Harold Hutchison

Thanks, Brian.

That's so good. Well done sir. Thank you...

Caleb Smith deserves credit... he did the baseball equivalent of kicking to Devin Hester. Caleb Smith, you are a REAL MAN, and we salute you!

That may have been something... As I said, if I'm the Cubs, I don't mind punting a rough 2019 IF Kimbrel returns to his prior form in 2020 and 2021. If Kimbrel doesn't... Thinking it over more... while good Kimbrel is a huge plus if he is at his pre-2018 form, his contract becomes an albatross if he is struggling. The Crew could do better with young guns called up, even if they don't reach Kimbrel's ceiling.

Yep. No way you outbid that for a reliever. The word that Keuchel is likely going to have to bite on a one year at $18M pro-rated intrigues me more. Still, expensive roll of the dice for a guy who sat out this long. If I'm the Cubs, I'm happy to punt this season's production in order to have the best closer in baseball for 2020 and 2021. The Crew just could not swing that. Unless you want to pass on keeping Grandal for those two years...

Today's the kind of day where you figure a baby harp seal in the Canadian Arctic that just started the process of becoming a wallet is having a better day than the Brewers pitching staff...

A catcher version of Trent Grisham... Me likey!

I agree. Hernan Perez can be the designated mop-up guy. He's pitched well enough in that role to warrant keeping an extra bat. Now, if you can get one or two other position players who also can do that...

No, but I look at him, his good-field no-hit profile, and I think his ceiling is far lower than that of Feliciano, Henry, and Fry. He loses out in the numbers game. I'd rather take my chances with Cooper Hummel behind the plate. Now, there's also Kahle and Thomas Dillard in the mix. Granted Hummel and Dillard may be bench types who are OF/1B/C types, but I just don't see where McDowell fits.

Kahle really excites me, although how you fit him in a catcher situation with Henry, Feliciano, and Fry is a fair question. Mac McDowell's days have to be numbered.

Yep. That is very true. Why, oh why, did Keith Ginter not start every day at second base?

Wish the Crew was able to rack up seven picks in the first day...

And walked in his other three plate appearances. Whatever he's eating for breakfast and lunch, can he share some of that with Corey Ray? What is Troy Stokes, chopped liver?

I'm hoping for Tyler Callihan to slip to 133...

Think Callahan is signable if he slips to the 4th?

Kelly reads like a left-handed Derrick Turnbow...

I'm not even sure it is an issue of velocity as opposed to say, how well they use what they have. Ethan Small uses what he has very well. The TJ is a worry for me... but to me, this is an interesting hybrid of Brent Suter and Drew Rasmussen.

Right, but we can send Hiura down for 2 weeks and then recall him. If we dumped Thames, that it. We waste money and just dump a guy with a .383 OBP and an 850 OPS...and he's a lefty. Thames is having a very good year. Moustakas is having a good year, and must be good to go soon. Shaw... as bad as he was so far, he's shown in 2017/2018 he can be very good and very consistent. He does deserve a shot back. Personally, I'd have sent down a pitcher, and kept Hiura. Hernan Perez is our 13th pitcher in that case.

Stokes and Ray have both had a rough time of it... any chance they'll rebound? Stokes is really young for AAA.

I'd go with: cf: Cain 2b: Hiura rf: Yelich c: Grandal 3b: Moustakas lf: Braun 1b: Thames/Aguilar ss: Arcia bench: Pina, Thames/Aguilar, Shaw, Perez, Gamel

Yes, we lost that game. It wasn't an indication of the series as a whole. Yelich, Braun, Moose to name a few went cold. It happens. And it is still a terrible way to go about making decisions on a team with using one game. We outscored the team you keep using as a "superior" team to us. The Dodgers were blanked in one of the games. Do they need to find more "professional" hitters too? Actually, Soria and Jeffress are a big reason we didn't make the WS. They were awful. Probably more so than a few of our bats going cold (Braun, Moose, Yeli) You make some good points around here at times. But you are posting about 15 times a day right now and most of it is the same message, on every thread we have in the forum. You haven't picked up on how annoying you have been as a poster. You continue to go down the same road, even when your schtick falls apart, you double down on it. For me, you are the worst type of fan. You think the Brewers owe you something and even when they are really, really good. You don't even enjoy it. The Brewers do rely on the homer to score more than some teams but they are good at it and that is how they are built. The same man you keep saying will be looking for a different type of hitter, built this team you watch every single day. And while they have struggled with a man on 3rd with less than 2 outs, they have also been great with runners in scoring position. I'd be willing to bet that they will get better at the first part and probably remain competent with RISP. PITCHING is and has been the issue but even that is beginning to settle in now, without having to break the bank and hit the market. The only thing that matters to me, is our comparison to the dodgers, because we will meet again this year in a repeat series, I’m sure of it. Other than LA, we’re the best team in the NL. Right now there is a large gap, but Stearns can close that gap over the next 2 months. I’m hoping we can spend the money needed to move the needle enough to have a good chance to get past them to the World Series. I would put the Brewers as much closer to the Dodgers in 2018. They took the Dodgers to 7 games, outscored them over the series, and were a couple of hits away from facing the Red Sox in the World Series. In the offseason since, the Brewers upgraded at catcher, and maintained most of the rest of their roster. The return to form of Davies has offset the departure of Miley. The return of Gio helps. So does Nelson's. Burnes has had a rough patch, so has Peralta. Woodruff has emerged as a TOR guy. The bullpen is close to its late 2018 form. Albers has rebounded some, and Jeffress, after missing time with injury, is back in form as well. Hirua's arrival also changes things for the better. All in all, I think the Crew can take the Dodgers in a NLCS rematch as they stand today.

Agreed. Wish there was a way for both the Cards and Cubs to lose.

Prior to today's game, Thames had an OPS of .801 - it's gone up with a 2-3 game with a walk, double, and homer. He was putting up a .372 OBP against a .244 average. I expect that next year, it will be Aguilar's turn to rebound. Thames had a good odd year, then slumped in an even year, and the Crew was picked up by Aguilar. Aguilar had a great even year, slumped, and Thames is picking up the Crew.

And Burnes does it with a force out... Hiura to Arcia.

McCalvy on the injury: