Ron Robinsons Beard

How about we take into account that Hamels was basically a horrible, worthless pitcher for the Rangers this year. Nothing in his numbers with the Rangers said he was going to be any better, or even close to better, than what the Brewers have in their rotation. Yeah, he's pitching great for the Cubs right now. Yeah, that sucks. But I'm not going to lose sleep over the Brewers not acquiring Cole Hamels. The Cubs getting him is akin to the Brewers grabbing Wade Miley this past spring. Sometimes you take a chance on an underperforming vet in the hope that they find something and it works out. Most of the time is doesn't. But once in a while it does. I still wouldn't trust Miley in a one-game playoff, just as I would think the Cubs wouldn't trust Hamels.

If the Brewers go on a nice little run here it will only be because they're just good enough to beat the bad teams & can't hang with the actual good teams. If they keep the winning up & clinch a wild card spot it won't really matter because they aren't good enough to win one game much less make a deep postseason run. If they do shock the naysayers & make a deep postseason run, but ultimately come up short of winning the World Series it will be a wasted season because Stearns didn't go all in enough to win it all when we had the chance. If they truly blow the world's collective mind & win it all, it will still be difficult to get excited about because our farm system isn't as strong as it was a year ago before our top prospects graduated or were traded for legitimate MLB players. LOL ... I love this! Just summed up quite a few posters here in a nutshell.

Can you at least acknowledge that Khris Davis is likely one of if not the worst defensive outfielder in MLB? Because I'm thinking that is likely a big reason he is no longer a Brewer. Davis's defense makes Santana look like Willie Mays. I do agree that the Brewers did not get enough value back in that trade, even though I really like Nottingham.

It can be argued that we possibly have one of those guys in Corbin Burnes. Unfortunately, he is being used once a week in relief.

As another example, go look at Jimmy Nelson's first year or two at the big league level.

Way too small of a sample... He has never been given a real shot at the rotation. I'd rather throw him out there and see what we have then to say he sucks. Has more career innings than Peralta and a higher ERA, not to mention he’s 4 years older than Peralta And has more control that Peralta. And a ton more zip on his fastball.

Kumrow started at Illinois (under Zook, ironically), then transferred to Whitewater.

I'm not laughing. That sucked.

Kamara is a good RB, but he isn't going lead them to a winning record with someone like Taysom Hill at the controls. Just like most teams with top QBs, if they lose their #1, they will struggle to break .500. The Eagles were not the norm last year. Brees could quite possible pull a Peyton Manning and lose it at some point, too. The Saints probably have more question marks than the Packers at this point. Personally, as a Packer fan, I am rooting for whoever is playing the Saints. I would never root for an injury, but I wouldn't mind if Brees started suddenly looking his age this year.

I fear I'm starting to tire of the "Freddy Peralta Experience". I sure do hope that Good Freddy shows up tonight and proves me wrong.

They weren't, they said things that made it sound that way, but they had to know. The problem was the people here who continuously made accusations that he'd be back this year, help us down the stretch and into the playoffs. This news is not disappointing to me because I said from day one that anything we got from him this season would be a bonus, and I did not expect to see him this season at all. I was told a couple of times I was negative, and was wrong. In the end, I was realistic, and correct. And what does he win, Bob? A worse baseball team!

Well, you typed a whole lot of words but as the old adage goes, if you're explaining you're losing. You're hypothetical arguments where teams are playing unequal amounts of games crumble when you consider that each team is going to play 162 games. There is no scenario in which the Brewers make up only the three games you claim they are behind and finish ahead of the Cubs. The standings show them three games behind right now only because they have played a different number of games and the season is incomplete. If you want to say they are three games out, fine, but as you yourself said, the only way the Brewers catch the Cubs is if the Cubs lose five more games than the Crew by the end of the year. I do say they are 3 games out (because they are). Here's my reference: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/index.jsp And you are 100% correct. I applaud you for your well thought-out post above explaining your thoughts.

You are right. It is so stupid that this continues to be argued about. Standings are presented the way they are for a reason.

So what you are saying is that Gray is putting up similar numbers to the top two pitchers in the team's rotation? Sign me up! I'd love to see a waiver deal for Gray, as long as the cost isn't enormous. I think the "Freddy Peralta is a viable starting option" idea has run its course. It's time to either send him down or put him in the pen.

Exactly! The Moose trade was 100% made to strengthen the black hole that had become the lower part of the lineup. The Schoop trade was made with the same idea in mind, even though that hasn't worked out as planned yet. It isn't like Shaw has turned into a sub, either. He's either playing at 3B or 2B almost every day, and when he isn't, he's the first bat off the bench. So not only did the trades strengthen the lineup, they strengthened the bench.

They don't play the same position. Moose replaced Shaw, who is perfectly fine at 3B. And now Shaw has no position since two inferior players are stealing his at bats. Moose is better than Dozier offensively, and that is 99% of what matters here. Obviously the Brewers are punting on defense. But you keep floating that narrative to support your argument.

Counsell bats him cleanup for a week and gets ridiculed. He drops him to 7th due to his cold bat ... and suddenly he is second guessing his boss? Seems like a stretch.

Moose has been better than Dozier. At this point in both their careers, he is a better hitter. Shaw has also played a passable 2B, exceeding most everyone's expectations. I know you are trying to argue to fit your narrative of hating this trade since it was announced, but for the most part, it has worked out well. Moose's bat replacing whichever bum was playing 2B has been a positive. Schoop is a whole different argument, though. I totally get that view that getting him was excessive. I just hope he starts hitting to justify it better.

Cubs got destroyed today, to the Brewers are back within two games. Despite not playing their best ball lately, they are hanging around. If this offense ever does get hot, they will be right in the thick of the division race.

#LOLemogi , followed by #Mademogi

Dumb baserunning, but it sure is hard to get mad at Cain. That guy always has a great attitude.

The way things are going, I'll take runs any way they come.

I will repeat my post from July 17, as it is very relevant today: April 6 - Blown Save (Jeffress), Brewers won on Arcia walk-off April 7 - Blown Save (Barnes), Cubs score 4 in the 9th, win 5-2 April 9 - Blown Save (Albers), Brewers won 5-4 on walk-off walk April 10 - 3 Blown Saves (Drake, Barnes and Hoover), Brewers lose 5-3 in extras April 15 - No blown save, but Albers lost it in the 9th Yes, the bullpen had a rough first week or so after Knebel went down before righting the ship. A couple dramatic walk-offs kept the torches and pitchforks at bay. Effective bullpens are cyclical, and I would argue that the situational approach, again, is not a sure-fire solution either. The best solution is to get Knebel to a point where he's dominant again. If that doesn't happen, look to Williams or Jeffress to start closing games more often. If the "best solution" is to get Knebel to a point where he's dominant again, wouldn't that apply to any reliever? I mean, that's kind of obvious. If we can get Taylor Williams to the point where he's dominant, that would make him a good closer too. No one said the pen was perfect with Knebel out, but it sure was a lot better than what we're doing now. I honestly just think Knebel is kind of overrated here. His ERA is approaching 5 and we're still looking for a way to pigeonhole him into the 9th? Sure, he's nasty when he's right, but guys that can throw 98 grow on trees in the league these days. If you can't hit your spots on your secondary pitches, you'll end up prone to both walks and homeruns, which fits Knebel to a tee. I don't see how he's much different than Barnes, only more HR prone. People fall in love with the "All-Star" next to a closer's name far too much. Derrick Turnbow was an All-Star. Relievers are extremely volatile, and baseball history is literred with closers who were dominant for one year only to fade into obscurity (Turnbow), or simply became just another reliever. (Axford). You are right concerning Knebel. It's such a volatile position. I guess the point was more that the "matchup committee" approach that many hear seem to think is the magic bullet is not necessarily a great solution either, as evidenced by the week or so after Knebel went down in April, when it most certainly did not work especially well. yeah, they got better, but pen success is cyclical.

I will repeat my post from July 17, as it is very relevant today: April 6 - Blown Save (Jeffress), Brewers won on Arcia walk-off April 7 - Blown Save (Barnes), Cubs score 4 in the 9th, win 5-2 April 9 - Blown Save (Albers), Brewers won 5-4 on walk-off walk April 10 - 3 Blown Saves (Drake, Barnes and Hoover), Brewers lose 5-3 in extras April 15 - No blown save, but Albers lost it in the 9th Yes, the bullpen had a rough first week or so after Knebel went down before righting the ship. A couple dramatic walk-offs kept the torches and pitchforks at bay. Effective bullpens are cyclical, and I would argue that the situational approach, again, is not a sure-fire solution either. The best solution is to get Knebel to a point where he's dominant again. If that doesn't happen, look to Williams or Jeffress to start closing games more often.