Monthly Archives: September 2008

Just when I thought I was out… They pull me back in!

Posted on September 21, 2008 by | Leave a comment

Posted by Steve

A game and a half out with six home games to go… Well, crap.  Looks like I’m going to have to follow this thing to the end.

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Posted in Milwaukee Brewers 2008

Does it seem like they’re doing this intentionally?

Posted on September 20, 2008 by | Leave a comment

Posted by Steve

The Brewers aren’t just losing lately.  They’re losing in the most heartbreaking ways imaginable.

Also, thank God Rickie Weeks hasn’t been playing, what with his single, triple, walk and homer today in his first start in six games.  They really dodged a bullet there.

Sorry, that’s really all I have.  BLAH.

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Posted in Milwaukee Brewers 2008

I might as well post this

Posted on September 18, 2008 by | 4 Comments

Posted by Steve

I was going to avoid posting for awhile for my own mental health, but after Dan’s pleasant post I might as well add this gem.

By the way, this post is dedicated to Andy C and Palma who endured this train wreck in person today.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Abandon Ship! Women and Children First!

Posted on September 18, 2008 by | 1 Comment

Posted by DAN

God. Only something this catastrophic could bring me back from beyond the grave. What is there to say?  I honestly don’t think it has FULLY sunk in yet that this ACTUALLY happened. In a BREWERS game. To ME. The Brewers were like 99.999999999999999999999999999999999% the win and they lose. I haven’t felt this sick since THIS DISASTER.

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Posted in Uncategorized

When it rains, it pours

Posted on September 17, 2008 by | 4 Comments

Posted by Steve

The Brewers thankfully broke their losing streak and played a very nice game tonight, but they were once again hit with bad news.  When Ben Sheets left the game after the second inning, “forearm tightness” didn’t seem right to me after that shot of him rubbing right above the back of his elbow.

Still, I was shocked to hear that Sheets has been fighting elbow problems for “awhile” and even received an injection a couple weeks ago.  An MRI taken at some point before tonight’s game showed no structural damage, but who knows after tonight.  A few things come to mind here.

First, all those high-pitch count starts that Yost sent him out for.  He was one of the most abused pitchers in baseball this season–after an injury-shortened season last year, no less–and it has taken its toll.

Second, I hope people who rip Sheets for not being tough and pitching through nagging injuries can soften their stance a bit.  I swear, some people act like the guy likes to get hurt.

Third, this is just incredibly damaging to the team if Sheets is done for the year.  Not much of an explanation should be needed to back that up.

Finally, I’m going to be selish.  This is incredibly disappointing for me personally.  I am going to the game on Tuesday and planned to see my favorite Brewer in person for possibly the final time.  It’s looking like I won’t get that chance, and I can’t really describe how disheartening that is.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Seven Games

Posted on September 17, 2008 by | 2 Comments

Posted by Steve

So it’s a bit of a stretch, but you’re supposed to read that title to yourself the way the creepy girl from The Ring says, “Seven days” when you answer the phone after watching the tape.

Seven games. As Lou Brown said, “I figure it’s gonna take seven more victories to win this thing.” Before yesterday’s game, I felt good about the Brewers’ chances if they win seven of their last twelve games. The Mets are in as much trouble as the Brewers (I’d argue more because their pitching is in shambles), so seven more wins should be enough for the Crew to pass them up and hold off the Astros.

The loss last night means they only have four more losses to play with the rest of the way. They have five games left against the Cubs, three against the Reds and three against the Pirates. The most realistic way is probably by taking three of five from the Cubs, two of three from the Reds and two of three from Pittsburgh, with the best chance at a sweep being against Pittsburgh at home.

Call me crazy, but I think they have a real shot at it. Losing with Sabathia on the mound is deflating, but taking a closer look it’s not as bad as it seems. Sabathia is not the pitcher on the Brewers who matches up the best with the Cubs; that pitcher is Ben Sheets. The Cubs best hitters (Soriano, Ramirez, Lee) are all right-handed, and that advantage helped them wear CC out last night.

A must-win regular-season game in baseball is almost always a silly concept, but tonight is about as close as you can get to it. With such a wide advantage in pitching match-ups tonight (Sheets vs. Marquis) and Harden looming for tomorrow’s game, the Crew needs to take this one tonight.

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Posted in Milwaukee Brewers 2008

Meet the new boss: Same as the old boss

Posted on September 16, 2008 by | Leave a comment

Posted by Steve

First of all, that was a great game.  Unfortunately, that seems to make it hurt even more.  Even worse, Dale Sveum somehow allowed Jason Kendall to lead off the ninth inning.  Think of how exciting and close that was, and then think of what could have been had Sveum not given the Cubs the closest to a free out you can get to lead off the inning.  Kendall-Lamb-Cameron<<<<<Lamb-Nelson-Cameron.

Finally, am I the only one who thought that last pitch was high?  It crossed the plate at Fielder’s letters.  That ump’s zone was brutal all night, but then that’s probably frustration talking as well.

UGH.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Strange Brew: Yost is Toast, Svuem Named for Next Blame Game

Posted on September 16, 2008 by | Leave a comment

Posted by Steve

Well, I think I covered just about all of the cheez-filled headlines from the last 24 hours.

Anyway, a few more thoughts after the day or so I had to reflect.

You didn’t need the “reports from sources close to the club” to let us know that Mark A. was the driving force behind this. Doug Melvin looked like he was speaking at Ned’s funeral rather than a press conference. He was truly broken up over it. Meanwhile, Mark A. seemed pretty happy. I don’t have a problem with Attanasio recognizing Yost’s ineptitude and acting on it, but I am really hoping this overriding of Baseball Ops does not become a trend.

As far as Dale Sveum is concerned, here are some changes I’d like to see him make.

Shouse against lefties

And ONLY lefties. The only time Shouse should be allowed to see a righty is if he’s sandwiched in between to tough lefties, and even that should be on a case-by-case basis.

Villanueva in higher-leverage situations

The dude has been lights out, so I don’t think this needs much explanation. Stop using him in games you trail 6-2 in the sixth inning.

Pinch hit for Kendall and Counsell with the game on the line

I am fed up with seeing this two defensive-minded players coming up in the ninth inning when the Brewers are trailing by a run or two. You have an expanded bench for a reason in September, so use it!

Mark DiFelice!

I’d like to see DiFelice ahead of Gagne, McClung and Riske (he’s injured and needs surgery, which explains his poor performance). Yost used him a whopping one time in September, and it was garbage time.

No Bill Hall against righties

Hall is pretty much useless right now. At the very most, he should be used in the strictest of a strict platoon. This includes pinch-hitting for him when a lefty starter is pulled for a righty reliever.

Less Counsell at third

The Brewers desperately need to start scoring runs, and Counsell is a reason why they’re not. I’d like to see Mat Gamel get a couple starts the rest of the way. I know his defense is not MLB ready, but offense is the bigger issue right now. Counsell can be a defensive substitution late in games Gamel starts. If you don’t want to use Gamel, well then I guess Mike Lamb would be halfway decent. He’s still a better hitter than Counsell.

Finally, here’s one thing I don’t want to see change:

Rickie Weeks’s playing time.

This is one thing that a majority of fans are calling for, and I just don’t understand it. Everyone is complaining that the Brewers are not hitting, so why remove one player who actually has hit over the last two weeks? Just take a look at the how the starters are hitting in September.

Weeks: .303/.439/.455 .894 OPS

Hardy: .190/.230/.448 .678 OPS

Ryan Braun: .192/.276/.288 .564 OPS

Prince Fielder: .239/.340/.413 .753 OPS

Corey Hart: .176/.222/.275 .497 OPS (!)

Mike Cameron: .122/.200/.244 .444 OPS (!!!)

Bill Hall: .167/.219/.233 .452 OPS :(

The first thing that come to mind when looking at those numbers is: AAAAAAHHHH HORRIFYING AAAAHHH! The second thing that comes to mind is: Weeks is the only one performing well! Nobody seems to notice this. They are overlooking numbers because of their preconceived opinions on Weeks. Even Ryan Braun has apparently not noticed, because he said yesterday that every player has gone cold. Maybe it’s because Rickie’s a pretty short guy and people just don’t notice him?

For those who acknowledge Rickie’s solid offense in the second half of the season and still point to his defense as a reason to bench him, I submit to you Exhibit A: Ray Durham’s own poor defense. It’s not as though Weeks is playing over Mark Ellis, Orlando Hudson or some other defensive savant. Durham has much less range than Weeks.

It wouldn’t be fair to ignore the fact that Ray Durham is just about the only Brewer besides Weeks who is currently swinging a hot bat, but wouldn’t this mean you should stick with what’s working and let both players play in situations that play to their strengths? Start Durham against particularly tough right-handers and make him a top pinch-hitter, and let Weeks have lefties and average righties. For example, I’d start Weeks against Dempster and Marquis this series and Durham against Harden. It only makes too much sense, but I’m pretty sure the masses will get what they want: A severe cut in the playing time of this blog’s official man crush. Sigh.

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Posted in Milwaukee Brewers 2008

One final “Sha-wuuhhh??”

Posted on September 15, 2008 by | 2 Comments

Posted by Steve

A surprising move today, as Ned Yost was fired in a desperation move to shock some life into the team. To be honest, as much as I disliked Ned’s in-game decisions, this has an odd feel to it. This is not really Doug Melvin’s M.O. He has never been one to make knee jerk reactions. I’m not saying Ned’s firing is a knee-jerk—it should have happened after last year—but for it to come with 12 games remaining in the season seems like this may have come from Mark Attanasio. This could very well be the best team he’ll have as owner, so I don’t blame him for it.

While I like the move overall, there are a few things about it that don’t sit well. The team is losing in September because they aren’t hitting at all. It’s not like they’re losing a bunch of close games because of Ned’s mismanagement (save for game one yesterday); they’re getting crushed. In other words, this collapse is the players’ fault much more than Yost’s. It’s really completely unfair to Yost (and no, I am not feverish or drunk). If he would have been fired in Boston and then the team still took off, it would have been because Yost was gone. Yet when they lose now, it’s his fault. Doesn’t add up.

Secondly, I just assumed when I heard the news that Ted Simmons would be taking over. Dale Sveum does not excite me at all, and I cringe at the idea of him being hired full-time next season. I want someone who won’t let Kendall hit late in a game when trailing, won’t let Shouse face slugging right-handers and will pitch Carlos Villanueva in high-leverage situations. Sveum seems too much like Yost for much of that to change.

Finally, this is a little bittersweet for me personally. Ned was just too easy to target. From the coffee intake and the git-r-done-ness to the Yost Face and the senseless attacks on unassuming reporters, there was a lot besides the boneheaded in-game moves to criticize.

I guess we’ll see what happens. It can’t hurt anything, that’s for sure, so why not try it?

Edit:

One thing to add here.  Here’s an excerpt from a column by Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus that sums up Yost’s bullpen ineptitude quite well.  I touched on this situation yesterday, but I was too dismayed to really get into it.

Yost has to take a big part of the blame as well, after making some of the worst tactical decisions you’ll see. In the eighth inning of yesterday’s first game, the Brewers were tied 3-3. Guillermo Mota allowed a leadoff single to Jayson Werth, and was lifted for Brian Shouse so that Shouse could face Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. (Charlie Manuel‘s refusal to always put a right-handed batter between those two is a big reason why the Phillies will have trouble winning a short series.) Utley sacrificed Werth to second, setting up Shouse versus Howard.

Yost elected to walk Howard to face Pat Burrell. This was… well, it strains my vocabulary to find the right word for it. Howard cannot hit left-handers, and would be a platoon player if performance mattered anywhere near as much as reputation does. Or if he had a competent manager. Howard is at .228/.313/.458 against lefties in his career, .212/.287/.410 this year. Howard. Can’t. Hit. Lefties. Shouse, on the other hand, is in the major leagues for exactly one reason: lefties can’t hit him, to the tune of .175/.192/.289 this year, and .211/.263/.325 for his career, which includes a bunch of years when he was barely a major leaguer. Manuel sending Howard up against Shouse was a continuation of a theme for the Phillies: not hitting for Howard when he has little chance of doing something good. He was giving Yost an out, and Yost gave it right back.

That set up Shouse versus Pat Burrell, which cried out for a right-handed reliever. After all, Shouse is a pure specialist (.307/.390/.455 vs. RHB career; .293/.371/.446 this year). The only way walking Howard even might make sense is if Yost were to bring in a righty to try and get a double play out of Burrell. Burrell doesn’t have the big platoon splits he showed earlier in his career—he’s a dangerous hitter against both kinds of hurlers—but leaving Shouse in to face him was asking for trouble.

Think about this for a second. Yost had a 481 OPS pitcher facing a 697 OPS hitter. He elected to issue an intentional walk in that situation to allow an 817 OPS pitcher to face a 905 OPS hitter with an additional runner on base. That’s when you start looking around the roof of the stadium for snipers, because gunpoint is the only place where that kind of decision makes sense.

So it was no surprise that four pitches later, the Phillies were up 7-3. Burrell singled in one run, and Shane Victorino cleared the bases with a three-run homer to left.

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Posted in Ned Yost... Sha-wuuhhh??

Well that could have gone better.

Posted on September 14, 2008 by | 3 Comments

Posted by Steve

Eighth inning.  Runner on second, one out. Brian Shouse facing Ryan Howard.  Clearly, you have the LOOGY Shouse face Howard and then either bring in a righty to face Burrell/walk Burrell and face the next hitter.  This makes too much sense.  Shouse is death on lefties, and Howard sucks against lefties.

Instead, Yost walks Howard with Shouse.  And then leaves him in to face Burrell.  HE LEFT BRIAN SHOUSE IN TO FACE RIGHT-HANDED PAT BURRELL.  AAAAGGH.

Not only did the Brewers get swept again and lose their wildcard lead, but we added a bit of trivia today.

Q: Who was the first player to throw a no-hitter in the history of Miller Park?

A: CARLOS ZAMBRANO

Just unbelievable.  What a nightmare.

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Posted in Milwaukee Brewers 2008, Ned Yost... Sha-wuuhhh??