May 17- MIL 8 STL 2
Rec.: 23-14 1.5 in front of CHI
Pitching Over Their Heads
That's what I told my dad when we talked on Sunday, but I'm not going to worry about it now. Parra won his 3 straight start and benefited from a quick start by that bats. The Crew scored 4 in the 1st of Todd Wellmeyer, all with 2 outs, on home runs by J.J. Hardy and Jason Kendall. Wellmeyer ended up walking 7 and hitting 2, but he still kept the game from getting out of hand by not allowing a hit, let alone a run for the remainder of his 5.2 inning outing. The Crew didn't really tack any more runs until Fielder his a 3 run jack in the 7th.

In a conversation with Lexi later Sunday night, who is taking a great interest in the Crew, she told me that her mother, who apparently listens to sports radio, heard the Brewers are doing well, but Lexi didn't want to jinx anything by telling me exactly what she said. I'm trying not to be superstitious, I think it's more that I don't want to get too high, especially considering we're only 35 games into the season. And an example of that is being reminded that all it takes is one injury to change your fortune. Rickie left the game in the 1st with soreness in his wrist and he's heading to Arizona to have it checked out. I think it was his left wrist, the one that he had a tendon repaired in 2006.

May 16- MIL 1 STL 0
Rec.: 22-14 0.5 in front of CHI
Who is Wearing Suppan's Jersey?
I really shouldn't mock him, since starting the season 0-2 with a 12.91 ERA, Soup has gone 3-1 with a 2.91 ERA and today, beat the Cards in a 1-0 game where Corey Hart's home run (first in 27 games) was the only offense the lineup could muster. It was only the sixth time the Brewer's have won a game with 2 or less hits and to my surprise (even with his recent mistake) Suppan was able to make that hold up. It also helps that Suppan owns the Cards. Since coming over in the 2007 season, he is 5-0 with a 1.66 ERA. The only real threat Suppan faced was in the 7th (his final inning) when J.J. made a tremendous play on a Skip Schumaker grounder in the hole to get a force at 2nd and save Suppan from a 1st and 3rd situation. Adam Wainwright took the loss for the Cards, who LaRussa said, "didn't pay as much attention to Suppan when he was a Cardinal as Suppan paide to them." It sounds like Soup was really offended by the Cards lowball offer in 2006. I've never doubted Suppan's character as a good guy, but I've often questioned his value as a $42 million pitcher. With the way he's been able to overcome his struggles, and more importantly, the fan scrutiny, I have gained even more respect for him. Everyone loves a guy who can turn things around.