Loss at Washington 22-26, now 7.0GB
3 hits! That's all the Nationals managed against the Brewers last night. Except in the column that mattered (runs scored) the Nationals somehow ended up with 5 to the Brewers 1 thanks to a JJ Hardy E in the 6th. That hung 4 unearned on Jeff Suppan and gave the Crew their 7th loss in 9 games. The one good thing is that Shouse and Dillard came in and looked sharp.
In the "Thank god I'm out of Milwaukee" category, Doug Davis got a W last night in his first start since having his thyroid cancer treated. Other than feeling a little upset over another former Brewer succeeding, I'm happy for him. I'm also happy that the Diamondbacks understand jumping out to a 5 run lead before your pitcher even gets to the bump is a great lesson for the Brewers to learn from.
5.24.2008
5.23.2008
Brewers lose at Pittsburgh 8-4, now 22-25, 6.0 games back
Unfortunately, as much as Ben Sheets was the streak "starter" on Wednesday, getting the Crew their second consecutive win, Dave Bush will now be seen as the streak "ender", blowing up in the 4th inning.
Eric Gagne was officially put on the DL today. Probably the best move considering they need the roster space for pitchers they don't have. Oh well, Tim Dillard was called up today. He was pitching pretty well in Nashville, so maybe this will be the start of something good.
As tough as this season might turn out to be, I still think it could be worse. A co-worker of mine, a life long Padre fan from San Diego, told me today he can't bare to be a fan through this dismal season and may defect to another team. I'm sure it was the 10 games under talking, but I know how he feels, 2002 did the same thing to me. Being a true fan is about sticking in there and knowing that suffering through a bad season is better than the artificial elation of jumping on a bandwagon.
Unfortunately, as much as Ben Sheets was the streak "starter" on Wednesday, getting the Crew their second consecutive win, Dave Bush will now be seen as the streak "ender", blowing up in the 4th inning.
Eric Gagne was officially put on the DL today. Probably the best move considering they need the roster space for pitchers they don't have. Oh well, Tim Dillard was called up today. He was pitching pretty well in Nashville, so maybe this will be the start of something good.
As tough as this season might turn out to be, I still think it could be worse. A co-worker of mine, a life long Padre fan from San Diego, told me today he can't bare to be a fan through this dismal season and may defect to another team. I'm sure it was the 10 games under talking, but I know how he feels, 2002 did the same thing to me. Being a true fan is about sticking in there and knowing that suffering through a bad season is better than the artificial elation of jumping on a bandwagon.
5.22.2008
Milwaukee wins in Pittsburgh 7-2 and 4-1. Now 22-24, 5½ games back.
A hangover of despair hung over my head on Tuesday, caused by 23 lonely Brewers stranded on the Fenway basepaths like the Carole Wright Gifts catalogs I have to discard every two weeks because the lady who had my PO Box before me is still on their mailing list. I wasn't any more optimistic about Tuesday's game at Pittsburgh. Even thought the Pirates were struggling themselves a few games under .500 with an anemic .240 team batting average (close to the Crews), the Steel City has never been kind to the Crew. When I finally checked in on the game and saw a 6 run lead, my hangover cleared like a cold morning and a hot cup of coffee. Parra was sharp in a short outing (5⅔ innings, 0ER, 4H, 6K) and Cameron was 3-4 with a jack to lead the Brewers on a 14 hit outburst. The blemish was a dicey outing by Gagne, who couldn't finish the game off. With a 7 run lead, he was unable to improve his standing in the eyes of skeptical Brewer fans. He walked the leadoff hitter and gave up a few runs on a dinger before Yost pulled him. Sore shoulder or not (Gagne was sent back to Milwaukee for an examine) I don't think Gagne will have any redeeming value to this team. Thank Bernie Brewer he's gone after this season.
Wednesday's game was all Sheets making it work with less than stellar stuff. He scattered 11 hits in a complete game win that put him at 4-0. During the latter innings, the "sign or don't sign" debate heated up on JSO. I think it's 50/50 as far as fans on either side of the debate, and I openly admitted on the blog that both sides have a strong argument. I think many of the anti-Sheets camp likes to predict Yovanni Gallardo as the "Ace of the Future", but do they consider that Gallardo has now suffered two injuries in the span of 3 months and will be out all season. Yes, Sheets is injury prone and will demand a lot of money this offseason, but I think a post season Brewer team has to have BOTH Sheets and Gallardo.
Additionally, Yost has decided to move Villy back to the bullpen and give McClung a shot at the rotation. I can't argue with Villy in the Bully, he was very successful there last year, but I wonder if McClungs stuff can last a few trips through a lineup? I also think any further struggles by Hall might make a callup of Branyan worth it, but I have a feeling his hot bat will freeze harder than his glove once he get's to the bigs. If anything, it may light a fire under Hall's butt.
A hangover of despair hung over my head on Tuesday, caused by 23 lonely Brewers stranded on the Fenway basepaths like the Carole Wright Gifts catalogs I have to discard every two weeks because the lady who had my PO Box before me is still on their mailing list. I wasn't any more optimistic about Tuesday's game at Pittsburgh. Even thought the Pirates were struggling themselves a few games under .500 with an anemic .240 team batting average (close to the Crews), the Steel City has never been kind to the Crew. When I finally checked in on the game and saw a 6 run lead, my hangover cleared like a cold morning and a hot cup of coffee. Parra was sharp in a short outing (5⅔ innings, 0ER, 4H, 6K) and Cameron was 3-4 with a jack to lead the Brewers on a 14 hit outburst. The blemish was a dicey outing by Gagne, who couldn't finish the game off. With a 7 run lead, he was unable to improve his standing in the eyes of skeptical Brewer fans. He walked the leadoff hitter and gave up a few runs on a dinger before Yost pulled him. Sore shoulder or not (Gagne was sent back to Milwaukee for an examine) I don't think Gagne will have any redeeming value to this team. Thank Bernie Brewer he's gone after this season.
Wednesday's game was all Sheets making it work with less than stellar stuff. He scattered 11 hits in a complete game win that put him at 4-0. During the latter innings, the "sign or don't sign" debate heated up on JSO. I think it's 50/50 as far as fans on either side of the debate, and I openly admitted on the blog that both sides have a strong argument. I think many of the anti-Sheets camp likes to predict Yovanni Gallardo as the "Ace of the Future", but do they consider that Gallardo has now suffered two injuries in the span of 3 months and will be out all season. Yes, Sheets is injury prone and will demand a lot of money this offseason, but I think a post season Brewer team has to have BOTH Sheets and Gallardo.
Additionally, Yost has decided to move Villy back to the bullpen and give McClung a shot at the rotation. I can't argue with Villy in the Bully, he was very successful there last year, but I wonder if McClungs stuff can last a few trips through a lineup? I also think any further struggles by Hall might make a callup of Branyan worth it, but I have a feeling his hot bat will freeze harder than his glove once he get's to the bigs. If anything, it may light a fire under Hall's butt.
5.18.2008
Swept in Boston
The story of this series of woe in Fenway may not be the Brewers inability to play on the same level as the defending World Champions, perhaps it is the words Ryan Braun had after today's game. In so many words, he said the players don't have a winning attitude. It seems like whenever the starting pitching battles, the offense waves the red flag, and vice versca. I have to keep telling myself, it's just a game and I love this team. But the manager needs to go. I've held out for as long as I could, but I have seen very little evidence that he can take the team to the next leve.
The story of this series of woe in Fenway may not be the Brewers inability to play on the same level as the defending World Champions, perhaps it is the words Ryan Braun had after today's game. In so many words, he said the players don't have a winning attitude. It seems like whenever the starting pitching battles, the offense waves the red flag, and vice versca. I have to keep telling myself, it's just a game and I love this team. But the manager needs to go. I've held out for as long as I could, but I have seen very little evidence that he can take the team to the next leve.
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