Series 8 - Brewers vs Phillies, Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI
The Philladelphia Pillies made an amazing run at the end of last year and ended up winning the NL East division title. They did get swept by the Rockies in the 1st round of the playoffs, but who wouldn't have been. Colorado put together one hell of a September (and October) last year. The Phillies are mostly the same team they were last year (which is a pretty damn good team) but they would be featuring 1 addition that had Milwaukee fans standing and giving a rousing ovation - outfielder Geoff Jenkins. The Brewers declined their team option of $9 million dollars so that they could move Ryan Braun to left and play Corey Hart everyday in right. That officially ended Jenkins' 10 year playing time with the Brewers and his 13 year tenure. Needless to say, he got a warm response from the crowd who appreciated his efforts. Jenkins always gave 100%, and was one of the most underrated outfielders in the majors during that time period. In my opinion, he should have won a Gold Glove, and it's a little surprising that he was never even a runner up. We would have loved to keep him on the team, but with the lineup we have now, there was just no room for him any more on the roster. We wish him well, and the hometown fans really congratulated him for his efforts. Classy move by these fans for a classy player. It's just too bad that Jenkins had to play for 10 years on a Brewers team that really wasn't that good. I hope he plays well in Philly, because the fans are notorious for being overly critical, and lash out with boos that could drown out any other noise. These are the fans that booed Santa Claus and pelted him with snowballs in 1968 during an Eagles halftime show. Jenkins has been known to fall into mini slumps, and I hope they don't get too down on him. But it's good to recognize Jenkins coming back to Milwaukee, but now let's get back to the series wrap-up.
Game 1 (Wednesday 4/23) - Dave Bush (0-3, 6.75 ERA) vs Cole Hammels (2-3, 2.75 ERA)
This was supposed to be Ben Sheet's start, but since he exited the game against Cincinnati with a sore triceps, the Brewers elected to have him skip this start. Dave Bush, who had been displaced from the rotation by the return of Yovanni Gallardo, had 1 more chance to plead his case to stay on the Major League roster with an effective performance today. He would have his hands full with the Phillies roster that features 2 recent MVPs (Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, injured, who would not be playing in this series) and 1 future MVP (Chase Utley). To make matters worse, we would be playing against Cole Hammels, one of the toughest young lefties in the league. It was important for Bush to pitch well and the offense to overcome their recent struggles. Well, Bush pitched good enough (4 ER in 6 innings pitched, all coming on home runs though) and the offense turned into the Prince Fielder show as he went 2-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI's. So much for all of that lack of power cause he's a vegetarian talk. With Gagne sidelined after multiple days of pitching, Derick Turnbow had to come in for the save, and despite everyone in the stadium being on the edge of their chair watching the game from between their fingers, Turnbow executed the save. Final score Brewers 5, Phillies 4.
Brewers record : 13 - 8
Game 2 (Thursday 4/24) - Jeff Suppan (1-0, 3.48 ERA) vs Jamie Moyer (1-1, 4.05 ERA)
The Brewers wasted a 7 inning, 5 hit, 1 run performance by the reliable Jeff Suppan by making too many mistakes on the basepaths and stranding too many people on base. Phillies starter Jamie Moyer throws a Reagan era fastball (in the mid-80's) which must have kept the Brewers hitters off balance for some reason. They managed 9 hits and took 4 walks, but could only score 1 run, which is rarely enough to ensure a victory. The Brewers players looked silly as they got picked off twice by Moyer (Weeks and Hall both stealing second) and Corey Hart got caught by the left fielder Pat Burrell trying to stretch a double into a triple. It;s nice to see the Brewers being aggressive on the basepaths, but when you're struggling to score runs, it's not a good idea to make outs on the bases. The normally steady David Riske has been struggling as of late, and in this game he gave up the game winning double to Pat Burrell on an 0-2 count after allowing Dobbs and Utley to reach base with 2 outs. Riske placed the blame on himself for losing this game, but despite his recent woes (his ERA is now at 7.36) this loss was a team loss. Well, the whole team minus Jeff Suppan. He deserves more than the 1 win (which he got in his first start in Chicago) that is currently on his record for the season. This game was then mostly forgettable, and the Brewers ended up splitting the series with the Phillies. Final score Phillies 3, Brewers 1.
Brewers record : 13 - 9
Hey, it could've been better, but you know, it also could've been worse. That's the only beauty of a tie. Granted, you did not win, but hey, at least you didn't lose. I personally don't like 2 game series because they normally end up being split because teams are usually so even matched that you need more than 2 games to decided a clear cut winner. The better team (for the majority of the time) should always come out ahead in a 3 game series. There are always some exceptions (such as a bad team getting hot and a good team struggling to swing the bats) but you almost can pick the winner of a series ahead of time. No one really thinks or expects that the Baltimore Orioles will sweep the Boston Red Sox. When it does happen, it's a shock and a rarity, and is also usually the top story on ESPN's Sportscenter. But enough about that, let's get back to the real story. The Brewers missed a chance to take 2 games against a good team in the Phillies, and they should have won the second game. When you get 7 really strong innings from your starter, it's up to the bats to get going and your bullpen to hold the lead. The offense and bullpen just didn't do that today. We missed an opportunity to get another W in the win column and risk falling further and further behind the NL Central leading Cubs. Thankfully it is still early in the season and we have plenty of chances to catch up. On the negative side, we also have plenty of chances to screw up this season. Let's hope that we take the first opportunity and bring it together and kick some Cubbie ass. Lord knows that's what everyone in Wisconsin wants them to do.
Next up - Brewers vs Marlins April 25 (Friday) - 27 (Sunday) at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
The Philladelphia Pillies made an amazing run at the end of last year and ended up winning the NL East division title. They did get swept by the Rockies in the 1st round of the playoffs, but who wouldn't have been. Colorado put together one hell of a September (and October) last year. The Phillies are mostly the same team they were last year (which is a pretty damn good team) but they would be featuring 1 addition that had Milwaukee fans standing and giving a rousing ovation - outfielder Geoff Jenkins. The Brewers declined their team option of $9 million dollars so that they could move Ryan Braun to left and play Corey Hart everyday in right. That officially ended Jenkins' 10 year playing time with the Brewers and his 13 year tenure. Needless to say, he got a warm response from the crowd who appreciated his efforts. Jenkins always gave 100%, and was one of the most underrated outfielders in the majors during that time period. In my opinion, he should have won a Gold Glove, and it's a little surprising that he was never even a runner up. We would have loved to keep him on the team, but with the lineup we have now, there was just no room for him any more on the roster. We wish him well, and the hometown fans really congratulated him for his efforts. Classy move by these fans for a classy player. It's just too bad that Jenkins had to play for 10 years on a Brewers team that really wasn't that good. I hope he plays well in Philly, because the fans are notorious for being overly critical, and lash out with boos that could drown out any other noise. These are the fans that booed Santa Claus and pelted him with snowballs in 1968 during an Eagles halftime show. Jenkins has been known to fall into mini slumps, and I hope they don't get too down on him. But it's good to recognize Jenkins coming back to Milwaukee, but now let's get back to the series wrap-up.
Game 1 (Wednesday 4/23) - Dave Bush (0-3, 6.75 ERA) vs Cole Hammels (2-3, 2.75 ERA)
This was supposed to be Ben Sheet's start, but since he exited the game against Cincinnati with a sore triceps, the Brewers elected to have him skip this start. Dave Bush, who had been displaced from the rotation by the return of Yovanni Gallardo, had 1 more chance to plead his case to stay on the Major League roster with an effective performance today. He would have his hands full with the Phillies roster that features 2 recent MVPs (Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, injured, who would not be playing in this series) and 1 future MVP (Chase Utley). To make matters worse, we would be playing against Cole Hammels, one of the toughest young lefties in the league. It was important for Bush to pitch well and the offense to overcome their recent struggles. Well, Bush pitched good enough (4 ER in 6 innings pitched, all coming on home runs though) and the offense turned into the Prince Fielder show as he went 2-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI's. So much for all of that lack of power cause he's a vegetarian talk. With Gagne sidelined after multiple days of pitching, Derick Turnbow had to come in for the save, and despite everyone in the stadium being on the edge of their chair watching the game from between their fingers, Turnbow executed the save. Final score Brewers 5, Phillies 4.
Brewers record : 13 - 8
Game 2 (Thursday 4/24) - Jeff Suppan (1-0, 3.48 ERA) vs Jamie Moyer (1-1, 4.05 ERA)
The Brewers wasted a 7 inning, 5 hit, 1 run performance by the reliable Jeff Suppan by making too many mistakes on the basepaths and stranding too many people on base. Phillies starter Jamie Moyer throws a Reagan era fastball (in the mid-80's) which must have kept the Brewers hitters off balance for some reason. They managed 9 hits and took 4 walks, but could only score 1 run, which is rarely enough to ensure a victory. The Brewers players looked silly as they got picked off twice by Moyer (Weeks and Hall both stealing second) and Corey Hart got caught by the left fielder Pat Burrell trying to stretch a double into a triple. It;s nice to see the Brewers being aggressive on the basepaths, but when you're struggling to score runs, it's not a good idea to make outs on the bases. The normally steady David Riske has been struggling as of late, and in this game he gave up the game winning double to Pat Burrell on an 0-2 count after allowing Dobbs and Utley to reach base with 2 outs. Riske placed the blame on himself for losing this game, but despite his recent woes (his ERA is now at 7.36) this loss was a team loss. Well, the whole team minus Jeff Suppan. He deserves more than the 1 win (which he got in his first start in Chicago) that is currently on his record for the season. This game was then mostly forgettable, and the Brewers ended up splitting the series with the Phillies. Final score Phillies 3, Brewers 1.
Brewers record : 13 - 9
Hey, it could've been better, but you know, it also could've been worse. That's the only beauty of a tie. Granted, you did not win, but hey, at least you didn't lose. I personally don't like 2 game series because they normally end up being split because teams are usually so even matched that you need more than 2 games to decided a clear cut winner. The better team (for the majority of the time) should always come out ahead in a 3 game series. There are always some exceptions (such as a bad team getting hot and a good team struggling to swing the bats) but you almost can pick the winner of a series ahead of time. No one really thinks or expects that the Baltimore Orioles will sweep the Boston Red Sox. When it does happen, it's a shock and a rarity, and is also usually the top story on ESPN's Sportscenter. But enough about that, let's get back to the real story. The Brewers missed a chance to take 2 games against a good team in the Phillies, and they should have won the second game. When you get 7 really strong innings from your starter, it's up to the bats to get going and your bullpen to hold the lead. The offense and bullpen just didn't do that today. We missed an opportunity to get another W in the win column and risk falling further and further behind the NL Central leading Cubs. Thankfully it is still early in the season and we have plenty of chances to catch up. On the negative side, we also have plenty of chances to screw up this season. Let's hope that we take the first opportunity and bring it together and kick some Cubbie ass. Lord knows that's what everyone in Wisconsin wants them to do.
Next up - Brewers vs Marlins April 25 (Friday) - 27 (Sunday) at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
No comments:
Post a Comment