TheCrew07

It's not surprising that the contract ended badly given his age and stuff, but the profound drop off is a bit perplexing. I was rather indifferent to Wolf the entire time he was here, I appreciated and welcomed his success, and the contract certainly wasn't the colossal blunder that Suppan's was, but I never really felt good watching him pitch so I was always rather uneasy about him. For whatever I always felt better about Marcum as pitcher, maybe it's because Marcum has a signature pitch. I guess I felt the same way about Wolf as I did the Brewers in 2011, I was just waiting for it to all come crashing down. I'll be curious where he goes from here, similar pitchers who fell off with the Brewers have never gotten their career's back on track (Davis, Looper, Suppan) so I hope for Randy's sake there's still gas left in the tank.

Simply put there is a difference between stuff that happens between the lines and cheating that happens outside of the lines. Why should a cheater be rewarded by having playoff games count against his suspension and still have the possibility of coming back to bolster his team's chances? What if Pujols had been suspended for PEDs but his suspension just happened to be up for the NLCS last season, how would you have a felt then? If you're going to cheat and you get caught at the end of the year then whatever you have left at the end of the season should carry over to the next season, just like any other player's suspension, and you should forfeit any playoff bonuses and the experience. The penalty should be the maximum, not the minimum, for this sort of thing. A player suspended for a non playoff team will start the following year with a suspension, so should a player who's team goes to the post season. If you don't want to hurt your team in the post season, then don't cheat. Who's to say their teams perform as well as they have without the player cheating in the first place? I have no sympathy for people who knowingly cheat, and if MLB is serious about cleaning up baseball then a harder stance needs to be taken. It's pretty clear that the cheaters have been ahead of the testing in all sports for quite a long time and I'm not sure the gap can realistically be closed, but post season games should not count towards a regular season suspension when not every player is going have the possibility to participate. Certainly the penalty is tougher on the player who's team is in the post season, and rightfully so.

The Cubs are extremely young now that all of their legit position prospects are up. They will likely be much improved next season and still have much hyped Prospects like Baez and Soler coming in addition to some more under the radar guys like Almora. The Cubs are thin on pitching but will have the flexibility to add impact pitching through FA. Think of the Cubs like the 2005 Brewers... lots of position guys breaking in and no pitching.

I'm not sure how beaning a player and "cheating" are equal situations. Since when are all infractions equally egregious? In my opinion if the suspension will overlap 2 seasons, then the player shouldn't be eligible for the post season. If his suspension is up before the playoffs then he's done his time, if not, too bad... see you next season.

BA's take on Hamilton's record breaking performance tonight. Billy Hamilton Sets The Stolen Base Record

Another informative article on base stealing from the pitcher's perspective, the Brewers' organization had their best results in years with the renewed emphasis and still finished in the bottom 5. Still a long way to go, it's interesting how many teams are tinkering with the deliveries right away... Mariners Pitches Know How To Hold 'Em

A nice article from BA talking about stealing bases. Art Of The Steal

Martinez 'fun to watch' in Cards' win Cardinals' No. 2 prospect fans eight, earns first win in a month By Robert Emrich / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/08/21/CF9jOKF3.jpg Carlos Martinez earned his first win since July 14 on Tuesday. (Mark Harrell/Springfield Cardinals) Carlos Martinez finally got what he deserved Tuesday -- a win. The Cardinals' No. 2 prospect allowed a run on three hits while striking out eight over six innings as Double-A Springfield bested Northwest Arkansas, 8-4. · Martinez's player page Martinez walked one and faced four over the minimum for the Cardinals. The 20-year-old right-hander's only mistake came when he gave up a solo homer to Paolo Orlando in the fourth inning. "He had a swing-and-miss changeup tonight," Springfield pitching coach Bryan Eversgerd said. "His curveball looked good, he threw some good ones and he had three things going. His fastball is always good, he threw some two-seam fastballs that the bottom just fell out of. And when you're throwing 95 [mph], that's tough to get a bat on." Martinez's strikeout total was the highest since he moved up to the Texas League on June 15. The Dominican native is 3-3 with a 2.94 ERA in 12 starts for the Cardinals and has fanned 52 batters over 64 1/3 innings. Martinez had been winless since July 14, despite not allowing more than three earned runs in five starts. "One thing when he was in Palm Beach, at times, he would use his secondary pitches a little too much and wouldn't trust his fastball," Eversgerd said. "He's done a nice job pitching off his fastball since he got here and that's something we've worked on with him. When he learns how to use it all effectively and mix it, which he is starting to do, he is going to be fun to watch. In fact, he is fun to watch." Overall, Martinez is 5-5 with a 2.96 ERA in 20 starts between Class A Advanced Palm Beach and Springfield. While MLB.com's No. 23 prospect isn't likely to see Triple-A this year, it's likely something in the not-too-distant future, based on Eversgerd's praise of him. "I think it's just a matter of refining his pitches a little bit," Eversgerd said. "His natural stuff gets him out a lot of times. A little bit better command and just executing pitches in certain situations. Stuff-wise, it's electric for sure. He's made progress which is great to see. It's a nice arm and he's fun to watch." Xavier Scruggs homered twice and drove in five runs while Kolten Wong, St. Louis' No. 4 prospect, tripled home a run for Springfield. JC Sulbaran, the Royals' No. 6 prospect, took the loss after allowing four runs on four hits over 3 2/3 innings for the Naturals.

Pirates' Taillon solid in Double-A debut Top prospect strikes out six, allows four hits over five innings Video at the link, I missed his promotion so this surprised me.

Wahoos' Hamilton breaks steals record Reds prospect swipes four, eclipses Coleman's 1983 mark Video and more coverage at the link.

Final: DSL Blue Jays 9, DSL Brewers 6 DSL Brewers Box Score Well I wish I had better news about Jorge Lopez' start but he was beat around again. Jorge went 5 innings allowing 4 runs, all earned, on 4 hits and 5 walks though he did strike out 7. Lopez left with the lead but then both relievers gave up runs though all 3 of Victor Diaz' runs were unearned and he certainly didn't help his own cause in the frame. Alejandro Mendoza (2-4) had the only multi-hit game while Jose Dicent (1-3,2B) and Juan De Leon (1-4,HR) both had XBHs. DSL Brewers Play By Play Lopez gave up single tallies in the 1st and 5th, his only crooked number came in the 4th. DSL Blue Jays Top of the 4th Leudy Garcia flies out to right fielder Yunior Santana. Juan Kelly walks. Ronniel Demorizi singles on a ground ball to right fielder Yunior Santana. Juan Kelly to 2nd. Juan Tejada called out on strikes. Kervin Santiago walks. Juan Kelly to 3rd. Ronniel Demorizi to 2nd. Luis Martin singles on a fly ball to center fielder Carlos Belonis. Juan Kelly scores. Ronniel Demorizi scores. Kervin Santiago to 2nd. Rolando Segovia hit by pitch. Kervin Santiago to 3rd. Luis Martin to 2nd. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Cesar Barazarte replaces Rolando Segovia. Angel Rojas strikes out swinging. The Brewers got 5 of their 6 in the 3rd. DSL Brewers Bottom of the 3rd Natanael Mejia grounds out, second baseman Ronniel Demorizi to first baseman Juan Kelly. Raphachel Colatosti walks. Francisco Castillo flies out to left fielder Leudy Garcia. Alejandro Mendoza singles on a ground ball to left fielder Leudy Garcia. Raphachel Colatosti to 2nd. Carlos Belonis singles on a fly ball to center fielder Luis Martin. Raphachel Colatosti scores. Alejandro Mendoza to 2nd. Juan De Leon homers (3) on a fly ball to left center field. Alejandro Mendoza scores. Carlos Belonis scores. Jose Dicent walks. With Yunior De La Cruz batting, Jose Dicent steals (7) 2nd base. With Yunior De La Cruz batting, wild pitch by Luis De La Rosa, Jose Dicent to 3rd. Yunior De La Cruz walks. Pitching Change: Alejandro Solarte replaces Luis De La Rosa. With Yunior Santana batting, Jose Dicent scores on a balk. Yunior De La Cruz advances to 2nd on a balk. Yunior Santana strikes out swinging. Victor Diaz 3 "unearned" runs. DSL Blue Jays Top of the 7th Defensive switch from third base to shortstop for Jose Dicent. Sthervin Matos remains in the game as the third baseman. Juan Kelly grounds out to first baseman Juan De Leon. Ronniel Demorizi reaches on a fielding error by shortstop Jose Dicent. Juan Tejada walks. Ronniel Demorizi to 2nd. Kervin Santiago hit by pitch. Ronniel Demorizi to 3rd. Juan Tejada to 2nd. Luis Martin hit by pitch. Ronniel Demorizi scores. Juan Tejada to 3rd. Kervin Santiago to 2nd. Cesar Barazarte grounds out, second baseman Alejandro Mendoza to first baseman Juan De Leon. Juan Tejada scores. Kervin Santiago to 3rd. Luis Martin to 2nd. With Angel Rojas batting, Kervin Santiago scores on a balk. Luis Martin advances to 3rd on a balk. Angel Rojas strikes out swinging.

RF no, 1B probably but the Brewers have never tried him. Right now he's strictly a LF.

Final: Nashville 7, Omaha 0 Gindl Homers Twice As Sounds Blank Omaha Bianchi Finishes Triple Short Of The Cyle As Nashville Bangs Out 16 Hits PAPILLION, Neb. - Outfielder Caleb Gindl belted a pair of two-run homers to power the Nashville Sounds to a 7-0 shutout victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers on Tuesday night at Werner Park in the finale of a four-game series. Nashville matched a season-high with 16 hits on the evening, while the bottom three hitters in the Sounds lineup combined for nine knocks, five RBIs, and six runs scored. Shortstop Jeff Bianchi (4-for-4) was a triple short of the cycle, reaching base safely in all five of his plate appearances and scoring three runs. Catcher Humberto Quintero also added two hits from the nine hole. Nashville's PCL co-leading 11th shutout of the season also marked the first time that Storm Chasers have been blanked at home this season. Nashville (61-70) split the series with Omaha and lost the season series between the clubs by a 9-7 margin. Sounds starting pitcher Wily Peralta (7-10) struck out eight while scattering six hits over five scoreless frames. The 23-year-old, who has worked 10.0 scoreless frames over his last two starts, has posted a 0.94 ERA (2er/19.0ip) with 21 strikeouts over his last three starts. The Sounds jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as outfielder Logan Schafer doubled and scored on a one-out RBI single by first baseman Sean Halton. · AUDIO: Halton RBI Single Nashville's added three more runs in the fourth, beginning with Gindl's first homer of the game after an inning-opening Bianchi walk. Humberto then tagged the next pitch for a double and scored as Farris bunted a single to third base, which was airmailed by Wil Myers. · AUDIO: First Gindl Homer In the next inning with Bianchi on base again, Gindl went yard for the second time with two outs to extend the Sounds' lead to 6-0. It marked the seventh two-homer game by a Nashville player in 2012 and the first by Gindl. · AUDIO: Gindl Goes Yard Again Bianchi led off the seventh inning with a solo homer to concluding Nashville's scoring at 7-0. The long ball was the shortstop's fifth of the season. · AUDIO: Bianchi Solo Home Run Jesus Sanchez and Rob Wooten tossed scoreless frames around two shutout innings from Fautino De Los Santos. Omaha starter Chris Dwyer (3-4) was tagged for six runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings for the loss. The Sounds continue their final road trip of the season with a four-game series with the Round Rock Express, beginning at 7:05 pm CT on Wednesday night. Nashville right-hander Brian Baker (3-4, 4.44) takes the mound in the opener against Express righty Greg Reynolds (10-8, 4.79). Nashville Box Score Wily Peralta gave up 9 baserunners in 5 innings but didn't allow a run. He gave up 6 hits and 3 walks against his 8 strike outs and lowered his season era to 4.58. If I'm counting right he should have 3 starts max left in Nashville, probably more like 2 as the season ends on 9/3 for the Sounds, though he may pitch in Milwaukee. Krush Davis hasn't had a hit in 3 games and his AVE has dropped below .300 but the OPS is still barely over .900. Nashville Play By Play

Well apparently they are going to put an innings limit on Rogers anyway so I was wrong. I'm surprised, but there is an argument to be made from a health standpoint.

Pensacola was postponed tonight.

Final: DSL Angels 6, DSL Brewers 1 DSL Brewers Box Score Jorge Ortega started and went 5 innings allowing 3 runs, 1 earned, on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. He was followed by Gian Rizzo (why wouldn't they give Gian another start?) who pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit. Joshua Torres was tuned up for 3 runs in the 8th and Juan Santiago pitched a scoreless 9th. The Brewers only managed 4 hits, no player had multiples and Jose Dicent committed an error.

Vargas Tosses Gem To Lead Sounds Past Chasers, 9-1 Veteran Right-hander Faces One Over Minimum In Eight Scoreless Innings PAPILLION, Neb. - Right-hander Claudio Vargas turned in an outstanding effort to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 9-1 victory over the division-rival Omaha Storm Chasers on Monday evening at Werner Park. Vargas (6-1) faced just one over the minimum during his eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out seven batters and walking none. It marked his fifth quality start in his last six outings. Vargas, who became the first Sounds hurler to work more than seven innings in a start this season, has posted a 2.17 ERA (14er/58.0ip) over his last nine starts. The Nashville right-hander retired the first 15 Omaha batters in order to match the longest such stretch by a Sounds hurler this season (Mike Fiers, May 24 at Las Vegas). Storm Chasers second baseman Rey Navarro opened the bottom of the sixth with a double into the left field corner to break up the veteran's perfect game. The only other baserunner the right-hander allowed came on an eighth-inning Max Ramirez single. The win snapped a seven-game skid at Werner Park for the Sounds (60-70). Corey Patterson, one of four Nashville players with two hits on the night, doubled twice and drove in a team-high three runs and Taylor Green homered to lead a 13-hit offensive attack. The Sounds grabbed their first lead of the series in the top of the second, when they sent and plated six runs against Omaha starter Nate Adcock. It marked only the fourth time all season that Nashville scored six or more runs in a single inning. Nashville strung together five consecutive hits to open the frame, a stretch capped by a go-ahead Caleb Gindl RBI single and a two-run double off the bat of Patterson. Later in the frame, Logan Schafer added a run-scoring single, Patterson scored on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, and Eric Farris concluded the six-run rally with an RBI triple into the right field corner. · AUDIO: Caleb Gindl Plates First Run Of Night · AUDIO: Corey Patterson Two-Run Double Adcock (7-5) was saddled with the loss after being pelted for six runs on nine hits over six frames of work. Green (2-for-4) extended the Sounds' lead to 8-0 in the top of the eighth when he slugged his sixth home run of the year, a two-run shot to deep right off Storm Chasers reliever Donnie Joseph. The third baseman has belted three home runs in last four games after swatting only three roundtrippers in his first 60 contests with the Sounds this season. Jordan Brown, who preceded Green with a single, also scored on the blast. · AUDIO: Taylor Green Two-Run HR Patterson upped the lead to 9-0 later in the frame when he drilled his second run-scoring double of the night, a two-out two-bagger to center that brought in Sean Halton (walk). · AUDIO: Corey Patterson Closes Out Scoring With RBI Double Omaha broke up the Sounds' shutout bid in the bottom of the ninth against Donovan Hand, who was unable to close out what would have been Nashville's league-leading 11th shutout of the year. Former Sound Jason Bourgeois led off with a single and later scored on a one-out Irving Falu RBI single. Recently-added Sounds infielder Adrian Williams made his first career appearance above the Low-A level with a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth, striking out on four pitches against Roman Colon. The teams wrap up their 16-game season series with a 7:05 p.m. finale on Tuesday night. Right-hander Wily Peralta (6-10, 4.75) will man the bump for the Sounds to face Omaha southpaw Chris Dwyer (3-3, 6.70). Nashville Box Score Claudio. Freaking. Vargas. The game story covered everything but here's a quick recap of the multi/XBH games: Eric Farris (2-5,3B), Taylor Green (2-5,HR), Caleb Gindl (2-4), Corey Patterson (2-4,2 2B), Humberto Quintero (1-4,2B) Nashville Play By Play

Also for those that care Hamilton is only 3 steals away from setting a new record.

Pitchers of the Week For the week ending Aug. 19

Offensive Players of the Week For the week ending Aug. 19

I would doubt it, they are out of time with him from an options standpoint and he's physically mature, if they are going to push him, this is the year. If he was flat out dominant he'd only pitch about 40 more innings, he won't even crack 180 innings this season, though he's already pitched more than he ever had before. I just don't think at 26 years old they can afford to mess around with innings because of his age and option situation. If he was 21-23 I'd absolutely worry about an inning count.

Roger Clemens Is Returning To Baseball

Top Prospect Performers Over The Weekend, Aug. 17-19

The game today against the DSL Angels starts the last round of games for our young DSL squad, they will wrap against the Angels on the 25th to end the season. edit: Angles, Angels, it's all the same isn't it?

I understood/understand exactly where you are coming from, but I just can't see the Brewers being the worst team in Baseball next season. The only thing that will push Rondon down in the draft is an injury, and I hope for his sake that doesn't happen. His stats won't regress, even without his best stuff he was dominant over the summer for Team USA. The BA link is a subscription piece so I won't share it, but in case you have subscription: http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/college/summer-scene/summer-league-top-prospects/2012/2613899.html He's certainly not a finished product, he has plenty of work to do like all young pitchers, but there isn't another LHP in college baseball who has more upside. According the article I linked right now he'd be right there with Appel going 1-2 in next years draft if he were eligible.