday crushing 2 doubles and driving in a run.
Milwaukee picked a bad game to lose, or good game, depending on you look at the glass (half empty/half full). Chicago lost. However, NY Mets gained ground on the Wild Card and are only 3.5 games behind them.
-Milwaukee called up 10 players for their expanded September roster: Escobar, Salome, Gamel, Gwynn Jr., and the giant Brad Nelson. Nelson had an at-bat in yesterdays game and grounded out. He is a big boy. As for the three AA players called up, I like it. The Brewers farm system revolves around Huntsville...not Nashville.
-Cliff Lee notched his 20th win yesterday. He will surely win the AL Cy Young.
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Went to the Badger game on Saturday. They looked most impressive in their run game. Their passing game was not even present that day, so can't really comment on that. They were also with out Travis Beckum. The area I was most concerned with was their secondary. It looked silly out there, getting picked a part by the Akron receivers. In fact, the game could've been a lot closer had their receivers actually caught balls. The Akron QB, Chris Jacquemain looked pretty impressive with his timely passes. However, his corps was unable to come through.
John Clay finally made his first appearance, rushing for 71 yards and a touchdown! He is the back of the future, but probably won't play all four years. Surely, the NFL will be in this kids future...earlier than later.
Milwaukee....it's September 1st. You have only 1 month of baseball left to play before you know if you are playoff team or not. Plenty of games left and it can go either way. The Brewers certainly ended August with a bang, going 20-7 and holding on to second place in the central and on to the Wild Card.
This weekend Milwaukee did what it was supposed to do....that was sweep the Pirates, a team that they should to beat. They did more than that. Milwaukee came out and played good ol fashion knuckle ball with Dave Bush on the mound. What started as a dismal year for the sturdy right hander is ending to be fantastic season. In fact, if was not for CC Sabathia's 9 wins since coming on board and Ryan Braun's All Star season, one would have to consider Dave for team MVP. Long shot, but this pitcher has been the cornerstone of our starting rotation. It was this guy (thumbs pointing to myself) who called for him to be traded before the season start. I will be the first to admit that. Keep in mind, a lot has changed, and that started with Yovanni going down with (what appears to be) a season ending injury. If he comes back, it will be in the relief role.
Bush has allowed only 3 runs in the last 20 and 2/3 innings (1.31 era) with 3 road starts included. Even more impressive is that he is lasting in to the seventh innings, which was not the story in seasons past. Friday, Bush gave up only 6 hits and struck out 2 in 6.2 innings (94 pitches) all while maintaining his velocity and command.
Offensively the Brewer bats were quite most of the game, but struck when needed most. Ryan Bran blasted his 34th home run on the year in the first inning. The three run shot was all Milwaukee would get the remainder of the game. Braun would also contribute a double in the game.
Game 2: Saturday Milwaukee walloped the Pirates, like they were supposed to do. Even more impressive was Jeff Supan who earned the win (10-7) throwing 7 innings and giving up only 2 runs. The veteran right hander went 5-0 this August and is proving why Milwaukee spent so much money on him two winters ago. Sadly, I am limited to what I saw on Fox's Final Score to see just how well he threw. I was in Madison with my friends Kennedy (K) and Link to see the Badgers play. Plus, I had been consuming most of the afternoon. Here is what the Brewers did: Mike Cameron, continuing his outstanding season, went yard for his 24th of the season. Corey Hart also belted a HR (20) in a game that witnessed plenty of scoring. Braun and Fielder did go hitless in the game. Boy oh boy, do we need Prince to heat up.
Prince just had his worst month of his major league career batting .228 and only 6 HR's Granted, I couldn't do that playing RBI Baseball on Nintendo. But he was the man who was complaining in the start of the season about getting his money. That day will surely come, just relax and play. It is enevitable that he will heat up in September and still finish with at least 40 HR's.
Game 3: Sunday Once again, I failed to watch the game because I was out and about in Madison. Of course, I picked the worst day to do such a thing. CC (9-0 since coming on board) continued his National League dominance by pitching a complete game 1-hitter. This game should be a no-hitter, and today we should find out if it is. In the fifth inning CC fielded an in-field grounder with his bare hand and misjudged it. In doing so he allowed the hitter to reach first base. Well, that come back to hit him in the ass, as it was his only "hit". The play should have been ruled an error considering the fact that he would have easily thrown him out had he fielded it successfully. It was a bare hand pick up that was off to his side. Yet the scorer decided to hate Milwaukee, probably because he was from St. Louis, and scored it a hit. If it is ruled an error...it would be Milwaukee's first no-hitter since Juan Nieves threw one in 1987 season. A game that I still remember and is probably my first memory of baseball. Hopefully today, Bud Selig intervenes and lays down his iron first for his hometown. A poll on Sports Center (yes, I tuned in to see what those dillweeds would say) showed that 66% of the country believed that the "hit" should have been ruled an error.
"That's a joke," irate manager Ned Yost said afterward. "That wasn't even close. Whoever the scorekeeper was absolutely denied major-league baseball a nice no-hitter, right there. "That's sad. It's just sad. He accomplished a no-hitter and wasn't given what he deserved. We had a great game today. It's too bad the scorekeeper had to put a damper on it. I feel horrible for CC."
Ned Yost has really turned around my feelings of hatred for him. You can't really call it hate, as I am very thankful that he has turned around the Brewers in 5+ seasons. Like my good friend Shawn Voigt said, he's a good enough skipper to bring the out of the cellar, but not good enough for the post season. Well, all the Ned bashers may be proven wrong. I will be the first to admit, I called for Ned's head after the Boston series, after last years Cards series in late September, and during the entire off-season. I still blame him for losing out last season. But this season has been a different story.
Sundays game ended with a 7-0 beatin' of the Pirates. CC gave up only 1 "hit" and struck out 11. The offense accounted for another Hart double (40) and a Weeks' homer (11). Fielder and Braun each had two hits. Lets go Bash Brothers II. It's time to take of the gloves and get your hands dirty. We need you more than ever in September and Brewtober....wow, I just started the next catch phrase.
-In sad news....the Yanks are targetting CC in the offseason. They can make him the highest paid pitcher. I feel that it all depends on October. If the Crew is playing and make it to the second round, I can see him staying on board. He likes Milwaukee, or so he says. It's the exact same as Cleveland in that it is a blue-collar/working-class hero of a town.
With a month of baseball left until the Brewtober, Milwaukee has to face the Cubs twice and the Phillies. Not to mention the ever-threatening Mets in a 3 game series starting today.
-Corey Hart joined (yet again) the 20/20 club in consectutive seasons. He is the anchor in that line up. The one who can always be relied upon.
-New York is favored to win the first game of the series, today. Johan Santana takes to the rubber against the "struggling" Ben Sheets. If there is run support, Ben will notch the win. He is well overdue and the bats have come alive in the past two games.
I still feel that Milwaukee has a shot at catching up to the Cubs. They are now 4.5 games back and will play the Mets in a 3-gamer. Most feel that this is a preview to the playoffs. Chicago faces Houston in a 3 gamer. Houston just swept the Cardinals....who are a sleeping giant...right? Albert Pujols is a pathetic jerk who is still crying over the incident.
