Game Thread (5/30/2022 - Game 2): Brewers (Ashby) at Cubs (Smyly) - 6:40 PM CDT

[Eye Black]

[edfunderburk]

I’m thrilled to see Yelich get a breather in tonight’s game … that’s good for him & for Brewers fans too 

We were teased for nearly a week, but it appears Yelich has reverted to the 2020 & 2021 version of himself once again 

This is not an accusation - I know Yelich had back & kneecap injuries as well as an obvious loss of confidence (listen to his interviews when he’s slumping) - but his sudden, steep drop in production makes me wonder if the Brewers had a sign stealing system in place like the Red Sox & Astros (& others, I’m sure) back in 2018 & 2019

[wallus]

Am I crazy for wanting to see what a lineup like this would do for a couple of weeks when healthy?

Against RHP

1. Wong- 2B

2. Adames- SS

3. Urias- 3B

4. Tellez- 1B

5. Hiura- DH

6. Yelich- LF

7. Renfroe- RF

8. Narvaez- C

9. Taylor- CF

Against LHP

1. McCutchen- DH

2. Adames- SS

3. Urias- 3B

4. Renfroe- RF

5. Taylor- CF

6. Yelich- LF

7.  Tellez- 1B

8. Brosseau- 2B

9. Caratini- C

 

[sveumrules]

59 minutes ago, edfunderburk said:

I’m thrilled to see Yelich get a breather in tonight’s game … that’s good for him & for Brewers fans too 

We were teased for nearly a week, but it appears Yelich has reverted to the 2020 & 2021 version of himself once again 

This is not an accusation - I know Yelich had back & kneecap injuries as well as an obvious loss of confidence (listen to his interviews when he’s slumping) - but his sudden, steep drop in production makes me wonder if the Brewers had a sign stealing system in place like the Red Sox & Astros (& others, I’m sure) back in 2018 & 2019

Yelich’s performance didn’t take off until the 2nd half of 2018. If there was some sort of nefarious activity afoot Aguilar & Schoop’s performance makes me think they had the indicator backward.

Nothing really fishy about anybody’s lines in 2019 either. Obviously Hiura hasn’t repeated his performance, but he killed it in AAA that year & hadn’t been “figured out” yet.

Arcia (64 OPS+), Shaw (45 OPS+), Hernan (64 OPS+) & Aguilar (80 OPS+) must have opted out in 2019 if something was up.

Over 2018-19 the Brewers were 13th in runs scored and 12th in position player wRC+. As a team they had 55.4 batting runs with Yelich posting 110 batting runs by himself. That means rest of the hitters were a combined -54.6 batting runs.

Well, Arcia was -48.5 too, so outside of Yelich & Arcia the rest of the hitters were around -6.1 batting runs.

If there was some kind of sign stealing set up in place it wasn’t terribly effective.

 

[CdrbrgMark]

CC you are driving me nutz!! Playing Keston again today against a LHP. Your decision making lately has gone South, even if we are luckily winning.

[Guest]

I think Yelich's sudden drop in production is directly related to his swing being different either because of the injury(or fear of re-injury) or just being out for a while and 'losing' his swing a bit. He's still hitting the ball just as hard as ever, he's just driving it directly into the ground. I don't think he's lost his skillset, I just think he needs to get over some mental issues and/or spend a good amount of time figuring out his swing again. It might just be blind optimism but I truly believe once he starts having fun again and gets out of his own head, he's going to be the same guy that won an MVP (albeit a bit older and more banged up). 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, CdrbrgMark said:

CC you are driving me nutz!! Playing Keston again today against a LHP. Your decision making lately has gone South, even if we are luckily winning.

I don't mind him playing against a LHP at all, I WILL mind if they pinch hit for him when a RHP comes in though.

[folly412]

5 minutes ago, timpep said:

I don't mind him playing against a LHP at all, I WILL mind if they pinch hit for him when a RHP comes in though.

Yep.  It's also Hiura or Peterson at first given Rowdy probably isn't going to be in the field for both games.  Not like there's another bat that crushes LHP to choose from.

[jason21nl]

That’s one heck of a catch 

[CdrbrgMark]

1 hour ago, wallus said:

Am I crazy for wanting to see what a lineup like this would do for a couple of weeks when healthy?

Against RHP

1. Wong- 2B

2. Adames- SS

3. Urias- 3B

4. Tellez- 1B

5. Hiura- DH

6. Yelich- LF

7. Renfroe- RF

8. Narvaez- C

9. Taylor- CF

Against LHP

1. McCutchen- DH

2. Adames- SS

3. Urias- 3B

4. Renfroe- RF

5. Taylor- CF

6. Yelich- LF

7.  Tellez- 1B

8. Brosseau- 2B

9. Caratini- C

 

Kind of like your lineups. However, don't you know CC's Golden Rule...never play the same lineup 2 games in a row.

[phnxcrew]

Ashby better throw a shutout.  The struggles against crappy lefties continue.

[markedman5]

 

[folly412]

10 minutes ago, phnxcrew said:

Ashby better throw a shutout.  The struggles against crappy lefties continue.

God has intervened.

[markedman5]

Lefty gone…..we score……

[sveumrules]

6 minutes ago, CdrbrgMark said:

Kind of like your lineups. However, don't you know CC's Golden Rule...never play the same lineup 2 games in a row.

Brewers have used 38 different lineups this year, with the most common being Wong / Adames / Yelich / McCutchen / Tellez / Renfroe / Narvaez / Cain / Peterson seven times.

Checking the eight teams with a higher runs per game than the Brewers so far it looks like they are at LAD (31 lineups), SFG (39), NYM (42), BOS (37), LAA (47), STL (44), COL (42) and NYY (44).

Looks like lotsa lineups is a league wide phenomenon. 

Also couldn’t believe HOU isn’t scoring more than us & despite six regulars roping Altuve (154 OPS+), Peña (146), Bregman (124), Brantley (128), Tucker (126) and Yordan (157), they are only 21st in runs per game. 

[CdrbrgMark]

Asked quite a while back....how do you blue tint a post to show sarcasm??

[edfunderburk]

8 minutes ago, CdrbrgMark said:

Asked quite a while back....how do you blue tint a post to show sarcasm??

I also want to know

[jason21nl]

Man that ball was crushed

[82brewcrew82]

That went far

 

[HarryDoyle]

Why aren’t our pitchers hitting Contreras anymore?

[Underachiever]

11 minutes ago, CdrbrgMark said:

Asked quite a while back....how do you blue tint a post to show sarcasm??

When you click Reply (or quote), highlight your text and tap Sa.

[HarryDoyle]

A wind aided home run.

[magnoliacrew]

Couldn't STAND Caratini when he was with the scrubs, but now I like him...

[HarryDoyle]

Now we have a reason to hit Contreras.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Ashby is electric