Cool Hand Lucroy

Good point about the '57 Braves. That was 30 years before I was born, but I think these windows are narrower than we realize. We put a lot of feeling behind "we'll never win one," but I think if we did, it would only be 20 or 30 years before we turned to "we'll never win one again." My wife is a big Twins fan. She was in middle school in '91 and elementary school in '87. Her most salient memories of the Twins are a) winning that awesome game 163 against the Tigers and b) utter Yankee heartbreak. You just really have to have the team win one in a certain age range for it to feel like it fixes anything, and even then, it fades quicker than you realize. The Cubs won about the most consequential championship anyone ever could, and it sure doesn't seem to have made the Cubs fans I know much happier (same goes for Cardinal fans, for all their success--they hate how much the Brewers have won the Central). And the Packer fans here know that 2011 feels so long ago. I don't know if this Milwaukee baseball team will win a World Series anytime soon. But it is also just way harder for a team like Milwaukee to do so now. Sport is such a massive business, and free agents are much easier to sign (both financially and culturally) in the big, coastal cities. I mean, look at the Bulls futility since Jordan's exodus, and that's a marquee NBA franchise. The Bucks winning was itself kind of a mini-miracle and happened because of a singular player and a shrewd trade for Jrue. The Brewers have broken my heart regularly, but they've also provided a TON of great memories and moments, especially recently. And Wisconsin sports really have had their share of success, despite a lot of disadvantages. If you're winning one title a decade in our market, you're doing pretty great. The whole state of Ohio has one title in the last 30 years, and that's with like 7 franchises. The Rangers won their WS last year, but how many other titles have Texas teams won since the 90s? I believe it's just the Dirk Mavericks. It's just crazy to think about how rare titles are even for the marquee teams like the Yankees and Dodgers.

Let me throw the "chemistry" bomb in here. I think the Brewers did have good clubhouse vibes, and I think that helped them a lot. Losing Adames will hurt on that front, BUT two things make me optimistic for a repeat: 1) Hoskins having a pretty bad year at the dish means he's likely to re-up. I know others will consider that too pricey at 18 mil, but between him hopefully bouncing back and seeming to be a well-liked presence, I think it will be a net positive. 2) Murphy seems like a guy who approaches managing like teaching. Sure, he wants to win, but he also knows when to challenge players and seems to me to look toward long-term player development, even sometimes in ways that may lower the team's chances in a given game. I get frustrated by these moves as much as anyone, but I think I sort of see the strategy and appreciate it. CC was the right guy for this franchise for the start of this run. Murph might be the right guy for this roster, especially when it's so young. I was worried we'd regret missing out on Vogt (and maybe we will), but you can't deny the fit in the clubhouse, and as these guys age and Murph slides out, we'll hopefully have Rickie to come in and keep up the pace. Baseball is so random and aggregated. The best Brewer team of my life, 2018, had to have so many things go right to make their run. One of the best rotations, 2022, got let down by poor hitting and some unexpected bullpen blowups and didn't even make the playoffs. But we have consistently beaten our projections, and the answer to "how did the Brewers win so many?" is, more and more, "because they're the Brewers." Let's keep that rolling.

Sticking with the Orioles, what about Devin plus for Urias, who I like quite a bit?

I think you're really onto something about scouting and development. This is part of why the Brewers regular season run is so impressive. Literally everyone (okay, maybe not Colorado) has a smart front office and good scouting. Some teams have massive checkbooks too, due to the TV contract situation that creates such baseball inequality. Honestly, MLB is lucky the Brewers are so good. They help buck the payroll-winning correlation in ways that are probably helpful. That won't last forever. As others have said, it's probably going to be involved somehow as the next CBA gets negotiated. I'm in for a Devin-centered package. I like LouisEly's proposal, though, man, both Lara and Black seems like a lot. Still. Probably worth it if we could do it.

2008 was sort of gravy for me. I wish we'd have hit in Philly. But CC was just on fumes, and Sheets was hurt, and that Phillies team was excellent. Honestly, I'd sort of feel like that this year if not for the Wild Card round element. We won our division, had an overachieving year, and playing a full, 5-game series would have been enough. Oh well. The most fun parts of this team will be back (minus Willy, and good luck to him)!

That extra inning game is definitely one I want back. But, of course, my memories of 2018 are, on balance, more fond than not. Keon Broxton catching that fly ball in Wrigley is one of the most beautiful things of all.

Yeah, it's just different modes of fandom. I LOVED following the 2016 Brewers. Knew it was a rebuild, took a lot of pure baseball joy in just watching players play and monitoring the direction of the org. 2017 was surprisingly competitive and tons of fun despite a second-to-last day of the season elimination. That's a steadier kind of hobby. You don't expect it to deliver ecstasy or pain. It's like a gorgeous walk in the fall woods outside your house. What we've got is full of thrills like Game 2 and losses like last night. It's like the Grand Canyon. The scenery! The rush! But sometimes you look down and your guts fall out. Neither is better or worse. Part of the natural cycle. But I'll sure appreciate the opportunity of being in one of these October stretches, even if it includes October failure. You gotta have some risk every now and then. Keeps things spicy. The Royals (and Tigers) definitely feel on a free-roll. I'll be pulling for KC because they've always felt like the Brewers sibling team. And I enjoyed those 2014-2015 WS teams as much as I ever have as a neutral.

Re: Devin last night, I don't blame the guy, necessarily. He had a bad night. He pitched poorly. It was at the worst possible time. But that happens even to great closers. I'm really, really bothered by the leadoff walk and the 0-2, third changeup in a row to Nimmo. The Alonso homer? Bad pitch, hit well. But if it's hit ten more feet toward center? Frelick probably catches it. The most frustrating part of last night is just that an important guy didn't have his best stuff, we didn't hit with RISP, and we got some bad breaks. Whatever "magic" exists in October, it just was only there for us in the bottom of the 7th, and that wasn't enough to win. This HURT as much as about any Brewer loss of my lifetime (I'd put it top 3 for sure), but I don't wish I could do it over like I do the Mark Kotsay game. I wish it had gone different, but there's nothing really to regret. No bad decisions or shooting ourselves in the foot. That's part of what makes it painful, but what can you do as a fan but just hope the team gives their best effort. Honestly, I'd love the 5th inning of Game 1 back more than I care about anything that happened in last night's 9th.

I can remember feeling like I feel now two other times in Brewer history. One was 2011, after Game 5 in Saint Louis. You can count Game 6 too. The other was 2018, after Games 4 and 5 in LA. I was pretty zen after Game 7 because Game 4's sleepless extra-inning loss followed by Kershaw's Game 5, afternoon dominance just drained me completely. Obviously, the stakes were lower this time, but I just really felt like I'd be able to genuinely ENJOY a postseason series if we ended up pure underdogs, with a young roster, against the Phillies. Losing that hurt. But I also realized at some point during the insomnia that I mostly wanted this series for other people. The folks on this board. Ueck. Jackson. Murph and Matt Arnold. Even the daily writing/coverage crew. I just appreciate this organization and want those folks rewarded for their work. I know, in a few days, this won't matter much. It'll be another scar in a collection of Brewers scars, but that's the great thing about sports. They let us experience deep, collective emotion in a way that's basically safe. I'll actually miss the terror of these last three days (not to mention the comfort of an MLB season), but not having it in my life until March/April will not really impact anything important. Plus, I have you all to talk hot stove with. I love this quote (I think it's from John Green) about soccer being the most important least important thing. I think that applies to all sports, or any sport anyone cares about. They matter because they mostly don't. And that trivial foundation opens up all sorts of pathways for genuine emotional power. Murph said last night that losing "feels like a tragedy." That's it, isn't it? It FEELS LIKE one, but it isn't, and it's that combination that makes the playoffs so compelling. One of these days (soon), we'll come out on the soaring side of the human drama. For now, I'm happy this place exists. Without others to experience this with (the highs of the division title, the lows of last night's 9th), there would be no point. Let the NL Central title defense begin!

Honestly, I'd rather play these three-game series on the road. Too much pressure when you're at home.

Oof. That Badger loss still rankles. We've been through the wringer fairly often this last decade. Thank goodness for Giannis. Baseball always feels like it hurts the most. Nature of the sport. I take some small solace in this: there's really no avoiding October pain. Even the teams that win the World Series often lose some soul-crushing game in the playoffs. This hurt me more than I though, I have to say. I'll get over it relatively quickly, but man. Mostly, it's about how much I liked this team. Last year and in 2021, we just couldn't hit, and it wasn't fun. These guys, though? You wanted to keep watching them. The good news is we get to. I'm going to enjoy watching the AL playoffs and rooting for KC because, after that, it's a long, long winter. Be nice to have some exciting, lower-stress baseball to still look forward to. And the Brewers are still the best-run team in the biz. Glad I get to follow it up close and personal all through the year.

Yeah, and the risk of this feeling is also why we love them.

Great post. That's what's great about this game. It always delivers something. I was literally too nervous to even watch the 8th and 9th innings, but that feeling of being utterly wrapped in something you can't control matters. It's meaningful and worthwhile. I don't have the words to describe how, but there isn't another feeling like it.

Went back and watched the top of the ninth after skipping it. The walk to Lindor, no excuse. I also thought Devin should have gone fastball to Nimmo after getting up 0-2. Alonso's was kind of a wall-scraper, but a terribly located changeup just floating there. Honestly? We played a pretty damn good baseball game. Didn't hit with RISP. Pitched great. Got the ball into our best guy's hands, and he was poor. What are you gonna do? Baseball is the best mirror of life I know. You fail a lot. You hope you don't, but you can't outrun it forever. Sometimes, the end is sudden, sometimes it's slow, but it shows up and you have to deal with it. We will. Proud of this team and had more fun watching it than the last four or five editions. Here's to more team speed and more NL Central titles. We won the grind. The sprint is mostly just a lie (even though we want to believe it).

I'd say I'd have no heart left, but if we find ourselves in this spot next year, I'll be feeling the same. We'll always have the Chuorio game (and the many more to follow)! I don't know quite know how to feel. On the one hand, what a season. On the other, what an awful ending. It feels worse when you feel like you have something to lose. But, well, it always hurts to end it. Glad to be here with you all all year. Baseball is never about the end. It goes round and round. Learn from it, and we'll be back.

I took a looooooooooong walk after the bottom of the 7th. Checked Gameday a few times. It feels better when you don't have to watch it. We got three outs left. Mets probably bring in Stanek? This has been a really exciting baseball game if you're a neutral. It's been evil if you're a Brewer fan.

Hoskins has seen a TON of Quintana. I posted the numbers earlier. The six walks made my eyes bug out. Hopefully he is patient and hits it in the air. Like everyone, I have no idea what happens tonight. Deep down, my hope is immense, but not enough to outweigh my self-protective instinct to mentally prepare for the end tonight. Last night was a beautiful thing. I'm so glad we all got that moment. All I can do is hope for one more tonight, hopefully with a little (or a lot) less drama. Here's my only ask: If this team goes down, may it be because the Mets were just better. No errors. No outsized luck. Let's give it our cleanest game and make every AB tough and the results will be the results. Rickie, if you can, conjour the ghost of Tony Plush, and let's get movin' on!

SSS, as always, but my subjective fears of Quintana from 2018 definitely contrast with the numerical reality. He failed to get through 5 (though only giving up 2 runs each time) in a couple of starts against us this year, including in his last start. Both Mets losses. Here's the batter/pitcher breakdown. Willy and William with good career numbers. Hoskins low BA, but a HR and SIX walks. EDIT: Point is, I'm terrified because it's an elimination game. Anything can happen. But Quintana is not a bad draw as far as these things go. Mets will surely think the same about Tobias. Been a high-scoring series relative to the playoffs. Over/Under is 7.5. I'd definitely expect it to take at least four to win, but this stuff is not really predictable. Pitcher AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K AVG OBP SLG OPS Willy Adames 14 5 2 0 1 2 1 3 .357 .400 .714 1.114 Jake Bauers 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000 Jackson Chourio 5 3 1 0 0 0 1 1 .600 .667 .800 1.467 Isaac Collins 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000 William Contreras 8 3 1 0 1 2 0 4 .375 .333 .875 1.208 Eric Haase 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 Rhys Hoskins 15 3 0 0 1 2 6 3 .200 .429 .400 .829 Garrett Mitchell 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 .000 .000 .000 Andruw Monasterio 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .250 .000 .250 Joey Ortiz 4 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 .500 .500 .500 1.000 Blake Perkins 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 .500 .500 1.000 Joe Ross 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 Gary Sanchez 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 .125 .000 .125 Totals 66 20 4 0 3 9 11 20 .303 .403 .500 .903

Koenig threw 7 pitches. Ross threw 12. Devin threw 10. All those guys, plus Ashby, should be good for two innings as needed. Maybe you're more careful with Ross since he's not used to the role. Devin only having like 25 innings means this is the time to push. Between that and Myers, plus Megill, who threw 22 pitches but should have at least an out or two in him, it should give you enough. On the Mets side, Stanek has thrown a lot. Butto should be available after a day off. Diaz has had two days off, but still threw 66 pitches over the last four days. Matton obviously gave it up tonight. They've got more fresh arms in Ottavino, Brazoban, Peterson, and Young. Plus Garrett who only threw one tonight. The question is how much they trust them. Ottavino and Brazoban seem to be low on the list. I'd bet you see shortish leash for Quintana, hope he gets through 4 or 5 two times through, and then you book Diaz for an inning plus (maybe two) on the back end. In between, it'll be matchups, matchups, matchups.

Padres win. 6:08 it is.

I think we get something very similar to today. The only change I'd contemplate is Mitchell for Sal. One thing I'm really curious about is whether our approach changes with Quintana. I know there was frustration with the lack of walks (and for some good reasons), but it seemed obvious to me that attacking early in the count was a plan for the Crew these first two games. Quintana is a different kind of pitcher, so we'll see if we see more of those grinding ABs.

Lol. I committed to volunteering at my kid's school from 2:45-3:30 tomorrow. Here's hoping the Padres hang on.

Just regarding luck in the playoffs: Mitchell smoked that ball, but a little lower and it's MAYBE an RBI double. Or maybe not. Pete Alonso tripping on a bat in the first might have been a huge play. You just never know the weird things that turn these crazy games.

By the way, if Jackson wants to get on a full Arozarena, I'd be down with that.

Perkins is my underrated hero of the night. He needs to start tomorrow (and probably will against Quintana, who terrifies me from the Cubs days). Devin being efficient means he should be good to go for 30 pitches. Two innings if you have to. Megill and Payamps get credit for putting up some big zeroes. Koenig and Ross too. Props to the bullpen. You'll be needed again tomorrow. I'll be staying away from the game thread again, at least until after the game. My biggest hope is twofold: 1) That the Mets start to feel the pressure a little. AND 2) More importantly, that we play loose. The Mets were the more relaxed team in Game 1 and early on today. We need to cut out the silly mistakes. Play good defense! Get more aggressive on the base paths. Speed and assertiveness are who we are. Let's be ourselves and at least go out on our terms if that's what's in the cards. I know it's tough against the lefties, but I want to see more SB attempts and more speed on display. This one feels good.