Aug. 4- LA 17 MIL 4
53-54, -5 CHI
Ugly Game and Prince's Temper
This game got ugly in the span of the 10 news while I was directing. Yovanni Gallardo struggled mightily, giving up 4 in the first inning. However, the Crew was able to whittle it down to a 1 run defecit in the 5th, when Gallardo started to unravel. He gave up a home run to Manny Ramirez, didn't make it out of the 6th and then Mitch Stetter and Mike DeFelice couldn't save the Brewer's from a 7 run outburst that included a Manny 2 run double and a embarrasing fly ball that dropped between Braun and Cameron.

When the game really got interesting is after the game. Upset with being hit by Mota to retaliate for Chris Smith hitting Ramirez, Fielder actually tried to get into the Dodger's clubhouse after the game. Guillermo Mota is known for tattooing hitters, but I think it's easy to see that perhaps a 13 run blow out had something to do with Fielder losing it as well.

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?

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.

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.

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.

June 21- DET 3 MIL 2
37-32 -1.5 STL
Verlander Still Has Crew's Number
It wasn't a no-hitter this time, but Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander finished off the Tigers 3 game sweep at Comerica with 7.2 innings in which he allowed 2 earned on 5 hits with 8 strikeouts. More importantly, Verlander was able to keep Fielder and Braun at an ofer, only letting Casey McGehee and Craig Counsell beating him for solo shots.

Other than spoiling a road trip that started 3-0, the loss spoiled a solid outing by Yovanni. In 7 innings, he gave up 3 and struckout 8. More importantly, I guess, he gave some rest to the bullpen, which only used Villy in the game. Hopefully, the day off on Monday gives ALL the arms a chance to get ready for the Twins.

Speaking of rest. It was announced on Monday that Dave Bush will skip his next start after he complained of fatigue after his last start. With the prospect of Parra staying in Nashville beyond the weekend, the Crew will have to figure something out, probably today, for a 5th starter.

June 20- DET 9 MIL 5
37-31 -0.5 STL
Shaving the Beard Doesn't Help Bush
Dave Bush improved SLIGHTLY over his last start. This time, he allowed only 5 runs before being lifted in the 4th as the Crew finally relinquished first place in the division. Alfredo Figaro made his major league debut and allowed 8 hits in 5 innings, but also struck out 7 and kept the Crew 1-8 with RISP. The 2 runs against a first timer and 2-14 with runners in scoring position in the game overall was embarrassing enough. Braun was 4-5 with his 15th home run, and Mat Gamel, now settling into his role as the everyday third basemen, was 2-3 with a couple of walks.

June 19- DET 10 MIL 4
37-30 +0.5 STL
Rain Shortens a Disappointing Night in Detroit
A Prince Fielder 3 run tater staked Braden Looper to an early lead, but he wasted no time in frittering it away. Giving up 7 runs before a rain delay halted play in the 4th. The game resumed with Chris Narveson taking the bump and allowing 3 more in 2.2 innings before another rain delay ended the game for good.

Casey McGehee continued to be the hottest hitter on the squad in spite of his banged up knee and ankle. Batting 2nd and DHing, the Cubs castoff was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored and is now hitting .351.

June 17- MIL 9 CLE 8
37-29, 1 game up on STL
Hoffman Let's Cleveland Climb Back Into It
In all fairness, 2 of the 4 Indian runs that scored in the 9th were charged to McClung. Pitching in the unfamiliar situation where he inherited runners, Hoffman gave up Victor Martinez' RBI single, a walk to Shin-Soo Choo (who seemed to be starting a rally every time he came up in this series) and then a 3 run double to Ryan Garko that tied the score at 8.

Hardy continued to recover from his slump as he went 2-3 with 2 runs, 2 RBI and a home run, but his biggest swing of the night was the sac fly in the 11th that won it. Hart also had a good night at the plate with a tater and going 3-5 and in other slumping news, Bill Hall homered for his only hit of the night to get the Brewers back on top in the seventh.

Missing out on the win was Jeff Suppan who worked 6 innings and allowed 3. Would like to see him go deeper to save the pen a bit, but at least there is a day off in Detroit on Thursday. Mike DiFelice got the W with 1.1 innings of relief and Mitch Stetter got the save (his first ever) by striking out Choo and Ben Francisco with men on to end it. It was Stetter's 11th consecutive out by strike out and broke the record of 10 by Ben Sheets.

June 16- MIL 7 CLE 5
36-29, 1 game up on STL
Sumpers Pitch in on Win
J.J. Hardy had to RBI and Cameron and Hall pitched in a RBI a piece in support of Yovanni Gallardo who once again struggled with a high pitch count. While I don't want to discount saving one of the most promising arms in the Brewer's organization, there was a great article on SI.com between Bill James and another columnist who argued that the 100 pitch count is such an uninformed number. That decisions on a multi-million dollar arm is being based entirely on a round number that sounds official. Perhaps I'm just bitter because of the way the bullpen is getting worked and even though Gallardo didn't have the ball after 5 innings, he was still able to keep the Tribe to 2 runs, and who knows what his arm could handle. Couldn't a pitch count be specific to a pitcher?

June 11- COL 5 MIL 4
Rec. 33-27
Rockies Running Hot and Draftee Close to Signing
They have now won 8 in a row and the Crew has lost 4 in a row for the first time since early April. I was given a glimmer of hope while listening to the game when Ryan Braun's 3 run HR got them within a run of closer Huston Street, yet the game ended shortly after that and the Rockies had there first sweep in Milwaukee EVER. Gallardo didn't pitch poorly, 2 earned and 3 hits in 5, but he fell victim, (like Bush yesterday), to a high pitch count, needing 50 pitches through 2 innings and gave up 4 walks.

The Brewers sound like they are close to signing their top draft pick however. Eric Arnett, a RHP from Indiana announced he was hoping to have a contract finished by Friday. Arnett was picked 26th overall and was 12-2 with a 2.50 ERA and a school record 109 Ks. With the recent failures of Parra and a lack of any studs in AAA, or even AA, I certainly hope Arnett and the other pitchers taken by the Crew pan out better than Mark Rogers, J.M. Gold or even Jeff D'Amico. Michael Hunt had a great column on the irony that on a day in which the Crew drafted a Big 10 pitcher, the Brewer's were holding UW Day at Miller, honoring the only Big 10 school without a baseball program.

June 10- COL 4 MIL 2
Rec. 33-26
Offense Struggles Against De La Rosa
Former Brewer Jorge de la Rosa was able to hold the Brewer offense to no hits and 2 walks after allowing a 2 run 3rd and won his second straight start after going 0-6. The guy spends 3 years in Milwaukee as part of the great Diamondback ripoff trade and was probably the most underachieving of any of those acquisitions, yet against a lineup where it seems EVERYONE is slumping, he looked great. Dave Bush, in his first start since getting nailed in the arm, fell victim to 3 straight doubles in the 5th and worked his pitch count over 100 before getting out of the jam and surrenduring his 2-1 lead. Troy Tulowitzki and Brandon Hawpe led the Rockies with a solo dinger each and Huston Street struck out the side in the 9th for his 11th save.

It was not a way to treat the 1 millionth fan at Miller this season, probably the earliest the the crew has ever passed that attendance mark.

June 5- MIL 4 ATL 0
Gamel and Gallardo
8 innings of shutout ball was desperately needed and that's what Yo did for the Crew. After giving up a hit in the 3rd, the Braves couldn't manage another hit until the 7th, and considering his mound opponent, it was a good think. Jair Jurrjens, who entered the game with a 2.59 ERA took the loss as Mat Gamel, getting a shot to be the everyday third basemen was 2-4 with 3 RBI. Wanting to save Gallardo's arm, Macha brought Villy in for the ninth, who pitched a perfect 9th. A bullpen with Villy and June NL Pitcher of the month Hoffman are a huge reason why this team in still in first place.

May 31- MIL 5 CIN 2
Rec. 30-20 1 Game Up On STL
Reds Get Swept by Gallardo and Cameron
I had dropped the jar of pickles before Gallardo left the mound to change shirts but I'll atribute the mess on Lexi's kitchen floor to a premonition of horror that would soon be on me when Uecker said, "and judging from the way he's walking, he's not coming back." No real explanation as to WHY Gallardo had to change his shirt, though you could sense all of the air being sucked out of Miller Park and my pickle scented kitchen until Yo returned to the mound. Yo cruised early on, retiring 8 of his first 9 outs on Ks, but in the 6th, nearing 100 pitches and facing 1st and 3 with 1 out, Mitch Stetter came on to get Chris Dickerson and Jerry Hairston, Jr. and end a Red threat. Yo finished with 9 Ks in 5⅓ and allowed 2 runs: 1 earned on Brandon Phillips 9th homer, his 2nd of the series and 1 unearned on a Mike Cameron error.

Cameron made up for the error with a 2 run home run in the 3rd, his 11th, and was 2-4 with a run scored and 3 RBI. Cam is now batting .284 and really giving the lineup a nice look with him in the 5 spot. Hart, who managed another hit today, has kind of relinquished his role in the lineup to Matt Gamel, who hit 6th again today and went 2-3 with an RBI. It looks like Gamel will stick around, although he's Macha's first choice it seems for double switching when he wants Hall's leather at 3b.

Hoffman earned his 13th save, although he looked somewhat mortal today, with his 1st walk and wild pitch as a Brewer. I left to go to work around the 7th, confident the bullpen would take care of business and Stetter, DiFelice and Hoffman did. Now that SF takes care of St. Louis, the Brewer's are a game up in the division thanks to a go-ahead HR by RICH AURILIA and the Cardinals drop 2 of 3 in the Bay Area.

April 29- Gallardo 1 Pittsburgh 0 Record: 11-10 3½ GB St. Louis

Yovani Beats Pittsburgh on His Own

I guess the other 8 professional hitters in Milwaukees lineup were just there to give Yovani a break in the dugout as he did EVERYTHING to get his 3rd win of the season. Seriously, this game was ALL Gallardo, or as Karl Ravich called him, "Yovani Go-Yard-O". 8 innings (the first 4⅓ of which were perfect), 2 hits, 11 Ks, 1 BB and the lone run of the game, a home run off an 0-2 changeup from Ian Snell that made him only the third pitcher in the modern era to have 10+ Ks and the sole home run in a 1-0 game. Over his last 23 innings, Gallardo has given up 2 runs on 12 hits and struck out 25 and the Brewer's needed him to deal today, because Snell had a hell of a day as well. Snell was able to work around 4 walks over 7 to keep the Crew's lineup at bay. According to JSO, Braun even predicted Gallardo was going to take care of things himself with a home run. I hope they don't rely on that too much; the rest of the lineup only got 4 hits off Snell who struck out Braun 3 times.

With Gallardo at 116 pitches, Carlos Villanueva came out for the 9th and set the 2-3-4 of the Pirates order down, finishing with a strikeout of lefty Adam LaRoche on a 3-2 slider to get the his second save of the season.

The Crew also called up Carlos Corporan from Nashville to replace Rivera who is on the DL with an ankle sprain suffered in a collision at home on Tuesday. It also appears that Lorenzo Cain's injury isn't as serious as first thought and he will be back this season.