Michael Trzinski

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images On a chilly early September afternoon, a start that had even Front Row Amy bundled up, a pair of elite pitchers met at Uecker Field in Game 3 of the Philadelphia-Milwaukee series. In a matchup of opposing styles, Fastball Freddy Peralta took on Phillies southpaw Ranger Suárez, who employs the ‘slow, slower, and slowest’ technique of pitching to enemy batters. Burly Brellenthin, a 100-year-old World War II vet, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to a nice round of applause from an appreciative crowd. Both pitchers kept the game scoreless through three, but Peralta struggled a bit in the top of the fourth. Bryce Harper walked, and J.T. Realmuto dumped a parachute shot into short right, which had been vacated when Andruw Monasterio covered second on a Harper steal attempt. Peralta got two quick strikeouts of Brandon Marsh and Harrison Bader, but issued his third free pass of the game to Max Kepler. On his 31st pitch of the inning, Peralta struck out Alex Bohm to end the scoring threat. Suárez ran into trouble in the home half, giving up solid line drive singles to Andrew Vaughn and Caleb Durbin. The Brewers went meekly after that, with Danny Jansen bunting into a force play at third, while Monasterio popped to short and Blake Perkins looked at a called strike three to keep the contest scoreless. Peralta left after five innings (and 92 pitches), allowing two hits and three walks while whiffing eight. He extended his scoreless streak to 29 innings with a solid effort. Aaron Ashby came on in relief in the top of the sixth inning and got two groundouts to third and a strikeout to keep the Phils off the scoreboard. The Crew had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the sixth when William Contreras walked and Vaughn hit a one-hop double off the wall in left-center. The ‘gold’ turned into iron pyrite after two groundouts and a flyout to medium center ended the frame. Suárez left after six innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out a quartet of Brewers. With one out in the Phillies' seventh, Bohm lined a ball to right off reliever Tobias Myers that went past a diving Isaac Collins and into the corner as Bohm coasted into third. The Brewers moved the infield in, and Vaughn made a nice backhand play on Bryson Stott for the second out, keeping the runner at third. Pesky Trea Turner lined a shin-high splitter over a leaping Joey Ortiz to give the Phils a 1-0 lead. Rob Zastryzny came and promptly wild-pitched Turner to second, but got Kyle Schwarber to roll to second to keep the deficit at one. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom half of the eighth, Vaughn lined a two-out single to right off gangly lefthander Matt Strahm. Jake Bauers came in to pinch-run and advanced all the way to third when Realmuto couldn’t handle a pitch in the dirt and then airmailed the throw to second. Unfortunately, Durbin skied to center to end the inning. Beleaguered reliever Joel Payamps came on in the ninth and gave up a double to Bader past a diving Durbin at third. Payamps got a groundout and a strikeout, but Stott lined a low inside pitch to right that went to the wall, scoring Bader for a 2-0 lead as Stott collected a two-base hit. That brought in Phillies closer Jhoan Duran and his triple-digit fastball for the save opportunity. With one out, Monasterio drilled a ball to deep left-center, but Bader leapt and caught the ball as he crashed into the wall for the second out, robbing an extra-base hit. Pinch-hitter Sal Frelick struck out to end the game. Suárez notched his 11th win while Duran picked up his 26th save. Myers took the loss. Both teams left eight runners on base, but Milwaukee was 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Brewers had runners on first and second with nobody out in both the fourth and the sixth, but were unable to score. One piece of good news for Milwaukee was the performance of Vaughn, who went 3-for-4 with a double. Vaughn had batted only .161 (5-for-31) over the last ten days. Durbin also had a pair of hits. "We left runners on base," manager Pat Murphy said after the game. "We didn't get the big hit." The Brewers have a 5.5 game lead over the idle Cubs and will head to PNC Park for a three-game set with NL Central rival Pittsburgh. View full article

Image courtesy of © Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images On 'Bark in the Park Night' Wednesday evening, the Milwaukee Brewers showed more bite than bark, as they used a five-run first inning to propel them past the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 before a crowd of 28,528 people (and several dozen well-behaved canines) at Uecker Field. Rookie of the Year front-runner Isaac Collins blasted a three-run homer into the Aurora Health Care Bullpen in right field, to break the game open right at its start. Just before that, Sal Frelick had driven home two runs with a single to center. The party was on, and would last all evening. Brewers starter Jose Quintana held the Phillies scoreless for four innings, while theCrew added their sixth run in the bottom of the fourth. Jake Bauers singled, stole second, and then scored on Brice Turang's line-drive double off the left-field wall. But in a repeat of what happened Monday in a 10-8 Brewers loss, the Phillies fought back. Nick Castellanos and Edmundo Sosa each singled to lead off the top of the fifth. One out later, Trea Turner singled to right to score Castellanos. Quintana buckled down to strike out Kyle Schwarber and got Bryce Harper on a fielder's choice to escape further damage. Quintana finally ran out of gas in the seventh after a single by Castellanos and a long two-run shot by Weston Wilson that cut the lead to 6-3. Aaron Ashby and Abner Uribe combined for five outs, before Jared Koenig came on for the ninth inning and earned his first save of the year to cap off the Brewers win over the team that trails the Brewers with the second-best record in the National League. Turang had a double and a triple to lead Milwaukee's offense, in addition to Collin's home run. (Wilson and Harrison Bader collided on the warning track in left-center field, allowing Turang to race to third on a play in the second inning with one out, but Turang was stranded at third after Jackson Chourio and William Contreras struck out.) Quintana recovered from a subpar outing on August 28 against Arizona by going 6 1/3 solid innings, allowing seven hits, three runs, and three walks while striking out six to earn his 11th victory. Increasingly, it looks like there will be a role for Quintana on the pitching staff even in October, so a good showing against a potential NLCS opponent was nice to see. The win improved the Brewers' league-best record to 86-54, six games ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. The Brewers and Phillies meet Thursday night for the rubber match in their three-game series, but having swept the previous matchup in Philadelphia, Milwaukee now has the tiebreaker between the two clubs. Should they finish with the same record, the Crew would get the top seed, assuring themselves of home-field advantage throughout the bracket. View full article

I just think he should do his bouncing and skipping in the dugout. Kinda like the bat flips and two minute HR trots? "But that is just today's generation," says the Boomer. And starter vs. reliever? I think he should stay right where he is because if he implodes in the 9th, there is really no room for error, whereas in the 3rd? Well, a little more chance for a comeback.

A few starts ago, a 'cocky' Miz started skipping off the mound after quick, proficient innings. Shortly after, the opponents pounded him for hits and runs that he had previously not given up in those games. Three thoughts: 1) The opposing team gets fired up and hammers the youngster. 2) Miz loses focus, thinking he is 'all that' and doesn't think he needs to 'bring it.' 3) Combination of 1 and 2. Is it just me, or is the Miz getting too big for his britches and is getting pounded because of it?

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images While Labor Day is a day off for many working people, it is rare that Major League Baseball players get to take an extra day off during the season. The Brewers have gotten the holiday off only four times since they have been in existence: 1989, 1994 (the strike year), 1999, and 2020 (when COVID left stadiums empty and the incentive to schedule games on the holiday was muted). Since their inaugural season of 1970, the Brewers have played a total of 60 games on Labor Day, winning 25 while losing 35. Somewhat ironically, it used to be common that teams would play doubleheaders on Labor Day. In fact, the Brewers played twin-bills in nine different seasons, the last one coming in 2002. Milwaukee split in seven of those seasons, and were swept in 1971 and 1990. Here are a few fun facts for Labor Day games. Largest attendance at Milwaukee County Stadium: 41,348 (1992) Largest attendance at Miller Park/American Family Field/Uecker Field: 44,462 (2018) Smallest attendance at Milwaukee County Stadium: 10,627 (1976) Smallest attendance at The Ueck: 19,588 (2003) Record at Milwaukee County Stadium: 8-10 Record at The Ueck: 3-9 Record on the road: 14-16 On Labor Day 2025, the Brewers host the Philadelphia Phillies to begin a three-game series, with a chance to cement their playoff status against a team that is in the hunt for a bye in the National League postseason. Here’s hoping the Brewers can turn around their lack of success at home on Labor Day. Without further ado, here are three of the top wins for Milwaukee over the last 55 seasons on this Labor Day holiday. September 3, 2018 (Milwaukee 4, Chicago Cubs 3) The Brewers woke up Labor Day morning 2018 with a record of 77-61, five games behind Chicago. The Crew had been fairly hot over the previous two weeks, winning nine of 13 games since mid-August, but the Cubs were a bit better, going 10-4 over the same span. That brought the two front-runners in the National League Central to a short two-game holiday showdown. The Cubs struck early before a crowd of 44,462, many of them pro-Cubs. With Javier Báez on first with one out, Anthony Rizzo singled to center, and as Báez was going first-to-third, center fielder Lorenzo Cain lost his grip on the ball while trying to throw, allowing Báez to score. The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the fifth, as both Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels and Brewers hurler Zach Davies showed their stingy sides. Orlando Arcia singled with one out and moved to second after a strikeout and a balk by Hamels. Cain atoned for his earlier miscue by stroking an RBI single and moving to second on the throw. Cain stole third and then scored on Christian Yelich’s single. After five, the Brewers led 2-1. Davies left after five innings, bringing on Josh Hader, who in his second year as a Brewer was more of a medium-leverage pitcher than a closer. The flame-throwing southpaw retired six straight hitters before running into trouble in the top of the eighth. He walked Ian Happ before striking out Daniel Murphy and Báez. Happ stole second. Then, Rizzo blasted a two-run shot to the right-field bleachers to give Chicago a 3-2 lead. Corey Knebel took over for Hader and retired Kris Bryant on a flyball to right. The Brewers greeted reliever Carl Edwards, Jr. in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of singles by Curtis Granderson and Cain before two strikeouts. Ryan Braun walked to load the bases, before yet another walk to Mike Moustakas forced in a run. Steve Cishek came in to put out the fire, and the teams went to the top of the ninth tied 3-3. Jeremy Jeffress took care of the Cubs in the ninth, allowing a single and a stolen base but keeping the visitors off the scoreboard. The Brewers used an unconventional bottom of the ninth to score the game-winner. Erik Kratz walked and was replaced by pinch-runner Keon Broxton. Arcia was hit by a pitch, and both runners moved up a base on a passed ball by Cubs catcher Willson Contreras. After a Granderson strikeout, Cain was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With one out, Jesse Chavez relieved Cishek to face Yelich. On a 1-2 count, Yelich hit a chopper to a diving Bryant at third. The third baseman tagged the base for the second out, but his throw to first was too late to get Yelich as Broxton scored the winning run. The win cut the Cubs’ lead to four games. A hot September (19-7) allowed the Brewers to catch them, and a Game 163 playoff went the Brewers' way, sending the Crew to the postseason and vaulting them all the way to Game 7 of the NLCS. September 2, 1996 (Milwaukee 7, Cleveland Indians 6) The Brewers entered this contest with a record of 66-72, 16 games behind the Indians in the AL Central race. But on this ‘Indian Summer’ day with temps in the low 80s, the Brewers would come from behind and come out ahead, in a game at County Stadium that they trailed early by a 5-1 score. The Indians got to Brewer starter Ben McDonald in the first frame, scoring a pair of runs on RBI singles by Albert Belle and Julio Franco. Omar Vizquel led off the top of the second with a home run just inside the right-field foul pole to increase the lead to 3-0. The Brewers got that run back in the bottom half of the second, courtesy of a home run to deep right field by John Jaha on the first pitch from Albie Lopez. In the top of the third, Belle and Manny Ramírez walked and then scored on a ground-rule double by Sandy Alomar to increase the Indians' lead to 5-1. The Brewers tied the score in the bottom of the fifth. Matt Mieske singled and was followed by free passes to Jesse Levis and Mark Loretta to load the sacks. Jeff Cirillo drew a four-pitch walk to force in a run and end Lopez’s day. Kent Mercker came on in relief and immediately gave up a sacrifice fly to Dave Nilsson that scored Levis, to make it 5-3. Jaha then singled to left to push Loretta across the plate, and José Valentín followed with a sac fly to center that scored Cirillo to tie the game. The Indians went ahead in the top of the ninth when Franco singled to center to score Belle, who had doubled against closer Doug Jones. The Brewers entered the home half of the ninth trailing 6-5 against All-Star closer José Mesa, who came into the game with 31 saves. It didn’t look good for Milwaukee after Cirillo singled with one out and was forced at second by a Nilsson groundout. David Hulse pinch-ran, though, and promptly stole second and advanced to third on an infield single by Jaha. A wild pitch scored Hulse and moved Jaha to second, tying the game. Valentín hit a looping liner to left field and danced down the first base line, as Jaha scored the winning run. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” Jaha said. “It’s real big, it shows this team can play.” The Brewers would move up one spot in the standings by winning 14 of 24 games in September and finish just below .500, at 80-82. September 6, 1976 (Game 1: Milwaukee 3, Cleveland 2) The Brewers came into the Bicentennial Labor Day doubleheader at County Stadium mired in last place in the AL East, a dismal 20.5 games behind the eventual AL champion New York Yankees. After a scoreless first, the Tribe tallied a pair of runs in the second off Brewers starter Jim Colborn. Buddy Bell and Ray Fosse led off the inning with singles. Tommy Smith doubled to left to score Bell and move Fosse to third. Frank Duffy then hit a fly ball to center that scored Fosse, but Smith was caught trying to move to third: 8-2-5 if you're scoring at home. Sixto Lezcano led off the bottom of the fourth with a walk and moved to third on a pair of groundouts. Darrell Porter cut the lead in half when he laced a single to right field off Cleveland starter Stan Thomas to score Lezcano and make it 2-1. Milwaukee tied the game in the bottom of the sixth after Lezcano and Bernie Carbo singled, with Lezcano moving to third. Lezcano scored on Mike Hegan's 3-6 groundout. Stan Thomas was still on the mound in the ninth inning, in a 2-2 game. With one out, Porter walked. Then Danny Thomas, 'The Sundown Kid,' banged a double off the left field wall to score Porter for the 3-2 win. (The Indians won the second game by an identical 3-2 score.) Labor Day 2025 As the Brewers head into September, their 6.5-game lead over the ‘Jekyll-and-Hyde’ Cubs is comfortable and substantial. Milwaukee has looked mortal at times, and unbeatable at others. The 14-game win streak was followed by a stretch of games that showed equal parts strengths and weaknesses. Is Milwaukee the team that can find ways to win no matter what the situation, or are they the team that has gone 7-9 in the fortnight that followed the long winning skein? With key players like Rhys Hoskins, Trevor Megill, and Joey Ortiz expected to return from injuries sometime during the month, one would expect the team to be fortified and finish the season with a win total near 100. Jackson Chourio has proved he is back, going 6-for-9 with a homer and two doubles in a pair of games against Toronto in his return. September 1 is the starting line for the final sprint to the postseason, and if the Brewers can start and finish fast, they will go a long way toward reaching the pinnacle. All of that can begin with another memorable Labor Day win—after which, yes, the team that has played 19 times in 18 days will finally get a day of rest. View full article

In 1993, Trent Durrington joined a growing number of Australians that were signed by major league baseball teams when he was inked as an international free agent by the California Angels. Durrington had played in tournaments and exhibitions over the previous two years and had caught the eye of Angels scouts with his batting eye and speed. The right-handed hitting infielder began his professional career with the Angels entry in the Arizona rookie league in 1994 and steadily moved up, spending five-plus years in the minors, showing a penchant for drawing walks and stealing bases (174 steals from 1996-99). He made his big-league debut with the newly-named Anaheim Angels in August 1999 and made an immediate impression, hitting safely in seven of hit first eight games, going 10-for-27 (.370). Durrington cooled off after that and finished the season with a batting line of .180/.237/.197 across 136 plate appearances. He missed most of 2000 with a knee injury and was released after the season. He signed with the other Los Angeles team (Dodgers) but only played 22 games for them at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2001 before being released again. The Angels re-signed him during the season but he didn't get back to the majors until 2003, when he spent six weeks with Anaheim at the end of the season, playing in just 12 games, making 17 plate appearances. 'Durro' was released by the Angels and was signed by the Brewers just before Thanksgiving 2003. Durrington split time between Triple-A and the Brewers in 2004 and 2005, playing in 81 games overall for Milwaukee, hitting .229/.267/.385, hitting his only two big-league home runs (both of the pinch-hit variety) in 2004, as well as legging out three triples in just 82 ABs. Durrington was released after the 2005 campaign and never returned to the bigs, spending time at Triple-A the next two years for Boston and Cleveland. He retired after the 2007 season. View full player

A great play, definitely a game-saver. Well, maybe a game-saver...lol.

They're all jealous of his flow...lol.

Randy Wolf wasn’t a superstar. The left-hander was named to only one All-Star team. But he made over 30 starts seven times, compiled 200+ innings six times, and won 133 games in a 16-year career that included stops in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, Detroit, Miami, and Baltimore. If you look up the phrase ‘dependable starter’ in your baseball dictionary, he picture was beside it. Randall Christopher Wolf was born in Canoga Park, California and although he was drafted out of high school by the Dodgers in the 25th round of the 1994 MLB Amateur Draft, he elected not to sign. He attended Pepperdine University where he became an All-American pitcher. He was drafted by the Phillies in the second round of the 1997 MLB draft. The player known as ‘Wolfie’ made his big-league debut with Philadelphia after just two-plus years in the minors. He became a regular starter in 1999 and made 142 starts over the next five years, culminating in a 16-win season and his only All-Star nod in 2003. Wolf underwent Tommy John surgery in 2005 and missed half of that season and the next. After the 2006 season, he signed as a free agent with the Dodgers. In 2007, Wolf made 18 starts for the Dodgers before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He pitched for both San Diego and Houston in 2008 before going back to the Dodgers in 2009, where he had one of his best seasons, compiled a 3.9 bWAR, an ERA+ of 124, and a FIP of 3.96. Wolf signed as a free agent with the Brewers in December 2009 and played for Milwaukee for the better part of three seasons, making a total of 91 starts. He won 13 games in both 2010 and 2011. Wolf was a major part of the rotation during the 2011 campaign in which the Brewers fell one win short of reaching the World Series, losing to St. Louis in six games in the NLCS. Wolf was the winning pitcher in a 4-2 Game 4 victory for the Brewers. He underwent a second TJ surgery in 2012 and missed the following season. Over the next two years, Wolf pitched in only 14 major league games and retired after the 2015 season. View full player

Mike Ferraro played five games in April 1969 for the Seattle Pilots before he was traded to the New York Yankees. The infielder didn’t return to the big leagues until 1972 when he made 100 starts at third base for the Brewers. He amassed only 500 at-bats in four big league seasons but made his mark as a minor league manager in the Yankees chain, winning three league championships in five seasons. Michael Dennis Ferraro was born in Kingston, New York and was signed by the Yankees in 1962 as an amateur free agent. Ferraro spent five years in the minors—including winning a batting title as a 19-year-old for Class-A Fort Lauderdale in 1964—before making his big-league debut with New York in a 10-game September audition. He played 29 games for the Yanks in 1968 and was drafted in the offseason by the Pilots in the expansion draft. After just a couple weeks with Seattle in 1969, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. He played two minor league seasons with the Orioles and then got traded to Milwaukee after the 1971 season. Ferraro was the everyday third sacker for the Brewers, but four other players made starts, including first baseman George Scott, who got the call 20 times at the hot corner during the year. Ferraro batted .255/.284/.323 over 406 plate appearances. He was traded to the Twins before the 1973 season but played a few games in the minors before being released. The Yankees signed him for minor league depth. He was released by the Yankees during spring training the following season but a few days later became a special instructor and then manager of the Oneonta Yankees in the short-season A New York-Penn League. He led the team to a 53-16 record in his first season, winning the league title and earning Manager of the Year honors. He had a 35-34 record the following season. He moved up the ladder all the way up to Triple-A over the next three years, including piloting his squads to a pair of league titles. Ferraro was named to the manager job for Cleveland in November 1982, but prior to the 1983 season, he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous left kidney. He recovered and managed the Indians for 100 games (40-60) before he got fired in late July. In 1986, Ferraro led the Kansas City Royals for 74 games after Dick Howser stepped down with health issues related to a brain tumor. Ferraro was a coach for the Royals for 2 1/2 seasons prior to taking over for Howser. Ferraro also served as a coach for New York from 1979-1982, 1987-88 and 1990-91. He also coached for Baltimore in 1993. Ferraro passed away in July 2024. View full player

Image courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images During the first iteration of Milwaukee Brewers playoff baseball in the early 1980s, two teams took the term ‘small ball’ to another level. The Oakland A’s, under new manager Billy Martin, relied on taking the extra base, stealing bases, and putting pressure on defenses in a brand of play that came to be known as ‘Billy Ball.’ Martin lasted only three seasons (1980-82) in Oakland but took a team that lost 108 games in 1979 and turned it into an 83-game winner the next year, good enough for second place in the American League West. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, the A’s made it all the way to the ALCS, but lost to the New York Yankees in three games. Meanwhile, in the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals played a similar style of baseball under manager Whitey Herzog. The Brewers got a good dose of ‘Whitey Ball’ in the 1982 World Series, as the Cardinals stole seven bases while winning the Series in seven games. Lonnie Smith, Tommy Herr, Ozzie Smith, and Willie McGee all stole at least 24 bases during the regular season, on the way to 92 wins in the NL East and an eventual berth in the Fall Classic. Milwaukee was the polar opposite of the Cardinals, slugging 216 home runs and stealing only 84 bags, led by Paul Molitor’s. Forty-three years later, the Brewers more closely resemble the A’s and the Cardinals of the 1980s than 'Bambi's Bombers' or 'Harvey's Wallbangers' of that same era. Ned Yost was a backup catcher for Milwaukee from 1980-83. He had only one plate appearance in the 1982 World Series, in which he drew a walk (of course he did), and otherwise sat on the bench. Yost became the Brewers' manager in 2003 and spent five ho-hum seasons at Miller Park before having his job terminated after the Brewers lost 11 of 14 games in early September 2008, nearly losing their Wild Card slot. With just 12 games left to play, Dale Sveum took over and guided the Brewers to a 7-5 mark and their first playoff action since 1982. Yost became the manager for the Kansas City Royals in 2010. Four years later, he led the Royals to the World Series, where they lost in seven games to the San Francisco Giants. The following season, the Royals became champions, after beating the New York Mets in five games. The Royals led the majors in steals in 2014 and finished fifth in 2015, while languishing near the bottom of the league both years in home runs. Former and/or future Brewers Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas, and Lorenzo Cain all earned World Series rings. Ten years later, the 2025 Brewers hope to win theirs. This year’s version of the Milwaukee Brewers is not that much different from the previous year’s edition under manager Pat Murphy. This year’s team is scoring 5.2 runs/game (R/G), up from last season’s 4.8 R/G. Home runs are virtually the same (1.07 HR/G vs. last year’s 1.09). Walks are down from last year, 3.41 BB/G vs. 3.68. Stolen bases are also down: 1.1 SB/G from 1.34 in 2024. But the point is, the team hasn’t changed that much, even though the cast of characters has changed since last year. With an MLB-best record of 78-45 and an eight-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, the Brewers have shown that a team does not have to hit a ton of homers to win games. The Brewers play ‘Murph Ball,’ getting on base, taking the extra base, and putting pressure on the opposing defense to win games. The Brewers lead MLB with 630 runs scored, and are second in stolen bases (133), batting average (.260), on-base percentage (.333), and are tied for seventh with 413 bases on balls. The 130 home runs hit by the Brewers rank 18th. During their 14-game winning streak, the Brewers looked more like ‘Murphy’s Maulers’ than a team playing ‘Murph Ball,’ banging out 26 round-trippers while stealing only 12 bases. Brice Turang (6), Christian Yelich (5), Andrew Vaughn (4), William Contreras (4), Blake Perkins (3), and Isaac Collins (2) all found their power strokes during the latest winning streak. The Brewers came from behind to win eight times in the 14 contests, including Friday night’s seven-run deficit to the Reds. Brewers fans are increasingly talking about the ‘spirit’ of Bob Uecker guiding the team over the last two weeks. Yelich even hit two home runs with a special ‘Mr. Baseball’ bat. Even though the style of play has changed over the last two weeks, the wins keep coming. If the players take it ‘one day at a time,’ the Brewers should win the division and make the playoffs. The five-game set at Wrigley Field this coming week will tell us a lot about how the rest of the season will go. They'd love to make a resounding statement in that series, but the truth is, they no longer need to. It's just a matter of continuing what they're doing. For now, the team playing ‘Murph Ball’ keeps on rolling along and finds a way to win games, either by the long ball or via small ball. Another Oakland legend springs to mind: Just win (tonight), baby. View full article

As a huge fan of Milwaukee baseball since April 1970, this is a very nice piece of Brewers history. Well done, @Tim Muma!!

Nice comeback! Let's finish them off!!

Martín Maldonado was a fan favorite at Miller Park from 2011-16. He was mostly a back-up catcher but usually made 50 or so starts per year. He had an above-average arm and would win a Gold Glove in 2017 as the main catcher for the Los Angeles Angels. People would probably be surprised to learn that Maldonado played 64 games at age 37 in 2025 before getting released by the San Diego Padres. Martín Benjamin Maldonado was drafted in the 27th round of the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft by the Anaheim Angels. Maldonado played for three years in the Angels organization before getting released in January 2007. He was signed as a minor league free agent by the Brewers shortly after. Maldonado played for five years in the minors for Milwaukee before getting a sip of Starbucks for Milwaukee in September 2011. Maldonado make the big-league team out of spring training in 2012 and had one of his finest batting years with a slash line of .266/.321/.408 with an OPS+ of 93. Maldonado served as a back-up to Jonathan Lucroy over the next four seasons before being traded to the Angels after the 2016 season. The catcher, also known as ‘Machete,’ bounced around the majors the next few years, playing for the Angels, Astros, Royals, and Cubs before a second stint with the Astros from 2019-23. Maldonado played for the Chicago White Sox in 2024 and then the Padres in 2025 before being released in July. The right-handed hitter has played 1,230 games and has a career batting line of .203/.277/.343 with 119 home runs. Maldonado was a member of the 2022 World Series champion Astros. He also played for Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. View full player

Updated stats: GS-6 (Brewers have won all six) IP-35.1 H-17 ER-9 BB-6 K-45 4-0, 2.29 ERA BA- .139 ERA+ 177 Pretty damned impressive!

True. I might have just looked at the .245 average. No, ,766 isn't scuffling. My bad...