Fear The Chorizo

Maybe Flexen actually does suck, after all

Reverse jinx!! Atta boy Willy! That's what you do wit a cement mixer slider...

Yes, I like the fact Santana doesn't need a platoon-mate (frustrated he's out sick, but what can you do?). If Adames doesn't figure it out fast I'm all for moving Turang over to short and Monasterio to 2nd...and hope Anderson hits enough to play 3rd. Adames' brutal season at the plate is a huge problem for this roster.

True, but it's sustained offensive black holes at SS, 1B, and 1 OF spot despite Frelick being called up because Yelich is DH-ing that are very frustrating. The trades made to improve that have yet to bear enough fruit to move off the offense and nitpick at the other soft underbelly of this roster - bullpen depth.

It definitely has the feel of one of those 14-12 ballgames....one way or the other

Guessing Santana is still out with being sick...and the cascading effect of giving Yelich a day off in the field to DH leads to multiple offensive liabilities being inserted into the lineup. Not having a primary DH on this roster is a huge problem for how this roster is constructed to score runs consistently - it prevents Yelich and Contreras from getting actual days off to keep a competent bat in the lineup when they DH and in turn weaken offensive production at other primary positions. The focus on a roster built solely for run prevention cuts both ways, unfortunately.

Unfortunately, losing series to the dreg teams of MLB seems to be what this Brewers team is most consistent at...hope they turn the page and get a W this afternoon!

Well, the same can said of Hiura's #'s from 2021 and 2020 MLB seasons that spurred the inflated K rate arguments as justification to keep him out of Milwaukee - he's hitting over 0.300 for the season in AAA with a manageable K rate, and there's nothing in his stat line this season that suggests he wouldn't be a productive option at the MLB level right now. That's why this thread has grown to 14 pages, because people have taken turns dissecting the difference between projected and actual production of multiple Brewers who have gotten more of an opportunity at the MLB level this season compared to Hiura, and to this point none of those arguments are convincing to posters who question why Hiura hasn't gotten any MLB ABs this season, either. Once again, teams don't just put random claims on DFA'd veterans making $2.2M at the end of spring training because they're all manipulating their own 40 man rosters the same way the Brewers try to do at the start of a season - Any teams interested in giving Hiura a change of scenery likely hoped he would simply be released and free to sign into any organization as a minor league free agent where he could get a fresh start and potentially earn a promotion back up to MLB while the Brewers still paid him his ~$2.2M salary for 2023. That didn't happen. From looking at the weird roster control/contract situation the Brewers may have with Hiura stemming from the shortened COVID MLB season, it seems to me that a significant reason why he hasn't yet been called up may have to do with the potential to find a way to maintain another year of control on him with a minor league deal at a reduced salary than what they're paying him this season to rake in AAA - I doubt things ever get to that point, because some rebuilding team will pick him up in the Rule V draft this offseason or Hiura will sign a contract to play in a different league. Either way, I think it's poor roster management on the Brewers' part related to Hiura when he could have contributed at the MLB level. The fact this has been a recurring issue related to Hiura moreso than other Brewer hitters who have had extensive opportunities to do nothing offensively in the majors before the team opted to limit or remove playing time from them just amplifies people's opinions about it, too. I've said it previously - I'll always root for the Brewers, but I'll always root for Hiura no matter where he winds up because I think he's gotten a raw deal. I've long hoped he would get one more extended opportunity to prove he can be an everyday MLB DH for the Brewers, but I just don't see that happening to start 2024.

I don't see how the whole works in San Diego doesn't get canned as soon as they're mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

2 out hitting...gotta love it!

I think that's probably a bit premature...but Wiemer definitely could use a quieter approach

You'll never get the accurate answer even with asking that question. The answer is simply because Hiura's minor league options were hastily burned in prior years when he slumped, the 60 game COVID season added a whole year of service time to Hiuras career and didn't afford an option for him to figure things out in AAA that season, and the Brewers were averse to DFA-ing veteran DH options who didnt produce and are much more expensive to make room on the 40 man for Hiura again. The Canha trade is very puzzling to me with all this, too. It's once again valuing defensive versatility at the DH spot over an internal option who can at minimum match the offense and could actually play the same defensive positions as Canha (even though Hiura should just be a DH)

Last 28 days, Turang is sporting a 0.777 OPS and has gotten on base at close to a 0.390 clip - his stats are much better than that over his last 14 and 7 day splits. Conversely, Adames is sporting a sub-0.500 OPS his last 28 days. I'm pretty certain Adames has a minor league option remaining...

If Canha isn't providing any offense he can be DFA'd....he's played basically everyday since the trade and while hitting into some bad luck, he hasn't been good enough to wait on better luck showing up for him at the plate. Also, Wiemer could be optioned down a few weeks before being brought back up as a defensive replacement/platoon bat against LHP for September roster expansion. Then again, that probably just throws Tyrone Taylor in the lineup instead of moving Frelick to centerfield. Does Adames still have a minor league option? I'm not even kidding - that may be the only way to get him out of the middle of the order. If the team needs a 40 man spot for someone like Hiura or Black, there are plenty of options currently on the roster (including short term IL players) to make room. Santana is fine at 1st, because he doesn't need a platoon mate and plays good defense there. He hasn't set the world on fire since coming to the Brewers, but he has shown some pop.

Solar and wind haven't had to deal with the costs of managing/dealing with wastestreams when large scale panel arrays and windfarms are done generating energy (that's going to start being an issue in the next 10 years, and renewable developer clients I work with are freaked out about it)....and saying storage is "pretty much figured out" is very much wishful thinking. If the answer to everything is making more batteries out of toxic materials to the scale of anywhere close to where it would have to be to power the developed world's electrical grid and auto fleet without still leaning on fossil fuels to maintain consistent capacity, it's just not being realistic. So the #1 priority is to get net CO2 emissions close to zero in 25 years...for whom? Everyone on the planet?? The environmental cost of raw materials mining, manufacturing, and end cycle waste management for the amount of battery storage capacity and solar panel installations necessary to achieve that sort of goal would be immensely worse for the planet's health than having increased CO2 emissions but avoid generating billions of tons of toxic waste and completely destroying sensitive habitats for mining purposes. And don't just dismiss hydrogen fueling - it may be easy now to plug in your car at home to charge it, but that doesn't mean a significant technological advancement will make EVs obsolete before they ever become the best option (both economically and environmentally) for the general public.

Most of the damage Adames has made offensively over the last month was in early July before the AS break when he was riding one of his 2 week hot streaks. Since the AS break (20 games, so not a teensy sample) he is hitting 0.160 with about a .500 OPS. Sorry, this article doesn't have me very optimistic Adames is suddenly going to carry this team offensively down the stretch.

14 runs the night before...4 runs tonight and should have had bunches more if situational hitting was better in a couple key spots. Frustrating loss, for sure - but the starter getting shelled early is the main reason the Brewers didnt win. Adames' season long struggle in the heart of the order is the biggest remaining problem with the lineup, and I don't see that changing anytime soon unless he hits himself out of it, unfortunately.

Turang's 0.350 OBP since the AS Break should help that cause

Kind of derailing this thread, but then again it was off the tracks to begin with... I don't know why bunting isn't taught at lower/youth levels anymore, as I feel that it's an essential skill to put bat on the ball and to learn the difference between a ball and a strike and probably most importantly how to get comfortable in the batters box - even if you don't do it in game situations. We worked hard on it during a coach pitch league even if the kids weren't going to bunt during the game, and despite some parents grousing about it the kids all got much better at hitting the baseball consistently. Nowadays with coach pitch and pitching machine leagues the kids are all on auto swing no matter where the pitch is headed, and it takes them longer to learn the strike zone when facing live pitching. Professionally, if a player with speed struggles with getting himself on base and doesn't try to bunt for a base hit at least once per game (doesn't have to be an entire at bat, just picking 1 pitch where the game situation dictates it being a good opportunity), he's hurting himself offensively. It does need to be practiced in order for it to be a useful skill - but if practiced it's still easier to execute than hitting a home run no matter how fantastic a player's swing is. I'm not calling for a sac bunt every time the leadoff man gets on - but there are alot of game situations where bunting is still a very good play to win a baseball game. Very few pitchers field their position well anymore, particularly relievers. Drag or push bunt attempts down the foul lines that force the defense to charge in and make a tough throw are going to be successful more often than not if the bunt winds up fair - and if you bunt it foul or wind up taking a called ball you just dig back into the box and carry on the rest of your AB.

4-D chess...letting the Cubs land Candelario helped them keep the Reds at bay while the Brewers scuffled through the end of this bad road trip in Washington.

Turang since the AS Break is carrying about a 0.650 OPS, roughly 70 points higher than his brutal 1st half based mostly on a much better walk rate and a slight uptick in batting average. That production alone makes him a valuable everyday player after including his defense and baserunning. Turang over the last two weeks is sporting a mid 700s OPS, with both batting average and slugging increases being influenced by closer to a league average BABIP - that type of offense from him makes him a 3-4 WAR player at shortstop or 2B. Looking back at Turang's progression through the minor leagues, this is a pattern for him at each level. He's figuring it out...

Look around the rest league - this year's trade deadline was a dud unless they wanted to be in the market for 40-something starting pitchers with enormous contracts. The Brewers did just fine over the deadline by making noteable roster upgrades at positions of need without giving up anyone to be concerned about losing in the long run. Just having competent options to play 1B and serve as the DH the rest of this season improves the depth across the lineup every night. I'd call their deadline a solid B, but that's not the best news for the organization from yesterday. Both Woodruff and Lauer were on the hill in minor league stadiums last night on rehab stints, setting up the possibility of the Brewers being able to have their opening day rotation pitching for them in the stretch run.

I for one hope the clubhouse isn't too downtrodden by the Brewers opting to trade Strzelecki at this year's deadline, causing them to spiral and miss the playoffs yet again with all that bullpen meddling. Sure looks like it could be history repeating itself

giving up 5 years of team control for Strzalphabet to fill a need for a lefty reliever in this year's bullpen is much different than giving up 6 years of control for Uribe - who basically took that spot in the MLB bullpen and probably won't be giving it up anytime soon... I'd expect some of these reactions if Abner was headed to the Dbacks, not a 28 yr old rookie reliever who was signed as an undrafted FA and spent 5 years in the minors before getting his shot to serve as bullpen depth.

Now that we traded him away, of course we do Seems like a deal where both teams want a bit of a bullpen option reshuffle. DBacks have been wilting since the AS break so it's kind of like a soft sell from their perspective in hopes Strzelecki can develop into something better than what he's shown as a high velo/inconsistent MLB reliever.