rickh150

2-4 with a walk tonight… BHU!

David Stearns saying no mas to this year coupled by CC not signing an extension are both odd occurrences in the majors. Saying no to the last year of a contract to be a GM in the majors and objecting to an extension to be a MLB manager (yes, I believe one has been offered, maybe more than once) are not good looks. Add in the quietness of Attanasio and the awkward political battle for ballpark funds. It’s an odd time in Brewers history… Not heart-warming.

Kinda looked like he pulled his foot…

When several, key, young hitters get noticeably worse over a two/three year stretch, one has to wonder about approach,….yes 1000%.

How much?

I’d stick with Rea for at least two more outings. Houser plays a role in the pen- multiple middle innings guy who could pitch even more in a pinch. And Rea has shown enough in his entire body of work this season.

I am one who traditionally likes to sit in the Loge level. I like spots behind the plate. It is not as expensive as the best seats in the house in the Field Infield, but the seats were still good for what you paid. This season, however, the Brewers made subtle changes that have ultimately changed where I sit, along with seemingly many other Loge Infield sitters. Before the season, the team made a new category called platinum seats in various seating categories. These are or were the best seats in many categories: Field Infield, Field Outfield, Loge Infield, Loge Outfield, and Field Bleachers. In the mentioned Loge Infield, rows 6-10 in sections 216-220 behind home plate were turned to platinum seats, raising prices there by $9 to $15 in general from high 40s to high 50s or more. Even more, they changed a policy that you could no longer even purchase group tickets in these new platinum areas. So for me, my favorite Loge sections behind home plate are now roughly $10 more and I know longer can even purchase group tickets there, something I have been doing yearly once or twice a year for a dozen years. Buying group tickets in these sections are shockingly banned. Crazy. I, like many, have changed seating areas. And what I have noticed is that those platinum areas, especially for midweek games, are noticeably less full or even alarmingly empty. Some of the best seats in the ballpark are not taken because of price, pushing people to worse seats. I equate this with what the team was doing for years in the more expensive Preferred sections (first five rows of Loge Platinum/Loge Infield) and how empty those seats are comparatively. This is not a new or unusual concern, I realize. Nonetheless, my concern is that the team is not only pushing people out of favorite seats, but that they are essentially pushing them out of the ballpark. Instead of catering to get more people in the best seats, they are squeezing every last dollar out of the customer for those who want to sit there and losing some regulars in the process. Losing groups too. Personally, I used to go to ten to a dozen games yearly. Now, it is about half that. Summarizing, it’s really an overreach of the Brewers on what they are asking for Loge Preferred and Platinum seats. It is painfully obvious for midweek games to see really good seats on the second deck going unused. Before it was the first five rows of Loge Infield sections being sparsely used comparatively, Now it is the same for entire sections behind the plate. I hope the Brewers take notice to this and adjust. Has anyone else noticed this or have been affected?

Grab a Designated Driver coupon/freepop on the field level behind home plate. Let the kids throw, hit, and run in the kids area by the right field corner.

Little faith sounds right for our fan base…. Not no faith.! Brewer fanatic is evidence of that.

Burnes is half heartedly a Brewer and his performances are like a #3 or 4 pitcher. If we can get a haul from the Rays, I would listen.

Largely, guys that were on this team in 2021 are either worse or hurt or both now……….Adames, Tellez, Houser, Woodruff, Burnes, Peralta, Williams, Urias, Taylor. That is disturbing considering most are in a part of their career when they should be somewhat improving between MLB years 2 and 5. More concerning, several saw drop in performance last year and again this year, Yelich and Milner both are doing better than 2021, thankfully.

AAA .996 RHP OPS 113 PA 1.043 LHP OPS 49 PA

Still better than what we have….Low bar

Hiura is still in AAA, correct? He’s living and playing baseball well at AAA, correct? And I am in the right thread, I think. And our DH spot… what is it hitting exactly? Sadly the issue is alive and not well for the Brewers. I will take your advice and limit the talk here,

And Hiura hit .953 OPS as a DH last year….exactly 300 points more than McCutchen (.653) Cutch ABs at DH——324 Hiura—- 83

Cutch, Yelich and Renfroe (22) are outfielders who rotated days off there. For sake of defensive roster flexibility in September, Cutch hit DH regularly, where he ended the year with a .653 OPS as DH, about 100 points different than when he played in field. Hiura (.866 RHP) was an offensive option available. Winker, Voit, and Ruf are the supposed offense/little defense guys. Problems abound here with the bats, though. Winker and Ruff were bad hitters last year and really this year too. Winker could have been offensive DH with a high OBP. He has some history hitting well so it was worth a shot. I’m ok with the gamble and the added at bats. However, even with Winker’s big AB #’s amid struggles, we have pulled in and out 11 DH in our lineup this year. That’s a big number hitting DH on June 25. We are in need of offense in general and offense especially from a spot designed to be for a better bat and not filler back ups or 4th outfielders. Gotta feel Hiura, Black, and Frelick (probably OF, though) are options there this season…. if Black not now at this point in season, especially later in August and September if he continues.

Lukewarm water is less than favorable since it is not good for drinking, bathing, or washing clothes. Lukewarm in baseball keeps you in the race until September. Missing playoffs, however, will not get you the top draft picks.

40 million man

For CC and Arnold, DH is a not a place where good bats/bad defenders live. It’s a place where position players get a rest. They like their hitters on the 25 man roster to have some defensive flexibility, it seems. I think this is noticeably costing us Hiura/Black would be on my shortlist for DH right now.

Freddy avoids disaster… wow.

Tickets were crazy high for todays game on Stubhub. People are ecstatic in Cincy. Over $100 for upper deck in back corners down the line.

Key word is threat… I think to some that is one thing and something altogether different to another. Me? Is it still possible.? Yes, of course. Is it likely or even probable? No, of course not. So the possibility to me is 10% or so… 1 out of 10. So this is still a threat… to me. I still feel the Brewers, Cubs, and Cards will finish in top 3.

Super win…

Hope the team can tack on some runs here…

And the Crew gets out of the 8th… Hope Houser can keep this role…