Results tagged ‘ Kendall ’
Brewers (5) vs. Mets (6) 0/2 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
Rickie Weeks–Really starting to swing the bat pretty well lately. 4 for 6 with a lead-off home run to stake the Brewers to an early lead.
Manny Parra-The Batter–An impressive 2 for 2 with 2 RBI and a run scored.
Less Filling:
Manny Parra-The Pitcher–Another short outing for Parra, only going 5 innings. In those 5 innings he managed to give up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 5 runs (4 earned). Manny hasn’t been able to string together multiple good outings in a row in quite a while.
Rickie Weeks–Made an absolutely atrocious mental and heart mistake in the bottom of the 8th. After hitting a ball down the line that would normally be an easy double, he didn’t hustle all out and Endy Chavez made a great play and throw to get him out at second. Also contributed to…
Brewers defense–Failed to make a couple key plays including J.J. Hardy throwing one in the dirt that Prince couldn’t scoop (surprise) that led to an unearned run. Then in the top of the 10th Jason Kendall fielded a bunt and threw the ball into the baseline a bit and Rickie short-armed it causing it to go off the end of his glove, which allowed a runner to advance to third who then scored on a sac fly.
Brewers offense–Hmm…pitching, defense, offense….this is quite a display of ineptitude by the Brewers. They had 19 baserunners but only managed 5 runs as they left a combined 22 runners on base, made outs on the bases, and grounded into a double play.
Prince Fielder–Speaking of that double play ball from Prince Fielder in the bottom of the 10th…Prince hit a chopper to second with a runner on first. Keep in mind its the last chance for the Brewers in a game in the middle of a pennant race. So what does Fielder do…he puts his head down and walks out of the box. Shows absolutely no hustle at all. While he had basically no chance to beat it out unless there were about three bobbles on the play, it still sets the tone for the team and shows the immaturity of Prince as a “leader”.
Umps–The Brewers have seen some pretty bad umping lately, and I’m not just talking about bad calls. I’m talking about poor handling of arguments, laziness, and being out of position. On Rickie’s ball that he was thrown out on in the 8th he slid into second and actually made contact with the second base umpire. This may have caused Rickie to slow a bit coming into the bag and knocked the umpire down right as the play was being made. Despite being on the ground, being blocked out, and being out of position he still found a way to call Rickie out on a play that looked like he was safe.
Brewers (3) @ Cardinals (5) 8/27 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
Manny Parra–After not getting through 6 full innings in his last few starts he managed to make it 6 strong, allowing only one run in that time. You’d still like to see him manage his pitch count a little better to be able to get through 7 innings with 100 pitches.
J.J. Hardy–3 hits today and seems to be putting a full season together unlike when he faded down the stretch last year.
Mike Cameron–Continues his red hot bat with 2 hits today plus a walk. Even stole another base. He’s got a shot at a 20-20 season. Only needs 5 more steals this year.
Jason Kendall–Put together another two hit day. Hopefully Ned can get him some more rest and keep him fresh down the stretch.
Carlos Villanueva–This isn’t for him loading the bases, but more for the way he handled the confrontation with Pujols. After getting a HUGE final out with the bases loaded Villy pumped his fist, let out a little “Yeah”, and started walking to the dugout. The rest will be covered below.
Less Filling:
Albert Pujols–Once again the Cardinals find themselves in the Less Filling column. Pujols took exception to Villy being pumped about getting out of a jam and took it upon himself to be the moral compass of baseball. He started menacingly walking towards Villy while yelling and pointing his bat at Carlos. He continued to jaw with him and make a Poo-hole out of himself.
Phil Cuzzi–During the confrontation he yelled at Villy to get to his dugout despite Pujols being the one to start the whole thing and the one walking towards Villy. And his strike zone left a lot to be desired all day. Cuzzi hates the Brewers and does not hide that fact. He’s the one that ejected Ned earlier this year before Ned even got out of the dugout to argue a call.
Ryan Braun/Prince Fielder–Both went 0′fer and combined to leave 13 men on base. These situations came back to bite the Brewers later in the game.
Brewers (2) vs. Astros (5) 8/19 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
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.
Brewers (9) vs. Astros (3) 8/18 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
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.
Brewers (2) @ Padres (3) 8/14 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
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.
Brewers (5) vs. Nationals (0) 8/8 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
CC Sabathia–With every win down the stretch this year he’s adding a couple million dollars to the contract he’ll sign in the off-season. The Brewers have basically zero chance of re-signing him, but it sure is fun to have him while we can. His 4 complete games in only 7 games with the Brewers already puts him in first in the National League.
J.J. Hardy–Good to see him stay hot despite a poor decision by Ned to give him a day off after breaking his long slump. Also good to see that home run coming to right center. Usually a sign a hitter is pretty locked in and perhaps ready to break out.
Mike Cameron–The two walks with no strikeouts are just as encouraging as the home run in my opinion. He needs to play every day for a while here as he is a very streaky hitter and you gotta ride him while he’s hot.
Less Filling:
Ned Yost–As promised, he’ll remain here until Kendall gets a day off. Kendall by the way went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and 4 left on base.
Brewers (8) @ Reds (1) 8/5 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
Dave Bush–All signs pointed to a bad outing. He doesn’t pitch well on the road, gets beat up by Cincinatti, and in that bandbox of a ballpark his pitches up could get hammered. But Bush managed to fenagle his way out of a jam in the first and cruised pretty easily from there. His season ERA is back to 4.50. If he can keep it in that 4.25 to 4.65 area for the season it will be a huge boost for the back end of our rotation.
Prince Fielder–Gotta give him credit for manning up and addressing the dugout dust-up yesterday. He said most of the right things, and I did gain back some of the respect I lost for him. He proceeded to take his frustration out on the opposition with a tape measure blast.
JJ Hardy–Broke an 0 for 28 slump with a douple hits. Good to see him get back on track.
Ryan Braun–Picked up his 16th three hit game, which leads the National League.
Corey Hart–Picked up a couple big early extra base hits with runners in scoring position that gave them some early momentum.
Jason Kendall–Actually drove the ball to left-center for an extra base hit. I can’t remember the last time we saw that. Also picked up a late RBI on a base hit to right. Still needs a day off though.
Less Filling:
A pretty well rounded game by the Brewers, so no one finds themselves here.
Brewers (4) @ Braves (2) 8/2 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
CC Sabathia–The Fox broadcasting team of Marty Brennaman and Eric Karros referred to him as the best pitcher in the game right now. I agree. Who is better than CC right now? No one. His acquisition by the Brewers looks more and more like a coup, especially how early they were able to get him.
Prince Fielder–Provided basically all the offense tonight with his pair of home runs. Both were huge as the first one tied it at 1 and got the Brewers off the schnide, while the second one provided needed insurance. It was only a week ago I made the following observation: “Prince Fielder–Is heating up; is a home run binge far behind?” Prophetic!
Jason Kendall–Came through with a big 2 out RBI double in the 7th to put the Brewers on top. I still think he needs a day off (and should have gotten one 2 or 3 days ago), but it was good to see him actually hit the ball hard.
Less Filling:
Brewers offense not named Prince Fielder–Combined to go 3 for 29 and make a guy with a 7 ERA look like the second coming of Walter Johnson. Also only drew 2 walks as a team. As I’ve said before, the inconsistency of this offense (4, 1, 2, 4, 9, 4 runs in last six games) will be its downfall.
Brewers (4) vs. Cubs (6) 7/28 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
Ryan Braun–What a stud.
JJ Hardy–His home run got the Brewers off the schnide and into the scoring column.
Russell Branyan–Had been awful to terrible the last month, but had gotten a couple hits lately and finally put a good swing on the ball to tie it up in the 7th.
CC Sabathia–Other than a couple missed pitches to Soriano and bit too much nibbling in the 7th he did good. Its not bad when your “off” day consists of going 6 2/3 and allowing what should have been 2 earned runs.
Less Filling:
Rickie Weeks–0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. Credited with one HUGE error on the double play that didn’t get turned. Somehow wasn’t credited with an error on Fukudome’s grounder that he should have made the play on.
Official scorer–Needs to be fired. There’s been 6 to 8 times this year with Weeks alone where there’s been plays that should have been made quite easily yet he wasn’t given an error on. Hey, scorer….DO YOUR JOB PROPERLY AND DON’T BOW DOWN TO THE PLAYERS!!
Salomon Torres–Got ahead of the hitters ok, then wasted pitches and nibbled allowing consecutive walks. Then it only takes one hit to score runs, which of course occurred. Gotta go after people at some point.
Bottom of the order–Has been terrible lately. Hall’s got the three game winning hits but hit sub-.200 overall since the all-star break. Cameron we all know about, but has been even worse lately to the tune of .206 since the break. And Kendall, God bless his heart, has been great with the staff and throwing guys out, has hit only .212 since the break (and .187 with 4 RBI in July). Throw in the pitcher’s spot and that’s 4 pretty sure outs at the bottom of the order. Its hard to get anything going consistently when you have to rely so much on 3 or 4 guys in the lineup.
Ned Yost–Sometimes I wonder why Ned even stays in the dugout during the game for the lack of actual managing that he does. We’ve discussed the lack of bunting, hit-and-running, and overall movement ad nauseum. And I think most would pretty much agree he does not know how to manage a pitching staff. So in the other key game management area, pinch-hitting, he does nothing either. How many times do we get to see Cameron strikeout late in games, or Kendall fly out weakly to right? When did these .250 and below hitters become too good to be pinch-hit for? Its ridiculous.
Brewers (6) @ Cardinals (3) 7/21 — Tastes Great, Less Filling
Tastes Great:
JJ Hardy–4 hits today with an RBI, but somehow didn’t score a run as Braun, Fielder, and Hart didn’t have very good days.
Rickie Weeks offense–His 3-run homer was huge obviously. He also got a key hit that ended up scoring Kendall on a throwing error. Did leave men on base two other times though. But all in all gotta be happy with his performance. We’ll take 2 for 5 with a walk, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored any day of the week.
Jason Kendall–Just when it looked like he was running out of gas and going way downhill he comes up with 3 hits and scores a run.
Bill Hall–3 for 5 with that HUGE home run in the 10th. Gotta love the result, but I would prefer to see him hit that outside slider to right-center instead of hooking it into left-center. He has been heating up quite a bit lately though.
Mota/Gagne/Riske–I’ll admit, I was pissed and nervous when Mota came into a close game but he and the others got the job done.
Less Filling:
Ned Yost–I feel Ned cost us a tack-on run in the 8th when he didn’t have Cameron bunt Hall over to third with no outs. Kendall up next drove one into right-center that Ankiel misplayed, but Hall correctly was going back to tag up and couldn’t get in. The Brewers proceeded to strand runners on second and third and weren’t able to get that tack-on run. Ned needs to realize one run is as big as 3 in that situation and play it accordingly.
Rickie Weeks defense–Didn’t get charged with errors, but had two plays he should have made in the 9th that would have closed it out instead of having to go into extra innings.
Braun/Cameron–Went a combined 0 for 11. Ouch.
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