batman

BELOIT: RHP Carlos Villanueva at home vs. Quad City (Twins), 2:00 PM; Villanueva's one of the two kids from the Wayne Franklin / Leo Estrella deal (High Desert's RHP Glenn Woolard the other) Any locals planning on taking this one in at lovely Pohlman Field? I was hoping to get down there this weekend but unfortunately its not to be... Regardless, it would be great to get a first-hand report about Villanueva - not much info circulating about him and he's an intriguing latin prospect (one of very few in the organization). If you're there, don't be shy - let us know how he looks! Forrest Martin > You, ~Bill

Lancaster 15, High Desert 6 Not a good night for the Mavs. R H E ----------------------- Jet Hawks 15 16 2 Mavericks 6 11 1 Dave Nolasco got the loss; Travis Hinton (aka TH the DH) and Dan Boyd both went yard. ~Bill

Doug Davis has actually been a good pitcher when taking into account his ballpark and league. His career ERA+ is 98, his 2003 ERA+ was 113, and he's never been below 95 in a season. Matt Kinney, on the other hand, has a career ERA+ of 89, including an 84 in 2003. I'm all about giving him an opportunity to improve, and I think his stuff is very good and therefore he has a respectable ceiling, but in terms of performance he's in a whole other category than Davis. Doug pitches ugly, and he's bounced around like crazy, but he gets the job done. ~Bill

Really, how many times will we skip the 5th starter? I can't remember the exactitudes but Yost was quoted saying that they'd skip the fifth starter a bunch of times in the first two months of the season. This year there's a bigger difference between four and five than last year... so they're not going to move everyone back a day after off-days, or at least that's the current plan. In those situations, Obie will just get skipped. Sheets-Davis-Capuano should really be 1-2-3. I understand wanting to break up the lefties but those three are in a different league than Kinney and Obermueller, at least until someone proves otherwise (either by struggling in the former case or succeeding in the latter case). And as long as I'm posting, how 'bout Ginter? Dude is pretty good for a backup utility player. ~Bill

Have we found out what's wrong with Greg Bruso yet? I did a couple searches on google news and lexis and didn't come up with anything. Hope it's nothing serious, but it would be nice to know either way. ~Bill

Those game logs are such a blessing... I'm really stoked about having access to those this year. I just hope that everything is archived at the SportsNetwork site... it was nice having everything in one place on the Link Report but copying and re-formatting the HTML boxes would be brutal. It'll be a bit of a hassle in the beginning but I'm sure we'll get used to it... and the game logs definitely make up for the hassle! Anyway, just wanted to chime in and thank MassBrew for his awesome Link Reports... like Nomaaah, you are wicked awesome! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ~Bill

Jeff Bagwell... wow. Dude is tearing us up. 4-for-4 with a walk, two singles, a double, and a grand slam. At least Ginter is getting to play. ~Bill

And I still don't know what role Yost was expecting Durrington to play on the team. Designated towel waver? Durrington is the 2004 Enrique Cruz. He'll pinch hit early in the game if our starter is getting rocked and maybe pick up a few innings late in blowouts. And I agree with David (and Nedley) about the catching platoon... given that the better catcher (Moeller) is getting more playing time, and given that we'll skip the fifth starter a bunch of times, Moeller will get close to 75% of the starts, I'd guess. Hopefully he'll stay fresh that way, and Bennett will still be somewhat productive in his starts. Having set pitcher/catcher matchups definitely makes sense, as it creates an increased level of comfort between the two. I'd rather have Moeller catch the 1-2-4-5 and Bennett 3, but giving him the fifth starter isn't the end of the world. ~Bill

Winning is fun. MILWAUKEE (7) VS ST LOUIS (5) - FINAL MILWAUKEE ab r h rbi bb so lob avg S Podsednik cf 5 1 1 0 0 1 0 .300 C Counsell ss 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 .286 J Spivey 2b 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 .286 G Jenkins lf 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 .286 L Overbay 1b 4 1 2 2 0 0 1 .222 W Helms 3b 4 0 1 0 0 2 1 .167 B Grieve rf 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 .333 a-B Clark ph-rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 C Moeller c 4 1 1 2 0 1 2 .286 D Davis p 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 J Bennett p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 L Vizcaino p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-K Ginter ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 D Kolb p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 36 7 10 7 1 6 10 a-grounded to shortstop for B Grieve in the 8th; b-grounded to shortstop for L Vizcaino in the 9th. BATTING: 3B - G Jenkins 2 (2, J Marquis 2). HR - C Counsell (1, 1st inning off J Marquis 0 on, 1 Out), L Overbay (1, 6th inning off J Marquis 1 on, 0 Out), C Moeller (1, 6th inning off J Simontacchi 1 on, 1 Out). RBI - C Counsell (1), J Spivey (1), G Jenkins (2), L Overbay 2 (2), C Moeller 2 (2). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - W Helms 1, D Davis 1. GIDP - G Jenkins. Team LOB - 3. ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg T Womack 2b 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 .250 R Cedeno lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 S Kline p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 J Isringhausen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 b-M Anderson ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .500 A Pujols 1b 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 .250 S Rolen 3b 5 0 2 0 0 1 1 .333 E Renteria ss 5 2 2 1 0 0 4 .250 J Edmonds cf 4 1 2 0 0 1 0 .222 R Sanders rf 4 0 1 0 0 2 3 .250 M Matheny c 3 1 1 3 0 0 1 .500 J Marquis p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 J Simontacchi p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 a-R Lankford ph-lf 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 .333 Totals 38 5 12 5 2 4 14 a-walked for J Simontacchi in the 7th; b-reached on infield single to second for J Isringhausen in the 9th. BATTING: 2B - J Edmonds (1, D Davis). HR - M Matheny (1, 2nd inning off D Davis 1 on, 2 Out), E Renteria (1, 4th inning off D Davis 0 on, 1 Out). SF - M Matheny. RBI - M Matheny 3 (4), E Renteria (1), M Anderson (1). 2-out RBI - M Matheny 2, M Anderson. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - E Renteria 2, R Sanders 1, R Cedeno 1. Team LOB - 9. FIELDING: DP: 1 (T Womack-E Renteria-A Pujols). ---------------------------------------------------- MILWAUKEE - 102 004 000 -- 7 ST LOUIS - 020 100 101 -- 5 ---------------------------------------------------- MILWAUKEE ip h r er bb so hr era D Davis (W, 1-0) 6 1/3 7 4 4 1 4 2 5.68 J Bennett (H, 1) 1 1/3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 L Vizcaino (H, 2) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 D Kolb (S, 2) 1 3 1 1 1 0 0 4.50 ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era J Marquis (L, 0-1) 5 1/3 8 6 6 1 6 2 10.12 J Simontacchi 1 2/3 2 1 1 0 0 1 5.40 S Kline 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 J Isringhausen 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 Pitches-strikes: D Davis 98-65; J Bennett 19-12; L Vizcaino 5-2; D Kolb 22-14; J Marquis 101-63; J Simontacchi 23-14; S Kline 9-5; J Isringhausen 8-6. Ground balls-fly balls: D Davis 7-8; J Bennett 1-3; L Vizcaino 0-1; D Kolb 2-1; J Marquis 9-1; J Simontacchi 4-1; S Kline 2-1; J Isringhausen 1-2. Batters faced: D Davis 27; J Bennett 6; L Vizcaino 1; D Kolb 7; J Marquis 25; J Simontacchi 6; S Kline 3; J Isringhausen 3. UMPIRES: HP--Chuck Meriwether. 1B--C.B. Bucknor. 2B--Eric Cooper. 3B--Mike Reilly. T--2:53. Att--23,966. Weather: 73 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 7 mph, swirling.

MILWAUKEE AT ST LOUIS -- LINEUPS MILWAUKEE ST LOUIS AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI Scott Podsednik CF .400 1 4 Tony Womack 2B .333 0 0 Craig Counsell SS .000 0 0 Roger Cedeno LF .000 0 0 Junior Spivey 2B .333 0 0 Albert Pujols 1B .250 0 2 Geoff Jenkins LF .000 0 1 Scott Rolen 3B .250 0 0 Lyle Overbay 1B .000 0 0 Edgar Renteria SS .000 0 0 Wes Helms 3B .000 0 0 Jim Edmonds CF .000 0 0 Ben Grieve RF .500 1 3 Reggie Sanders RF .250 0 1 Chad Moeller C .333 0 0 Mike Matheny C .667 0 1 Doug Davis LHP .000 0 0 Jason Marquis RHP .000 0 0 (NO RECORD) (NO RECORD)

Can we get a moment of silence, please? The Nic Carter era is, sadly, over. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif ~Bill

I think the Wayne Franklin trade must have pushed us over the edge. What a gritty leader... that guy just knows how to win! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif ~Bill

Interesting tidbit in the San Diego Union Tribune by way of Rotoworld: www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040312/news_1s12padres.html Early indications are the Padres will take pitcher Jared Weaver first overall in the June draft, then settle in for lengthy negotiations with agent Scott Boras, who's expected to advise the Long Beach State right-hander. Towers said he'll study Weaver today, when the power pitcher is to face UCLA at Petco Park. Some clubs prefer to avoid Boras clients, but Towers has a good rapport with the agent. A few months after the 2000 draft, the two hashed out a major league contract for Xavier Nady after the Padres drafted him 49th overall. Weaver worked 45 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings for Team USA last year. Having a good rapport with Scott Boras seems dangerous. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif ~Bill

Yeah, there was a feature article on the Brewers' site about it a few days ago. //Michalak accepted a minor league contract with a Spring Training invitation and is once again competing for a roster spot. This time, he is aiming for the bullpen. He is looking to follow in the footsteps of Myers, a submarine-throwing left-hander who pitched 141 games for the Brewers from 1998-1999 and has made a career facing the toughest left-handed hitters in the game, usually in close-and-late situations. Other left-handers have tried it too, including former first-round Brewers draft pick Kelly Wunch, Mike Venafro and, most recently, Colorado's Javier Lopez. Why is the submarine style so effective? "The biggest thing is that the hitters just don't see it much," Michalak said. "How many lefties are there that do it? If you can drop down and get a little better angle, it makes it that much more difficult for them." // Read the rest of it - some good stuff. Speaking of good stuff, the Brewers' site has been doing a very good job the last few days sharing high-quality content from Spring Training. Lots of articles, notes, feature stories, and the like... if you haven't made it a habit of checking out the site frequently, I'd highly recommend it. Right man for lefty job? ~Bill

I hope that the organization sees Jason Shelley as proof that scouting the Independent Leagues is well worth the investment. It is hard to believe that no one picked him up before we did - his numbers were staggering. Good stuff, ~Bill

I've only been back reading the boards for a week and it hasn't really been a big problem for me. I have a feeling, however, that we'll need to be more vigilant once Spring Training starts... as it would appear that the number of WHOA SOLVDD posters has increased a bit. I feel your pain, though, Kat... I'm on another message board (non-Baseball related) that is experiencing a monumental rise in participation and its associated problems. Frustrating, to say the least. ~Bill

Anyone who's ever weatched Bowa manage a game knows how over his head he is on a nightly basis, the guy was one of the worst OBP guys in history, and he overreacts every time a player of his gets out, or makes an error, or gives up a ground ball that sneaks through the hole. He is the absolute king of "hunches" and managing with his heart, not his head. I agree, Al... but at the same time, I only saw a handful of Phillies games last year. I don't like relying on what I see to determine how well a player does his job, so I have reservations indicting Bowa based only on my perceptions of his managing. Still, I think he is definitely a poor manager... and that's why I am so surprised at the number of players who are willing to go there. $.02, ~Bill

That rotation looks pretty dang good with Millwood, Wolf, Padilla, Myers & Milton. With the improvements made to the bullpen the Phillies have to be the team to beat in the NL East, and possibly all of the NL. If they fail to make the playoffs again, or even are slow out of the gates next spring, how long do you think Larry Bowa will last? I'd give him two weeks. I still can't believe they kept him around... and I'm even more shocked that so many quality players were willing to go to Philly under his reign. Maybe the stories about his incompetence are overstated... the Philadelphia media has certainly been known to exaggerate things. I agree regarding the larger point, too - the Phillies are definitely the team to beat in the NL as of now. If Milton has a good year, they will have one of the best rotations in all of the majors. And if Burrell figures out how to hit again, that lineup is going to be quite formidable. Don't count out the Braves, though... they've been labeled dead before but they always figure out some way to win. It will be pretty tough this year, but that's what we've said many times before. $.02, ~Bill

Podsednik and Ginter at the top of the order is pure bliss. Billy Hall swings at everything, not a desirable characteristic in those lineup spots. It doesn't really matter much, but the change I would make is to move Richie to third... Podsednik, Ginter, Sexson is a nice 1-2-3. It'll get Richie a few more ABs, it will give him a few more RBI chances, and he's not going to be protected anyway. I don't get Ned's insistence on keeping the batting order static. Helms should bat behind Richie, Eddie Perez and Keith Osik don't have to be in the same spot in the order, and the right fielder doesn't have to hit fifth. And Brady Clark doesn't have to hit third, for that matter, although I don't have that much of a problem with it. The lack of flexibility on Nedley's part is kind of amusing... it's not a big deal to move a guy one spot in the order. ~Bill

Harshness. ~Bill

I still think Glendon Rusch is a better option than a lot of pitchers that will be available. If he wants to sign a cheaper, incentive-laden contract, I'd be all over it. Both Kinney and Franklin have had bouts of horrible-ness just like Rusch, but they managed to snap out of it faster. Glendon's never going to be an ace, but at least we know what we're going to get with him. As for Kinney, Franklin, Davis, Obermueller, Martinez, Burba, and all of the other merry pranksters, I'm afraid we're starting to accumulate a whole lot of "okay" pitchers and none that are actually "good". I like Wes the best out of this bunch with Martinez being a wild card... But if we've got a half dozen "okay" pitchers that are cheap, it's hard for me to believe that we'll actually go after one or two "good" ones. Make sense? ~Bill

SoCal: Epy Guerrero was a legend...I would hardly call him a moron, given his history. He signed a lot of the guys from the DR that put Toronto on the map I've heard so many negative comments about Epy that I find it hard to believe that talent or hard work had much to do with his success. It seems more likely that Toronto was a front-runner in establishing a Dominican program and the organization would have been successful regardless of who was running it. I'm sure Epy had good contacts in the country and his name got him a lot of perks, but the fact that his track record is utterly atrocious for the last decade makes me think he isn't highly motivated. Ash and Melvin have excellent reputations for their ability to run latin programs. I'm much happier with those two taking over than with letting Epy continue business as usual. And yes, "moron" is too harsh a term. I don't know him personally, and it's quite likely that personal problems have interfered with his ability to scout effectively. At some point, however, you just have to admit that he's terrible at what he does, at least at this point in his career. As such, it seems that Melvin made the right decision. ~Bill

This is going to be an interesting series... if the Crew bounces back and pillages the 'stros, they'll be *helping* the Cubs. That really sucks. Anyway, I'd guess attendance will be in the 12k range for each game of the series, with tonight's being a little less (Monday Night Football). ~Bill

It's amazing how quick sentiments turn around on this team. Heading into the weekend, people were pretty happy. Yeah, you're definitely right... I wish they had played better against the Cubs, but it's not like beating Cruz/Prior/Wood is easy. I was just complaining/venting about the atmosphere at the stadium... and yes, it was to be expected. But still. Until you're there, which a bunch of us apparently were, it's hard to believe how rough it is. ~Bill

Any thoughts on how this might affect the organization? My personal opinion is that Guererro is a moron and we're better off without him. He identified and signed a total of *two* major leaguers, one of which just made it to the bigs last week, in a decade of work for Milwaukee. The Brewers' have been notorious for having one of the worst Latin American programs in MLB. If EG wasn't part of the problem, at best he also wasn't part of the solution. I'm not sure what the benefit of saving $400,000 per year is. I mean, that's a lot of money... but it's not *that* much compared to all of the other operating costs that the Brewers have. If it really is just cost cutting, you'd think they could have selected something more expensive to cut. I don't know how many other teams have gone this route, wherein they sign a small number of players and bring them to the states, rather than the "traditional" DSL approach where you field a large team and develop them there. I honestly don't know what approach is better... but I trust that Melvin knows what he's doing, so I'd have to side with those that support the move, I guess. ~Bill