Matt Breen

Pitching, Power Lead Sky Sox To 5-0 Win Sky Sox pitch two-hitter to win second straight in OKC. By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox Colorado Springs Boxscore Lewis Brinson and Hiram Burgos ruled the roost for the Sky Sox this evening. Brinson hit two solo HRs (2-4, 2 RBI, BB) while Burgos threw one-hit ball over seven shutout innings. Burgos has been outstanding of late, winning his last four games. Brinson's walk was his first with the Sky Sox. Andy Wilkins (2-4, HR, RBI, BB) added two hits including an HR, while Kyle Wren had two hits (2-5, 2B, 3B). Colorado Springs Game Log The Sky Sox struck big in the 3rd, getting a triple and two HRs. Col. Springs Top of the 3rd Kyle Wren triples (6) on a fly ball to right fielder Yasiel Puig. Nate Orf out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Yasiel Puig. Kyle Wren scores. Lewis Brinson homers (4) on a line drive to left field. Andy Wilkins homers (12) on a fly ball to center field. Garrett Cooper walks. Michael Reed flies out to left fielder Will Venable. Michael McKenry flies out to right fielder Yasiel Puig.

Lefty specialist Marc Rzepczynski was dealt to the Nationals by the Athletics for infielder Max Schlock. Teams in the playoff race often make moves like this - picking up role players for the stretch run, but a Rzepczynski trade is becoming an annual celebration. Rzepczynski has been traded in July or August in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016. He managed to get dealt last off season as well. This has nothing to do with Milwaukee. I'm just find it interesting. Rzepczynski is a free agent after the season, so there's a good chance he ends up joining his seventh team since he debuted in 2009 (as a starter) for Toronto. Still only 30, we can probably expect Rzepczynski to be traded mid-season another five times in his career.

This is huge. Depth (lack of depth) has killed the Brewers over the past 5-6 years. Fangraphs did an article a year or so ago and found that something like 20% of our ABs over a four year (I think that was the time frame) period was essentially worth nothing. Overbay, Yuni, Gonzalez, etc., etc. I'm not here to whine about the past, just note that when a club isn't great - and our teams usually weren't great - you can't afford to waste roster spots. But we did exactly that year after year, trotting out sub-par players because we didn't have the payroll to sign someone decent (often because our payroll was being sucked up by mediocre guys like Suppan), or we didn't develop decent replacements in the minors. Often times when you have a few great players, those guys can carry you in spite of weak links. But we don't have those superstar guys (at least not yet). To win, we need all the guys to contribute. You can't let injuries or sub-par players cripple the team - like what's happened in the past. You need competent replacements in the minors or on your bench ready to go. And even better, you have financial flexibility to add players when the need arises.

Sky Sox Top OKC 5-1 In Opener Brinson drives in three and Gagnon strikes out eight in win. By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox Colorado Springs Boxscore Lewis Brinson continues to impress, knocking out three hits and driving in three runs in the Sky Sox win over Oklahoma City. Kyle Wren did a nice job at the top of the order, drawing a pair of walks and stealing a base. Yadiel Rivera added two hits. Brinson is hitting .407 since coming over from Texas in the Lucroy trade. One area to watch regarding Brinson is his walk rate. After producing a 10+% rate last year at AA, Brinson’s walk rate has been cut by more than half this year - and he hasn’t taken any walks in 14 games since Milwaukee acquired him. Of course, when you hit .400+ that’s not a big deal. Four pitchers - Drew Gagnon, Austin Ross, Sam Freeman and Ben Rowen - combined to allow just one run on seven hits while striking out 15. Colorado Springs Game Log

I have to give Hernan Perez a lot of credit. He came in this year in great shape and he's faster and leaner and just improved his game tremendously. I didn't think he'd ever get into the conversation as a starting player in the big leagues - so good for him. That said, I sort of hope Milwaukee gives him the 3B next year, with Villar moving to 2B and Arcia at SS. I don't feel Scooter is part of our future. He's an okay player, but he's limited both as a hitter and a fielder. I'm sure there's a team where Scooter fits in better - but I just don't know if it's Milwaukee. Defensively, Perez has graded out quite good at 3B this year and in the past. I would imagine he'd be even better if he played there 140 games. I think a Villar/Arcia/Perez infield would be pretty sweet defensively. If Hernan can hit .280 with 15-20 HR, he's pretty valuable. Add in the stolen bases and solid base running - even better. Not great, but good. His 4.0% walk rate is problematic, but most players have their warts. His free swinging in his issue - perhaps he can improve. Right now, he has a 1.3 fWAR - not bad for a guy who has less than 300 ABs. If he got 140 starts, he could be a solid 2.0+ WAR 3B - again, not great, but solid. Certainly better than a lot of teams can manage. I'm not freaking out if Scooter is our 2B next year - I'm just looking toward the future and I think Arcia/Villar/Perez looks better than Arcia/Villar/Gennett. But the depth is awesome to have, so I understand if all those guys are still on the team. Plus there is the concern that our line up is getting very right handed, so I can see the desire to keep a lefty bat like Scooter. I just love it when guys surprise me. I've kept waiting for Hernan to go into a slump or whatever, but it hasn't happened. Of course, it is only half a season or so - and so I shouldn't get too optimistic. But it's fun to consider the possibilities.

I agree with a couple of other posters that you essentially should be open to anything. If someone comes to you and wants to trade for one of our players - whether in the majors or minors - you listen. If the move makes your team better, then go for it. At this time, we should not be worried about having too much of any one position. As you note, these things often work themselves on their own. Also, there's the simple fact that none of our high ranked guys is really ready for the big leagues yet. Brinson is probably the closest - but even he probably could use some more time in the minors after an up-and-down 2016. By next summer, we'll see if Brinson or Phillips or whomever is ready for the big leagues. Then you can better assess Broxton and Santana. Time also just let's the market for Braun emerge (or not). You don't deal him just to deal him, but you keep and open mind. He's too good of a player to just give up - be patient. If a deal comes around - great. If not, just enjoy his bat in the lineup.

Sky Sox Fall 3-2 In Finale With Express Brinson hits leadoff homer, but Express score late to win. By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox Colorado Springs Boxscore Opportunity knocked, but Colorado Springs couldn’t answer the door. The Sky Sox went 0-8 with runners in scoring position, squandering a solid outing from Aaron Wilkerson on the mound. Lewis Brinson led off the game with an HR (welcome back, Lewis), but other than a leadoff triple from Eric Young Jr. in the 3rd (Young would score on a grounder), the offense couldn’t capitalize. Wilkerson threw six innings and gave up two runs (on three hits) while striking out seven and walking none. His one mistake was surrendering a two-run homer to Brett Nichols in the 4th. Damien Magnifico took the lose, giving up a triple and double in the 8th - along with a run. Michael Reed and Eric Young Jr. each had two hits. Colorado Springs Game Log

Sky Sox Shutout 14-0 In Round Rock Sky Sox held to just three hits in road loss. By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox Colorado Springs Boxscore Egad. When you’re on the losing end of a football game-like score - 14-0 - you know it’s ugly. The Sky Sox managed only three hits - all singles - including two by Andy Wilkens. After a nice start in AAA, Wei-Chung Wang was pounded by the Express, giving up six run (five earned) in 2.2 innings of work. Sky Sox pitching surrendered 17 hits and three walks in the lose. Colorado Springs Game Log

Now his family has $200,000 to squabble over instead. A lot easier to divide 200k than a baseball.

Broxton kind of reminded me of Melvin Upton Jr a bit. Not the .300 hitting version of Melvin who first came up in the big leagues, but the one that settled in as a .240ish, 20 HR, 160+ strikeout, decent number of walks, good speed, type of guy. Both are tall, lean guys that generate a lot of power in their swings.

Countless pitchers with similar stuff to Jamie Moyer have done squat. I would say the vast majority of pitchers with similar stuff to Jamie Moyer have done squat. The exceptions to the rule are exactly that - exceptions. They are one in a hundred or one in a thousand or whatever the odds. Everyone else is the rule. To expect a player to be the exception to the rule is wishful thinking. It doesn't mean players like Suter won't succeed in some fashion, but it is difficult and it may take time (and probably some luck) for him to find his role.

Hader Masterful In 6-0 Sky Sox Win Young Jr. drives in four to give southpaw first Triple-A win. By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox Colorado Springs Boxscore Josh Hader tossed shutout ball for six innings on Sunday, striking out 12 and walking only one while allowing just two hits. Sam Freeman and Ben Rowen finished out the game as the Sky Sox struck out 18 total batters. In an interesting twist, Hader struck out Carlos Gomez leading off the 6th inning. Offensively, Kyle Wren had three hits to bump up his average to .350, while Eric Young Jr. added two hits and drove in four runs. Michael McKerny added a hit and three walks, and Brandon Macias had an HR. Colorado Springs Game Log The Sky Sox broke open the game with a big 6th inning: Col. Springs Top of the 6th Andy Wilkins called out on strikes. Michael McKenry walks. Yadiel Rivera hit by pitch. Michael McKenry to 2nd. Pitching Change: Jose Valdespina replaces Michael Roth. Eric Young Jr. doubles (8) on a fly ball to left fielder Carlos Gomez. Michael McKenry scores. Yadiel Rivera scores. Brandon Macias homers (2) on a fly ball to left field. Eric Young Jr. scores. Kyle Wren singles on a sharp ground ball to center fielder Jared Hoying. Nate Orf grounds into a double play, shortstop Hanser Alberto to second baseman Doug Bernier to first baseman Ronald Guzman. Kyle Wren out at 2nd.

Broxton with another homer. Let's hope he keeps this up.

Neugebauer got pounded in his second start. Lasted only one inning.

Yo's debut was 6.1 innings, 4 hits, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. He got the win.

Pitching Powers Sky Sox To 2-0 Win Four pitchers combined for shutout. By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox Colorado Springs Boxscore Hiram Burgos - with the help of three relievers - shut out the Round Rock Express Saturday night. Burgos went six innings and gave up no runs on two hits. He walked only one batter and struck out 11. Damien Magnifico finished the game to record his 18th save. The Sky Sox managed just six hits, but were able to plate a pair of runs on a single by Garrett Cooper in the 4th. New catcher Michael McKerny walked on all three of his plate appearances. Cooper has played 33 games in left field this season, likely to increase his versatility. Until his recent trial in the outfield, he’s been almost strictly a first baseman in his professional career. Colorado Springs Game Log The Sky Sox's 'big' inning. Col. Springs Top of the 4th Kyle Wren singles on a line drive to right fielder Drew Robinson. Nate Orf walks. Kyle Wren to 2nd. Michael Reed grounds out, third baseman Matt Duffy to first baseman Joey Gallo. Kyle Wren to 3rd. Nate Orf to 2nd. Garrett Cooper singles on a sharp ground ball to center fielder Jared Hoying. Kyle Wren scores. Nate Orf scores. Andy Wilkins grounds out softly, pitcher Yohander Mendez to first baseman Joey Gallo. Garrett Cooper to 2nd. Josmil Pinto pops out to shortstop Hanser Alberto.

I have to admit I loved this question. Here's more than five, since 'best' is often subjective: Steve Woodard - 1997 - 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1BB, 12K, Win Gary Beare - 1976 - 9.0 IP, 12 H, 3 ER, 2BB, 8K, Win Gary Ryerson - 1972 - 9.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0BB, 5K, Win Bill Parsons - 1971 - 9.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 6BB, 6K, Lose Bill Wegman - 1985 - 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0BB, 4K, Lose Taylor Jungmann - 2015 - 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1BB, 5K, Win Chris Saenz - 2004 - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3BB, 7K, Win Nick Neugebauer - 2001 - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3BB, 9K, Win Hiram Burgos - 2013 - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0BB, 1K, Win Jamie Navarro - 1989 - 6.2 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2BB, 2K, Lose Jeff D’Amico - 1996 - 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4BB, 5K, Win Jeff Peterek - 1989 - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3BB, 4K, Win Rickey Keeton - 1980 - 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4BB, 0K, Win Jim Slaton - 1971 - 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3BB, 4K, Win Eduardo Rodriguez - 1973 - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3BB, 1K, no decision

For those interested, Steve Woodard made his debut in Milwaukee on July 28, 1997, against Toronto. Here's his stat line: 8.0 IP, zero runs allowed, 1 hit allowed, 1 walk, 12 SO. He threw 119 pitches. The Brewers won 1-0. Mike Fetters got the win. Roger Clemons took the loss. The only hit Woodard allowed was a leadoff double by Otis Nixon. Woodard would never strikeout as many batters in a game in his career. If you look up 'best pitching debuts' his game usually comes up in the top 5 in history.

Not knowing your interests, or if you're traveling alone or whatever, I'll throw out the following thoughts and ideas: 1. Ireland for less than $1000 is hard. A ticket can cost that much. I would save up and do Ireland properly. It's an amazing place. Been there three times. 2. National Parks are amazing in September. The summer crowds are gone, so prices are lower and crowds are diminished. Glacier National Park is my favorite. Get up in the morning, do a hike. Or you can do boat tours of the lake or just drive the park. Get back to your hotel or camper or whatever and sit around and read and drink a few beers. 3. If you're a history geek like me, and are alone or traveling with another history geek, do a Civil War battlefield tour or something like that. I've never done it, but I had a friend tour through the south going from battlefield to battlefield. He loved it - but then, he's a history geek like me. 4. If you just want to relax and do nothing, find a cheap hotel in South Beach or Fort Myers in Florida, and just sit there for a week. Get up in the morning, go set up a chair on the beach, read, go enjoy the water every now and then. Just sit there all day. I love just getting away from the world sometimes. Just have to find a good beach and hotel. Prices shouldn't be too high in September. 5. I've heard the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is fun. Obviously, you need to be interested in that stuff. We have friends that want to take my wife and I. Have fun.

Brewers play 32 of their next 41 games against teams with winning records, including the Cubs, Cardinals, Mariners, Pirates and the Rangers. All these clubs are in the playoff race, so they are going to be looking to win. The other nine games are against the Rockies (6 games) and Reds (3 games). The former is only three games under .500, while the Reds are tied with us. You just don't take a bat like Lucroy out of our lineup and expect success. I said a month or so ago I expected us to collapse at some point. We just have a tough schedule and with so many young guys, it's going to be a painful time. I bet a bottom 5 finish is in the cards. Still, I'm excited to see Arcia and Broxton and guys like that get more playing time. Getting those growing pains out of their system now will make them better in the future.

I think reunions with former players are usually bad propositions. The player is usually older and not very good anymore. Capuano, Overbay, Gorman Thomas, etc., etc. That aside, I've said that I could see a situation where bringing back a person like Gomez may (I stress may) work. But it would really have to be if the following factors were in play: 1. You could get Gomez for cheap 2. The club felt that Gomez could rebound (if they didn't, it's a silly thing to do) 3. The club didn't really have a serious option in CF for the first half of 2017 If all those things don't happen, then forget it. Gomez is not that old, he's not that far removed from being a good player, and if he can rebound you have a significant trade chip come next summer. He essentially holds down the fort until a player like Brinson or Phillips or whomever is ready. If he flops, no harm. If he does well, you trade him for something. For Gomez, he gets a chance to play regularly in a comfortable environment and rebuild his value. Again, I don't see anything happening because the club has Broxton looking like a viable alternative for the near future, so there's no need to consider someone else for 2017. And even if we didn't have a viable CF to start 2017, the team would really have to think he could rebound before bringing him on board.

Read about Saenz's one day in the majors here: viewtopic.php?f=63&t=32538

Brewers have the second most walks in the major leagues this year. Their batting average is 23rd in the majors, but our OBP is 9th in the majors (tied with two other teams). So I think there is definitely a philosophy of working counts, taking pitches, getting walks, etc. Does that lead to more runs? I don't know. We are 24th in the majors in runs scored. I've always been a fan of getting on base as an indicator you are doing well. Obviously, that doesn't work here. But I also just look at our team's other statistics - 29th in triples, 28th in doubles, 19th in HRs. We are 27th in BA with runners in scoring position. I think the OBP rise is great, but we just don't have the hitters taking advantage of it. Part of that is we have over 600 ABs from guys with sub .600 OPS. As a contrast, the Cubs have about 40 ABs that are sub .600. We've just had a black hole or two almost every night in our lineup. It can kill a team.

Keon Broxton has officially graduated off the prospect list with his 130th major league at bat. Keon's highpoint was reaching the #22 spot in our 2016 pre-season poll. http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/11bcf724ac9f59bb77b775e7e6dd3ca832732d49/c=166-0-1833-1250&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/2016/07/31/GreenBay/B9323155635Z.1_20160731185417_000_G19F5N3AT.1-0.jpg

Broxton is hitting .250 after last night's game. Who would have thought that a month ago? .368 OBP, .775 OPS, 17-1 SB/CS ration. The big bugaboo is the strikeouts. His rate is very high. He's been better, but it's still not good. Pre-allstar break he struck out 33 times on 64 ABs. Post-allstar break he's struck out 22 times in 64 ABs. So there's been some improvement of late, but the rate is still very high. Keon has been playing a lot against lefties, so I believe part of the improvement we've seen is the selective ABs he's gotten. But all in all, I love the improvements. It's a good reminder to give guys time. Even guys struggling really badly. Let's hope Broxton just keeps getting better. He's an interesting player.