Why aren't Brewer pitchers protecting Brewer hitters?

[Invader3K]

Macha should have done something, especially after Hanson kept trying to pick off Braun with an obviously hurt elbow.

 

Edit: Although I see Davis hit McCann at one point. I wasn't watching the game that closely at that point, so I don't know if it was obviously intentional or not.

[JohnBriggs12]

Macha should have done something, especially after Hanson kept trying to pick off Braun with an obviously hurt elbow.

 

Edit: Although I see Davis hit McCann at one point. I wasn't watching the game that closely at that point, so I don't know if it was obviously intentional or not.

I take back my post. I was switching between the game and 24 so I missed that too. I hope it was intentional. I would have preferred they throw at Hanson myself though.

[zzzmanwitz]

Last night Tommy Hanson threw the ball exactly where he wanted to all night, including at the left elbow of the hottest hitter in baseball, possibly taking him out for the series. If you don't think that was intentional, I have some land in Florida I'd like to talk to you about.

I guess I'm going to need to see that land, because I really doubt it was intentional. If it was, why not hit him on the first pitch?

[sheethead]

I think it was an intentional brush back pitch that got away a bit. He might not have intended to hit him, but the probability of a HBP goes up when you come inside like that.

[pretendastronaut]

From being at the game, Braun seemed to take issue with the whole thing. I'm also not sure if the HBP was intentional, but throwing to first three times sure was. (Though you gotta love Braun's moxy for trying to steal after that.)

 

I don't know what they showed of this on tv, but I did notice after we "plunked" McCann, Fielder seemed to be having some words with him at first, and the next time Braun came up, he had something to say to McCann as he walked to the batter's box.

[zzzmanwitz]

Well, you can't fault Hanson for trying to pitch inside to Braun. You have to use the whole plate to try to get him out. If it got away, it got away. That's going to happen from time to time.

 

As far as throwing over to first 3 times, I would be expecting our pitchers to do the exact same thing if there was an obviously injured player on the bases. Its just like other sports, you go after the CB after getting banged up, in basketball you give it to the guy being defended by the player that is limping around. Its about winning and losing, not making friends.

[filthyfrog]

I don't think Hanson hit Braun intentionally, but I agree that the pickoff attempts were essentially kicking him while he was down. I usually think that retaliation is a bad idea, but in this case, we really needed to send a message that you can't be hitting our players with 96 mph fastballs. The best chance would have been the next half inning when the number 8 hitter led off for Atlanta. Unfortunately, Davis walked him, which put Hanson in a bunting situation. And you can't plunk a guy when he's trying to give you an out in a close game.

 

When Davis did end up hitting McCann, it was on a breaking ball. There was clearly no intent.

 

I don't think it's too late, though. If Heyward starts tonight, he'd be the guy to go for as the team's young star corner outfielder.

[CheezWizHed]

Plunking players is not classy! Oh wait, the Cardinals do it all the time... my bad!

[sheethead]

Well, you can't fault Hanson for trying to pitch inside to Braun.

 

Nope, just like I won't fault Dave Bush for using the the whole plate tonight.

[Buckylovesbeer]

It was also mentioned in the IGT last night that having DD bean anyone is pointless. The guy tops out at what? 90mph? He hit McCann with something like a 79mph off-speed pitch that wouldnt hurt anyone, so it was not a payback.

 

LaRussa would bean all of us for even debating this.....classy!

 

If Heyward gets plunked tonight, is it really payback? Not sure, but if they hit our stud, I guess if your paying back you have to hit theres.......I am still not convinced that its worth it. Brewer pitching cannot afford to put people on base!

[Invader3K]

If Heyward gets plunked tonight, is it really payback? Not sure, but if they hit our stud, I guess if your paying back you have to hit theres.......I am still not convinced that its worth it. Brewer pitching cannot afford to put people on base!

I agree with this. I think the time for any retaliation was last night, especially when we down 8-0. At this point I think you just let it go and hope Ryan can be back by tomorrow and get his own retaliation...preferably hitting a big bomb or two over the wall at Miller Park.

[hawing]

Plunking players is not classy! Oh wait, the Cardinals do it all the time... my bad!

It's classy to be unclassy, if you've earned the right to be unclassy. Anyone who doesn't understand that is flat out not classy.

 

(I labored over whether to put that in blue. I chose the darkest shade.)

[Mr QL]

Macha doesn't stand up for his guys. You don't ever see the guy show any emotion over anything so I have a hard time believing he'd ever put a green light on retaliating regardless of how intentional a beaning or whatever is.

[WisconsinSportsRule]

I can't say for sure it wasn't intentional. His command was spot on it seemed the entire game.

 

If we do go after one of them, it better be with a hard thrower, but a pitcher that isn't very good.

[filthyfrog]

It's not like Macha has to green light a plunking. Bush is going to hit guys no matter what Macha says, so he might as well make one count tonight.

[TooLiveBrew]

Macha doesn't stand up for his guys. You don't ever see the guy show any emotion over anything so I have a hard time believing he'd ever put a green light on retaliating regardless of how intentional a beaning or whatever is.

I'm very much in favor of not giving opposing teams free baserunners in retaliation for them being stupid enough (if you're assuming a beanball) to give us free baserunners. Macha definitely sticks up for his players, and is not shy to come out & argue calls. But if anyone wants "sticking up for players" to mean issuing free passes for opposing hitters, I'll be arguing that he/she is wrong.

[RobertR]

While there's really no measure for pitching inside, effectively retaliating, etc. the idea that other teams are picking on the Brewers disproportionately seems like more a myth than a reality to me. Let's look at the 2009 totals:

 

Brewers HBP: 71

Other Teams Hit by Brewer Pitchers: 65

 

Is 6 HBPs over the course of 162 games something to get riled up about?

 

Heck, even the infamous LaRussa

 

2009 Cardinals HBP: 61

Other Teams Hit by Cardinal Pitchers: 53

 

I tend to think this is more myth than reality.

 

Robert

[Playing Catch]

Hanson was dominant last night. Dominant. If I were Hanson, with that kind of ability, I would want to prove to the world (and to myself based on head-to-head stats), that I can beat Ryan Braun. In no way, would I EVER intentionally put Braun on base. And after I put him on base, I would be so upset about it, that I would try to pick him off -- especially due to Braun's SB% this season. I darn sure would not let Braun steal second.

[rluzinski]

These guys must really have had managers that didn't love them:

 

http://www.plunkeveryone....reaks-jason-kendall.html

 

Of course, I'll never understand how starting a beanball war is supposed to reduce HBPs but hey.

 

A month's worth of data over a season tells us very little anyway. It's always this time of year that fans use all the crazy small sample stats to prove all kinds of things. Going forward, we'll see if Fielder and Weeks get's hit closer to their career rates or their new, "unprotected" rate. And I'd be happy to put my money where my mouth is (donated to bf.net, of course).

[Invader3K]

*bump*

 

Carlos Gomez went to the hospital last night after getting nailed in the back of the head by a fastball. Had some "dizziness", apparently.

 

I don't know if the beaning was intentional. I'm guessing probably not. That said, when is enough, enough? Is it time for Macha to have Coffey or another pitcher nail one of the other guys? Time for someone to charge the mound. I just really am starting to feel like other teams think they can pitch inside and nail the Brewers hitters with impunity.

[jrodbrewcrew]

Is it time for Macha to have Coffey or another pitcher nail one of the other guys? Time for someone to charge the mound. I just really am starting to feel like other teams think they can pitch inside and nail the Brewers hitters with impunity.

I feel like this is going to happen sometime soon something doesn't change. And I would be 100% ok with that.

[crewcrazy]

The thing is, they have been retaliating, and it hasn't stopped. If I had to bet, Prince is probably going to get hit tonight after he went hard into second last night and took out Blake DeWitt in the 9th inning of a blowout.

[jimmyjeromehardy7]

Prince didn't go hard into 2nd, he slide. The Cubs' SS tried to toss the ball behind his back almost to second which ended up 3 feet to the first base side of the bag and DeWitt went after it right into a sliding Prince. Tell your SS not to be an idiot and you won't get killed on a play like that.

[Invader3K]

Yeah, I heard Ron Santo was really whining about that play. However, I really don't think Prince did anything wrong. It seems like the baseball world in general seems to think Prince is an angry jerk and will look for any reason to complain about him.

[MadScientist]

Perhaps Prince and the other Brewers should just charge the mound the next time he is hit. If word is out that if you hit the Brewers with a pitch, you get hit with a fist, pitchers might think twice.