May 2011
Club benefits in many ways from having retractable roof
by Adam McClavy, MLB.com
This season more than ever, Miller Park has been the Brewers’ dome, sweet dome.
Rainouts are all the rage in Major League Baseball, 31 of them in a baseball season not one-third complete. At the same time last year, there were nine postponements. In all of 2010, there were only 21.
According to data provided by the Commissioner’s Office, from 2000-2010 the previous record for postponements through May 25 was 30, set in 2007, the year an Angels-Indians series was moved to Miller Park because of snow in Cleveland. The record for postponements in a season over that 11-year span is 50, set in 2004.
Albert Pujols might be slumping, but Mother Nature is working on a career year.
Even when games have been played this season, many have been miserable. In Arlington earlier this week, a Rangers-White Sox game was delayed nearly three hours by a dangerous storm that prompted Rangers officials to move fans into the service tunnel underneath the ballpark. The game eventually resumed, but didn’t end until 1:27 a.m. CT.
Ninety miles south of Milwaukee, fans at Wrigley Field shivered through mid-40s temperatures this week, and on Thursday afternoon they were greeted by a 30-mph wind blowing in during the Mets-Cubs game.
At Miller Park, under its 10.5 acre, 12,000-ton convertible roof, the weather has been just perfect.
“I know this was a big part of the stadium debate, and I know it added to the cost,” Brewers chief operating officer Rick Schlesinger said. “But I don’t see how anyone can look at this now and say the roof wasn’t a great idea.”
The roof does have something of a stormy history. Three iron workers — Jeff Wischer, William DeGrave and Jerome Starr — were killed in July 1999 when a huge crane collapsed in high winds at the Miller Park construction site. The accident delayed the ballpark’s debut until 2001, and since then, crews have had to fix the system of flaps that keep the playing surface dry. During the 2006-07 offseason, crews replaced the bogeys with which the five massive, movable panels open and close.
But on an otherwise miserable Wednesday in Milwaukee, Zack Greinke pitched and homered his way to a sweep-clinching win over the Nationals inside the dome, and the Brewers were happy to have a roof over their heads.
Here are three reasons why:
1. It’s good for the pitchers
Pitching coach Rick Kranitz had the same job with the Florida Marlins in 2006, when right-hander Josh Johnson was a promising rookie with a 12-7 record and a 3.10 ERA. Johnson’s season ended Sept. 12, and Mother Nature may have been partly to blame.
Johnson resumed pitching after an 82-minute delay but exited after the fifth inning with a sore elbow. Less than a year later, he needed Tommy John surgery, and it wasn’t until 2009 that he logged a full season in the big leagues and emerged as an ace.
“You never know what triggers it when a guy gets hurt, but you can’t rule out that it was because he stopped and then [came back] and pitched,” Kranitz said.
Johnson represents the extreme case. But even a routine rain delay can wreak havoc on a pitching staff.
Shaun Marcum has made most of his starts in domes, with Toronto from 2005-10 and now with Milwaukee. In May 2008, he was part of a manager’s worst-case scenario, a game that begins, lasts only one inning and then is delayed by rain.
Marcum pitched the first inning that day, and then he was done. The Blue Jays had to empty their bullpen.
“I’ve been blessed to have a dome in both places,” said Marcum, who will start Friday night against Tim Lincecum and the Giants. “As players, you love that feeling of knowing you’re going to play. We have so few off-days, and you hate to lose them later in the season [when make-up games are scheduled].”
Kranitz knows that feeling from his two seasons as the pitching coach in Florida, where rain is a threat nearly every afternoon. The good thing there, he said, was that the weather forecasts were so precise he could plan accordingly. It was tougher in Chicago, where Kranitz was an assistant pitching coach for the Cubs from 1996-98 and 2000-01.
Each day, he would look up at the skies to see what his pitcher would be contending with. The conditions would help determine the game plan.
Not at Miller Park.
“When this is what you do for a living, it’s huge to know you’re going to play every day, you’re not going to have rain delays and the conditions are going to be about the same,” Kranitz said. “You can get into your routine every day and know you’re going to play. We have it good here.”
2. It’s good for the hitters
Ryan Braun had 105 million reasons to sign a contract extension last month that will keep him in a Brewers uniform through at least 2020. But beyond the dollars, Braun pointed to the ballpark itself as a reason he wanted to stay.
“This past road trip,” he said then, referring to a soggy trek through Pittsburgh, Washington and Philadelphia, “we dealt with rain almost every day, and I think that realizing that we’re never going to get rained out or have a rain delay, fans not having to worry about driving three hours and then dealing with a rainout and having to drive back home [is important]. There are so many things here that just really make this a special place.”
The dome means that if the Brewers want to take batting practice on the field, they can take batting practice on the field. During that East Coast trip, they were mostly banished to the batting cages.
It also means favorable in-game conditions, unlike the days at County Stadium, where Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Gorman Thomas had to bundle up in April and sometimes in May. The chilly early-season conditions were part of what made County Stadium a pitcher’s park, but Miller Park most definitely favors the hitters.
The Brewers have baseball’s best home batting average at .291 and the best OPS at .860. It’s one reason the team is 19-6 at home this season, the best mark in the National League.
Braun & Co. will put a nine-game home winning streak to the test on Friday night against Lincecum and the World Series champion Giants.
3. It’s good for business
General manager Doug Melvin uses Miller Park to draw players, touting the roof in a letter he sends to free agents of interest each winter. Schlesinger uses it to draw fans, and he is still bullish on the idea of reaching the three-million mark in attendance in 2011.
Group sales account for about 600,000 tickets each season, Schlesinger said, and the Brewers consistently rank in baseball’s top five in that category. They can outdraw much larger metropolitan markets because guaranteed games mean the club can market itself throughout Wisconsin, and school kids in La Crosse or a civic group in Green Bay can bus to Milwaukee knowing they won’t be rained out.
Schlesinger calls it, “a huge advantage.” Braun just calls it fun.
“To be in one of the smallest markets in baseball and be able to have three million people come see us play every year, it’s incredible,” Braun said. “It’s special to me, it’s special to all of us and it makes it easy for me to want to stay here and to want to be a part of this organization going forward for the rest of my career.”
If Schlesinger had his way, every stadium would have a roof. The Brewers benefit from large crowds in the other 29 markets because they are a recipient of revenue sharing dollars.
Rainouts cost those teams in the form of lost concession revenue and staffing in addition to tickets. All told, a rainout of a well-attended weekend game can cost a club $1 million, Schlesinger said.
“We could have had four, five, six rainouts already, and some of those games are never made up,” Schlesinger said. “Without the roof, it’s a much different business model for us, a much bigger challenge.
“[Weather] makes for added stress for everybody. We are so privileged not to have to worry about it.”
Fielder’s blast lifts Brewers over Rockies in 14
Murphy’s Law struck Friday night at Miller Park.
Dog-tired after their cross-country, overnight flight from the West Coast that didn’t get them back home until 5:30 a.m., the absolute last thing the Milwaukee Brewers needed was to kick off their home stand with a marathon, extra-innings game.
Yet that’s exactly what happened, as they went 14 innings with the Colorado Rockies before Prince Fielder’s massive two-run homer to right sent both the Brewers and the crowd of 33,361 home happy with a hard-fought 7-6 win.
“I think we got down obviously a couple of times there and came through with big hits, there’s still energy in the dugout,” said manager Ron Roenicke. “Tough day coming back, tough travel coming back. It’s a great way to end a long day.”
It was Milwaukee’s fifth extra-inning game of the season but its first since April 27. The Brewers are now 2-3 in such contests.
Milwaukee’s bullpen did yeoman’s work in relief of starter Zack Greinke, who lasted six innings in his fourth start of the season.
Four relievers combined to toss six innings of scoreless ball before the Rockies got to Sergio Mitre in the top of the 13th inning. Seth Smith tripling in Alfredo Amezaga to give Colorado a 5-4 lead.
“Bullpen did a real nice job, all of them,” Roenicke said. “Great job by those guys. If they keep throwing up zeroes, we’re going to score some.”
That lead didn’t hold up long, though, as Yuniesky Betancourt got to closer Huston Street to lead off the bottom of the inning. He drilled a 1-0 sinker into the seats in left to tie the game at 5-5.
As quickly as he became the hero, Betancourt looked to have turned into the goat. After Ty Wigginton led off with a single, the Brewers’ shortstop booted what looked to be a sure double-play ball on a Chris Iannetta grounder, leaving both runners safe.
A Dexter Fowler bloop single to left two batters later gave Colorado a 6-5 lead.
The Rockies sent Felipe Paulino out to pitch the bottom of the 14th, and after he got Corey Hart to ground out to start things off, he walked Ryan Braun, bringing up Fielder.
After one pickoff attempt of Braun, Fielder turned around a 96-mile-per-hour Paulino fastball and sent it deep into the seats in right, setting off a frenzied celebration for a team that’s struggled putting together any kind of consistent offense lately.
“It felt good,” Fielder said with a smile when asked how the ball felt coming off the bat.
It was the fourth walk-off homer of Fielder’s career.
The Brewers got runners on in the 10th and 11th innings, but lost out on what could have been a big scoring opportunity when Fowler made a diving catch of a sinking liner to right-center by Carlos Gomez.
Replays showed that the ball actually bounced before Fowler caught it. Rickie Weeks singled two batters later, but Hart grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
After being shut out in Friday’s 1-0 loss at San Diego, Milwaukee needed just three at-bats to get onto the board against Colorado.
Weeks led off with a double to short center field that dropped between three Rockies players, Hart bunted him over to third and then Weeks scored on a groundout to shortstop by Braun.
The lead held up until the top of the third when – of all people – Rockies starter Jason Hammel got to Greinke.
After Wigginton led off with a double to left, Hammel, who’s given the Brewers fits the last two seasons on the mound, sent a 1-1 fastball from Greinke into Milwaukee’s bullpen in left-center for his first career home run.
The Brewers tied it up in the bottom of the fourth thanks to some shaky defense by the Rockies.
Betancourt led off with an infield single when Jason Giambi couldn’t handle Troy Tulowitzki’s throw from shortstop and then moved to second on a fielder’s choice. Gomez followed with a squibber to third that Jose Lopez first bobbled and then threw away, allowing Betancourt to score to make it 2-2.
Colorado regained the lead in the top of the fifth, though, and extended it to 4-2 with another run in the sixth when Jason Giambi homered to left – his fourth in two days – on a 2-1 pitch from Greinke.
Greinke got out of the inning two batters later, but with his pitch count at 89 and the right-hander appearing to be tiring rapidly Roenicke ended his night. Greinke, who flew back early to rest for his start, allowed eight hits and four earned runs while not issuing a walk and striking out nine.
The Brewers got a run back in the bottom of the sixth after Gomez reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and then scored on a pinch-hit single to center by Jonthan Lucroy.
LaTroy Hawkins then pitched two scoreless innings of relief to set the stage for Casey McGehee, who homered to left-center on just the second pitch thrown by reliever Rafael Betancourt to knot the score at 4-4.
Brewers’ road hitting woes continue in loss
by Adam McClavy, MLB.com
Brewers manager Ron Roenicke felt an unfortunate sense of déjà vu on Thursday night.
“I’ve seen a lot of these games,” Roenicke said. “Whether it’s on the road or not, a lot of these games.”
The Brewers are just not the same team on the road as the one that slugs its way to wins at Miller Park. And after scoring five times to win the opener of this brief, two-game series, the hitters slipped back into their inexplicable away-game funk, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position in a 1-0 loss to the Padres at PETCO Park that was decided in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Orlando Hudson, fresh off the 15-day disabled list, won the game after a single, a stolen base, an intentional walk and a sacrifice bunt pushed the winning run to third base with one out. After another intentional walk loaded the bases, the Brewers employed the same five-man infield alignment they tried last month in Washington, but Hudson lined a first-pitch changeup for a sacrifice fly to right field.
That piece of hitting beat right-hander Marco Estrada (1-2), who joined the Brewers in early April as Zack Greinke’s fill-in and has remained because he’s so effective in relief.
“What are you going to do?” asked Estrada, who surrendered only one hit in the inning.
Before Estrada took the mound, the Brewers squandered one final scoring opportunity. It came via hard-nosed catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who threw up his left hand while sliding into second base to break up the Padres’ double-play turn. Credit Craig Counsell, who had hit the ground ball to second, for seeing the ball deflect off Lucroy’s hand and scuttling to second base, giving the Brewers one last opportunity to put up a run with a clutch hit.
Pinch-hitter Yuniesky Betancourt didn’t last long. He swung at the first pitch from Padres closer Heath Bell, a breaking ball, and hit a routine grounder to second base.
“We had chances to win that game today,” Roenicke said. “Sometimes you look at games [like Wednesday's], and you think you’re going to get it going. Early on, we had people on base. We just didn’t get them in.”
The Brewers lost the game, and lost their left fielder in the fifth inning. Ryan Braun made an early exit after an inning-ending popout, and two innings later, the club offered a vague diagnosis: left shoulder soreness. Braun, who has started all 44 of the team’s games this season, said the injury was probably not serious, but he was unsure whether he’d play against the Rockies on Friday night.
Lucroy was examined by the training staff, too, and said he would be fine.
The real pain is being felt by the Brewers’ offense, at least on the road. They are the best hitting team at home in baseball, but went 6-for-43 in the clutch during their four-game West Coast road trip, and are 12-for-101 in their last 14 road games.
Braun was in no mood to discuss the team’s road woes.
“You just keep moving forward. Never look back,” he said. “It does us no good. You can’t go back to change anything, so you keep moving forward.”
The Brewers were blanked through eight innings by Padres starter Aaron Harang, who owned an 8.46 ERA and had surrendered seven home runs in his previous four starts — three of them at pitcher-friendly PETCO Park. He held the Brewers to five singles and a Prince Fielder double, working around two walks and striking out four in his best start this season. He threw only 98 pitches, 10 of them to the second batter of the game, Corey Hart, who worked a walk.
It should have been a good matchup for Milwaukee. Harang, the former Cincinnati Reds right-hander, was 0-2 with a 7.91 ERA in his previous five games (four starts) against the Brewers since the start of the 2009 season.
But he was tough from the start on Thursday. Hart worked his 10-pitch walk with one out in the first inning, and moved to third on a single by Braun, who stole second base. That gave the Brewers runners at second and third with one out, but Fielder popped a 1-and-0 pitch to shortstop, and Casey McGehee hit an inning-ending comebacker to Harang.
The Brewers had three more opportunities for a clutch hit in the fourth inning, after Fielder scalded a leadoff double. McGehee grounded out to shortstop, freezing Fielder, before Mark Kotsay grounded out to first base and Lucroy flied out to center field.
In the fifth, it was Braun’s turn. But he flied out to right field with runners at first and second and two outs, and then left the game with his shoulder injury.
The Brewers’ continued road slump wasted left-hander Chris Narveson’s best start of the season. He scattered four hits and one harmless walk in 7 1/3 scoreless innings, with four strikeouts.
“Baseball goes like that,” Narveson said. “One swing different for us, one swing for them, and it could have easily been the game. We had opportunities, and they had opportunities, too.”
“It was really the first time I’ve seen [Narveson], but I was very impressed by his changeup,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “I think that was a key, and that he kept the ball down. They’ve got the makings of a good rotation over there.”
2011 MLB Draft: 10 First-Round Prospects the Milwaukee Brewers Might Target
Read this article on Bleacher Report
Young and restless: Identifying 10 first-round prospects theMilwaukee Brewers may be sizing up
The 2011 MLB draft is but a couple weeks away, and rest assured, the Milwaukee Brewers will have their sights set on top-tier talent.
Let the records show that GM Doug Melvin has a comparable track record in the draft over the past few years, selecting notable starters Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Yovani Gallardo and Rickie Weeks.
What will this year’s draft generate? Here’s an in-depth look at 10 prospects the Milwaukee Brewers might target in the first round.
Austin Hedges, Catcher, JSerra Catholic, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 195 pounds
Scout’s take (via MLB Draft Guide):
“Hedges is generally viewed as the top defensive catcher, high school or college, eligible for the 2011 draft. His sound fundamentals and solid athleticism make a rare combination for a catcher still in high school.”
Why he’s a good fit:
Both Jonathon Lucroy, 24, and Wil Nieves, 31, are solid catchers capable of handling Milwaukee’s revamped rotation for the next few seasons. However, there are some question marks.
Lucroy has yet to hit his prime, and lagging injuries could put him back a few years in terms of productivity. Likewise, Nieves is neither the short- nor long-term answer for Ron Roenicke’s ballclub.
If given a few seasons’ time in the minor leagues, Hedges would put yet another formidable bat in an already lethal Milwaukee lineup for many years to come.
Is this the second coming of Buster Posey?
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 203 pounds
Scout’s take (via Baseball Rumor Mill):
“Barnes is a raw, young, high-ceiling guy whose performance on the Cape didn’t measure up to his stuff or his expectations coming in. Barnes’ fastball sits in the 90-93 mph range, he spots it really well working both sides of the plate.”
Why he’s a good fit:
With the 12th & 15th overall selections in the first round, the Brewers have to be licking their chops when it comes to potential pitching talent. And with a plethora of prospects to go around, now seems like the right time to snatch up a future difference maker.
In adding Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum in the offseason, the Brewers all but diminished their pitching talent for the future. With UConn’s Matt Barnes, however, that sobering fact would take a turn for the better.
Possessing all the capabilities you could hope in a big-league starter, Barnes seems to be a surefire target for GM Doug Melvin to zero-in on.
George Springer, OF, UConn
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 200 pounds
Scout’s take (via Baseball Rumor Mill):
“His bat head stays in the hitting zone. He produced good bat speed and has natural lift in his swing. He has a high center of gravity and can lift the ball with authority. His power projects to be above average.”
Why he’s a good fit:
As it stands, both Carlos Gomez and Ryan Boggs both occupy Ron Roenicke’s defensive depth chart in center field. Once the 2011 draft is over, however, that very depth chart may be subject to change heading into 2012.
Power bats with great defensive range are scarce nowadays, but UConn’s gifted center-fielder George Springer is an exception to the norm.
Should Prince Fielder leave either from in-season trade or during free agency, the Brewers won’t be missing a beat when it comes to the long ball should Springer go 10th overall to Milwaukee.
Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 200 pounds
Scout’s take (via Baseball Beginnings):
“Long, lean and lanky. Smooth and easy delivery through mid ¾ slot, good balance and extension and landings. Fastball 89-93, comfortable 91-92, mostly with sink. Changeup 78-82 mostly with sink, occasional fade. Slider 82-85, adequate.”
Why he’s a good fit:
Solid left-handers are hard to come by these days, but Danny Hultzen’s lean frame should allow him to become a reliable arm at the back end of Milwaukee’s rotation for years to come.
Moreover, a starting rotation traditionally comprised of right-handed pitching could use another steadfast hurler like Hultzen in Milwaukee.
Travis Harrison, 3B/OF, Tustin HS (Calif.)
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 216 pounds
Scout’s take (via Baseball Rumor Mill):
“Travis Harrison looks like a big leaguer, athletic, can really run, can flat out hit, very good bat speed, strength in swing, has power and projects even more, outstanding hitter, maybe the best in the class.”
Why he’s a good fit:
Believe it or not, Prince Fielder’s potential exit spells concern for number of defensive positions on the diamond. Is Mat Gamel a viable asset to play first base for the Brewers should Fielder depart? Will Rickie Weeks move to center field? These are just a few questions concerning Milwaukee as the draft draws nearer.
Widely viewed as one of the best pure hitters of this year’s class, Travis Harrison also possesses fielding skills that translate to a plethora of defensive positions and would be a subliminal prospect to fill the shoes of Casey McGehee at third base just a few years down the road.
Matt Purke, LHP, TCU
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 175 pounds
Scout’s take (via Baseball Rumor Mill):
“He throws both a slider and curve; the curve has good depth, while the slider has occasional tilt but can flatten out as he gets around the side of the ball. A late release point gives him some deception and reduces the hitter’s reaction time.”
Why he’s a good fit:
At the 2009 MLB amateur draft, the Texas Rangers took TCU’s prototypical left-hander with the 14th overall selection. Fortunately for the Brewers, the Rangers failed to sign Purke, prompting a return to the Horned Frogs.
Last season, Purke went an unprecedented 16-0 with a 3.02 ERA, vaulting him up this year’s draft boards and mock drafts.
Purke is undoubtedly the most feared lefty at the college level, and the Brewers would ideally trade up for his services.
Daniel Norris, LHP, Tennessee HS
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 180 pounds
Scout’s take (via Baseball Rumor Mill):
“With a fastball registering in the 92-94 mph range and a deceptive breaking ball, many analysts and checkers rate Norris as the top prep arm in the 2011 MLB draft class. Shows a little recoil and his consistency is up and down.”
Why he’s a good fit:
This gifted southpaw is a bit raw talent wise and would become a prized possession for the Brewers to develop in the minor leagues for 3-4 season.
A Clemson commit, Daniel Norris went 8-0 with a 1.96 ERA with his high school ballclub last year, and looks to prolong that success for any team willing to snatch him up early in the first round.
For the Brewers, who could use a power lefty such as down on the farm, now is the time to pull the trigger on Norris’ talents to ensure young talent in the future.
Alex Meyer, RHP, Kentucky
Height: 6’9″
Weight: 220 pounds
Scout’s take (via Baseball Rumor Mill):
“A 6’9″, 220-pound right-hander who possesses electric stuff, including a high-velocity fastball and an excellent curveball, with his changeup and two-seam fastball developing. Added 15 pounds of muscle and an inch in height to his projectable frame and working on his degree in summer classes.”
Why he’s a good fit:
Should the Brewers choose to pursue big-name talent prior to the 2011 trade deadline, they’ll be forced to depreciate their talent on the farm.
With that being said, the Brewers do have the 12th and 15th overall selections, and that selection will more than likely be used to replenish a dwindled farm system.
Alex Meyer, one of the top high school recruits from a few years back, would fit the Brewers’ scheme with pitching coach Rick Kranitz.
Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 180 pounds
Scout’s take (via Baseball Rumor Mill):
“Rendon has one of the best swings on a college hitter, with excellent hip rotation and strong, quick hands. His plate coverage is good, and he can shorten his swing to square up a ball up in the zone. He’s a solid defender at third with an above-average arm and good reads.”
Why he’s a good fit:
I suppose a better question would be, “Why isn’t he a good fit?”
Although not physically intimidating, Anthony Rendon is as pure of a major-league prospect as any in this year’s class and would be the ideal first-round selection to start off Milwaukee’s 2011 draft.
With Casey McGehee’s contract due to expire at the end of the season, the thought is that the Brewers will re-sign him to a three- to four-year deal. Should Prince Fielder leave at the end of his 2011 season, McGehee may take over the reigns of second base, leaving an opportunity for Rendon to work his way up into Ron Roenicke’s starting lineup as soon as 2012.
Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 220 pounds
Scout’s take (via Baseball Rumor Mill):
“Tall righty whose fastball sits around 94-95 mph and tops out at 96. Also mixes in an above average low 80s slider and a 80 mph changeup. Smooth, effortless delivery. Aggressive with the strike zone.”
Why he’s a good fit
Last but certainly not least, Gerrit Cole may already be atop GM Doug Melvin’s pre-draft wish list.
Not only does he have the structure to become an effective starter for many years to come, but Cole also boasts one of the most complete packages of any pitcher of this year’s class.
During his 2010 campaign with UCLA, Cole dominated Pac-10 lineups to the tune of an 11-4 record, 3.37 ERA and, most importantly, 153 strikeouts in just 123.0 innings of work.
Given two solid seasons of work in the minor leagues, and Cole would be more than ready to play a role in Milwaukee’s starting rotation.
Brewers offense held in check by Dodgers
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By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel
If the Milwaukee Brewers are going to continue to perform like this in the clutch on the road, it’s going to be a long season away from Miller Park.
The Brewers continued to come up empty with runners in scoring position, going 0 for 9 in those situations Tuesday night in a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
The Brewers were fortunate to split the two-game series while going 2 for 23 (.087) with runners in scoring position. For the season, their road batting average in those situations dropped to .211.
With that background, it should come as no shock that the Brewers have scored a total of 14 runs in their last 11 road games, during which they have gone 2-9. Over that stretch, they have been shut out four times.
The Brewers let an opportunity to strike first slip away in the first inning against Hiroki Kuroda, who pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings. With one down, new No. 2 hitter Corey Hart singled to left and Ryan Braun drew a walk.
Prince Fielder bounced into a force at second, leaving runners on the corners, but Casey McGehee’s drive to right-center was hauled in by Matt Kemp in front of the wall.
Brewers starter Randy Wolf was not as fortunate in the bottom of the inning. After a two-out walk to Andre Ethier, Kemp smashed a 3-1 fastball the other way and over the wall in right for a two-run homer.
“That’s Matt’s strength. His strength is right-center to right field,” Wolf said. “He has kind of an inside-out swing. He’s a big, strong guy. I wanted it up; I wanted it elevated above the belt. It was probably thigh-high, right where he could do some damage.”
The Brewers missed on an even better chance to score in the third inning off Kuroda. Wolf led off with a double, sending a drive over Ethier in right and was bunted to third by Rickie Weeks.
Hart drew a walk, putting runners on the corners with one down. But Kuroda recorded a huge out by striking out Braun on a split-finger fastball, then escaped by inducing Fielder to fly out to left.
The Brewers’ inability to hit in the clutch on the road nixed another budding rally in the fourth inning. With one down, Yuniesky Betancourt and Jonathan Lucroy singled, but Carlos Gomez, moved down to the eighth spot because he couldn’t hit with men on base, bounced into a double play, only his second of the season.
Wolf was fortunate to keep it at 2-0 in the bottom of the inning. He walked Juan Uribe to open the inning and issued another walk to Jerry Sands with two down.
Kuroda hit a slow topper toward short that forced Betancourt to charge in and throw on the run but he was late and the infield hit loaded the bases. Wolf fell behind in the count, 3-1, to Jamey Carroll, who hit a smash to the left side that McGehee caught with a sliding stab to get a force at second and snuff the rally.
“My command wasn’t good; I wasn’t very sharp today,” said Wolf, who didn’t look comfortable working with catcher Lucroy. “I had a ton of 3-2 counts and wasn’t able to make the pitch to put guys away early in the count. Obviously, that first-inning mistake (to Kemp) was the ball game, really.”
Hitters know that the ball doesn’t carry well at night at Dodger Stadium and that point was driven home again to Fielder in the sixth inning. After Braun led off with a single, Fielder sent a drive to center that he thought was gone, but the ball didn’t carry in the damp air and Kemp caught it with his back against the wall at the 395-foot marker.
“You’ve really got to hit the ball here, especially the opposite way,” said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, who noted that Kemp must have really got all of his opposite-field two-run shot off Randy Wolf in the first inning.
“I thought Prince’s ball was going out. I thought Casey’s ball was going out, too. It never has (carried well) here. At night time, when it’s cold here, you’ve really got to crush it to get it out, especially to the big part of the park. If those balls go out, we score five runs.”
Braun moved up on a groundout by McGehee and stole third without a throw but was stranded when Betancourt took a called third strike that he thought was wide of the plate.
Wolf struck out Rod Barajas to open the bottom of the inning but it took him 10 pitches to do it, extending him well beyond 100 for the game. When James Loney followed with a single to left, Wolf was done at 119 pitches.
Sergio Mitre, who hadn’t pitched since last Wednesday against San Diego, took over and retired the next two hitters to keep it a 2-0 game.
The Brewers took three more swipes with a runners in scoring position in the eighth and came up empty. Weeks led off with an infield single and moved up on a balk by Kuroda. Hart lined a 3-2 pitch right at Kemp in center and Braun flied out to deep right, moving Weeks to third.
Right-hander Kenly Jansen took over for Kuroda and walked Fielder on four pitches, then fell behind, 3-0, in the count to McGehee. Jansen got it back to 3-2, however, before McGehee fouled out to first.
Taylor Green’s Three-Run Homer Gives Nashville An 11-10 Victory Over Sacramento
via NashvilleSounds.com
Taylor Green hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to power the Nashville Sounds to a 11-10 victory over the visiting Sacramento River Cats in front of 7,975 screaming kids on Tuesday afternoon at Greer Stadium.
With the win, Nashville (14-24) earned a season-split with Sacramento. All four games of the series were decided by one run.
Four Nashville hitters recorded multiple-hit contests in the victory. Outfielder Brett Carroll continued to stay hot against Sacramento, adding his second three-hit performance in the series while scoring three runs. Carroll, Edwin Maysonet and Taylor Green all drove in three runs on the afternoon.
The Sounds sent all nine hitters to the dish in the bottom of the first inning and plated four runs on Sacramento starter Guillermo Moscoso. The River Cats’ right-hander gave up a leadoff double to Eric Farris and walked the bases loaded before allowing a two-run single to Carroll. Moscoso then balked to put both runners in scoring position before allowing another two-run single to catcher George Kottaras.
Sacramento plated two runs to trim the Nashville lead to 4-2 in the next frame, all with two outs. Josh Butler surrendered a solo homer to catcher Josh Donaldson, his third of the season. Three batters later, the River Cats plated their next run when Jamile Weeks hit an RBI base knock.
The River Cats went ahead 5-4 in the next inning, beginning with Matt Carson hitting his sixth home run just inches above the glove of Jordan Brown in left field. With two outs again in the inning, Sacramento plated two more runs, highlighted by an RBI double from Donaldson and RBI single from Michael Taylor.
Nashville knotted the contest at 5-5 in the next frame. Carroll doubled to left field and later scored when Maysonet knocked a two-out single to right field.
Sacramento scored the last of its run in the top of the six inning, plating five runs to take a 10-5 lead. Outfielder Michael Taylor singled and scored on the ensuing Shane Petersen triple down the left field line. Reliever Jim Henderson came into the contest and allowed Weeks to single home Petersen for the next run. After a walk, Carson belted his second home run of the game, this time a three-run shot over the left field wall.
Nashville went ahead for good in the bottom of the seventh inning, again sending all nine batters to the plate for six runs. Sacramento reliever Jerry Blevins began the inning by hitting Jordan Brown and giving up a double to Brendan Katin, his team-leading 18th extra-base hit of the season. Carroll followed by driving in his third run of the contest with an RBI base hit to right field.
Blevins intentionally walked Kottaras before being replaced by Willie Eyre (3-2), who quickly offered up a base-loaded, two-run single to Maysonet. Green then blasted the first pitch he saw from Eyre over the center field wall and off the clubhouse. Giving Nashville the 11-10 lead, the three-run homer was Green’s fourth of the year and first since April 17.
Both starters took no decisions. Butler gave up a season-high seven runs while scattering 10 hits with two walks in five plus innings. Moscoso lasted three innings for Sacramento, surrendering five runs on six hits with three walks.
Henderson (1-1) backed into the win with two innings. Donovan Hand contributed a scoreless frame while Mark DiFelice converted his fourth save with a perfect ninth.
After an off day on Wednesday, the Sounds travel west to begin an eight-game road trip with the Salt Lake Bees (AAA-Angels) and Tacoma Rainiers (AAA-Mariners) of the Pacific Conference Northern Division, the teams’ only meetings this season. Left-hander Chase Wright (0-3, 7.50) makes the start at 7:35 pm CT on Thursday for Nashville against Salt Lake right-hander Matt Palmer (0-3, 10.67).
Brewers’ Hawkins feeling young again
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via JSonline.com
With more than 14 years service time in the major leagues, LaTroy Hawkins is the most experienced player on the Milwaukee Brewers’ roster. At 38, he’s also the second-oldest.
Ask the right-hander about it, though, and he’ll tell you it’s all just a state of mind.
I don’t feel old,” he said. “I can still go out there and do a lot of the things the young guys can do.”
While it’s only been about three weeks since he rejoined the Brewers’ active roster, the numbers Hawkins has put up in his eight appearances have indeed kept him in line with his more junior compatriots: 7 2/3 innings pitched, a 1.17 ERA and WHIP and four strikeouts.
It’s a small sample, no doubt. But for a guy who’s only about nine months removed from surgery on his throwing shoulder and a team that has an acute need for some stability in its bullpen, it’s also something positive to build on as Hawkins’ velocity and location continue to improve.
A year ago at this time, frustration was the buzzword for both parties.
One of the more reliable and durable relievers in the majors since 2000, Hawkins had signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract to do the same for the Brewers. He came to Milwaukee from Houston, where he enjoyed something of a rebirth in 2009, when he posted a 2.13 ERA and 11 saves in 65 appearances for the Astros.
But almost from the start with the Brewers, things didn’t go as planned.
Hawkins sat out a couple of weeks in spring training with tightness in his right shoulder and then after tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his first four regular-season outings, blew saves by giving up seven earned runs in a pair of losses at Chicago and Washington.
He rebounded over his next six appearances, allowing just one earned run, but then fell apart again in a home loss to Los Angeles when the Dodgers tagged him for four earned runs in just one-third inning to drop his record to 0-3.
“I never could repeat pitches, my velocity had plummeted and I just got frustrated,” Hawkins said. “It was very frustrating being out there knowing I couldn’t get extension on my pitches, where if I got out too far it felt like I was sticking my hand in an electrical socket.”
Milwaukee placed him on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder weakness three days later and then eventually the 60-day DL, where he remained until being reinstated on July 29 after pitching six times in two different rehab assignments.
Hawkins made it just 4 1/3 innings over the next 12 days before being returned to the DL on Aug. 12. A little over two weeks later, he had his right labrum scoped – his first surgery of any kind in 19 seasons of pro ball.
“The toughest part was going all those years without being injured and feeling like you’re invincible, and all of a sudden having an injury where you can’t throw a baseball like you used to be able to throw it,” he said. “I used to be able to just pick up a ball and throw it.
“When I picked up a ball last year it was like, ‘OK, let me get my shoulder set right, get it to where it won’t hurt.’ I think that was the most stressful part about it – not feeling invincible.”
Hawkins next picked up a baseball on Dec. 1 but didn’t like how he felt, so he flew back to Los Angeles to visit with Lewis Yocum, who performed the surgery.
“He told me, ‘I’ve done 500,000 of these surgeries. You didn’t have surgery at 27. You had surgery at 37. Give it a little time. We’re going to shut you down for another month, pick up a ball Jan. 1 and see how you feel,’ ” Hawkins said. “He told me, ‘You’ll be all right – I promise.’ ”
Hawkins did what he was told and Yocum was proved right.
“I picked up a ball Jan. 1 and it was like, ‘Whoa. I haven’t felt like that in a long time,’ ” he said. “I haven’t had any problems after that.”
Hawkins ramped up his rehab from there, and by the second week of this season was in the midst of a handful of minor-league rehab outings while remaining on the DL. He was reinstated April 21 and pitched for the first time the next day against the Astros.
In his seven appearances since, Hawkins hasn’t given up a run as he continues to try to increase his velocity.
“I’m not back to where I was, but I can still get it up there when I reach back,” he said. “Before the injury I didn’t have to reach back and get it up there. Now I save a little bit, and it’s always there if I need it.”
Unsure if he’d ever be able to get back into the mid-90s during his rehab, Hawkins was forced to work more on his off-speed stuff to compensate. That added work, he hopes, also will pay dividends.
“It did make me concentrate on my breaking balls, my change-up, because if I didn’t get my velocity back I’d have to rely on those pitches a tremendous amount,” he said. “More than I’ve ever had to rely on those pitches before.”
Hawkins continues to earn the trust of manager Ron Roenicke, as well. With his bullpen battling myriad maladies since spring training, Roenicke believes Hawkins could be a perfect fit in the seventh inning, bridging the way for setup man Kameron Loe and closer John Axford.
“I’m hoping he can take off with that,” Roenicke said. “If he can, that really puts guys in their place in the bullpen.”
In the meantime, Hawkins has made concessions to his age in the form of extra stretching, massage therapy and ultrasound before and after games – things he never even thought of in his younger days.
“I’m in the ‘preparation’ period of my career,” he said. “But you know what? If it’s going to keep me on the field, keep me healthy, that’s what’s most important.”
Greinke, Yovani, Marcum formidable 1-2-3
by Adam McClavy
There was Zack Greinke’s first Brewers start, then his first home start and his first Brewers win. Now comes another first for the home fans: Greinke and Yovani Gallardo pitching in the same series at Miller Park.
Gallardo will go first on Friday night against the Pirates, the Brewers’ favorite punching bags since 2007. Left-hander Chris Narveson is slated to pitch Saturday, and Greinke will finish the series on Sunday afternoon.
The bolstered staff has general manager Doug Melvin dealing with a new problem.
“This is the first time in 15 years as a GM that I’ve gone around town and now heard, ‘We need some hitting!’” said Melvin. “It’s the first time people haven’t been getting on me about our pitching.”
He’ll take it, considering where the Brewers have been.
Melvin made pitching, particularly starting pitching, a high priority after two seasons lost to pitching problems. After the sensational CC Sabathia carried the Brewers to the 2008 National League Wild Card and then departed via free agency along with longtime Brewer Ben Sheets, Milwaukee tied for last in the Majors with a 5.37 starters’ ERA in ’09. The Brewers invested just shy of $30 million in free agent Randy Wolf the following winter, but they improved only to 27th of the 30 teams in ’10, with a 4.65 starters’ ERA.
After a strong start in 2011 — Brewers starting pitchers led the NL in ERA through April 21, even while Greinke recovered on the disabled list from his cracked left rib — they are back in the bottom half of baseball. Including back-to-back tough starts for Shaun Marcum and Wolf this week, Milwaukee has fallen to 21st, with a 4.25 starters’ ERA.
If Gallardo’s no-hit bid on Saturday in St. Louis is a sign he’s back on track after a string of five subpar starts, that would help. So should Greinke’s arrival.
But some Brewers wonder if hopes are still running a bit too high.
“He was pretty good, but I still think people have sort of unrealistic expectations,” Ryan Braun said of Greinke’s Miller Park debut on Monday. “He’s not going to throw a no-hitter every time. He’s not going to be perfect.
“I think people expect him to do what CC did. That’s just not realistic.”
Greinke was sharp through his first four innings on Monday against the Padres, but he lost some zip on his fastball and command of all of his pitches in the fifth and the sixth. Those areas should improve as he builds arm strength after missing most of Spring Training. He’s thrown only 86 and 89 pitches in his two Brewers starts.
Greinke has already been compared often to Sabathia, who was otherworldly after joining the Brewers in a July 2008 trade. Both are former American League Cy Young Award winners, Sabathia in ’07 and Greinke in ’09, and joined a Brewers club with postseason aspirations.
But they’re not the same, Melvin argues.
“They’re two different stories,” Melvin said. “CC was July and in a pennant race. We had never won before.”
Greinke was over the winter, with the Brewers trying to climb back into contention.
“The similarities are that we were surprised we got them,” Melvin said. “But as far as the expectations go, the team is altogether different.
“It’s always hard to put the expectations on one pitcher. They’re 30-some games of 162. That’s not even 20 percent of your schedule.”
The Brewers are actually excited about 60-some starts, between Greinke and fellow newcomer Marcum. With Gallardo, a 2010 All-Star, that’s a relatively formidable 1-2-3, and all three pitchers are under contract at least through the end of 2012.
“With three starters like that who can go out and beat anybody in the league … we have some great weapons,” catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. “I consider [myself] to be pretty blessed to catch guys of this quality, for sure.”
Now, the challenge will be getting all phases of the team working together. The Brewers’ usually-potent offense is just coming out of a deep funk, the defense has been unsteady, the baserunning mistake-filled and the bullpen injury-struck.
That combination means the Brewers took a day off Thursday with a 16-21 record, in fifth place in the NL Central and five games behind first-place St. Louis.
“I wish we had been playing a bit better coming into [Greinke's return],” Melvin said, “but we all know that if we get good pitching, we can stay in this thing.
“I understand the excitement. I’ve been around here, and I get why the fans are excited, because they’ve never seen [Greinke] pitch before. Our offseas
Fielder hits milestone 200th home run
by Adam McClavy, MLB.com
Prince Fielder clapped his hands when the baseball reached the seats — partly because he’d just tied the game with a two-run home run and partly because he’d just become the 15th-youngest player in Major League history to reach the 200-homer plateau.
Fielder’s blast was a two-run shot in the fifth inning of what devolved into a 13-6 Brewers loss to the Padres on Wednesday. It made Fielder the fifth player to hit 200 home runs in a Brewers uniform.
“At the time, I was excited because it tied the game up,” Fielder said. “Now, it’s cool from an individual standpoint, but we lost.”
The Padres rallied for eight runs in the eighth inning, muting Fielder’s enthusiasm.
The same fan who caught Geoff Jenkins’ 200th home run in 2007 caught Fielder’s milestone baseball. After Fielder spoke with reporters, he was to meet the fan and trade an autographed bat for the ball.
Fielder needs one more home run to tie Cecil Cooper for fourth-most in Brewers history. Hall of Famer Robin Yount is the franchise’s all-time leader with 251 homers. Jenkins is second with 212, followed by Gorman Thomas at 208 and Cooper at 201.
Alec Dopp
