6-4 win over Houston, 60-44, TIED for 1st
"Oh, hey, when did you get here?"
That's what the Cubbies must be thinking. A 5 game lead at the break has dwindled to nothing like an Italian beef sandwich in front of an overweight, stretch pant wearing FIB. The Crew pulled even with Chicago tonight with a come from behind win over Houston and a Marlins win at Wrigley.

The show was all Braunie in my opinion. In yet another example of an athlete taking the mantle of leadership by letting actions and words speak volumes, Braun had 4 RBI, including a game tying, 2 run, 2 out HR in the 7th. Up until then, it looked like another dismal night for the bats as Brandon Backe kept the Crew to 2 runs through 6. Dave Bush, in his first start as a "Home Only" pitcher, was a little rusty, but still worked a quality 5 innings before being pulled for Riske, Mota and Gagne, ALL of whome did not give up any more runs. By the time Torres came in for the 9th after B-Hall drove in the go ahead run in the 8th, I realized, "This is it, they pulled the Cubbies right back... EVEN WITH this horrible hitting with RISP."

However, in an irony of sorts, the Brewers/Astros lites did not make the Talkin' Sports show tonight. However, we did have a Mike McCarthy VOSOT regarding Favre. I just can't escape that damn Pack.

After the game, B-Hall explained to Jim Powell the new tradition of untucking the shirts after a win. I'd been hearing about it on the JSO blog, (I think many stodgy bloggers find it disrespectful), but until tonight, I had nothing to go on for a reason. Apparently, Cameron brought it to the club as a symbol of, "work is done, time to relax". I like it. I'm not going to Buck Showalter this like the predominantly white, middle aged Crew fans who still think every athlete has to be Robin. Let's remember, Robin tooling around on motorcycles in the off season is more of a problem than anything Bill Hall does in his free time (allegedly).

3-1 loss to Houston, 59-44, 1 game back

"We 'SHOULD' have won

It's hard to be happy in sports. You know you can't win every game, but you think you KNOW which games should be won, and oddly enough, ALL games seem like they should be won. Take for example Friday's loss at the hands of Wandy Rodriguez, who hasn't won since the LAST time the Crew faced him. He gave up only 1 run through 6 and the Brewer's made another bush league pitcher look like a Cy Young Award winner. Parra pitched well, but left with the bases loaded and no outs in the 7th inning after 6 scoreless. Riske couldn't keep them from scoring as the Astros used small ball to get the only runs they needed. Now an 8 game winning streak is yesterday's news as all a Brewer fan can think about is a squandered opportunity to move into a tie for first place thanks to a Cubs loss.

4-3 win at St. Louis, 59-43, 1 game back

Never would have thought!

I knew the Crew was good this season, I knew the Cards, as well as they were playing, were not the same old Cards, but I never expected the Crew to go undefeated on a 7 game road trip, 4 games of which were in St. Louis.

Even though 11 runners were left on base, Ryan Braun hit when it mattered, nailing an 0-1 pitch from closer Ryan Franklin after a JJ Hardy single to put the Crew ahead and STUN the Cardinals fans. Listening to the game, I was shocked to hear the "Best Fans in Baseball" boo their Redbirds. I guess I shouldn't be so hard on the fickle Brewer fans, they aren't the only fans who do it. Apparently, while Torres was striking out the side in the 9th, the fans were chanting, "We want a closer". [I think we could give them a deal on Turnbow. Oh yeah, he's getting his arm checked out. I'm thinking if you walk 41 in 18+ AAA innings, you MAY want your arm checked out.]

Sheeter gave up 2 earned on 4 hits in 7 innings, and while he hasn't been Sabathia good lately, he still deserved a win considering how crummy the run support is. Instead, the W went to Gagne, who did walk a man in the 8th, but otherwise was effective.

Thanks in large part to Braun, who is 14-29 with 3 taters on this trip, the Brewers are 2 games over .500 on the road this season, the latest into a season they have had a winning road record since '99. I guess I can't complain about that. BUT I will complain about the inability to hit with ducks on the pond... the Cubbies won't let that crap fly.

I can't hear the Brewer game over all this C.C. talk.
Haudricourt really thinks the move for Sabathia is a strong possibility. A rumor got floated that the Crew offered Matt LaPorta and Alcides Escobar, but he doesn't think the Brewers would risk that much talent. He believes one of them is possible part of a trade, with either Gamel or Taylor Green. The move is hard for me to get excited over when you look at Sabathia's numbers this season and the rental aspect of a deal, but Haudricourt's right, a rotation of Sheets, Sabathia and Parra would be strong, especially since I don't know what's up with Suppan. And any pitching help means less possibility of seeing Mota during a game.

Mota Blows It
6-5 loss at Arizona, now 46-39, 4½ GB
I can't say it any more plainly than that. Yes only 3 runs were charged to him with a 5 run lead, but when he came in for the 9th and loaded the bases without retiring a hitter, it gave him a total of 10 earned over the last 8⅓. Shouse and Torres came into stop the bleeding, but they couldn't get anyone out either, and just like that, the 5-0 lead they had going into the 9th evaporated. Lefthander Chad Tracy had a 3 run double off Shouse, Orlando Hudson RBI double off Torres and Connor Jackson a 2 run single were the critical hits in a ninth that saw the Brewers bullpen give up 6 hits, 1 walk while recording NO OUTS. Gagne was able to pitch a 1-2-3 8th for crying out loud.

In a game the Crew should have lost (Brandon Webb pitching) I walked into the control room around the 6th or 7th really feeling good that my hope for a 6-4 road trip would be a reality. Parra had pitched himself out of two 2 on, no out jams and kept the Diamondbacks scoreless on 4 hits through 6 innings and Hardy was 4-5 with a run and a RBI (a triple short of the cycle). Cameron got a 2 run dinger off the foul pole that Haudricourt says should have been foul and everyone did their part... except the bullpen.

Braunie sat for Kapler on a second straight day. Apparently his hand is bothering him a little and he's hitting .186 over the last 10.

On Wednesday, the Crew came back late (that's right, scoring in the latter half of the game for once) and put a run on the board in each inning from the 6th on and win 4-3. Weeks, whose battle with food poisoning seems to have the same effect of Braun's ear infection a month ago, comes off the bench for a PH home run in the 8th. Through the early part of the game, the Crew was making Yusmeiro Petit look like most no-name pitchers they've faced this season-- unhittable. But in the 6th, after Kendall's hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, the Crew plays small ball and gets him in to score on a Hardy single. At that point, they are still trailing 2-1. The Diamondbacks chase McClung in the 6th, when Villy has to come in and finish the inning, which he does well, but then in the 7th, Shouse has to come in and clean up a 2nd &3rd, 1 out jam that Villy got into, which he does. It goes back and forth in this tight one with the Crew nipping a win 4-3 in the end. Riske, who gave up a Justin Upton HR, gets the win.

Hardy goes to Town on the Big Unit
Brewers win in Arizona, 8-6, Now 45-38, 4½ games back
JJ Hardy is really making the most of hitting in the #2 spot. He has a 13 game hitting streak now and nailed 2 taters off Randy Johnson tonight. Joe Dillon chipped on in as well with a start for Rickie Weeks who has a stomach virus. Rickie just can't catch a break. The offense jumped out early, and with a 7-1 lead, I figured a vet like Suppan could relaxe and give the bullpen some rest. Not so. He loads the bases in the 4th and gives up 2, then gives up another 2 on a Connor Jackson HR in the 5th. Haudricourt didn't sugar coat it when he called Suppan's performance disgraceful. In his last 3 starts he has an 8 ERA and it seems the youngsters like McClung and Parra know better what to do with a 6 run lead than Suppan. Guillermo Mota did his part to question his reliability down the stretch as well, giving up a run in his inning appearance and benefitting from some strong D.

The Brewer's bats once again shut down in the later innings, but they did score 8 overall, what more can a pitcher expect? The run they scored in the 7th was the first off a relief pitcher since June 22nd.

Had a discussion with Sam tonight about the possibility of "renting" Sabathia. I have a hard time getting excited about a guy who's ERA is 3.78 with a record of 6-8. Yes, maybe he's struggling on a struggling team, but it's hard to pull the trigger and lose Gamel or LaPorta when you know the guy will be gone at season's end. All the same, making the postseason would be worth it I have to admit.

After losing the opener to the Diamondbacks Monday night 6-3 when the offense decided it didn't have to do anything else after scoring 2 early (guys, you can't expect Dave Bush to pitch out of his mind EVERY start), the trip is now 4-4. I really want them to take these last two games and go 6-4, that would feel so great, especially if the Giants can keep the Cubs at least stalled for a another game.

5-1 over Minnesota, 44-36, 4½ back
Winning the first two games of a 10 game road trip in Atlanta made me feel good, but dropping the next two (a Jorge Campillo 7 inning 2 run gem in the finale at Atlanta and a Joe Mauer tie breaking HR in the 8th at the series opener in Minnesota to overcome 4 Crew (2 by Braun) taters) made me feel worse in degree. It is a long road trip, and I strongly feel they should go 6-4 on this trip in order to make a statement to the fans, to the Cubs and more importantly, themselves. The Cubs have just dropped 3 in a row and, as of this blog, are at the point where they might want to start looking over their shoulder at the Cards and Crew.

That's why yesterday's win to give Parra his 7th straight winning decision to make the crew 3 and 2 on this trip was so huge in my opinion. Now you have Sheets pitching on Sunday for the Twinkie finale and the possibility of only needing to split in Arizona to reach the 6-4 trip mark.

Parra gave the Crew 7 inning of shutout ball, gave up only two hits and is now 8-2. I'm trying to think of the last time the Crew had two pitchers with more than 16 wins a piece? It could happen this year!

The offense did kind of shut down in the late innings, but I think the brightest spot was Hall ripping a 2R double in the 3rd. Would love to see B-Hall get hot.

On the long term prospects of this team, it came out this week that Sheets is not really interested in negotiating a contract during the season. I can't blame him for that, it was Melvin that didn't want to talk contract before the season. I just think this is where Attanasio steps up and says, "This is a different Brewer team. We are going to make the stretch to keep a top quality pitcher here." However, there is growing speculation about the Crew (among every other contender) making a move for Sabathia for a late season rental. I don't know about that. He hasn't been exactly sharp. I'm more curious about the possibility of K-Rod bringing that single season save record to Milwaukee in 2009. I don't know why I'm the only Brewer fan thinking about that.

4-3 Win over Atlanta, Now 43-34, 5½ games back

Who is this "Dave Bush" and when did he decide to start pitching?

Following up his incredible start against the Jays with a game in which no Brave reached base until the 4th and he had them shut out through 6. The offense got big help from 4 Bravo errors and the D chipped in with a few crucial DPs. All in all, it was a great game until Torres came in and gave up 2 in the 9th and had a 1st and 3rd situation before getting a pop out to Hardy. Wheew.



June 23rd, 4-1 Win in Atlanta, Now 42-34

Man it feels good to get that first win on a road trip and it feels good to do it without using your bullpen. I think Sheets genuinely feels he has to go out there and make this happen for the Brewers every time he pitches... and it amazes me that most of the time he can. His 3rd complete game of the season and he retired the last 16 in a row. Kasey was actually at the game and said it was the best pitched game he had ever seen. At 2:14, it probably rivaled the Capuano/Maddux game I saw a few years ago. Mike Cameron got things going with a dinger off JoJo Reyes and Rickie Weeks reached base 4 times. I almost think Weeks getting hot is the most important thing for this team.



June 22nd, 7-3 Win over Baltimore, Now 41-34

Manny Parra contributed 6 of the Brewer pitchers 10 free passes, but the Brewers turned 5 DPs to close out the homestand with a win. Prince Fielder has just been locked in and today he knocked 2 out of the park in addition to Bill Hall getting the fans behind him (momentarily) with a tater of his own.



June 21st, 3-2 Win over Baltimore, Now 40-34

Just maybe Seth McClung will be a legitimate member of this rotation? He worked out of jams and got another win. The rotation is REALLY looking sharp, (except for Suppan's clinker). This was the Brewer's 16th 1 run win, a number that leads baseball, but as I point out, it can also mean you have just blown more leads and barely won as being clutch.



June 20th, 8-5 loss to Baltimore, Now 39-34

Eeeeeh, Suppan left in the second after giving up 6 runs. The bullpen kept the Crew in as best they could, and Bill Hall had a chance to get the Milwaukee fans behind him when he came up with the sacks drunk in the 9th, and struck out. This game was lost early it seemed, but I was happy that the Crew was able to climb back close to winning.



June 19th, 8-7 win over Toronto, Now 39-33

This has to be the most upsetting win of my Brewer's fan lifetime. Dave Bush, DAVE BUSH, took a no hitter into the 8th. Going into the 9th, the game had been given over to a bullpen with a 7 run lead. Yet David Riske just in after his stint on the DL and Guillermo Mota did their best to blow this game up. The Jays got a grand slam in the 9th to help make it a 1 run game and Torres actually had to come in and get a save. Prince Fielder also got his second career in the park home run when Alex Rios thought a ball stopped under the fence was a dead ball.



June 18th, 5-4 win over Toronto, Now 38-33

Another win for Sheets, but it got dicey. Torres had to come in during the 8th to wrap this game up, but it worked. I listened to this whole game on the internet and had to deal with the Blue Jays broadcast since there was a quality problem with the TMJ feed. I kind of dozed off during the 9th, but when I woke up, I was listening to a Toronto post game show that had JP Richardi, Jays GM taking calls and getting ripped by listeners, some who wanted to see Gibbons fired. I guess Milwaukee isn't the only city hostile towards mediocrity. I couldn't believe one caller wanted Cito Gaston back, as if a former winner is the answer. Funny though that after a 3 game sweep at the hands of the Brewers, the Jays decided to bring back Gaston.



June 17th, 7-0 win over Toronto, Now 37-33

This is starting to come together. 5 dingers for the Crew, including 2 for Braun and 1 for Craig Counsell! Manny Parra decided to cruise into the 7th with a shutout before getting lifted and the bully was solid. Parra is now 4-0 in his last 4 starts. For a guy I'm still not sold on, it was nice to see him taking advantage of the O and settling in.



June 15th, 4-2 win over Minnesota, Now 36-33

A Mike Cameron tater, another fine performance by McClung and Salomon Torres getting his 7th straight save after pitching 2.1 innings last night. I'm liking Torres alot. Gagne WHO!



June 14th, 9-4 loss to Minnesota, Now 35-33

You don't get any more painful than a "blowout" loss in extra innings. Russel the Muscle gets a PH tater in the 9th to send the game to extras, and the Brewers run out of pitching... plain and simple. Julian Tavarez was left in an inning too long, but then again, Yost really didn't have many other options. Fielder just missed ending it in the 10th with a tater of his own, but it just wasn't enough to give up the winnig run to a visitor in extras, the Crew had to give up 5! I hate that.



June 13th, 10-2 loss to Minnesota

Had to lose to a guy named "Slower". Tomorrow, the Crew will get killed by a guy named Busher. I hate this. Bush feel partly victim to 2 Bill Hall errors who was starting at 2B for an MIA Weeks. I can't fault Hall too much on the Es, he hasn't really been a second baseman for a while and I think it's harder to switch like that then most people think.

Wow, That's a Great Juice Box
9-6 Win at Houston
Now 35-31, 7½ Games Back
This team is just hanging onto my optimism by a thread. After looking horrible in Denver, the Crew finds a way to get up off the mat and finish the roadtrip at a respectable 3-3. Sheets got the support of 3 home runs in the 2nd (4 total in the game) and a lineup that now features Hart in the leadoff spot and Cameron in the 5 spot seems to have found some life. Hart's 3R dinger was his 3rd in two games. So much for not getting RBI opportunities in the leadoff spot. Of course, when Brian Mohler can't even get Sheets out and walks him, your leadoff guy is going to get opportunities to clean the bases.

Added to the 5 HRs they hit in Wednesday's 10-6 win and the Crew is doing its best to channel the Walbangers and take some stress off the pitching staff. Villanueva cooled my "closer of the future" talk a little by giving up a run in 1⅔, but I didn't really hear the situation. It sounds like he came in for Parra in a dicy situation and worked out of it by letting 1 inherited to score and 1 of his own. That'll happen I guess.

However, worry isn't completely out of the picture, with Weeks already on the DL and Hardy getting checked out for a sore shoulder, the infield is looking pretty thin. The Brian Roberts rumor has been floated around, but Melvin denies it. One other thing to note is that Jeff Weaver has officially been released. What does it say about a player that he can't perform acceptable enough at AAA to earn a spot in a thinner than expected rotation?

(Mike Cameron to self) "DOH!"
Loss 6-1 to Houston, Brewers now 33-31, 7½ games back Chicago
After grabbing only one game from the Rockies, I still had hopes the Brewers could break even on this 6 game roadie. And even thought Oswalt was going against McClung, I thought they could find a way to beat him. I was wrong, but not about McClung, he pitched pretty well, but Oswalt was dealing. The Crew was still in the game however until a couple of defensive miscues gave the 'Strohs 3 late inning runs. A Julian Taverez E led to an extended inning and a triple off the bat of Lance Berkman that Cam misjudged cleared a bases loaded situation. It was pretty much over after that. Braunie's HR was the lone O. Got to get off the mat today then take advantage of the Sheets start tomorrow.

With Weeks now on the DL, Hart started in the leadoff spot and Hernan Iribarren was called up.

One Little Victory
Milwaukee 3 Colorado 2 33-30, 6 GB Chicago
When the Crew jumped out to a 2 run lead before Suppan took the mound, I was hoping for a constant barrage of 1 or 2 runs per inning that would take the pressure off the team. Instead the bats shut it down after Kapler's RBI in the 2nd and Suppan had to grit it out again. Villanueava comes in during the 6th and gets an inning ending double play, then overcomes an error in the 7th to keep the Rockies off the board. Had the Brewers found a way to score a runner from scoring position (like they had in EVERY INNING after the 3rd) then Kapler's error in the 8th wouldn't have made things so scary. But Torres goes 1⅔ for the save and the Brewers avoid a sweep in Colorado. First win there since 2006 AT LEAST.

Weeks is heading back to Milwaukee to get his knee checked out. A Jeff Baker slide in Friday's game apparently "tweaked" it. I really had high hopes for Rickie early in his career, but he is quickly on his way to a being a disappointment. I think Yost batting him leadoff is part of the problem, nagging injuries another, but plain and simply, he has underachieved. I'm still rooting for him, the way he's made himself into a legitimate defensive 2nd baseman is admirable, but considering the tools he has, the draft position, the contract, I'll admit to being frustrated with him.

Once again, part laziness, part superstition is my reason for letting this blog lapse. When I got back from Canyonlands a week ago on Saturday and saw that the Brewers had taken care of business, winning three of four, I figured I would catch up on other things rather than blogging. Now that they are back to the dismal state of making weak teams look like the '27 Yankees (see Colorado) I'll get this blog caugh up on how the Crew got to this state continueing the most recent game blog first.

Saturday, 6.7, Part 2 of the Test Fails, Loss at Colorado 7-2
There were two things the Brewers had to do to prove to me they were finally turning things around. Beat a legit team (Arizona swept-- √) and play .500 on the road. Well, the Rockies are one of the worst teams in the league, they have the worst record at home and they are without Holliday and Tulowitzki, so I figured the 3 games in Denver would be a great way to get that .500 record on the road going. 2 out of 3 right? WRONG! Rookie Greg Reynolds came into the game 0-3 with an ERA close to 6. But when your mound counterpart gives up 5 in the first inning like Bushie did, you can relaxe and earn the first win of your career. In 28⅓ previous innings, he gave up 18 walks, but the Crew's free swingers only got 2 free passes courtesy of Reynolds. They did jump on him for 2 in the 2nd thanks to RBI from Kendall and Branyan, but the rest of the lineup sputtered against a no name pitcher. Bushie did his best to maintain, giving up nothing after the 1st, but as usual, the big inning ruins him, and Mike DiFelice and Tim Dillard were responsible for giving up the other 2 runs.

Rickie Weeks sat out this game with a left knee injury, and Yost's replacement in the leadoff spot was Craig Counsell, a player I love, but maybe not your first choice for a leadoff hitter. I know Hart's great in the 5 spot, but given that Weeks is out and will miss Sunday's as well, why not TRY to get something going at the top of the lineup. Instead, Yost is just plugging the 2nd baseman in the leadoff spot regardless of their ability in that spot. For game 3 of the series, it looks like it will be "professional hitter" Joe Dillon leading off. (I love that "professional hitter" phrase I got from Philly.) At least Yost is finally getting Cameron some pine time in place of Kapler, who, unfortunately, is hitting well enough that I'll sacrafice a bit of leather in Center.

Friday, 6.6, BACK ON THE ROAD, BACK IN THE HOLE, Loss to Colorado 6-4
With the night off and Sheets on the mound, I settled down with the computer tuned in on Uecker to listen to what should have been the Crew's 7th win in a row. And it looked good most of the way through the game. I could tell Sheets was struggling with the thin air (he had 2 walks), but only gave up 1 run before being pulled for a pinch hitter in the 7th. With only a 3 run lead and Kendall on 3rd (after an RBI triple) with no outs, I understood why Yost lifted Sheets for Dillon. His pitch count was high and the Crew had a chance for a big inning. But alas, Dillon failed to get the run in, as did Weeks and Kapler. Now the Crew had to put their faith in Villy. Which worked very well-- he needed only 10 pitches to retire the side in the 7th with 2 Ks. So a lot of us Brewer fans were surprised when Mota came out for the 8th. Mota gave up 4 straigh hits and suddenly, the Brewers were out of this game. Shouse couldn't stop the bleeding either (although he should have been brouht in sooner) and a 5 run 8th led to the Brewers downfall.

This is one of those choices Yost made where I think he needs to just flat out accept he was wrong. Villy was dealing he should have stuck with him... PERIOD. Some bloggers argued that Kapler, a defensive downgrade to Cameron, would have pulled in two of those hits, but that seems stupid to argue when Cameron's bat has been taking the Crew out of the game just as much. Maybe Cam should have been a defensive replacement. Either way, my hopes that the Crew could pay the Rockies back for that 30 run beatdown I endured over two games last August quickly faded as I hoped they could just get off the mat and take game two. But in my gut I knew it wouldn't happen.

Thursday, 6.5, "Drafted Eh!"
With the 16th pick, the Brewers chose Canadian catcher Brett Lawrie as their first pick in the draft. Lawrie went to a high school with no baseball program, so since age 15, he has been playing on the Canadian Junior team and RAKING... WITH A WOODEN BAT! Apparently they've played some quality Dominican teams and intertational tourneys and this kid has held his own. He also think he can make the bigs in 1 to 2 seasons. If he can hit, I'm sure he'll get a chance,. Kendall is no spring chicken, I don't think Rivera is a long term option and Vinny Rottino, who was told in spring to "focus on catching" for a quick trip to the bigs, hasn't exactly lit up Nashville, so by all means Brett, do your best to get here. It's likely he'll want to play for Canada in the Olympics this summer, so the Crew could have another Olympic star on the roster.

At 32, the Crew picked up Jake Odorizzi, a Illinois high school righty that was 11-0 with a 0.00 ERA. In 69 innings, he gave up 18 hits, 5 walks with 116 Ks. "Would someone at least try to lay down a bunt against this guy!?" He apparently has a scholarship to Louisville as a WR, so we'll see what happens with that. At 35 they chose Evan Frederickson from the University of SF. Apparently the lefty is a little wild, but in a workout at Miller, he was consistently hitting the mid 90s. The 6'6" had 109 Ks in 75⅓ innings, but also had 61 walks. At 53 the Crew took prep righty Seth Lintz and at 54, Lenny Dykstra's son Cutter, who's recently switched to CF.

Wednesday, 6.4, Well I Wasn't Expecting This, a 10-1 Win A SWEEP.
Kapler still swinging that hot bat goes 4-5 and Parra pitches 7 strong. The starters have a 2.41 ERA in last 10 and the bullpen has a 1.03 in last 13. Now it's time to go out and get it done on the road.

Tuesday, 6.3, Big Unit Gives the Fans a Milestone, but Crew gives them a win, 7-1 Randy Johnson only needed like 3 Ks to pass Roid Clemens for 2nd or 3rd on the all time K list. Against the Crew, he should have felt pretty good about getting that out of the way early. Go figure, the victim was Mike Cameron. I think Milwaukee fans treated him well and he even acknowledged the standing O they gave him after the game. But I think Randy had to be a little miffed that McClung, a lefty with very few AB collected not only his first, but 2nd major league hits of him. I was a little worried about McClung early in this game, but he only gave up 3 in 6 innings and the Crew now has guaranteed 2 out of 3 against a legit team.

Monday, 6.2 Beat a Legit, 4-3 over Arizona 30-28
I wanted to see a good performance against a legitimate team and some .500 ball on the road. The Brewers took a step in the right direction by beating 1st place Arizona. Suppan pitched well for 7 innings, a 2nd consecutive strong start by him and Fielder makes the D-backs pay for the lefty-lefty matchup by knocking a go ahead HR in the 8th off reliever Doug Slaten.

Sunday, 6.1, WAY TO GO F-TROOP, Beat Houston 10-1, 29-28 7 GAMES BACK CHICAGO
Chicago just keeps on winning. Thanks NL West for making Chi feel so at home on their roadtrip. PATHETIC.

Yost gave some guys a rest today and had Dillon and Kapler in 1-2 slot, and they promptely make first two outs. "GREAAAAAAT!" I'm thinking, then Shawn Chacon gets rocked, gives up 4, and lasts only 1 inning. Rivera, Counsel, Kapler end up going 6-12 with 5 RBI. Counsel had a 2 run double in first and in the fourth, Dillon was hit by a pitch and then tripled home by Kapler. That's they type of work I LIKE to see out of the top of the order. I know why Yost is keeping Weeks in the 1 spot, but Cameron in the 2 hole is just making it too easy for the pitchers to get into the heart of the lineup with no one on. These are the big innings I was expecting to see more of from this lineup. In the 4th, 12 hitters to the plate, 6 runs, including jacks by Braun and Branyan. I have to hand it to Braun, he's making a difference in this lineup.

Bush did give up solo shot to Loretta in 1st (seems to be a trend) and I was really feeling sick to my stomach. Seriously, when Loretta takes you yard, you can't feel confident in your stuff. However hen then pitches 7 innings with no walks and Ks 5. In the last 7 games, starters have 6 quality starts and a 2.47 ERA. The Cre is over .500 for the first time since May 13th.

Saturday, 5.31, SO CLOSE! Beat Houston 4-1
Sheets wanted that CG bad and apparently, it was obvious. Kendall said he wasn't going to get between Yost and Sheets in the 9th when Yost yanked him for Torres after 2 outs. But Sheets was well over his pitch count and had just walked Lance Berkman (that guy is raking now, probably best to walk him), his first walk in 4 starts. Torres game in and earned a save on 2 pitches and the Brewers are now 28-28. Fielder hit another dinger, which was obscured by the Herculian shot that Branyan hit to the 3rd deck. Approximately 465 feet and the third longest in Miller history. Too bad the piss poor FSN cam op couldn't follow it. "Zoom OUT ASSHOLE if you can't follow it!" Glad I'm not directing Brewer games, I would probably flip out in the control room every inning.

Friday, 5.30, Back in the win column agains Houston, 5-1
Another gem from the rotation was needed to wash the bad taste of McClung out of our mouths. Manny Parra, who took a Miguel Tejada liner to the stomach in the 2nd went 6 innings and gave up 1 earned to beat Brandon Backe. He's able to keep Tejada, Berkman and Carlos Lee to 3-12 with no Rs or RBI. Cameron and Braun went back to back, however, it was the 2nd game in a row where Cam had 3 Ks. Someone wants to win the Jose Hernandez ahievement award. Fielder also chipped in with a HR, which he hit like a little leaguer playing Home Run Derby, seriously, he swung so far out of his shoes that he nearly toppled over in the box. Braunie, who was battling an inner ear infection was 4-4.

Thursday, 5.29, Streak is over, 8-1 loss to Atlanta
Maybe the McClung starter experiment was too good to be true. In 4⅔, he gave up 6 earned on 6 walks and 8 hits. His counterpart, who hadn't allowed a run in 10 innings over 2 previous starts, had a major hand in stifling the heart of the Crew lineup. Cam, Fielder and Braun were 2-12 and the linup totaled 12 Ks. The lone run was scored on a Branyan HR.

Wednesday, 5.28, my favorite score 1-0 over Atlanta
This is how baseball was meant to be played, little scoring, good pitching and a LIBERAL strike zone. Both Suppan and JoJo Reyes were benefiting from the big box, but the moment I most wished I had MLB Extra Innings to see was when (Brian?) McCann, the catcher for Atlanta, so upset with the strike zone that he stepped out of the box to complain, cost himself a strike when home plate umpire told Soup to go ahead and deliver. In all, there were 10 combined called third strikes.

None of that fine pitching would have meant anything unless the Brewers could find a way to make Reyes look mortal rather than Bob Freakin' Feller. It happened when Hardy drew a leadoff walk in the 9th and Cox quickly pulled him (that's quite a hook). After moving to third, Hardy scored on a Weeks triple and the Crew had their first 1-0 win since Sep. of 2006. It was also the first 3 game win streak since May 11th through 13th. Torres now has 4 saves and is looking like the new closer.

Tuesday, 5.27, come from behind to beat Atlanta 3-2
Bill Hall, who complained earlier in the day about being "soft" platooned with Branyan (read between the lines Hall, soft platoon is a nice way of saying, "You couldn't hit a righty if he was placing it on a tee, so I have to do something to show you that no one is guaranteed a spot in this lineup") came through with a pinch hit single on an 0-2 count (wow, hitting for contact on 2 strikes, what a concept), moved to second on a Weeks sacrafice (another missing concept for this team), then stole 3B. That set the stage for Cameron to win the game with a sac fly, good for two
guys who have barely been hitting their weight lately. I will say this in Hall's defense, if Yost is going to bench Hall for hitting near the Mendoza line, he has other candidates on the team as well, (COUGH!, Hall-- Cameron!).

All this went to benefit Bushy who managed to avoid the big inning and pitch 7 innings, give up 2 earned and only walk 1. Newly acquired Julian Tavarez and Salomon Torres were sharp out of the pen to help the Crew beat a game started by Tim Hudson.

Brewers beat Washington 4-3 in 11
Now 24-27

I can't get too excited about a split with Washington. The team has nowhere near the talent of the Crew, yet, in terms of record, the Nationals are playing no worse than the Crew. Sheet's had his second gutsy start in a row, which is a euphimism for him seeming to struggle because the offense sputtered on various scoring chances and he had to work out of a few jams. His routine for giving up Taters in the 1st, then locking it down happened again when Christian Guzman took him yard. But he left after only giving up 2, I don't know what more the bats could ask for. You also couldn't ask for more from the pen. Shouse looked good striking out the side before giving up a game tying bomb and Villanueva struck out 5 in a row. They did their work in my opinion. Who didn't do his work was Russel Branyan, still suffering from "Contact-itis" with 4 Ks. Kapler gets a pinch hit RBI in the 11th and Torres works 1-2-3 to win it.

Although the bullpen did an acceptable job today, management of the bullpen still seems to be a trouble for Yost. Yesterday, Mota gave up the winning run on a wild pitch after working into a 2nd inning for a 2nd consecutive day. Tim Dillard, Mike DeFelice and Zach Jackson, have all been called up from Nashville to try and stop the bleeding, and so far, only DeFelice seems to be a clinker. But it seems like if Yost doesn't use them in just the right way, the whole bullpen falls apart for a week. Of course, Prince and Brauny dumping some 8 run games on a few teams would help the bullpen also. More help will be coming when Julian Tavarez joins the pen after passing his physical, but Melvin should not have had to resort to these measures. Signing Gagne, a washed up closer and releasing Vargas seem like pretty dumb moves right now. Vargas pitched a fine game for the Mets in Colorado Saturday and guess what, Dana Eveland has a sub-3 ERA and 4 wins for the A's. I hate it when former Brewers succeed, especially when it's pitchers like Eveland and Davis who I thought were finished anyway.

Saturday, the Brewers got a surprising performance out of McClung in his new role as Starter (Villy sent to the pen) but hit the wall around 5 innings, which doesn't surprise me. If Yost plans long term for McClung to be a starter, I hope he can at least work himself into a 7 inning pitcher.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.

The Crew was washed out in Bah-stun today. I haven't blogged on the last two losses against the Dodgers at Miller. Wednesday looked good going into the 7th when the wheels fell off on a great start by Manny. They still had a lead in the 9th however, but Mota fell apart in the 9th. So much for my closer by committee.

Thursday was worse. A great start by Sheets, but in the 7th, he ran into BIG trouble. 6 runs just hung up on the board. An expolosion that should have been indicitive of the Brewer O.

The bigger news on Thursday was the signing of Braun to a 8 year deal (including this season). I think Braun has the talent to contribute to the Crew for a long time, but DAMN!, 8 years is a long time. This is the biggest contract in Crew history, but if Braun continues to play to his potential (and I think he will) it will be a bargain for the Crew. The question I have is, "What does Prince think of all this?"

Brewers beat Los Anglese 5-3, now 20-19
The last time I made a blog entry, the Brewers had lost their 5th in a row. I took a break, because the only things I could blog about were negatives. And while many people see blogs as a place to rant, I think excessive negativity in any venue can be detrimental.

A lot has happened in that time I took that break however. The Brewer's losing streak stretched to 6 games with another loss to the Marlins. Then a Rickie Weeks game ending, 2 run single capped a no-on 2 out rally off Jason Isringhausen on Friday night. Could that be a momentum builder? I held my breath and bit my tongue as the Crew wasted a decent outing by Sheets on Saturday and Eric Gagne blew it in the 9th. The next day I read Gagne wants out as closer. Apparently that's the only way Yost gets the message to try something new (see Fielder and Braun requesting to be flipped in the order). So with my thoughts of playoffs dwindeling, a gutsy performance by Suppan and two Braun Bombs on Sunday lead to another win. Monday (a 4 game set with the Cards) sees Dave Bush pitch his best game of the season, even igniting a rally by leading off with a double. Braun knocks another two out. Eric Gagne comes in in the 7th and pitches 2 innings? He makes it scary, but the Brewers win. Earlier on Monday, Gagne said he was ready to close again. As we'll see, maybe we shouldn't be so eager to put him in there.

Today the Brewers seemed to be having trouble putting anything together against Brady Penny. Corey runs into an out right before a Hall HR. Villy mixes 1-2-3 innings with innings where he get's hit, but somehow, they limit the damage to 3 runs and Braun makes Penney pay for walking the pitcher with a 2 run double. Gagne, however, can't retire the side in order and gets another "dicey" save.

Brewers lose 6-2 at Florida
Now 16-17
Burk [?] Badenhop was the recipient tonight of the Brewers lackluster offense. I commented to some co-workers that if I was a Rotissirie geek, I would merely stack my team with pitchers who were about to face the Brewers.

Talked to my father about the Crew tonight. He's been hearing the complaints about Yost and thoughts of Simmons taking over. And once again, people are pointing to '82 as an instance where firing your manager mid-season worked. While I may agree that Yost needs to turn this team around to save his job, I disagree that a team automatically does better with a new manager. That '82 team was a veteran team that needed the hands off approach of Harvey Kuene instead of the micro-managing style of Buck Rodgers. This team is young, they need a veteran manager... maybe not a first time manager.

The reason for firing Yost during the season should be because you, as a GM or owner, decide that this guy isn't doing the job, and rather than leave a "dead man walking", you toss him to the curb and HOPE that new blood invigorates the team enough to get fans back to the park. Then in the off season, you address your GM situation and do a hard target search for a good manager.

And I'm starting to think Melvin has to worry as well. The Brewers have put some good talent together, but perhaps Melvin tries to hard to continue with "scrap heap" projects rather than making tough decisions on the progress/ potential of our players. Maybe you can't worry that trading Rickie Weeks for a pitcher is a long term mistake?

Either way, I'm starting to think I'll be able to get a Sheets jersey really cheap by the time I visit Milwaukee this summer.

Game 32: 3-0 Loss to Florida. Brewers now 16-16
I listened to barely a third of the game, went to JSO to get the just of it. What I thought when I saw that row of 0's on the linescore is that, "this looks familiar". A beatable lefthander in Scott Olsen makes the Brewers lineup look pathetic again. Hall came up with the basesloaded and two out in the 9th, swung at the first pitch and lined out. Suppan takes the collar in a game where giving up 3 wins should get you a W. It's hard for me NOT to be upset with Yost. Even Melvin has me wondering. Did he get too high on his own press? Thinking that he could pull magic from every risk, gamble and reclamation project out there? Did success in non-standard aquisitions keep him from wisely managing the personel? Perhaps more should have been done to improve the offense then look for bargains and stick with "guys with potential". I'm asking way too many questions for my liking. I'll sum up by saying Yost shouldn't make it through the season if this team doesn't make a drastic turn around and Melvin should be choosing his moves wisely. Dealing Sheets at the deadline now seems wiser and wiser a move, not because Sheets is a liability, but because the Crew could be out of it.

In positive Brewer notes, an article in the JSO highlighted a study by Bill James that the '82 Brewers infield was tied with the '76 Reds as the best infield since 1934.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=747811

Game 31- Loss at Houston 16-15
Gagne walks in the tying run. Hunter Pence wins it with a HR in the 12th. That was the Astros first extra inning game. That was the Brewers bajillion. NO Brewer's runs scored after the 4th. Sheets outing wasted.

I keep telling myself to stay optimistic. That the talent will get this team over the hump, but 20 years of Brewer disappointment are hard to deny. I really don't know if Yost will still be managing this team when I visit Milwaukee this summer. If this play continues, Yost has to be fired, at least after the season. And Melvin may not be far behind. All that money in the bullpen could come back to bite him in the ass.