Game Thread (8/19/2022): Brewers (Ashby) at Cubs (Thompson) - 1:20 PM CDT

[brewers888]

Respectable showing against the Dodgers will all be thrown down the drain if we don't win at least 2 out of 3 this weekend. If this team is going to get into the playoffs they need to dominate the bottom feeders which they sure as heck haven't accomplished lately.

[mtrebs]

Ashby isn’t looking very good today. Hopefully he settles down very soon, otherwise he won’t make it through 4. Too many costly mistakes too, not covering first base and the wild pitch cost is runs. 

[brewers888]

Just now, BruisedCrew said:

23-18 against those teams is not good enough for a team that wants to make the playoffs. Throw in 3-3 against the Nationals and they are losing significant ground against other playoff contenders. 

That is a dreadful record against terrible teams.

[edfunderburk]

3 minutes ago, Brewcrew82 said:

Geez. I see the Cubs are going to get all the infield hits today.

This season is “death by 1000 cuts”

If they are going to lose out on making the playoffs, I’d rather they fall apart now … lose 8 of 10 … instead of splitting with the Dodgers & then not showing up against weak opponents like the Cubbies

I enjoyed watching the Lopes Brewers more than this bunch - I expected them to lose but they occasionally surprised me 

The opposite is true this year

[Brewcrew82]

6 minutes ago, BruisedCrew said:

It isn’t just the 1 out, it’s the 3 runs. I don’t think it’s asking too much from an ace Cy Young pitcher to deliver more than a “good job”.

If the best we can hope for from Burnes is 3 runs in 5+ innings that isn’t going to be good enough against the best teams with their best pitchers on the mound. The Brewers were able to put 5 runs on the board against Heaney, who likely won’t be in the Dodgers playoff starting rotation. They likely won’t be scoring 5 runs  against the kind of starters they would be seeing in the playoffs. 
 

I never said it was the best we can hope for from Burnes. You're putting words in my mouth there. The three runs were less than ideal, obviously. Still, the Dodgers' offense is that good, and Burnes isn't going to dominate teams every game. 

[Nola Beery]

I am unable to watch, but it seems like Ashby is poor all around today, many hits, 2 wild pitches, and a lame defensive play not covering 1B. Izzat about it?   

[Brewcrew82]

Another infield hit comes around to score. Ashby isn't doing himself many favors, but still frustrating. Going to need to score some more runs. 

[Brewcrew82]

Just put it in the air, baby. 

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Elevate the ball and hope it carries out. Tellez just got enough. 

[yourout]

If Urias and Adames don't sport a better BA by next June it will be time to look elswhere.

[YelichPosse]

Rowdy!

PS that Adames groundout was EXACTLY the difference between this year and last. He is reaching out and pulling. Last year he literally went with every pitch, and that was a bullet to the RC gap. 

 

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Renfroe got way more than enough. That’s a major league bomb. 

[HarryDoyle]

1 minute ago, ReverendBrewmeister said:

Elevate the ball and hope it carries out. Tellez just got enough. 

Or just crush it.

[Nola Beery]

Just now, yourout said:

If Urias and Adames don't sport a better BA by next June it will be time to look elswhere.

Maybe they need to quit that weird bending backwards thing.  

 

[Brewcrew82]

Holy crap, Renfroe. 

[yourout]

That was a BiG big fly.

[yfinn6]

Wow, Renfro. Sheesh. That poor scoreboard. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 minutes ago, mtrebs said:

Ashby isn’t looking very good today. Hopefully he settles down very soon, otherwise he won’t make it through 4. Too many costly mistakes too, not covering first base and the wild pitch cost is runs. 

Very solid in his last start. Hoping that was a prelude but it just seems to be a "one forward, two back" kinda stretch for him. Frustrating when you have to be patient when someone has such great stuff, but someday he'll stop self-inflicting.

[igor67]

It looks like one of those classical Brewers Cubs games in the making.

[YelichPosse]

That was a grown man bomb.

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 minute ago, YelichPosse said:

Rowdy!

PS that Adames groundout was EXACTLY the difference between this year and last. He is reaching out and pulling. Last year he literally went with every pitch, and that was a bullet to the RC gap. 

 

Yep. He's been waiting back & driving to right, but he constantly goes away from it. Just really inconsistent.

[yourout]

Plate ump has already missed more than a few strikes.

[folly412]

Funny.  Two unicorns and one no-doubter:

 

[yourout]

2 minutes ago, folly412 said:

Funny.  Two unicorns and one no-doubter:

 

427?    Rah right. That was an easy 450.

[BruisedCrew]

10 minutes ago, edfunderburk said:

Do you believe that 23-18 is “handling” those three teams?

To put this into perspective, here’s how the Brewers 26-21 record against the Pirates, Cubs, Reds, and Nats compares to the rest of the NL playoff contenders:

Cardinals 24-11 (they have a lot more games remaining against those teams than the Brewers; that’s going to make it hard for the Brewers to get help down the stretch. They have to start winning well over half their games to keep pace and catch up.

Dodgers 16-8. Despite the incongruous 1-5 record against the Pirates, they made up for it by going 7-0 against both the Cubs and Reds. When you’re cruising to a division title and best record in the league like they are, you can afford to take a series off once in awhile. The Brewers don’t have that luxury.

Phillies. 16-5

Mets 18-5

Braves 21-9

Padres 17-5. 
 

So, yeah, the Brewers’ failure to dominate the bottom feeders like they did last year may be what keeps them out of the playoffs this year.