One would think that the Crew would show up last night and give it everything they had to gain a whole game on the Reds and a 1/2 game on the Cardinals. I mean, they're on a hot streak as of late and in a position to close the gap even more. Instead, Yovanni Gallardo might have been thinking too much about his planned boycott of Arizona next year (if he is an All Star) and not on the task-at-hand. Gallard (9-5) got shellacked last night by a pesky Reds line-up.
Right out of the gates Yo clearly didn't bring his "A" game to the park....especially when the Crew needed him most. Brandon Phillips rocked a double that almost ended up as a triple had Rickie Weeks not fire-armed a rocket relay throw to 3B Casey McGehee. I felt good after that....I felt like this should throw-out should set the momentum of the game. Umm...no.
Instead, the Reds walloped Yovanni left and right through his 2.2 innings. The bullpen didn't fair any better when the two Tommy John revitalization projects (Capy & Riske) gave up runs that only added to the stockpile beating. Capuano allowed 4 earned runs while Riske gave up a run. At least Joe Inglett did his part....he pitched a perfect 9th inning. This was the first time Ken Macha has EVER used a position player in a relief role, even in the minors.
Rickie Weeks is on a tear....he collected his 22nd HR of the season and also added a hit. Meanwhile, Ryan Braun went o'fer.....AGAIN, while Prince Fielder finally hit a double.
Casey McGehee is starting to heat up again, thankfully. Only 2 games after he hit a HR and a Double, he recorded two more much-needed hits.
It's getting to the point where I can't handle Jerry Augustine. I mean, the guy is probably very nice and means well....but he's not made for TV. I actually stomached the pre-game show and watched him taste-test a hotdog with some Wisconsin made Mustard (that the Reds love) and the Special Stadium Sauce. He looked lost, until he found the wiener in his mouth.
Rickie Weeks will also become a free agent after next season; so it seems that he's the only one who's "untouchable" in trades. That term used to be used for Prince and Corey. Well, not anymore. Milwaukee's #1 goal should be to lock him up in a contract. Despite the fact that it took 6 seasons for him to "get it", he's got it. Now if only there was a crystal ball that could ensure that he'll stay healthy.
*LaTroy Hawkins is coming back for the Houston series this weekend. Nice timing, going up against his old team.
Imagine if you will Milwaukee fans, a life with out Prince Fielder....if he was traded at the end of the week.....all those jerseys at Kohls would just sit there and collect dust.
We all know it's going to happen....Corey Hart will try to return to the batters box this weekend to show the league that he's worth it in a trade. But no team will fall for it. Hart's injury is serious...don't let the propaganda fool you. Most, if not all teams are uninterested at this point. That means one thing, he will return to the line-up in August (full-time) and start his downward slide. Any team that is stupid enough to trade a young prospect for Hart...is risking the idea of Hart failing a physical and having the deal blow up. So they could decide to do the deal hush-hush and not let the press know until (if) he passes the physical. So we may not even know if a a preliminary trade was worked out at all if he fails the physical.
TEAM WISCONSIN: A bush league blog that discusses news, rumors, and BS regarding the Milwaukee Brewers.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
48-53: Brewers turn on the heat
Last night 3-2 victory over the 2nd place Reds should provide a boost of confidence for the team and their fan base. Of course, we have been down this road before. Remember the tear the Crew went on a tear in June and won 5 straight, 3 of which were a result of sweeping the Twins? Well, we're seeing a similar glimpse of what this team is capable of right now. Milwaukee has a good shot of winning the series tonight when Yovanni Gallardo takes to the mound against Edison Velquez (1-1). It should be a good pitchers duel, much like we saw last night when Bronson Arroyo (10-6) lost out to Randy Wolf (no decision, Villanueva earned the win). Arroyo lasted 8 innings, giving up 3 earned runs on only 3 hits....2 of those were homers by Rickie Weeks (21) and Jim Edmonds (8).
Jimmy Edmonds has been on a tear as of late, especially on this current home stand. Meanwhile, Prince & Braun have been hitless in their last two games. Randy Wolf added the only other hit last night.
John Axford killed it last night as well, recording his 15th save (15 for 16 attempts).
-On paper, Milwaukee has a favorable schedule until August 13th when Milwaukee travels to Denver. The Crew travels to Houston this weekend and then up to Chicago, then a home stand that pits them against Houston (again) and a 4-game series with Arizona (who they swept the last time playing). They need to win while they can, because their September schedule is brutal.
-It's going to be a long shot for the Crew to hit 3 million in attendance this season. There are ticket-deals galore out there on Stub Hub right now. Their tv ratings are taking a significant hit as well. Keep in mind though....
Mike Dimond, Fox Sports' senior vice president and general manager, said the Brewers still ranked eighth in Major League Baseball for local broadcast ratings. Last year, the team was sixth.
"I'm encouraged by the ratings," Dimond said. "This is a baseball town, and on many nights we are the highest-rated show."
If you ask me, now is the best time to go to a game. You don't have to deal with moronic girlfriends who wear their slutty outfits to the game and yap on their cell phones and take obnoxious photos of themselves dry humping the Henry Aaron statue....nor do you have the tools with the straight brim caps and wife beaters getting loaded off of Mike Hard Lemonades...or better yet....you don't have the 43 year-old single males who make signs for the Crew to "WIN". No sir, you actually have the the real, die hard fans. One last thing, you should never bring a ball glove to a game unless you're with your son, grandson, or little nephew. There is no excuse for someone over 18 to bring a mit to the park to catch fly balls at batting practise.
-The Rays' Matt Garza had a no-no last night! Quite impressive, considering he came 1 walk shy of a perfect game.
Seriously, the Crew is long overdue for a no-hitter. Honestly, new teams like the Rays and D-Backs are getting them....it's time for Yovanni to do work, son.
-According to my Yahoo fantasy baseball team, Corey Hart isn't close to taking batting practise yet. He's still hoping to play in this series, but I think that's all propaganda in the event that they trade him. I am starting to think the Brewers will become buyers if they sweep the Reds. You could look for the Crew to add an outfielder or even an average starting pitcher.
Jimmy Edmonds has been on a tear as of late, especially on this current home stand. Meanwhile, Prince & Braun have been hitless in their last two games. Randy Wolf added the only other hit last night.
John Axford killed it last night as well, recording his 15th save (15 for 16 attempts).
-On paper, Milwaukee has a favorable schedule until August 13th when Milwaukee travels to Denver. The Crew travels to Houston this weekend and then up to Chicago, then a home stand that pits them against Houston (again) and a 4-game series with Arizona (who they swept the last time playing). They need to win while they can, because their September schedule is brutal.
-It's going to be a long shot for the Crew to hit 3 million in attendance this season. There are ticket-deals galore out there on Stub Hub right now. Their tv ratings are taking a significant hit as well. Keep in mind though....
Mike Dimond, Fox Sports' senior vice president and general manager, said the Brewers still ranked eighth in Major League Baseball for local broadcast ratings. Last year, the team was sixth.
"I'm encouraged by the ratings," Dimond said. "This is a baseball town, and on many nights we are the highest-rated show."
If you ask me, now is the best time to go to a game. You don't have to deal with moronic girlfriends who wear their slutty outfits to the game and yap on their cell phones and take obnoxious photos of themselves dry humping the Henry Aaron statue....nor do you have the tools with the straight brim caps and wife beaters getting loaded off of Mike Hard Lemonades...or better yet....you don't have the 43 year-old single males who make signs for the Crew to "WIN". No sir, you actually have the the real, die hard fans. One last thing, you should never bring a ball glove to a game unless you're with your son, grandson, or little nephew. There is no excuse for someone over 18 to bring a mit to the park to catch fly balls at batting practise.
-The Rays' Matt Garza had a no-no last night! Quite impressive, considering he came 1 walk shy of a perfect game.
Seriously, the Crew is long overdue for a no-hitter. Honestly, new teams like the Rays and D-Backs are getting them....it's time for Yovanni to do work, son.
-According to my Yahoo fantasy baseball team, Corey Hart isn't close to taking batting practise yet. He's still hoping to play in this series, but I think that's all propaganda in the event that they trade him. I am starting to think the Brewers will become buyers if they sweep the Reds. You could look for the Crew to add an outfielder or even an average starting pitcher.
Monday, July 26, 2010
47-53: Crew sweeps Nationals, like they should
Well, Milwaukee decided to make this up-coming trade deadline much more interesting. The Brewers are now positioned 6 games under .500, the closest they have been to .500 since mid-May. With the second place Reds coming to town you can't help but think "what if". Milwaukee could gain some ground against the Reds while trying to regain being .500 shortly after the trade deadline. Even if Milwaukee sweeps the Reds, which they won't, they will be 3 games under at the trade deadline. What do you do if you're Doug Melvin? Do you buy or sell?
Milwaukee is 8.5 games out of first place.
The Reds & Cardinals have been sporadic, at best. Both could easily go in to a week-long slump and the Crew could gain on them. Far shot? Yes. That's why the Crew needs to stick to their guns and deal Hart. They better hope to God that Cory can play in the Reds series in order to quell any fears that he is seriously injured and thwarts any hopes of being traded. They need to trade him by weeks end.
Yesterday, Rickie Weeks and Casey McGehee led the Brewers offense that accounted for 5 unearned runs. Both homered (20th & 14th, respectively) while Dave Bush had a solid outing on the mound, thus making up for his horrific start in Pittsburgh earlier in the week. Bush went 6 complete while giving up 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 7 strike outs. Thanks to scoreless frames in the 7-8th inning by Cameron Loe and the 9th by Hoffman, the Crew's bullpen continued their turn-around.
Jonathon Lucroy is now hitting .293 on the season, as he added two more hits yesterday.
I was unaware of this, but Adam Dunn went on AM620 during Saturday's game and chatted with Uecker! How cool is that? He wasn't in the line-up so he was able to make his way up to the press box and he chatted with Ueck for a short while, on the air. Adam Dunn is good-to-go in my book. In fact, it would be nice to see him with Milwaukee, if he would play RF better.
Speaking of.....Welcome back Mr. Baseball. I know Bob Uecker reads my blog on a bi-weekly basis (talking out of my ass). I should also note that Davey Nelson didn't do too bad of a job. Now if only they would get rid of Jerry Augustine....he is horrible. His post-game show with Craig Coushawn (sp?) was horrible. He looked like an alien who didn't know where to point his eyes to.
Milwaukee is 8.5 games out of first place.
The Reds & Cardinals have been sporadic, at best. Both could easily go in to a week-long slump and the Crew could gain on them. Far shot? Yes. That's why the Crew needs to stick to their guns and deal Hart. They better hope to God that Cory can play in the Reds series in order to quell any fears that he is seriously injured and thwarts any hopes of being traded. They need to trade him by weeks end.
Yesterday, Rickie Weeks and Casey McGehee led the Brewers offense that accounted for 5 unearned runs. Both homered (20th & 14th, respectively) while Dave Bush had a solid outing on the mound, thus making up for his horrific start in Pittsburgh earlier in the week. Bush went 6 complete while giving up 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 7 strike outs. Thanks to scoreless frames in the 7-8th inning by Cameron Loe and the 9th by Hoffman, the Crew's bullpen continued their turn-around.
Jonathon Lucroy is now hitting .293 on the season, as he added two more hits yesterday.
I was unaware of this, but Adam Dunn went on AM620 during Saturday's game and chatted with Uecker! How cool is that? He wasn't in the line-up so he was able to make his way up to the press box and he chatted with Ueck for a short while, on the air. Adam Dunn is good-to-go in my book. In fact, it would be nice to see him with Milwaukee, if he would play RF better.
Speaking of.....Welcome back Mr. Baseball. I know Bob Uecker reads my blog on a bi-weekly basis (talking out of my ass). I should also note that Davey Nelson didn't do too bad of a job. Now if only they would get rid of Jerry Augustine....he is horrible. His post-game show with Craig Coushawn (sp?) was horrible. He looked like an alien who didn't know where to point his eyes to.
Friday, July 23, 2010
44-53: Crew almost blows it
Thank god for Yovanni Gallarado. In his first start since hitting the DL prior to the All Star break, Yovanni tossed 6 shut-out innings and comletely man handeled the Pirates line-up. As he should. Apparently Bush and Wolf suck so bad that they can't even beat the pathetic Bucs. Unreal.
At any rate, Yo put in work but was almost stripped of his win when Todd Coffey came in to relieve him in the 7th. A "wild" pitch was launched by Coffey that ended up hitting the backstop. This may or may not have been a retaliation for Rickie Weeks getting pegged in the 5th. Regardless, it ended with a two-run burst by the Pirates in that inning.
It took John Axford to earn a 5-out save for his 13th of the season. This kid is cool as ice.
Prince Fielder (24) & Rickie Weeks (19) both hit homeruns.
Weeks also contributed with a triple while Lucroy and Counsell added doubles.
-As you probably already know, the Crew sent Lorenzo Cain (8 for 10) back to the AAA-Nashville to clear room for Yovanni. Unbelievable. Why not kick someone else down who sucks...like.....well.....the easy choice is Doug Davis or Randy Wolf....but they can't go.
-The Fielder / White Sox rumors are really heating up. I wish they would just wait until the off-season.
-Madisonjournal.com had a cool "Welcome Back Ueck" story today.
-If Milwaukee doesn't pull off a sweep against the Nats this weekend....kiss Hart and maybe even Prince goodbye.
At any rate, Yo put in work but was almost stripped of his win when Todd Coffey came in to relieve him in the 7th. A "wild" pitch was launched by Coffey that ended up hitting the backstop. This may or may not have been a retaliation for Rickie Weeks getting pegged in the 5th. Regardless, it ended with a two-run burst by the Pirates in that inning.
It took John Axford to earn a 5-out save for his 13th of the season. This kid is cool as ice.
Prince Fielder (24) & Rickie Weeks (19) both hit homeruns.
Weeks also contributed with a triple while Lucroy and Counsell added doubles.
-As you probably already know, the Crew sent Lorenzo Cain (8 for 10) back to the AAA-Nashville to clear room for Yovanni. Unbelievable. Why not kick someone else down who sucks...like.....well.....the easy choice is Doug Davis or Randy Wolf....but they can't go.
-The Fielder / White Sox rumors are really heating up. I wish they would just wait until the off-season.
-Madisonjournal.com had a cool "Welcome Back Ueck" story today.
-If Milwaukee doesn't pull off a sweep against the Nats this weekend....kiss Hart and maybe even Prince goodbye.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
43-52: Bush blows
Wow...what an ugly start to a game last night. Right from the get-go the Pirates pounced on Dave Bushy (4-8). In 4 short innings Pittsburgh drove in 10 runs against Bush (5 earned) on 9 hits. A pitcher typically isn't going to get the job done by having only 2 strike outs and as many walks. Horrible day for Bush....right when the Crew needed him most.
What really sucks about this flop start is that is lowers his trade value just a tad. Nothing drastic, he has strung together a strong run of solid starts since the debacle in Minneapolis. But this was horrible; against the worst team in baseball no less.
The good news, if there was any, from last night was the bull pen. In 4 innings of work, Villy gave up the one loan run while Coffey and Hoffman collected scoreless frames.
Ryan Braun (15) and Jim Edmounds (5) each went yard. The latter came a triple away from a cycle. Rickie Weeks also contributed a double.
Finally, Bob Uecker, the man that makes the Milwaukee Brewers so much fun is coming back to the booth. I can't wait. This summer has been "off" since Bob Uecker left the game to take care of some handy work on the ol' thumper. Talk about a star, someone who loves the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Brewers baseball coming back early to put in work after a challenging time in his life. To my friends with young children out there....make sure you hover around the radio the remainder of the season so that your kids can hear excellence....I think this might be his last season.
Michael Hunt (JSOnline.com) discusses the Fielder-Hart market once again. He argues that now is the time to start dealing them for pitchers. Am I missing something here? There is no flipping way that Melvin is going to deal Prince Fielder, no way; not until the off-season. Quite frankly, why wouldn't he wait until everyone can come to the pary?
After watching ESPN's "Homestand" edition on the Brewers last night, I can see why the Carlos Gomez isn't playing much. He apparently doesn't mind the fact that he's having a pretty bad season to date. The fact of the matter is this kid is very immature and he has no plate-discipline what-so-ever. He has wheels and he (used to be able to) bunts well. Hopefully Lorenzo Cain and Rickie Weeks can take over the OF next season. All allow Brett Lawrie to play 2B....but even then, you have two young kids playing the middle infield with a new CF. Unreal, this is quite the jam.
What really sucks about this flop start is that is lowers his trade value just a tad. Nothing drastic, he has strung together a strong run of solid starts since the debacle in Minneapolis. But this was horrible; against the worst team in baseball no less.
The good news, if there was any, from last night was the bull pen. In 4 innings of work, Villy gave up the one loan run while Coffey and Hoffman collected scoreless frames.
Ryan Braun (15) and Jim Edmounds (5) each went yard. The latter came a triple away from a cycle. Rickie Weeks also contributed a double.
Finally, Bob Uecker, the man that makes the Milwaukee Brewers so much fun is coming back to the booth. I can't wait. This summer has been "off" since Bob Uecker left the game to take care of some handy work on the ol' thumper. Talk about a star, someone who loves the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Brewers baseball coming back early to put in work after a challenging time in his life. To my friends with young children out there....make sure you hover around the radio the remainder of the season so that your kids can hear excellence....I think this might be his last season.
Michael Hunt (JSOnline.com) discusses the Fielder-Hart market once again. He argues that now is the time to start dealing them for pitchers. Am I missing something here? There is no flipping way that Melvin is going to deal Prince Fielder, no way; not until the off-season. Quite frankly, why wouldn't he wait until everyone can come to the pary?
After watching ESPN's "Homestand" edition on the Brewers last night, I can see why the Carlos Gomez isn't playing much. He apparently doesn't mind the fact that he's having a pretty bad season to date. The fact of the matter is this kid is very immature and he has no plate-discipline what-so-ever. He has wheels and he (used to be able to) bunts well. Hopefully Lorenzo Cain and Rickie Weeks can take over the OF next season. All allow Brett Lawrie to play 2B....but even then, you have two young kids playing the middle infield with a new CF. Unreal, this is quite the jam.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
43-51: Crew takes first game
.jpg)
After a long wait that witnessed a second TJ surgery, Chris Capuano recorded his first win since May 7, 2007. Even more crazy is that he ended a 13-game losing streak (franchise record) and he threw in 30 games that included 19 starts where he didn't record a win. Last night was all-around different. What started off on a shakey note ended with Cappy going 5 innings of damn-near perfection. Despite the rain delay that resulted in Cappy having to rest his fragile arm for 50+ minutes, Chris had to jump right back on the mound and pitch 4 more innings. Not an easy feat for someone who has gone through so much in his career. I wrote him off during the off-season and even in to the season, despite the shake-up in the rotation. Hell, I even had Claudio fricken' Vargas as a spot starter over Cappy. Well, I'm glad to stand here corrected.
Chris gave up one loan run on 3 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strike-outs. Granted, he was throwing against the Pirates....but they were actually playing pretty decent behind Karstens' 3 hits that he allowed.
Rickie Weeks hit yet another HR (18)
Prince Fielder went yard to tie the game up, he now leads the NL with 24.
Corey Hart ended his 9 game hitting streak.
Corey Hart is saying all the right things about staying in Milwaukee, even though the city booed him out of the park numerous times since the second half of 2008. Like I said earlier, I would almost rather see them sign Hart to a contract than seeing an ill-fated attempt at going after Fielder.
Jonny Venters and Bobby Cox were suspended. Venters earned a 4 game suspension for beaning Fielder twice in Saturday's game.
Monday, July 19, 2010
42-51: Crew leaves Atlanta with a split
Well, I must admit I was pleasantly surprised with the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend. Aside from yesterday's ass whipping, the Crew looked damn sharp....especially their bullpen. Milwaukee should feel pretty good about themselves, having split against the club with the best home record in baseball.
Rickie Weeks is shaping up to be one of the best lead-off hitters in the game. He went 7 for 17 with 2 HR's and 4 RBI. Pretty impressive. Yes, I was "that guy" who was calling for Milwaukee to trade Rickie Weeks and settle for Felipe Lopez during the off-season. Glad Melvin doesn't read this blog.
Prince went 4-15 with 2 HR's and 5 RBI
Braun went 5-17 with a HR and 3 RBI
Corey Hart went 7 for 16 with a HR and 5 RBI.
I could safely say that Milwaukee's bats are coming together and starting to gel. Yesterday's loss could have easily turned in to a win, with the amount of runs the Brewers scored. The bullpen is starting to come together (aside from yesterday) and the starting rotation is stringing together some quality starts (aside from yesterday).
San Diego has shown interest in Corey Hart. It appears that the Padres and Giants have the most to gain from adding a red hot slugger in Hart. Melvin will NOT pull the trigger unless he gets a young starting pitcher....someone who is currently in the starting rotation. I don't know too many teams that are in the hunt who are willing to let a pitcher go right now. The Giants sure as hell aren't going to let Madison Bumgarner go right now. He has far too much potential.
I'm starting to think that the Crew should try to lock up Hart and concentrate on dealing Fielder either now or in the off-season. They can't afford to give both up....can they?
Macha was trying to sound important yesterday while talking about the bean-ball war that went on over the weekend. He didn't help his cause when he gave the OK for Riske to throw his bean-ball. He does have a point though. It's apparent that the National League has it out for the Milwaukee Brewers. So far this year the Crew has been hit by 47 pitches. Yes, some have been accidental or mishaps, but a good portion of them have been targeted at Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder.
Doug Davis is the worst off-season pick-up by the Brewers in a very long time. He's been horrible. LaTroy Hawkins is right behind him.
The Brewers will be featured on a reality tv show set to air tomorrow on ESPN. It's a show that is similar to the Hard Knocks show on HBO that features NFL teams. It's called "The Homestand".
Rickie Weeks is shaping up to be one of the best lead-off hitters in the game. He went 7 for 17 with 2 HR's and 4 RBI. Pretty impressive. Yes, I was "that guy" who was calling for Milwaukee to trade Rickie Weeks and settle for Felipe Lopez during the off-season. Glad Melvin doesn't read this blog.
Prince went 4-15 with 2 HR's and 5 RBI
Braun went 5-17 with a HR and 3 RBI
Corey Hart went 7 for 16 with a HR and 5 RBI.
I could safely say that Milwaukee's bats are coming together and starting to gel. Yesterday's loss could have easily turned in to a win, with the amount of runs the Brewers scored. The bullpen is starting to come together (aside from yesterday) and the starting rotation is stringing together some quality starts (aside from yesterday).
San Diego has shown interest in Corey Hart. It appears that the Padres and Giants have the most to gain from adding a red hot slugger in Hart. Melvin will NOT pull the trigger unless he gets a young starting pitcher....someone who is currently in the starting rotation. I don't know too many teams that are in the hunt who are willing to let a pitcher go right now. The Giants sure as hell aren't going to let Madison Bumgarner go right now. He has far too much potential.
I'm starting to think that the Crew should try to lock up Hart and concentrate on dealing Fielder either now or in the off-season. They can't afford to give both up....can they?
Macha was trying to sound important yesterday while talking about the bean-ball war that went on over the weekend. He didn't help his cause when he gave the OK for Riske to throw his bean-ball. He does have a point though. It's apparent that the National League has it out for the Milwaukee Brewers. So far this year the Crew has been hit by 47 pitches. Yes, some have been accidental or mishaps, but a good portion of them have been targeted at Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder.
Doug Davis is the worst off-season pick-up by the Brewers in a very long time. He's been horrible. LaTroy Hawkins is right behind him.
The Brewers will be featured on a reality tv show set to air tomorrow on ESPN. It's a show that is similar to the Hard Knocks show on HBO that features NFL teams. It's called "The Homestand".
Friday, July 16, 2010
40-50: Flat start to the 2nd half
Wow....way to fire out of the gates to start the 2nd half of the season! Milwaukee lost a snore-fest of a game last night to the NL East leading Braves by a score of 2-1. Dave Bush added another quality start to keep his streak alive (since the Minnesota debacle at Target Field). It wasn't perfect though, the man allowed 2 HR's (go figure) along with allowing 9 baserunners the entire game....you do the math and figure out how that averages per inning.
Corey Hart picked up where he left off with a solo HR and a base hit. This is a positive sign....considering how flat he was in 2008 after the All Star game.
I'm starting to think that Milwaukee should hold on to Corey Hart and target a trade with Prince instead. Corey claims that he wants to be in Milwaukee, which I think he's fibbing. He just wants to show his suiters that he can play in a small market team. He also mentioned to a Giants beat writer earlier this week that he could see himself playing in San Fransisco. I saw the link on MLBTraderumors.com....but I don't feel like looking it up.
In fact, I find it hard to keep the motivation of typing new posts for this blog. I would imagine that the Brewers feel like I do....who cares.
Well I do, but not enough to make a normal post....so I'm out. If the crew gets swept this weekend, I'm signing-off...
Corey Hart picked up where he left off with a solo HR and a base hit. This is a positive sign....considering how flat he was in 2008 after the All Star game.
I'm starting to think that Milwaukee should hold on to Corey Hart and target a trade with Prince instead. Corey claims that he wants to be in Milwaukee, which I think he's fibbing. He just wants to show his suiters that he can play in a small market team. He also mentioned to a Giants beat writer earlier this week that he could see himself playing in San Fransisco. I saw the link on MLBTraderumors.com....but I don't feel like looking it up.
In fact, I find it hard to keep the motivation of typing new posts for this blog. I would imagine that the Brewers feel like I do....who cares.
Well I do, but not enough to make a normal post....so I'm out. If the crew gets swept this weekend, I'm signing-off...
Monday, July 12, 2010
40-49: Crew wins in walk-off fashion
If only the Brewers played the Pirates every week...heck, I would take every 2 weeks...
Corey Hart won the game yesterday with a walk-off, two-run homer that put the Brewers record to 40-49 heading in to the All-Star brear. Call me crazy, but that record shows some sign of hope. I mean, if it were 39-48...I wouldn't think that. But since the wins/loses are in the 40's, it makes me feel a little better.
So, with Brett Lawrie tearing it up in AA-Huntsville and eyeing a September call-up, one has to wonder what the Crew will do with Rickie Weeks? My guess is that they will have to have Lawrie switch positions again, possibly to 1B in anticipation of Prince Fielder leaving. The Crew should be able to lock up Rickie Weeks with a contract by this time next year (2011). Lawrie was a catcher...so why did they have to switch him to OF and then to 2B? That being said, the kid is the youngest player (@ 20) in the Southern League. He's tearing it up too! If he somehow made it up as a 2B, could you imagine that middle infield and CF? Escobar, Gomez, and Lawrie is far too young of a group to lead the defense. On a side note: MLBTraderumors.com (taken with a grain of salt) states that Jack Z and the Mariners were targetting Brett Lawrie in a trade for Cliff Lee (3 team trade). He was, afterall, Jack Z's last (first round) draft pick before he left for the M's.
Speaking of call-ups...Lorenzo Cain is probably going to be called up soon. He was on stand-by when Yovanni went down with an injury, although he's day-to-day now. You're looking at the OF of the future when you have Gomez, Braun, and Cain out there.
Milwaukee is still trying to figure out what they have in Carlos Gomez. In my humble opinion, he's not a starter yet nor should he be. He should learn RF and be read to take over for Corey Hart when he gets traded.
Corey Hart won the game yesterday with a walk-off, two-run homer that put the Brewers record to 40-49 heading in to the All-Star brear. Call me crazy, but that record shows some sign of hope. I mean, if it were 39-48...I wouldn't think that. But since the wins/loses are in the 40's, it makes me feel a little better.
So, with Brett Lawrie tearing it up in AA-Huntsville and eyeing a September call-up, one has to wonder what the Crew will do with Rickie Weeks? My guess is that they will have to have Lawrie switch positions again, possibly to 1B in anticipation of Prince Fielder leaving. The Crew should be able to lock up Rickie Weeks with a contract by this time next year (2011). Lawrie was a catcher...so why did they have to switch him to OF and then to 2B? That being said, the kid is the youngest player (@ 20) in the Southern League. He's tearing it up too! If he somehow made it up as a 2B, could you imagine that middle infield and CF? Escobar, Gomez, and Lawrie is far too young of a group to lead the defense. On a side note: MLBTraderumors.com (taken with a grain of salt) states that Jack Z and the Mariners were targetting Brett Lawrie in a trade for Cliff Lee (3 team trade). He was, afterall, Jack Z's last (first round) draft pick before he left for the M's.
Speaking of call-ups...Lorenzo Cain is probably going to be called up soon. He was on stand-by when Yovanni went down with an injury, although he's day-to-day now. You're looking at the OF of the future when you have Gomez, Braun, and Cain out there.
Milwaukee is still trying to figure out what they have in Carlos Gomez. In my humble opinion, he's not a starter yet nor should he be. He should learn RF and be read to take over for Corey Hart when he gets traded.
Friday, July 9, 2010
37-49: Lack luster effort...lack luster season
Unbelievable.
How can a team come off a sweep of the Minnesota Twins follow it up with a piss poor finish to the first half of the season (unofficial half)? I don't get it.
Michael Hunt put it best the other day, the Brewers don't have the pieces. They don't.
Even if they pull off a sweep against Pittsburgh this weekend at Miller Park, it's still nothing to get your hopes up. Why? Well because they start the 2nd half against the Braves. Of course, the remaining games in July look pretty decent. They play the Pirates (yet again), Houston, and DC....oh yea....and the flaming hot Reds. That being said, it's safe to throw in the towel on the season.
Or is it?
No need to type about my last remaining hope of the Brewers salvaging the season with a hot streak to finish off the month. I mean, the Crew will have Yovanni back and LaTroy Hawkins. The latter being a bigger deal than what you think. With LaTroy and Riske (who's pitching well) coming back it takes the work load off of Braddock, Axford, and Loe....three young rooks. It also limits the use of the always streaky Carlos Villanueva and it puts the ultimate dagger in Trevor Hoffman. If Hawkins performs decent, my guess is that he'll split the closing role with Axford, with John getting the nod most of the time. Where does that leave Trevor Hoffman? I would assume that they will trade him away or release him...even though that's a nice size contract they give him over the off-season. They could also take down the All Time Saves countdown board out in CF.
How can a team come off a sweep of the Minnesota Twins follow it up with a piss poor finish to the first half of the season (unofficial half)? I don't get it.
Michael Hunt put it best the other day, the Brewers don't have the pieces. They don't.
Even if they pull off a sweep against Pittsburgh this weekend at Miller Park, it's still nothing to get your hopes up. Why? Well because they start the 2nd half against the Braves. Of course, the remaining games in July look pretty decent. They play the Pirates (yet again), Houston, and DC....oh yea....and the flaming hot Reds. That being said, it's safe to throw in the towel on the season.
Or is it?
No need to type about my last remaining hope of the Brewers salvaging the season with a hot streak to finish off the month. I mean, the Crew will have Yovanni back and LaTroy Hawkins. The latter being a bigger deal than what you think. With LaTroy and Riske (who's pitching well) coming back it takes the work load off of Braddock, Axford, and Loe....three young rooks. It also limits the use of the always streaky Carlos Villanueva and it puts the ultimate dagger in Trevor Hoffman. If Hawkins performs decent, my guess is that he'll split the closing role with Axford, with John getting the nod most of the time. Where does that leave Trevor Hoffman? I would assume that they will trade him away or release him...even though that's a nice size contract they give him over the off-season. They could also take down the All Time Saves countdown board out in CF.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
FUGLY
That's the best way to describe the state of the Brewers right now.
Their only hope of salvaging NEXT season is by dealing Corey Hart to the SF Giants before they skip town this afternoon. Although this probably won't happen until after the All Star break, Melvin is being an idiot if he doesn't get rid of him now. Hart's value will NEVER be higher than what it is now and he could draw a Jonathon Sanchez OR Madison Bumgarner in return. Milwaukee may have to throw in another low-level prospect like Kentrail Davis or Cutter Dykstra, which I believe isn't warranted. With Hart recently snapping his 20-game hitstreak 2 nights ago, he is vulnerable to drop off the face of the earth, especially with the All Star break coming next week. We all remember 2008, right? Granted, he's getting closer to his contract year (one more year under team control) but one can never take his performance for granted, let alone rely on it.
The argument coming from the Giants Nation is that Hart won't rake at AT&T Park because of it being a pitchers park. They point to Aaron Rowand as a prime example of a power hitter who came to their park via a trade and failed to adapt to their environment. So they are a little scared by this thought.
Milwaukee on the other hand should not back down from a Bumgarner for Hart trade, in fact they should try to kill the deal and walk-away from it if they don't agree to it. Don't sit there with your hand extend pan-handeling for loose change. Hart has value (finally) and they should do their best to locate a young pitcher with plenty of potential.
In fact, I would much rather have Bumgarner than Sanchez. The latter issues too many walks and is sparratic. Madison is a solid young pitcher who's value is still low because he only has one major league win.
Their only hope of salvaging NEXT season is by dealing Corey Hart to the SF Giants before they skip town this afternoon. Although this probably won't happen until after the All Star break, Melvin is being an idiot if he doesn't get rid of him now. Hart's value will NEVER be higher than what it is now and he could draw a Jonathon Sanchez OR Madison Bumgarner in return. Milwaukee may have to throw in another low-level prospect like Kentrail Davis or Cutter Dykstra, which I believe isn't warranted. With Hart recently snapping his 20-game hitstreak 2 nights ago, he is vulnerable to drop off the face of the earth, especially with the All Star break coming next week. We all remember 2008, right? Granted, he's getting closer to his contract year (one more year under team control) but one can never take his performance for granted, let alone rely on it.
The argument coming from the Giants Nation is that Hart won't rake at AT&T Park because of it being a pitchers park. They point to Aaron Rowand as a prime example of a power hitter who came to their park via a trade and failed to adapt to their environment. So they are a little scared by this thought.
Milwaukee on the other hand should not back down from a Bumgarner for Hart trade, in fact they should try to kill the deal and walk-away from it if they don't agree to it. Don't sit there with your hand extend pan-handeling for loose change. Hart has value (finally) and they should do their best to locate a young pitcher with plenty of potential.
In fact, I would much rather have Bumgarner than Sanchez. The latter issues too many walks and is sparratic. Madison is a solid young pitcher who's value is still low because he only has one major league win.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
37-46: No where fast
Well, here we are at the midway point of the season (just past it) and the half-way point of the all too important 2 week stretch of games before the All-Star break. Remember, it was my argument that Milwaukee needed to get to .500 or a game within. This is not the case.
Yovanni Gallardo is NOT going to be pitching in the All Star game.
Quite frankly, I'm so disgusted with this team right....I can't write/type my normal BS. Unreal. This team was riding high a week ago...and now they are back to being bad.
Alcides Escobar needs to sit for a while, it's apparent that he's not ready to play SS yet. Evenstill, the JJ to Minnesota was a 'win' situation.
Yovanni Gallardo is NOT going to be pitching in the All Star game.
Quite frankly, I'm so disgusted with this team right....I can't write/type my normal BS. Unreal. This team was riding high a week ago...and now they are back to being bad.
Alcides Escobar needs to sit for a while, it's apparent that he's not ready to play SS yet. Evenstill, the JJ to Minnesota was a 'win' situation.
Friday, July 2, 2010
36-43: Milwaukee goes yard on St. Louis
After Wednesday's horrid showing I was fearing the worse last night. After all, Milwaukee hasn't faired well against the Cardinals over the past two seasons.'
Last night Randy Wolf took to the mound and showed a glimpse of his Dodgers' days to the fans of Milwaukee. Yes, the man is like a hot damn roller coaster when it comes to production. But when he's on....he's on. He relied on his curve ball last night and proved to work.
Wolf (6-7) tossed 6 shut-out innings last night against the always fearfull Cardinals. His only mistake was a fast ball to Albert Puhols that resulted in his 20th HR of the season. Needless to say, Prince Fielder countered right back and carried his June hotstreak over in to July by slugging his 18th HR. With last night's strong outting, Wolf has lowered his ERA to 4.70 on the season and he only walked 1 batter. Once again, Milwaukee is putting together a nice streak of strong outting by their starting rotation....which makes me tremble in fear for Doug Davis' start next week. Randy struck out 4 batters and only gave up 4 hits.
-One thing I noticed as well Rock and Brian Anderson, is that the Cardinals fans love to boo their team. Brian Anderson commented that after a Matt Holliday fly-out, he over-heard a fan scream, "That was a $6,000.00 fly-out!". Rightfully so. Evenstill, Holliday is starting to turn it around and his average has lifted to .302 w/ 11 HR's.
-Prince Fielder, George Kottarus (6), and Casey McGehee (13) all homered last night!
Milwaukee now leads the NL in HR's, recently passing up Arizona little league team.
5 different Brewers have double digit homers. Quite impressive. I thought this would be their weak spot before the season started. Afterall, they lost Mike Cameron (1 HR this season for Boston) and JJ Hardy, who both have shown that they can hit 20+ HR's on the year.
-Rickie Weeks' average is at .273 on the season, he went 1 for 4.
-Ryan Braun is in a noteable slump right now. His batting average dropped to .295 with last night's o'fer.
-Kameron Loe and John Axford are lights out. Granted, their not always pretty....but they get the job done. What a surprise those two (and to some extent, Braddock) have been. They are the 1-2 punch that Milwaukee will rely on for the next 2-3 years. Loe recorded his 6th hold on the season and Axford recorded his 9th straight save. He has a chance to hit 12-14 saves before the 1/2 way point (All-Star Break, which really isn't the halfway point). Imagine if he can double that in the second half?
-Milwaukee's version of Cheech (& Chong) was promotted to high class-A Brevard County yesterday. He's been tearing it up at low class-A in Appleton, as can be expected. Jeffress should be in Huntsville by months end.
Last night Randy Wolf took to the mound and showed a glimpse of his Dodgers' days to the fans of Milwaukee. Yes, the man is like a hot damn roller coaster when it comes to production. But when he's on....he's on. He relied on his curve ball last night and proved to work.
Wolf (6-7) tossed 6 shut-out innings last night against the always fearfull Cardinals. His only mistake was a fast ball to Albert Puhols that resulted in his 20th HR of the season. Needless to say, Prince Fielder countered right back and carried his June hotstreak over in to July by slugging his 18th HR. With last night's strong outting, Wolf has lowered his ERA to 4.70 on the season and he only walked 1 batter. Once again, Milwaukee is putting together a nice streak of strong outting by their starting rotation....which makes me tremble in fear for Doug Davis' start next week. Randy struck out 4 batters and only gave up 4 hits.
-One thing I noticed as well Rock and Brian Anderson, is that the Cardinals fans love to boo their team. Brian Anderson commented that after a Matt Holliday fly-out, he over-heard a fan scream, "That was a $6,000.00 fly-out!". Rightfully so. Evenstill, Holliday is starting to turn it around and his average has lifted to .302 w/ 11 HR's.
-Prince Fielder, George Kottarus (6), and Casey McGehee (13) all homered last night!
Milwaukee now leads the NL in HR's, recently passing up Arizona little league team.
5 different Brewers have double digit homers. Quite impressive. I thought this would be their weak spot before the season started. Afterall, they lost Mike Cameron (1 HR this season for Boston) and JJ Hardy, who both have shown that they can hit 20+ HR's on the year.
-Rickie Weeks' average is at .273 on the season, he went 1 for 4.
-Ryan Braun is in a noteable slump right now. His batting average dropped to .295 with last night's o'fer.
-Kameron Loe and John Axford are lights out. Granted, their not always pretty....but they get the job done. What a surprise those two (and to some extent, Braddock) have been. They are the 1-2 punch that Milwaukee will rely on for the next 2-3 years. Loe recorded his 6th hold on the season and Axford recorded his 9th straight save. He has a chance to hit 12-14 saves before the 1/2 way point (All-Star Break, which really isn't the halfway point). Imagine if he can double that in the second half?
-Milwaukee's version of Cheech (& Chong) was promotted to high class-A Brevard County yesterday. He's been tearing it up at low class-A in Appleton, as can be expected. Jeffress should be in Huntsville by months end.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)