WV Brew

Has anybody else noticed that Turang's swing seems to be different than when he started the year? He is now dropping his hands as the pitcher starts, the bat becomes vertical and then he has to pull it back before he swings, kind of Wiemer-esque, It is tending back to the looping uppercut swing he had last year. That short, flat swing was so beautiful.

On Saturday, Murph uses half the bullpen with virtually no chance to win the game. Sunday, back of the bullpen giving away any chance to come back in a relatively close game with a weak Cubs bullpen. Yesterday, journeyman AAA guy in a high leverage situation with a relatively rested bullpen. Makes no sense. Anybody else wonder if Murph would pinch hit for Babe Ruth against Jerry Augustine with Bob Uecker because he was a right handed hitter?

The Brewers threw about 3 fastballs down the middle belt high to Aaron Judge only to get a ball call on each one. Meanwhile, Frelick was getting called strikes on balls at his shoulders in the same series. It sucks to be a small market team.

I don't believe this is as cut and dried as the umpires are making it out to be. If you notice, there is a chalked area where the catcher is supposed to stand. The catcher clearly moves forward and to the right, I would say, encroaching on the batter's box. In that case, the catcher is the one interfering. The rule the umpires cited assumes the catcher is in a legal position. It is at least arguable. The umpires did not even consider this point judging by their comments. You can think of extreme positions taken by catchers where this would be more obvious but it is at least a judgment call.

I might believe that whole "balls are just dropping in" meme if the outfield wasn't playing on the warning track. They must have allowed 10 bloop hits the past week. At some point, it's not just coincidence.

Soccer is really not all that different from American football in many ways. A good run through midfield is like an open field run in football. Can be exciting even if there is no direct score. Long pass to a winger in soccer is like the long bomb in football. Really, I heard so many times football players complaining about games being decided by foreign kickers (Alex Karras I'm looking at you). But if you eliminate field goals and extra points from football, (you may as well just give 1 point for a touchdown in that case), the scoring would be almost exactly what it is in soccer. That eliminates the complaint from many that there is not enough scoring. If you don't like it fine. Then I am surprised you bother to comment at all.

Total Errors And Miscues

I'd like to see Victor Estevez. Great job at Carolina last year with no big prospects really. Young, bilingual and aggressive. I have grown tired of all the DPs waiting for the 3-run HR.

Turang was hit in the shoe, forcing in a run and it was overturned on replay (based on nothing that I could see). That erased the 4th run.

Sal FrelickJackson ChourioAbner UribeJacob MisiorowskiJeferson QueroBrock WilkenCarlos F RodriguezTyler BlackEric Brown JrLuis LaraRobert GasserMike BoeveCooper PrattJosh KnothEric BitontiLuke AdamsDaniel GuilarteDylan O'RaeBradley BlalockJadher Areinamo

Three Indiana guys. I wonder if that has ever happened?

What about Payton Henry? OPS of .855 and 1.010 against lefties. They could start him against left handers with Contreras as the DH. It wouldn't hurt to have the extra catcher instead of Monasterio or somebody like that who doesn't add much.

Counsell has had a pitching staff that those other managers could only dream of. That doesn't make him a better manager.

I love it that Erceg comes on to beat the Brewers. A guy they gave away for nothing while the likes of Singleton, Monasterio, Perkins and Sousa remain on the 40 man. Time to demote Strzlecki, he has noting right now. Should go down to A ball and prove his way back.

It seems to me that he is throwing much more sidearm than in the past. This has had the effect, if true, of flattening out his slider, which is his only plus pitch. The fastball and changeup are really below average major league quality. His slider, for whatever reason, is not doing what it had done in the past. Smaller horizontal break with less depth. Tell me I'm wrong.