June 23 is not only one of the longest days of the year here in Wisconsin. It's also one of the most important days in the summer for a couple of Wisconsin's professional sports franchises. Seriously. In the whole realm of things, it's not a do-or-die time by any means, but it's a day where the Milwaukee Brewers finally have time to gather themselves and the Milwaukee Bucks get a chance to acquire a player or two that could help their franchise for many years to come.
We'll begin with what most of us really care about...the Brew Crew. In case you haven't noticed, the Brewers have lost seven of their last ten games after going on a rampage crazy enough to get them into first place in the Central. My hopes of a winning home stand are all but out the window. Fortunately, the Brewers remain the only team to have not lost back-to-back games at home in the MLB. Oh, and the man who never at one time during his entire career used steroids, Mr. Albert Pujols, has a fractured forearm and will miss a considerable amount of time for the St. Louis Cardinals, the team battling with the Crew for the top spot in the Central. This has helped the Brewers keep a marginal lead in the division, but it has also allowed teams like the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates...okay let's be real...the Cincinnati Reds to get back in the divisional race. The recent struggles for Milwaukee can be attributed to a few things, including a rough stretch for the starting five, the inability to put a lot of runs on the board and a string of 20 straight days without a day off. So why is Thursday such a big day for the Brewers? They get a day off. Players get to take their mind off of baseball and relax or try and figure out why they have been slumping. Basically, I'm talking to everyone except Ryan "Leading NL Vote Getter" Braun, Rickie "Best 2nd baseman in the league" Weeks and Prince "MVP" Fielder as far as the offense is concerned. I'm getting a little tired of having little to no faith in the rest of the lineup and I can't quite figure out why there is such a drop off in production in regards to the three eventual 2011 All-Stars mentioned before.
Whatever the deal is, things have to change. What if Braun or King go down unexpectedly with an injury? The offensive production becomes minimal. We saw a glimpse of such a possibility when Braun was out with an illness Monday against the Rays. The Brewers were completely shut down against a guy who hadn't thrown a pitch in a month and a half. That probably also had to do with the Brewers not having much of a scouting report on the opposing pitcher, which seems to be another common theme for Milwaukee. What I'm trying to say is...the Brewers need more than three guys to regularly contribute in order to be legitimate contenders come seasons' end. Whether it be Corey Hart, Casey McGehee or Jonathon Lucroy, I don't care. It was expected to be McGehee after his success as a Brewer the last two years, but he simply hasn't been able to find his groove. Hart had a break-out three home run game...and then what? Lucroy also had a nice stretch, but he's now back in the number eight slot for the most part and can't be expected to contribute as much as he did earlier in the season. And of course there's always Nyjer. Plush is more of a table setter and his role is also vital to this team. Even though I hope it's not the case, Morgan will probably come back down to Earth sooner or later...he has been a nice breath of fresh air for Brewer fans out in center.
Then there's the pitching. It's been difficult to figure out just exactly who can be trusted out in the bullpen. The starting rotation can't be expected to carry this team through the entire season (the last week or two has shown this to be the case). Therefore, the pen has to find it's identity and step up. We know closer John "all-star stache" Axford, another eventual 2011 all-star, is solid along with Latroy Hawkins, the should-be setup man, but recently there has been a dramatic decrease in performance. Ax and Hawk are the only pitchers in the pen with ERAs under 3.00. Either guys like Kameron Loe and Marco Estrada have to get their heads out of their behinds or the Brewers need to look elsewhere for some relief. Literally. My hope is that Zach Braddock can figure out how to sleep soon so there is a little more stability for the Brewers in late-game situations. The man who was called up to the big leagues for Braddock happens to have a 21.60 ERA. You know what isn't good? A 21.60 ERA. Thanks, Danny Herrera. It has to be taken into account that the Brewers haven't had a day off for quite sometime, and this affects the bullpen just as much as the position players. That's why Thursday is so important. Let's hope we see a refreshed, re-energized baseball team ready to take on a red hot ball club in the Minnesota Twins. They are in a stretch of a ridiculous interleague schedule that even Ron Roenicke can't deny is unfair. Still, there's no need to worry. The Brewers will enter play Friday with at least a share of the division lead (41-35, STL 0.5 GB, CIN 2 GB, PIT 3 GB). The first series win for Milwaukee since the Cards would be a good place to start the turnaround.
Now that we understand the importance of June 23 for the Brewers and feel reassured, let's turn our attention to tomorrow's NBA Draft. I shared a link in my last post that had a blurb about the Bucks' possible selection in the upcoming draft, but I don't think I gave them the attention they deserved. This team is coming off of a disappointing season to say the least and injuries along with a drop off in performance from several key players led to this demise. There have been a few rumors brought to my attention recently; some seem more realistic than others. The idea of trading away Andrew Bogut for a top three pick is possibly the most ridiculous rumor of them all. Bogut is without a doubt the most valuable member of the Milwaukee Bucks and one of the top centers in the NBA. The only reason I can see the Bucks CONSIDERING such a trade is because of Bogut's history of injury and the current status of his right elbow. It's unlikely that the thunder from down under will be 100% should the 2011-2012 season be starting on time (potential lockout...those are fun, right NFL?), but an 85-90% Bogut is enough to make a huge difference on this team. Bogut will be staying put and that's that. There has also been considerable talk that the Bucks will trade their number ten pick for a couple of mid-to-late first rounders and I wouldn't be opposed to such a decision, especially if former Colorado shooting guard Alec Burks is off the board. It also makes a whole lot more sense then shipping away Bogut. By doing this, the Bucks could still pick up a guy like Klay Thompson, a shooting guard from Washington State, who could step in immediately as a role player off the bench with the Bucks lacking at the guard position. Should they choose to go big, there are players like Jordan Hamilton from Texas or Bismack Biyombo from the Congo. Later on in the first round, a guy like Kenneth Faried would also fit the bill at power forward. Let's not forget about Wisconsin's own Jon Leuer, someone who has worked out in Milwaukee pre-draft as a possible second round option for Milwaukee...I'm getting excited just thinking about the possibility.
But this is ONLY if the Bucks decide to fulfill this rumor and trade down in the draft. Because of how weak the 2011 draft class is, I think it's a distinct possibility. I would go as far as saying that I wouldn't mind seeing Milwaukee trade their number one for a 2012 number one because of how loaded next year's class is expected to be. Doing so would set up the Bucks nicely. Should the Deer manage to stay healthy this year compared to how much time regulars missed last season and at least contend for the post-season, they would be in great shape with a few first rounders and a solid nucleus in place. Someone stop me...I'm getting ahead of myself. Besides, I'm pretty sure other NBA head honchos aren't stupid enough to trade away a '12 first round pick knowing what I know. Let's say the Bucks stay put and make a selection at the 10th pick. For this to happen, a few players must still be (and likely will be) on the board in my mind. These players are:
6'6" SG Alec Burks - slasher/defender
6'7" SG/SF Klay Thompson - shooter
6'9" PF Tristan Thompson - rebounder/athletic
6'8" SF/PF Marcus Morris - grinder/low-post scorer
I know that none of these names really pop out other than perhaps Morris', but they are guys that could certainly give the Bucks a shot in the arm. All four of these former student athletes play positions at which Milwaukee needs some assistance. There may still be more popular players such as Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette available at the number ten pick, but they are both considered to be point guards, an area that the Bucks don't need to create a traffic jam (just ask Minnesota). Of course, there are other players like San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard that could drop down to number ten. You can dig deeper on your own by checking out this mock draft. So those are all of the realistic options for Milwaukee in round one should they choose to make a selection at the ten spot. Who may be of interest in the second round? Here are a few players expected to be selected in the vicinity of the Bucks' 40th overall pick.
6'11" PF Jon Leuer - scorer with guard skill set
6'3" PG/SG Nolan Smith - leader, scorer, defender
6'7" SF Jimmy Butler - defender, plays big
6'10 SF Chandler Parsons - big man with guard skill set
There are plenty more I could list, but I thought it would be best to note some names that are more familiar. I personally believe there are going to be some gems coming out of this second round when I see names like the one's listed above along with players like JuJuan Johnson, E'twaun Moore, Shelvin Mack, David Lighty and Darius Morris expected to go in the second round. Maybe it's just because I'm so used to watching them go off against my favorite college basketball teams, but there is no reason that these guys can't step into the NBA and make a difference for their future teams.
Whichever direction the Deer decide to go...stay put at #10 and #40...trade down in the draft...select the big name guy or the hometown favorite...there should still be optimism going into next season (lockout pending). There's really no way that the Bucks will run into as many injuries as they did last year, which will help the team gel and live up to their potential. John Hammond wasn't named Executive of the Year two years ago for nothing; he knows how to build a team and as long as Milwaukee gets the right breaks, they SHOULD BE a team to be reckoned with. It all starts Thursday. Check out the draft since there's no Brewer baseball to watch. Be thankful there's no Brewer baseball to watch. We could all use a break.
Showing posts with label Reds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reds. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Not all that, but a bag of chips
Here's a fun fact for you. The Milwaukee Brewers come into play Wednesday 14th out of 16 National League teams in pitching when it comes to ERA (4.27). To be honest, I was extremely surprised to hear this at first because of how much the Brewers' pitching has seemed to improve this season compared to 2010 (4.58 ERA, also 14th in NL). But when I put things into perspective, it makes sense that the Brewers are where they are because we have seen an increase in pitching performances all over baseball. It's strange to see pitchers have this much success so early in the season because it normally takes some time for pitchers to shake the rust off their arms. This brings up a few questions. 1. Does this mean that pitchers will continue to dominate hitters this season? 2. Why are pitchers beginning to regain control in the pitcher/hitter duel?
1. I don't think so. Just like the way pitchers make adjustments based on who's at the plate, hitters are able to pick up on a pitcher's tendencies. However, I do believe that pitchers will still hold an advantage simply because of my answer to the second question.
2. This is a two part answer. First of all, the steroid era has essentially come and went. Players 'roiding up and smashing the ball out of the park helped bring a lot more fans to the park, but now the combination of a bad economy and better pitching/lack of the long ball has dropped attendance a bit. Basically, the people who have stopped coming to the park aren't true baseball fans, so I guess it's for the better. The other major factor? The cut fastball. This pitch is just dirty. Pitchers all over the league are starting to pick up on this notion. In fact, pitchers have reinvented themselves and salvaged their careers because of the cutter. It's very difficult to pick up the break because of how slight it is, but it's enough to throw off hitters, causing them to break their bats when it comes in on them, hit a dribbler off the end of their bat when it's going away or completely whiff on it altogether. It's different from a slider because the break on a slider begins much earlier, although it does have more of a bend. Even so, a hitter can adjust much easier to the slider than the cutter because of the spin on the baseball. Back in the day, I dabbled with the cut fastball but could never quite figure it out. Would mastering this pitch have helped extend my baseball career? The 69 mile-per-hour gopherball that I tossed at Miller Park last Saturday answers that question.
Enough with the boring lessons of baseball that no one cares about. Let's assess the Brewers as we near the end of the first-third of the season. 30-25? Sure, that's not bad, especially while being towards the bottom of the NL in pitching. Thankfully, the Brewers have made that up by scoring the 3rd most runs in the league and having...wait for it...THE THIRD BEST FIELDING PERCENTAGE IN THE LEAGUE!!!!! WHOA!!! I believe I said the Brewers would be one of the five worst fielding teams in the Majors. What I failed to mention was that I was drugged prior to making that prediction. Jokes on me I guess. They say that as long as you're doing well in two of the three major categories (Hitting, Pitching, Fielding), you're going to be in the running towards the end of the year. And as far as the Brewers' pitching is concerned, it's only going to get better. My main reason behind this statement is Zack Greinke. He hasn't been all that Brewer fans had hoped for before the season when many were resting playoff hopes on Greinke's back, but a 4-1 record can't be frowned upon too badly (the 5.29 ERA on the other hand...). Shaun Marcum HAS been all that AND a bag of chips. As I'm currently typing this and flipping back and forth between Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals and Game 3 of the Brewers/Reds series, Marcum has been cruising along. He doesn't blow you away with his stuff, but he is the definition of a pitcher; hitting his spots and throwing the pitch that the situation calls for. Tonight in particular, Marcum is using is change-up very effectively, especially against Jay Bruce (who has been on fire as of late). Greinke is beginning to come around and his last appearance proved it...he was without his best stuff, but the Zack Attack was still able to go six innings and only allow two runs because he stuck with his slider, the only pitch that was working for him. Oh and by the way, Greinke has 45 K's to go against just six walks. Greinke is well on his way.
There have been a few causes for concern for Milwaukee that could come back to bite them when the playoff race starts to heat up. For one, the Brewers don't have a lefty in the bullpen because of injuries (Zach Braddock, Manny Parra) and poor performance/injury (Mitch Stetter).
Quick update: Jay Bruce just hit a two-run homer. I'm an idiot.
The Brewers can't expect to be true contenders if they don't have that situational southpaw to call out from the pen to face a dangerous left-handed hitter. Unfortunately, Manny Parra continues to have setbacks and was recently placed on the 60-day DL because of elbow problems. Whether or not Parra will be back at all this season is difficult to say, but Braddock is very close to returning to the bigs and will provide a boost to a bullpen that has had it's ups and downs. Stetter hasn't been the same guy he was two years ago when he was on my good side, but I think that he will continue to be given opportunities to succeed with the big league club because of the lack of competent lefties in the Brewers' farm system/the injury to Parra. Another concern for the Crew is the trouble on the road. Currently, the Brewers are 9-18 on the road compared to a 21-7 record at home. Wow, talk about a split. I understand being more comfortable at home and having the support of your fans, but can it really make that much of a difference? Apparently so. Whether it's just all mental or the strength of opponent, the Brewers need to overcome this problem. The fact of the matter is that good teams are able to win a respectable amount on the road and then build up a solid record by winning two out of three at home time and again. The Cardinals, who currently lead the Brewers by 2.5 games, have had just as much success at home as on the road. This leads me to believe that the Cardinals will be able to hold their lead on Milwaukee because they will naturally begin to win more at home...UNLESS the Brewers begin to win more on the road.
Like I said before, the Brewers stand at 30-25 while sitting 2.5 games behind the front-running Cards and sitting 2.5 games ahead of the third place Reds, whom the Brewers have had their troubles against (2-6). They are 1-2 against St. Louis, so many battles against the Cardinals will ensue to help settle matters in the NL Central. To finish up my rundown of the Brewers, I'm going to do some rankings based on the bullpen, starting pitching, fielding and hitting. Enjoy.
BULLPEN:
1. John Axford (His stats may not be incredible, but he's doing his job)
2. Marco Estrada (Doing a solid job in the middle-relief role & gives you innings)
3. Kameron Loe (An absolute work-horse who helps keep a lead into the 9th for Ax)
4. LaTroy Hawkins (A minuscule ERA but a lack of high-pressure situations)
5. Sergio Mitre (Also a low ERA, but see Hawkins)
*Zach Braddock will be in this top five when he returns from injury
STARTING 5:
1. Shaun Marcum (A 6-2 record with a sub-3 ERA...he pitches for us?)
2. Yovani Gallardo (Recently bumped his ERA under 4 & has seven victories)
3. Randy Wolf (ERA below 3.50, but far too inconsistent for my liking)
4. Chris Narveson (For being the #5, have to be pleased with the Narv-dog's numbers)
5. Zack Greinke (Managing to get W's thanks to offense & starting to come around)
FIELDING:
1. Carlos Gomez (His combination of speed and...speed in center makes him #1)
Quick update: Kameron Loe now dropped to 4th in bullpen rankings after giving up a 2-run homer to Joey Votto and getting the loss, allowing the Brewers to lose ANOTHER series on the road. Wonderful. Brewers are now 30-26, 3 GB of Cardinals.
2. Corey Hart (Pretty solid arm and covers a lot of ground in the outfield)
3. Craig Counsell (By far the best fielding infielder on the team)
4. Ryan Braun (One of two full time players (Gomez) without an error)
5. Prince Fielder (Vastly improved picking the ball and surprisingly agile)
HITTING:
1. Ryan Braun (Duh)
2. Prince Fielder (Off to the best start to a season he's ever had, taking his walks)
3. Rickie Weeks (Have to wonder when this guy moves into a run-producing spot)
4. Jonathon Lucroy (Has put up very solid numbers in a short period of time)
5. Nyjer Morgan (That's right...I said it)
Number of road series' won by Brewers: 1 (Pirates)
Does that count? No.
1. I don't think so. Just like the way pitchers make adjustments based on who's at the plate, hitters are able to pick up on a pitcher's tendencies. However, I do believe that pitchers will still hold an advantage simply because of my answer to the second question.
2. This is a two part answer. First of all, the steroid era has essentially come and went. Players 'roiding up and smashing the ball out of the park helped bring a lot more fans to the park, but now the combination of a bad economy and better pitching/lack of the long ball has dropped attendance a bit. Basically, the people who have stopped coming to the park aren't true baseball fans, so I guess it's for the better. The other major factor? The cut fastball. This pitch is just dirty. Pitchers all over the league are starting to pick up on this notion. In fact, pitchers have reinvented themselves and salvaged their careers because of the cutter. It's very difficult to pick up the break because of how slight it is, but it's enough to throw off hitters, causing them to break their bats when it comes in on them, hit a dribbler off the end of their bat when it's going away or completely whiff on it altogether. It's different from a slider because the break on a slider begins much earlier, although it does have more of a bend. Even so, a hitter can adjust much easier to the slider than the cutter because of the spin on the baseball. Back in the day, I dabbled with the cut fastball but could never quite figure it out. Would mastering this pitch have helped extend my baseball career? The 69 mile-per-hour gopherball that I tossed at Miller Park last Saturday answers that question.
Enough with the boring lessons of baseball that no one cares about. Let's assess the Brewers as we near the end of the first-third of the season. 30-25? Sure, that's not bad, especially while being towards the bottom of the NL in pitching. Thankfully, the Brewers have made that up by scoring the 3rd most runs in the league and having...wait for it...THE THIRD BEST FIELDING PERCENTAGE IN THE LEAGUE!!!!! WHOA!!! I believe I said the Brewers would be one of the five worst fielding teams in the Majors. What I failed to mention was that I was drugged prior to making that prediction. Jokes on me I guess. They say that as long as you're doing well in two of the three major categories (Hitting, Pitching, Fielding), you're going to be in the running towards the end of the year. And as far as the Brewers' pitching is concerned, it's only going to get better. My main reason behind this statement is Zack Greinke. He hasn't been all that Brewer fans had hoped for before the season when many were resting playoff hopes on Greinke's back, but a 4-1 record can't be frowned upon too badly (the 5.29 ERA on the other hand...). Shaun Marcum HAS been all that AND a bag of chips. As I'm currently typing this and flipping back and forth between Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals and Game 3 of the Brewers/Reds series, Marcum has been cruising along. He doesn't blow you away with his stuff, but he is the definition of a pitcher; hitting his spots and throwing the pitch that the situation calls for. Tonight in particular, Marcum is using is change-up very effectively, especially against Jay Bruce (who has been on fire as of late). Greinke is beginning to come around and his last appearance proved it...he was without his best stuff, but the Zack Attack was still able to go six innings and only allow two runs because he stuck with his slider, the only pitch that was working for him. Oh and by the way, Greinke has 45 K's to go against just six walks. Greinke is well on his way.
There have been a few causes for concern for Milwaukee that could come back to bite them when the playoff race starts to heat up. For one, the Brewers don't have a lefty in the bullpen because of injuries (Zach Braddock, Manny Parra) and poor performance/injury (Mitch Stetter).
Quick update: Jay Bruce just hit a two-run homer. I'm an idiot.
The Brewers can't expect to be true contenders if they don't have that situational southpaw to call out from the pen to face a dangerous left-handed hitter. Unfortunately, Manny Parra continues to have setbacks and was recently placed on the 60-day DL because of elbow problems. Whether or not Parra will be back at all this season is difficult to say, but Braddock is very close to returning to the bigs and will provide a boost to a bullpen that has had it's ups and downs. Stetter hasn't been the same guy he was two years ago when he was on my good side, but I think that he will continue to be given opportunities to succeed with the big league club because of the lack of competent lefties in the Brewers' farm system/the injury to Parra. Another concern for the Crew is the trouble on the road. Currently, the Brewers are 9-18 on the road compared to a 21-7 record at home. Wow, talk about a split. I understand being more comfortable at home and having the support of your fans, but can it really make that much of a difference? Apparently so. Whether it's just all mental or the strength of opponent, the Brewers need to overcome this problem. The fact of the matter is that good teams are able to win a respectable amount on the road and then build up a solid record by winning two out of three at home time and again. The Cardinals, who currently lead the Brewers by 2.5 games, have had just as much success at home as on the road. This leads me to believe that the Cardinals will be able to hold their lead on Milwaukee because they will naturally begin to win more at home...UNLESS the Brewers begin to win more on the road.
Like I said before, the Brewers stand at 30-25 while sitting 2.5 games behind the front-running Cards and sitting 2.5 games ahead of the third place Reds, whom the Brewers have had their troubles against (2-6). They are 1-2 against St. Louis, so many battles against the Cardinals will ensue to help settle matters in the NL Central. To finish up my rundown of the Brewers, I'm going to do some rankings based on the bullpen, starting pitching, fielding and hitting. Enjoy.
BULLPEN:
1. John Axford (His stats may not be incredible, but he's doing his job)
2. Marco Estrada (Doing a solid job in the middle-relief role & gives you innings)
3. Kameron Loe (An absolute work-horse who helps keep a lead into the 9th for Ax)
4. LaTroy Hawkins (A minuscule ERA but a lack of high-pressure situations)
5. Sergio Mitre (Also a low ERA, but see Hawkins)
*Zach Braddock will be in this top five when he returns from injury
STARTING 5:
1. Shaun Marcum (A 6-2 record with a sub-3 ERA...he pitches for us?)
2. Yovani Gallardo (Recently bumped his ERA under 4 & has seven victories)
3. Randy Wolf (ERA below 3.50, but far too inconsistent for my liking)
4. Chris Narveson (For being the #5, have to be pleased with the Narv-dog's numbers)
5. Zack Greinke (Managing to get W's thanks to offense & starting to come around)
FIELDING:
1. Carlos Gomez (His combination of speed and...speed in center makes him #1)
Quick update: Kameron Loe now dropped to 4th in bullpen rankings after giving up a 2-run homer to Joey Votto and getting the loss, allowing the Brewers to lose ANOTHER series on the road. Wonderful. Brewers are now 30-26, 3 GB of Cardinals.
2. Corey Hart (Pretty solid arm and covers a lot of ground in the outfield)
3. Craig Counsell (By far the best fielding infielder on the team)
4. Ryan Braun (One of two full time players (Gomez) without an error)
5. Prince Fielder (Vastly improved picking the ball and surprisingly agile)
HITTING:
1. Ryan Braun (Duh)
2. Prince Fielder (Off to the best start to a season he's ever had, taking his walks)
3. Rickie Weeks (Have to wonder when this guy moves into a run-producing spot)
4. Jonathon Lucroy (Has put up very solid numbers in a short period of time)
5. Nyjer Morgan (That's right...I said it)
Number of road series' won by Brewers: 1 (Pirates)
Does that count? No.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)