Mike Cameron--Set a career high with 5 hits, including the go-ahead home run in the bottom of the 8th inning. Has absolutely been on fire the past three weeks. As an incredibly streaky hitter over the course of his career he has gone on 4-5 week hot streaks, so hopefully he can continue this as long as possible and get back on another hot streak before the year ends. Also stole a base for good measure.
Bill Hall--One day after questioning if he should even be in the lineup anymore, I have to give Hall his props. He collected three hits today but hitters behind him couldn't pick him up and drive him in.
J.J. Hardy--On J.J. Hardy Bobblehead Day, he came through in the clutch once again with the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 12th. He also had two hits earlier in the day. After a couple lengthy cold spells in July and early August, J.J. seems to be on a pretty good hot streak.
CC Sabathia--Pitched well enough to win, although he wasn't perfect. Gave up 8 hits in 6 innings and had to pitch out of trouble a few times. But he proved his worth in doing so. I feel he should have been left in to hit in the bottom of the 6th and then (hopefully) pitched the 7th and 8th. Even if he would have gotten an out there, the game was tied and the Brewers had three more innings to score. And CC on the mound would have given us the best chance to keep the Pirates from scoring.
Rickie Weeks--Was only 1 for 5 at the plate, but had his walk in the 12th and subsequent stolen base set up the game winning run. I feel Rickie needs to utilize his speed better and should be in the 25-30 stolen base range instead of only 17 on the year.
Guillermo Mota--Really came into a tough spot with the bases loaded and no outs, but somehow Houdinied his way out of it without allowing a run. He's been surprisingly effective in his last 10 games or so.
Less Filling:
Ryan Braun--Somewhat unfamiliar territory for Braunie, but he was about as bad as could be offensively. He went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts and 2 grounded into double plays before being lifted in a double switch in extra innings. Everyone has days like that and hopefully he bounces back with a vengeance against the Cardinals.
Prince Fielder--Struggled right along with Ryan. Went 0 for 4 with a couple K's and a grounded into double play. Left multiple runners on base as well.
Brewers offense--Collected 15 hits and 4 walks, yet only managed 4 runs. Outs on the bases, 4 double plays, and way too many men left on base allowed this to happen. Not collecting clutch hits have been a bit of a problem in recent weeks.
Riske/Torres/Villanueva--None of them did their job out of the pen as the Brewers blew two different late inning leads and tried to give it up in the top of the 12th. Its amazing how much Riske throws the ball down the middle of the plate on average fastballs and expects it to work. So far this season it hasn't too well to the tune of a 4.08 ERA. Not the results the Brewers expected when they gave him that 3 year deal in the off-season, and probably why they placed him on waivers this week (although he wasn't claimed).
]]>Jeff Suppan--Soup always seems to flirt with danger whether its allowing early runs or allowing leadoff baserunners. But like he has the last month or so Suppan made it work. He allowed 3 runs in 7 innings and looks to be continuing his career-long improvement the last two months of the year.
Ryan Braun--Came up big hitting a solo home run after getting buzzed up and in and then later doubling in two runs as well.
Hitters 1-4--In addition to the aforementioned Braun, the rest of the top hitters in the order produced big as well. This foursome produced 6 hits, 6 runs, and 5 RBI.
Less Filling:
Bill Hall--Gotta start asking yourself why he's still in the lineup. His average has dropped to .219 despite playing significantly against lefties, who he has killed throughout his career. Not only did Billy go 0 for 4 (again), he struck out two times as well. Oh how I wish we would have traded him in the off-season.
]]>Brewers offense--Woke up from an early slumber in a big way. Weeks, Hardy, Braun, Hart, and Cameron all had key contributions. One of the great things to see was the opposite field hits. Weeks' triple, J.J.'s home run, and Cameron's home run all came to the opposite field. Those three guys are pretty locked in right now.
Ryan Braun--Manufactured a run mostly by himself in the 7th. Doubled down the line, then stole third on the next pitch. The Pirates brought the infield in and Fielder hit a smash right at Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez. Braun started back towards third, then when Sanchez loligagged with the ball and took his time getting it to first, Braun took off for home and made it safely without a throw. Impressive baserunning.
Dave Bush--Once again gave up early runs, including a two out RBI by the pitcher, and had me wondering if he was reverting back to his old ways. But he came up big and pounded the strike zone while hitting his spots to make it through 7 innings.
Less Filling:
A 10-4 win....everyone gets a pass. Go Brewers!
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I got to go to my first Brewer game of the year finally. Went with my dad and two younger brothers. We grilled out before and played catch in the parking lot. Had pretty good seats down the third base line. A fun day was had by all.
J.J. Hardy--Pretty much the lone bright spot on the day for the Brewers. Had 2 of the Brewers 4 hits, including the 7th inning home run that gave them some breathing room.
Rickie Weeks--Did exactly what you ask of a leadoff hitter: got on base. And scored 3 of the runs, including manufacturing one with a stolen base and then taking a base on a sac fly.
Bullpen--Again came up big today. 4 innings and only 1 hit allowed. Gagne got in some trouble, but you really can't blame him for a bunt single, a phantom HBP call, and an error. He came up big and pitched out of it.
Less Filling:
Bill Hall--Mr. Golden Sombrero himself. For those that don't know (like my wife, Hi Honey), a Golden Sombrero is when one player strikes out 4 times in one game. Which is exactly what Hall did. Billy has now struck out in 6 straight at-bats over the past 3 games and seen his batting average fall to .223. He's hit .143 with a .464 OPS in the month of August. Just terrible.
Manny Parra--Manny got the win and allowed only 2 runs, but that didn't tell the whole story about how he pitched. 94 pitches in those 5 innings and 10 baserunners (6 hits, 4 walks). Not good. He has to be able to pitch through at least 6 in these kinds of games to save the bullpen. Manny may be running into the wall a bit as he's pitched a lot more innings this year than he has in the past. Unfortunately it looks like the Brewers won't really be able to limit his starts being in the middle of a playoff push. People talk about skipping Bush or Suppan's start, but I think it is Manny we need to look at. His innings need to be limited so that when he does pitch he can be sharp and maintain his health going into next year.
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Jason Kendall--Seems to be picking it up lately. Got three hits today, and has seen his average climb back up to .250 after today's game. It'd be huge if he could get that up around .265-.270 by season's end. Its hard to have a hole in your lineup these days, especially since he doesn't hit for any power.
J.J. Hardy--Doubled in the Brewers first run and also reached on a walk. Looks like J.J. might be getting hot again after a couple cold spells. Hopefully Yost doesn't take him out in the middle of a hot streak this time.
Mike Cameron--A couple hits including a run scoring double. Gotta ride this hot streak while it lasts. Just hope he has one more left in him before the season ends.
Bullpen--Threw three innings of scoreless ball to keep the Brewers in the game. Unfortunately bats couldn't do anything to get back in it.
Less Filling:
Ben Sheets--Only made a couple bad pitches, but those ended up costing him. A two-out triple to Michael Bourn on a hanging curveball and a two out home run by Geoff Blum on a meat fastball did him in. If Ben's given up runs lately it seems like only a couple pitches have done him in. I'm not sure if he's trying to be perfect, or not focusing in key spots, or just putting too much pressure on himself after CC's gems but he needs to get it straightened out.
Gabe Kapler--To be fair to Gabe, he shouldn't be hitting third. But as it is he struck out twice with the bases loaded and stranded 6 key runners out there.
Brewers offense--The Brewers had hits in only 4 innings of the game, but got all 10 of their hits for the game in those 4 innings. They also had a walk and an error by Houston in those innings, yet were only able to come out of it with 2 runs after making two outs on the bases and leaving 9 men on base in those 4 innings!!
Dale Sveum--I don't know if I've ever seen a guy get thrown out by 50 feet like Cameron did on the hit to right. And there was only 1 out with the meat of your order coming up. No idea what Sveum was thinking there. Absolutely terrible decision-making.
]]>CC Sabathia--Had to work a little harder to get outs, but came through with another sparkling performance. Plus he added a couple big runs with his bat. Not something that you plan on with any pitcher, but when they can make positive contributions at the plate it is only a good thing.
Corey Hart--Narrowly missed a two home run day but "settled" for three hits including a double and home run, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. His average is slowly creeping back up toward .300. If Corey can pick up some of the slack if Braun misses more time that would be huge.
Ray Durham--3 hits including a couple doubles and also drove in 3 runs. Its good to know that if Weeks can't go, we don't have to rely on Counsell every day at second.
Jason Kendall--2 for 3 with a walk and 3 runs scored. His hits weren't exactly screamers, but they got the job done.
Less Filling:
Ned Yost--Apparently he's trying to maintain a permanent place in the Less Filling section. I hate to bring it up since we're winning, but is Ned Yost's brain freezing up like it did down the stretch last year? First he brings Shouse in to start the 9th inning on Saturday instead of your closer Torres. Then he inexplicably pitches to Manny Ramirez in the 7th inning yesterday. And now he throws CC out there to run his pitch count up to 130 in the 9th inning of a 7 run game. I mean what benefit comes from putting CC out there again? It saves the bullpen? Haven't we heard over and over how rested they are lately? So you'd rather have CC run the risk of getting burnt out than Mota pitching on a ton of rest? He allowed CC to load the bases twice in the 9th inning of a blowout win, yet didn't take him out. Its these kinds of in-game decisions that he started screwing up last year when the pressure got on in August and September, and it looks like its starting again.
]]>Ryan Braun--Came back from injury in a big way. Still doesn't necessarily look comfortable up there, but he's putting the bat on the ball. His two run shot to tie it in the 9th was one of the more dramatic moments of the year so far. Too bad the Brewers couldn't capitalize on it and get the win.
Mike Cameron--On August 6 the Who's in Right Field? Blog predicted big things for Mike Cameron in the coming days after he put some good at-bats and solid hits the opposite way together. MLB.com even put my quote on their front page. Since that time Cameron has hit .314 with 4 home runs and 6 RBI in 11 games. That included a 2 for 4 day yesterday with a home run. Its almost like I know what I'm talking about or something.
Less Filling:
Jeff Suppan--It wasn't a terrible start, but anytime you give up 3 home runs its not good. Hopefully that's as bad as it gets for Sup down the stretch.
Ned Yost--Once again Ned failed to make sound in-game decisions. This time it was a key spot in the 7th inning with a runner on third and one out. The hottest hitter in baseball Manny Ramirez was coming to the plate. The correct decision was to walk him and pitch to James Loney. Then you have a shot at a double play and getting out of the inning without allowing a run. The only thing I can think of why Ned didn't do it was because Manny is a righty against righty, while Loney would be a lefty against righty. But Manny Ramirez is killing all pitchers. Instead Yost has McClung inexplicably pitch to Manny and it results in Manny ripping the ball to left to score a run. Just terrible decision-making by Ned that even Bill Schroeder was questioning.
Carlos Villanueva--Came in in the bottom of the 9th inning after the Brewers had miraculously tied it up. Gave up two hits including the game winning home run without recording an out. Not a good thing.
]]>J.J. Hardy--Nearly became a goat after an error in the 9th inning allowed an unearned run to score to tie it up. But he was the Brewers offense tonight. His two run home run in the 8th put the Brewers ahead 3-2, and his single in the 10th put them ahead once again. J.J. had struggled lately, so hopefully he's turning it around and ready to go on another hot streak.
Dave Bush--Had us worried after giving up a two run home run in the first, but settled down and ended up going 7 strong innings. Was in line for the win until the blown save in the 9th. Bush has now lowered his ERA to 4.26. A far cry from the 5+ he was at in the first half of the year.
Web Gems--There were 6-7 good to excellent defensive plays made by the Brewers in this game. They included diving catches, leaping catches, double plays turned, runners thrown out, and good stops by the infielders. The only blemish almost cost them the game though when Hardy blew the grounder in the 9th. Kapler's leaping catch into the bleachers in left field was the #1 Web Gem on Baseball Tonight.
Less Filling:
Ned Yost--For the first time since Torres took over the closer role, Yost went with lefty Brian Shouse against a lefty to lead off the 9th inning. Shouse walked Eithier, so then Torres came in with a runner on base instead of starting the inning clean. Most closers do not perform as well in that situation. If Torres is your guy, you run him out there regardless of who is coming up. Torres made some decent pitches but had some grounders find holes in the defense and holes in J.J.'s glove. He did also walk one batter. The players (Shouse, Torres, J.J.) had chances to make plays, but Ned did not put them in the best position to succeed there.
Brian Anderson/Jeff Cirillo--I don't get why the announcers kept saying this was an instant classic and the best game of the year. How does a blown save caused by poor managing, walks, and an error equate to a well-played game? I realize there were some great catches and a couple dramatic hits by Hardy, but we blew chance after chance and tried to blow 'em some more. That game was 5-6 great plays (catches in outfield and two hits by Hardy) and a bunch of bad baseball (error, key walks, leaving men on base, outs on the bases, grounding into DP's, bad managing decisions). Not what I would call a great game. Suspenseful yes, but not a well-played game.
]]>Escobar "Most Exciting" in Southern League
By Tom Haudricourt
Saturday, Aug 16 2008, 01:27 PM
Each year, Baseball America magazine puts out its "Best Tools" issue, in which it ranks players in certain categories in each professional full-season league. In that issue, just out, BA ranks Huntsville shortstop Alcides Escobar as the "Most Exciting Player" in the Class AA Southern League. That's quite an honor and shows just how much the 21-year-old Escobar has progressed over the last season. Escobar currently is batting .345 with 22 doubles, 8 homers, 70 RBI and 31 errors for the Stars. Escobar also was ranked as the "Best Defensive Shortstop" and "Best Infield Arm" in the Southern League. The rankings are done with votes from managers and coaches across the league.
Huntsville third baseman Mat Gamel was named the "Best Batting Prospect" in the league. Outfielder Matt LaPorta, sent to Cleveland in the CC Sabathia trade, was rated as having "Best Power" in the league. Centerfielder Michael Brantley, who may or may not also be included in the Sabathia trade as the player to be named, was ranked as having "Best Strike Zone Judgment" and "Best Baserunner" in the league.
No player with Class AAA Nashville was named in the "Best Tools" poll in the Pacific Coast League. No player at low Class A West Virginia was named in the South Atlantic League poll, either.In the high Class A Florida State League poll, Brevard County right-hander Jeremy Jeffress was voted as having "Best Fastball." Outfielder Lorenzo Cain was voted as having "Best Outfield Arm." Jeffress and Cain since have been promoted to Huntsville. Outfielder Darren Ford, sent to San Francisco in the Ray Durham trade, was voted as "Fastest Baserunner" in that league.
At the major league level, Baseball America ranks a top three in each category. Brewers right-hander Ben Sheets was ranked first as having "Best Curveball" in the National League and second behind San Francisco's Tim Lincecum for "Best Fastball." Centerfielder Mike Cameron was ranked second behind the Mets' Carlos Beltran as "Best Defensive Outfielder." Those were the only Brewers ranked in the poll in the NL. Those rankings were done in a poll of managers across the league.
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Gabe Kapler--Delivered a couple hits including a two run home run in the first inning to stake the Brewers to an early lead. Kapler has been very consistent this year despite fairly sporadic playing time.
Less Filling:
Manny Parra--Allowed 10 hits in only 5 2/3 innings and was catching way too much of the plate with his pitches. His stuff didn't seem too bad, but if you can't put it at the knees on the corners its going to get hit at the major league level. Also failed to execute a sac bunt and ended up grounding into a double play in that at-bat. Gotta be able to get those bunts down as a National League pitcher.
Who's in Right Field? Blog--It had been a long week and I fell asleep last night in the fourth inning so wasn't able to watch the whole game.
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Washburn is a more surprsing case though. He has a high contract for this year and next ($10 million for 09) and hasn't performed up to that contract. The Mariners should be looking to dump him and his salary at all costs. They had high interest from the Yankees before the deadline, but New York was only willing to give up low level prospects while taking on that big salary. The Mariners held out for elite prospects though. It makes no sense on their part. Its being reported the Twins are the ones that claimed Washburn and were willing to take on all his salary and give the Mariners Boof Bonser. Now Boof isn't anything great, but it would have gotten that huge salary off the Mariners books. Instead they asked for Kevin Slowey or Glenn Perkins in return; way too high for a simple salary dump. Gotta wonder what they're thinking.
Mike Cameron--Accounted for the only two runs on a RBI single in the 7th and a solo home run in the 9th. You absolutely have to ride him while he's hot. The Brewers are a little more limited in their options with Braun out, so it will make the decision easier for Ned to leave him in.........hopefully.
Craig Counsell--He's taken some abuse lately, including some from me. Coming into today he was hitting .182 for the month and only 1 of his last 21, yet somehow had managed to start 9 games. He stepped up today though. Was on base 3 times. Unfortunately Nix behind him was unable to do anything.
Less Filling:
Ned Yost--This idea of running a lineup out there based on positions instead of individual players is absolutely ridiculous. I've never heard of another manager doing this. So this causes guys like Craig Counsell and Lance Nix to be in key positions at the top of the order, and have more opportunities to bat than better hitters like Fielder, Hart, and Cameron (lately). Just asinine in my opinion.
Another thing I've harped on several times with Yost is his poor in-game managerial decisions, including his failure to utilize pinch hitters in appropriate positions. Several times lately he's left Jason Kendall in to hit in late game key situations, despite having much better hitting options on the bench. Kendall has done nothing to deserve the chance to hit in those situations. He's hitting under .250 on the year with a sub-.650 OPS. You've got to put your team in the best position to win games as a manager, and by leaving Kendall in there Yost is not doing that. There's a good chance it would have made no difference on the outcome, but it certainly would have increased the chance of his team. You can't afford to give away at-bats and games at any point down the stretch here. Yet Yost manages like its ok to not put your team in the best position to win by not pinch-hitting, using ridiculous lineups, and not managing with a sense of urgency. The Brewers may very well win the Wild Card and make the playoffs, but it won't be because of Yost. It will be because of their raw natural talent and more in spite of him than anything.
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