2012-04-28 Brewers (Estrada) at Cardinals (Lohse), 12:05 PM CDT [Brewers lose, 7-3]

[Schlitz001]

The bullpen is thin, but there are still viable options. You have Loe, K-Rod and Ax who haven't pitched since Tuesday. If you pinch hit for Estrada, you just about double your chance of scoring with the bases loaded. It just seems like an easy decision.

 

Plenty of time left to comeback here.

[tommyboy42609]

This isn't one of our studs Yo/Greinke/Marcum on the mound that you can push some innings out of with confidence. Estrada is an average pitcher at best and to let him hit in one of the few scoring chances of the game is crazy, especially when you are looking at 1 more inning out of him, 2 MAX.

[Oldcity]

Yeah, can't say we're using hindsight at all. Plenty of people thought that was stupid when it was happening.

[coolcool]

Again, honestly, what middle relievers can you have confidence in?

[GormanHarvey]

Get a clue up there Braun. Wow

[endaround]

Again, honestly, what middle relievers can you have confidence in?

 

Any are as good or better than a tiring Estrada.

[Raw Biz]

Again, honestly, what middle relievers can you have confidence in?

 

Any are as good or better than a tiring Estrada.

 

Yep, especially when you have a chance to get a 2-run lead. Risk vs. reward.

[GormanHarvey]

Again, honestly, what middle relievers can you have confidence in?

 

Any are as good or better than a tiring Estrada.

 

To be fair, he was at 59 pitches and had shown no signs of tiring at that point.

[tommyboy42609]

Any of them just as much as Estrada, but that's not the point. Getting runs right there has much more value than stretching out 1 more inning out of your 6th starter who probably just started taking actual BP a week or so ago on his first start. If you have arms in the pen you need to use them, the 'who do you have confidence in?' line isn't even applicable, they are in our pen for a reason - do you have confidence in Estrada? B/c I have just as much confidence in them as I do in him going into the 6th inning.

[chickinbrickin]

Again, honestly, what middle relievers can you have confidence in?

 

It doesn't matter how much confidence anyone has in any middle reliever. What matters is the fact that I have a million times more confidence in any bat on the bench coming throgh with the bases loaded than I have in Estrada coming through in a make or break situation in this game. I thought it was stupid when it happened and what happened next inning just proved me and many others right.

[chickinbrickin]

Jon Jay the master of dribbling balls through the infield.

[jjkoestler]

I never heard the Uecker tuba story. That is hilarious and the picture is priceless.

[pebadger]

Well, Kam just got the call that K'd up Braun a few innings back.

[Schlitz001]

I never heard the Uecker tuba story. That is hilarious and the picture is priceless.

You should check out Uecker's book "Catcher in the Wry". It was recommended to me by someone on this site a number of years back. It has all of Uecker's classic stories and anecdotes.

[DocLuna7]

I never heard the Uecker tuba story. That is hilarious and the picture is priceless.

 

Yeah, I actually kind of enjoyed McCarver there for a moment.

[RWeeksFan23]

Gamel's really been struggling since being out of the lineup three straight days.

[Ennder]

Well kind of cruddy game but at least it gave me something to watch. ESPN blasting me with the NFL draft which makes Golf or Nascar seem exciting has killed any chance of anything other than baseball being worth watching today. Talk about over doing it, it has just gotten silly at this point.

[brewmann04]

wow these cards are playing lights out especially w/o the great Albert. They own the brewers who look like they are looking scred to play the cards. The Brewers have really struggled and their bullpen has really struggled.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Yep, the NFL draft...when "winners" and "losers" are determined based of "experts'" opinions that aren't employed by any NFL front offices, even though they all initially talk about a pick being at least solid 95% of the time. I just can't fathom how people enjoy watching 10 people from ESPN commentating on how some 6th round pick was good value and how he'll fit into somebody's scheme, when it's likely he'll never be heard from again.

[markedman5]

FWIW Estrada agrees with TM.....

 

"I felt pretty good," Estrada said. "I felt like I threw a lot of strikes. The defense was amazing. They are a good hitting team. They capitalized on whatever mistakes I made. Freese hit that home run on a bad changeup. With Molina it was supposed to go down and away on that curveball and I left it in and he barreled it. That's what good hitting teams do. You have to minimize your mistakes."

[rluzinski]

Back end of the rotation starting pitcher working his way through the lineup for the third time. You are probably only going to get one more inning out of him, so I don't really see the point of not pinch hitting for him. Even a tired bullpen is probably expected to do at least as well.

 

And wow, Estrada agrees that he should have been allowed to keep pitching? Who would have guessed that.

[hawing]

Oh my God I hate the Cardinals crappy pitchers who do well for whatever reason. A nine pitch walk??

Fixed that for you. I feel fortunate that I missed most of this one, including/especially the TV announcing.

[RightFieldCoder]

Our engagement party was today. Her parents are Cardinal fans. Real fun, Brewers.

[jimmyjeromehardy7]

Time to find a new fiance RFC

[markedman5]

Ah no...Estrada agrees that the pitch to Molina was a bad one...............