July 30- MIL 7 WSH 3
51-51, -4 STL
Gallardo Leads a Game where Everything Works and Suppan, Hall Out
The bats, the starting pitching and the bullpen all worked and for the first time since June 30th, the Crew has won 2 in a row. Tied at 3 in the 7th, Mike Cameron, who led off the inning with a double, sneaked in under a tag at the plate after Jason Kendall chopped a ball to Ryan Zimmerman at 3B. The Crew got another one that inning when Craig Counsell was safe on a botched DP relay and Casey McGehee (who singled) scored from 3B.
With the lead, Macha ends Yovanni Gallardo's great day that included double digit strike outs and brings Todd Coffey to pitch a perfect 8th after throwing 2 innings last night. Mitch Stetter closes out the 9th after the Crew tacks on 2 more on a Cameron sac fly and a wild pitch. Craig Counsell and Prince Fielder had homers for the Brewer's earlier in the game and the Crew is back to .500.
It was announced after the game that Bill Hall has agreed to go to Nashville to work on his hitting and Jeff Suppan will go on the DL. Who on earth will Brewer fans dog?
7.30.2009
July 29- MIL 7 WSH 5
50-51, -4½ STL
McGehee PH Dinger Ends Skid
A beautiful note to Casey McGehee's night was added when I read the JSO article that said his 2 year old son, who has cerebal palsy, threw out the first pitch before the Brewer's 1st win after dropping 3 in a row to two of the worst teams in baseball. Down a run in the 6th, McGehee, hitting for Manny Parra, nailed a 2 run shot that put the Brewer's in front. The offensive outburst help make up for the "not so perfect" Parra, who toiled in the first 2 innings (giving up 4 and walking 2 runs in), but settled down to allow only 1 more run in his 6 inning stint.
After the game, McGehee spoke with tears about how inspirational it is to see his son living his life despite the horrible card he's been dealt. He also added how he asked Prince to walk his son out to the mound before the game because his son, like most kids, just likes Prince. There is something likeable about the big slugger that can be simultaneosly fear inspiring to an adult but sort of "teddy bear" like to a kid.
50-51, -4½ STL
McGehee PH Dinger Ends Skid
A beautiful note to Casey McGehee's night was added when I read the JSO article that said his 2 year old son, who has cerebal palsy, threw out the first pitch before the Brewer's 1st win after dropping 3 in a row to two of the worst teams in baseball. Down a run in the 6th, McGehee, hitting for Manny Parra, nailed a 2 run shot that put the Brewer's in front. The offensive outburst help make up for the "not so perfect" Parra, who toiled in the first 2 innings (giving up 4 and walking 2 runs in), but settled down to allow only 1 more run in his 6 inning stint.
After the game, McGehee spoke with tears about how inspirational it is to see his son living his life despite the horrible card he's been dealt. He also added how he asked Prince to walk his son out to the mound before the game because his son, like most kids, just likes Prince. There is something likeable about the big slugger that can be simultaneosly fear inspiring to an adult but sort of "teddy bear" like to a kid.
7.29.2009
July 28- WSH 8 MIL 3
49-51, -4½ STL
Villanueva No Better as Starter
It was a leadoff HR to Nyjer Morgan and a 4 run 4th that made Carlos Villanueva's 1st start since early '08 a rough one. Tim Dillard, who I would have preferred to see start, didn't fair much better. After overcoming 4 walks and 2 hits to pitch 3 scoreless innings, he unraveled in the 8th when Christian Guzman hit a 3 run bomb.
Ryan Braun supplied the offense with his 21st homer and a triple, plus J.J. Hardy was 3-3, but the rest of the offense was anemic against Collin Balester who got his 1st win of the season.
News also came down today that Jueff Suppan has an oblique strain and will be reevalutated Thursday as to whether he can make his start this Saturday. This pitching staff is decimated.
49-51, -4½ STL
Villanueva No Better as Starter
It was a leadoff HR to Nyjer Morgan and a 4 run 4th that made Carlos Villanueva's 1st start since early '08 a rough one. Tim Dillard, who I would have preferred to see start, didn't fair much better. After overcoming 4 walks and 2 hits to pitch 3 scoreless innings, he unraveled in the 8th when Christian Guzman hit a 3 run bomb.
Ryan Braun supplied the offense with his 21st homer and a triple, plus J.J. Hardy was 3-3, but the rest of the offense was anemic against Collin Balester who got his 1st win of the season.
News also came down today that Jueff Suppan has an oblique strain and will be reevalutated Thursday as to whether he can make his start this Saturday. This pitching staff is decimated.
7.27.2009
July 27- WSH 14 MIL 6
48-49, -4 on CHI
Below .500 Again
No such luck in turning things around with a 4 game home series against the Nats. Despite having the worst record in baseball, the Jeff Suppan and the Crew found a way to make the "Team that Should Not Be" (seriously, why didn't the league contract Montreal when they had a chance? I know, because it would have left an odd number of teams in the league) into the best story in baseball on a Monday night. Right fielder Josh Willingham hit two grand slams (one in the 5th off Suppan and 1 in the 6th of Mike DiFelice) and Ryan Zimmerman had a solo shot with 3 runs scored to counter Ryan Braun's 2oth dinger of the season and Corey Hart's 2nd tater in two days. The bullpen, already depleted with Looper's short outing yesterday and the plan to have Carlos Villanueva start tomorrow (instead of Tim Dillard who was doing well as a starter in Nashville?), was the reason Macha trotted Suppan out there for the 6th, where Suppan surrendured 4 more of his 10 earned before leaving for DiFelice.
The Crew also demoted Mike Burns and called up R.J. Swindle to try and stop the pitching mess that is making the next few weeks before Dave Bush's expected return seem REALLY long.
48-49, -4 on CHI
Below .500 Again
No such luck in turning things around with a 4 game home series against the Nats. Despite having the worst record in baseball, the Jeff Suppan and the Crew found a way to make the "Team that Should Not Be" (seriously, why didn't the league contract Montreal when they had a chance? I know, because it would have left an odd number of teams in the league) into the best story in baseball on a Monday night. Right fielder Josh Willingham hit two grand slams (one in the 5th off Suppan and 1 in the 6th of Mike DiFelice) and Ryan Zimmerman had a solo shot with 3 runs scored to counter Ryan Braun's 2oth dinger of the season and Corey Hart's 2nd tater in two days. The bullpen, already depleted with Looper's short outing yesterday and the plan to have Carlos Villanueva start tomorrow (instead of Tim Dillard who was doing well as a starter in Nashville?), was the reason Macha trotted Suppan out there for the 6th, where Suppan surrendured 4 more of his 10 earned before leaving for DiFelice.
The Crew also demoted Mike Burns and called up R.J. Swindle to try and stop the pitching mess that is making the next few weeks before Dave Bush's expected return seem REALLY long.
July 26- ATL 10 MIL 2
49-49, -3 on STL
Another Day Game Loss for The Crew
50 points lower in day games. That's in regards to the Brewer's team batting average and the difference between the best hitters at night and worst hitters in the day for the NL.
Looper was skating by through 5 innings, allowing on 1 run until a 4 run 6th that included a 3 run Casey Kotchman home run. Then the bullpen combo of Mark DiFelice, Mike Burns and Chris Smith gave up another 5 in 3 innings of work. The lone offense was Corey Hart's 2 run dinger in the 6th off Derek Lowe who was able to limit the Brewers to 2 runs on 9 hits over 6 innings of work.
With the cost of ANY pitching help being too high in my opinion, I'm quickly getting to the point where I might concede the season and just hope for a +.500 record, which was my goal at the start of the season. It's a damn shame though, because the amazing fan turnout at Miller this season deserves more.
49-49, -3 on STL
Another Day Game Loss for The Crew
50 points lower in day games. That's in regards to the Brewer's team batting average and the difference between the best hitters at night and worst hitters in the day for the NL.
Looper was skating by through 5 innings, allowing on 1 run until a 4 run 6th that included a 3 run Casey Kotchman home run. Then the bullpen combo of Mark DiFelice, Mike Burns and Chris Smith gave up another 5 in 3 innings of work. The lone offense was Corey Hart's 2 run dinger in the 6th off Derek Lowe who was able to limit the Brewers to 2 runs on 9 hits over 6 innings of work.
With the cost of ANY pitching help being too high in my opinion, I'm quickly getting to the point where I might concede the season and just hope for a +.500 record, which was my goal at the start of the season. It's a damn shame though, because the amazing fan turnout at Miller this season deserves more.
7.26.2009
July 25- MIL 4 ATL 0
49-48 2½ back STL
Really Need to Get Some Pitching
With the odds of the Brewer's acquiring Roy Haliday slim, the fans should be damn thankful the Crew has a starter with as bright a future at Yovanni. I don't know where this team would be without him. However, it makes me also wonder how good they could be with just 1 more good arm. Hell, now that McClung is on the DL, they also have a bullpen that looks much worse than it did 2 months ago. Amazing what two arms on the DL and a pitcher like Villanueva falling apart (he took his 7th loss yesterday) can do to a team. Plus, remember when David Riske was going to be part of the bullpen. And what about Chris Capuano, how nice would it be to have him now?
As for the game, it was ALL Gallardo. 7⅓ innings, 4 hits, 4 walks, 6 Ks and a 2-3 day at the plate in which he got the scoring going with a single in the 5th. I guess it was a good day for the offense to fall asleep against Tommy Hanson. Casey McGehee's pinch hit RBI was a nice AB for the Crew as well considering how horrible the bench has been this season.
Once again, I'm going to throw some Kew-Dohs at my man professional hitter Craig Counsell who was 2-4 with an RBI in his new spot, number 2 behind Lopez. Counsell is now batting .299 at age 38 and outperforming all other position players his age. Great article by Tom Haudricourt this Sunday comparing Counsell to guys like Jason Giambi, Ken Griffey, Jim Thome or Gary Sheffield who are either playing poorly or benefitting from DHing or a light work load, not the daily grind that Counsell has had being an everyday infielder.
49-48 2½ back STL
Really Need to Get Some Pitching
With the odds of the Brewer's acquiring Roy Haliday slim, the fans should be damn thankful the Crew has a starter with as bright a future at Yovanni. I don't know where this team would be without him. However, it makes me also wonder how good they could be with just 1 more good arm. Hell, now that McClung is on the DL, they also have a bullpen that looks much worse than it did 2 months ago. Amazing what two arms on the DL and a pitcher like Villanueva falling apart (he took his 7th loss yesterday) can do to a team. Plus, remember when David Riske was going to be part of the bullpen. And what about Chris Capuano, how nice would it be to have him now?
As for the game, it was ALL Gallardo. 7⅓ innings, 4 hits, 4 walks, 6 Ks and a 2-3 day at the plate in which he got the scoring going with a single in the 5th. I guess it was a good day for the offense to fall asleep against Tommy Hanson. Casey McGehee's pinch hit RBI was a nice AB for the Crew as well considering how horrible the bench has been this season.
Once again, I'm going to throw some Kew-Dohs at my man professional hitter Craig Counsell who was 2-4 with an RBI in his new spot, number 2 behind Lopez. Counsell is now batting .299 at age 38 and outperforming all other position players his age. Great article by Tom Haudricourt this Sunday comparing Counsell to guys like Jason Giambi, Ken Griffey, Jim Thome or Gary Sheffield who are either playing poorly or benefitting from DHing or a light work load, not the daily grind that Counsell has had being an everyday infielder.
July 24- ATL 9 MIL 4
48-48 3½ back STL
Back to .500 and Feeling the Division Slip Away
I thought this division would be tough, but now that the Cards have Matt Holliay and Chicago and Houston (hooray Cecil Cooper) climbing back into it, I'm doubting weather the Crew have the ability to stay in the race.
Friday's loss to Atlanta showed just how many holes there are in the pitching staff. Although Counsell's 2 run double and Braun's 2 run homer in the 5th tied the game and kept Manny Parra off the hook for a little while, the bullpen just couldn't hold things together. Villanueva, Chris Smith and McClung gave up 5 in 3⅔ innings and Javier Vazquez was solid after the fifth, striking out Fielder 4 times in his 7 innings of work.
48-48 3½ back STL
Back to .500 and Feeling the Division Slip Away
I thought this division would be tough, but now that the Cards have Matt Holliay and Chicago and Houston (hooray Cecil Cooper) climbing back into it, I'm doubting weather the Crew have the ability to stay in the race.
Friday's loss to Atlanta showed just how many holes there are in the pitching staff. Although Counsell's 2 run double and Braun's 2 run homer in the 5th tied the game and kept Manny Parra off the hook for a little while, the bullpen just couldn't hold things together. Villanueva, Chris Smith and McClung gave up 5 in 3⅔ innings and Javier Vazquez was solid after the fifth, striking out Fielder 4 times in his 7 innings of work.
July 22- PIT 8 MIL 7
48-47 -2 on STL
Pittsburgh Figuring Out Crew
For a long time, the Pirates could do nothing right against the Crew. Now, thanks to Jeff Suppan serving up 4 taters in 3⅓ inlcluding 2 to Ryan Doumit, the Pirates were able to take 2 of 3 from the Brewers and send the Crew back to Miller with a 3-4 road trip result.
The offense did try to overcome Suppan's start with a good offensive day. Ryan Braun brought 2 in with a dinger in the 1st and 3 more in 5th with a bases loaded, 3 run double in the 5th. That 5th also contained a Casey McGehee 2 run shot that chased Pat Maholm from the game.
All that, plus a Bill Hall RBI, gave the Crew a somewhat comfortable 7-5 lead until Seth McClung surrendured 2 in the bottom of the 5th which set up Brandon Moss' leadoff homer in the 9th off Mitch Stetter. Moss was batting .250 with 0 home runs off lefty's coming into the game, however Stetter fell behind a let one get over the plate to give 21,000 in Pittsburgh something to cheer about.
48-47 -2 on STL
Pittsburgh Figuring Out Crew
For a long time, the Pirates could do nothing right against the Crew. Now, thanks to Jeff Suppan serving up 4 taters in 3⅓ inlcluding 2 to Ryan Doumit, the Pirates were able to take 2 of 3 from the Brewers and send the Crew back to Miller with a 3-4 road trip result.
The offense did try to overcome Suppan's start with a good offensive day. Ryan Braun brought 2 in with a dinger in the 1st and 3 more in 5th with a bases loaded, 3 run double in the 5th. That 5th also contained a Casey McGehee 2 run shot that chased Pat Maholm from the game.
All that, plus a Bill Hall RBI, gave the Crew a somewhat comfortable 7-5 lead until Seth McClung surrendured 2 in the bottom of the 5th which set up Brandon Moss' leadoff homer in the 9th off Mitch Stetter. Moss was batting .250 with 0 home runs off lefty's coming into the game, however Stetter fell behind a let one get over the plate to give 21,000 in Pittsburgh something to cheer about.
7.22.2009
July 21- MIL 2 PIT 0
48-46 -2 on STL
Looper Gives Crew Best Start of the Season
After a rough June, when most Brewer starters faltered, Looper has improved in July and last night gave the Crew 7 innings of 0 run ball at PNC Park. He got some help with a 1 out diving catch by Mike Cameron in the 7th with a man on that sealed up a narrow win. Pittsburgh righty Virgil Vasquez was also able to work out of trouble as well. The Brewer's made him look good by not drawing any walks and only cashing in on 2 of their 9 hits in Vasquez' 6⅔ innings, both RBI singles by Prince Fielder that scored Craig Counsell. Counsell was 3-4 in the 2 spot, playing 3B now that Lopez is getting the nod at 2B.
48-46 -2 on STL
Looper Gives Crew Best Start of the Season
After a rough June, when most Brewer starters faltered, Looper has improved in July and last night gave the Crew 7 innings of 0 run ball at PNC Park. He got some help with a 1 out diving catch by Mike Cameron in the 7th with a man on that sealed up a narrow win. Pittsburgh righty Virgil Vasquez was also able to work out of trouble as well. The Brewer's made him look good by not drawing any walks and only cashing in on 2 of their 9 hits in Vasquez' 6⅔ innings, both RBI singles by Prince Fielder that scored Craig Counsell. Counsell was 3-4 in the 2 spot, playing 3B now that Lopez is getting the nod at 2B.
7.20.2009
July 20- PIT 8 MIL 5
47-46 -3 STL
Pirates Win One
For the first time in 18 games, the Buccos figured out a way to beat the Crew, however, that hasn't been hard. With Mike Burns coughing up 4 runs in the 1st, the Pirates were able to sustain the Felipe Lopez attack and get Ross Ohlendorff his 8th win. Lopez, who was acquired over the weekend for Cole Gillespie and Roque Mercedes went 4-4 with a walk and a triple. However, he did get picked off after his first AB as a Brewer. Strangely enough, that was a complaint about him on the JSO blogs, that his SB percentage is atrocious. Dude, you have Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder behind you, relax on base.
Speaking of Braun, Chris Smith tried to exact some vengance by nailing Jeff Karstens with a pitch that precipitated a bench clearer. No real damage, but I guess Kendall got into it with the Pirates pitching coach and then after the game, refused to call him by his correct name. I guess it was Ian Snell who earlier in the season warned Braun that what he says could bite him in the butt, and that might be something to admire/hate about Braun. So far, after calling out the pitching staff, he's been slumping, although he hit a tater tonight. And Ian Snell is in AAA Indy, so go figure who won that war of words.
47-46 -3 STL
Pirates Win One
For the first time in 18 games, the Buccos figured out a way to beat the Crew, however, that hasn't been hard. With Mike Burns coughing up 4 runs in the 1st, the Pirates were able to sustain the Felipe Lopez attack and get Ross Ohlendorff his 8th win. Lopez, who was acquired over the weekend for Cole Gillespie and Roque Mercedes went 4-4 with a walk and a triple. However, he did get picked off after his first AB as a Brewer. Strangely enough, that was a complaint about him on the JSO blogs, that his SB percentage is atrocious. Dude, you have Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder behind you, relax on base.
Speaking of Braun, Chris Smith tried to exact some vengance by nailing Jeff Karstens with a pitch that precipitated a bench clearer. No real damage, but I guess Kendall got into it with the Pirates pitching coach and then after the game, refused to call him by his correct name. I guess it was Ian Snell who earlier in the season warned Braun that what he says could bite him in the butt, and that might be something to admire/hate about Braun. So far, after calling out the pitching staff, he's been slumping, although he hit a tater tonight. And Ian Snell is in AAA Indy, so go figure who won that war of words.
7.4.09- MIL 11 CHI 2
43-38 EVEN w/ STL
McGehee's Big Day Beats Cubs
The offense got started early against Rich Harden and Casey McGehee and Mike Cameron made the Cubs pay for pitching around Prince Fielder. Twice McGehee followed intentional walks to the slugger with RBI single and he finished the day 4-5 with 5 RBI, 3 runs and a double short of the cycle. That added to Cameron's 4 RBI day, which included a 3 run, 1st inning dinger gave Braden Looper plenty of breathing room as he worked out of bases loaded jams in the both the first and second inning and got his 2nd straight win.
7.2.09- CHI 9 MIL 5
42-37, EVEN w/ STL
Derrick Lee Destroys Crew at Wrigley
The Cubs have been underachieving all season, and for the most part, the Brewer's have been overachieving. The overachievement did not however apply to Seth McClung, making his 2nd start of the season in place of Dave Bush. McClung didn't make it out of the 4th and put the Brewer's in a 4-0 hole right off the bat with a 3 run tater to Derrick Lee and a solo shot by Jake Fox. With his pitch count soaring, McClung was lifted in the 4th after surrenduring another homer to Geovany Soto and putting two more Cubs on. Chris Smith came on in relief and walked the bases loaded which set up Lee's 2nd dinger of the day, a Grand Slam.
Macha would not say after the game if McClung would make another start before the All-Star break... my guess is no, although I don't know what the other option is. If the team is serious about making a playoff run, they need to deal for a starter. However, I hate to see the cupboard scraped bare.
Mike Cameron and Prince Fielder had home runs for the Crew to make the score respectable, but the defecit never seemed over-comable, especially with the way Carlos Marmol came in to pitch the 9th. With 3 games left in the series, I'm really just hoping for a split, although the team should be able to do better than that.
43-38 EVEN w/ STL
McGehee's Big Day Beats Cubs
The offense got started early against Rich Harden and Casey McGehee and Mike Cameron made the Cubs pay for pitching around Prince Fielder. Twice McGehee followed intentional walks to the slugger with RBI single and he finished the day 4-5 with 5 RBI, 3 runs and a double short of the cycle. That added to Cameron's 4 RBI day, which included a 3 run, 1st inning dinger gave Braden Looper plenty of breathing room as he worked out of bases loaded jams in the both the first and second inning and got his 2nd straight win.
7.2.09- CHI 9 MIL 5
42-37, EVEN w/ STL
Derrick Lee Destroys Crew at Wrigley
The Cubs have been underachieving all season, and for the most part, the Brewer's have been overachieving. The overachievement did not however apply to Seth McClung, making his 2nd start of the season in place of Dave Bush. McClung didn't make it out of the 4th and put the Brewer's in a 4-0 hole right off the bat with a 3 run tater to Derrick Lee and a solo shot by Jake Fox. With his pitch count soaring, McClung was lifted in the 4th after surrenduring another homer to Geovany Soto and putting two more Cubs on. Chris Smith came on in relief and walked the bases loaded which set up Lee's 2nd dinger of the day, a Grand Slam.
Macha would not say after the game if McClung would make another start before the All-Star break... my guess is no, although I don't know what the other option is. If the team is serious about making a playoff run, they need to deal for a starter. However, I hate to see the cupboard scraped bare.
Mike Cameron and Prince Fielder had home runs for the Crew to make the score respectable, but the defecit never seemed over-comable, especially with the way Carlos Marmol came in to pitch the 9th. With 3 games left in the series, I'm really just hoping for a split, although the team should be able to do better than that.
July 3- CHI 2 MIL 1
42-38 -1.0 STL
Suppan's Effort Wasted
It was easily Jeff Suppan's best performance of the season, perhaps in his Brewer career. He kept the Cubs to 1 run through 7 innings, but like Yovanni Gallarda a few days ago, the bats had a pathetic showing. In the 4th inning, with the bases loaded and no outs, the Crew only managed a run. Casey McGehee and Mike Cameron fouled out, Corey Hart drew a walk to bring one run in and then J.J. Hardy flew out to end the threat. In all, 11 runners were stranded and the Crew only got 1 hit with RISP, which didn't lead to anything because Suppan was thrown out trying to score from 2nd.
The Cubs ended up winning on 3 walks in the 10th. With Ryan Theriot on 2nd and two outs, Mark DiFelice intentionally walked Milton Bradley, then intentionally walked Geovanny Soto after he fell behind to him. Then Jake Fox battled for 9 pitches and eventually walked (on a questionalble ball) to force in the winner.
42-38 -1.0 STL
Suppan's Effort Wasted
It was easily Jeff Suppan's best performance of the season, perhaps in his Brewer career. He kept the Cubs to 1 run through 7 innings, but like Yovanni Gallarda a few days ago, the bats had a pathetic showing. In the 4th inning, with the bases loaded and no outs, the Crew only managed a run. Casey McGehee and Mike Cameron fouled out, Corey Hart drew a walk to bring one run in and then J.J. Hardy flew out to end the threat. In all, 11 runners were stranded and the Crew only got 1 hit with RISP, which didn't lead to anything because Suppan was thrown out trying to score from 2nd.
The Cubs ended up winning on 3 walks in the 10th. With Ryan Theriot on 2nd and two outs, Mark DiFelice intentionally walked Milton Bradley, then intentionally walked Geovanny Soto after he fell behind to him. Then Jake Fox battled for 9 pitches and eventually walked (on a questionalble ball) to force in the winner.
July 1- NYM 1 MIL 0
42-36 +1.5 on STL
Gallardo Gets No Support
Craig Counsell just missed a leadoff home run in the 1st, and a few other well hit balls were either grabbed by the Met's gloves or kept in the park as the Crew's hitting woes in day games at Miller continues. The damn shame was that Yovanni Gallardo's career high 12 strikeout performance was wasted because of a Ryan Church RBI single in the 6th. Mike Pelfrey kept the Mets from getting swept with a gem of a game: 7.2 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, 6 Ks and 0 runs. In the 9th, Braun made things interesting by leading off the inning with a single off Frankie Rodriguez, but Fielder, Hart (who also grounded into a double play with 1st & 3rd in the 4th) and pinch hitter McGehee all failed to bring him around. I'm not sure why Ken Macha took Gamel out against K-Rod, but I guess he's not a slave to lefty-righty matchups.
42-36 +1.5 on STL
Gallardo Gets No Support
Craig Counsell just missed a leadoff home run in the 1st, and a few other well hit balls were either grabbed by the Met's gloves or kept in the park as the Crew's hitting woes in day games at Miller continues. The damn shame was that Yovanni Gallardo's career high 12 strikeout performance was wasted because of a Ryan Church RBI single in the 6th. Mike Pelfrey kept the Mets from getting swept with a gem of a game: 7.2 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, 6 Ks and 0 runs. In the 9th, Braun made things interesting by leading off the inning with a single off Frankie Rodriguez, but Fielder, Hart (who also grounded into a double play with 1st & 3rd in the 4th) and pinch hitter McGehee all failed to bring him around. I'm not sure why Ken Macha took Gamel out against K-Rod, but I guess he's not a slave to lefty-righty matchups.
June 30- MIL 6 NYM 3
42-35 +2.0 on STL
Burns & Braun Help Get over on Santana
It was only Mike Burns 2nd start and he was facing a Cy Young winner, so I wasn't too optimistic about this game. After a 1st inning which including a leadoff walk that scored on a David Wright 2 run home run, I figured this could be one in the loss column. Ryan Braun picked things up in the 3rd with an RBI single (1 of 4 on the day) and Burns started cruising after that. He didn't issue any more walks in his 6.2 innings of work and the Mets only had 5 hits total off him. Meanwhile, things unraveled for Johan Santana in the 4th. He walked Burns on 4 pitches, then Fernando Martinez slipped chasing a Corey Hart fly ball and the Crew had 2nd & 3rd with 1 out. J.J. Hardy walked to load them, then Braunie brought them all in with a double, moved to 3rd on the throw home, which got by the catcher and scored when Santana threw wildly to 3rd. Braun had 3 hits on the day and is 7-13 lifetime against Santana. Prince Fielder padded the lead with his 20th homer of the season in the 7th.
The game seemed to be more indicitive of the Burns we've heard about-- a control pitcher. His strike to ball ratio was 66 to 29 and 16 of those strikes were on the first pitch. Ken Macha was incredibly pleased with his ability to use all 4 of his pitches for strikes and pitching into the 7th is what I really appreciated. After 4 teams and 48 appearances over 3 years, Burns had his first career win.
42-35 +2.0 on STL
Burns & Braun Help Get over on Santana
It was only Mike Burns 2nd start and he was facing a Cy Young winner, so I wasn't too optimistic about this game. After a 1st inning which including a leadoff walk that scored on a David Wright 2 run home run, I figured this could be one in the loss column. Ryan Braun picked things up in the 3rd with an RBI single (1 of 4 on the day) and Burns started cruising after that. He didn't issue any more walks in his 6.2 innings of work and the Mets only had 5 hits total off him. Meanwhile, things unraveled for Johan Santana in the 4th. He walked Burns on 4 pitches, then Fernando Martinez slipped chasing a Corey Hart fly ball and the Crew had 2nd & 3rd with 1 out. J.J. Hardy walked to load them, then Braunie brought them all in with a double, moved to 3rd on the throw home, which got by the catcher and scored when Santana threw wildly to 3rd. Braun had 3 hits on the day and is 7-13 lifetime against Santana. Prince Fielder padded the lead with his 20th homer of the season in the 7th.
The game seemed to be more indicitive of the Burns we've heard about-- a control pitcher. His strike to ball ratio was 66 to 29 and 16 of those strikes were on the first pitch. Ken Macha was incredibly pleased with his ability to use all 4 of his pitches for strikes and pitching into the 7th is what I really appreciated. After 4 teams and 48 appearances over 3 years, Burns had his first career win.
June 29- MIL 10 NYM 6
41-35 +1.0 on STL
McGehee Get's Redemption
Playing 3B tonight, Casey McGehee committed an error in the top of the 6th that nearly ruined yet another ESPN telecast of a Brewer game. Instead of using two hands to end the inning, McGehee's drop opened the door for two Met's run and pulled them to within a run of the Crew's lead.
The lead was built on a J.J. Hardy tater (part of his 4-4 night) and a Braden Looper RBI off New York starter Fernando Nieve, who has pretty good numbers to go along with his 3-1 record. The error by McGehee could have spoiled Loopers good start considering the potency of the Met's offense, but in the bottom half of the 6th, with 2 outs and a 2-2 count, McGehee slammed a fastball from Brian Stokes out of Miller for his first career grand slam. McGehee's season has been all about redemption after being put out to pasture by the Cubs after a good season for Iowa in 2008, but the micro-cosm of his goat to god in the 6th is what I love about baseball. Watching the game at work, I loved seeing how he was still pissed about the error in the dugout AFTER hitting the dinger. Prince had to remind him to go out for the standing O. I can really understand that feeling. Yes, you've put your team up by 5, but you still want to yell into your helmet (probably protecting viewers on the dugout cam from language) about that ball you should have caught earlier.
The Crew need most of those runs, including clutch RBI by Hall and Kendall because Carlos Villanueva couldn't finish things off in the 9th. Given a 7 run lead to work with, he only retired one batter, gave up 5 hits, 3 runs and got nailed for a 2 run dinger off the bat of Gary Sheffield, who I'm glad to see still get's booed. Ken Macha had to bring in Trevor Hoffman to finish things off for his 18th save, which was probably his easiest. One pitch to Brian Schneider that Hardy turned into a 6-3 DP.
I was wearing my Gemutlichkeit hat for this game, which seems to have a higher rate of success than some of my other hats, so I think I'll stick with it.
41-35 +1.0 on STL
McGehee Get's Redemption
Playing 3B tonight, Casey McGehee committed an error in the top of the 6th that nearly ruined yet another ESPN telecast of a Brewer game. Instead of using two hands to end the inning, McGehee's drop opened the door for two Met's run and pulled them to within a run of the Crew's lead.
The lead was built on a J.J. Hardy tater (part of his 4-4 night) and a Braden Looper RBI off New York starter Fernando Nieve, who has pretty good numbers to go along with his 3-1 record. The error by McGehee could have spoiled Loopers good start considering the potency of the Met's offense, but in the bottom half of the 6th, with 2 outs and a 2-2 count, McGehee slammed a fastball from Brian Stokes out of Miller for his first career grand slam. McGehee's season has been all about redemption after being put out to pasture by the Cubs after a good season for Iowa in 2008, but the micro-cosm of his goat to god in the 6th is what I love about baseball. Watching the game at work, I loved seeing how he was still pissed about the error in the dugout AFTER hitting the dinger. Prince had to remind him to go out for the standing O. I can really understand that feeling. Yes, you've put your team up by 5, but you still want to yell into your helmet (probably protecting viewers on the dugout cam from language) about that ball you should have caught earlier.
The Crew need most of those runs, including clutch RBI by Hall and Kendall because Carlos Villanueva couldn't finish things off in the 9th. Given a 7 run lead to work with, he only retired one batter, gave up 5 hits, 3 runs and got nailed for a 2 run dinger off the bat of Gary Sheffield, who I'm glad to see still get's booed. Ken Macha had to bring in Trevor Hoffman to finish things off for his 18th save, which was probably his easiest. One pitch to Brian Schneider that Hardy turned into a 6-3 DP.
I was wearing my Gemutlichkeit hat for this game, which seems to have a higher rate of success than some of my other hats, so I think I'll stick with it.
June 28- SF 7 MIL 0
40-35 EVEN w/ STL
Brewer's Make Sadowski Look Good in Debut
The Brewer's are now 0-4 against pitchers making their major league debut. 26 year old Ryan Sadowski allowed only 4 hits in 6 scoreless as his opponent Jeff Suppan fell to 5-6. The Getaway-Day-Game once again fell victim to the “Shadows of Miller Park” and afterward, Braun was quoted as saying no one on the team likes playing a day game at home because of them. Although he admitted that shadows are a part of the problem for BOTH teams. Either way, a JSO blog came out on Monday saying the team was, "looking into the shadwow problem". I'm not sure what they play to do, either change start times or rotate the stadium?
40-35 EVEN w/ STL
Brewer's Make Sadowski Look Good in Debut
The Brewer's are now 0-4 against pitchers making their major league debut. 26 year old Ryan Sadowski allowed only 4 hits in 6 scoreless as his opponent Jeff Suppan fell to 5-6. The Getaway-Day-Game once again fell victim to the “Shadows of Miller Park” and afterward, Braun was quoted as saying no one on the team likes playing a day game at home because of them. Although he admitted that shadows are a part of the problem for BOTH teams. Either way, a JSO blog came out on Monday saying the team was, "looking into the shadwow problem". I'm not sure what they play to do, either change start times or rotate the stadium?
June 27- MIL 7 SF 6
40-34 Even w/ STL
Comeback saves Hoffman's 9th
The Crew spent most of the night battling back in this game that occurred while I was recovering from a 100 mile ride in Logan. Down 2 in the 9th and facing Giants closer Brian Wilson, Craig Counsell singled with 1 down, Gamel walked and Hart scored Counsell on a single to center. J.J. Hardy's RBI tied things up and Prince finished the game with a double to right.
The game was tied in the 9th, but Trevor Hoffman gave up 3 consecutive singles and 2 sac flys to give SF the lead. That tie was earned on back-to-back taters in the 6th by Fielder and Casey McGehee. Those runs helped get Seth McClung off the hook, who did a decent job in his first start of the season: 3 runs in 4 innings. Chris Smith, Todd Coffey and Mitch Stetter combined for 4 innings of 1 run ball with 0 walks.
Proving again why a center fielder makes a difference, Mike Cameron robbed Nate Schierholtz of a home run in the 7th, which proves glove work can be a tradeoff for a .243 hitter. It's too bad though that his offense has dropped off, because early in the season, he really looked like he would put up some good offensive numbers this season.
40-34 Even w/ STL
Comeback saves Hoffman's 9th
The Crew spent most of the night battling back in this game that occurred while I was recovering from a 100 mile ride in Logan. Down 2 in the 9th and facing Giants closer Brian Wilson, Craig Counsell singled with 1 down, Gamel walked and Hart scored Counsell on a single to center. J.J. Hardy's RBI tied things up and Prince finished the game with a double to right.
The game was tied in the 9th, but Trevor Hoffman gave up 3 consecutive singles and 2 sac flys to give SF the lead. That tie was earned on back-to-back taters in the 6th by Fielder and Casey McGehee. Those runs helped get Seth McClung off the hook, who did a decent job in his first start of the season: 3 runs in 4 innings. Chris Smith, Todd Coffey and Mitch Stetter combined for 4 innings of 1 run ball with 0 walks.
Proving again why a center fielder makes a difference, Mike Cameron robbed Nate Schierholtz of a home run in the 7th, which proves glove work can be a tradeoff for a .243 hitter. It's too bad though that his offense has dropped off, because early in the season, he really looked like he would put up some good offensive numbers this season.
June 26- MIL 5 SF 1
39-34 EVEN with STL
Yovanni Bests Cain
Hooo RAY! Percentage points ahead of the Cards. It's .534 to .533, but it's still first. Matt Cain had only lost 1 game all season long and was on a 7 game winning streak, but tonight Milwaukee scored 5 runs off the righty in 6 innings, which stood up with the way Yovanni Gallardo was pitching. After giving up a dinger Pablo Sandoval in the first, Gallardo kept the Giants from scoring for the rest of his 7.2 innings. He struck out 9 and walked 3 to improve to 8-4. J.J. Hardy, still slowly turning things around, had a home run and 2 hits to add to the early Brewer's lead that was built with the help of Braun's 2-4, 2 RBI day. Didn't hear a lick of this game because I was in Logan for the MS Ride, but considering that the Crew tends to turn things up when I'm away from game involvement, I'm thinking my trip was well planned.
39-34 EVEN with STL
Yovanni Bests Cain
Hooo RAY! Percentage points ahead of the Cards. It's .534 to .533, but it's still first. Matt Cain had only lost 1 game all season long and was on a 7 game winning streak, but tonight Milwaukee scored 5 runs off the righty in 6 innings, which stood up with the way Yovanni Gallardo was pitching. After giving up a dinger Pablo Sandoval in the first, Gallardo kept the Giants from scoring for the rest of his 7.2 innings. He struck out 9 and walked 3 to improve to 8-4. J.J. Hardy, still slowly turning things around, had a home run and 2 hits to add to the early Brewer's lead that was built with the help of Braun's 2-4, 2 RBI day. Didn't hear a lick of this game because I was in Logan for the MS Ride, but considering that the Crew tends to turn things up when I'm away from game involvement, I'm thinking my trip was well planned.
7.19.2009
June 25- MIN 6 MIL 4
38-34 -1.0 STL
Thank God They're Done with Interleague
I listened to this game while doing some prep work for the MS Ride in Logan over the weekend. I'll admit, once the Twins tacked two more runs to their lead in the 7th, I kind of gave up thinking the Crew could pull this one out. Once Mitch Stetter's consecutive “Out by Strikeout” streak ended at 15 with a Jason Kuble fly-out, Lexi and I headed to my old dwelling to move my mattress into storage. As far as anyone can tell, Stetter's feat may be a record, although it surprises me that Elias sports bureau couldn't figure this out.
Mike Burns, the 30 year old righty called up from Nashville for the start looked decent through 3, but made some mistakes once the Twins hitters got a second look at him. Burns couldn't play a soft grounder into a DP during the 4th, which would have erased a leadoff walk. Then, after Justin Morneau's RBI double and Jason Kuble's single, Burns walked in another run and tallied 31 pitches in the inning. He was constantly working from behind and finished with a line of 5.2 innings, 4 runs, 6 hits and 3 walks.
McGehee and Prince chipped in with home runs in the 6th and Braun hit one in the 8th, but it wasn't enough to pull out a win in the final interleague contest of the season. The Crew ended up 5-10 against AL teams and 1-5 against the Twins... disgraceful considering Minnesota is one of the worst road teams out there.
38-34 -1.0 STL
Thank God They're Done with Interleague
I listened to this game while doing some prep work for the MS Ride in Logan over the weekend. I'll admit, once the Twins tacked two more runs to their lead in the 7th, I kind of gave up thinking the Crew could pull this one out. Once Mitch Stetter's consecutive “Out by Strikeout” streak ended at 15 with a Jason Kuble fly-out, Lexi and I headed to my old dwelling to move my mattress into storage. As far as anyone can tell, Stetter's feat may be a record, although it surprises me that Elias sports bureau couldn't figure this out.
Mike Burns, the 30 year old righty called up from Nashville for the start looked decent through 3, but made some mistakes once the Twins hitters got a second look at him. Burns couldn't play a soft grounder into a DP during the 4th, which would have erased a leadoff walk. Then, after Justin Morneau's RBI double and Jason Kuble's single, Burns walked in another run and tallied 31 pitches in the inning. He was constantly working from behind and finished with a line of 5.2 innings, 4 runs, 6 hits and 3 walks.
McGehee and Prince chipped in with home runs in the 6th and Braun hit one in the 8th, but it wasn't enough to pull out a win in the final interleague contest of the season. The Crew ended up 5-10 against AL teams and 1-5 against the Twins... disgraceful considering Minnesota is one of the worst road teams out there.
June 24- MIL 4 MIN 3
38-33 -1.0 STL
Kendall's Hustle Key to Breaking SkidI always thought Jason Kendall fell into that category with Nomar Garciaparra and Moises Alou-- players who came on the scene and seemed destined for greatness, then kind of fell to the wayside with mediocre careers that were punctuated by a grizzly injury. However, one thing I always liked about Jason “I Want to Kill Your Mother” Kendall (just look at his psycho Miller Park scoreboard face) is that the dude is a gritty, bare handed, gutsy player; and those tools paid off tonight. In the eighth, after already scoring J.J. Hardy with a double, Kendall moved to third when shortstop Brendan Harris threw wide of home. Starter Nick Blackburn, (who had stymied the Crew, allowing 2 runs until that point), then threw the ball away trying to get Kendall at third. Kendall used that E1 to score the go ahead run.
It's good to finally get a “W” against the Twins, especially when they looked pretty bad in their own barn the night before. Braden Looper put in the quality start with 6 innings, 3 earned, and an RBI despite a Carlos Gomez liner off the tricep that Prince Fielder dove and caught for an out. Looper stayed in after that piece of Dave Bush deja vu but it was Todd Coffey that got the win.
38-33 -1.0 STL
Kendall's Hustle Key to Breaking SkidI always thought Jason Kendall fell into that category with Nomar Garciaparra and Moises Alou-- players who came on the scene and seemed destined for greatness, then kind of fell to the wayside with mediocre careers that were punctuated by a grizzly injury. However, one thing I always liked about Jason “I Want to Kill Your Mother” Kendall (just look at his psycho Miller Park scoreboard face) is that the dude is a gritty, bare handed, gutsy player; and those tools paid off tonight. In the eighth, after already scoring J.J. Hardy with a double, Kendall moved to third when shortstop Brendan Harris threw wide of home. Starter Nick Blackburn, (who had stymied the Crew, allowing 2 runs until that point), then threw the ball away trying to get Kendall at third. Kendall used that E1 to score the go ahead run.
It's good to finally get a “W” against the Twins, especially when they looked pretty bad in their own barn the night before. Braden Looper put in the quality start with 6 innings, 3 earned, and an RBI despite a Carlos Gomez liner off the tricep that Prince Fielder dove and caught for an out. Looper stayed in after that piece of Dave Bush deja vu but it was Todd Coffey that got the win.
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