titanrick

My take on that is MLB outlawed the colored index card being displayed in the dugout for the hitter at the plate, which was giving them real-time feedback. I don't see how or why MLB would tell teams they can't discuss strategy with a player in the dugout before he goes up to hit. It just feels like we don't have a plan, and that's frustrating because thankfully, it's unusual for this team. I hope you're right and it's just a learning curve and we'll improve before the playoffs.

That quote is from Ketel Marte, not Chourio, if that matters. This issue of our hitters' use of ABS is frustrating for me. The Brewers pride themselves on getting an edge in every imaginable way since we will never be able to outspend teams like the Dodgers and Yankees. So why can't we be better at this aspect of it, given we're 100 games into the new system now? To be clear, the split-second judgment of "Was it an incorrect call?" is very difficult. If players don't trust their own judgment, most of the time they should just accept the call and not challenge. I'm reminded of a Bunty at-bat early in the season where he looks at a called third strike that wasn't particularly close to being a ball, then compounds his problem by wasting a challenge on it. It was early in the game, too. But there is no excuse at all for Chourio's miss on the last strike of regulation. Even if he's wrong, we still have one left in extra innings. It is no longer a question of "Are you certain?" and more a question of "What have you got to lose by being wrong?" In this case, he wasn't losing much and would have gotten the challenge correct. But these are things that should be taught to our hitters - that the timing of the challenge matters greatly! And the rules are strict that you can't coach from the dugout in those situations, you can absolutely remind someone in the on-deck circle that we have two challenges left in the bottom of the 9th and if it's close at all, don't be afraid to try it! And yet, our boys seem lost on when to challenge and when not to. Chourio clearly discussed it with someone after that game, because he incorrectly challenged in his first at-bat the next game! Coaches... Murph... tighten up the ship here!

17. But I can't see Stearns doing that. He would look so unbelievably foolish, especially if Freddy turned it around after getting here. And Peralta's value is much lower now than the Jett/Sproat package, so the articles combining the two trades would practically write themselves. What I can see happening is the Cubs trade for him. Familiarity with Counsell, coupled with their ongoing desperation for starting pitching that can stay healthy. That would make sense.

How in the world can someone accidentally tweet out a text they intended to send someone privately? Although thinking that tweedledee and tweedledum were actually named "twinkle dee and twinkle dum" might be a clue. Just like you eventually have to take the car keys away from Grandpa, I think the same should be done for a phone.

I hope that means Greg Jones is the one driving Luis Lara from Nashville to St. Louis.

That is fantastic news. Please get the bonehead ump decisions completely out of the game.

If having lots of money like the Mets means we're spending it on washed-up (or soon-to-be) FAs as opposed to our international scouting department, draft research, analytics team, pitching lab in AZ... I guess I'll take the status quo. Just sucks that the Dodgers are about as well-run as we are, but can also write blank checks every offseason. That's an enormous advantage, whether Dave Roberts and their fans want to admit it or not.

Thanks! Maybe I'm remembering a game where he didn't start, but was good in relief against us. Who knows? But those stats are encouraging!

I feel like the last couple times we've faced Rea, he's gotten the better of us. Maybe it's my selective negative memory? Here's to beating him up early and often!

And for those who didn't see it live, they froze the replay at the moment Bauers hits the base and from the angle, you can see CB in the background. He is looking in a different direction, following the errant throw. So he said Bauers missed the base, Bauers clearly hit the center of the base, and he wasn't even looking to check if he hit the base. I think Levering was in the booth for that game. When they pause the replay, you can tell he's searching for words to describe the situation, but doesn't want to say anything too harsh. I think he said something like, "And ... long pause ... oh my, he's not even looking at the base when Bauers hits it" following by more awkward silence. Just an unbelievable call. Wouldn't surprise me if MLB decided he would be done after that incident.

Didn't he take a Miz fastball off the mask? He hasn't been back since? 😶 I will forever cherish the memory of that Rays game where CB announced that Bauers missed first base, the replay shows he hits it dead center, and then Kevin Cash and Murph start uncontrollably laughing with each other from opposing dugouts. High comedy there.

I don't think they want to bring Lara up unless he is starting every day. He wouldn't be a replacement for Lockridge or Perkins as long as Chourio/Mitchell/Frelick/Bauers are still penciled in every day.

Yeli's ongoing climb up the all-time leaderboard for "4-3 putouts" will have to wait, but we get to see Gary continue to climb the leaderboard for "thrown out at first by 5+ steps on a double play". I kid. It really is a great time to be a Brewers fan!. Just a lot of game-to-game frustrations in a 162-game schedule.

This thread really gets to the heart of the changes baseball has undergone in the last decade. There's the old-school camp that goes by a gut reaction and they hire managers that have been around for thousands of years and preach about "instinct" in their in-game decisions. The new-school approach, which the Brewers seem to be taking, is to wade deep into the analytics and that sometimes produces answers (Frelick over Vaughn) which seem to defy the gut-reaction answer. Which is better? I would only say it's hard to argue with the Brewers' success relative to their payroll and the rest of the league, over the past 8-10 years.

I wish I could talk to my clients the way Murph talks to the media.

Someone with greater knowledge can correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we also dealing with the unknown of a lockout next year, which has the potential to get quite long and drawn out. My understanding is no one on the 40-man roster is allowed to play while they are locked out, but our minor leaguers not yet on the 40-man, will be allowed to continue to play during the lockout. That would mean bringing up a prospect this year could interrupt his development next year. I can't really imagine using this as justification to keep Jett or Pratt down in Nashville all year, but guys like Made, who may get a look in September under normal circumstances? It may benefit him in the long run to skip the "cup of coffee" if it means he can play during a lockout next spring/summer. Is that accurate?

My highly uneducated opinion is that he reminds me of young Corbin Burnes. I wouldn't be surprised if he continues to excel in a bullpen role this year and gets stretched out for the rotation next year.

I'd feel much better replacing Gasser with Crow in that list, but that's just a heaping dose of recency bias. And I would think Crow will be back up as soon as the rules allow. Hopefully, Gasser can put his last start behind him!

True. They have to be checking velo during those bullpens and I'm guessing the mood would be more pessimistic if he hadn't returned to previous levels.

I'm concerned that they keep talking about Woodruff having "good" bullpens and feeling good, but are specifically not mentioning whether he's still sitting at 86 mph with his fastball or has returned to the 92-94 range. That's kinda important to know. Maybe I'm reading too much into the lack of information given out.

Yeah, that scared me a bit. Two off that area of his glove in the same inning, then he loses grip on the bat in the following AB. Really hope he doesn't reinjure that finger!

It's Crap in my Lap night? Never been to one of these, but I can't imagine how many accidents have to be cleaned up throughout the night. I suppose it's worth it though - no one appreciates the finer points of a baseball game quite like a dog.

That makes logical sense, but can we wait on the change until Ashby finishes his 34-win season?

When I asked AI what "Matos" meant in Spanish, one of the options it gave me was "scrub". I wish I were joking.