Series 19 - Milwaukee Brewers vs Houston Astros at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WIAfter the whooping that the Brewers took from the Astros at Minute Maid Park from May 4th - 6th, I was looking forward to the Brewers returning the favor at Miller Park. The sweep by the Astros started a 6 game losing streak that still is putting a damper on what was supposed to be our year. We have Parra, Sheets, and Bush going, so we knew beforehand that we had a pretty good shot at winning the series, and if Bush can keep pitching well at home, we may just be able to sweep them right back to Houston. The Brewers had already won 2 games on this homestand, so how about we make it a few more, ok guys? I mean, your downstairs neighbors, the Cubs, are winning tons of games, so keep pace with them until they inevitably start sucking. It's got to happen soon; there's no way that the Cubs can be this good all year long. If they do, then I'm going to throw up as a result of something other than alcohol. Bodily fluids aside, now let's get on with the wrap-up.
Game 1 (Friday) - Manny Parra (3-2, 4.72 ERA) vs Brandon Backe (4-6, 4.54)
I've always been a big supporter of Manny Parra since I heard about how good he was in the minor leagues. When he came up last year, he was doing so well until he was injured. I begged and pleaded to anyone who would listen for Parra to make the rotation out of Spring Training. Although he struggled coming out of the gates in 2008, he's gotten better with every single start. Today was no exception. He pitched 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 6 hits while striking out 6. Villanueva and Mota kept the Astros scoreless through the final innings, so all the Brewers needed to do was score more than 2 runs to win the game. On the road, they would have had a tough time scoring 2 runs, but this Miller Park, home of the Brewers. They scored early and often, with Mike Cameron and Ryan Braun each hitting solo homeruns in the 1st inning. Fielder must have gotten jealous, cause he swung like he wanted one too, and knocked one out to right field in the 5th. Ryan Braun (my fantasy team's stud player) went 4 for 4 with 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored. That puts him at 14 home runs and 39 RBIs thus far. I knew that it was going to be tough for him to match his fantastic rookie season, but so far he's having an impressive year at the plate and on the field, where he has still has yet to make an error. Ryan Braun is the man, and I super stoked that he's on our team. That would suck if we had to pitch to him. He'd rock the shit out of our pitchers (seeing as how they give up a ton of home runs). But we don't have to face him. He's on our side. Na na na na boo boo. Final score Brewers 5, Astros 1.
Brewers record : 27- 28
Game 2 (Saturday) - Ben Sheets (6-1, 2.71 ERA) vs Brian Moehler (2-2, 4.54)
Today was our Reck Family Christmas Party. I know that it is May 31, but ever since my Mom moved into a smaller house, we had to move the Christmas party to the warmer months so that we could hold the party in multiple areas of the house, including the back yard. By the time the game started, I was already pretty drunk, so I don't remember too much. I was in rare form that afternoon - double fisting beers, drinking box wine right out of the bag/box, and shotgunning beers left and right. When the game started, I was too busy schmoozing with party guests to devote 100% of my attention to the game, but I caught the important parts. Ben Sheets went 8 2/3 innings, and he would've tossed a complete game ahd he not walked Lance Berkman with 2 outs in the 9th inning on his 122nd pitch. That's a lot of pitches from an injury prone guy who cannot suffer an injury if his team wants to win. Yost made the right move by pulling him, even though he was visibly upset that he couldn't finish the game. Torres erased Gagne from our minds (in fact, I have all but forgotten that he is even on this team, but I get a $10 million dollar reminder every now and then) with his 5th save of the season. Prince Fielder got the fireworks going with a 2 run home run, and Branyan later followed with an absolute bomb, landing in the Dew Deck 465 feet from home plate. With Sheets on the hill, that was all the offense the Brewers needed, and Braun stayed hot (on and off the field - grrr) by knocking in the 1st run in the 3 run 5th inning (he was on base when Fielder knocked one out). Good show by the Crew today, and it gave me a happy reason to keep drinking heavily for the rest of the night. I Mostly drink because I am sad or alone, but tonight I was happy and in the company of family and friends. It's funny (or a little pathetic) that something so seemingly trite as a Brewers victory/loss could completely alter my mood on a given day. I guess I just care way too much. I'll keep caring, win or loss, but I'll be a hell of a lot better physically and emotionally if they keep playing like this. Final score Brewers 4, Astros 1.
Brewers record : 28 - 28
Game 3 (Sunday) - Dave Bush (2-5, 5.49 ERA) vs Shawn Chacon (2-1, 4.41)
Baseball is about living the High Life, smelling me a hot dog, and sitting in the sun watching your favorite pitcher get lit up! I was in attendance for this game, because it was Ryan Braun bobblehead day. To obtain these collectibles, I have to purchase a ticket just like everyone else, only I usually go to work instead of sitting in the stands. Not today. My boss told me that she didn't need me to work, so I settled into my seat in the sun up in Bernie's Terrace, and although I wasn't drinking that day (I rarely drink alcohol on Sundays because I'm usually hung over) I still think that I was living the High Life up there. It was perfect, just like the commercial, but my favorite pitcher didn't get lit up! Despite the fact that Dave Bush was pitching, the Brewers didn't find a way to lose the 3rd game of the series. In fact, they swept the Astros out of town with an all around great day. I was worried that they weren't going to nail down the sweep when I caught the lineup -
Dillon, Kapler, Braun, Fielder, Hart, Branyan, Rivera, Counsell, Bush.
That's right, Weeks, Cameron, Hall and Kendall would all be riding the pine today in place of the replacement players. And these backups came through huge, serving up a 4 run 1st inning and a 6 run 4th inning. Outside of those innings, nothing else really happened. So I sat up in the sun up in Bernie's Terrace and thanked my lucky stars that the Brewers didn't find a way to screw this one up. Dave Bush looks like he has that night and day approach to pitching - excellent at home and miserable on the road. In fact, the whole team has seemed to come down with that bug, one that has been ongoing for several years now. When are they going to be cured of this sickness? Probably never, but I'll still keep going to home games expecting a win. 7 times out of 10, I won;t be disappointed. The road? Now that's a different story. Final score Brewers 10, Astros 1.
Brewers record : 29 - 28
It's so nice to be on the winning side of a sweep. That makes it 3 in a row and 4 of our last 5 (the loss happening in the final game against Atlanta). The Brewers certainly play with more fire and positivity when they are home, which makes me wonder if their problem is mental. As a professional athlete (competitive beer pong counts) I totally understand how much the mental aspect of the game can affect your play. From someone who has (and continues to) struggle with the mental side of sports, I can't promise you a quick fix or easy solution. It's one of those things that you wither have or have not. You can work on improving that side of your game, and only hope to get better over time. Let's hope that the Brewers improve on the road, since it is impossible to play all 162 games at Miller Park. If only they could. Man that would be exciting.
Next up - Milwaukee Brewers vs Arizona Diamondbacks June 2 (Monday) - June 4 (Wednesday) at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI
- pookon -
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Series 19 - Milwaukee Brewers vs Houston Astros at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI
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