bwi

I just woke up from a great nights sleep. Im ready for this team to extend their lead to 6.5 games tonight. We've been in first place for about 2 months. It's a good time to be a Brewer fan!!!

sports.espn.go.com/mlb/ne...id=2708203 In need of starting pitching -- and a marquee name that will draw more fans -- the Diamondbacks have offered a package of at least three players, including a major-leaguer. They would also want a 72-hour window to negotiate an extension with Johnson, who is owed $16 million in the final year of his contract. The Yankees, according to the official, don't want to pick up any of Johnson's salary. 3 players, one a major leager and which makes the other two prospects, paying ALL of his salary AND negotating an extension!!!! The guy is 43 years old!! It isn't coincidence that a 43 year old put a 5.00 ERA last year. Johnson stinks and he isn't going to start smelling better magically. The D-Backs are crazy.

Not a chance.

How about the crazy hypothetical situation of a popup?? You are creating hypotheticals where you already have determined that the BIP moved the runners up. There are just as many situations (popup, FC, short fly, etc etc) that *do not* move the runner. In my defense, I recognize the double play problem, first of all, but a lot of these strike out have been w/ runners on 2nd and or 3rd with less than 2 outs. Second, It seem that I am framing the argument to mean BIP= productive out, but what I am merely saying is that BIP in these situations increases the chance to score a run greatly as opposed to the K. Since w/ runners on 2nd and/or 3rd there is a MUCH smaller chance of hitting into a double play, simply putting the ball in play there increases the chances to score a great deal. Yeah, a pop up and tapper to the pitcher are EQUAL to a strikeout in effectiveness, but they are not worse, and just about anything else gets the guy home.

Ok, Im sorry I even tried to say that strikeouts are bad - or simply worse than putting the ball in play with no runner on 1st base. I'll take my feeble mind and leave and because I obviously dont understand baseball. You guys can sit around and come up with crazy hypotheticals with balls being put in play and hitting runners in the head, bouncing to the first baseman for an out and then making a triple play by throwing out a runner at home. That's fine. Im just the average Brewer fan anyway, I watch most games and usually hold my toungue, but watching this team early on strikeout so much with runners on third with less than 2 out has caused me to speak out a little here. Nobody wants to hear it.

Well besides depending on where the groundball or flyball was, and who was on third, etc... nevermind. But I said....SAC FLY or groundball up the middle. And the guy on 3rd base is a major leaguer with two working legs. It's pointless to argue here because there is a large faction of people here who can watch the Brewers continually strikeout with RISP and less than 2 outs and just assume that striking out is the same as hitting a fly ball or hitting the ball on the ground to the right side or somewhere up the middle. Really, unless the IF is playing in hitting the ball to 1st, 2nd or SS will get the runner in a large majority of the time.

But that's framing the argument completely differently. No it isn't. Im talking runners on 2nd and 3rd, runners on 2nd or 3rd, less than 2 outs. Heck even bases loaded and no outs, which we also had today. Im not a moron, I know double plays are - get this - TWICE as bad as making one out. But when you do make one out, what is the worse way to make it? You refuse to answer the question because answer is simple, the strikeout. How should the argument be made? Should we just assume that EVERY time someone strikes out that if they had put the ball in play that they would have made two outs? That seems to be framing the argument incorrectly as well.

Mets LOB - 4 Brewers LOB - 30 That is the way MLB.com counts it, every time a player comes up with runners on base and he leaves them there adds to the total. Even doing it that way, the Mets have only left 4 on.

I dont think bunting was a bad idea there. It was just a good play by Heilman. He jumped off the mound and made a good play. That said, even a great sac bunt is useless when we strikeout a dozen times a game. Look, I saw back to the future, too. I know what you are saying about Jenkins, but he DID strikeout. Tell me that you honestly believe that with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out that striking out is no different than a sac fly or a ground ball to the right side or to short. Is there a difference? Well, according to the genius's here there is no difference.

How? Even if Hardy's bunt is perfect, it doesnt matter, because Jenkins strikesout...again, with less than 2 outs and a runner on third. Lee's ground out would have still ended the inning. How is there anyway to make ONE out that is worse than a strike out? I think the Mets have shown us today that this is true. They get one guy on an inning and they hit balls to the right side, hit fly balls, all outs, but they arent whiffing constantly with runners on 2nd and 3rd.

STRIKEOUTS DO MATTER!!!! Yes, double plays are the worst thing you can do, but the SINGLE WORST way to make one out is to strike out - and year in and year out this team has new players, the amount of changeover from year to year is at least half the lineup - and every year one thing (or two things) remaing constant - this team continues to strike out at an alarming rate and fail to even make contact with RISP. It's pathetic.

blacked out?? Why??

boo.

It blows my mind how pitchers who are struggling all of a sudden turn it around against Brewer hitters. Do they just get bad scouting reports against these types of pitchers? The Milwaukee Brewers: Turning #5 starters into Cy Young candiates since 1999.

I think what Bill meant was, if Robin is willing to listen to a hitting coach's advice about moving around in box, anyone should be willing to.

OK Darren. Enough of the warm sunny weather talk. You don't have to rub it in. Mike Adams strikes out the side.

No. I had to log in.

I think Fielder hit a run scoring basehit. At's his 10 rbi of the spring.

How many Japanese players do the Mariners have? I sounds like the crew is playing a team from Japan.

OK, let's all take a deep breath!!! Way to go Brewers.

Jenkins looks lost.

Why does Vis make me nervous?

There is one major difference between this team and the team in 2001. No Davey Lopes. Ned will keep them focused.

EDIT - By the way - this is RyDogg66, I am posting this at my Dad's computer and under his screen name.... Hey all, I was at the game today, so maybe I can shed a little light on what happened, and how people looked at the plate. First let me address Obie. His command today was NOT good, as someone said that he had good command somewhere on the 2nd page. He fell behind almost every hitter, and he walked three, allowing two to score. He worked out of potential jams nicely a couple of times, and if he hadnt gotten his glove on a ball hit by Endsberg in the 2nd, no runs would have scored that inning. In the end though, I worry about our #5 starter...he had 3 walks in 5 innings, but like I said, he fell behind WAY to many hitters today. Ford, Kiesch, Hernandez - All three of these guys looked bad. Ford couldn't find the strike zone. It looked like every hitter was ready to tee off on Kiesch (see the 6th) and I think Hernandez's first 6 pitches were balls. Hernandez got jobbed a little bit in the ninth, but he was not as impressive as his lines indicted this spring. I am a fan of his, but my expectations are a lot lower than they were before the season. Hitters- Let me start with Grieve, who gets a lot of flack on this message board- and he doesnt always deserve it. In the bottom of the fifith he hit an absolute BOMB to center field that just seemed to die out there and Biggio caught it at the track (The ball was NOT carrying at all today, as in the second Jenks and Overbay smoked balls to the gap that died). Grieve then had a somewhat clutch double late in the game with RISP. bottom line, too early to judge Grieve so give the kid some time to prove himself. I think he has performed well for a 7 hitter. Overbay - Everytime this guy is up I believe he can get and extra basehit. His swing is so sweet - yet ironically when he hit both of his HRs (one today) he finishes exactly like Burnitz (who had a terrible swing). I am gonna love this guy. No rush Prince, you can wait to 2006 if you have to. Counsell, Spivey - Well, ugly box scores so far for them. Spivey is a little to patient it seems, but both of his first two called Ks were VERY close, and the count was full. The ball he hit in the 8th with bases loaded was right on the screws, but right at Berkman. Counsell...well he got a walk. Ginter - all this kid does os crush the ball everytime up. Helms - looked lost at the plate today. Bennett - If we have to go 60-40 I wont mind at all, he has put some good wood on the ball this year. About the only person I am leaving out is Jenks, he had an RBI single and another ball he hit could have been a gapper. He is his old self. Oh yeah and Pods - all three throws to the plate were up the 3rd base line, one the guy was dead, but it was a bad throw..the last one, to end the 6th looked like a mercy call. Didnt look all that patient at the plate today. Once he got on base with the bunt single (which was a bad bunt that Miller misplayed) Miller threw over about 5 times in a row, and Scotty still got the SB - he was nice on the basepaths. Thats about it. Our Bullpen is shoddy, and that concerns me. I think we have a real shot of winning tomorrow but Ben needs to pitch past the 6th for that to happen. I'll be there with Bells on and I'll have another report tomorrow. It's just one game, one loss against the best team in the NL - no big deal.