FVBrewerFan

Well, Narveson only had a 3 run lead, and a well-rested Axford in the bullpen. Narveson is not YoGo, and it was the right choice to secure his win after his best outing of the year. Did Yo absolutely NEED to have a CG? Of course not. But every once in a while you need to make a statement. YoGo is trying to make the statement that he is a true ace, and I think that helps the overall good vibe in the clubhouse.

May be a reach, but Skiles made a comment about Hobson having PG skills. I'm sure they'll still sign another PG, but Hobson could play PG in certain situations...but that remains to be seen. I like Dooling.

Well, this one CAN be answered. When Hoffman was dominant he didn't blow any saves. So, if he was dominant this year, you can add 5 wins to the Brewers record. They would be 39-36 and 2.5 games out of 1st place.

I'll take Suppan and bad carma over Wainright hands down.

It is nice to see CDR, Sanders, and Gallon are genuinely excited about coming to Milwaukee. There was a poll in SI or ESPN recently that showed Milwaukee was the last place NBA players wanted to go. I do think Jennings and the whole FTD thing is catching on. Now, on the draft. I think our immediate reaction to any player is what they give you on offense. The Bucks look at defense first. And it became obvious the Bucks needed not only size, but athletic size to get to the next level. Sanders needs to polish his offensive game, but he should be able to help out immediately on the defensive end. The draft and recent trades added athletic size to the 2/3 positions as well. Do they still need a PG? Sure, but that's not a big problem. Get Ridnour hopefully, or there are guys that can be had in FA or a minor trade. This won't be a jump shooting team anymore, and that's a good thing. They lived and died by the 3 too much last year. Now you'll see guys who can get into the lane and get to the line, which is exactly what they need to do.

I don't think a couple 2ns and their 15th pick would be enough to maneuver into the top 5, but it would get them into the top 10. If there's a guy Hammonds really loves that is available around 10-12 I could see him moving up using one or two 2nd round picks. I just hope he keeps at least one 2nd round pick, because I think this draft is deep.

Goes back to the old "calling the game" debate. What effect does a catcher have on a pitcher's performance? (and I'm talking about strictly calling the game, not throwing out runners, blocking balls in the dirt, etc.) In modern baseball, pitchers and the bench seem to call most of the pitches anyhow. I would guess that's even more the case with Lucroy back there. On a scale of 1 to 100, I would say "calling the game" is somewhere around a 3 in relevance. All teams/catchers do their homework and have meetings to decide how to pitch everyone before a series. It's not like Lucroy or any catcher is coming up with some deep, heady strategy before each pitch.

I agree, he hasn't been over-worked yet. At the same time, last night would have been a perfect time to let Hoffman close the game. You accomplish two things, see if Hoffman can close a game with a 3 run lead, and you save Axford for Thurs if the game is closer.

I don't think those ptential trading chips have been taken away, just delayed. Some of those guys you mentioned could still be moved, they just need to come back and prove they're healthy/effective for a month or two. Hoffman and Edmunds are already on the way. Guys like Hawkins, Coffey, and Davis are a bit more of a reach.

I agree with all of that. I just think Hoffman may take a little longer, since he'll have to close a few games at some point before he'll have real value. I also like your idea of bringing Katin up. The guy has big time power, and certainly has potential to figure in next year, even if it's just a big bat in a PH role. But by all means, trade Bush and Edmunds ASAP. Counsel too, you can't tell me there's not teams out there who could use a guy like that down the stretch. As I said earlier, if anyone wants an arm in the buly, I wouldn't hesitate to trade Villy, Riske, or Coffey. Great thing is, none of those moves mean the Brewers are "rebuilding." They already have better options to replace every one of those guys, arguably with the exception of Bush.

I'm convinced most NBA players CAN play good defense, or even great defense. They just need to be motivated to do so. Since this coach and team both demand it, I don't see that as an issue. Man, I didn't notice the CDR news, that's a nice addition too! So money aside, you basically have: - Salmons, Stack + Maggette, CDR I see that as pretty close to a draw, but more upside potential with CDR. Getting Ridnour back would be a big vicory at this point as well. If they can get him back, this team is pretty close to the same as last year, BUT there's still the draft and other trade potential. So I expect them to end up a little deeper offensively, and that's what they needed- along with another big man to help out Bogut, and I'm sure that's coming soon.

Well, it's not for the same salary, but I get your point. Basically, it's an extra $5MM for Maggette over the next two years vs Gadz/Bell. That's a great deal. Only problem is the 3rd year when Maggette will still have $10MM (roughly) left on his contract. If he's productive and fits into the team concept, that price will be reasonable. If it doesn't work, the Bucks are left with another fairly big contract they'll want to unload. As for Thursday, the Bucks have a lot of ways they can go. They can trade their 2nd round picks for an addl 1st, then trade both firsts to move up into the lottery. Or, they could trade their 2nd rounders for a first round pick next year. Of course, they could trade picks for current players. Should be real interesting.

Exactly how much did PEDS increase the production numbers for various MLB players? What is the precise cause of arm injuries for pitchers, and exactly how can it be prevented?

A new line-up I'm starting to warm up to: Escobar Lucroy Braun Fielder Hart McGehee Weeks Gomez I believe Escobar will get more fastball strikes in the lead-off spot, and can equal Weeks OBP. It may be a bit too soon to put Lucroy in the #2 spot, but he's looking more and more like another high OBP guy. Weeks is better in the 6th/7th spot where he can drive in runs and strike out.

Exactly. Benching Braun isn't the point. A good manager will find a way to inspire, punish, challenge each player differently. Anyone over the age of 12 knows how to play the game properly, yet you see mistakes in various phases of the game at all levels of baseball. A good manager can and does minimize those mental mistakes. Weeks, Fileder, and Braun were all making progress last year defensively, and they all semed to have regressed this year. I think we all understand this team doesn't have 8 gold glovers out there, but they should be better than they have been this year.

Well, that's twisting what I said. I think Braun and Hart both have the athletic ability to play better defense, and have at times. But they have mental lapses at times, which is a reflection of the Manager, in my opinion. Poor base running, missing the cut-off man, not being ready to make a quick first step towards a ball hit in the OF...these are all things that reflect on the Manager. Is it "his fault?" Not entirely, but managing people (including in sports) is about setting expectations, and pushing the right buttons to get the most of people. Managing is more than filling out a line-up card and deciding when to go to the bullpen.

I think both Braun and Hart (mostly because of his arm) could be average at their positions if they put their mind to it. Yet another reflection on the Manager in my opinion. Not all that long ago it looked like Baun was developing into a very good LF. Lucroy is showing some early signs he may be average or better. I'm not so sure there is a reliable source for defensive stats, since each ball put into play is different. Depends where the the pler is positioned, how hard it's hit, trajectory, funny hops, etc. Also, an IF can really boot the ball, but get bailed out by geting a force at 2nd. Or an IF can make a fantastic play, but barely miss getting a fast runner out. Too many variables. The Brewers do seem to be above average in turning DPs when they have the opportunity, but that's just my best guess watching them every day.

I see 5 distinct groups of players that could be moved in July-Sept:, in the order of how likely a trade will be: 1) Counsell, Edmonds: Vets off the bench most any contender would want. 2) Villy, Riske, Coffey, Hawkins, Hoffman: There will be teams willing to deal to get a solid arm in the bully. Braddock, Loe and Ax are off limits, and I doubt there would be any interest in Cappy or Smith. But if Coffey and Hawkins recover from their injuries and Riske proves he is over his injury, any of those guys can be moved. Hoffman needs to show he still has "it", of course, and then i could see a contender sign him as insurance if they have an iffy closer themselves. 3) Hart, McGehee, Weeks: Depends largely on injuries, and how these guys are performing later this year. I would be willing to pull the trigger for any of these guys if the right deal presented itself. I think Hart is the most likely, but I don't consider the other two untouchable. 4) Bush, Wolf, Davis: If Parra is pitching well, no way they'll trade him. If he isn't, nobody will want him. Narveson isn't really a candidate for a trade either. In fact, the three I listed aren't very likely to be traded. Wolf has 2 more years left on his contract. Davis would really need to show something in ashort amount of time. Bush is probably the most likelt trade candidate for some team that needs the proverbial "innings eater" at the bottom of the rotation for the stretch run. 5) Fielder: Anything can happen here, but I really believe it's too soon to get the best offer. I think Boras will want to use the off-season to tinker for the nest deal he can get. With all that said, what if the Brewers go 2-2 on the remainder of this road trip, go 7-2 on the home stand, and end up at or very near .500 at the Break? doesn't change anything for me, but I imagine Mark A. will really struggle with that one.

If anything, you would expect him to have better pitches to hit with runners on base. With bases empty, pitchers would be more careful and willing to walk him. I do notice that he is hitting more cloud piercing fly balls than in the past, maybe indicating he is trying to hit the ball out of the park in RBI situations. Just hard to believe he's a distant 4th in RBI on hte team.

I don't know if he's injured or not. What I see is a player swinging at far too many pitches outside the zone, which is very un-Braun like. Tems know he's looking for a fastball to hit, so they give him one at his shoulders or off the outise corner, and he's swinging at them. Why? I don't know, I think it's a bit of over-confidence because he knows he can still hit a fastball hard at times, even when it's off the outside corner. And he could be pressing, knowing his HR/RBI numbers are down this year.

No, that's why I used the word SEEM.

The Brewers have been piggybacking starters for many years at the lower levels in the system- including A ball. Yet they still seem to suffer more than their fair share of injuries to young p[itchers. So much of this is more theory than fact, so it's hard to know where the problem lies. I have a feeling the damge is done at an early age, and sometimes it takes a while for the the arm to finally snap. And I think there's more to it that just pitch count per game. Elite kids of all ages now pitch year round in various leagues, tourneys, showcase events, etc. Then I see a quote regarding a draft pick, Thornburg, who threw 158 pitches in a game this year! It's just odd, because all levels of baseball from little league on up seem to recognize the importance of limiting innings/pitches, but then you see something like this...

I agree, closing games has been the problem. How many blown saves this year 7 or 8? If 5 of those get closed out, this team is .500- just that simple.

Brewers contended in 2008 when they had Sabathia/Sheets/Gallardo down the stretch. That's the type of top line pitching you need to be a legit contender. There's always exceptions. Gallardo, a #2, and Wolf is not enough to get it done. Wolf is a legit #3 on a mediocre staff, but certainly wouldn't be the #3 on a legit contender. You really need a 1a, 1b, and 2 to make a run. Look in our own division. The Cards have that, and are in real good shape even though they can't score many runs. Reds are on their way to having that type of rotation. i just don't believe Yo, a #2, and Wolf is enough to compete, unless they can score a ton of runs. And I don't think they are developing into that type of team.

Never. Put it this way. If every pitcher drafted looked really great in rookie camp, don't you think there is plenty of room for them in Helena, AZ, and Appleton? Each one of those rosters have pitchers who are really stinking it up. It's the law of avergaes. Pick enough guys who have talent, and you're more likely to find special players.