TooLiveBrew

Roenicke actually seems to understand platoon advantages quite well. What he doesn't understand, which there's just no explanation for, is that Mark Kotsay cannot hit.

The other thing to factor in is that, while you can probably find an .800 OPS from a platoon, getting it from one player gives you more roster flexibility. So you can give significant plate appearances to the suck that is Mark Kotsay... wait a second...

Kotsay v. RHP this season: .235/.291/.319 Jamey Carroll can outhit that, I guarantee you. There was no offensive advantage gained, & that's the saddest part.

Crew Can't Complete Comeback By Nicholas Allen The Brewers trailed Idaho Falls 6-1 entering the ninth inning Saturday night but put up four runs on five hits and had a runner on third base when the final out was recorded. Tyler Roberts led off with a double down the left-field line and Max Walla singled up the middle to follow. Mike Nemeth's RBI single scored Roberts, leading to Kenny Allison's three run homer that brought the score to within one. Adrian Williams would reach later in the inning, but the Brewers could not push him across, falling to the Chukars 6-5 at Kindrick Legion Field. Chad Pierce (0-3) started for the Brewers, going five innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and striking out five. Kevin Shackelford followed with two runs over three innings and Seth Harvey gave the Brewers a chance by striking out the side in the ninth. Nick Ramirez had his eleven-game hit-streak snapped with an 0-for-4 night, but third baseman Kyle Dhanani stretch his to a league-leading 13 games with a fifth inning double. The four-game series concludes Sunday, with a 1:05 scheduled start. Mike Strong (2-0, 3.76) will be on the mound for the Brewers as they look to even the series before welcoming the Casper for a three-game set starting Monday.

Final: AZL Cubs 8, @AZL Brewers 2 AZL Box Score After the Brewers scored twice in the 1st inning, the Cubs responded with four in the 2nd, & kept the Brewers off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Brae Wright had his second straight rough outing, allowing four hits, four runs (all earned) & two walks in two innings. Relievers Chad Thompson & Elliot Glynn were the only pitchers to work scoreless innings for the Brewers. Thompson's was more dramatic -- he allowed a leadoff single & a walk before getting a fielder's choice groundout & two strikeouts to end the 8th. Glynn overcame two throwing errors by his defense by striking out two & recording the final out of the top of the 9th on a flyout to centerfield. Catcher Adam Weisenburg had a single & a "triple" (see the p-b-p). Shortstop Brandon Macias doubled in the first inning, & was plated by a single from Hitaniel Arias; both were the players' only hits in the game (though Arias had a stolen base). Jose Garcia's single was the only other hit for the Brewers; leadoff man & second baseman Renaldo Jenkins walked once. Cubs relievers Brian Smith (3 IP, 1 H, 0 BB/4 K) & Ryan Hartman (2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB/4 K) combined to shut out the Brewers after starter Roderik Pichardo was lifted from the game. AZL Play-by-Play I have to know... how was this a triple? With the catcher Weisenburg running... no error shown... ? AZL Brewers Bottom of the 6th Adam Weisenburger triples (1) on a pop up to catcher Neftali Rosario. Hitaniel Arias strikes out swinging. Jalen Harris flies into double play, right fielder Gregori Gonzalez to catcher Neftali Rosario. Adam Weisenburger out at home on the throw. And that's a painful way to end an inning. They must've been taking cues from the big-league Brewers.

Eddie the Windmill... I've seen enough of him as third base coach. EDIT: Also, RRR got owned by Bochy tonight in the 8th, which is just sad (as I don't think much of Bochy the strategist). The fact that he thinks a Mark Kotsay plate appearance vs. a RHP is more valuable than Brett Carroll + Carroll's huge edge on defense. Of course it was a huge surprise when Kotsay couldn't get to a Chris Stewart "single" that basically any competent CF would've caught. The mismanagement of this team, from Doug Melvin down, this season is as appalling as it is maddening.

McGehee continuing to stink at the plate tonight. Green continuing to not. At least Casey made a couple of really nice defensive plays, I guess.

Final: Idaho Falls 6, @Helena 5 Helena Box Score A furious four-run rally by Helena fell one run short in the bottom of the 9th, and it was as close as it could've been without succeeding. Down 6-1, Tyler Roberts kicked off the inning with a double, followed by a Max Walla single. Kyle Dhanani struck out, but Mike Nemeth then singled in Roberts. Kenny Allison followed with a three-run blast to left to get the Brewers within one run. Adrian Williams then singled, and advanced to second base on a pickoff throwing error by Chukars reliever Cody Fassold. Robbie Garvey grounded out to the right side of the infield, & Williams was able to advance to third. Yadiel Rivera stepped to the plate, with a chance to build his legend as a Brewers prospect... but it wasn't to be, as the young shortstop flew out to right to end the game. The only other run Helena managed came on a sac fly RBI by Nemeth in the 5th, driving in Walla, who'd led off the inning with a single. Dhanani had doubled on a grounder down the leftfield line after Walla, advancing Max to third. Allison finished 2-4, & was the standout offensive player with his clutch homerun. Walla went 2-3 with two singles & a walk; Nemeth was 2-3 with two singles & two RBI. The doubles by Dhanani & Roberts were their only hits on the night. Rivera & Williams each added one single; Garvey walked once. Eau Claire native, UW-Milwaukee product, & 2011 38th-rounder Chad Pierce had a forgettable start, allowing four runs (three earned), six hits, & one walk over five innings; he struck out five. Kevin Shackleford worked two scoreless innings, but sandwiched them around a rough 7th -- in which he hit the leadoff batter, allowed two singles, a double, & two earned runs. Seth Harvey was impressive in the 9th as he struck out the side in order. Helena Play-by-Play

Thank you for getting this thread back on topic! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

She had a hit? I'm not trying to be smart, I'm just pretty out of the pop music loop and I knew the name but I don't think I've ever heard anything she has done.Her album Back to Black is outstanding, honestly. "Rehab" was very chart-friendly, but the album as a whole was much deeper imo & very much legit. Very sad to hear of her death, but as has been mentioned, not surprising.

I don't think he's nearly as fast as he used to be, and I think he's done a nice job of not running into a lot of outs wishing he was still a burner. I really like Hart as a complementary player; he's developed pretty well as a hitter since his flailing struggles.

Check this stuff out. Apparently they think he gave them the middle finger. Fwiw, I thought he gave them a mock flipped bird as well. What he was doing certainly wasn't "ok" imo, but it's all pretty harmless. He's kind of a tool, but he's our tool so it's amusing.

In a recent interview with minor-leaguer Jimmy Nelson, Nelson made the comment that he always (in college & beyond) felt like he really started pitching his best after about the 60 IP tally or so on a season. I will admit this is just cherry-picking stats, but Greinke over his first 53.1 IP: 5.23 ERA; since then (last 6 starts): 4.24 ERA. While it may get dismissed, I also think there's something to Greinke essentially having his ST starts as rehab assignments & the start of his regular season. If you arbitrarily (aka cherry-picking-ly) wipe out his first 4 starts, his ERA since is 4.34.

PDX Beer Fest(!) this week http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ! / http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif Can't wait to see your pictures

Sadly, as Sessile Fielder noted in the MiLB transactions thread, Jim Breen tweeted that Garfield suffered a dislocated knee. The 2009 2nd rounder has definitely had rough luck with injuries so far in his young career, and a major knee injury is certainly a big obstacle for someone trying to develop as a catcher. Hope you can bounce all the way back, Cameron. It was only 38 PAs in Maryvale, but Garfield's slash line so far was .361/.395/.667/1.061. This is his age-20 season.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/102017398.html This was right after he was initially moved off of 3B in 2010.

I'm fascinated by Chesapeake Bay Retrievers' coats. I just think they're so cool.

WAR is not a defensive stat, it's a cumulative stat. If you're going to mock stats, at least make sure you've got the correct one. UZR or UZR/150 is a defensive stat. WAR combines offense & defense.

Quoted for emphasis. Come on, Eric!

Final: AZL Brewers 7, @AZL Dodgers 5 AZL Box Score The Brewers went up 5-0 after the top of the 2nd inning, only to see the Dodgers rally back to tie the game after the 6th. But the AZL Crew had two more runs left in them, taking the lead right back in the top of the 7th & securing the W. Mark Rogers made the start for the Brewers, allowing five hits & three runs (all earned). He struck out six & didn't walk a batter. Not a dominant appearance, but certainly reason to hope for Brewers & Rogers fans. Come on back to Milwaukee, Mark! I'll guess that the Brewers will be aggressive with Mark if he's fully healthy... maybe one more AZL start, & bump him up to Brevard County... ideally then on to Huntsville & Nashville? Entirely my speculation. 2011 6th rounder Danny Keller (California, H.S.) had a rough inning+, allowing two hits, three walks, two runs/earned runs, & striking out one. Stephen Peterson recorded the next six outs without allowing a hit; he worked two shutout innings with one walk & three K's. Mike White worked a perfect 9th, with two groundouts & one pop-out to the second baseman. Cameron Garfield went 1-4 with a double, but was replaced in the bottom of the 7th after a successful steal of 2B by the Dodgers' Devon Shines. Adam Weisenburger came on to replace Garfield; no word on whether the substitution was injury-related, but it certainly seems like a strange time to replace the young backstop Garfield if there was no injury concern. Third baseman & 8-hitter Andres Martinez went 2-5; 9-hitter/right fielder Jose Garcia was 2-5 with one RBI. Centerfielder Malcolm Dowell had a single, a walk, & a stolen base. DH Hitaniel Arias was 0-3 with two walks & one RBI. Shortstop Brandon Macias also went hitless, but had two walks & one RBI. 2011 50th-rounder Matthew Franco (Florida, H.S.) went hitless as the left fielder, but walked three times & scored a run. AZL Play-by-Play After the Dodgers scored two to tie the game in the bottom of the 6th, the Brewers answered back with two runs of their own in the top of the 7th: AZL Brewers Top of the 7th Pitcher Change: Craig Stem replaces Matthew Laney. Brandon Macias walks. Matthew Franco out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Craig Stem to first baseman Jesus Valdez. Brandon Macias to 2nd. Andres Martinez reaches on fielding error by third baseman Alex Santana. Brandon Macias scores. Andres Martinez to 3rd. Throwing error by third baseman Alex Santana. Jose R. Garcia singles on a ground ball to center fielder Devin Shines. Andres Martinez scores. Kevin Berard grounds out, third baseman Alex Santana to first baseman Jesus Valdez. Jose R. Garcia to 2nd. Malcolm Dowell strikes out swinging. Stephen Peterson & Mike White made sure the score held up for a victory.

Final: @Helena 8, Idaho Falls 2 Brewers Clip Chukars Helena Brewers Eric Arnett (2-2) went seven strong innings for the Brewers Friday night, allowing just two earned runs. The right-hander struck out seven and scattered eight hits. David Goforth added two clean innings, striking out three as the Brewers defeated the Idaho Falls Chukars 8-2 in Helena. Nick Ramirez again led the Brewers offensively, going 2-for-4 and driving in two runs and extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Ramirez got things started for the Crew, who trailed 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, doubling to lead off the inning. He would come around to score on Max Walla's double. Tyler Roberts also scored on the play as Chukars catcher Edul Escobar could not handle the throw from the outfield. Ramirez gave the Brewers a 4-2 lead in the fifth, with a two RBI double to score Gant Elmore and Robbie Garvey. The Brewers blew the score open in the sixth, adding four runs with two outs. Max Walla led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a ground out and then stole third base. Elmore walked and Garvey followed with a hit-and-run single through the hole on the right side, scoring Walla and sending Elmore to third. With runners on the corners, Garvey and Elmore completed a successful double-steal, scoring Garvey all the way from first after a throwing error by Idaho Falls second baseman Michael Liberto. Yadiel Rivera followed with his seventh home run of the season to bring the game to its final margin. The teams will meet again in the third game of the four game series at Kindrick Legion Field Saturday. Gates open at six o'clock with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm, with a series of promotions and giveaways planned. Helena Box Score Eric Arnett optimists, rejoice! 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R/ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Goforth worked two perfect innings, striking out three. Ramirez finished 2-4 with two doubles & two RBI. Walla went 2-3 with a double, a single, a walk, a stolen base, & two RBI. Leadoff man Robbie Garvey added two singles & a stolen base, while 9-hole hitter Elmore contributed two walks & one stolen base (of home, although it appears to have been the non-Jackie Robinson way). Mike Nemeth was 1-4, and John Dishon was 1-4 with a stolen base. Yadiel Rivera's home run was his lone hit of the game. Helena Play-by-Play 6th inning, two-out magic in Helena: Helena Bottom of the 6th Max Walla singles on a line drive to right fielder Chris Elder. Michael Nemeth grounds out to first baseman Richard Espy. Max Walla to 2nd. John Dishon called out on strikes. With Gant Elmore batting, Max Walla steals (1) 3rd base. Gant Elmore walks. Robert Garvey singles on a ground ball to right fielder Chris Elder. Max Walla scores. Gant Elmore to 3rd. With Yadiel Rivera batting, Gant Elmore steals (2) home. Robert Garvey steals (5) 2nd base. Robert Garvey scores. Throwing error by second baseman Michael Liberto. Yadiel Rivera homers (7) on a fly ball to left center field. Pitcher Change: David Middendorf replaces Robert Penny. Nick Ramirez flies out to left fielder Tyler Chism. I think you can safely assume the home/2B double steal happened in reverse order from how it was typed in the game log. Not sure why the game log can't describe that play as it happened, as that seems incredibly relevant. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like Garvey stole 2B, the throw went to 2B, & Elmore took off for home... with a throwing error by Liberto trying to get Elmore at home, allowing Garvey to score. Relevant details like that are exactly what's needed from these lower levels of MiLB play... just in my humble opinion.

Hmm, crap. You're right, it's 4.78. Not sure what I was smoking. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif I was working with +6 ER instead of +9. Thanks for catching that.

His next two starts will be against the Cubs & Astros, or Cubs & Cards, depending on whether or not Roenicke skips Narveson on the off day of the 25th. My guess is Narveson won't get skipped.

With two starts, Zack has moved his ERA from 5.45 to 4.84. Not only are the Brewers going to be glad to have him this season, he's going to be awesome to watch next season as well. That ERA will be in the low 4's & probably lower before you know it. If he makes three consecutive starts of 6 IP & 3 ER, his ERA is down to 4.78. Call me a crazy optimist, but I'm taking the under on a 4.53 ERA after his next three starts. If he pitches three more outings like his last one (7 IP, 2 ER), his ERA would be down to 4.40. Not saying it's likely, just saying it's possible. EDIT: Fixed incorrect ERA in 4th sentence. I'll still be crazy & take the under on a 4.53 ERA after his next three starts!

Tired dog = happy dog = happier owner