YoGasKpose

Soup is not good.

Ken Macha/Harp Lager--In spite of its pedigree and brewers' reputation, it's never as satisfying as its counterparts.

Given how bad the relief pitching has been and given that it's reasonable to argue that it's been the source of many of this team's problems, I would say getting fresh blood in the relief role is pretty exciting. While it may not be flashy, if Braddock can perform it will fix a major problem, and I'm excited about it. Especially since reliable relievers can be tough to come by. Go Z!

Okay, Brewers. Today starts a brand new season. Let's see some good baseball!

A lot better. Firing the manager usually means cashing in on the season. I'm not ready to do that, though I admit time is running out. Agreed on both counts. I'm concerned about the other options as well. I think we can agree that this team is better than a .375 club. Firing Macha and having Randolph guide the team to 75 or 80 wins is not a great scenario if it means Randolph then gets signed on for another year. I'm just not sure he's the best available long term option. I think Macha needs to go, but it's not like it's an easy fix. I'm getting closer with Peterson, however. Of course, it's not like good pitching coaches grow on trees either.

Macha has made some awful moves in recent weeks, including leaving Wolf in to flounder last night. On the whole, it seems as though everyone is pressing. The big hits aren't coming and the other guys' grounders are finding holes. There have been some terrible decisions and some really poor performances, but there's been some bad luck involved too. I'm not ready to give up on this season yet. Like Invader said, this has to be pretty much the low point. Teams come back from poor starts all the time. Whether it's the Rockies or the Astros, there are several recent examples of teams really turning it on in the second half. I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility for this team. Braun is easily one of the top three pure hitters in baseball, Fielder's power will arrive at some point, and Casey McGehee has been nothing short of amazing. Corey Hart's been better than I expected as well. Our catchers are better than Kendall offensively, and Gomez will upgrade the D when he comes back. Our offense has struggled lately, but there are still guys I have faith in to drive in runs. The bullpen has been awful, but that just shows how complete a team needs to be to really compete. If Hoffman blows just 2 or 3 saves instead of 5, this team's record looks a whole lot better. The starting pitching hasn't been great, but it has kept the Crew in games through the middle innings. Can you really ask for more? Gallardo has legitimate ace stuff. Maybe he'll get some help from Parra and Cappy over the next month or so. Gallardo, Wolf, a revitalized Parra, Bush, and Davis/Cappy isn't nearly as bad as the rotation's been in years past. I guess what I'm saying is that we're at the quarter pole, and it's been an awfully bad quarter. But ten games under and eight games out in the division is not a reason to stick a fork in these guys yet. Trading Prince might even bring some much needed help for this year, let alone next. These guys have to start playing better soon, and I hope it can start tonight. Make some hay before the All-Star break and go from there.

All I know is, without going through occasional, immense frustration, moments like this http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=3567025 aren't nearly as cool. Go Crew. Bounce back tomorrow and then beat up on those evil Twins.

This team is going to rattle off a bunch of wins in a row at some point. They are. Please?

At some point, this team will reward us for having lived through this stuff. It can still be this year. Stranger things have happened. But, if not, I really hope it's in 2011 and not 2050.

Can't blame Alcides there. He's here to hit. Poor D is collateral damage.

I'm not one to blame everything on Macha, but this is another in a long line of bad pitching decisions. No matter how you slice it, he was at least one batter too late on Wolf and probably more like two. It seems to happen all the time. Poor performance is difficult to prevent. But managers do control timing, and they need to do it in a way that gives the team the best chance to win. Macha has done that maybe twice all year. It might be time to move on. It's still early enough that something like a manager change might actually have a positive impact.

I don't understand it either, trwi. And not even that strict pitch count decisions are the way to go, but it was clear that Wolf was struggling last inning. I know the team needs a deep outing from a starting pitcher, but you can't just conjure up what isn't there. Time to go get him.

Maybe Rickie needs to pull a Haudricourt-Hoffman and demand a day off.

Casey! There's the real bright spot! Way to go. Let's pull this one out!

I'm still waiting for the big hit. On the bright side, Wolf's at 68 pitches, which means he still has an outside shot to go 7 if he's wickedly efficient. At least it's not completely out of the question at this point.

What a terrible, terrible game. Something needs to happen with this team. I am so tired of the relaxed Kenny Macha, "This stuff happens, just keep playing" stuff. Our players are not performing and no one seems to care. It's clear that this team needs a new direction of some sort.

At least it wasn't slow and painful. I prefer just getting punched in the stomach immediately.

You're not serious, right?

Still waiting for that break.....

That's really interesting, 1992Casey. It seems like it works for the Cubs because Santo is more like a cheerleader than a color man. The Brewers set up just makes a lot of intuitive sense to me in terms of how it fits with the medium. With two guys (or gals) going back forth, it seems like it'd be more difficult to not miss some of the action. Plus, there's a lot of balancing that needs to be done in terms of when each should speak. Radio seems much conducive to description and ambience than television, which can more easily be about analysis. But maybe that's just me. I could be so used to the Brewers Provus/Powell--Ueck set up that I'm blind to anything else. Either way, I always liked the contrast in styles between Ueck and Corey/Powell. It always provided for, I think, a more compelling listening experience.

Can we officially say that Casey was a very good pickup? I know there are a lot of worries about him potentially regressing, and he's sure to struggle at some point, but wow does he look like a real hitter. Nice find, DM.

How many potential run scoring extra base hits are going to go foul on the Brewers this year? That break just hasn't come yet...

Ryan Braun is hitting with a man on base. Whoa.

It's only one outing, but it's so nice to see someone from the pen come in and pitch lights out. Other than Hoffman's (eventually) meaningless ninth on Sunday, no one has looked this good for a long time. Thanks, Marco.

Can Estrada do it all? We will soon find out...