Local Man Brewer Fan

In my opinion, the depth of quality pitchers in the bullpen, and their ability to perform in what was 4-straight games of high pressure situations, is what was the difference in this series. Gasser and Ashby may have provided the team with the best performances of their respective careers last night - and that is a very exciting development indeed. We are accustomed to hearing how the lineup just passes the baton to their teammates, but throughout this series, we saw the pitching staff do the same thing. Watching the national broadcast and post game reporting - it is certainly refreshing to hear former players speak glowingly about both teams, in a series that was worthy of their praise. It also says much about Tatis for him to say what he did about the Brewers. Baseball is a great game - and what the Brewers are accomplishing over the last 5 years (and more) has been a real pleasure to follow.

There is no cookie cutter approach to navigating the "bye week", I do trust that the Brewers leadership team has a good pulse on what this team needs right now. I also believe that the Brewers have earned a little bit of swagger with the post-season experience from the last few years. Buckle up!

As a Brewer fan for 5 decades, I really appreciate the job that Murphy is doing. Is he perfect? No. Could he manage any team? No, However, part of what is making the Brewers great is the alignment throughout the leadership. To me - it says a great deal about this organization that they have added the Ebel brothers in the first round the last 2 years. I have no clue whether either of these guys will make it to the bigs, much less become stars. BUT - I know this. These two guys are all about baseball, and understand the work and sacrifice that it takes to develop and give themselves a chance. They also represent guys that will likely never be a distraction to a clubhouse - and likely will be very much aligned for how Murphy runs the team. You think about the type of guys the Ebel's are - and I could say the same thing about Pratt, Lara, Frelick, Ortiz....... The Brewers have identified a type of player that they want in the organization - and Murph is the right guy to lead a clubhouse of those guys. We shall see if a team comprised of these types of guys/players can win the WS. I think it can happen, but it is not done until it is done. Enjoy the ride!

I really appreciate the analysis that went in to this article. And frankly, having fans divided on whether they agree with what is being positioned is great. I know it has been stated before, but having a pitch challenge reconciled on the jumbo-tron in less than 5 seconds is excellent - and I believe the strategy around how to best use the limited number of challenges adds to the game. It will be interesting to see how the number of challenges changes in the post season. I do believe you will generally have veteran umpires calling those games, but you will also have pitchers who consistently work the edges as well. Matthew, thank you for making me think, and learn.

Regarding Rakes defense, I would agree that in the OF - he is a step down from all of our other options. But when playing at 1B, he is at least above average. He has been one of my favs for a couple of years, even when he was struggling with the bat. I did not see this type of year coming - but getting this type of production from a left handed bat that can play 3 different positions is great value.

OK - complete tangent here. I am probably a little crazy - but I think part of the reason the Brewers were willing to go the QO route with Woodruff was because they had so many young pitchers, and they really wanted his veteran presence and leadership. I am betting we see him in the dugout for all of the home games for that very reason. Of course - they were also hoping to get more starts than he was able to deliver - but that is how it goes sometimes.

In watching the game yesterday - Henderson is a very unique pitcher. His combination of movement and control - and even somewhat his body type - reminds me of watching "Greg Maddux - lite" from the perspective of getting ahead and getting people out with guile and guts. And yes - when he fielded that weak grounder from Tucker and beat him to the bag - I might have been hooting and hollering a little bit.

Uribe has been very effective the last 2 years. This is going to be tough. This could also be a huge opportunity for someone to step up - perhaps Sproat in a relief role - just thinking out loud. Due to the long season, attrition is a huge part of roster maintenance. And it does bring credence to why the Brewers were unwilling to part with pitching in a trade for Skubal. I have been a Brewer fan since the mid-70s, and the Brewers have never been as well run as an organization as they have been this last decade. As fans, it is important not to take that for granted or become spoiled by it.

#3.

The fact that Logan Henderson wants to be a Brewer is a big - big deal. Add to that his desire to improve himself, even when recovering from an injury. You are talking about a person who is a real asset to what the Brewers are all about. May the gods of baseball grant him good health!

My read on this situation is that Detroit is not the cause of the delay right now. The trade partners are staring at each other like the 3 gunfighters at the end of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - twitchy eyes and all. It is all negotiation right now - and Detroit knows that having multiple bidders is what can maximize their "booty" in the trade. Regarding what the Brewers should do here - the weighing of short term goals versus long term goals, and whether prospects are able to reach their maximum value as MLB players (and when) - is more art than science. BUT - at some point you have to push your chips into the middle. This season, the team has earned the right to have the FO go all in. I think the Brewers are going to make some big moves in the next couple of days - but not the one including Skubal,

As it appears unlikely that the 2 catchers on the current roster will still be Brewers in 18 months, it makes good sense to trade for a player they might be able to develop into a quality backup. And their track record of being able to maximize value from pitchers always leaves me with some optimism. I am not sure this has anything to do with the immediate push for the WS, but an opportunity to round out the roster for more complete position coverage for the next couple of years seems like a reasonable gamble.

This is the type of content that keeps this site a daily stop for me. Incredibly informative. The Brewers are able to adapt their coaching approach to each individual pitcher. And that is an enormous competitive advantage. Thank you for helping me to recognize those things that are helping the Brewers be special right now. Learning how this team continues to improve is really excellent. And I suspect that the concepts can be applied to things beyond athletics. Leadership is one area that comes to mind.

I am also an older fan, and I agree with your assessment of the team demeaner. However, the 82 Brewers were a veteran team - similar to the makeup of the Cubs. For the Brewers, as a very young team, to show this sort of, shall we say, confidence - is very interesting indeed. It also makes it interesting to recall Murphs opening monologe to team team that ended with - if I recall - DO NOT BE SHOCKED. If I have any concern for this team, it is the possibility of attrition during the dog days of August and beyond. That being said, this franchise has never been stronger. It appears to me that their "window" is just starting to open right now - and has a multi-year run in front of us. Because of the perceived length of the runway - I am not sure whether they should be throwing all cards in for this year. But I would love to hear why many of you think I am wrong - because I might be,

Rough one. Hitters appear to be trying to do too much. They were swinging at many balls out of the strike zone today. The offense hung the pitching staff out to dry today. I hate to see that happen against the Cubs, we let them off the hook today. Of course, games like this, as much as they are frustrating, are part of the journey of a massively long season. Buckle in, it will be worth it.