The Milwaukee Brewers are 24-30. It's June 4, two months into the baseball season. Check out the beauty of a starting lineup the Crew threw out against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon:
LF - Norichika Aoki
CF - Nyjer Morgan
RF - Corey Hart
3B - Taylor Green
2B - Rickie Weeks
SS - Cody Ransom
1B - Brooks Conrad
C - Martin Maldonado
P - Michael Fiers
BOLD = Not on roster at beginning of the season
ITALIC = Not in opening day starting lineup
If my math is correct (and as a failed math major, it might not be), that lineup sports FIVE players that weren't on the opening day roster for the Milwaukee Brewers. On top of that, only TWO of the eight position players in yesterday's starting lineup were in the opening day starting lineup. Holy cow. I know injuries have been bad all over the league this season (something that would make a pretty good feature story, by the way), but has anybody been hit as hard as the Milwaukee Brewers? Two months into the season, and we already know Chris Narveson, Mat Gamel and Alex Gonzalez, all regulars for the Crew, are done for the year. Not to mention...and this is a long list...players such as Marco Estrada, Travis Ishikawa, Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez, Jonathan Lucroy (ugh), George Kottaras, and Carlos Gomez are either currently missing time with injury or have missed games due to injury. Say what? Sunday's lineup is a pretty clear representation of how the Brewers' season has been going, but this season has been fun and makes me want to watch the Brewers even more than usual. Here's why:
Ryan Braun
Yesterday, the Brewers were down 5-4 in the bottom of the eight inning and Milwaukee managed to get two men on base with two men down. A camera shot then showed Ryan Braun getting ready to come out of the dugout and pinch-hit for Cody Ransom, and the crowd went nuts. Sitting at home, I couldn't help but get that assuring feeling that Braun was going to come through, just like he had time-and-time again. Unfortunately, this would not be one of those times, but you can count on your fingers how many players in pro baseball bring that kind of excitement to their fans. Braun is a little banged up right now, but he could very well be back in the starting lineup on Tuesday, and that's something this team and this city desperately needs because of the special moments he creates. Even if the Brewers season continues down this path and they don't return to the playoffs, at least we've got Ryan Braun.
Players trying to make their mark
With the flush of injuries the Brewers have suffered through this season, new players naturally have to be brought in as replacements. In Milwaukee's case, some of these guys have come from the minor leagues, like Fiers, Maldonado, Conroy and Green. These guys have been getting plenty of time to make their mark because of the injuries to everyday players. Fiers had an incredible debut start, Green's versatility has helped, and even Edwin Maysonet got in on the action with the team's only grand slam of the season. Few of them deserve to actually be on a major league roster, so the extra fire and scrapiness (made up word?) they present makes the Brewers fun to watch, even if they don't necessarily translate to victories.
There's still hope, and lot's of it
I'm not sure if there's anyone on the planet who checks the MLB standings has much as me before the month of July, but I like to use the standings to gauge my level of cautious optimism. While the Brewers are only 24-30, they are starting to put things together on offense, and the pitching hasn't been half-bad either. Last week, the Crew swept the best team in the National League ON THE ROAD. Oh, and they are only 6.5 games out of first place. Their next six games are against the worst two teams in the NL and the Brewers will be playing within the confines of Miller Park. Braun and Ramirez are expected back within the next couple games, which will bring some stability to the lineup. And to top it all off, I'll be attending the game on Friday, and good things tend to happen when I enter The Keg. Just check out what occurred the last time I was there (ahhh...goosebumps).
First of all, let me say that it doesn't feel right that I haven't been to Miller Park and it's already June 4. Clearly, I have some catching up to do. Second of all, I think I bring up three strong points as to why people shouldn't stop watching the Brewers and filling up the seats, myself included. This is a team that came two games away from playing in the World Series last season. The city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin has rallied around this team and their confident swagger that boarders on arrogance. Sure, losing Prince Fielder was one of the bigger blows this franchise has perhaps ever seen, and along with that the Brewers lost not only a great talent, but a great presence in the clubhouse. But there are still a number of characters on this team that I consider "igniters," such as Ryan Braun because of his cockiness and great ability, Carlos Gomez because of his 110 percent all-the-time effort, Nyjer Morgan because of...Nyjer Morgan. Even a relief pitcher like K-Rod who acts like he won the World Series every time he throws a scoreless eighth. This team is FUN to watch, even as it attempts to tread water as it battles injury and tries to find its identity at the plate.
The injuries have been flat out ridiculous, from Gonzalez destroying his knee sliding into second to Lucroy breaking his hand via suitcase. There's no denying that. Two every day starters are out for the season, and who's to tell there won't be any more (fingers crossed). But this team is scrappy. It has swagger. It has Ryan Braun. It has a strong starting rotation save for Randy Wolf, who apparently still deserves his own catcher. I'm excited to finally get back to Miller Park this week and root on my Milwaukee Brewers, because there are plenty of reasons to do so.
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