Matt Breen

Gotta give Lawrie credit - he's mashing in the bigs. 6 doubles, 4 triples, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 1.072 OPS, .381 OBP, 4 SB - all in 97 ABs. It's a small sample, but getting big enough to show he can be really special. And he's only 21. Jays fans have to be excited about watching him play in the future.

I love Atlanta's big three in the pen. Simply awesome. But with Tommy Hanson on the DL, and Jair Jurrjens missing his next start, i wonder if the Braves are the team (at least for the moment) that are most vulnerable. Maybe those guys will be be ready and 100% for the playoffs, but you have to wonder.

why give mcgehee the green light? i just don't get it. Edit: i should add, as someone just said, the guy had walked the previous batter.

5-5 tie cards

russ, i think you nailed it here. Hart has been very good the past two years. Is he great? No. But he's a very good hitter. I just can't believe how badly McGehee has become. He went from a good hitter to really bad. In 2010, he had the 7th best OPS (out of 20 qualifying guys) at 3B. This year he's last (out of only 9 players. If you expand it to 300 ABs, he's 24th out of 27 players). Just amazing how bad he has done this year.

This is correct. You have to be on the 25 man roster by Aug 31 if you are to be eligible to play in the post season. The only other option is if there is an injury, then you can replace that injured person with someone else (I believe that someone else has to have been on the 40 man roster as of Aug 31, but I'm not sure of that). Thus, Green is eligible for post season play. Of course, with Weeks and Gomez coming back, there's no guarantee. But a lefthanded bat with a little pop might be nice to have.

The one thing that everyone says about RR is that the players like to play for him. I think one of the big reasons is that when he makes a decision - personnel wise - he sticks with it. He's said Casey is the 3B - so he's keeping him there no matter how bad he is or if we have options. Same with Yuni. He took ages to get Morgan into CF in a platoon, but part of the reason was that Nyjer played so much when Hart was out, and his success made him hard to not use. Couple that with Gomez's poor hitting, he actually made the move. This mindset gave us Kam Loe as our '8th inning guy' for far too long - the only way we got rid of him was the return of Saito and acquisition of K-Rod. That said, the players probably like RR because they know he'll 'have their back'. He won't be yanking them around, won't be benching them, won't be keeping them in limbo. So even when a guy plays poorly, his team mates are supportive because they know it might be them next. If Corey Hart or Lucroy has a bad month they know RR won't be replacing them with Joe Dillon for five straight games because Dillon is 'hot'. They know they'll be given the time and support to rebound - just like Casey got. To a degree, this is admirable. Most people (not just players) thrive on repetition. They don't like to have their routine thrown off. It does help position a player to be successful. Players in slumps work out of them, etc. I also wonder if RR is afraid to start other guys for fear it will cause problems. If Taylor Green starts and gets 2 or 3 hits, can you imagine the clamor from the fans? RR doesn't want that. He protects his guys, tries to make it so they are comfortable and can succeed. I will say that I think this goes too far. The leeway given McGehee and Yuni has been amazing. Unless something happens - an injury - I doubt either will be out of the lineup very much in sept. For better or for worse, that's how RR does things.

What's happened to Yuni? Nothing. He's the exact same player we had when we acquired him last year. Here you go: .249 BA (18th lowest out of 23 SS) .267 OBP (22 out of 23) .639 OPS (18 out of 23) Walk rate - 2.9% (23 lowest out of 23 qualifying) Pitches per plate appearance - 3.17 (23 out of 23) Sacrifices - 0 Grounded into double plays (14 - 5th most of any SS) Fielding % - .970 (15 out of 22 players) Range factor - 4.05 (21 out of 22 - only Derek Jeter is worse) Zone rating - 6.208 (21 out of 22 - again, only Jeter is worse) WAR (from Fangraphs) -0.1 (worst of 23 qualifying players - Paul Janish has a -0.6, but he doesn't have enough appearances to qualify) Stolen bases - 4 On the plus side: Sacrifice flies - 9 (#1 out of 23!!!) Games player - 128 - 7th most (you can argue his durability is a negative, but that's not the point) HRs - 10 - tied for 9th most in baseball for SS K rate - 10.0% (4th lowest out of 23 players) SLG% - .371 (12th out of 23) Virtually any way you look at this guy, he's terrible. Absolutely terrible. He positives are that he's a durable player who doesn't strike out a lot and has average power for his position. This is pretty much the same player we knew we had when we got him last year. His previous three years WAR were 0.4, -2.2 and 0.8. He's at -0.1 for this season, so it's about what should have been expected. And watching Yuni doesn't give me feel any better about him. He's slow. A sloth can move to his right faster than Yuni while at SS. He makes fundamental errors. The guy can't even bunt properly. The one defense you can have about him playing is that the alternatives may well end up worse. Wilson? Counsel? I don't know if either could better Yuni. There's no one in the minors that appears worthwhile. Other guys cost something to acquire. We can make the playoffs in spite of Yuni. But if you want to upgrade this team, this is the spot. Once Weeks comes back, perhaps Hairston could take over at SS. I'd welcome that, even if he isn't the best. I would think he'd be an upgrade over Yuni. EDIT: Sorry for the virulent Yuni hating. I know some people like this guy. I've never liked Yuni, but I haven't beat him up this bad before. After watching him so many times, I wanted to actually look at the numbers and see if he was as bad as I was seeing. Mission accomplished.

In the post game, one of the reporters asked RR why he didn't have a pitcher or someone else bunt for Yuni. RR said something I totally agreed with - that the guy up there, Yuni, should know how to bunt. He's totally right. Yuni should know how to bunt properly. It's a basic fundamental. I don't care if they hadn't called for Yuni to bunt all year, he should know how to do it correctly.

I've always understood that if you are going after a pitch on a bunt, the hand becomes part of the bat. That's what both announcers said last night as well (for what it's worth). However, looking at a few things, it actually sounds like it might have been a strike. A couple of sites said when a player swinging at a pitch (or attempting to bunt) gets hit in the hands, it's a strike (not a foul). If the player is trying to get out of the way of the pitch, it's a HBP. I wonder if the fact that ball went in play made a difference. Interesting to find the answer on this one. PS - the bunt was absolutely pathetic. Most of my kids I coach in 6th grade have better form. The first thing we teach them is how to hold the bat properly. Sad. Oh well, that's another thread.

I do about 5-6 games a year (coming from Madison) and I've found this year's traffic to be the worse. It is especially a problem arriving at the game. Coming into Milwaukee on a sold out game adds an hour - at least - onto the drive. It basically comes to a standstill around state fair park. Getting out has varied. I always do preferred parking, and it used to take me 10 minutes tops. Now it's 15-20 minutes. I wonder if they are selling more preferred parking than in the past. One time this year they just put us along the curb near the back. I went to a sold out (or nearly sold out) game in July (vs Cubs) and from State Fair to the stadium it took more than an hour. I got in my seat at 7:45. Missed 2 full innings. The last game I went to (sold out or nearly sold out game vs dodgers) the traffic was almost as bad. When it came to a standstill, we got off at 84 (the state fair exit) and cut over to Greenfield, and came into the stadium the back way. I missed about 5-10 minutes of the game. In retrospect, I should have gone all the way over to National. Greenfield is slow, and intersects with National anyhow. But it worked, so I was happy. I think the weeknight games are really hard, because you have fewer tailgaters. More people are just getting off work and heading to the game. This means lots of people coming at the last minute. Best advise is to leave earlier, be prepared to cut over to National if things go to a crawl. If you get in early, just enjoy the time in the park.

Pathetic.

I hope and pray that Yuni is gone next year. He is a terrible player and there is no reason to think he'll get better. Looking strictly at free agents, I'd target Cliff Barmes. He's a very good glove guy, takes some walks, but won't hit much. But I want a guy who will anchor the defense, make everyone better. He'll be 32 next year, so you could even go with a two year deal and expect him to hold up okay. Scutero will be 36 and still produces, but he's had some injuries and I don't trust him to hold up - and he's at an age where you skills can get lost quickly. Ditto for Carroll. He will be 38 and a below average fielder. A one year deal as a back up might be fine, but I wouldn't trust him beyond that. Guys like Cabrera, Furcal, Jack Wilson and Renteria have major injury issues or have simply lost their skills. Ronny Cedeno isn't terrible, but the Pirates have a $3 million option on him. They very well might keep him for that. The option is a trade. I like Brendan Ryan. I like Ruben Tejada from the Mets. If Reyes is resigned by the Mets, he's a guy you could target. I don't know what either guy would cost, but it's worth exploring. Tejada has virtually no power - so his upside is limited. But he's hit for a solid average (.282 this year) and boasts a very good walk rate (over 12% of his ABs). He's just shy of 22 years old, so he can improve. Plus, having him for several years is a plus. In the end, Barmes is young enough to man the spot for a couple of years. He'd offer very good fielding, which this team really needs. He won't cost a draft pick either, or a player(s) like Ryan or Tejada. Or a ton of money (like Reyes or Jimmy Rollins - the two best shortstops heading for FA). No matter what, NO Yuni. Please, baseball gods, grant me that.

De La Cruz. Or Dillard. No need for either of those guys on the post season roster.

Isn't Barmes himself available?Yes, barmes is a FA. He doesn't qualify as a Type B or Type A. I would think he'd like a chance to play on a better team than Houston - but you never know. You could also look at low level trades - target a guy like Brendan Ryan. He would cost something in a deal, but I'm not sure what. A guy like Ryan, you can give him 120-130 starts. Give the others to Hairston (who can also grabs starts all over the field when guys need a break or are hurt). Ryan or Barmes at SS, with Gamel at 1B, would improve defense a lot. Plus if you have Green at 3B, full time or on a platoon, that would help as well.

Keep it simple for next year. This team is good. Even losing Prince won't change that. So don't make too many changes. Gamel for prince Resign Hairston, saito, Hawkins Cut yuni, add a guy like Barmes, or a young SS with a good glove Green competes w/ McGehee. (or McGehee can platoon with Gamel or Green) Keep rotation intact, add an arm in the pen (peralta, scarpetta, whomever) Gindl for Kotsay Improve the defense, run out the same rotation, give some young players a chance. We can finance this. We'd be able to make a move if someone fails.

Here's my go at 2012 roster: C - Lucroy, Kottaras 1B - Gamel (give him a chance, if he flames out, so be it. but just having him rot at AAA is stupid at this point) 2B - Weeks SS - Barmes (very good defense, .250 BA, gets some walks, shouldn't cost a ton of money and won't cost a draft pick) 3B - Green or McGehee (Potentially platoon, other guy is bat off the bench, McGehee could even take over at 1B if Gamel tanks) INF - Hairston - the new Counsel - should see plenty of ABs backing up all over the place - wont' cost more than 2-3 million LF - Braun CF - Morgan/Gomez - Platoon RF - Hart BU OF - Gindl, Kotsay or FA (For some reason I think they'll bring back Kotsay for the veteran grit. Hopefully not. I'd rather get a younger guy. This offers some balance of younger players, some lefties - and without spending too much. Also, you have financial flexibility (my roster should be in the low $80 million) so that if you need an addition, you have the ability to add mid season (like with K-Rod and hairston). SP - Greinke SP - Marcum SP - Wolf SP - Gallardo SP - Narveson RP - Axford, Saito (resign 1 year deal), Hawkins (resign 1 year deal), Loe, Peralta (possibly). Then you get the rest of the guys from McClendon, Braddock, Stetter, Parra (probably non-tender to save money), Kintzler, DeFelice, Dillard, Estrada, and anyone else I forgot. I don't mind bringing back Hawk and Saito, especially on one-year deals. If they falter, it's not the end of the world. I'm okay with adding a good veteran reliever if it's a one-year deal - but not for more than a few million. For Peralta, I'd start in the bullpen (unless they really hate the idea and want him to stay stretched out). Atlanta has had great success with some young bullpen arms. I don't have a problem using him there if he's better than other guys. He can start if there is an injury, or someone falters. He is then groomed to go into the rotation in 2013, when Marcum, Greinke and Wolf are all free agents. In the end, you don't need to do a ton. You're free agent moves would be minimal - I imagine 1 or 2 year deals for the guys we'd want back. The big deal would be rolling the dice on Gamel and/or Green as starters, and/or McGehee rebounding. We need 2 of 3 to happen to make the offense respectable. I like the idea of Green at 3B and Gamel at 1B - plus Barmes at SS. It improves our defense tremendously. That would help our pitchers as well. EDIT: I would be cool with a younger glove guy, like Tejada. Just not sure of the cost to trade for a guy like that. As stated, we could probably spend no more than $85 million. That would give us some spare change should we need to make a trade during the season.

Like it or not, Mark Kotsay and Yuni B are a big part of the reason the Brewes have a 7 game lead in the division and have won 20 of 25 games. I'd say that Kotsay and Yuni are a big reason we don't have a bigger lead than 7 games. These two players, along with McGehee, have been a massive drag on our offense all year. Have they had their successes? Yes. Many of them. But when a guy gets 200 or 300 or 400 ABs they are going to have moments and stretches of success. Kotsay had a great moment last night. Yuni did on Saturday with the home run. But the rest of the season is littered with, overall, bad play, including poor defense and bad to mediocre hitting. Just because Kotsay or Yuni is on a successful team doesn't mean they have contributed that much to the success. Again, it doesn't take away the times they have had success. But baseball is like that - it's 162 games, and 'big hits' we all remember can cloud dozens of other moments that could be categorized as 'failures'. I think Kotsay's issue is that he's played too much. Like someone said, he's a 24th or 25th guy. The more you play a guy like that, the less valuable he becomes. We should simply have a better player on the field most of the time than Kotsay.

Don't know if this was posted anywhere else, but the title is so prophetic (and hilarious). It was from a bit ago, but I just saw it. From the Onion: Pirates Acquire Lee, Ludwick To Bolster 2nd-Half CollapsePITTSBURGH—In order to deepen some holes in their lineup and increase their chances of a second-half collapse, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired first baseman Derrek Lee and outfielder Ryan Ludwick Sunday. “They’re both experienced losers who we’re hoping will come in here and help us surge right to the bottom of the NL Central,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement, adding that after six consecutive losses, the team is now poised to make a last-place run. “Not only do we think they’ll take our offense and defense to a whole new level of horrible, but overall, I think this will prove to Pirate fans that this team is committed to losing for years to come.” Huntington reportedly urged young players not to rely on their new stars, emphasizing that a successful nosedive would require everyone to play like (edited). http://www.onionsportsnet...lster-2ndhalf-col,21073/

LaRussa responded to the announcement of Narveson's injury by saying it was 'outrageous' that the Brewers allowed scissors to get near a guy's hands. He retaliated by stabbing Albert Pujols in the buttocks with a pair of Fiskars sewing scissors.

This may be a little harsh in the wording, but it sums Yuni's fielding for me. Some people disagree, no doubt, but I think that just watching him, he is terrible in the field. UZR only reinforces how bad he is.

I was just thinking about the Brewer talent at the positions. It is sorely lacking in star power. As noted, the stars of the Brewers are Braun, Weeks and Prince. Second tier of hitters includes Hart, Lucroy, McGehee. I don't see anyone in the system that can land in that upper tier. Lawrie had a chance. Gamel? I don't see him reaching the All-Star level like Prince and Weeks. Green's having a great year, but is not seen as an elite hitter. I think he could be a solid hitter - a good complementary piece, but not a star. Most of the other minor league guys, such as Gindl Schafer, profile as fringe types - backups, platoon or perhaps average starters. No matter, we don't have the stud hitters like we had in the early 2000s. I think adding some hitters will be a priority in the next couple of drafts. I think we can overcome losing Prince next year. I think some of the hitters (Gamel, Green, Gindl, Shafer) can come up over the next year or two and contribute. We don't need them to be stars, but one or two need to develop into decent starters.

In his chat last week, Tom Haudricourt insisted that Green was not on the PTBNL list. He didn't know who exactly was on the list, but he said Green was not.

Betencourt has been great for the past month. Awesome. He's been critical to our recent success. But he was also a critically awful for 1st half of the season. And I'm not talking about an error in some specific game or a double play in the 9th inning or whatever. I'm talking 300+ plate appearances of .260 OBP. And top it with terrible defense (which, in my opinion, shows pretty much no matter how you look at him - UZR or just watching him on TV or at the game - he's bad - again, my opinion). So now he's hitting pretty much what was expected of him for the 2011. It's what I expected of him. He was bad in 2008. Bad in 2009. Bad in 2010. He is a terrible fielder and an average hitter (for SS). He is exactly what we are getting in 2011 - a bad player. I hope and pray that he keeps it up and soars beyond my expectations. It would be a huge boost to the Crew. Why is he better? Perhaps it just took him time to get settled in the NL. Others have pointed out he tends to hit better in the 2nd half. Maybe he's motivated to improve his numbers since he'll likely be a free agent. It's probably a combination of all of the above and several other things. No matter what, it seems he's our guy for 2011. I hope he rakes and ends up with a career year.

Bray is great, but no way he gets through waivers to us. He's pitched well and Still young. Someone would take him for next year. In fact, cincy probably sees him as part of their future.