Series 47 - Milwaukee Brewers vs Cincinnati Reds September 8 - September 10 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, WISo there have been 5 disaster games out of 7 so far on this homestand, so you'd think that the Brewers would want to win a few to help ease the pain, right? Wrong. Granted they would be going up against a young and up and coming Cincinnati Reds team that just took 2 out of 3 against the Chicago Cubs, but they're still the Reds. I don't care if they have been playing better lately, they are still a 64-79 2nd to last place team. Those are the kind of teams that you have to beat in September if you wish to make it to the playoffs. In August, the Brewers had no problems beating up on teams like these Reds, the Padres, Pirates, Nationals, Astros and Braves. But then the calendar page turned to September, and suddenly the light switch was turned off and the Brewers started playing these teams differently. The only theory that I can come up with is one of the beauties of September - the rosters expand and they call up players from the minor leagues. For those teams (like the Reds and the Padres) who are out of contention, they chose to play their young guys as a semi-audition for the next year. It's like, let's run these kids out against major league pitchers/batters and see how they do and then reevaluate them next year in Spring Training. Since a lot of these players are new to the big leagues, there is little to no scouting reports on them and they have a lot of potential to change the tide of the game against a contending team. So even though they have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, they still have a chance to do some damage and spoil the dreams of another team that is trying to get to the playoffs for the 1st time since 1982. Looks like someone forgot to tell the Brewers that even though it is September, it is OK to beat up on the lesser teams. You have to win games right now at all costs, but it seems like the disappointing homestand just didn't get any better. It was a rough one, but we have no choice but to get on with the wrap-up.
Game 1 (Monday) - Dave Bush (9-10, 4.23 ERA) vs Edinson Volquez (16-5, 3.23 ERA)
Dave Bush had a real rough start in the finale against the Mets, so there was no where left to go but up from there, right? Right actually. Normally when I ask those questions, I usually answer with a wrong and then complain a whole lot. But not today. Well, I will complain today but I'll spare you for the moment. Dave Bush looked like he was that dominating pitcher that he was back in August, and he went 8 innings and gave up only 2 runs. The Brewers offense scored a hefty 5 runs (well, at least hefty for this homestand) and were in position to win the game. Since I promised that I would b complaining on here later on, I have no choice but to keep that promise right now, no matter how much it pains me to type this. With a 4-2 lead, Yost chose to bring in his closer in a must-win situation. It didn't matter that Bush basically shut down the Reds and only threw 99 pitchers, because your closer is supposed to do just that - close out the game. We all knew what happened next. The Reds loaded the bases with recording an out, then Patterson hit a single off of Torres' leg for an infield single. So now 4-3 with no outs. Keppinger then hit a double off the wall in left to score 2 runs, and the Reds had a 5-4 lead. I swear all of North Ave. heard me screaming at the top of my lungs and throwing furniture around my apartment. The bar downstairs must have though that either a grisly murder or a wrestling match was going on upstairs. This was a game that they couldn't afford to lose, but yet somehow they figured out a way to do it. And that is what sets Milwaukee back from the other playoff contenders - the inability to win when it matters. Cordero came in and shut the door for the Reds and the Brewers drop a heartbreaker in Game 1. Bush was great, but Torres couldn't hang on. At least we're OK cause we got Suppan going tomorrow, right? Wrong. Final score Reds 5, Brewers 4.
Brewers record : 82 - 62, 2nd place NL Central (4 1/2 games back of Chicago), 1st place NL Wild Card (3 games ahead of Philadelphia)
Game 2 (Tuesday) - Jeff Suppan (10-8, 4.63 ERA) vs Ramon Ramirez (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
I got off of work at 7:00 pm today, which is really odd for a Tuesday, but I wasn't about to complain. My Dad was in town for a few days, and he was planning on going over to my brother James' house to hang out. When we got there, he already had some burgers on the grill and some cold LandShark Lager in the fridge. Talk about a hospitable host. So I sat down on the leather couch, ate my burger and corn on the cob, and watched the Brewers game on a 56" flat screen TV. 1 of those 4 was bad, and it wasn't the leather couch, the food, or the giant TV. It was the Brewers game. Jeff Suppan was the usual - 5 innings, 4 runs. The Brewers offense was their usual for September - only 1 hit through 6 innings. I was getting tired for no apparent reason (although it may have been getting tired of watching the Brewers suck) so I hitched a ride home with my Dad. On the way home, we drove along Lake Drive, which is a nice long scenic ride. It gave us time to listen to the radio long enough to hear Ray Durham hit a 3-run pinch hit homerun to tie the game at 4. But I got home and watched on TV as the bullpen couldn't hold on as Seth McClung gave up a run in the top of the 11th to put Cincinnati up for good. Francisco Cordero came in for the bottom of the 11th and shut the Brewers down, and they lost their 3rd game in a row and their 7th in this horrifying month of September. Final score Reds 5, Brewers 4.
Brewers record : 82 - 63, 2nd place NL Central (4 1/2 games back of Chicago), 1st place NL Wild Card (3 games ahead of Philadelphia)
Game 3 (Wednesday) - CC Sabathia (15-8, 2.81 ERA) vs Bronson Arroyo (14-10, 4.65 ERA)
CC comes to save the day!! Well, not really, although any other pitcher might have done worse. CC went 7 innings and gave up 3 runs, which should have been enough to keep the Brewers in the game long enough to win it, although they did only score 1 run while he was still in the game. So that means when he exited, he was in line for his first loss as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. If I were a part of that team I would've done whatever was necessary to stop that from happening. But I'm not a part of that team, no matter how much I tend to think that I am. Thankfully that team came through by scoring a solo run in the 7th and a 2 spot in the 8th to go ahead. Torres came on in the 9th and saved a much needed win for the Brewers. CC settled for the no decision, but I'm sure that he was able to revel in the team win. It wasn't the biggest win of the year, but it sure was important to record the victory before heading out on the brutal final roadtrip of the season. Final score Brewers 4, Reds 3.
Brewers record : 83 - 63, 2nd place NL Central (4 1/2 games back of Chicago), 1st place NL Wild Card (4 games ahead of Houston)
I'd call it the worst homestand ever, but making that statement would force me to go back through the archived record books and analyze the data of seasons past to see if there was a worse homestand than this. So I'll just call the worst homestand in recent memory. They are right in the think of the playoff chase leading the NL Wildcard, then they get swept by the Mets, split the series with the Padres, then lose the series to the Reds. That means they finished this homestand with a 3-7 record. Not good for a team that desperately needs to win as many games as possible to secure that Wildcard entry into the playoffs. The Houston Astros made a surprising late season push to get themselves tied for 2nd place at 4 games out with the Philadelphia Phillies, who we will be playing in this upcoming homestand. This next series is the biggest one of the year, because the winner of it will probably make it to the playoffs while the loser gets to sit at home and cry. I'm a man, so I'm not much into crying (except during the end of Aladdin when the Genie gets freed of the lamp's magical spell) so we better not lose. But since I already know the outcome of that series, give me a second while I dry my eyes with these tissues. Damn it.
Next up - September 11 (Thursday) - September 14 (Sunday) Milwaukee Brewers @ Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA
- pookon -
email : pookondotcom@gmail.com
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