Ron Robinsons Beard

OMG this is insane. I might actually have an aneurysm when the Brewers make the World Series.

Bobby Portis is having the game that Middleton should be having. Khris has been invisible in the 2nd half. They need him to step up for these last 5 minutes. Just missing a 6-8 point scoring spurt from Middleton here. This was a good call, Mr. Brewmeister

I didn't mind this shot. It was an open look and it's way too early to bleed clock and take bad shots. It's a great shot if you make it. Exactly. That's a shot that Pat makes more often than not. No problem with that shot.

Bobby Portis is having the game that Middleton should be having. Khris has been invisible in the 2nd half. They need him to step up for these last 5 minutes.

That is a huge development. Giannis will be able to abuse Kaminsky/Crowder.

Bobby Portis was such a terrific signing. Dude just doesn't get rattled. The moment is never too big for him. Terrific role player.

Did not expect Kaminsky to be a factor. Poor interior defense on the Bucks' part.

If Giannis keeps hitting his free throws, they are in good shape. The Suns can't stop him, especially with their only true big in foul trouble.

It isn't. Bad calls on both sides.

I don't know ... I wouldn't mind a 20+ point win I expect Giannis to take over in the 2nd half. He's gonna be on a mission. He needs Jrue and Middleton to step up, though. If those two can start hitting their shots, this team won't be denied.

As good as they looked the first quarter, they looked that bad in the 2nd. Even things out, and start hitting some 3s, and they are in good shape.

This is fantastic news. Getting Topa back could really give a boost to the pen. I must have Topa forgetfulness. What exactly makes us get all jazzed about Topa? Was there something other than his 7+ innings from last year? I don't pay much attention to spring training. Did he look otherworldly or something? Wondering what I am missing. He throws in the high 90s to touching triple digits, and has terrific minor league numbers. Classic late bloomer. He looked very good in his limited action as a Brewer last year.

Seeing that they are playing the Royals, I'd bet Cain is activated today, and we'll see him out in CF. After playing nine innings for the first time on rehab, Lorenzo Cain is going to continue to play at Triple-A Nashville for now. "He's doing great health-wise," Craig Counsell said. I see that now. I wonder if they are going to hold off on activating Cain until closer to the trade deadline? Might be some roster construction issues in play soon.

Sounds suspiciously like something HH19 would say! Aren't we all High Heat?

Seeing that they are playing the Royals, I'd bet Cain is activated today, and we'll see him out in CF.

Yeah, the coaches are teaching a clinic on this….Source? Is it the "it appears" that is throwing you? I don't know how you could otherwise read that as anything other than an observational opinion.

How much did they drop Adames's value after he was traded to the Brewers? (half blue?)

He's arguing that the winner is "to be determined". Yes, it looked bad for the Brewers for awhile. But that lopsidedness has sense faded considerably as Urias heats up and Lauer continues to look useful. No one here is calling the deal a surefire win for the Brewers, at least not yet. But plenty of said that the Brewers were raked over the coals on the deal. That take doesn't appear to be correct, either. I would like to point out though that even if we do "win" the trade in the end, that doesn't mean that San Diego didn't "win" as well. Grisham is obviously great, and Davies had a fantastic season for them which had value, and they helped parlay that into Darvish as well which definitely has value. I suppose if both teams can come out of this with something that made them better in the end, that's really what you want in a trade. Exactly right. It is totally OK for both teams to get what they want out of a deal. In fact, the only ones who "grade" trades and determine who "wins" and "loses" them are fans like us. Right now the Brewers are looking good with the Adames acquisition, along with the useful innings they got out of Trevor Richards before flipping him and Francis for Tellez. But Feyereisen has performed well as a Ray (up until the last week at least), and other than one poor outing, Rasmussen has looked good for the Rays. Yes, the Brewers gave up strong present value and future upside to both the Padres and Rays with Grisham, Davies (flipped), Feyereisen and Rasmussen, but there's also plenty of present value in Urias, Adames, Lauer and, to a lesser extent right now, Tellez. I think it's safe to say that all four of those guys have significant upside as well. I think the hot-takey error is in determining that not only did a team lose a trade in the short term, they have no way of winning it long term, either. Truth is we just don't know.

He's arguing that the winner is "to be determined". Yes, it looked bad for the Brewers for awhile. But that lopsidedness has sense faded considerably as Urias heats up and Lauer continues to look useful. No one here is calling the deal a surefire win for the Brewers, at least not yet. But plenty of said that the Brewers were raked over the coals on the deal. That take doesn't appear to be correct, either.

If Stearns would have dealt Hiura after his 2019 season for Urias and Lauer, he would have been drawn and quartered by this fanbase.

I'm seeing this as a strong possibility as well. The biggest advantage the Brewers have on paper and the leading reason they can win it all is their big 3 come playoff time. But the innings concern has to rank right up there with anything else in terms of team needs as the trade deadline approaches. Protecting that big 3 in the rotation or providing insurance for it just might be the key to the season. Adding another dependable starter and upgrading the back of the rotation checks so many boxes... - upgrades the back of the rotation and helps the team even if everyone stays healthy - deepens the bullpen as it shifts a current back end starter to the pen (likely Houser where he has done well) - could allow them to give breaks to the big 3 without suffering a major dropoff - provides a potential substitute if god forbid one of the big 3 goes down - allows them to keep a 6 man rotation in the event one of back 3 is down with an injury (with Anderson this is always a strong possibility) - if somehow they can add a upper tier LH starter they can balance the top of their rotation One reliable starter who ranks right behind the big 3 doesn't check all those boxes simultaneously but it does cover a lot of very realistic scenarios. If they are in search of a upper-tier lefty starter, there are a few that might be available: 1. John Means - Probably very cost prohibitive because he's very good and still has 3 years of control. He'd be a guy I'd consider putting together a huge package for, though. Probably a pipe dream. 2. Matthew Boyd - Not sure where he's at in his recovery from tendonitis, but he'd be a solid fit. 3. Danny Duffy - Having a terrific season, so might be cost-prohibitive. 4. Jon Lester - Tons of big game pennant race experience, and can probably still give you 5 decent innings a start. 5. Tyler Anderson - Shuts down the Brewers every time they face him, so why not? 6. Madison Bumgarner - The DBacks would obviously need to eat a ton of salary, or take back a bad contract or two (like Cain or JBJ). I don't know if they could make something like that work. I guess I would expect someone from the Boyd, Lester, Anderson pile, with Duffy an outside possibility, and Bumgarner and especially Means as big longshots.

LOL ... just LOL

The Brewers lost games by 2-0, 4-3 and 3-1 margins last weekend, and there were a few here ready to crown the Reds. Well, the Brewers just beat them three times by 11-6, 7-4 and 8-0 margins. They just swept a team that we were told by several members here is MUCH better than them after those close losses. Did the Brewers get that much better in a week? Or was it just baseball? Many of those posters will disappear until the next rough patch. The poster that showed the data on posts per IGT depending on if we were winning or losing was spot on. So much easier to be negative, I guess. I'm certainly not trying to tell anyone how to be a fan. I just wish I understood a little better how the minds of those overtly negative fans operate. I simply don't get it. I guess what I'm pointing out here in the end is that, despite what happened against the Reds last weekend, this Brewers team is good. This past weekend was simply baseball's way of fixing itself.

The Brewers lost games by 2-0, 4-3 and 3-1 margins last weekend, and there were a few here ready to crown the Reds. Well, the Brewers just beat them three times by 11-6, 7-4 and 8-0 margins. They just swept a team that we were told by several members here is MUCH better than them after those close losses. Did the Brewers get that much better in a week? Or was it just baseball?

I could see them perhaps trading for a starting pitcher, with the intent of moving Houser to the pen. That theoretically would improved two spots. Maybe a package for Jon Gray? I know it's tough to give up a big package for a guy who will essentially be your #4 starter, but with the team wanting to limit innings, they will eventually have to start skipping some Woodruff and Burnes starts like they are doing with Peralta right now.