Time To Solve The Road Woes

The Milwaukee Brewers had a successful home stand going 5-1, putting their record at home at 13-6. The Crew has been nearly untouched when they tap the keg at Miller Park. But when they leave the friendly confines of Miller Park, they struggle like a Double A Baseball team with a record of 6-15.  I am one not to worry about things too early, but I really think the Brewers need to start showing some promise on the road in the upcoming four games on the West Coast. To me, it would be a sign that this team isn't average and inconsistent at best.

I know the Crew does not play well on the west coast, I really cannot explain it either. I don't know if the players get caught up in nice weather, the strippers, or the Sunset Strip, but they cannot seem to lock down on the West Coast. With their record currently at 18-21, winning the last five of six, the last thing the Brewers could afford to do is lose 3 of 4 and then be back where they started at the beginning of May. The NL West right now is garbage, and the Brewers take advantage of it this week.

They did last week against the San Diego Padres who they play again for two later this week. I mean excuse the Wednesday afternoon implosion, they played pretty solid against the Spanish Fathers. The Brewers send out Shaun Marcum tonight who is the Brewers best pitcher right now, and Randy Wolf goes the following night who has been a mixed bag all year. But Wolf has always seem to pitch well in his home state of Californina.  I also know these two guys need to have solid starts to try to preserve this bullpen. The rate we are going, I think Kameron Loe's arm will fall off the mound in a horrifying scene at some ballpark in the middle of June.

My dad and I talk all the time about how the Brewers are a team of mental giants.  They overthink everything, and I do believe they think they cannot hit the ball outside of Miller Park. Both of these stadiums are tough to get the balls into the bleachers so it will take a string of singles for the Brewers to get victories this week before heading back to Miller Park for another large home stand. If the Brewers could say get three out of four, the Brewers could be looking at a great month of May. 

-Charlie.

First Taste: Houston's Superhero

Wow.  I have to assume that this guy was drunk because you can do some special shit with a nice buzz working like superhuman stuff.  If he did not have anything to drink, my next assumption is this guy is a parkour warrior, and he bet his friends he could escape Minute Maid back.  What an American hero. I got a couple things ready to go, but then I will be on my No Days Off flow for the rest of the day.      

-Charlie. 

Brewers-Pirates Preview

I don't know what to think about the Milwaukee Brewers' season so far. It is like a bad season of Entourage right now where you get a couple good episodes here and there, but it's really just a shit season.  The Brewers have been far too inconsistent for me to consider them worthy of challenging for the NL Central crown.  They have owned the Pirates like I do with life so hopefully that trend continues for the both of us.



Friday
James McDonald (2-2 5.65) v. Yovani Gallardo (3-2 5.11)- Don't let McDonald's numbers fool you, he has pitched very well in his past three starts. He is a guy who a lot of people expected to make some noise for Buccos so the Brewers could have their hands full. Yovani takes the rubber after a near no-hitter on Saturday afternoon. I swear my motivation post inspired him to do great things. Yovani needs another good start in an attempt to get on track.

Saturday
Jeff Karstens (2-1 3.61) v. Chris Narveson (1-3 4.38)- So happy to see that asshole Karstens take the mound on Saturday afternoon.  I think it's fair to say that Karstens has been the chief instigator for a lot of the Brewer-Pirate bad blood. I hope for 4 long balls from Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.  Narvie needs to get on track quickly or I would recommend Marco Estrada take some of his starts. He is having problems again with the big inning, and it's hurting the Brewers.

Sunday
Kevin Correia (5-3 3.25) v. Zack Greinke (1-1 5.40)- Correia had the Dave Bush Disease where he blew up in the sixth inning against the Brewers earlier this season in April.  He has good stuff and has pitched well this season therefore you cannot expect another bad start. Greinke tows the rubber for his second-straight home start. With the Sunday crowd, you always get a good atmosphere, and I assume it will be even better for him.

-Charlie.

Inside Miller Park: Greinke's Home Debut

Thanks to the sheer genius that is Curly, Murph, Seitz and I were able to attend last night's Brewer game for five dollars. As most of you know by now, it was newly acquired and fresh-off-the-DL Zack Greinke's home debut.

The Brewers' brass thought it would be a good idea to hand out white towels for the first 30,000 fans to cross the turnstyles last night. Unfortunately, there were only 27,000 and change in attendance but the atmosphere was pretty much there.


Greinke came out rolling with two Ks in the top of the first. Obviously, we were a little late arriving to Miller Park and kind of lost track of time while slamming beers and eating raw chicken in the parking lot so we missed the top of the first...barely. Zack made up for our stupidity though by striking out two more in the second inning on his way to 9 Ks for the night in six innings of work.

He was getting a little shaky by the sixth with his velocity dropping and things of that nature but he punched out the Padres' Brad Hawpe with men on with two outs in the sixth. At first, I thought they should have left him in but after thinking about it, Roenicke made the right decision getting him out. Of course, it's easy to say that when the bullpen holds up their end of the deal.

Kameron Loe got into a jam in the 8th when he immediate put men on the corners with no one out. Then Yuni Betancourt (a man not known for his leather) made the best play I've ever seen in person.

He tracked down a sharp grounder up the middle, did the ol' backhand flip to Weeks from his glove in which Weeks bare-handed and tossed to Prince at first for the double play. A run did score but he may have saved the game with that play. The crowd gave him a standing ovation for his web-gem.

It was nice to see John Axford come in and work a fairly clean ninth for the second time in three days. He worked around a one out single to earn his sixth save of the year in eight chances.

Greinke picked up his first victory (of many) and looked fairly sharp last night. You have to take it with a grain of salt since it was against the Padres who have been shutout 8 times this year and don't have any three-hundred hitters. It was good to see though.

Motivating The Milwaukee Brewers

(Might be the greatest montage of all time)

The Milwaukee Brewers have lost seven straight games, and find themselves in last place in the National League Central.  They also have the worst record in the National League along with two other teams. While I am not ready to join the done club, I am starting to get worried. It feels like this losing streak will never end, and the Brewers are making all the wrong moves whether it be pitching, defense, offense, etc... I thought about doing this a couple beers deep tonight to really get fired up, but instead, I restored to coffee, heavy metal, and this montage to rally the troops right now.



As Bruce Boudreau said once upon time, "So shit's not going right?  It's not f---ing working the last 10 days, f---ing, get your heads out of your ass, fucking make it work by f---ing outworking the opposition."  Seriously, sums up how the Brewers are playing right now.  A couple things are not working in the Brewers favor in what will be known as The Road Trip From Hell...

1.) The bullpen is having trouble holding leads, thank Uecker the Crew sent Sean Green's corpse to Nashville, and hopefully the others can figure that shit out because if they cannot, Milwaukee will be looking up at the rest of the division for the entire year.

2.) When the Brewers get down in game, they give up. They don't think they can rally and make something happen. When I can tell in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that you have quit on that game, nothing is more effing frustrated than that.  That has to stop immediately. If the Brewers get down in the next couple of games, I would like to see Ron Roenicke get tossed out of game... just flip shit on an umpire.

 3.) If Yovani struggles this afternoon, put his ass on the Disabled List saying he has elbow tightness or as I like to call it, The Jeff Suppan Special. Surely, the Crew can find someone better than Yo right now.  I hope he finds a way to get shit done against the Cardinals this afternoon.

4.) Start playing small ball again. They were in the beginning of the year, and it's disappeared into thin air. Start manufacturing runs, instead of looking for the long ball.

If you want me to provide some optimism, they only play on the road seven more times this month. Currently, their record stands at 5-14 on the road, and 8-5 at home. Hopefully, the fans at Miller Park can rally around this team without the boos and start providing additional motivation.  I am holding out hope that this something we as fans can laugh at by August 1st. But who knows, it has to start today against Kyle Lohse. The Crew have to turn the corner in the upcoming 10 days, or it could be another disappointing Milwaukee summer.

In case, the Brewers continue to look like a Class-A ball club this afternoon.  Here is an awesome Kate Upton video that can make any man feel better.



-Charlie.

Free Write: Twigs Breaks Down the Brewers' Farm System

Twigs gives us a great look at the Brewers' farm system. He answers a lot of the questions we had after we emptied out the cupboard to acquire the very famous Zack Greinke. Enjoy.


By Tyler Olsen


Not so long ago current Brewers stars such as Weeks, Fielder, Gallardo and former star J.J Hardy were all dominating the minors together.  While the Crew’s current crop of minor leaguers doesn’t quite compare to the world beaters before them, there are still some nice prospects floating around.

 Wily Peralta 6'0" 240lbs Throws R 21 years old
       
Wily was signed as a 16 year old free agent out of the Dominican Republic.  Started out in Rookie ball at Helena in 2006 and made his way to double A Huntsville at the ripe age of 21.  His prospect forming season came in 2009 with the Single A Timber Rattlers club where he posted a respectable ERA of 3.47, with an outstanding K9 rate of 10.21 and just 46 walks in 103.2 innings pitched.  In 2010 his K9 rate dropped to 6.36 between A+ and double A in 147 innings.  So far in 2011 through four starts he has posted a 2.31 ERA in 23 innings with 6 walks and a K9 rate back over 10.  Wily has a live arm, throwing 92-95 with some nice, but raw breaking pitches.  The Crew was trying him out for their 5th starter role this spring so it’s obvious that the pro club thinks very highly of him.

Austin Ross 6’2” 200lbs Throws R 22 years old
        
An 8th round draft pick out of LSU in the 2010 draft, Ross has become a nice sleeper starter prospect in the system.  He throws 90-93 with a solid curve, but a below average change-up that needs to be worked on.  Through four starts with the Timber Rattlers so far this season he has been outstanding.  In 25 innings pitched he has posted a 1.08 ERA, K9 of 7.56, only 6 walks and opposing batters are hitting just .140.

Erik Komatsu 5’10” 190lbs Bats L 22 years old
        
Folks, meet your solution to the Carlos Gomez debacle.  Another 8th round pick this time from the 2008 draft out of college baseball powerhouse Cal State Fullerton.  Komatsu gets on base with the best of them; in 2010 with A+ Brevard County he had an OBP of .413, batted .323 with 28 stolen bases.  So far this year with double A Huntsville he has posted .471(!) OBP and slugging .512 for a top prospect OPS of .982.  He plays a pretty good CF and if he develops some power, look out.

D’Vontrey Richardson 6’1” 200lbs Bats R 22 years old
        
Easily the most toolsey player in the Brewers minor league system.  He was drafted by the Nationals in the 2006 draft but did not sign, instead deciding to enroll at Florida State to play baseball and also quarterback for the football team.  The Brewers saw the athleticism oozing out and took him in the 5th round of the 09 draft.  Amazing highlight reel outfielder with a cannon arm.  Extremely raw at the plate, but you just pray he figures it out because his ceiling is high as anyone the Brewers have.

After trading top prospect Brett Lawrie for Shaun Marcum, along with Jake Ordoizzi, Jeremy Jeffress, Lo Cain, Alcides “Web-Gem” Escobar for Zach Grienke the farm system was looking a little bare.  But with some solid prospects still in the wings and two top 15 picks in the June draft, the cupboard looks to get restocked for the future.

Liriano's No-No Provides Hope

Last night, in Chicago, Francisco Liriano pitched the fifth no-hitter in Twins history.

In a season that has been disappointing to say the least, last night was a light from a crack of the tunnel. With all but a handful of the Twins roster batting in the .100’s, injuries and illnesses striking starters (Mauer, Nishioka, Morneau, Young) and AAA rosters being presented on a nightly bases due to these misfortunes, it is no surprise to me why we are currently cellar dwellers.

As the 9th inning approached I found myself on the edge of my seat and my heart pounding. It felt like a game 7 of the World Series. But why? The Twins hold the worst record in baseball and we only have a 1 run lead in the toilet bowl.



It wasn’t a perfect game, that’s for sure. Liriano threw 123 pitches, 66 of which were strikes. These numbers are a bit deceiving considering he is a breaking ball pitcher, but on the contrary he only recorded only 2 strike outs. Francisco walked 6 batters in the game, one of which was a 4 pitch walk to Juan Pierre in the bottom of the 9th. On the bright side it looked as though the Sisco kid is finally grasping the idea that pitching to contact isn’t necessarily a bad trait.

Liriano has struggled medially throughout this young season (ERA 6.61). Unable to locate his slider and pushing his fastball, he continually finds himself getting into deep holes in the count which ultimately leads to walks and crooked number innings. All of these variables have led to the demolition of his confidence and swagger as a pitcher. With the return of Kevin Slowey later this week, it was considered that he would replace Liriano in the rotation. Due to the no-hit performance yesterday I think it’s safe to say that Liriano has saved a spot in the rotation for at least one more week.

Hopefully this win can catapult the Twins in the winning direction.

Jordan T.

No Excitement For Ethier

In my opinion, Joe Dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak is one of the hardest records to break in all professional sports. It's not impossible for someone to do, yet it is really hard to see someone stay that consistent over an extended time period.  So I pose the question, when is okay to start monitor a hitting streak?  When I say that I mean, a baseball fan whether from Arizona, Iowa, or Wisconsin refreshing their gamecast to see if the player  got a hit that night.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier has now hit safely in 29 straight games, and the buzz around him is starting to build. Now, it could be that he plays for a team in Los Angeles and he is a pretty notable player, but still, the national media has their focus on Ethier.  It personally does not excite me if you look at the numbers.



If Ethier hits safely in his next game, he will be the twentieth player in Major League Baseball history to have hit in 30 straight games. In addition, it's only ranks 35th on consecutive hitting streaks according to the Baseball Almanac.  While exciting for the hometown fans, it should not draw attention from the national media. By the way, the media is spinning this story as the Dodgers could use a positive story for the 2011 season with their ownership problems and fan violence. Anytime a player gets a significant hitting streak, everyone think this is the one to beat Joltin' Joe. Ethier has the ability to take down the Yankee Clipper, but let's not ask those questions yet.  Let's start building the buzz about Ethier when he gets to 35 because we know America loves round numbers, so if I were to tell you he has a top 20 hitting streak at game 33, I would get looked at like I am a leper.

Ethier heads out to the city that never sleeps for a three games against the New York Mets, then it's off to Pittsburgh. Both pitching staffs are not stellar, and Ethier might get some good pitches to extend that hitting streak. Definitely keep an eye out for this story in coming weeks, but do not get too riled up about it... yet.

-Charlie.

Liriano Tosses No-No

Minnesota Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano has thrown the first no-hitter of 2011. Liriano walked six batters and threw 123 pitches but a no-hitter is a no-hitter.

The 27 year old southpaw came into the game with an ERA over 9.00 but was able to keep Chicago White Sox hitters off balance throughout the game. This is the first Twins no-hitter since the fellow left-hander Eric Milton did it against the Angels back in 1999.

The losing pitcher was Edwin Jackson, who through a no-hitter of his own last season. Jackson went eight innings and allowed six hits, one of which was a solo HR by Twins' DH Jason Kubel. You could argue that Jackson pitched better than Liriano aside from that one pitch.

The White Sox have become the first team in 2011 to be no-hit. They have all kinds of problems. They can't pitch or hit yet this year.

-Mitch

Brewers-Braves Preview: The Arrival of Greinke & The Return of Plush.

After a lackluster performance this weekend at the Juice Box in Houston, the Milwaukee Brewers have to recover. They scored 1 run in the last two games, which concerns me a tad but Bud Norris/Wandy Rodriquez both seem to confuse the Brewers like a cat chasing a laser pointer.  This is a huge week for the Brewers playing Atlanta and St. Louis, I personally feel they need to be 5-2 and start to develop some consistency.

Monday 

Yovani Gallardo (2-1 5.70 ERA) v. Jair Jurrjens (2-0 1.23 ERA)- I really hope this is a turning point for Yo's season. I worried that he was playing through some pain, but according to him, he is just fine. He pitched great against the Braves earlier this season, obviously hoping for the same results. Jurrjens is off to fast start to the season, but the Crew has hit him well in years past.

Tuesday 
Marco Estrada (1-0 3.00 ERA) v. Tommy Hanson (3-3 2.57 ERA)- Estrada deserved pitcher of the month of the Brewers because he bridged the much needed gap for Zack Greinke.  Hopefully, he can go out on a positive note tomorrow night. Also it will be good to have Nyjer Morgan on the bench again for the Brewers as he scheduled to come off the DL Tuesday. Hanson always faces the Brewers and seems to have good success except against Ryan Braun. The Hebrew Hammer has 4 homers against Hanson, I hope for three more on Tuesday night.

Wednesday 
Zack Greinke (0-0 0.00 ERA) v. Tim Hudson (3-2 3.48 ERA)- This is the marquee game of the series with the debut of Mr. Greinke. I don't know what to expect, while I want an awesome start, I understand he might be shaky.  Hudson is no slouch against the Brewers in years past, and has pitched fairly well to start off the 2011 season.

Thursday 
Shaun Marcum (3-1 2.21 ERA) v. Brandon Beachy (1-1 3.47 ERA)- Marcum got his swagger back in Houston on Friday night shutting down the Stros' for eight innings, and hopefully that will translate against the Braves. He pitched well against them earlier this season.  Beachy has faced the Crew once and beat them up pretty bad.  I assume this will be a pitchers duel.

-Charlie.

Zack Greinke Dominance For Milwaukee Starts Wednesday

All hands on deck! Tom Haudricourt, one of the best in the business broke the story today that Zach Greinke will make his Milwaukee Brewers debut on Wednesday versus the Atlanta Braves.  The Brewers pitching staff has already been throwing smoke, and now we add Greinke?   May will be the Brewers month.  For those wondering, his first Milwaukee start will be the following Monday on the 9th. If I were in Milwaukee, I would be there, noPublish Post questions asked.

-Charlie.

First Taste: Miller Park Hawk v. Tony Plush

Like I said last night, there was outpouring support for the Miller Park Hawk yesterday. There were so many different searches looking for information on the hawk.  I personally am flattered, but now, I am wondering who is the better fake Twitter follow: Miller Park Hawk or Tony Plush, the gentleman alter-ego of Nyjer Morgan.  I mean the Hawk tweets consistently, but Plush brings it everyday at least one time.  In case you don't Tweet, I will give you the best tweets from both of them.  Vote on the poll in the upper right hand corner.  

Best tweet for Miller Park Hawk: Hopefully MPH won't require a #slumpbuster after tomorrows game. What was Ryan Braun's girls number again? #caw

Best Tweet from Tony Plush:  Plush decided a DL stint was like being locked in a Chekhov story, minus the profound mysteries. There was only sadness.

-Charlie.

Reds-Brewers Preview: Time For Some Revenge

The Chicago Cubs are still the number one rival for me, but the Cincinnati Reds are damn close.  They have a ton of unlikable players such as Edinson Volquez, Jonny Gomes, Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Phillips, and Joey Votto, only because he pronounces his last name wrong according to my buddy Mike who shares his last name.

They are also managed by Dusty Baker who I cannot stand because he is always given way too much credit than he really deserves. All that needs to be said is how does it feel Dusty that you managed yourself out of a World Series ring, and destroyed Mark Prior's career. Here are the matchups

Monday

Bronson Arroyo (2-2 4.24) vs. Chris Narveson (1-0 2.19)- The former corn-rowed Arroyo always seems to face the Brewers and that sucks because he does pretty well against them. The Brewers though in past couple days have exorcised some Brewer killers like Brett Myers/Wandy Rodriquez. The Brewers as a team have only hit .254 against Arroyo, but he has lost his last two starts which is worth nothing.  Narveson should be 3-0 if not for two bad innings. I love the things Narvie has done so far this year, he needs to be aware of the hanging off-speed stuff against Cincy's power bats. 

Tuesday 

Mike Leake (3-0 4.94) vs. Marco Estrada (1-0 3.21)- I will lose all hope in Brewer fans if they do not make a couple signs making fun of Leake's shoplifting case. Surprisingly, Leake hasn't faced the Brewers yet so who knows what the Crew will be in for. Leake's season has been weird, he had one bad start but other than that, he hasn't allowed more than four hits.  Estrada might deserve the pitching MVP this month because he plugged a worrysome hole better than most.  Like Narveson, he needs to make sure to keep the ball down or there might be some gopher balls heading out of Miller Park  

Wednesday 

Sam LeCure (0-1 4.15) vs. Yovani Gallardo (2-1 4.88)- The Brewers have seen LeCure in relief efforts, but not in a starting role.  LeCure started the season off strong, but recently gave up four homers in his last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the Brewers never seem to handle new pitching matchups very well. Yovani could use a good start. After his sparkling performance against Atlanta, Yo has been less than stellar. I would like to see a strong start from him, win or lose.  

It's not a must that the Brewers take two of three from the Reds, but man, it would be awesome.  I feel the Crew needs to make some sort of statement to the Nati because right now, the Reds have ownership over the Brewers, gotta change that. 

-Charlie.

The Small Market Savior

There are times when living in a small-market baseball town isn't fun. It is generally assumed that the superstars of the team will be in Yankee pinstripes, or hitting moonshots over the Green Monster when their contract is up with their small market team. Ryan Braun's new contract extension made sure that no such thing will happen with him.

By now, the deal is pretty well known, and here is a link for all the details. I love the idea of having Braunie on the team for the rest of the decade. In my opinion, the best part of the contract is Braun's decision to defer money in order to keep the Crew competitive and be able to sign big free agents. For a player to put his team over himself is the utmost example of class and shows me Braun is determined to bring a World Series winner to the Brew City.



It is a great feeling to know Brewer fans will never have to sweat out a late July deadline with the chance that Braun could be changing teams. Braun made the decision that playing in Wisconsin was good enough for him, and knows that along with Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, he can be the face of Wisconsin professional sports. I said this on Friday, but I will reiterate, having guys like Braun and Rodgers makes me proud to be a Wisconsin sports fan. Two ultimate class acts who want to win, and want to make themselves better.

I love that Braun had a killer series after his contract because the typical Brewer thing would be a horrific three games plus maybe he gets banged up since the Brewers have some voodoo curse on them at times.  Braunie bucked that trend with a couple homers, and some big base hits. I would be shocked if he didn't net National League Player of the Week for his performance against Philadelphia and Houston.  One of the biggest criticisms of Braun in the past couple of years was his slow starts to the season.  To think he is doing without Corey Hart in the lineup makes it absolutely phenomenal.  When Hart gets comfortable in this lineup, I cannot help but be giddy thinking this team should score five runs per night if not more.

The Ryan Braun deal is great for Major League Baseball because it gives all small market teams hope they can keep their home-grown superstars for life.  Right now, Oakland A's fans hope that some of their young pitchers like Gio Gonzalez and Brett Anderson this time around are different than guys like Barry Zito and Tim Hudson.  Kansas City Royals fans hope Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, and other promising prospects will stay in the blue and white for the next ten years.

We as Brewer fans hope the big guy who wears number twenty-eight  reconsiders testing the market and stays put here in Milwaukee keeping the best one-two punch in baseball here in Milwaukee.

-Charlie.

First Taste: Miller Park Hawk Just Killin' It

(Props to CBS Sports for the photo)

A Cooper Hawk (by the way, Adam McCalvy gets jumped on in the comments about him calling it a falcon, if that was you... get a life.) somehow managed to get into Miller Park yesterday, and took down a pigeon in left-center inbetween innings. I think we need to make him our unofficial mascot for the 2011 season, and he also has a Twitter account that has reached over 1,000 followers (still not as good as Tony Plush).  We can hope he or she pecks one of Dusty Baker's eyes out tonight.  

-Charlie.

Classic Display of Chicago Cubs Fans

(Props to The Big Lead)

A couple of thoughts here:  1.) The guy has a horrible arm motion, I bet that doesn't even make it to the infield.  It's still a better arm than John Grabow

2.) The guy who gets the majority of the damage from the beer takes it like a freakin' champion.  He just knows stuff like this happens when people are on the suds team.

 3.) This babe needs to relax.  It's a little beer honey, it's not like your precious Cubs Victoria Secret shirt can't deal with a beer stain, she just needs to settle down a bit. Classic Cubs chick fan, she probably gets excited for a fly ball thinking it's a homer.

-Charlie.

Best Brewer Easter Ever.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter with one of the most memorable Brewer comebacks in history. The Crew start the year off 12-0.  There are some excellent Uecker calls in this one, and I think Coach would probably stop reading the blog if I didn't post this video sometime today.  Sorry for the lack of content, school is getting busy for all us at the Tap.  Enjoy, maybe more from me today.

-Charlie.

Brewers Getting Brooms Ready in Philly

I never thought I'd say those words but today the Milwaukee Brewers have put themselves in a position to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies. You have to go back to 2006 for the Brewers last sweep of the Phillies, when they did it at Miller Park.

Since then, the Phillies have been in back-to-back World Series and beat the Tampa Bay Rays the 2008 Fall Classic. They have also added pitchers like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt to the equation.

Snap back to reality, I was prepared for the Brewers to get pummeled in Philadelphia after playing some real bad baseball in the Nation's capital this past weekend. I might be jinxing it with this post but I feel better about facing Cliff Lee than I do facing Roy Halladay, especially with Randy Wolf on the bump against Halladay.

Much to my pleasure, Wolf rose to the occasion and pitched very well last night. Correct me if I'm wrong Brewer fans, but that is two consecutive quality starts out of 2010's prized pitching acquisition. I'd be lying if I said Wolf got lucky a few times here and there last night but that's what has to happen for Wolf to keep us in the game.

And the offense did the rest.

We put up single runs in the second and third innings and in the sixth as Wolf continued to keep Phillies' hitters off balance. Then in the seventh frame, the Brewers busted the game open. The highlight of the inning was a first pitch, 3-run HR by Buster McGehee to welcome Philly reliever David Herndon to the game. Two of those runs were put on Halladay's tab giving him 6 ER over 6.2 innings.

Ryan Braun continues to swing a hot bat as well. He homered of Halladay in the third last night and was on base four times against the perennial Cy Young candidate. Before the Brewers' home opener they had various members of the local media on as part of an hour and a half pre-game show and I believe it was Journal Sentinel writer Michael Hunt who predicted that Braun would win the MVP in 2011. While it's way to soon for me to jump to that conclusion, he could find himself in the discussion if things continue to go well for him and the Brewers.

I'm fairly confident in the Brewers' ability to get the W today. In one career start against the Brewers (I know, it's a small sample size), Cliff Lee allowed seven runs in six innings back in 2009. Let's hope history repeats itself.

Murph: Cleveland Rocks

"This is my kinda team Charlie, my kinda team."

By Nolan Murphy


In a season in which the Cleveland Cavaliers had to try to move on without their savior Lebron James, they failed terrible. The Cavaliers embarrassing and dismal season ended with posting the 2nd worst record in the NBA at 19-63. While the Miami Heat and Lebron were not crowned NBA Champion’s after their first game this season, they did finish 2nd in the Eastern Conference and look to be a major playoff contender.

With the city of Cleveland rocked back to the Stone Age by “The Decision” and James’s departure to South Beach, there was only hope for the Buckeyes and Browns in the Fall.  With a beat of drum and the rebirth of Chief Wahoo suddenly Cleveland is rocking. The surprising start by the Cleveland Indians has injected excitement seemed to be missing amongst Cleveland natives. The Indians who were thought to be in a rebuilding year, at the night’s end on April 18 were in a tie with the Colorado Rockies for the best record in the MLB.

 The Indians offense has been powered by young guns such has catcher Carlos Santana and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. With rebirth of designated hitter Travis “Pronk” Hafner, and the hope that star center-fielder Grady Sizemore can stay healthy, the Tribe could be feared offense again in AL Central. In a long shot possibly former Milwaukee Brewers prospect Matt Laporta may even pan out.

Their bullpen seems to be a little shaky, and with only two proven starters in  the rotation in Justin Masterson and Fausto Carmona their record should level out over the season. 1964, is a year that will never be forgotten in Cleveland.  That year was the last time the city won a professional title won by the Browns, and 1948 was the last title for the Indians. Now I don’t think the Indians will win the World Series or even make the playoffs, but for a city that last summer was stripped of everything they loved in James, the excitement coming from Progressive Field is something to wake up for. 

Wolf Needs To Avoid A Howler

Randy Wolf has been a polarizing character during his time in Milwaukee.  There really doesn't seem to be an in-between with him, either it is a great performance, or it is absolutely nothing.  The last start against Pittsburgh was terrific, and the general concern with people is Wolf cannot string together two good starts. Tonight, the Milwaukee Brewers need something out of Wolf going up against arguably the best pitching in the game, Roy Halladay. There is some signs for the Wolf Man to be successful. He is an ex-Phillie therefore being comfortable in the City of Brotherly Love plus the Phils have seen their struggles from left-handed pitchers.


I am not saying Wolf needs to win this game, I am just asking for a quality outing developing some consistency. For example, seven innings, six hits, two runs would be adequate, and it's ridiculous of me to expect him to outduel Halladay especially on the road.  But Wolf gets paid a feasible amount of money to get the job done in situations such as tonight where the Brewers' backs are against the wall in terms of pitching. It would mean the world for the Crew if they only had to use three or less pitchers tonight with the bullpen doing more work than Christoper 'Big Black' Boykins over the last two days.  

I would like to see Wolf earn more respect amongst the fans and maybe that happens if he goes toe-to-toe with Halladay.  Wolf had a great second half of 2010, which was forgotten by most because they jumped off the bandwagon by the All-Star Game thus they only remember his horrific start.  I see the tweets out there comparing him with Jeff Suppan, which is a bit much if you ask me, but it's time for Wolf to earn his keep throughout the whole year, instead of a couple months during the season.

-Charlie.