mertonmonk

Davis certainly struggled earlier in his route efficiency, but he seemed to make good progress by the end of the season. He has at best an average arm and speed, so route efficiency is especially important for him. He might not be as good over the long haul as his amazing power burst was the last couple of months, but he's definitely a threat in the lineup. OFers are easier to come by that 3Bers, so if we can trade Davis for a similar-quality 3B player, that's a good deal. Between Reed, Santana and the upcoming Philips, we should be covered between LF and CF without Davis.

If we look at the starters from 2015 (including the minor league call ups), we have: 1. Garza (miserable year, but most 'veteran' presence). Hopefully he bounces back or can be moved. 2. Peralta (limited greatly by injury, but dependable) 3. Nelson (most reliable, hopefully no lingering issues from head injury) 4. Jungmann (started off nicely but was definitely falling off after first few starts) 5. Davies (had a few good starts but was also tailing off at the end) 6. Lopez (too few starts to comment, but seemed promising) 7. Houser 8. Barrios Since the Brewers dropped a lot of payroll last year, my top wish for them is someone to play 3B. Someone with a higher batting average than Ramirez, even if we have to give a little on power since we have plenty of pop elsewhere in the lineup. I'm assuming Arcia will jump to the majors and take over SS so Gennett and Segura can platoon there. After the 3B acquisition, the next biggest need is to beef up the starting rotation. I think Garza needs a change of scenery - it seems unlikely he'll rebound. Peralta and Nelson are good #2/#3 starters. I comfortable with Jungmann as #4 and best of the rest as #5. A veteran starter to replace that role with Lohse's departure is important. I doubt we can afford a true #1, but another #2 or #3 type would be a huge improvement. Hopefully the new pitching coach can help get as much out of the young starters as possible, and with Luc's all-year presence, they can mature quickly. What starters are out there and available as free agents or trades that would fit the #2/#3 mold that our payroll could afford? With a decent hitting/fielding 3B and starting pitcher, this team would plug two big problems. Davis and Braun give us a lot of pop from the outfield. Hopefully Santana/Reed (and eventually Philips) can be an effective CF. If we have to rely on long stints of Maldonado as catcher, we're in trouble, because he's a big drop off from Lucroy offensively.

The only thing I don't like about Lucroy is that despite his good BA, his speed on the basepaths is average at best. Segura has flourished in leadoff, so it seems sensible to keep him there. If he starts to falter, then my inclination would be to move Gomez back to leadoff, put Ramirez as cleanup and move Segura 7th. It seems that Weeks has been doing well lately, so I'd be inclined to give him more games vs RHP. If he does well he increases his trade value and/or helps us into the playoffs. If he doesn't, well, Gennet will get his playing time back.

Considering that the recent lineup has produced consistent offense I'd like to see this lineup when Aramis returns: 1. Segura SS (Not Gomez? Darn tootin'. His bat has started to kick in leadoff) 2. Braun RF 3. Lucroy C (Among the league leaders in BA) 4. Gomez CF (What, you say???? Yeah - he's been scalding since he's been in this position) 5. Ramirez 3B (Don't want to pitch to Gomez? Deal with Ramirez... yikes) 6. Reynolds 1B (low BA but dangerous) 7. Davis LF (maybe he should just bat from the 6th inning on...) 8. Gennet/Weeks 2B 9. Pitcher P I know the typical leadoff hitter is fast, light-hitting with high OBP. We don't really have that, but this lineup has been working so there's little reason to mess with it when Ramirez comes back. Thoughts?

Per Haudricourt over at jsonline, Herrera has been recalled from AAA and Caleb was sent back to AAA, with Braun being re-instated from the DL and Ramirez going on it. So that answers the roster move questions for today, but no word yet on Gomez apparently. Gomez should get his suspension reduced - hopefully to just 1 day (I'd prefer it was removed entirely, but I doubt MLB does that).

When do they have to announce roster changes - can they do so right before game time? I'm assuming Braun will take Ramirez's place on the roster with Ramirez going on the DL. When will we hear about Gomez's status? It's just 5 hours to game time - shouldn't they know these things by now?

Bombers - thanks! I just assume that the Brass knew that Morris would be the '1B of the future', so it was kind of a toss up of another year of Francisco (please no!) or find a stop-gap. They found Overbay and Reynolds, both of whom have been ok (their defense has been nothing short of superb!). It does make it painful when you have Overbay as your cleanup hitter, as much as I like him, that just puts a big red flag up that we don't have anyone other than Aramis who can hit in that spot without fans everywhere experiencing a serious case of facepalm. Morris has been lurking for a couple of years - has his development been delayed, or do I just lack patience?

The Brewers defense has been sparkling this year, which is why they've won so many close ballgames. It was brutal watching Juan play first base - he probably leads to a few runs being given away, and hence a few games as well. His bat wouldn't make up the difference, so I'm very much ok with him not manning 1B. I hope Hunter Morris barges his way to Milwaukee (how is he doing?) or we find some help. Reynolds has been fine at 1B, but with Braun and Ramirez missing time, our offense has sure lacked much punch lately. It was amazing that the 2-5 hitters missed a game in STL, yet we won! Segura, Braun, Ramirez and Lucroy were on the bench, and the replacements still beat the Cards - so the replacement players can come through, but it's hard to get into the postseason if you rely too much on replacement players.

Yay for a double! No chance for a double-play! Right????....

Ordinarily, giving up 3 runs isn't that bad, but with this lineup, getting to the George Webb required 5 runs (I've never eaten there, are they any good?) is like asking for the impossible.

Maybe - it depends on who they have in their bullpen. The Brewers haven't looked good against him and his pitch count is only 86, so I'd be inclined to stick with him for at least 1 more batter.

Okay - Gindl doubles his batting average. Please Segura, no double play!

Enough with the double-plays. This is demoralizing.

6 hits already? This doesn't bode well, especially with the lineup we have today. When does Braun come back? We need him badly!

Segura has gotten caught stealing a lot - he needs to be given the stop sign until maybe the All-Star break. Sigh.

No - I'm aware that they want to switch Braun to RF, and that he was open to it. That clears the way for Davis to play LF and replaces Aoki in RF, but I'm more concerned about filling 1B. If Braun plays 1B (a move I doubt he would like as much as RF, since OF is generally considered more prestigious), then another OF spot is opened up. The Brewers have a number of quality OFers, but not so much at 1B. Maybe Morris is ready in a year? Maybe it doesn't make sense to switch Braun to 1B on a temporary basis, but I wonder if it's been discussed by Brewers Brass at all.

Corey Hart didn't really want to move to 1B, but the Brewers needed someone to fill the job after Prince left for Detroit, and Corey ended up being a very good 1B. Braun started off at 3B and has become a fairly reliable OF, but could he fill 1B until they find another alternative? That might help cut down on his injury issues since 1B would be less demanding, and it would open up another OF spot for the many options the Brewers have there. Has Melvin been asked about this and I just haven't seen the article? With Aoki in KC, I assume Segura/Gomez will be the first two hitters, with Braun hitting 3rd. Is that the current assumption? I think I'd favor Segura batting first because Gomez has more power. Having either of them on base would make them pitch much more carefully to Braun, who should take advantage of that situation. Ramirez should get an awful lot of RBI opportunities next season!

Braun, Hart, Weeks and Gomez are not in the lineup, yet the Brewers are playing their best ball of the year. The pitching has generally been good lately, with a few hiccups here and there. The offense is producing runs. This is a pretty decent team and it's been fun to watch. Go Brewers!

I noticed on the replays of Gomez's and Yuni's homers, that when they got to the dugout, Segura took their helmets off. Does he only do that on home runs? It he just being funny, or is that some sort of home-run-specific routine, like the low-5's some of them give each other? Just curious if anyone else has noticed this. It'd be an interesting interview question for Segura.

I was thinking this would be a long season when the record was 2-8. Starting pitching was iffy, the bullpen was very iffy, the offense was MIA. Since then the Brewers are 12-3 and now a half game out of first place! All that has occurred despite some players struggling mightily at the plate (Weeks, Gonzalez, Braun, most pinch hitters). The pitching has vastly improved and the offense has gotten the job done. Yuni and Seggy can't keep their current tears going, but that Greinke trade is looking like an absolute steal. When Ramirez comes back, Ramirez gets 3B and Yuni gets 1B. The offense gets even better. When Hart returns to 1B, Yuni might just take Week's spot if he doesn't get out of his funk by then. You have to assume that Braun, who hasn't hit with his normal average and yet has contributed nicely with his walks and homers, will kick it into gear and bring that average up to where he usually hangs out. That's all to say that, though the offense has gotten the job done, it will get better. The pitching has been decent, and if it remains like this, the Brewers will be in contention all season long. It will be a much more fun season than I was thinking after a 2-8 start. Go Brewers!

It would be nice to put a W up for Lohse, but any win is a good one. The bottom of the order tanked the first week or so, but they were huge today. Welcome to the bigs, Mr. Lalli!

Axford is warming up in the bullpen... he's pitched scoreless innings his last 2 or 3 outings, right?

Uek's voice matches my own enthusiasm. Way to go Rami! Let's nail it down!

With Gallardo on the mound, you have to like the Brewers chances today. Same when Lohse is on the mound (Friday is his first start, right?). The other starters are much more of a grab bag.... Go Brewers! Let's start the season with a high note!