2018-08-28: Brewers (Guerra) at Reds (DeSclafani) 6:10 PM CDT [Brewers lose, 9-7]

[Harold Hutchison]

The real problem was Guerra getting clubbed like a baby seal in the first and second innings.

 

Get a quality start, the seven runs are enough to win.

[The stache]

And of course, there's the seventh run. If Counsell's bullpen management doesn't suck, we're all tied up right now. Instead, can't use any of our top guys unless we're tied or ahead.

 

It is frustrating, and I don't get it. But you can't pitch Jeffress and Hader in every game. If Soria (a top reliever) doesn't give up a two-run triple, it is tied. The pen coming back down to earth has made this team into a .500 squad.

 

Soria shouldn't have given up the triple, but my contention is that a guy with a near 7 ERA shouldn't have started the inning. Albers shouldn't have taken the mound.

 

Nobody is off limits. We have 30 games left, and we can't afford to blow golden opportunities to win games against scrub teams like the Reds. We were down 6-1 thanks to a pathetic starting performance, and we battled back to 6-7. At that point, after a day off, anybody we need to shut down the Reds offense is in play. Do that, and when we score in the ninth, then a win is possible after it looked like a sure loss.

 

Counsell has gone on record starting what his bullpen management philosophy is. It's flat out wrong. It's maddening. Our offense got us back in the game, and then Counsell just squandered their efforts with his ridiculous way of thinking. He's pissed away too many games this year with his beyond questionable thinking. I want him gone.

 

Watch, we'll miss the playoffs by a game. Tonight's win could very well end up being the difference between bonus baseball in October, and watching from the couch, talking about next year.

[adambr2]

I really don't know if this team can hang in there another month. I'd already bet strongly against them finishing ahead of the Cubs or Cardinals, meaning that have to hold off every other non division winner in the NL.

 

Since the trade deadline, we have lost ground on the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Dodgers, Cardinals, and Braves, and are even with the Phillies.

 

To rephrase: every single contender in the NL has been playing better baseball than us, and if that continues in September we are in serious trouble of blowing yet another shot at postseason baseball.

[The stache]

14 hits and 8 walks surrendered to a Reds team missing Joey Votto. That's obscene.

[treego14]

Fire "The Chicken!!!!!" He's too chicken to use his best bullpen arms in crucial situations! Matt Albers? Give me a break!

[Devinep]

And of course, there's the seventh run. If Counsell's bullpen management doesn't suck, we're all tied up right now. Instead, can't use any of our top guys unless we're tied or ahead.

 

It is frustrating, and I don't get it. But you can't pitch Jeffress and Hader in every game. If Soria (a top reliever) doesn't give up a two-run triple, it is tied. The pen coming back down to earth has made this team into a .500 squad.

 

That “Hader can’t pitch in 90 games” type of line doesn’t work when no ones saying he or Jeffress should even pitch in half the games.they had a day off yesterday so it wouldn’t be pitching back there back games. Yeah Soria was a let down, but the point is that CC let it get that bad with Albers in the inning anyway

[pacopete4]

Oh great. Fire Counsell posts are flying. Is this Twitter? Good night

[Fear The Chorizo]

Bottom line, when your starter can't get through the 2nd and you're down 6, there doesn't need to be a paralysis by analysis of bullpen decisions - particularly with how most of the bullpen is struggling.

 

Happy to see the Cub/Mets game heading into extras, and by the looks of the radar, sent into a pretty crazy delay...wish I could watch the storms roll in after a Brewers win, though. Gotta win the next pair to keep winning series after tonight!

 

Edit: their game looks to be delayed, likely until tomorrow when they'd probably try to finish this one up and then start their getaway day game - that's assuming Wrigley and the surrounding area doesn't get completely swamped overnight through midday tomorrow, which is actually what the forecast appears to be.

[Bulldogboy]

Counsell can't use Hader and Jeffress every night. The othwr guys have to get the job done sometimes. At the end of the day they just are not good enough. Simple as that. They are bout done.

[markedman5]

Post game presser

 

question " Does Junior have another start scheduled?"

 

CC " We're going to have to talk about that"

[adambr2]

Guys like Guerra and Broxton need to be traded in the offseason. Too good to let walk for nothing, not good enough to keep on the 25 all year.

[Chicago Here]

The pen coming back down to earth has made this team into a .500 squad.

 

This. You mentioned that the starting pitching doomed the season in an earlier post and while they could definitely be better, this statement is the real reason we are trending the direction we are.

 

Albers

Knebel

Williams

Soria

Barnes

 

Among others a huge reason this team might not find themselves in a playoff spot.

i still find it odd when stearns keeps praising our starting pitchers. Our starting pitching is failing us along with most of our bullpen. At this point, im not sure what we can do other than try for lady luck against a very weak schedule. Cant keep losing to worthless loser teams.

 

Since the ASG we have one of the worst records.

 

But we chose to roll the dice with poor SP when the cubs changed their season by picking up hamels. So Sad

[adambr2]

I'm not sure the schedule is as weak as we'd like to think. Almost all NL Central games remaining and we have a very poor record against divisional opponents. Doesn't bode well.

[Ennder]

i still find it odd when stearns keeps praising our starting pitchers. Our starting pitching is failing us along with most of our bullpen. At this point, im not sure what we can do other than try for lady luck against a very weak schedule. Cant keep losing to worthless loser teams.

 

Since the ASG we have one of the worst records.

 

But we chose to roll the dice with poor SP when the cubs changed their season by picking up hamels. So Sad

 

We are 18-15 since the all star break. I don't know how to find that split exactly but just looking at past 30 games we are 11th in W/L record. We have not been one of the worst records since the ASG, people seem to think we are in a total collapse but we have played just about as well since the all star break as we did before it. That 1-8 stretch right before the break derailed things, post ASG hasn't at all.

[Fear The Chorizo]

i still find it odd when stearns keeps praising our starting pitchers. Our starting pitching is failing us along with most of our bullpen. At this point, im not sure what we can do other than try for lady luck against a very weak schedule. Cant keep losing to worthless loser teams.

 

Since the ASG we have one of the worst records.

 

But we chose to roll the dice with poor SP when the cubs changed their season by picking up hamels. So Sad

 

 

We are 18-15 since the all star break. I don't know how to find that split exactly but just looking at past 30 games we are 11th in W/L record. We have not been one of the worst records since the ASG, people seem to think we are in a total collapse but we have played just about as well since the all star break as we did before it. That 1-8 stretch right before the break derailed things, post ASG hasn't at all.

 

The Cubs didn't change their season by picking up Hamels - they were multiple games clear of the rest of the NL when they acquired him. In fact, Hamels' last handful of starts basically looked like the last 3 Guerra has just made. At the time of the trade, Hamels would've had the worst numbers among Brewer starters and it wouldn't have been close. Hamels' 2018 performance prior to being traded was almost as if he knew he would be traded, and he basically sleep-walked to get to the AS Break and prevented any significant trade market surfacing for him so a contending team with no farm system could swoop in and basically pick him up for AAAA fodder and marginal contract relief.

 

The Cardinals being on fire for weeks and the Cubs' recent winning streak has made the Brewers' win 5, lose 4 / win 4, lose 5 stretch since pretty much June look like they're walking uphill in quicksand. That 1-8 stretch definitely slapped them into the place they're stuck in and deserve to be right now, too.

[treego14]

Oh great. Fire Counsell posts are flying. Is this Twitter? Good night

Good night, Mrs. Counsell.

[treego14]

Counsell can't use Hader and Jeffress every night. The othwr guys have to get the job done sometimes. At the end of the day they just are not good enough. Simple as that. They are bout done.

 

Jeffress threw 11 pitches in the three previous days.

Soria threw 16 pitches in the three previous days.

Hader threw 21 pitches in the three previous days.

 

Why could they not start the inning late in the game after crawling to within one run, possibly?

 

Albers???? What a joke!!!!

 

Inexcusable Bullpen Management!!!! Counsell needs to work for IBM!!!!

[treego14]

MATT ALBERS since JUNE 1

7.1……….IP

25………..H

23………..ER

6……..…..BB

9……..…..K (not bad, not bad at all.)

 

28.22.……ERA

4.23………WHIP

[The stache]

Bottom line, when your starter can't get through the 2nd and you're down 6, there doesn't need to be a paralysis by analysis of bullpen decisions - particularly with how most of the bullpen is struggling.

 

If it had stayed Brewers down six, I'd agree with you. But they didn't. The Brewers were down 6-7. The offense fought back, and got to within one. CC then blew it. He put in a guy that had no business pitching in a high leverage situation. Albers had given up 18 runs in his last 3 2/3 innings pitched. That's a 44.18 ERA over his last seven appearances.

 

What in Sam hell was Counsell doing putting him in there?

 

No, you can't put Hader and JJ out there every night. But the team had just had a day off. You have approximately thirty games left, and you can't worry about next week if you're going to hand away games against opponents that are 19 games below .500. If there's a chance to earn a win tonight, you get it. Time is running out, and the Reds have a horrible staff. Lock their lineup down, and give our offense, which just scored a bunch of runs, a chance to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat.

[adambr2]

i still find it odd when stearns keeps praising our starting pitchers. Our starting pitching is failing us along with most of our bullpen. At this point, im not sure what we can do other than try for lady luck against a very weak schedule. Cant keep losing to worthless loser teams.

 

Since the ASG we have one of the worst records.

 

But we chose to roll the dice with poor SP when the cubs changed their season by picking up hamels. So Sad

 

We are 18-15 since the all star break. I don't know how to find that split exactly but just looking at past 30 games we are 11th in W/L record. We have not been one of the worst records since the ASG, people seem to think we are in a total collapse but we have played just about as well since the all star break as we did before it. That 1-8 stretch right before the break derailed things, post ASG hasn't at all.

 

We are 18-17, not 18-15. Not a huge difference but you took away 2 losses there.

Which is why I've said we really need to go on a good run as .500ish ball to the finish line will not be good enough. I think 89 wins will be the minimum needed which would require going 16-13.

[tmwiese55]

But if you just have Soria or Williams start the inning your chances or runs given up goes drastically down vs Albers

Hard to do that when you had to go to your bullpen in the 2nd inning. One more run and the game is in extra innings... then what?

 

Woodruff's turn in the rotation is tomorrow; he last pitched on 8/24. Expect to see him up. If not... don't be surprised (or upset) if Wilkerson is up. He's on the AAA Temporary Inactive list and hasn't pitched in a while. He's as fresh as anyone.

 

You used them both anyway. If you use one there, then reassess after that inning. Still down one, use the other. Extra innings you still have Jeffress/Hader who can do multiple if needed. They had an off day yesterday. so guys can go back to back days to be used today as well. Sure you're behind the 8 ball when put in this spot by the starter but once you get it to 1 run you should probably try to win the game.

[TURBO]

So, what are the odds Gennett hits a 3-run HR here?

 

Surprisingly less than a 2-run triple. Gennett is becoming my least favorite player in the MLB, only because he kills us on the field. My least favorite player in the MLB is really Yadier Molina, and there's probably a good chance he actually killed someone.

 

LOL!

 

Scooter is by far my favorite non-Brewer player in MLB, but I hate it when he beats us.

[TURBO]

After tonight I truly feel they should fire Counsel just like they did Yost during the 2008 playoff run.

 

Craig Counsell will be here as long as he wants. He's the Golden Boy!