sheethead

many of them only hit 1 or 2 out of 12 Last year, 2 of 8 participants hit less than 33% of the pitches swung at for a home run.

And the bad BABIP is because of a bad defense. And bad pitching. To some degree BABIP explains luck, to another degree it explains bad pitching. Bad pitchers will have high BABIP (and no I don't think Braddock is a bad pitcher). I really shouldn't have to explain this, but the defense the last three games is a microcosm of the defense this entire year. But go ahead and make fun. I am comfortable with my belief that this team's defense is b.a.d. by looking at the whole year... and last year.

if said pitcher has a ratio of 20+% on the year... was he just extremely bad at keeping the ball in the ballpark that year, or was he just extrmely unlucky? Generally, and this would hold true for a vast majority, if a pitcher is at 20+% for a year they are either hurt or at the end of the line. Grooving meatballs has more to do with bad pitching than it does with luck.

If it makes you feel better to think this team is unlucky, rather than just bad (which is where I will dig my heals in and believe), than more power to you. Rather than take a half year of stats and say certain players are under performing, or better yet take a year of each players best stats and say this is what "could happen", I look at the state of the team and here is what I see... Twelve unearned runs allowed in three games. The errors were bad, but let's look at the walks and how many scored. Uh, nah I don't even want to bother. We'll just go with a lot. Pathetic defense, a pitching staff that walks a ton of hitters, and 3-4 hitters not giving a rats behind add up to a bad team. Not unlucky in my mind, its just bad. Walking hitters is not unlucky, its BAD pitching. 330 to be exact, second to last (MLB) in front of only SF. The difference? SF pitching OPS against is .688 (2nd in MLB), Milwaukee's is .782 (27th). If there is one thing in baseball that I can say is not predicated on luck for pitchers, its giving up home runs and walking batters. The awful defense is icing on the cake, and this same awful defense has been awful for years. Yost had it middle of the road, but Macha has this group back to some of the worst I've seen. Is awful defense unlucky? Is awful pitching unlucky? The only unlucky part of this team I will secede is Prince's atrocious numbers with anybody on base. Other than that, this team isn't unlucky. They are b.a.d.

Results are a terrible way to measure things... Maybe its just me, but I wasn't able to read past this part. One pub projects 81 wins, one projects 72 wins, one projects... All make more sense than what actually happens? Forget it, I didn't mean to ask that question.

It sure could have, but it happened during the pitches he shouldn't have been throwing due to Escobar's errors.

They lost their best pitcher because of Escobar's errors.

In the last three games the Brewers have given opponents 11 unearned runs while scoring a total of three and costing our #1 pitcher for who knows how long. That is not competitive baseball. That is about as ugly of baseball that I can imagine. If we think this team has 80-82 win talent, but ends up with 68-70 wins, we may need to conclude the projection for this team's talent was off considerably.

Rant warning, proceed with caution. What do I think Attanasio's plan is for 2011? Stay the course... aka doing nothing. Not since 2002 have I been this apathetic on the future of the Brewers. This collection of players barely looks like a team right now. They look like 25 guys doing their own thing. Prince trying to get his 40 home runs and get paid. Braun completely disinterested to the point of prematurely ending at-bats by swinging at pitches high schoolers rarely swing at and lollipoping throws back into the infield after he lazily does a spin and hop to load up his weak throw. Who knows what Gomez and Escobar are up to, but they are not MLB caliber this year. Hart is ramping up his production for his big payday, then how will he stay motivated? I like Lucroy, but his clutchiness, or lack thereof, appears to be fitting in with this group. I don't even want to get into the pitching. First order of business... Fire Ken Macha Second order of business... Fire Doug Melvin Third... trade like its going out of style Does Attanasio have the stones and baseball fire to do what needs to be done? I doubt it. The only slim amount of hope I am holding onto is these guys come back next year and kill in their YBFA (Year Before Free Agency). This year is completely lost. I am officially rooting for the Reds to take this division and return to the post season.

11.

So what if the Narv-dog goes 7 nice innings tonight and leads the Crew to victory? They pretty much need to stick Davis in the pen and release Capuano. Sorry to Cappy, nice come back and all, but he's gotta be the odd man out at this point.

Most other managers would have Counsell playing SS way more. This is not a foregone conclusion and is very debatable. Way more? Because Counsell is better than Escobar? I doubt it.

Jeremy getting the bump to Brevard County. Link

This whole season has actually been a regression for Wolf, with last season being one of his two aberrations.

When given playing time and being healthy he has done pretty well. The biggest problem with 3TO is that second part... being healthy. He can't seem to get that part down.