TooLiveBrew

Well, surely only hitters were using, & not pitchers, right?

Fiers aiming to help Brewers gain in playoff race Waino looking to help first-place St. Louis extend NL Central lead By Manny Randhawa / MLB.com | 9/17/2014 2:10 AM ET On Wednesday night, Brewers right-hander Mike Fiers will be making his first start since he released an 88 mph fastball that hit Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton in the face last Thursday at Miller Park. Stanton sustained a laceration and multiple fractures. Fiers, who fought back tears during a postgame media session, said he has been in touch with Stanton since then. "Just talked a little bit," Fiers said. "He understands it wasn't on purpose." Fiers now turns his focus to another crucial contest for Milwaukee after the club grinded out a 3-2, 12-inning victory in its series opener against the Cardinals on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium. With time running out in the regular season, the win moved the Brewers to four games behind St. Louis in the National League Central, and kept them 1 1/2 games behind the Pirates for the second NL Wild Card spot. "I just don't really want to talk about [the Stanton situation]," Fiers said. "I just want to get rid of it and focus on [Wednesday], and the rest of the season." Since entering the starting rotation in place of the injured Matt Garza in early August, the 29 year-old Fiers has been stellar, going 6-1 with a 1.74 ERA in seven starts. Fiers' between-starts bullpen session on Sunday was excellent, pitching coach Rick Kranitz said. "You still have to go about your game plan and you still have to pitch to your strengths," Kranitz said. "It's never an easy thing. I know; I've hit guys before in the head, and it's never a pleasant thing. But it's part of the game. So yeah, it's business as usual. "Everything's been good leading up. He's the same guy. We've talked about it. You get it out in the open and talk about it a little bit -- that's all you can really do -- and now you just go back to work. It's not easy." Fiers will be facing a team that knows how to win in September, and is proving it again in 2014. Tuesday's loss was the first regular season defeat St. Louis experienced at home in September or October since Sept. 14, 2013, against Seattle. St. Louis is 29-8 in September and October regular season home games since 2012, including a red-hot 19-3 dating to last year. The Cards have won 10 of 15 so far this month, though their loss on Tuesday trimmed their lead over the Pirates in the NL Central to 2 1/2 games with 11 remaining in the regular season. "I don't know if we're at our best yet," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "I've seen some better runs we've had here lately, and I've seen some things that we all would like. But to say this is our best of the year is cutting it all short. I think we have to keep pushing for what that best is going to look like. Hopefully that's still in front of us." St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright will be looking for his 19th win of the season on Wednesday. Should he earn that win, it would be the fourth time in the veteran right-hander's career that he's won at least 19 games. Following a rough stretch from Aug. 1 to Sept. 2, in which he posted an uncharacteristic 5.28 ERA, Wainwright returned to form over his last two starts, in which he allowed two earned runs in 17 innings (1.06 ERA). Wainwright tossed a complete game in his last outing against the Brewers, allowing one run on seven hits on Sept. 7. Brewers: Broxton dealing Reliever Jonathan Broxton has tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings in seven appearances since being acquired in an Aug. 31 trade with the Reds. The veteran right-hander has allowed just three hits and no walks, while fanning six. Cardinals: Wacha's return uncertain With right-hander Michael Wacha still trying to recover from a stress reaction in his right shoulder that sidelined him for 11 weeks before he made two starts earlier this month, the Cardinals remain unsure whether the 23 year-old will take the mound again this season, or in what capacity. "We have a few options here," Matheny said on Tuesday. "He starts soon. He starts later. He relieves soon. He relieves later. Or he doesn't pitch at all. But things are going in a direction to where I imagine he'll be pitching sooner rather than later. Just like everybody else, I'd like to see Michael out there on the mound. I'd like to see him starting. But we're going to make sure with this kid. We're going to make sure everything is right before we do that." Veteran right-hander John Lackey, who was initially scheduled to start the series opener against the Brewers but said he was experiencing a "dead arm," threw a side session on Tuesday and could start as soon as Friday against the Reds. Worth noting • Milwaukee's Aramis Ramirez is 23-for-56 (.411) with eight doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs in his career against Wainwright. Jean Segura is 5-for-11 (.455) with a home run and two RBIs against the right-hander. • The Cardinals have won 10 of 17 games against the Brewers this season. St. Louis is 40-28 against NL Central opponents in 2014, compared to 43-40 against teams outside the division.

ALRIGHT! NICE WIN, BOYS!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

LOUD NOISES!!!!!!!

We're gonna need one or two of those "runs" here before too much longer Ok... Siegrist has given up 5 taters in 29 IP. Now is the time.

Just how they drew it up in Maryvale. WOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!

Season on the line. Kintzler in. Hold onto your butts.

I know it's popular to bag on Braun and his thumb injury as certainly caused him to be less-than-Braun-like this year, but really? If he were to have gotten a base hit in extra innings, you'd mock him for being "anti-clutch?" Like a guy sucks if he can't dial up a homer on demand? +1000. League average the last I checked is a .700 OPS. Braun, in a down year, is around .800. What a bum. Some would probably say he's been struggling for a month or better. Just an awful hitter. I'm not of the 'bag on Braun' variety, but fwiw his OPS since the AS break (heading into tonight's game) is .707. He's been pretty rough for a while now.

C'mon, Clark

[igt-2012][game-setup][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/brewers.png[/logo][game-info][h1]September 17 | 7:15 P.M.[/h1][h2]Brewers (79-72) | Cardinals (83-68)[/h2][h3]FSWI | WTMJ 620[/h3][/game-info][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/cardinals.png[/logo][/game-setup][pitching-photos]http://i.imgur.com/WDySXHO.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/Ybq4mTd.jpg[/pitching-photos][game-matchup][divclass=away][pitcher]Mike Fiers[/pitcher][h2]6-2, 1.84 ERA, 0.86 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Cardinals | Game Log[/h3][h3]Fiers is making his first start since hitting Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton with a pitch, resulting in facial fractures. In seven starts since being called up Aug. 9 to fill in for Matt Garza, Fiers is 6-1 with a 1.74 ERA.[/h3][/divclass][divclass=home][pitcher]Adam Wainwright[/pitcher][h2]18-9, 2.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Brewers | Game Log[/h3][h3]Wainwright picked up his 18th win on Friday. In his last two starts, Wainwright has given up two runs in 17 innings. Wainwright didn't walk anybody Friday, a sign that his control appears to be back after a shaky August.[/h3][/divclass][starting-lineup][divclass=away] CF Carlos Gomez 2B Scooter Gennett C Jonathan Lucroy 3B Aramis Ramirez RF Ryan Braun LF Gerardo Parra 1B Lyle Overbay SS Jean Segura RHP Mike Fiers[/divclass][divclass=home] 3B Matt Carpenter RF Jon Jay LF Matt Holliday 1B Matt Adams SS Jhonny Peralta C Yadier Molina 2B Daniel Descalso CF Peter Bourjos RHP Adam Wainwright[/divclass][/starting-lineup][/game-matchup][game-links][h3][chat]BrewerFan Chat[/chat] | MLB Gameday[/h3][/game-links][/igt-2012]

Crew visits Cards, aims to trim St. Louis' Central lead Peralta, Lynn take mound to open critical series at Busch Stadium By Joe Morgan / MLB.com | 9/14/2014 5:58 PM ET The Brewers are in the thick of the National League Wild Card race, but they're a series win against the Cardinals away from making the NL Central race even more interesting. Trailing the Pirates by 1 1/2 games for the second Wild Card and the Cards by five games in the Central, Milwaukee visits St. Louis for a three-game series beginning Tuesday night. Lance Lynn will start on normal rest opposite Brewers hurler Wily Peralta. An off-day Monday allowed the Cardinals to go with Lynn instead of John Lackey, who was the scheduled starter. Lackey has been dealing with stiffness and dead arm. Lynn has won four of his last five decisions. His only loss during that stretch came in a complete-game performance his last time out, when the Reds' Johnny Cueto outdueled him, 1-0. "To us, he's kind of in another gear in his career and he's been very consistent with how he's preparing and executing," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "The stuff's always been there but there's more of a consistent approach to how he's getting the first out from his last one and how he's gone about his business." Peralta will try to outpitch Lynn like he has against many others en route to a career-high 16 wins. Although he struggled mightily in back-to-back rough starts Aug. 23 and 29, he has allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine of his past 11 outings. Most recently, he held the Marlins to only one run in 6 2/3 innings last Wednesday. The victory snapped a stretch during which Milwaukee won just three of 19. "I think we needed it as a team," Peralta said of his crucial gem. "That's a good one. If we keep motivate[d] and keep fighting. ... I think we'll get some wins." Cardinals: Home brewing St. Louis is 10-6 against Milwaukee, but only 3-3 against its NL Central rival at home compared to a 7-3 mark in Miller Park. The Cardinals would need to sweep the Brewers this week to match last year's 6-3 record against Milwaukee at Busch Stadium. Brewers: Lucroy doubling down on history Forty-four of Jonathan Lucroy's 51 doubles this season have come as a catcher, tying Yadier Molina's NL record set in 2013. Lucroy's next two-bagger as a backstop will tie Ivan Rodriguez's Major League record of 45 set in 1996. Worth noting • Milwaukee closer Francisco Rodriguez's 345 career saves rank 11th on the all-time list. • St. Louis left fielder Matt Holliday owns a Major League-best 23 game-winning RBIs.

[igt-2012][game-setup][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/brewers.png[/logo][game-info][h1]September 16 | 7:15 P.M.[/h1][h2]Brewers (78-72) | Cardinals (83-67)[/h2][h3]FSWI, ESPN | WTMJ 620[/h3][/game-info][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/cardinals.png[/logo][/game-setup][pitching-photos]http://i.imgur.com/1mXlUNy.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/EmGb2Tr.jpg[/pitching-photos][game-matchup][divclass=away][pitcher]Wily Peralta[/pitcher][h2]16-10, 3.75 ERA, 1.35 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Cardinals | Game Log[/h3][h3]Peralta turned in a much-needed quality start in his last outing after the Brewers had lost 13 of 14, allowing one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings in a 4-1 victory over Miami. Prior to that, however, the right-hander had lost three straight starts.[/h3][/divclass][divclass=home][pitcher]Lance Lynn[/pitcher][h2]15-9, 2.73 ERA, 1.27 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Brewers | Game Log[/h3][h3]Lynn was denied his 16th win on Thursday despite allowing one run while pitching his second career complete game. Lynn has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his last 13 starts and continues to be at his best deep in games.[/h3][/divclass][starting-lineup][divclass=away] CF Carlos Gómez 2B Scooter Gennett C Jonathan Lucroy 3B Aramis Ramírez RF Ryan Braun LF Gerardo Parra 1B Matt Clark SS Jean Segura RHP Wily Peralta[/divclass][divclass=home] 3B Matt Carpenter RF Jon Jay LF Matt Holliday 1B Matt Adams SS Jhonny Peralta C Yadier Molina 2B Kolten Wong CF Peter Bourjos RHP Lance Lynn[/divclass][/starting-lineup][/game-matchup][game-links][h3][chat]BrewerFan Chat[/chat] | MLB Gameday[/h3][/game-links][/igt-2012]

Whoops. I went out of town this weekend & forgot about tonight's IGT. Thanks Casey.

Thank you, everyone. The consistent level of quality is impressive & I know it's a big commitment of time.

Brooks also wore a prosthetic sixth finger on his left hand for putting down his handprints. Man I love that guy!

Reds visit Crew for opener between NL Central rivals Cincinnati turns to Latos, who tries to play spoiler vs. Brewers, Lohse By Cody Ulm / MLB.com | 9/12/2014 2:30 AM ET For all the talk about what could have been with the Reds this season, they have sure handled their business against the playoff-hopeful Brewers this season. Even though Cincinnati is 10 games out of the National League Central race and 7 1/2 behind in the NL Wild Card standings, the club can still play spoiler against Milwaukee. The Reds have taken three of the four sets they've played against the Brewers this season, edging them, 7-6, in the season series. Despite dropping the first two games to the Marlins this week, the Brewers came back to win the last two of the series and kept themselves afloat in the NL Wild Card race. They enter Friday's series opener 1 1/2 games behind the Pirates for the second NL Wild Card spot. Although he missed the start of the season following a series of offseason surgeries, Reds right-hander Mat Latos has made three of those starts against the Brewers this season. Latos' first start of the year actually came against the Brewers in an outing in which he held Milwaukee to just two hits over six scoreless innings. He'd end up taking a hard-luck loss in that outing, but overall, his numbers are solid against the Brewers this season with a 1-1 record and a 2.57 ERA. Latos was the victim of another hard-luck loss his last time out after a Billy Hamilton error opened up a three-run sixth inning by the Mets. Those unearned runs would end up being all he'd allow over six innings off seven hits and one walk. "I pitched all right," Latos said after the Reds' 4-3 loss. "Billy committed an error out in center field, but look at all the plays he's made for us all year. He's been real good defensively out there. I've got to do a better job of pitching out of that jam; you can't throw a fastball down the middle to a guy like [Anthony] Recker and expect nothing to happen to it. I put a lot of guys on base. There were a lot of consistent pitches in the zone instead of expanding a little bit, trying to get them to chase or pitching inside more." Latos will be matched against Brewers right-hander Kyle Lohse, who has surrendered 13 earned runs, 17 hits and eight walks in his three starts since resting his sprained ankle. "He's a 'feel' guy, and he's lost his feel right now," catcher Jonathan Lucroy said of Lohse. The good news is that Lohse has certainly had his feel against the Reds this season. In three 2014 starts against Cincinnati, Lohse has compiled a 1-1 record and 3.00 ERA. He hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any of those outings and he even struck out an uncharacteristic eight batters in his start on July 4 vs. the Reds. Brewers: Rodriguez joins Hoffman, Rivera in record books By logging his 40th save Wednesday against the Marlins, Brewers closer Francisco Rodriguez became just the third pitcher ever with five separate 40-save seasons. Rodriguez joins Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman -- who each had nine such seasons -- as the only closers ever to accomplish the feat. K-Rod recovered nicely from Tuesday night's two-homer meltdown to the Marlins in order to record a scoreless frame. He followed that up with a perfect ninth in Thursday's 4-2 win. Rodriguez's 41 saves are tied for the fifth most in baseball. Reds: Votto ready to travel for first time since July As the Reds get set to travel on their final road trip of 2014, they'll be joined by their star first baseman for the first time since July. Joey Votto has been on the disabled list since July 8 with a distal strain of his left quadriceps, but the fact that he's traveling with the team on this nine-game tour suggests he's inching closer to a return. "He's been out taking ground balls and hitting off a tee," Red manager Brian Price said Thursday. "If he's not with us, really in my opinion, we may as well just sign off on him not playing this year, if he doesn't go with us and continue to do baseball-related activities. That's the only way we can really evaluate him, if we see him and see what he's doing." Although the Reds haven't officially laid out a timetable for his return, they remain hopeful that Votto will be able to make it back sometime over their final 15 games. Worth noting • Reds outfielder Jay Bruce is 11-for-39 (.282) all-time against Lohse with three doubles, a triple, a homer and six RBIs. • Reds catcher-first baseman Brayan Pena was a late scratch Thursday due to illness.

[igt-2012][game-setup][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/reds.png[/logo][game-info][h1]September 12 | 7:10 P.M.[/h1][h2]Reds (70-77) | Brewers (76-71)[/h2][h3]FSWI | WTMJ 620[/h3][/game-info][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/brewers.png[/logo][/game-setup][pitching-photos]http://i.imgur.com/r0R3vmR.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/bx0hOZd.jpg[/pitching-photos][game-matchup][divclass=away][pitcher]Mat Latos[/pitcher][h2]5-5, 3.25 ERA, 1.15 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Brewers | Game Log[/h3][h3]Latos was hurt by faulty defense behind him in a 4-3 loss to the Mets on Sunday. He allowed three runs (none earned) on seven hits, walking one and fanning five. In three starts against Milwaukee this season, the right-hander is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA.[/h3][/divclass][divclass=home][pitcher]Kyle Lohse[/pitcher][h2]12-9, 3.85 ERA, 1.22 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Marlins | Game Log[/h3][h3]In three starts since taking time off to heal a sprained ankle, Lohse has allowed 13 earned runs, 17 hits and eight walks in 15 2/3 innings. "He's a 'feel' guy, and he's lost his feel right now," catcher Jonathan Lucroy said.[/h3][/divclass][starting-lineup][divclass=away] RHP Mat Latos[/divclass][divclass=home] RHP Kyle Lohse[/divclass][/starting-lineup][/game-matchup][game-links][h3][chat]BrewerFan Chat[/chat] | MLB Gameday[/h3][/game-links][/igt-2012]

I hope this kickstarts something. Great quote!

Nice to see both Clark & Parra (not that Khrush Davis has been bad lately) in the lineup today.

Brewers need Fiers to remain hot against Marlins Most consistent hurler amid Crew's tough stretch opposes Eovaldi By Joe Morgan / MLB.com | 9/11/2014 12:02 AM ET Mike Fiers appears to be the only Brewers hurler who can win lately. Milwaukee has won only five of its past 21 games, and Fiers owns three of those victories. Called up when Matt Garza was first sidelined with an oblique injury, Fiers is 5-1 with a 1.94 ERA while limiting opponents to a .166 batting clip in six starts. "He has pitched outstanding for the time he has been up here," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. Milwaukee needs Fiers to triumph again as he faces the Marlins on Thursday night at Miller Park -- and win a few more after that -- if the club has plans of either snagging one of the National League's two Wild Card spots or gaining ground in the NL Central race. The Crew enters Thursday 1 1/2 games behind Pittsburgh in the Wild Card race, and five games behind St. Louis in the division. Nathan Eovaldi will oppose Fiers, hoping to continue the sharpness he has displayed in back-to-back quality starts, both of which unfortunately resulted in Miami defeats. The big blow in Eovaldi's most recent turn -- a 4-3 loss to the Braves last Saturday -- came when opposing pitcher Alex Wood notched a two-run single after Eovaldi intentionally walked No. 8 hitter B.J. Upton to load the bases. The Marlins rallied to tie the game at 3, but Evan Gattis delivered for Atlanta in the top of the 10th with a solo homer. "It's frustrating to lose this game," Eovaldi simply said. Brewers: Braun expected to return to lineup After missing two straight starts due to a right thumb injury, Ryan Braun is expected to return to Milwaukee's lineup on Thursday night. Braun downplayed the notion that the thumb injury may have spread into his hand. "There's nothing wrong with my hand," Braun said. "Never has been anything wrong with my hand. There was a little thing in the wrist that we were dealing with, but it's more the thumb is the issue. "I think sometimes when my thumb gets bad, it's because I hold the bat different, so I try to do different things to find a way to compensate. So there's other little things, but there's nothing wrong with my hand." Marlins: Ozuna boosting batting average Marcell Ozuna is having a breakout season for Miami, tallying 22 homers and 83 RBIs through 142 games this season. And now his batting average has reached .270 thanks to his recent tear. The 23-year-old outfielder owns a six-game hitting streak during which he is batting .458 (11-for-24) with three doubles, three homers, nine RBIs and three multi-hit games. Worth noting • Ozuna finished 3-for-3 with two walks and a homer on Tuesday night, becoming the second center fielder in Marlins franchise history to go deep and post a perfect on-base average in a single game. • Milwaukee's Khris Davis ranks third among NL outfielders with 33 home runs since July 23, 2013. Miami's Giancarlo Stanton leads that category with 51 homers.

[igt-2012][game-setup][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/marlins.png[/logo][game-info][h1]September 11 | 7:10 P.M.[/h1][h2]Marlins (71-73) | Brewers (75-71)[/h2][h3]FSWI | WTMJ 620[/h3][/game-info][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/brewers.png[/logo][/game-setup][pitching-photos]http://i.imgur.com/Lqbw18E.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/9CIJ8yK.jpg[/pitching-photos][game-matchup][divclass=away][pitcher]Nathan Eovaldi[/pitcher][h2]6-10, 4.19 ERA, 1.29 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Brewers | Game Log[/h3][h3]The fourth inning got away from Eovaldi in his last turn vs the Braves on Saturday. After loading the bases on an intentional walk, he gave up a two-run single to the pitcher. He settled down to make it through 6 1/3 innings, but allowed three runs.[/h3][/divclass][divclass=home][pitcher]Mike Fiers[/pitcher][h2]5-2, 2.03 ERA, 0.82 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Marlins | Game Log[/h3][h3]Fiers has exceeded expectations since the Brewers promoted him to the rotation in the wake of Matt Garza's oblique injury. All six of his outings have been quality starts, and only once has he surrendered more than two runs.[/h3][/divclass][starting-lineup][divclass=away] LF Christian Yelich 2B Donovan Solano RF Giancarlo Stanton 3B Casey McGehee CF Marcell Ozuna 1B Garrett Jones SS Adeiny Hechavarria C Jeff Mathis RHP Nathan Eovaldi[/divclass][divclass=home] CF Carlos Gómez 2B Scooter Gennett C Jonathan Lucroy 3B Aramis Ramírez RF Ryan Braun LF Gerardo Parra 1B Matt Clark SS Jean Segura RHP Mike Fiers[/divclass][/starting-lineup][/game-matchup][game-links][h3][chat]BrewerFan Chat[/chat] | MLB Gameday[/h3][/game-links][/igt-2012]

Yelich looks a bit like Aubrey Plaza. Come to think of it, have the two ever been seen together? ... Just sayin'...

It's quite well backed up by his MiLB years. Ignore if you want to; I'm not picking on the guy, I'm just looking at things realistically. He's an absolute weapon against RHPs as far as 2B goes around the league. But so far in his professional career, he's been weak against LHPs. I hope, as much as any Brewers fan, that he can demonstrate the ability to hit LHPs. Your logic doesn't hold water -- don't count one small sample, count the other small sample? For now, all I can rely on is the much larger sample that is his MiLB career. Look at another sport for comparison -- there's always hope that a really poor free throw shooter can improve, and in some cases they do. But you typically don't see guys improve from being 40-50% guys to an acceptable NBA level (around 75% or so, I'd guess). Strengths & weaknesses. It's ok to me if Scooter 'only' winds up being a platoon bat, because he projects to be a dang good one... worst-case scenario here is a really good hitter for his position who is best against the handedness of SP that the team will face 2/3 of the time or more.