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Posts for August, 2008
Yost double takes, Hart back in lineup
Atlanta - Manager Ned Yost said Thursday that Corey Hart, who had been struggling recently, would get a couple days of "mental health" rest. He assured reporters yesterday morning that the rest would not just be for the series finale against the Cubs, but at least one more day.
Well, that turned out not to be the case Friday. Hart is back in the lineup despite Gabe Kapler having a pretty good day Thursday. Hart wasn't too thrilled about sitting out, so maybe he let Yost know. Although, this isn't the first time the manager has said "left" and gone right.
Rickie Weeks is also in the lineup. There was some fire amongst fans after yesterday's game because Weeks failed to hustle when he was doubled up at first base after Craig Counsell flew out on a hit-and-run.
2B Rickie Weeks
SS JJ Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P Jeff Suppan
Attanasio's Malibu home for sale
Mark Attanasio, principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, has listed his Malibu beachfront house for sale for $22 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.
An adjacent lot is also available for $14 million, the newspaper reports.
The beach house features six bedrooms and four baths. Records list the property at 3,025 square feet.
Attanasio's ownership group bought the Brewers in 2005 from a group led by Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Attanasio is a partner at Trust Co. of the West, a Los Angeles money management firm.
Attanasio also maintains a home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles.$ (46)
Brewers at Braves, Game 1
9th inning: The Brewers couldn't add any more.
The Braves couldn't put together anything and Guillermo Mota finished off the shutout.
Brewers 9, Braves 0.
8th inning: The Brewers scored three more, two of those were unearned thanks to a throwing error by third baseman Infante.
The Braves went in order.
Brewers 9, Braves 0.
7th inning: Same in the seventh.
Brewers 6, Braves 0.
6th inning: Both teams went in order.
5th inning: Former Brewer Julian Tavarez started the inning. He hit Cameron with a pitch but no one else reached.
The Braves still can't find the scoreboard.
Brewers 6, Braves 0.
4th inning: Three up, three down for Milwaukee.
Suppan walked three to load the bases, but pinch-hitter Greg Norton flied out to left to end the inning.
Brewers 6, Braves 0.
3rd inning: Prince Fielder launched a home run down the RF line, and Bill Hall later walked to set up Mike Cameron's opposite-field home run. Chuck James then walked Kendall and Suppan to bring out Bobby Cox and he was done. Weeks struck out looking to end the inning with two on.
The Braves got a couple singles to put two on for Yunel Escobar, but he lined out sharply to center and Mark Kotsay flew out to end the threat.
Brewers 6, Braves 0.
2nd inning: Jason Kendall singled and Weeks knocked him in with a triple off the CF wall.
Casey Kotchman singled, then with one out Kelly Johnson hit a tailor-made double play ball to Weeks, who booted it but picked it up in time to get Kotchman going to second. It would have been an error otherwise. Jeff Francoeur lined out to Hardy to end the inning.
Brewers 2, Braves 0.
1st inning: Rickie Weeks smoked a ball off Omar Infante's glove at third and was closing in on the bag before Infante found it. That single was followed by JJ Hardy's walk and then Ryan Braun's double off the CF wall, scoring Weeks. Hardy scored on a sac fly by Corey Hart for the second run.
The Braves had a runner, Yunel Escobar, but he was thrown out stealing. Other than that, nothing.
Brewers 2, Braves 0.$ (471)
No more platoon; Bush named lone starter
Atlanta - Another experiment abandoned.
Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost has implemented uncommon, out-of-the-ordinary and never-heard-of ideas this season. He hit his pitcher eighth for a while, he batted Prince Fielder third and Ryan Braun fourth and most recently he used a home-road platoon between Dave Bush and Seth McClung.
And just like the first two, the platoon idea is no more.
Bush will solely take over that spot in the rotation and to his displeasure, McClung will be moved back to the bullpen, Yost announced Saturday. Bush will start Tuesday in Cincinnati, his first on the road since June 30 at Arizona.
"The reason we did that is two fold," Yost said. "'Bushie' up until the point we started this was on a pretty good role. Two, he has been a starter with us for the last two years."
But wait; there was one more fold to be unfolded.
"And three, Seth fits a little better in the ???pen. It's easier to bring Seth in in a situation in the middle of an inning or to shutdown an inning. I don't envision him as a long guy. Fifth, sixth, seventh inning type stuff.
"I told them both that I wanted try this and if it wasn't good for either one of them, then I'd have to make a decision."
Here are the reactions from both pitchers:
"I'm extremely disappointed in the decision," McClung said. "All I've done this year is do what I was asked, and done it well, and I'll continue to do that. Hopefully I pitch more often than I have, and I asked Ned that and he said he would pitch me more often. He said I wouldn't necessarily be the long guy and I hope he stays true to that.
"This team is playing for something very large and I'm happy to be a part of that. My individual wants are secondary to the team's needs. I'm not happy about it, at all, but I'll deal with it and I'm going to pitch to the best of my abilities no matter where."
Dave Bush:
"The easiest thing is just to be on a schedule," Bush said. "I think that was the hardest thing for both of us, not being able to completely prepare for either role, trying to be ready for both and not being fully ready for either one. I definitely had no problem pitching out of the bullpen as much as being stuck in the middle.
"I couldn't stick with the same running and lifting schedule and throwing in the bullpen schedule that you typically do when you're starting. Some of the days I would have done at work, I had to be ready to pitch in the bullpen."
Read the entire story in tomorrow's Journal Sentinel.$ (42)
Brewers at Braves, Game 2
9th inning: Nothing for the Brewers.
Sabathia went back out for the ninth and gave up a leadoff double. After recording the first out, Ned Yost brought in Salomon Torres. He closed it out after allowing Infante to score.
Brewers 4, Braves 2.
8th inning: Fielder hit his second bomb of the game, losing one into center for a two-run shot.
It took Sabathia 12 pitches, but he got Blanco looking for his ninth K. He got the next two guys much quicker.
Brewers 4, Braves 1.
7th inning: The second hit of the game for the Brewers counted for a lot as Fielder blastd a home run to right-center. It's his fourth straight game with a home run. Hart followed with an infield single. With two outs and Hart on second, the Braves didn't walk Kendall to get to Sabathia, and he made them pay with a double to score the run.
Nothing for the Braves.
Brewers 2, Braves 1.
6th inning: A foul out by Weeks and ground outs by Hardy and Braun were all for the Brewers.
Prado singled, but Sabathia got the next three in order.
Braves 1, Brewers 0.
5th inning: Both offenses are struggling and both went in order.
4th inning: The Brewers aren't putting anything in play with authority right now. Charlie Morton has them off-balance and isn't missing much.
Sabathia looks pretty dominant himself right now. He got a couple of slow grounders to Fielder and struck out Kelly Johnson on three pitches.
Braves 1, Brewers 0.
3rd inning: Brewers go 1-2-3 with two Ks.
Braves go in order.
Braves 1, Brewers 0.
2nd inning: Craig Counsell singled to start, but the next three went down.
The Braves also got the lead runner on but couldn't score him.
Braves 1, Brewers 0.
1st inning: Ryan Braun walked with two outs and Prince Fielder was hit by a pitch, but that was all for the offense.
With two on and nobody out, Yunel Escobar hit a perfect double-play ball, but Rickie Weeks again botched the turn and threw wide to first, allowing runners on the corners with one down. It hurt because after CC Sabathia struck out a batter, Casey Kotchman singled home Gregor Blanco.
Braves 1, Brewers 0.$ (632)
Counsell starting at 3B
Atlanta - Not much is different in today's lineup other than Craig Counsell starting at third. Last night's victory was a welcomed change from the recent trend, and with CC Sabathia going tonight against a injury-riddled Braves lineup and the offense going against another young pitcher, Charlie Morton.
2B Rickie Weeks
SS JJ Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P CC Sabathia
Yost clearing the bench, except at catcher
Atlanta - Only four regulars are in the lineup today - Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart and Jason Kendall - as Ned Yost is going with his getaway day squad.
It's funny Kendall is in the lineup on a day when Yost is using so many bench guys. Mike Rivera's last start was last Sunday against Houston and I can't even remember before that. You'd think that in this heat and with another road series coming up, Rivera would be in the lineup. But maybe Yost wants his starter behind the plate to catch Ben Sheets.
2B Ray Durham
SS Craig Counsell
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Russell Branyan
CF Gabe Kapler
C Jason Kendall
P Ben Sheets
Brewers at Braves, Game 3
9th inning: The Brewers couldn't avoid the shutout, going 0 for 8 with RISP.
Braves 5, Brewers 0.
8th inning: No runs for the Brewers.
The Braves added a run on a Francoeur single.
Braves 5, Brewers 0.
7th inning: The Brewers had another crack at getting on the board after a single by Branyan and one by Kapler, followed by a throwing error on the second hit, put both in scoring position with one out. But Jason Kendall struck out swinging and Rickie Weeks, pinch hitting, took a slider right down the middle for a called third strike.
Seth McClung came in and walked two in a row after getting the first out. Escobar cashed in a runner with a bloop single to right, but a 4-6-3 double play got him out of the rest of the jam.
Braves 4, Brewers 0.
6th inning: The Brewer again had a runner on with less than two outs but couldn't move him over.
Taking a page from the Brewers, the Braves got the leadoff guy on, then got a strikeout and two pop ups to end the inning.
Braves 3, Brewers 0.
5th inning: The Brewers went in order.
After Campillo walked, Blanco doubled to right to put two in scoring position with nobody out. Escobar grounded out to short to score the run. Fielder made a great play on a liner by Kotsay when he jumped as high as he could to snare it. He then fired to second to get Blanco for the double play.
Braves 3, Brewers 0.
4th inning: Prince Fielder doubled with one down, but didn't score. The Brewers are now 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position today, a trend that has dated back since the St. Louis series most recently.
The Braves ran themselves out of a possible big inning. Kelly Johnson doubled to start it but was immediately thrown out stealing. With him in scoring position and no great arms in the outfield, I don't know why that was necessary for Atlanta. That pretty much deflated the inning.
Braves 2, Brewers 0.
3rd inning: Jorge Campillo got the Brewers in order on two weak grounder and a foul out. He's pretty much owned them this season, going 2-0 and allowing three runs in 12 innings against the Brewers.
Sheets on the other hand is walking guys, which has been part of his struggles since the team acquired CC Sabathia last month. He walked Kotsay to start the bottom half but Infante hit into an inning-ending double play.
Braves 2, Brewers 0.
2nd inning: Corey Hart singled and stole second and third, but the Brewers couldn't score him.
Sheets walked Blanco again, but struck out two before him and got out of the inning with a ground ball.
Braves 2, Brewers 0.
1st inning: Craig Counsell singled but was erased on a fielder's choice. Prince Fielder, the hottest guy in the lineup, got a crack in the first frame, but he popped out.
Gregor Blanco walked to leadoff and after a sac bunt, Mark Kotsay doubled to left-center to score the first run. Omar Infante drove him in with another double, but the Braves couldn't get any more.
Braves 2, Brewers 0.$ (561)
You don't have to be hot
... to be in the Brewers' lineup.
Many residents of Slump City can be found in the lineup the Brewers will send out against Bronson Arroyo tonight at Great American Ball Park:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
LHP Manny Parra
Braun, Sabathia earn NL honors for July
Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun was named NL player of the month for July and pitcher CC Sabathia the pitcher of the month as the team swept those monthly honors today.
Sabathia made an immediate impact after coming to Milwaukee from Cleveland, going 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA in five starts in July.
Braun batted .366 with nine home runs and 23 RBI in July.
Braun won the honor in July last year, also.$ (34)
Brewers-Reds, Game 1
Cincinnati - The action from the game tonight between the Brewers and Reds:
1st Inning:
A 1-2-3 inning for Bronson Arroyo. Rickie Weeks strikes out, J.J. Hardy fouls out and Ryan Braun flies to left.
Manny Parra walks Jeff Keppinger to lead off the bottom of the inning but retires the next three hitters.
2nd inning:
Stop me if you've heard this before but the Brewers failed to get hits with runners in scoring position.
Prince Fielder led off with a hit, was forced at second by Corey Hart and Craig Counsell followed with a hit. But Mike Cameron fouled out and Jason Kendall popped out and that was that. For those not paying attention, Cameron and Kendall have been killing the Brewers at the bottom of the lineup.
3rd inning:
Weeks, who some geniuses such as "akittell" would have you believe I'm too tough on, just whiffed for the second consecutive at-bat. And the Brewers go down in order against Arroyo, who entered the game with a 5.74 ERA.
Parra puts down the Reds on order.
4th inning:
Arroyo was smart to allow Braun to lead off with a double because that put a runner in scoring position. Fielder flied out to center, Hart hit a weak liner to second and Counsell took a called third strike.
0 for 5 already tonight with RISP. Nine for 99 in the last 13 games. It is beyond pathetic. It is absurd. It is ridiculous. It is unbelievable.
Another 1-2-3 inning for Parra, who is looking sharp tonight.
5th inning:
Mike Cameron, who I'm supposedly also too tough on, whiffs. Kendall nubs out. Parra fouls out. What an offense.
With one down in the bottom of the inning, Jolbert Cabrera gets the Reds' first hit of the game -- an opposite-field single to right on a hanging breaking ball from Parra. Jay Bruce then walks on four pitches and David Ross walks on five pitches to load the bases.
Arroyo laces a 2-2 fastball right down the middle into the leftfield corner for a two-run double. Keppinger hits a smash that Counsell stabs with the infield playing in to get the out at first. But Joey Votto singles past Fielder at first and two more runs score.
You really have to wonder what happens to Parra in these situations. In many starts this year, he'll be cruising along for several innings and then all of a sudden give up a huge inning. He breezed through the first four innings without allowing a hit and then, this. The two walks after the one-out hit by Cabrera were the killers.
4-0, Reds.
6th inning:
Weeks makes contact, flying out to left field. Hardy takes a called third strike.
Braun walks and Fielder also walks. Oh-oh, that puts a runner in scoring position
Hart singles to center!!! A hit with a runner in scoring position!! Does anybody know the number for Ripley's Believe it or Not?
Counsell grounds out to first.
4-1, Reds. The Brewers are 1 for 7 with RISP and 10 for their last 101.
Another walk leads to more runs for the Reds. Parra puts down the first two hitters but walks Colbert and Bruce hits an opposite-field two-run homer.
6-1, Reds.
7th inning:
Gary Majewski in for the Reds. The Brewers collected four hits and scored one run off Arroyo in six innings. He entered the game with a 5.74 ERA and .298 opponents' batting average.
Cameron leads off with a home run to left. Kendall flies out to right.
Russell Branyan, batting for Parra, strikes out.
Wow, they just showed Fielder and Parra going after each other in the dugout. Just what you need when things are going bad -- a dugout altercation.
8th inning:
With one down, Braun homers deep into the leftfield stands off David Weathers.
With two down, Hart and Counsell singled by Cameron struck out. 1 for 8 with RISP tonight.
6-3, Reds.
9th inning:
Francisco Cordero pitching for the Reds.
Kendall pops out.
Durham, batting for Villanueva, walks.
Weeks singles to right, putting runners on first and second. But Cordero strikes out Hardy (now 0 for 26) and Braun to end it.
The Brewers went 1 for 10 with RISP. They lose, 6-3. And they have a fight in the dugout. What a night for the Brew Crew.
We're not expecting anybody to say squat about the fight -- they never do -- but stay tuned for a report later.$ (616)
Fielder goes after Parra in dugout
Cincinnati - The cameras just caught an altercation in the Brewers' dugout between Prince Fielder and Manny Parra in which Fielder shoved Parra down onto the bench twice before teammates and coaches pulled Fielder away.
The cameras showed Fielder and Parra talking in the visiting dugout at Great American Ball Park near the bat rack near the left end of the dugout. Fielder said something to Parra and gestured in the air with his right hand.
Parra, who had just been removed from the game, then swiped up his hat and jacket off the bench as he and Fielder continued to walk side-by-side toward the other end of the dugout.
Fielder then turned to the unsuspecting Parra and pushed him down hard on the bench. Fielder then came at Parra again, pushing him hard in the face with both hands. Parra seemed stunned and did not try to defend himself.
Teammates Ray Durham, Ryan Braun and Dave Bush then grabbed Fielder, with pitching coach Mike Maddux joining ing, and pushed him down to the other side of the dugout. At the end of the altercation, J.J. Hardy could be seen yelling at Fielder.
Not a good situation. This is the second consecutive year the Brewers have had an altercation in the dugout. Last year, manager Ned Yost and former players Johnny Estrada and Tony Graffanino went after each other in the dugout tunnel at Miller Park and had to be separated.$ (183)
A marker for Borchert Field
A ceremony will be held next Monday to commemorate the Milwaukee Bears of the Negro National League and Borchert Field.
At the ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m. at Clinton Rose Park, dignitaries will unveil an historical marker. The marker will be located beyond the outfield fence of the facility's baseball field (off on Burleigh St.).
The Milwaukee Bears represented the Cream City in the Negro National League during the 1923 season. Borchert Field, which was located on a city block bounded by W. Burleigh, W. Chambers, N. 7th and N. 8th Sts., was home to a number of Milwaukee sports teams. It was named Athletic Park from the first season in 1888 until 1927 when it was renamed after Brewers owner Otto Borchert.
The stadium also was home to the Major League Milwaukee Brewers in 1891, the Minor League Milwaukee Brewers from 1902 until 1952, and the Milwaukee Chicks of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1944. Marquette University and the Milwaukee Badgers and Green Bay Packers also played football at the facility.$ (14)
Here's what they said
Cincinnati - Prince Fielder wasn't talking afterward and Manny Parra said very little but here's what others had to say, plus some details about what probably set off the fight between Parra and Fielder in the seventh inning of the game tonight between the Brewers and Reds at Great American Ball Park:
The altercation came almost a year to the day after a dugout altercation involving Ned Yost and a couple of players at Miller Park.
Afterward, as expected, the combatants refused to discuss the details of the incident. Parra danced around the subject, saying "it's already been taken care of," and Fielder sent word through a club spokesman that he wouldn't talk about it.
It was last Aug. 2 of last season that Yost became involved in a dugout dispute with catcher Johnny Estrada and infielder Tony Graffanino, neither of whom are with the team this year. Yost at the time downplayed the incident and said it was nobody's business, a refrain he repeated this time around.
"It's not a big deal," said Yost. "For eight months a year, we're a family. At times things happen, flare up, but it's between the family. It's in the family.
"It's a little bit rude when your neighbors are fighting next-door for you to go knock on the door and ask what happened. We handle it ourselves. It's between us and it's nobody's business. But it wasn't that big a deal."
Cameras caught Fielder and Parra engaged in a discussion near the tunnel that leads from the clubhouse to the dugout. Fielder was talking to Parra and gesturing with his right arm to the field.
Parra, who surrendered six runs in six innings, had just been lifted from the game for a pinch-hitter. Someone who overheard parts of the conversation said Parra apparently was headed back to the clubhouse and an agitated Fielder told him he should remain in the dugout to watch the Brewers bat that inning.
Parra snatched up his cap and jacket from the bench and was walking toward the other end, side-by-side with Fielder when the 270-pound first baseman suddenly turned and forcefully pushed Parra onto the bench. Fielder then lunged at Parra again and shoved him hard with both arms.
At that point, several players, including Bill Hall, Ray Durham, Dave Bush and Ryan Braun, with pitching coach Mike Maddux also intervening, jumped in, grabbed Fielder and pushed him to the dugout floor.
Though the sight of Fielder physically attacking the unsuspecting Parra ws shocking, Braun said it was not considered a major incident by the players.
"You spend a lot of time with people, on and off the field, you're going to have arguments, get in fights," said Braun. "Sometimes you need that emotion and passion to break up the monotony. It's not necessarily a bad thing.
"It could be a bad thing if half the guys side with one person and half the guys side with the other. But I think everybody looks at it as a minor incident. It's unfortunate that it happened in front of the cameras because I'm sure the media will make it into more than what it was. Things like that happen over the course of the season.
"It does look bad. I agree. I completely understand how it looks. But things like that happen over the course of the season. I really don't view it as a negative. I'm sure they'll hate each other for a couple of days, then get over it and be friends soon enough."
Fielder has admitted many times in the past that he has a temper but he also is considered a central part of the club, on and off the field. Players often talk about the chemistry within the clubhouse and veteran infielder Craig Counsell said he didn't expect that to be altered by the incident.
"You never want stuff like that to happen," said Counsell. "But who cares? We lost tonight. That's the worst thing that happened.
"It's forgotten when we come here tomorrow. We've got to win the game tomorrow. All your focus is trying to win the game tomorrow. It's not surprising. We're all competing and trying real hard. It's going to happen.
"You know there's not a problem in this clubhouse. You know that. We have tempers. We're humans. There's a bad side to everybody. It happens but we're going to move on."
Yost, who almost certainly will discipline Fielder for attacking a teammate, also said the matter will be forgotten when the Brewers report to the ball park today. And he again insisted no one should make a big deal of it.
"There' a privacy issue here somewhere," said Yost. "Just because it's on TV doesn't make it anybody's right to know what happened. It's between us.
"If you want to know what happened, what transpired blow by blow, or what words were said, I'm sorry. You're not going to know. It's private. It's between us and it's not a big deal. It's not the first time it happened and it won't be the last.
"It's what happens. It makes teams better. It's not a problem. It's nobody's business."$ (125)
Fielder is playing
Cincinnati - Those who wondered if Prince Fielder would be withheld from the Brewers' lineup tonight after his dugout altercation with teammate Manny Parra last night, here's your answer:
Fielder is playing.
Here is the lineup for the Brewers' tonight:
2B Ray Durham
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
RHP Dave Bush
There is a possibility that Fielder will address last night's dust-up with the media before the game today. If so, I'll post a blog with his comments.$ (195)
Fielder: "I could have handled it better"
Cincinnati - We just talked with Prince Fielder about his dugout altercation last night with teammate Manny Parra and he apologized "for the way it went down."
"We had a little disagreement, obviously," said Fielder, who wouldn't talk after the game Monday night about the incident. "I'm not going to go into the depths of what it was over.
"It's something that happened. I've been playing with Manny since rookie ball. It's not like we hate each other. At least, I don't. I apologize for the way it went down. I definitely could have handled it better. But I don't apologize for the passion and intensity I have for the game."
The incident took place in the top of the seventh inning after Parra had been removed from the game with the Brewers trailing, 6-1. Parra and Fielder had a discussion near the dugout tunnel, then walked side-by-side down the dugout, when Fielder suddenly turned and shoved Parra hard twice.
No one will reveal the exact details but word has it that Fielder didn't like that Parra was headed to the clubhouse without staying on the bench to watch the top of the inning, especially after just surrendering six runs. When Parra snatched his jacket off the bench, it appeared to brush near the face of Fielder, setting him off.
"That's just something that happened in the moment," said Fielder. "I can't take it back. I could have handled it better. But I don't apologize for the full meaning behind it and the fire."
Fielder said he had yet to sit down and talk with Parra about the altercation but indicated he planned to do so.
"Things happen," he said. "We're not in middle school. We should be able to get over it.
"Stuff happens. Unfortunately, we're on TV, so of course it looks bad. For me, it's over with. Everybody came in today and seems the same. I think we're good. What happened, happened. Sometimes it gets a little heated, especially in a pennant race."
Asked about crossing the line of passion and fire to anger or acting out, Fielder said, "It's a fine line. Always after the fact, you say how you could have done something. If I was that good, I'd be President or something. I've made mistakes but like I said, I don't apologize for my passion for the game. Every now and then, I get a little too excited."
Manager Ned Yost said the matter was handled internally to the satisfaction of all involved and said he would not withhold a player from the lineup for such an incident. Fielder is playing first and batting cleanup as usual tonight against Cincy.
Asked what would warrant removing a player from the lineup, Yost said, "non-hustle, being late, disrespecting the game in terms of hot dogging, no hustling, those types of things."
Asked if disciplinary action could result in a benching, Yost added, "It could. It depends on the action.
"It's not a major ordeal. There's a shock factor to it. But people don't understand that there's a lot of stuff that happens over the course of an eight-month season when you've got guys that live together and play together and trust each other. There's a lot of stuff that goes on that you never see or hear about, on every team. It just happened to be on TV."
"It's over. We're handling it in our own way. We're past all this. I know what happened. I know the issue. They had a disagreement or misunderstanding. It's not anything that's going to linger or continue. Price has apologized and we've talked to Manny."
Asked if he thought Fielder had anger issues, Yost said, "These are competitive issues. He competes so hard. People say, 'How can you do that?' But the thing that our fans, more than anything else, when I first got here, what they wanted was a competitive team. Now, when they've got guys that compete, they get upset when things like that happen.
"That one thing doesn't hurt his image. It was a mistake on both sides, one that I think both of them regret. It's over and done. At times, we all learn how to deal with certain situations. It's called experience. We think that Prince is a grizzled veteran but he's still a young guy. He's still learning how to compete at a high level in the major leagues."$ (114)
Brewers-Reds, Game 2
Cincinnati - Here's the action from the Brewers-Reds game tonight.
Wow, a big hit with RISP to start the game!
With two down, Ryan Braun doubles off Edinson Volquez and they decide to walk Fielder intentionally. Corey Hart makes them pay with a booming double off the centerfield wall, giving the Brewers at 2-0 lead.
The one sure fielder in the Brewers' infield is shortstop J.J. Hardy but he made a mistake that cost Dave Bush a run.
With two on and one down, Brandon Phillips hit a tailor-made DP ball to Hardy, but he bobbled it and got only the out at second. Bush then hit Adam Dunn with a pitch and Edwin Encarnacion smacked an RBI single to third, with Craig Counsell making a diving stab to save at least one extra run and maybe two.
Brewers lead, 2-1.
2nd inning:
Brewers go down in order, with Mike Cameron and Jason Kendall striking out looking.
Bush puts down the Reds in order.
3rd inning:
Durham led off with a single by Hardy -- now 0 for 28 -- hits into a DP. Braun singles and steals second but Fielder bounces out to second.
The Reds go down in order.
4th inning:
Hart leads off with a double to center and scores on a one-out single by Cameron, who then steals second. Kendall crushes a double to left-center, scoring Cameron to make it 4-1.
The Reds go down in order, with Encarnacion and Patterson whiffing.
5th inning:
Hardy singles to left, snapping an 0-for-28 drought. Braun follows with his third hit, a single to center.
Braun advances to third on Fielder's fly to deep center and scores when Hart smacks a sacrifice fly to center.
Brewers lead, 5-1.
Another 1-2-3 inning for Bush. That's 13 consecutive hitters retired.
6th inning:
3 up and 3 down against reliever Nick Masset, who just entered the game.
Bush puts down three more hitters in a row. That's 16 consecutive Reds to take a seat.
7th inning:
Masset dusted Fielder with a pitch up and in, then paid for it big-time. Fielder crushed the next pitch out to center -- a 428-foot shot -- for a two-run homer that made it 7-1.
Bush ran into his first trouble since the first inning after committing a one-out throwing error on Encarnacion's tapper in front of the plate. Patterson then dunked a bloop ground-rule double down the leftfield line. Bush whiffed Bako but pinch-hitter Corey Patterson drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases.
After a visit from manager Ned Yost, Bush retired Keppinger on a grounder to second to escape the mess.
8th inning:
The Brewers are finally having a good night with RISP. After Cameron doubles with one out, Kendall follows with an RBI single to right to make it 8-1. The Brewers are 4 for 11 with RISP after going 10 for 104 in their previous 13 games.
Brian Shouse takes over for Bush, who allowed three hits and one run over seven innings, with seven Ks.
Bruce singles with one down. With two down, Shouse does a belly flop fielding Dunn's looper, then throws wild to first for an error, putting runners on the corners. But Shouse strikes out Encarnacion and it remains 8-1.
9th inning:
The Brewers go down in order.
Eric Gagne takes over in the bottom of the ninth and puts down the Reds in order.
Brewers win, 8-1. They haven't had too many like this lately. Probably felt pretty good.$ (602)
Brewers sign Lawrie
Cincinnati - The Brewers have signed their first-round pick from the June draft, Canadian prep slugger Brett Lawrie.
Lawrie, 18, was taken with the 16th pick of the draft out of Langley, British Columbia. He currently is training with the Canadian Olympic team, which departs today for Beijing. The Brewers wanted to get Lawrie signed before he left for China because the team will not return until after the Aug. 15 deadline for getting draft picks signed or losing their rights.
I haven't heard the signing bonus yet but based on the signings before and after Lawrie's slot in the first round, it's probably around $1.6 million.
Lawrie is an advanced offensive player with power who put on big offensive shows with a Canadian junior touring team in the spring. He just finished playing for the Canadian junior team in the World Tournament in Edmonton, where he led all players in batting (.469), home runs (three) and RBI (16), earning the tourney's "Triple Crown." He was named the catcher on the all-tournament team for Canada, which finished sixth.
Lawrie played third base and other positions with Langley but wants to catch and the Brewers plan to give him that opportunity. He will not play professional baseball this summer because of his Team Canada commitments but the international experience should be good for him. He will be formally introduced to the Milwaukee media after returning from the Olympics.
Lawrie's sister, Danielle, also is competing for the Canadian Olympic team in Beijing as a pitcher on the country's softball team.
Lawrie was the highest drafted position player ever out orf Canada and had been the only unsigned player among the first 26 players taken by the Brewers. They have signed 30 of their first 32 players selected in the draft.$ (58)
Is it a big deal?
Cincinnati - So, manager Ned Yost says the fight earlier tonight between Prince Fielder and Manny Parra in the dugout was no big deal. What do you think?
If what I heard was correct, Parra was getting ready to go to the clubhouse after being removed from the game and Fielder took exception to that, with the Brewers batting in the top of the seventh and trying to cut into the 6-1 that Parra dug for the team.
I heard that Prince yelled at Parra, "We stayed out there and watched your (bleep). You can stay out here and watch our (bleep)."
I can totally believe Prince said something like that. He was in an agitated mood about the team's sputtering offense and wasn't pleased that Parra caved in for six runs in the middle inning (of course, Fielder could have helped by not letting Joey Votto's two-run single get by him).
Anyway, Parra scooped up his glove and jacket off the bench and it might have come close to swiping Fielder in the face. He took exception to it and went after Parra, shoving him hard twice before teammates restrained him. It was an ugly scene that players basically attributed to "boys will be boys" afterward.
So, what do you think manager Ned Yost should do about this? Should Fielder be benched Tuesday night to show that there will be discipline on the team. Or should Fielder be in the lineup because it was "no big deal," like Yost claimed?
I've got to believe Fielder was fined and told to apologize to teammates in the clubhouse afterward. We were kept out a while after the game so something was going on in the clubhouse.
Tell me what you folks think about all of this.$ (314)
A different kind of lineup
Cincinnati - I call today's lineup a pot-luck lineup because there's all kinds of this and that, with a plan that's hard to figure out.
Anyway, having made that editorial comment, here is the Brewers' lineup against Homer Bailey. What do you think?
2B Rickie Weeks
SS Craig Counsell
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
RHP Jeff Suppan
Brewers-Reds finale
Cincinnati - Here we go with the action from today's game between the Brewers and Reds at Great American Ball Park:
1st inning:
Rickie Weeks led off with an opposite-field single and moved to second on Craig Counsell's groundout but Ryan Braun struck out and Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips made a nice diving stab of Prince Fielder's shot up the middle to get the third out.
The Reds take a 1-0 lead off Jeff Suppan. Jolbert Cabrera led off with a single, stole second and came around on a pair of groundouts to second, with Jay Bruce getting the RBI.
2nd inning:
With one down, Bill Hall walked and Mike Cameron doubled into the leftfield corner to score him.
Jason Kendall also walked and Jeff Suppan bunted both runners up. Weeks then smacked a single to right to score two runs and put the Brewers ahead, 3-1.
David Ross singles with two down but Bailey taps out to third.
3rd inning:
The Brewers go down in order, with Braun striking out for the second time and Corey Hart also whiffing.
Suppan didn't hold the lead for long. With one down, Joey Votto singled and Bruce hammered a home run over the centerfield fence to tie the game.
It's 3-3 after three.
4th inning:
Hall led off with his second walk and Cameron followed with an opposite-field drive into the rightfield corner but Bruce chased it down near the foul line, then threw to first to double off Hall. Hard to say if that was a bad base-running mistake because Bruce made such a nice play.
Suppan puts the side down in order.
5th inning:
Weeks continues his outstanding day with a one-out single, then gets balked to second by Bailey. Counsell grounds out in front of the plate, with Weeks moving to third, and Braun slaps an opposite-field double to score him.
4-3, Brewers.
Suppan surrendered a leadoff double by Cabrera but Votto let him off the hook by bouncing out to short on a 3-0 pitch. After Bruce grounded out to second, with Cabrera moving to third, Phillips fouled out on a 3-1 pitch.
6th inning:
The Brewers catch a break to score two more runs. Hart singled to short and with one down, Cameron singled off Encarnacion's glove at third, then the runners pulled off a double steal.
With the infield in, Kendall hit a grounder that would have gone right to Phillips at second but Bailey stuck his glove out and deflected it into rightfield, resulting in a two-run single and Bailey's exodus from the game.
6-3, Brewers. And boy is Bailey awful.
7th inning:
Bruce just saved the Reds another run with his outfield play afer Fielder doubled with one out and Hart singled to short. Hall smacked a fly to right and Fielder tried to tag up and score but Bruce threw him out with a throw on the fly to the plate, with David Ross withstanding a hit by Fielder.
Suppan puts the Reds down in order.
8th inning:
Cameron leads off with a single but it leads to nothing.
Brian Shouse coming on for the Brewers.
Shouse allows a one-out double by Bruce and walk to Phillips before getting Dunn to pop out. Eric Gagne then comes on and strikes out Encarnacion.
9th inning:
The Brewers go down in order.
Salomon Torres on for the save.
Patterson and Ross ground out to second. And, for that matter, so does pinch-hitter Javier Valentin.
Brewers win, 6-3, to go 4-2 on the trip to Atlanta and Cincy. Day off tomorrow. Enjoy.$ (788)
Counsell at third vs. RHP
The Brewers open the four-game home stand against Washington with their usual lineup, except that Craig Counsell will start at third base against the right-handed pitcher. Looks like Ned Yost has simply benched Russell Branyan since it used to be his job to start against right-handers and since no player has any numbers against Collin Balester.
2B Rickie Weeks
SS JJ Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P CC Sabathia
Brewers vs. Nationals, Game 1
9th inning: Sabathia finished off the Nats for his fourth complete game in seven starts.
Brewers 5, Nationals 0.
8th inning: Sabathia started a nice 1-6-3 double play to end the Nats' half.
The Brewers got a couple runners on but no runs.
Brewers 5, Nats 0.
7th inning: The Nats managed a couple of singles but still have a zero against Sabathia.
Hardy homered for his 16th of the season.
Brewers 5, Nats 0.
6th inning: Sabathia struck out two in a perfect inning.
The Brewers drew a couple of walks but Kendall struck out looking to end the threat.
Brewers 4, Nats 0.
5th inning: Lastings Milledge singled and stole second to get himself into scoring position, but the Nats couldn't do anything else against Sabathia. Even that stolen base was a botched pick off where Fielder threw the ball into Milledge's back.
The Brewers went in order, sort of letting Balester off the hook a bit. He was struggling but he seems to be regrouping some.
Brewers 4, Nats 0.
4th inning: The Brewers turned a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the top half. That play seems to have been missing somewhat recently.
The bottom of the order went 1-2-3.
Brewers 4, Nats 0.
3rd inning: Washington went 1-2-3.
Hardy led off with a single to left on another Balester hanger. The Nats pitcher has not been sharp at all so far and the Brewers are squaring up the ball nicely. Braun followed with a single, kinda poking it to left after being fooled with the off-speed pitch. Fielder struck out but the runners still advance for Hart when Balester tried to pick at second and threw the ball into CF, forcing the infield to come in. He then bounced one that went to the backstop, allowing Hardy to score and Braun to third. Hart's sac fly scored Braun and there was no one warming up in Washington's pen at that time. Counsell made the last out.
Brewers 4, Nats 0.
2nd inning: Sabathia looks on top of his game again, giving up only a single that Craig Counsell couldn't glove at third.
Mike Cameron homered to give the Crew another run.
Brewers 1, Nats 0.
1st inning: CC Sabathia struck out two in the first inning and the Nats went down 1-2-3.
Rickie Weeks led off with a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. It looked like he'd be tagged out on a ground ball to third from Ryan Braun, which Weeks was running on, but the ump said Ryan Zimmerman missed the tag, so Weeks reached third with two outs. Prince Fielder scored him with a single up the middle.
Brewers 1, Nats 0.$ (301)
Durham and Branyan in the lineup
Ray Durham and Russell Branyan will get starts tonight. Branyan is 4 for 6 against Washington right-hander Tim Redding. Durham is 0 for 2 and Weeks is 0 for 3. Jason Kendall, of course, is in the lineup and he's 7 for 16 against Redding, in case anyone was wondering.
2B Ray Durham
SS JJ Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Russell Branyan
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P Ben Sheets
2B Emilio Bonifacio
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Austin Kearns
CF Lastings Milledge
C Jesus Flores
1B Ronnie Belliard
LF Willie Harris
P Tim Redding
Brewers vs. Nationals, Game 2
9th inning: Sheets finished it off by getting Washington in order.
Brewers 6, Nats 0.
8th inning: Belliard and Harris reached on hits to put each in scoring position with no outs. But Sheets kept the Nats off the board by getting the next three hitters on a lineout, strikeout and ground out.
Sheets scored Kendall with a single.
Brewers 6, Nats 0.
7th inning: Sheets allowed a hit to Milledge, but that was all.
Nothing for Milwaukee in the seventh.
Brewers 5, Nats 0.
6th inning: The Nats went 1-2-3.
So did the Brewers.
Brewers 5, Nats 0.
5th inning: Corey Hart provided the only run in the inning with a home run to CF.
Brewers 5, Nats 0.
4th inning: Strikeout, ground out, fly out for Washington.
Durham showed some more pop, homering to right with two outs. Hardy made it back-to-back shots with one to left.
Brewers 4, Nats 0.
3rd inning: Ronnie Belliard singled and stole second but the Nats couldn't move him around.
Durham doubled and Hardy singled. Gabe Kapler hit for Ryan Braun, who left the game with lower back tightness, and singled home Durham. Hart hit a ball to the wall, but Lastings Milledge tracked it down. The out scored Hardy, who tagged from third. Cameron struck out looking for a second time to end the inning.
Brewers 2, Nats 0.
2nd inning: Sheets again made quick work of Washington, getting it 1-2-3.
Corey Hart reached on a fielder's choice and after Russell Branyan singled, Hart made it to third on a wild pitch. But the rest of the offense couldn't push any runs across after loading the bases with two outs.
No score.
1st inning: Ben Sheets put away the Nationals in order.
The Brewers ended the inning with a strikeout-throwout double play. Braun got the K and Durham was caught trying to steal second.$ (432)
Brewers-Nationals, Game 3
Here we go with the action from today's game between the Brewers and Nationals at Miller Park:
1st inning:
A nice beginning for Manny Parra. Three batters. Three ground-ball outs.
Lefty John Lannan strikes out Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy, then gets Gabe Kapler on a sharp come-backer to the mound.
2nd inning:
Still no balls out of the infield against Parra. Austin Kearns goes down looking, Lastings Milledge grounds out to second and Jesus Flores whiffs for the third out.
Corey Hart walks with one out and advances to second on a pickoff move that wasn't executed at second base. But Bill Hall bounces out to short and Mike Cameron fouls out.
3rd inning:
Ronnie Belliard leads off with a single and moves to second on a one-out wild pitch by Parra. But Parra whiffs Lannan and gets Emilio Bonifacio to fly out to right.
Mike Rivera leads off with a walk and Parra bunts him to second. Weeks draws another walk but Hardy strikes out on a 74 mph curveball and Kapler fouls out on another off-speed pitch.
4th inning:
With one down, Ryan Zimmerman singles to right. Austin Kearns bounces into a force at second (Weeks' relay to first was wide) and Parra strikes out Lastings Milledge to end the inning.
Lannan is mowing the Brewers down. Fielder grounds out and Hart and Hall whiff. The Brewers still have no hits.
5th inning:
Parra surrendered a booming ground-rule double to center by Belliard with one down but struck out Willie Harris and Lannan to keep it at 0-0.
The Brewers just can't get anything going against Lannan. Rivera walks for the second time with one down, but Parra bunts into a force at second and Weeks grounds out to third. Brewers have no hits through five and it stays 0-0.
6th inning:
The Nationals finally score a run in the series after being blanked for 23 innings. With one down, Cristian Guzman and Zimmerman smack singles. Parra struck out Kearns but Milledge lined a 1-1 curveball up the middle for an RBI single.
With runners on the corners, Parra whiffs Flores to stop it there. 1-0, Nats.
The Brewers take advantage of some breaks to finally score off Lannan. Zimmerman made a nice backhand stab of Kapler's chopper but Belliard couldn't handle his throw to first and Kapler advanced to second on the error. Fielder than drew a walk.
Hart then hit a pop fly to shallow center that caromed off the glove of sliding second baseman Bonifacio for the Brewers' first hit, loading the bases. Hall followed with a sacrifice fly to right to tie the game, 1-1.
7th inning:
You like to see a pitcher mow down the opponent after you've finally scored and that's what Parra did. Three up and three down, including pinch-hitter Ryan Langerhans, who batted for Lannan. Saul Rivera in to pitch for the Nationals.
Rivera leads off with a single but pinch-hitter Ray Durham strikes out and Weeks flies out to right. Rivera steals second base when Saul Rivera pays him no attention but Hardy bounces out to third.
Eric Gagne coming in for the Brewers.
8th inning:
Gagne retired the first two hitters without problem but Zimmerman put a great at-bat on him, fouling off five two-strike pitches before finally lining a ground-rule double to left on the 12th pitch.
Then the bottom fell out on Gagne. Kearns drove a 1-2 changeup over the leftfield wall for a homer, and Milledge followed with another on a 1-1 fastball. And, just like that, it's 4-1, Nationals.
Amazingly, the Brewers get right back in it, thanks to Mike Rivera.
With one down, Fielder walks. Hall bounces a two-out single off the glove off Zimmerman at third, and Cameron draws a walk to load the bases. Washington manager Manny Acta then replaces Saul Rivera with his closer Joel Hanrahan.
With the count 2-2, Rivera laces a double into the leftfield corner, clearing the bases and tying the score. Weeks bounces into a force at second but its 4-4.
Salomon Torres coming on for the Brewers.
9th inning:
Torres walks Belliard to open the inning and he moves up on a sacrifice by Harris but Torres stops it there and keeps the game tied.
Hardy leads off with a walk off Hanrahan but, after fouling off two bunt attempts, Kapler strikes out. Fielder bounces into a force at second, barely beating the relay to first to avoid a DP. Hart singles to left, sending Fielder to second, but Hall strikes out.
We're heading to extra innings.
10th inning:
A 1-2-3 inning for Torres, with nothing out of the infield.
Jesus Colome in to pitch for the Nationals.
With one down, Rivera walks. That puts him on base all five times he has batted today, with three walks, a single and his huge three-run double in the eighth. Craig Counsell, batting for Torres, also draws a walk.
Bonifacio makes a great diving stop of Weeks' grounder to prevent a game-winning single but has no play, and the bases are loaded with one out for Hardy. The Nationals bring in their infield and their outfield.
Hardy strikes out on three pitches, waving at a breaking ball far off the plate for the third strike. That was simply an awful at-bat, under the circumstances.
Now, it's up to Kapler. He hits the ball right on the nose but lines out to left field. Wow, the Brewers may rue not scoring on that opportunity.
11th inning:
Carlos Villanueva in for the Brewers.
Villanueva puts the Nats down in order, logging two strikeouts.
Lefty Charlie Manning in for Washington.
With one down, Hart draws a walk and steals second. Hall works Manning for a six-pitch walk to put two on.
Cameron flies out to center, bringing up today's hitting hero, Mike Rivera.
Rivera flies out to left. Well, you can't do it every time. On we go.
12th inning:
This could have gone badly for the Brewers after Bonifacio struck out for what should have been the third out but reached on a wild pitch by Villanueva. Guzman then chopped an infield hit up the middle. But Zimmerman grounded out to third, with Fielder making a nice play on a bad one-hop throw from Hall.
The Brewers go down in order.
Guillermo Mota coming in for the Brewers.
13th inning:
Mota surrenders a one-out single by Milledge but that's all.
Luis Ayala in to pitch for Washington.
Boom! it's over. Kapler lines a home run off the left field foul pole.
Brewers win, 5-4. It was a battle but they won it.
That was the first walk-off home run by the Brewers this year.$ (663)
Rivera deserves a lot of credit
Brewers backup catcher Mike Rivera deserves credit for remaining productive while rarely seeing action this year.
Despite making only his 12th start of the season today, Rivera played a huge role in the Brewers' 5-4, 13-inning victory over Washington at Miller Park. Rivera reached base five times, and made the victory possible by ripping a three-run double in the eighth inning that tied the game, 4-4.
"It's incredible what he's doing," said hitting coach Jim Skaalen. "I give him so much credit for his preparation, not knowing when he's going to get an opportunity.
"He keeps himself ready, and he has a great attitude. He's frustrated that he doesn't play more but he doesn't show it. It's just awesome what he has done, so impressive."
When a player doesn't get much action, he often becomes over-anxious at the plate, swinging at everything. But Rivera walked in his only two at-bats against Washington starter John Lannan, who allowed just one hit and an unearned run over six innings.
"I was just trying to have a good at-bat, not swing at everything," he said. "It helped just to see some pitches. Those first two at-bats, looking at some pitches, really helped."
With only 54 at-bats for the season, Rivera has remained productive, batting .333 with one homer and 14 RBI.
"I've been patient all year," said Rivera. "I've just waited for my moment. Every time I'm in the lineup, I just want to contribute and feel part of the team. With a game like today, it feels great, just helping."
Rivera's teammates certainly are impressed. Gabe Kapler, who won the game with a walk-off homer in the 13th inning, was effusive in his praise of Rivera.
"What 'Mikey' has done is unbelievable," said Kapler. "To not play very often and get in there and produce like he's producing, it's special. We have a lot of respedct for 'Mikey' and what he has accomplished thus far this season."$ (62)
A Rivera sighting!
Apparently, Mike Rivera has been removed from the baseball version of the witness protection program. He's actually in the Brewers' lineup today, making his 12th start of the season!
Gabe Kapler's also starting in left field in place of Ryan Braun, who exited last night's game with a back problem. I'll see what's going on with that and file a blog later.
Here are the lineups for today's game:
2B Emilio Bonifacio
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Austin Kearns
CF Lastings Milledge
C Jesus Flores
1B Ronnie Belliard
LF Willie Harris
LHP John Lannan
2B Rickie Weeks
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Gabe Kapler
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
CF Mike Cameron
C Mike Rivera
LHP Manny Parra
Braun feeling no better
I talked a little while ago with leftfielder Ryan Braun and he said he doesn't feel any better today than last night, when he left the game vs. Washington with what was described as back tightness.
Braun said the problem is not really his back, however. He said he has spasms in the ribcage on both sides, kind of a weird deal that he said has not improved.
"It's about the same," said Braun, who is not in the lineup against Washington. "It's just day to day. But I don't feel very good today. There's no way I could swing a bat."
Braun experienced the discomfort during his first at-bat Saturday night and left that game.
"On a 2-1 pitch, I took kind of an awkward swing," he said. "I couldn't breathe. It looked up on me. That's why we think it's spasms. It's not one side so that's a good thing.
"I think I'll be OK but I never experienced anything like that. I don't know what to expect."
While listed as day to day, it could be a few days before Braun is able to play again unless he makes a marked improvement.
"It's really uncomfortable," said Braun, who had trouble sleeping last night. "You take your health for granted until something like that happens. It's like, ???Where did that come from and how did it happen?' I do so much (core) work that it's the last place I expected something to happen."$ (45)
Brewers-Nationals finale
Here's the action from the series finale between the Brewers and Nationals today at Miller Park:
1st inning:
For the first time in the series, the Nationals score an early run. Willie Harris leads off with a single, steals second, moves to third on a groundout and scores on a single to left by Ryan Zimmerman off Dave Bush.
Rickie Weeks had gone all year without a home run at Miller Park -- until now! He just led off the bottom of the inning with a homer to center off the redoubtable Garrett Mock.
The score is tied, 1-1.
2nd inning:
Bush issues a two-out walk to Kory Casto but stops it there.
Mike Cameron reaches on a two-out error by shortstop Pete Orr. After Cameron steals second, the Nationals opt to intentionally walk Jason Kendall, and Bush strikes out.
Still 1-1.
3rd inning:
Harris doubles to right-center with one out but Bush retires Orr on a grounder to short and catches Zimmerman looking at a third strike.
Mock strikes out Weeks and Hardy, and gets Kapler to bounce out to second.
4th inning:
A very nice inning for Bush. Kearns grounds out to third and Milledge and Belliard go down swinging.
The Brewers go back to the long ball to take the lead. Prince Fielder walks to lead off the bottom of the inning and Corey Hart belts No. 18 to left-center for a 3-1 lead.
5th inning:
Dave Bush pitches out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam, much of which was his own doing. Casto walked, Nieves singled and Bush hit Mock with a pitch while he was trying to bunt.
Harris hit a tapper in front of the plate that Kendall fielded and tagged the plate for an out. Orr then struck out -- a huge out for Bush -- and Zimmerman grounded out to second.
Still 3-1 Brewers.
Kapler walks with two outs, moves to second on a wild pickoff attempt by Mock, to third on a wild pitch by Mock and scores when Fielder laces a breaking ball into left-center for a double.
Hart reaches on an infield hit and that's all for Mock. He is replaced by Steven Shell, who strikes out Counsell (his third whiff in three at-bats).
Brewers lead, 4-1.
6th inning:
Milledge singles with one out and steals second but Bush retires Belliard on a fly to left and strikes out Casto.
The Brewers are doing some whiffing today. Kendall and Bush strike out, giving the Brewers 12 Ks for the game. Cameron walked and stole second but was stranded.
7th inning:
The Brewers' defense giveth, then taketh away.
After pinch-hitter Emilio Bonifacio reached on Fielder's error, lefty Brian Shouse took over for Bush. Willie Harris hit what should have been a DP ball to Weeks, but Hardy dropped the throw at the bag for an error. Undaunted, Shouse got pinch-hitter Cristian Guzman to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play.
Tack-on runs are always nice. With one down, Kapler doubles to left-center and Fielder singles him to third. After Hart fouls out, Counsell slices a sinking liner to left that gets past the diving Harris for a two-run double.
Lefty Charlie Manning then completely loses his control and walks the next three hitters, with the pass to pinch-hitter Bill Hall forcing in a run.
7-1, Brewers.
8th inning:
David Riske in for the Brewers.
Zimmerman leads off with a single and Milledge walks with one down but Riske pitches out of it.
3 up and 3 down for the Brewers.
9th inning:
Seth McClung in for the Brewers.
McClung finishes off the Nationals and the four-game sweep by the Brewers.
The Brewers are a season-high 17 games over .500 (68-51) and 3 1/2 games behind the idle Cubs in the NL Central. They are 3 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis in the wild card, pending the Cardinals' game tonight in Florida.
And, for those who are interested, I've just filed a Brewers mailbag.
Have a good week, everyone. Anthony Witrado will be picking up the Brewers on the West Coast.$ (299)
Braun not sure when he'll return
Leftfielder Ryan Braun said he felt better today but termed it "highly doubtful" that he would be back in the Brewers' lineup Tuesday night in San Diego.
Braun sat out his second consecutive game with an intercostal strain (the muscles surrounding the ribcage). He still had no idea how he did it or when he might be able to play again.
"I'll just continue getting treatment and hopefully it'll get better," said Braun. "It's definitely better today than it was yesterday. But it's still a little ways to go, back to the point where I can play.
"I'll see how I feel tomorrow. It's day to day."
Braun said he didn't think the injury was enough to land him on the 15-day disabled list.
"I don't think so," he said. "I really don't know. Any intercostal or ribcage or oblique area, it's hard to put a timetable on it. I think it's definitely a good sign that I felt better today than yesterday.
"I'll just continue to get treatment and hopefully I'm back in there as soon as possible."$ (83)
Braun still out
As expected, Ryan Braun has not recovered enough from his ribcage/lower back problem to play in the series finale against Washington today.
Here is the Brewers' lineup:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Gabe Kapler
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
RHP Dave Bush
And I've just been given Washington's lineup. Here it is:
LF Willie Harris
SS Pete Orr
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Austin Kearns
CF Lastings Milledge
2B Ronnie Belliard
1B Kory Casto
C Wil Nieves
RHP Garrett Mock
The game starts at 1 p.m.$ (171)
Post-game audio: Brewers 5, Nationals 4
Mike Rivera reaches base five times and provides a key three-run double in Sunday's victory over the Washington Nationals. To listen to his comments and other interviews, click here.$ (7)
Braun still out, Counsell at 3B
San Diego - As expected and as told to us by the LF himself, Ryan Braun is still out of today's lineup, still suffering from that rib cage/back injury. Craig Counsell against RHP Cha Seung Baek is starting at third. Nobody has any history against the guy with the exception of Ray Durham, who is 0 for 1.
Jeff Suppan is on the mound, trying to stretch the winning steak, not only of games but of impressive starting pitching performances.
2B Rickie Weeks
SS JJ Hardy
LF Gabe Kapler
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P Jeff Suppan
Brewers at Padres, Game 1
9th inning: Salmon Torres notched his 23rd save of the season and the Brewers improved to 12-2 on the road since the all-star break.
8th inning: Neither team got anything going in the eighth.
Brewers 5, Padres 2.
7th inning: With the bases loaded and nobody out in the seventh, the Brewers nearly squandered another chance to score without the long ball when Hardy hit into another double play, this one of the 5-2-3 variety. Fortunately for the offense, Kapler bounced one to Kouzmanoff, who bobbled it just long enough to allow Kapler to beat the throw and Suppan to score - Suppan reached on a walk as he tried to sacrifice bunt.
Nothing for SD.
6th inning: Gerut got enough of a Suppan pitch this time and put it over the wall in CF for the only run of the inning for either team.
Brewers 4, Padres 2.
5th inning: Hardy hit into a double play and Kapler grounded out.
Suppan got the Padres in order.
Brewers 4, Padres 1.
4th inning: Hardy walked and Kapler singled to set up a three-run homer by Fielder. He completely demolished the ball and looked into his dugout like "this is too easy." The ball was already bouncing in the empty seats by the time he turned to look at it.
Nothing for San Diego.
Brewers 4, Padres 1.
3rd inning: Cameron homered to left in his return to San Diego to knot things.
Suppan got out 1-2-3, but Brian Giles nearly hit one out but Cameron ran it down in center. That would have been out in Fenway.
Brewers 1, Padres 1.
2nd inning: Corey Hart reached on a throwing error despite replays showing that he should have been out as San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez kept his foot on the base after pitcher Cha Seung Baek threw wideo of the bag. Craig Counsell hit into a 1-6-3 DP to end the inning a minute later, however.
Jeff Suppan got Gonzalez to line out, but Kevin Kouzmanoff smoked a 0-2 pitch over the fence in left-center. It looked like Suppan was trying to get the ball down, but it stayed about thigh-high and Kouzmanoff ripped it 406 feet. Suppan then walked Chase Headley and Nick Hundley singled. Suppan got the next two hitters to get out of the jam.
Padres 1, Brewers 0.
1st inning: The Brewers started the west coast trip with a three-up, three-down inning.
The Padres went 1-2-3, but it took two nice plays by Mike Cameron, one racing back to the track and another sliding catch coming in.$ (714)
Escobar on hitting binge
Brewers shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar has been on a hitting binge at Class AA Huntsville.
By batting .519 last week (14 for 27), Escobar was named the Southern League hitter of the week and raised his overall average to .343. Only teammate Angel Salome, the Stars' catcher, has a higher batting average in the league at .345.
Escobar, 21, has been known more for his defense than offense since signing with the Brewers in 2003. But he began to show signs of improving at the plate last year, batting .325 in 63 games at Class A Bevard County and .283 in 62 games with Huntsville.
Now, with 164 hits, Escobar leads the entire minor leagues. He is quickly developing into the Brewers' top prospect, now that Matt LaPorta was traded to Cleveland in the CC Sabathia deal.
Salome and Escobar have overtaken Mat Gamel as the top hitter at Huntsville. Gamel had a blistering first half but has slipped in recent weeks to .333 overall. Still, Gamel is having a big year with 34 doubles, 7 triples, 17 homers and 86 RBI.
Another player to keep an eye on in Huntsville is outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who was promoted from Brevard to replace LaPorta. Long considered to have some of the best tools in the organization, Cain is starting to blossom a bit with a .292 average, three homers and 14 RBI in 31 games at Huntsville.$ (301)
Tonight's lineup at San Diego
San Diego - With Russell Branyan on the DL, it will be Craig Counsell platooning at third base with Bill Hall, meaning he will see most of the time against RHP.
2B Rickie Weeks
SS JJ Hardy
LF Gabe Kapler
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P CC Sabathia
Branyan hurt during BP yesterday
San Diego - Russell Branyan was already getting limited playing time, but now he'll get none.
That's because the Milwaukee Brewers placed him on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain today, retroactive to Tuesday. That is when Branyan hurt the oblique during batting practice.
The team called up outfielder Laynce Nix from Class AAA Nashville to give the team a fourth outfielder with Ryan Braun still unavailable to play.
"He just took a swing and kind of felt it pop," manager Ned Yost said. "He was hitting balls out of the ballpark, right? Then he turned around and I seen him walking in. So I said, ???He must be feeling good. He's had enough BP.' He still had like five minutes left, but Bill (Hall) was standing right there and said Russ was hurt."
Branyan wasn't available before the game to comment further on the injury.
With Branyan and Braun out, the Brewers couldn't play two guys short, so because Braun's injury is closer to being playable than Branyan's, he got the DL stint.
"I'm not so sure it's day-to-day with Russ," Yost said. "Those things take a little bit of time. This is definitely an oblique, and ???Braunie's,' I wouldn't classify it as (that). But Russ is more serious in terms of longevity."
The decision to bring up Nix was two fold. He was the hottest bat in Nashville, giving Yost a left-handed stick off the bench, which he lost in Branyan. Also, Nix can play all three outfield spots, something the team needed since it had played with just three outfielders on the roster since Braun got hurt.
Nix was batting .284 with 23 home runs and 60 runs batted in for Nashville, and was hitting .364 with 15 extra-base hits in his last 20 games.
"Last year I came up in the thick of the pennant race, in September," Nix said. "This time I'll have a little more time to make a difference now."$ (18)
Brewers at Padres, Game 2
9th inning: Guillermo Mota came in to finish off San Diego and close the team's eighth straight win, 7-1.
8th inning: Nothing for the Brewers, but the Padres got a couple of walks out of David Riske, but he was able to put out the fire without giving up a run.
Brewers 7, Padres 1.
7th inning: Hart reached on an error but that was it offensively for the Brewers.
The Padres were kept off the board again as well.
Brewers 7, Padres 1.
6th inning: The Brewers couldn't get anything going, and Sabathia put away the Padres easily.
Brewers 7, Padres 1.
5th inning: Hart hit a bases-loaded triple to score three and Counsell plated him with a sac fly.
Sabathia got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam with a pop out, strikeout and ground out against the 3-4-5 hitters for San Diego.
Brewers 7, Padres 1.
4th inning: Chase Headley doubled and scored on a fielder's choice. The Brewers did do anything.
Brewers 3, Padres 1.
3rd inning: Nothing for the Brewers, but Fielder got on again. This time by walking.
Sabathia got the Padres in order.
Brewers 3, Padres 0.
2nd inning: Prince Fielder smashed a home run into right, then back-to-back walks to Craig Counsell and Mike Cameron led to two more runs, one on a Jason Kendall single and another knocked in on Sabathia's ground ball out.
Nothing for San Diego.
Brewers 3, Padres 0.
1st inning: Gabe Kapler hit a screamer to center, but Scott Hairston ran it down at the wall. That was the only action in the top half.
The Padres managed two hits against CC Sabathia, but couldn't score either.$ (433)
Branyan on DL: Nix comes up
The Brewers placed third baseman Russell Branyan on the 15-day disabled list today and purchased the contract of outfielder Laynce Nix from Class AAA Nashville.
The move provides some extra outfield help while Ryan Braun is sidelined with an intercostal strain, and gives an indication that the Brewers don't think Braun will have to go on the DL. Otherwise, they would have put Braun on the DL and called up Nix.
It also explains why Branyan has not been seeing any action at third base of late. Manager Ned Yost has been using Craig Counsell instead as a left-handed-hitting option at third. There was no mention that Branyan was having an oblique problem, so I'm not sure when that might have cropped up.
Nix, who will join the club in San Diego tonight, has batted .284 with 23 homers and 60 RBI at Nashville. He has been particularly hot of late, batting .364 in his last 20 games with 15 extra-base hits.
Nix, 27, has seen action in all three outfield spots in the minors.$ (70)
It's all about the pitching
Since the awful four-game sweep at the hands of the Cubs at the end of July, what I called the "Massacre in Milwaukee," the Brewers have gone 9-2 to take command of the wild-card standings and keep alive their divisional hopes.
That 11-game surge proves once again that it's all about the pitching. Over that span, Brewers starters have gone 8-2 with a 2.01 ERA (18 earned runs in 80 2/3 innings), with a remarkable 10 quality starts.
A look at what each player has done offensively over that span shows you just how average the offense has been during the 9-2 spurt. Here is a look at the offensive numbers over those 11 games:
Russell Branyan .296, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Ryan Braun .267, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Mike Cameron .286, 4 HR, 7 RBI
Craig Counsell .194, 0 HR, 2 RBI
Ray Durham .200, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Prince Fielder .286, 5 HR, 11 RBI
Bill Hall .182, 0 HR, 2 RBI
J.J. Hardy .143, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Corey Hart .317, 2 HR, 10 RBI
Gabe Kapler .333, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Jason Kendall .222, 0 HR, 5 RBI
Mike Rivera .667, 0 HR, 3 RBI
Rickie Weeks .306, 1 HR, 4 RBI
The overall team batting average has been .258 (91 for 353) over that span.
Isn't it amazing how many guys are actually having bad stretches at the plate during that 9-2 run? Cameron, Fielder and Hart are the only guys really producing semi-consistently in terms of knocking in runs. Some other guys have helped here and there but a lot of hitters actually are struggling.
The Brewers have hit enough home runs to produce 58 runs over those 11 games, for an average of 5.27 runs per game. On the flip side, the pitchers have allowed only 24 runs, an average of 2.18 runs per game.
You hold opponents to two runs a game and you're going to win most of the time, which the Brewers have. Again, it's all about the pitching. The starters have been outstanding and the bullpen has been effective for the most part (have you noticed how many other bullpens are blowing up across the majors?).
It doesn't hurt that the Brewers have been playing nothing but losing teams over that stretch, either. But, if you want to make the playoffs, you have to beat the bad teams. It's a prerequisite. Win when you're supposed to win and take your chances in the other series.$ (215)
CC had to battle
San Diego - Here is what Ned Yost and CC Sabathia had to say about tonight's win:
"It was more of a grind for him tonight, but again, what he's exhibited ever since he's been here, he does not give in, he does not allow big innings to happen. He had the bases loaded and nobody out and found a way to get out of it. It was seven strong innings.
"Any team can climb back into a game quick in that situation. He didn't allow that to happen. You just always know he's going to find a way to make a pitch."
"They only scored one run. It doesn't matter how many times we score if they only score one run because all we need to score is two. We scored three right off the get-go. Anytime you can give a starting pitcher runs early ... it allows them to freedom to know they can make a mistake and get away with it. Anytime you give a pitcher like CC that comfort level, you're in pretty good shape."
"They did a good job of having good at-bats, making me work, putting the bat on the ball. I felt like I had good stuff tonight but they made me work
"I was just trying to make pitches when I needed to. 'P's' been raking every time I pitch, so I knew he'd give me a run or two."
"I was trying to get the ground ball and get a double play, but it didn't work out like that. I got the pop up and a strikeout and the (ground out).
"They took some good swings. This is the second time they faced me, so they knew what to expect."$ (75)
Nix gets start in left
San Diego - Trying to keep Laynce Nix hot after he was called up yesterday, Ned Yost is starting him in left field.
2B Ray Durham
SS Craig Counsell
LF Laynce Nix
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P Ben Sheets
Brewers at Padres, Game 3
9th inning: Cameron homered off Trevor Hoffman, but the brewers couldn't get the tying run plated.
Padres 3, Brewers 2.
8th inning: The Brewers got two runners on but Hart's fly out to center ended the threat.
The Padres got a runner in scoring position on Kouzmanoff's double, but he didn't score.
Padres 3, Brewers 1.
7th inning: The Brewesr finally broke through. Bill Hall walked and moved to second when Peavy over threw first base on a pick-off attempt. Mike Cameron then singled to left and Hall, who made a nice slide, was safe at the plate. Cameron got caught stealing to clear the bases and end the threat. The Brewers had Peavy on the ropes a bit, but let him off there with the steal try.
Kevin Kouzmanoff singled and Headley doubled to put two in scoring position with nobody out, then Iguchi dropped in a single in front of Nix, tying thegame for the Padres. A wild pitch moved him to second and forced the infield to come in. Brian Myrow hit a bloper that Nix made a diving grab on in left, but it was enough to score Headley from third. Edgar Gonzalez pinch-hit for Peavy, so he's done. Gonzalez flew out to the wall in center, moving up Iguchi to third, and Gerut singled him home to chase Sheets from the game. That went bad pretty quickly for him. The Brewers got a monster break, though. Brian Shouse threw a wild pitch and Gerut, who was at third after another single, scored as the ball got away from Shouse as he covered. However, the plate ump, Mike Everitt, said Gerut never touched the plate and Shouse ran after Gerut as he went to the dugout and tagged him out to end the inning. Replays showed Gerut touching the plate as he slid in.
Padres 3, Brewers 1.
6th inning: Peavy stayed sharp, striking out Fielder to end the inning and leave Counsell on first.
Sheets was as good, getting San Diego 1-2-3.
No score.
5th inning: Cameron was called out on a fastball at the knees and he had some words for the home plate ump. Peavy is getting some favorable calls, but nothing too outrageous. That's a tough pitch to take with two strikes. Cameron's got to at least foul that off. Peavy has seven Ks and the last two have been looking.
Sheets got one of those nice calls on a curve on the outside corner to get Luke Carlin.
No score.
4th inning: Peavy looks to be on top of his game, painting corners and not giving up anything down the middle. He struck out Fielder on a breaking ball in the dirt that was nasty, popped up Hart to short and struck out Hall on a heater on the outside black.
Sheets is still having some control issues at times, walking Chase Headley with two outs. He's talking to himself and obviously not completely pleased with what he's doing. But he did come off and finish Tad Iguchi with a strikeout. It's a duel on the mound right now.
No score.
3rd inning: Craig Counsell drew a two-out walk but Laynce Nix struck out to leave him stranded.
Sheets walked Peavy but got the next three hitters in order.
No score.
2nd inning: Both teams had two one with one out, but neither could score a run.
No score.
1st inning: The Brewers went in order against Jake Peavy.
Ben Sheets matched the Padres ace, getting the side retired in order.$ (517)
About Braun's intercostal strain
As Anthony Witrado reports in this morning's Journal Sentinel, outfielder Ryan Braun, who strained his intercostal last weekend, is feeling better.
But what exactly is your intercostal? According to WebMd.com, there are 11 intercostal muscles on each side of the rib cage. The muscles connect one rib to another and work to spread the ribs apart and bring them back together again, effectively expanding and contracting the chest to help you breathe.
WebMD also reports that there may be constant or severe pain, which is what Braun initially reported. But after a few days, the pain only occurs on stretching, coughing or breathing deeply. Most injuries, the Web site says, heal within a few weeks.$ (141)
Braun taking BP tonight
Los Angeles - Ryan Braun will take batting practice tonight for the first time since straining his intercostal. He took about 25 cuts off a tee yesterday and felt good, so the next step is BP, and if he is feeling fine tomorrow, he'll be used as a pinch-hitter and likely be in the lineup for Sunday's road trip finale.
Here's tonight's lineup against the Dodgers:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS JJ Hardy
LF Gabe Kapler
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P Manny Parra
Brewers 3rd in SI power ranking
Many sports publications, including the Journal Sentinel, publish rankings in the various sports.
Today, SI.com, which you can find here, published its latest power ranking in Major League Baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers are now ranked 3rd, with staff writer Gennaro Filice calling the Brewers the hottest team in baseball.$ (294)
Brewers at Dodgers, Game 1
Note: The internet here is extremely slow and cutting in and out, and it is affecting the blog, so there may be delays.
9th inning: Broxton struck out two and got Kendall to fly out to end the game.
Dodgers 5, Brewers 3.
8th inning: Hardy and Kapler hit back-to-back singles. Fielder moved them over with a ground-ball out to first. But Jonathan Broxton got out of the inning by getting Hart to fly out.
Martin led off with a solo homer to left that Kapler couldn't get back and catch quick enough. Not sure if he had a legit shot at it, but it looked like he did.
Dodgers 5, Brewers 3.
7th inning: Kendall drew a two-out walk but pinch-hitter Laynce Nix struck out looking.
Kent led off with a single and Pablo Ozuna ran for him. Ramirez struck out on a high fastball from Carlos Villanueva and Garciaparra grounded into an inning-ending DP.
Dodgers 4, Brewers 3.
6th inning: Fielder singled but no one else reached.
A couple of singles and a two-out walk to Pierre got Parra hooked for David Riske with Kemp coming up and the bases loaded. Parra had been in some kind of trouble in all but one of the six innings he started. Riske went to a 2-0 count on Kemp and he got a big hack at the next pitch but fouled off. He got another good swing on a 2-1 fastball but fouled that off as well. Riske went to a full count before Kemp flew out to Cameron.
Dodgers 4, Brewers 3.
5th inning: Billingsley got the Brewers 1-2-3 with a couple of fly outs and a ground out.
Matt Kemp sliced a double into the right-center gap and Kent promptly singled him home. The throw from Cameron to the plate as Kemp raced home was cut off by Fielder as it started to go up the line. It was probably a smart play to not allow Kent to move to second with Ramirez on deck. Ramirez struck out on a nice off-speed pitch, maybe a splitter, from Parra. If that was a fastball in that location, Ramirez probably hits it to right for another hit, but the speed fooled him just enough.
Dodgers 4, Brewers 3.
4th inning: The Brewers couldn't get anything going.
With Russell Martin on first after beating out a throw on a double-play try, Casey Blake hit a 3-2 splitter into the left-field bleachers to tie the game. The pitch ended up thigh-high and there was no doubt Blake hit it well as soon as it left the bat.
Brewers 3, Dodgers 3.
3rd inning: Billingsley struck out the top of the Brewers' order.
The Dodgers went in order.
Brewers 3, Dodgers 1.
2nd inning: Mike Cameron tripled with one out and Jason Kendall singled through a drawn-in infield to score him. Parra hit into a double play to end the top of the inning.
Casey Blake got the Dodgers started with a double, but Parra got the next three batters to leave him stranded.
Brewers 3, Dodgers 1.
1st inning: Rickie Weeks led off with a screamer over the head of Dodgers starter Chad Bilingsley. After JJ Hardy struck out, Gabe Kapler smoked a home run to left.
Manny Ramirez singled home Juan Pierre, but the Dodgers stranded two as Manny Parra struck out the side.
Brewers 2, Dodgers 1.$ (430)
Parra not pleased
Los Angeles -- Manny Parra said he had his best stuff of the year, but he could not locate. He allowed a RBI single to Manny Ramirez, a double, homer and single to Casey Blake, and a double to Matt Kemp.
Here's what Parra had to say ...
"I pounded the zone, but I pounded the middle of it. I had my best stuff I had all year. That doesn't mean I had the best command I had all year.
"(Blake) hit all pitches up. Who knows if I make my pitches? He doesn't do what he did, I know that.
"The splitter was great until the home run to Blake. That was the only mistake to that point. That was the only mistake I made with that pitch, other than that, it was as good as it's been all year."
Parra also said he feels like his entire season has been inconsistent, not just his recent outings.
"I feel like that's been the way it's been all year for me. When I won eight (decisions in a row), they were scoring a lot of runs for me and in situations where I shouldn't have got a win, I got a win. Even in those situations, I was getting some breaks my way. Ground balls weren't finding the holes as much. It's just the way it was going. Right now everything's finding a hole; I'm paying for a lot of mistakes.
"My main thing is pitch count and going deep into games. Today I had a good pitch count, a good strike ratio. I felt like I did what I wanted to do today. The only thing was I wasn't on the black."
Ned Yost surely didn't think Parra had his best stuff of the season because when asked if Parra was sharp at any point ...
"Nope," he said "We didn't pitch good tonight. We made a lot of mistakes and the Dodgers, being the veteran hitters that they are, took advantage of every one we made.
"He was throwing center-cut. He threw a hanging split to (Blake). We threw a lot of pitches up and right over the middle of the plate. ... We didn't pitch good. We didn't make pitches in crucial situations."$ (80)
Escobar "most exciting" in Southern League
Each year, Baseball America magazine puts out its "Best Tools" issue, in which it ranks players in certain categories in each professional full-season league.
In that issue, just out, BA ranks Huntsville shortstop Alcides Escobar as the "Most Exciting Player" in the Class AA Southern League. That's quite an honor and shows just how much the 21-year-old Escobar has progressed over the last season. Escobar currently is batting .345 with 22 doubles, 8 homers, 70 RBI and 31 stolen bases for the Stars.
Escobar also was ranked as the "Best Defensive Shortstop" and "Best Infield Arm" in the Southern League. The rankings are done with votes from managers and coaches across the league.
Huntsville third baseman Mat Gamel was named the "Best Batting Prospect" in the league. Outfielder Matt LaPorta, sent to Cleveland in the CC Sabathia trade, was rated as having "Best Power" in the league.
Centerfielder Michael Brantley, who may or may not also be included in the Sabathia trade as the player to be named, was ranked as having "Best Strike Zone Judgment" and "Best Baserunner" in the league.
No player with Class AAA Nashville was named in the "Best Tools" poll in the Pacific Coast League. No player at low Class A West Virginia was named in the South Atlantic League poll, either.
In the high Class A Florida State League poll, Brevard County right-hander Jeremy Jeffress was voted as having "Best Fastball." Outfielder Lorenzo Cain was voted as having "Best Outfield Arm." Jeffress and Cain since have been promoted to Huntsville.
Outfielder Darren Ford, sent to San Francisco in the Ray Durham trade, was voted as "Fastest Baserunner" in that league.
At the major league level, Baseball America ranks a top three in each category. Brewers right-hander Ben Sheets was ranked first as having "Best Curveball" in the National League and second behind San Francisco's Tim Lincecum for "Best Fastball." Centerfielder Mike Cameron was ranked second behind the Mets' Carlos Beltran as "Best Defensive Outfielder."
Those were the only Brewers ranked in the poll in the NL. Those rankings were done in a poll of managers across the league.
After giving it careful consideration, I have decided to no longer respond to personal attacks from posters in the "Comments" section of the Brewers Blog. I am adopting this policy because someone -- I'll just call him Adam -- complained to my bosses that I had no business calling out individual posters by name when they attacked my integrity or, without having their facts correct, called me out on certain issues (such as why I didn't know that Russell Branyan was injured when in fact he had been hurt the previous evening in batting practice when I wasn't even with the team). Apparently, I hurt Adam's feelings (and maybe others).
So, rather than worry about hurting the feelings of posters, I've decided not to interact with any of them. That way, I don't have to watch my tongue when someone insults me or posts incorrect information in response to my blogs. No use being tempted, right?
In a way, this complainer did me a big favor because it will save a lot of time and energy just to ignore the comments from posters on the Brewers Blog. I'll simply post my blogs and leave it at that. I won't even monitor the "Comments" secton. People can attack me all they want and I will not respond.
My bosses, who have been extremely supportive and very complimentary of the very successful Brewers Blog, have better things to do with their time than respond to people complaining about my comments, and this will spare them from having to do so. So, I'm sure they will appeciate this new policy as well. This is an attempt to keep everything above board on my end and offend no one.
So, you folks have at it. Attack each other, attack me, whatever makes you happy. I'll stay out of the fray so no one gets his feelings hurt again. That's not the intent of the blog. The intent is to help keep folks on top of the Brewers news. I will continue to endeavor to do that. And I will do it with class, not crass. -- TH$ (157)
Braun available tonight
Los Angeles - Ryan Braun will be available to pinch-hit tonight after taking batting practice yesterday for the first time since straining his intercostal. He has said he hopes to start tomorrow.
2B Ray Durham
SS JJ Hardy
LF Gabe Kapler
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P Dave Bush
Braun back in the lineup
Los Angeles - Ryan Braun is back in left field today after missing seven games with that intercostal strain.
2B Rickie Weeks
SS JJ Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P Jeff Suppan.
No Dodgers lineup yet.$ (59)
Brewers at Dodgers, Game 3
9th inning: Ray Durham singled with Kendall and Craig Counsell in scoring position to cut the lead to two runs. Ryan Braun then hit a 0-2, two-out pitch into the left-field bullpen to tie the game.
Matt Kemp singled to leadoff the bottom and Ethier, who again is on fire, hit one out to right to walk-off Milwaukee.
Dodgers 7, Brewers 5.
8th inning: Hart hit a two-out double down the right-field line but Hall lined out softly to end the inning.
Martin led off the bottom half with a single against Guillermo Mota but he struck out the next two and got a bouncer to Hall for the third out.
Dodgers 5, Brewers 1.
7th inning: The Brewers went in order.
Ethier doubled past Hart in right. Hart dove for the ball but came up empty and Ethier took second to start the inning. He moved to third on a Kent grounder and Ramirez drove him in with a single, although he was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double.
Dodgers 5, Brewers 1.
6th inning: The Brewers couldn't capitalize on Bill Hall's one-out single.
Rickie Weeks was lifted for Ray Durham with a sprained left thumb. I'll have to find out more on that after teh game.
Berroa doubled off the left-field wall, turning around Braun, although it was a sure double anyway. That put runners on the second and third with one out for the Dodgers, but pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney struck out looking on a pitch that the ump said tailed back over the plate for the second out. Kemp lined out to left to end the inning.
Dodgers 4, Brewers 1.
5th inning: Hardy walked and Braun hit a lazy single but Fielder hit into an inning-ending DP.
Andre Ethier stayed hot for the Dodgers with a home run to left, his second in as many days.
Dodgers 4, Brewers 1.
4th inning: Mike Cameron homered to left and there was no doubt as soon as he made contact.
The Dodgers got a walk and Angel Berroa reached when Weeks lost a pop up in the sun, but Suppan got out of it without any damage.
Dodgers 3, Brewers 1.
3rd inning: A leadoff single by Hardy didn't do much but cause another runner to be stranded.
The Dodgers went in order as Suppan looks much better over the last two innings.
Dodgers 3, Brewers 0.
2nd inning: Corey Hart dropped a bunt single that Kershaw couldn't get to in time. Kershaw, who slid for the ball on the play, hurt himself but remained on the mound. Mike Cameron and Jeff Suppan singled between outs but Kershaw struck out Weeks with a 96-mph fastball.
1-2-3 for the Dodgers.
Dodgers 3, Brewers 0.
1st inning: Rickie Weeks started well again, lining a double into the left-center gap. JJ Hardy flied out to left, but it was deep enough to get Weeks to third with one out. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder couldn't drive in Weeks, though. Braun popped out to third and Fielder struck out on a steady diet of Clayton Kershaw curveballs.
Matt Kemp hit Jeff Suppan's first pitch of the game over the fence in left, and after a Jeff Kent single, Manny Ramirez smashed onto into the pavilion on the left-field side of center. James Loney then doubled off the glove of Ryan Braun. he then walked Russell Martin. Suppan got out of it with a double play ball from Casey Blake.
Dodgers 3, Brewers 0.$ (711)
Weeks out of lineup
Second baseman Rickie Weeks' sprained left thumb has kept him out of the lineup for the game tonight against Houston at Miller Park. Switch-hitting Ray Durham, who has been starting only against right-handers, will play against lefty Randy Wolf.
Here are the lineups:
CF Darin Erstad
2B Mark Loretta
SS Miguel Tejada
1B Lance Berkman
LF Brad Wilkerson
3B Geoff Blum
RF Hunter Pence
C Humberto Quintero
LHP Randy Wolf
2B Ray Durham
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
LHP CC Sabathia
I'll check on the status of Weeks as well as closer Salomon Torres, who has been experiencing groin tightness, and file another blog before the game to update you on those injuries.$ (183)
Weeks feeling better; Torres available
I spoke with Rickie Weeks before batting practice this afternoon and he said his sprained left thumb was feeling much better. Weeks said he didn't expect to miss more than another day or so, and said the problem wasn't associated with the ligament injury in that thumb three years ago.
Now, having said that, the team doctor had yet to examine Weeks. That exam was scheduled to take place after BP. But Weeks went out and worked out and said he wasn't expecting bad news.
As for closer Salomon Torres, manager Ned Yost said he was available for the game tonight after experiencing some groin tightness over the weekend in Los Angeles.
"It was just some stiffness," said Yost. "He didn't pull anything or strain anything. It was because of a slight mechanical change he made in his delivery."
So, those are the medical updates. Ryan Braun said he was feeling much better after returning to action Sunday following a six-day absence with an intercostal strain around his ribcage.$ (28)
Brewers-Astros, Game 1
Here we go with the action from tonight's game between the Brewers and Astros at Miller Park.
1st inning:
CC Sabathia strikes out Darin Erstad and Mark Loretta before Miguel Tejada singles through the left side. Lance Berkman then hits a topper that third baseman Bill Hall can't make a play on, putting two runners on. But Sabathia retires Ty Wigginton, last week's NL player of the week, on a pop fly to shallow left.
WEEKS UPDATE: The Brewers just announced that team physician William Raasch confirmed the diagnosis of a sprained left thumb for second baseman Rickie Weeks. He is listed as "day to day.
Astros starter Randy Wolf finds trouble with two out and nobody on base. Ryan Braun draws a walk, Prince Fielder is nicked by a pitch and Corey Hart smacks a booming double off the wall in let to score a run.
With runners on second and third, Wolf avoids further trouble by retiring Bill Hall on a fly to center.
1-0, Brewers.
2nd inning:
Houston's No. 8 hitter, Humberto Quintero, cracks a double to center with two down but Sabathia whiffs Wolf to end it there.
No problems for Wolf in the bottom of the inning. Mike Cameron strikes out, Jason Kendall pops out to short and Sabathia takes a called third strike.
3rd inning:
Sabathia doesn't let a one-out single by Mark Loretta start anything. Tejada flies out to center and Berkman bounces into a force at second.
Still, 1-0, Brewers.
Wolf strikes out two more hitters, getting Ray Durham to start the inning and Ryan Braun to end it. J.J. Hardy lined out to short between those two Ks.
4th inning:
Sabathia let the left side of his infield go to work for him that inning. Wigginton and Blum grounded out to Hall at third and Pence smacked a deep one-hopper to Hardy, who threw him out to end the inning.
Fielder drew a leadoff walk from Wolf and Hart spanked a single up the middle. On a deep fly ball to center by Hall, not only did Fielder go to third, Hart took second, sliding around the tag of Loretta on a marvelous, aggressive play.
With runners on second and third and one down, the Astros bring in the infield. This is what a team is forced to do when facing Sabathia -- try to cut off runs whenever possible. But there actually was no need because Cameron hit a shallow fly to right, forcing the runners to hold. Not a good at-bat by Cameron.
Now, the Astros can intentionally walk Kendall with two down to load the bases and get to Sabathia. But guess what? It doesn't work! Sabathia slices the first pitch from Wolf into leftfield for a two-run single. He is known as a good-hitting pitcher and now we see why.
Durham yanks a double into the leftfield corner, scoring Kendall, and Sabathia goes rumbling into third with a hard slide to beat the throw there. The big guy is giving it his all!
Hardy singles to left, scoring Sabathia and Durham. It's now a big inning, and all because of Sabathia's two-out, two-run single.
6-0, Brewers.
5th inning:
Don't know if Sabathia was winded from running the bases but he's scuffling this inning. With one down, pinch-hitter Reggie Abercrombie homers to left. Erstad and Loretta follow with singles, and now Sabathia has to go to work.
Tejada grounds out to second, with the runners advancing to second and third. Sabathia then records his biggest out of the night, striking out Berkman on a 2-2 changeup.
The Brewers go down in order in the bottom of the inning against reliever Chris Sampson.
6-1, Brewers.
6th inning:
Wigginton leads off the inning by crushing a 1-1 fastball off the batter's eye in center.
Blum follows with a walk but Sabathia gets the next three hitters, striking out Quintero and pinch-hitter J.R. House for the final two outs.
6-2, Brewers.
Sabathia comes through with the bat again. Kendall singles with one down, Sabathia follows with another and Durham singles to right to score Kendall.
7-2, Brewers.
7th inning:
You have to like pitchers who help themselves, offensively and defensively. With a runner on and one down, Sabathia flags down Tejada's come-backer and starts an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.
Hart is having a very nice night at the plate. He just whacked a one-out homer off lefty Wesley Wright to put the Brewers on top, 8-2. He has an RBI double, single and home run.
8th inning:
If that was Sabathia's last inning, he finished strong, with two strikeouts (Berkman and Blum) in a 1-2-3 inning. He's at 111 pitches. With a comfy lead, that might be enough.
Well, folks, apparently Yost is going to let Sabathia try for his fifth complete game as a Brewer. He's on deck to hit this inning. With an off day Thursday, Sabathia will get an extra day of rest before his next start, so that's probably why he's getting some leeway to go deeper in his pitch count.
After a leadoff single by Kendall, Sabathia bunts him to second. This guy can do it all, can't he? Durham follows with a double to right to score Kendall. Durham has two doubles, a single and two RBI tonight. Nice game.
9-2, Brewers. And here comes Sabathia out for the ninth, getting a big hand as he does so.
9th inning:
Wow. Hardy just fumbled what would have been the game-ending DP. After Quintero singled with one down, pinch-hitter Brad Ausmus bounced a chopper up the middle. Hardy gloved it behind the bag but fumbled it trying to get it to Durham to start a DP. Too bad.
Durham knocked down Erstad's grounder in the hole but couldn't recover to make a play, and now the bases are loaded with one out. This game's not over yet.
Loretta lofts a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Quintero and sending Ausmus to third. Sabathia at 120 pitches.
Tejada walks to load the bases. This is getting a bit serious now.
Sabathia gets out of it. Berkman grounds out to third to end the game. Sabathia goes to 8-0 by scattering 11 hits. He bent but didn't break!
He threw a whopping 130 pitches but hopefully with an extra day of rest before his next start, Sabathia will still be strong.
Brewers win, 9-3.$ (646)
Mum's the word on Braun
The only negative to the Brewers' 9-3 victory over Houston tonight was that leftfielder Ryan Braun couldn't make it through nine innings in his second start since missing six games with an intercostal strain near his lower ribcage.
After striking out swinging to end the sixth inning, Braun lowered his head in obvious discomfort, walked to the dugout and back to the clubhouse. He was replaced in left field by Gabe Kapler.
After the game, Braun stopped only briefly and indicated he was OK, that it was "nothing." That's all he wanted to say.
Manager Ned Yost didn't seem interested in addressing the situation, either.
"It was getting tight after that last swing so I put (Gabe Kapler) in there," said Yost. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow."
So, we'll see what becomes of this. We knew an intercostal strain was something that might linger, and Braun might have come back before he was completely ready.
If this turns out to be a longer period of inactivity for Braun, it will be damaging to the Brewers' cause. I guess we'll know more tomorrow. I'll file an update as soon as they tell us anything.$ (314)
Braun out of lineup
Leftfielder Ryan Braun, who felt more discomfort Monday night in his intercostal area and had to leave the game, is not in the lineup tonight against Houston.
Braun missed six games last week with the problem but I just talked to him and he said he didn't think he'd have to miss any lengthy period this time.
"I think I could play today," said Braun, who came out of the game Monday night after striking out in the sixth inning and showing obvious discomfort.
"It's just one of those nagging injuries that's probably not going to go away completely while I'm playing. I'll have to deal with it. I hope it goes away completely. But, realistically, the way this game is, it probably won't."
I asked Braun how much he aggravated the condition last night but he played that down.
"(Manager Ned Yost) just took me out as a precaution," said Braun. "We were up, 7-2.
"I can definitely play with it. It's not 100% but I can deal with it. I think it'll eventually get better. I hope it does."
Gabe Kapler, who has made many contributions to the team, is back in left field in place of Braun. Ray Durham is starting at second in place of Rickie Weeks, but he probably would anyway with a right-hander pitching, whether Weeks had a sprained thumb or not.
Here is the complete Brewers' lineup:
2B Ray Durham
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Gabe Kapler
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Craig Counsell
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
RHP Ben Sheets
I haven't seen Houston's lineup yet.$ (181)
Yost: I wouldn't abuse Sabathia
After manager Ned Yost allowed CC Sabathia to throw 130 pitches Monday night against Houston for his fifth complete game in nine starts since coming from Cleveland, there was speculation among national media that the Brewers are going to "use up" Sabathia since they have little chance of keeping him as an upcoming free agent.
This afternoon, Yost called such speculation nonsense.
"Everybody gets in an uproar about 130 pitches," said Yost. "But you have to understand the anatomy of what's going on in the game. He's averaging 13.7 pitches per inning, which is the seventh lowest in baseball.
"Where guys get in trouble is with 20, 25 and 30 pitch innings. CC has none of those."
Sabathia was at 111 pitches against Houston through eight innings when Yost sent him back to the mound with a 9-2 lead. Had shortstop J.J. Hardy not fumbled what could have been a game-ending double play grounder, Sabathia would have escaped with 120 or so pitches.
"Never once did he labor," said Yost. "Where he labored was the Chicago game (124 pitches in 6 2/3 innings on July 28). Those are the starts that wear on you."
Yost noted that he is keeping his rotation in order in the upcoming weeks, despite several off days that would allow him to squeeze another start out of Sabathia.
"There's no abuse going on," said Yost. "It's a plan that I'm looking at and put into play so that it not only takes care of our starters and gets them deep into games but our bullpen, too.
"I'm not saying my plan is 100% right. But my plan is well thought-out and makes sense, and we're trying it. I have to do what I think is best. I want to make darn sure this team has the best opportunity to win. I know everything there is to know in the equation."
Whether a pitcher is a "rental" or not, Yost said he would never put his healthy in jeopardy.
"What those people don't know is my attitude toward our players," said Yost. "I would much rather lose a game than take a chance of hurting anybody. That's not the type of person I am.
"I respect him as a player. I respect him as a person. He's got a family. I know how this business works. He has to provide for his family. I would never do anything that would take away from that ability. I just couldn't live with myself.
"(Sabathia) is not a dope. He's a real smart guy. He knows the ramifications of what it's like to be abused. There's no where that he's been abused since he's been here."$ (21)
Astros-Brewers, Game 2
Here we go with the action from the game tonight between the Brewers and Astros at Miller Park:
1st inning:
Ben Sheets quickly dispatches the Astros to start the game. Darin Erstad and Michael Bourn ground out and leftfielder Gabe Kapler charges in to make a diving catch of Ty Wigginton's shallow fly.
Ray Durham has been making things happen in the leadoff spot the last couple of nights. He leads off with a soft single to center and comes all the way around on J.J. Hardy's double to right. Hardy was thrown out trying for third on the play.
1-0, Brewers.
2nd inning:
Sheets has his curveball going early tonight. He catches Lance Berkman looking at one for strike three, then whiffs Geoff Blum on another one in the dirt. Hunter Pence grounds out to third.
The Brewers take advantage of a break in the bottom of the inning. Craig Counsell pops up a bunt but Berkman charges in from first and muffs it for an error. Mike Cameron then lines a double over Bourn's head in center -- it was a real laser shot -- and Counsell comes all the way around to score.
Kendall singles to left, moving Cameron to third. Sheets fouls out to the catcher, attempting to bunt Kendall to second. Durham strikes out but Hardy is hit by a pitch from Brian Moehler to load the bases.
Kapler strikes out to end the inning. It could have been a big outburst for the Brewers but they have to settle for one run.
2-0, Brewers.
3rd inning:
The Astros come back to tie the game. With one down, Humberto Quintero singles through the left side. Moehler strikes out trying to bunt but Erstad singles to right and Bourn yanks a triple (hanging curveball) into the rightfield corner, scoring both runners.
An easy inning for Moehler. Fielder and Hart strike out, and Counsell grounds out to first.
4th inning:
Sheets bounces back with a nice inning. Berkman and Blum ground out and Pence goes down swinging.
Now, if Sheets could just help himself at the plate the way CC Sabathia does. Cameron and Kendall single, but with the infielders charging in, Sheets fakes a bunt and tries to slash a hit. But he flies out to right, so it's a wasted out.
Third base coach Dale Sveum hasn't gotten many runners thrown out at the plate this year but he just got Cameron thrown out. Durham singled to right field and Sveum waved home Cameron even though Pence fielded the ball in shallow right and he was thrown out by the proverbial country mile.
Hardy walks to load the bases. Kapler flies out to center on a 3-2 pitch. He has left the bases loaded in his last two at-bats.
5th inning:
Another 1-2-3 inning for Sheets. David Newhan whiffs, Quintero flies out to right and Moehler strikes out.
The Brewers go down in order against Moehler, with Fielder barely missing a leadoff homer to left that Erstad caught at the wall.
6th inning:
Erstad singles up the middle and then swipes second base. Bourn was attempting a bunt but pulled the bat back and a curveball from Sheets hit him on the back leg. That's the first batter Sheets has hit this season.
Wigginton flies out to right. Sheets then strikes out Berkman on a high 95 mph fastball, and now he has a chance to escape this mess.
But Sheets doesn't get out of it. Instead, he surrenders a three-run homer to Blum on a 1-2 fastball that he left in a very bad place. 5-2, Astros. That one hurt.
WIth one down in the bottom of the inning, Kendall collects his third hit with a single to center. Reliever Chris Sampson takes over for Moehler and pinch-hitter Laynce Nix, batting for Sheets, singles to right.
Durham takes a called third strike and Newhan dives behind the bag to glove Hardy's grounder, then gets up and throws him out by a hair. The Brewers have left nine runners on base already.
Brian Shouse in to pitch the seventh.
7th inning:
Newhan leads off with a double to right-center and is bunted to third by Quintero. Mark Loretta, batting for Sampson, is intentionally walked. Erstad strikes out, and so does Bourn, allowing Shouse to get out of the jam.
Geoff Geary in to pitch for the Astros.
Fielder and Hart both hit drives to deep center but Bourn halls them in. Astros still on top, 5-3.
8th inning:
Guillermo Mota in to pitch for the Brewers.
Berkman walks with one down and Pence dodges a Fielder tag down the first-base line for an infield hit with two outs but Mota whiffs Newhan to stop it there.
LaTroy Hawkins in to pitch for Houston.
The Brewers offer no resistance, going down in order.
9th inning:
Quintero gets a leadoff single against David Riske but the next three batters go down in order.
Closer Jose Valverde comes in for Houston and retires the side in order, striking out pinch-hitter Bill Hall to start the inning and whiffing Hardy to end it.
Houston wins, 5-2. Blum's three-run homer in the sixth off Sheets did the trick.$ (659)
Sheets: I'm not pitching that bad
Brewers right-hander Ben Sheets is 1-5 with a 4.06 ERA over his last eight starts but tried to plead his case after a 5-2 loss to Houston tonight.
"I ain't pitching great," said Sheets. "But I don't think I'm pitching as bad as it's made out to be."
When the Brewers acquired left-hander CC Sabathia from Cleveland in early July, the thinking was that the 1-2 punch of Sabathia and Sheets atop the rotation would be tough to beat. Sabathia has held up his end of the bargain, going 8-0 with a 1.60 ERA in nine starts.
But the Brewers have won only three of Sheets' eight starts since that trade, limiting the impact somewhat. Sheets has heard more than once that he hasn't lived up to his part of the co-billing, which he finds more than a bit irritating.
"I've pitched plenty of winnable games and pitched plenty of losable games during that stretch," he said. "The first half, I came away with a lot of victories, pitching the same way that I have this half."
That's not exactly true. In 18 first-half starts, Sheets compiled a 2.85 ERA. In seven starts since the break, he has a 4.00 ERA.
It hasn't helped that his run support has been scant for the most part. Over his last eight starts, the Brewers have scored two or fewer runs four times, with a total of 26 runs (3.25 per game).
Often finding himself in tense, low-scoring games - such as his 3-2 loss in San Diego last time out - Sheets admits to pitching too cautiously at times.
"Sometimes I get caught up in trying not to make a mistake because one can make the difference right now," said Sheets. "That's the reality of the situation. I know there's not a lot of room for error."
You can read more comments from Sheets and the rest of my game story in the JS tomorrow morning.$ (194)
Astros at Brewers, Game 3
9th inning: Salomon Torres came in and got two comebackers before getting Wigginton to line out to end the game.
Brewers 5, Astros 2.
8th inning: Tejada put down a perfect bunt down the third-base line to get a hit. Eric Gagne then hit Berkman with a pitch, although it was disputed by Gagne, Rivera and Yost. Blum chopped one to Fielder who couldn't handle the short hop and kicked it onto the grass, loading the bases with nobody out. Gagne got a break when Pence hit a one-hopper back to him and he started a 1-2-3 double play. Another ground out by Newhan and Gagne quickly escaped that jam.
Hall struck out swinging for the fourth time today to end the eighth.
Brewers 5, Astros 2.
7th inning: Villanueva was back out for the seventh and struck out Darin Erstad, got Wigginton to fly out and Loretta to pop out, even though Rivera dropped the ball. Luckily for him Loretta decided not to run the ball out and was thrown out anyway.
Weeks drew a two-out walk, his third free pass today. Hardy made it hurt with a two-run home run into the Brewers bullpen. That might be enough to put this one out of reach for Houston with the way its hitting.
Brewers 5, Astros 2.
6th inning: Carlos Villanueva came on, presumably for long relief, and got out of the inning 1-2-3.
Rodriguez struck out Fielder with a full-count fastball up in the zone. Hart singled to push Rodriguez out but the Brewers couldn't get him across.
Brewers 3, Astros 2.
5th inning: Parra issued a one-out walk to Loretta and he got second on a wild pitch. Tejada grounded to short for the second out. Parra then walked Berkman, prompting Mike Maddux to take a mound visit. Blum singled but Loretta was thrown out at the plate by Kapler.
Ray Durham pinch-hit for Parra and walked. Weeks dribbled one in front of the plate to move Durham up. Hardy grounded out behind Durham to advance him, but Kapler struck out looking to end the inning.
Brewers 3, Astros 2.
4th inning: Tejada beat out a dribbler down the third-base line and Berkman followed with a double in the RF corner. Tejada was held up but could have easily scored. Blum singled him home anyway, leaving runners on the corners for Pence, who hit into a fielder's choice without scoring Berkman. Ambercrombie singled home Berkman, but Pence stayed at second. Parra walked Ausmus to load the bases with two down, but Rodriguez went down looking.
Hall struck out. Cameron flew out. Rivera grounded out.
Brewers 3, Astros 2.
3rd inning: Parra got the Astros 1-2-3.
Weeks drew another leadoff walk and swiped second. He then got third on a passed ball. Kapler drew another walk after Hardy popped out, but Fielder hit another sac fly to bring home Weeks. The Brewers are manufacturing runs, which is a change from the norm a little. Hart popped out to end the inning.
Brewers 3, Astros 0.
2nd inning: Parra walked Lance Berkman to start the second, but Pence nearly hit into a 5-4-3 double play, but he just beat the turn by Weeks. Reggie Abercrombie grounded out to end the top half.
Mike Cameron walked to start the bottom, but Mike Rivera hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Cameron made a nice take-out slide on Mark Loretta, but he got off a good throw anyway. Cameron looked shook up after that. Parra struck out.
Brewers 2, Astros 0.
1st inning: Ty Wigginton started the game with a single to center of Manny Parra. Miguel Tejada squashed the inning with a 6-4-3 double play ball to end the top half.
Rickie Weeks drew a leadoff walk, which is something he hasn't done too much, so that's a good sign. Imagine if that guy walked more, with his speed. Wandy Rodriguez threw over twice before even making a pitch to JJ Hardy. Hardy reached on an infield single as Tejada made the play in the hole but couldn't get the throw to first on time or on target. Gabe Kapler doubled down the LF line to score Weeks, but Hardy was held at third with nobody out. Prince Fielder sacrificed home Hardy for the game's second run. Corey Hart and Bill Hall struck out to end the inning.
Brewers 2, Astros 0.$ (881)
Weeks in; Braun still out
Second baseman Rickie Weeks' sprained left thumb has healed enough for him to return to the Brewers' lineup today against Houston lefty Wandy Rodriguez. Leftfielder Ryan Braun remains sidelined, however, with his intercostal strain.
Mike Rivera also is getting a start behind the plate.
Here is the Brewers' lineup for their 1 p.m. game against Houston at Miller Park:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Gabe Kapler
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
CF Mike Cameron
C Mike Rivera
LHP Manny Parra
Pirates will have their say
The Pittsburgh Pirates will have their say as to whether the Brewers make it to the playoffs or not.
Beginning Friday night, the Brewers have nine games remaining against the Pirates out of their remaining 34 games. Thus, 26% of the Brewers' remaining schedule is against Pittsburgh.
There was a time when the Brewers were in lock-step with the Pirates in a march toward futility. Entering the 2005 season, both clubs had suffered 12 consecutive losing seasons. That year, the Brewers snapped their losing streak by posting a 81-81 record (ironically, two season-ending losses in Pittsburgh prevented the Brewers from having a winning season).
The Brewers fell off to 75-87 in 2006 but went 83-79 last season, their first winning season since 1992.
Meanwhile, the Pirates have continued to lose. They are 57-70 this season and almost certainly headed for their 16th consecutive losing season, which would tie the Philadelphia Phillies (1933-'48) for the longest streak in major league history.
Of the three remaining series the Brewers have against the Pirates, two are at home. Beyond this weekend, the Brewers play the Pirates at Miller Park the final week of the season, before the Cubs come to town to close the season.
The Pirates already have begun yet another rebuilding plan, trading Jason Bay to Boston and Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the Yankees. They have plugged new, younger players in the lineup, in an attempt to return to a contending mode.
The Brewers drafted better and did a better job of adding veterans to get over the hump, and now are trying to get to the playoffs for the first time since 1982.
The Cubs, who are 10-5 against the Pirates, play in Pittsburgh next Monday through Wednesday, before the Brewers arrive for a three-game series. The Brewers are 5-1 against the Pirates, 3-0 at home and 2-1 on the road. The Brewers play Pittsburgh 15 times this season. The Cubs play them 18 times, a bit of an advantage.
Now, it's up to the Brewers to do as well against the Pirates as the Cubs have done.$ (350)
Braun returns to lineup
It seems the day off Thursday provided enough extra rest to get Ryan Braun back in the starting lineup tonight for the start of the weekend series against Pittsburgh. Braun strained the intercostal muscle around his ribs and missed almost the entire West Coast trip last week. He then left the game Monday night against Houston after six innings and sat out both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Braun said last week that he would have to play with it at less than 100%, but the Brewers need to be sure because if he tweaks the injury again and is shelved for longer, the Brewers' playoff hopes will take a major hit. Braun is the heart of this order and anytime a team loses an MVP candidate for an extended period of time at any part of the season, let alone the last six weeks, it is going to hurt their playoff chances greatly.
The team kept saying he would be fine with some rest, which is probably true. But it is a matter of how much rest is needed. With Pittsburgh in town, some fans might want him to miss the weekend and come back for the St. Louis series next week. But as long as he's feeling well enough to play, which it would seem he is now, he should be in there.
Other than Prince Fielder, all the righties are in the lineup against Pittsburgh LHP Zach Duke:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS JJ Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
3B Bill Hall
CF Mike Cameron
C Jason Kendall
P Dave Bush
Brewers vs. Pirates, Game 1
9th inning: Seth McClung came in and finished the game.
Brewers 10, Pirates 4.
8th inning: Eric Gagne replaced Bush and gave up a run on a double to Sanchez, who scored on Ryan Doumit's single. But he got out with no further damage.
Nothing for the Brewers.
Brewers 10, Pirates 4.
7th inning: Brandon Moss led off the inning with his fifth homer of the year. Kendall caught Luis Rivas stealing to end the inning.
Laynce Nix walked as a pinch-hitter and scored on Weeks' triple. Hardy then doubled him home. Braun doubled him home. A fan touched the ball, limiting it to a double, but Braun likely wouldn't have taken third anyway, but he stole it with Fielder up so it didn't matter. Fielder smashed one to the second baseman, who was playing in to keep Braun at third, but Freddie Sanchez took his eyes off Braun and took his time getting the ball to first and Braun busted home to score. No wonder the Pirates aren't very good. No way that should happen. Hart walked and Cameron hit his 22nd home run. This is a straight laugher now. Kendall hit into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Brewers 10, Pirates 3.
6th inning: Bush walked one but made it out of the inning with ease.
The Brewers went down 1-2-3.
Brewers 4, Pirates 2.
5th inning: Morgan got a two-out single but was thrown out trying to steal second.
Hardy hit a homer to right to start the inning. He was the only man to reach.
Brewers 4, Pirates 2.
4th inning: Hall made a nice running throw to get the final out.
The Brewers finally got something going when Braun chopped one down the third-base line and reached on an infield hit as Andy LaRoche had to backhand it near the chalk. He threw the ball away and gave Braun second base with no outs. Fielder walked behind him, setting up a two-run double by Hart, who reached third when right-fielder Michaels couldn't pick up the ball on the first try. Cameron walked to put runners on the corners and Hall's sac fly scored Hart. Cameron went to second after being picked off of first as he broke for second, but the throw down by Adam LaRoche went into left field. Cameron was credited with the steal. Kendall reached on an infield single, pushing Cameron to third. Weeks struck out to end the inning and leave two runners in scoring position.
Brewers 3, Pirates 2.
3rd inning: Dave Bush got the Pirates in order for the first time.
Jason Kendall singled to get it going and Bush put down a sac bunt, a bit out of the norm for the Brewers. Weeks moved him to third with a fly ball but Hardy flew out.
Pirates 2, Brewers 0.
2nd inning: The Pirates got a two-out double from Jack Wilson and a single from pitcher Zach Duke to score him.
Cameron laced a single back through the middle with two down, but Bill Hall grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
Pirates 2, Brewers 0.
1st inning: Nyjer Morgan led off with a single and stole second base. Freddy Sanchez moved him over to third with a ground ball and Ryan Doumit scored him with another ground out.
The Brewers went in order, but Ryan Braun nearly got enough of one to put it over the right-field wall. Jason Michaels ran it down at the track, though.
Pirates 1, Brewers 0.$ (517)
Same as yesterday
Tonight's lineup is the same as last night, and Ryan Braun is still in it, so rest easy for now. The Pirates recalled Tom Gorzelanny today from Class AAA Indianapolis, so the Brewers will see three left-handers in the series. They are currently 27-13 against lefties this season, the second highest winning percentage behind the Angels.
2B Rickie Weeks
SS JJ Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
CF Mike Cameron
3B Bill Hall
C Jason Kendall
P Jeff Suppan
Brewers vs. Pittsburgh, Game 2
9th inning: Salomon Torres picked up the save as the Brewers won the series and go for the sweep tomorrow.
Brewers 6, Pirates 3.
8th inning: Suppan gave up one more run to Pittsburgh, but finished with seven innings pitched and eight hits allowed before being relieved by Brian Shouse, who couldn't keep Suppan's runner from scoring.
Hart reached on an error but that was all.
Brewers 6, Pirates 3.
7th inning: The Pirates couldn't sustain any of the momentum they gained in the previous inning, going down in order.
The Brewers went in order.
Brewers 6, Pirates 2.
6th inning: The Pirates finally scored after Morgan doubled, took third on a ground out and went home on another ground out. Adam LaRoche homered to center after that.
The bottom of Milwaukee's order couldn't do much.
Brewers 6, Pirates 2.
5th inning: Another 1-6-4, Weeks covering first, double play got Suppan out of the inning.
Braun got the scoring started this time with a two-run double to left, scoring Weeks and Hardy, each of whom reached with two outs. Fielder singled up the middle to score Braun.
Brewers 6, Pirates 0.
4th inning: The Pirates went without any noise.
Braun hit one out to left two pitches after getting buzzed with a pitch near his head. The shot came with two strikes.
Brewers 3, Pirates 0.
3rd inning: The Pirates had runners on the corners with nobody out, but a botched sac bunt, a line out and a strikeout got Suppan out of the jam.
Suppan singled but Weeks hit into a double play and Hardy popped out.
Brewers 2, Pirates 0.
2nd inning: Suppan got a 1-6-3 double play and a nice play from Weeks at second base, ranging a bit up the middle and losing his plant foot but still getting the runner at first.
1-2-3 for the Brewers.
Brewers 2, Pirates 0.
1st inning: Nyjer Morgan reached when JJ Hardy couldn't field a short hop and it carromed into the outfield off his hand. He was bunted to second but got picked off by Jeff Suppan on a spin move with Hardy covering.
Rickie Weeks led off with a single to left and Hardy walked. After Ryan Braun popped out, Prince Fielder singled up the middle through the shift to score Weeks and move Hardy to third. Corey Hart drove him in with a sac fly but Fielder ended the inning trying to steal second. He wasn't successful.
Brewers 2, Pirates 0.$ (345)
A note about ticket availability
A note from the Brewers media relations department:
Sunday's game is completely sold out, including Standing Room Only. Because the Military will not be able to get 2 free tickets with their Military ID, we are offering the Military an opportunity to get Standing Room Only for Labor Day on Sept. 1 vs. Mets OR they can get 2 free Terrace Level tickets for Wednesday, Sept. 3 which is also a 1:05 pm game vs. Mets. Sept. 3 is the only game on the next homestand that we still have inventory in the Terrace Reserved.$ (17)
Brewers-Pirates finale
Here we go with the action from today's series finale between the Brewers and Pirates at Miller Park:
1st inning:
A nice beginning for CC Sabathia. Nyjer Morgan grounds back to the mound, Jack Wilson flies out to center and Ryan Doumit grounds out to short.
J.J. Hardy singles with one down in the bottom of the inning but Ryan Braun bounces into a 6-4-3 double play.
2nd inning:
Sabathia pitches out of his first bit of trouble. With one down, Jason Michaels singled to left. After Brandon Moss forced Michaels at second, Chris Gomez blooped a single into shallow center to put runners on the corners. But Luis Rivas bounced out to third -- Bill Hall momentarily juggled it -- and that was that.
Mike Cameron and Bill Hall singled with two outs in the bottom of the inning -- Hall snapped out of a 0-for-16 drought -- but Jason Kendall bounced into a force at second.
3rd inning:
Wilson singled with two out but Sabathia popped up Doumit, who entered this series swinging a hot bat.
Sabathia, a left-handed hitter, hangs in there against the left-handed Maholm and punches a breaking ball up the middle for a hit. Rickie Weeks follows with a single to left and Hardy walks, loading the bases with no outs.
Maholm gets a huge out by striking out Braun. Then Prince Fielder bounces into a 1-2-3 double play.l
Bases loaded and no outs, with Braun and Fielder coming up, and the Brewers don't score. Not good.
4th inning:
Sabathia works out of a big jam, with a huge assist from his defense. Adam LaRoche and Michaels single, putting two on with no outs. After Moss is unable to get a bunt down, he strikes out on a breaking ball from Sabathia.
Gomez followed with a liner that appeared headed into left field for a hit but Hardy ranged back and reached up to glove it, then wheeled and fired to Weeks at second to double off LaRoche. And, just like that, the uprising was over.
With one down, Cameron singles to center and Hall collects his second hit, also, with a single to left. Kendall walks on four pitches, loading the bases and bringing up Sabathia.
As we know, Sabathia is a good hitter for a pitcher, but he strikes out on three pitches. Weeks strikes out on a 3-2 pitch.
The Brewers had the bases loaded with no outs in the third and bases loaded with one out in the fourth, and didn't score either time. That stuff often comes back to haunt you.
5th inning:
Sabathia continues to find himself with work to down. With two down, Morgan singles to center and Wilson lines a hit off the glove off Fielder at first, putting runners on the corners. Doumit, the Pirates' best hitter, finally makes Sabathia pay by dumping a single into center to score Morgan and snap the 0-0 tie.
LaRoche goes down looking but it's 1-0, Pirates.
Boy, Braun's having a tough day. After Hardy singles to deep short, Braun grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. That's two DPs and a strikeout for Braun in two at-bats.
6th inning:
LaRoche just got ejected by home plate umpire Bob Davidson for continuing to woof about the strike three call from last inning, and when manager John Russell came out to argue, he got tossed, also.
Meanwhile, Sabathia put down the Pirates in order.
The Brewers finally get on the board against Maholm. Corey Hart leads off with a double to left and scores when Cameron singles to left for his third hit. Cameron thought the throw was going home and tried to advance to second but was tagged out in a rundown.
Hall continues his hot day with a single to center and moves up on Kendall's groundout to third. Manager Ned Yost bats Gabe Kapler for Sabathia and it pays off when he singles through the left side for an RBI single.
Now, Sabathia is eligible for the victory. Brewers lead, 2-1.
7th inning:
David Riske in to pitch for the Brewers.
With one down, pinch-hitter Freddy Sanchez hits a liner to left-center that gets past the diving Cameron and rolls to the wall for a triple. Morgan, a punch-and-Judy hitter batting below .200, punches a bloop single to center to score Sanchez and tie the game. No victory for Sabathia today.
It's tied, 2-2.
Denny Bautista takes over for the Pirates and puts down the Brewers in order. Braun whiffs to end the inning and now has two Ks and two GIDPs today. Definitely not his day.
8th inning:
Brian Shouse in to pitch for the Brewers.
Moss singles with two down but Shouse stops it there.
Cameron is having some day at the plate. He just collected his fourth hit and it was a big one -- a home run to left with two outs that puts the Brewers on top, 3-2.
9th inning:
Salomon Torres in for the Brewers. Craig Counsell comes in to play third.
Torres does not get a save today. Rivas leads off with a single, moves to second on a wild pitch and scores on a single by pinch-hitter Nate McLouth, an all-star who missed the first two games of the series with a viral infection.
It's 3-3.
Pirates closer Matt Capps, who has been out nearly two months with a shoulder injury, comes in to pitch. Kendall hits a fly to deep left, Counsell smokes a ball that Rivas makes a diving stab on at second and Weeks fouls out.
We're going to extra innings.
10th inning:
Torres still in for the Brewers. They have an off day tomorrow so they can afford to go two innings with him.
With two down, Moss punches an infield hit to short but Counsell makes a nice play on Gomez's chopper down the line for the third out.
Lefty John Grabow in to pitch for Pittsburgh.
Braun's awful day continues when he whiffs for the third time, and Fielder also goes down swinging. Braun and Fielder are a combined 0 for 9 with five strikeouts and three GIDPs. Any questions as to why the Brewers are having trouble scoring runs today?
11th inning:
Carlos Villanueva in to pitch for the Brewers.
Morgan beats out a grounder to first base for a two-out hit but Villanueva stops it there.
Tyler Yates in to pitch for the Pirates.
Cameron collects his career-high fifth hit with one down and swipes second. He then forgets how many outs there are and barely makes it back to second on Laynce Nix's fly to deep right. It doesn't matter as Jason Kendall grounds out.
12th inning:
Doumit leads off with a single and Villanueva creates more trouble for himself by walking Doug Mientkiewicz on four pitches. Michaels was trying to bunt but when the count got to 3-2 he was taking and walked on a pitch that wasn't close. Bases loaded, no outs. This one's about to slip away.
Guillermo Mota coming in for Villanueva.
Brewers have infield in. It's do or die now. They'll be coming home on a ground ball.
Moss flies out to shallow center and Doumit holds at third. Good thing for him because Cameron made a one-hop throw to the plate that would have got him.
Gomez bounced a ball down the third-base line that missed by a hair of being a two-run double. I mean, it was VERY close. Mota strikes him out on a high fastball for the second out. Now, the Brewers have a chance to get out of it. And they do when Rivas hits a come-backer to Mota!!
Both reliever Jason Davis and first baseman Mientkiewicz make great plays to get the out on Counsell's tapper.
Weeks walks and steals second. Hardy, whose Bobblehead Day packed the joint, now can win it.
And that's exactly what Hardy does!!! He singles up the middle to score Weeks and win the game.
Brewers win, 4-3. What a game. This one was won and lost about a dozen times. Then, finally, won.$ (621)
Mota has turned season around
I have to give reliever Guillermo Mota credit. He has turned around his season with the Brewers.
In June and July, when no lead seemed safe with Mota on the mound, I admit no one was tougher on him than I was. I even mentioned that he might get released at one point because he looked shot to me.
Well, to their credit, the Brewers hung with Mota. Manager Ned Yost moved him from the eighth-inning role, where he blew a series of big leads, and put him in less-pressurized roles. Mota got his act together, corrected his mechanics -- he had flattened out his pitching motion -- and became usable again.
"He had that rough stretch and we took him out of the eighth-inning role," said manager Ned Yost, whose club moved a season-high 21 games over .500 while retaining a 3 ?? game lead over St. Louis in the wild-card race with a 4-3, 12-inning victory today over Pittsburgh.
"We backed him up a little bit to the sixth (inning) and some other spots and kind of hand-picked his opportunities until he got his feet back on the ground. He has done a nice job."
After finishing the first half with a 5.77 ERA, Mota has posted a 0.87 ERA over his last 10 outings. And he did his most impressive work of the season today, coming in and geting the Brewers out of a bases-loaded, no-out mess in the 12th. That set the stage for J.J. Hardy to win the game in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single, and another full house went home happy.
Having been tough on Mota earlier in the year, I now have to commend him on his fine work of late. It's too bad he wasn't available after the game today -- he was diligently doing a weight workout -- because we've mostly talked to him about the bad times this season.
He deserved to bask in the glow of a job well-done.$ (188)
Sabathia tries to stay unbeaten
CC Sabathia will try to keep his remarkable unbeaten streak alive today at Miller Park as the Brewers go for a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
With a third consecutive lefty on the mound (Paul Maholm) for the Pirates, manager Ned Yost is sticking with his right-handed hitters (other than Prince Fielder, of course).
Here is the Brewers' lineup:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
CF Mike Cameron
3B Bill Hall
C Jason Kendall
LHP CC Sabathia
Gamel gets Nashville audition
The Brewers have promoted third base prospect Mat Gamel from Class AA Huntsville to Class AAA Nashville for the final week of the minor league season in what amounts to an audition for a September call-up to the majors.
Gamel, 23, who had a tremendous first half at Huntsville, fell off considerably in the second half. Still, his overall numbers are very good -- .329 batting average, 35 doubles, seven triples, 19 homers and 96 RBI in 127 games. He has a .395 on-base percentage and .537 slugging percentage, with 30 errors at third base.
To see if Gamel would be able to help against big-league pitching in September, when rosters can be expanded, the Brewers decided to see how he fares for a week against Triple-A pitching.
"We wanted to give him some guys with Nashville before we decide about a call-up," said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. "He had been struggling, though he did have a 10-game hitting streak recently.
"We want to see how he makes the adjustment there. It's tough bringing guys up from Double-A to the big leagues. He's under consideration (to come up in September)."
Melvin gave no indication Gamel would come up in September and start any games at third base. More likely, he would be used as a left-handed bat off the bench.$ (13)
A split will do
One of the great things about being the leader of any race is that you only have to maintain your lead to go to the playoffs. The Brewers lead St. Louis by 3 1/2 games in the NL wild card race, making a two-game sweep almost a necessity for the Cards in the series that starts tomorrow night at Busch Stadium.
The Brewers merely have to split the series to leave town with that same 3 1/2 game lead. They're in the driver's seat, so splitting the series will do just fine. A sweep of the two games would be sweet no doubt, but the Brewers mainly want to keep their distance.
The Cards know they have to sweep. Of course, they're not going to say that. But you can bet they remember the Brewers coming in and sweeping four games at Busch just after the all-star break.
"It's definitely going to be a little intense," said Cards right-hander Todd Wellemeyer, who starts tomorrow night against the Brewers' Ben Sheets. "I don't think anybody is thinking about (a sweep). We're playing better now than when they came in the last time. Our bullpen is set up differently now."
Indeed, it is. The Cardinals got so tired of their bullpen blowing leads, they're now using a rookie, Chris Perez, to close games. Perez is 5 for 7 in save opportunities since he was called up from the minors.
As always, you have to be careful with Albert Pujols. He is hotter than ever, batting .488 (20 for 41) over his last 10 games with four homers and 12 RBI.
The Brewers are 9-4 against St. Louis this year. This is the last time they play this year, so the Cards will have to depend on help to catch the Brewers after this week. That's why they almost have to sweep the two games, no matter how much they're playing it down.
So, as I said, a split will do just fine for the Brewers.
In the JS tomorrow morning, I have a story on how the veterans picked up over the off-season -- Jason Kendall, Mike Cameron, Gabe Kapler, etc. -- have had a calming influence on the younger players. Last year, there wasn't enough veteran guidance for the young players and they blew a big lead over the Cubs.
This year, there's a whole different feeling around the club. Instead of falling back, they're moving forward, pushing 21 games over .500.
Check out the story.$ (265)
What's a sellout at Miller Park?
A number of readers have wondered what constitutes a sellout at Miller Park. The Brewers have had 37 sellouts so far this season, and 21 sellouts in a row.
But the attendance numbers change frequently. On Sunday, 45,163 people packed Miller Park. On other days, there have been sellouts with far fewer fans.
With that in mind, what's a sellout? Team officials say they consider a game a sellout when the team is reduced to selling single seats, standing room only and obstructed view. The Brewers can sell as many as 3,000 standing-room-only spots for any given game, and they clearly sold all of those on Sunday.
Another factor in fluctuating attendance is the number of tickets that are sold in suites. Some suite holders want additional tickets, and that changes the gate number.
The Brewers are not alone in doing this. The Green Bay Packers routinely report different sellout figures, largely because of the changes in tickets sold to suiteholders.
To date, the Brewers have drawn 2,468,371 fans this year and has an excellent chance of hitting the 3 million mark in attendance.$ (83)
Instant replay a reality
A baseball official told me that Major League Baseball will announce later today that instant replay will be used to determine home run calls, if necessary, for the rest of the season.
The Associated Press is reporting that instant replay will be used in games beginning on Thursday. The Brewers are off Thursday so they'll have to wait to see if instant replay is needed in any of their games.
Commissioner Bud Selig was opposed to the use of instant replay for years but a series of blown home run calls earlier this season convinced him to take a look at the idea. Once he was convinced that instant replay would be beneficial for home run calls -- foul or fair, over the boundary or not -- he gave the OK for ballparks to be outfitted with instant replay equipment.
That equipment was installed over the past few weeks in each of the 30 parks and is now ready to go.
General managers voted last year by a 25-5 margin to explore the use of instant replay. But MLB first had to reach agreements with the union representing both players and umpires.
Videos of every game will be monitored at a "command center" in New York. If there is question about a boundary call in any game, the umpiring crew chief will leave the field and be shown the video by technicians, allowing him to make the proper call on home runs.
Baseball is the last of the major sports to use instant replay. The NBA, NFL and NHL have used instant replay for specific situations.
I'll get react from the Brewers and post what they have to say later today. Look for Selig to make this official before the day is over.$ (43)
Durham, Counsell in lineup tonight
St. Louis - Ray Durham is playing second and Craig Counsell at third base in the first of two games against St. Louis tonight at Busch Stadium.
Here's the lineup:
2B Ray Durham
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
CF Mike Cameron
3B Craig Counsell
C Jason Kendall
RHP Ben Sheets
That'st the lineup against RHP Todd Wellemeyer. I haven't seen the Cardinals' lineup yet.
Braun is 4 for 5 against Wellemeyer and Fielder 3 for 6. Hardy is 2 for 5. Nobody else has had much luck against the guy.
Game time is 7:15 p.m.$ (143)
Brewers-Cards, Game 1
St. Louis - Here we go with the action from the game between the Brewers and Cardinals tonight at Busch Stadium:
1st inning:
The Brewers get to Todd Wellemeyer for a run but a chance for a much bigger inning slips away.
Ray Durham led off with a single, moved up on a one-out hit by Ryan Braun and scored when Prince Fielder slapped an opposite-field single to left.
After Corey Hart popped out, Wellemeyer brushed Mike Cameron with a pitch to load the bases. After a long battle, Craig Counsell finally struck out. At least the Brewers made Wellemeyer work by throwing 26 pitches.
Ben Sheets is lucky to get out of the inning unscathed. With one down, Ryan Ludwick pounds a double to right-center and Albert Pujols works Sheets for a walk. Rick Ankiel strikes out on a curveball, and after Sheets fell behind in the count, 3-0 to Troy Glaus, the veteran third baseman flies out to deep center on a 3-2 pitch.
1-0, Brewers.
2nd inning:
The Brewers go down in order against Wellemeyer. Shortstop Aaron Miles made a nice running catch to haul in Durham's foul pop for the third out.
The Cardinals play hit-and-run with Wellemeyer after Aaron Miles singles with one out but it backfires. With Miles running, Wellemeyer flies out to right, and Hart easily doubles up Miles at first base.
3rd inning:
J.J. Hardy leads off with a triple into the left-field corner, with the ball taking a funny bounce away from Ankiel. Braun grounds out to third, with Hardy holding, but Fielder gets him home with a groundout to second (Kennedy was playing on the outfield grass).
Sheets dodges another major bullet after Skip Schumaker triples to left-center with one out and Ludwick follows with a walk. Pujols hits a towering fly to shallow left that Braun gloves, forcing Schumaker to hold. Ankiel then breaks his bat popping out to Fielder, and the Brewers escape.
2-0, Brewers.
4th inning:
Counsell doubles with one out to right but Kendall grounds out to third and, after Counsell moves up to third on a wild pitch, Sheets grounds out to short.
It's unbelievable how Sheets keeps getting out of these jams.
With one down, Yadier Molina singles to right, then advances on a wild pitch. Miles singles sharply to right, forcing Molina to stop at third. Wellemeyer, batting in the No. 8 spot, strikes out, leaving it to Adam Kennedy. He is unable to come through, however, flying out to left.
5th inning:
The Cardinals absolutely gift wrap a run for the Brewers. Durham leads off with a walk and steals second with one down, then Braun draws a walk.
After Fielder strikes out, Hart hits a grounder to Pujols. He doesn't even try to get an out at first, instead flipping low to second and the ball gets away, allowing Durham to score.
3-0, Brewers.
Sheets finally has an easy inning. Schumaker grounds out to third. Ludwick strikes out. Pujols grounds out to short, with Hardy making a nice play up the middle.
6th inning:
Not only is Sheets a bad hitter, he doesn't know the squeeze sign, either. Counsell led off with a double and moved to third on Kendall's grounder to short. With the count 1-1, Counsell broke for the plate but Sheets didn't see the sign and swung away. Amazingly, he fouled it off, so Counsell wasn't a dead duck. But Sheets then struck out and Durham flied out to right, so it was an opportunity missed.
Sheets turns in his second consecutive 1-2-3 inning. After Ankiel whiffs, Glaus and Molina fly out to left.
7th inning:
After Hardy walks, Braun hammers a 3-2 pitch from Wellemeyer out to left for a two-run homer, No. 33 on the season.
Brewers lead, 5-0, and that's all for Mr. Wellemeyer.
Ron Villone takes over, surrenders a single to Fielder, then leaves.
Russ Springer takes over and wild-pitches Fielder to second. Hart lines out to short and Cameron grounds out to short. Counsell singles to left but Fielder has to hold at third, and Kendall flies out to right.
Brian Shouse coming in for the Brewers. That's all for Sheets, who really had to work hard to get through six innings scoreless.
Shouse surrenders a two-out single to pinch-hitter Felipe Lopez but strikes out Schumaker looking.
8th inning:
They're saying Durham left the game with a right shoulder strain. Not sure how that happened.
Anyway, no score in the eighth.
9th inning:
The Brewers are pouring it on against the Cardinals' bullpen. Hart doubled in a run, Cameron singled in a run and Kendall doubled in three more. Bill Hall just crushed a pinch-hit, two-run homer off somebody Jaime Garcia.
It's 12-0. What a whupping.$ (783)
Brewers have sweep on minds
St. Louis - After the Brewers whipped St. Louis, 12-0, tonight at Busch Stadium to push the Cardinals 4 1/2 games behind them in the NL wild card race, leftfielder Ryan Braun left no doubt what they'd have on their minds Wednesday night when the teams meet for the final time in 2008.
"The difference between being a good team and a great team is being content with a win today and coming out flat tomorrow, or coming out tomorrow and doing everything we can to get that victory," said Braun. "The great teams find a way to come out and really send a message and win that game tomorrow."
Braun certainly has done his part in helping the Brewers go 10-4 against St. Louis this season, including seven consecutive victories. He is batting .491 (28 for 57) with seven home runs and 13 RBI against the Cardinals in 2008.
Lefty Manny Parra takes the hill Wednesday night against St. Louis right-hander Adam Wainwright.
The Brewers are now 4 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis and the New York Mets in the NL wild card race.$ (82)
Weeks back in lineup
St. Louis - Ray Durham, who strained his right shoulder Tuesday night swinging at a pitch, is back out of the Brewers' lineup tonight, replaced by Rickie Weeks.
Otherwise, it's the same bunch taking on right-hander Adam Wainwright as the Brewers try to sweep the two-game series against the Cardinals.
Here's the Brewers' lineup:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
CF Mike Cameron
3B Craig Counsell
C Jason Kendall
LHP Manny Parra.
The Brewers are 4 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis and New York in the NL wild-card race. The Cubs already have beaten the Pirates, 2-0, today.
You have to hand it to the Pirates. They'll lose whichever way you need them to, be it a slugfest such as last night or a pitching duel today. The Brewers hope they'll continue to be compliant during a three-game series in Pittsburgh this weekend.$ (154)
Brewers-Cards, Game 2
St. Louis - Here we go with the action from the game tonight at Busch Stadium between the Brewers and Cardinals:
1st inning:
The Brewers get nothing off Adam Wainwright. J.J. Hardy singles with one down, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. But Ryan Braun bounces into a force at second and Prince Fielder takes a called third strike as Wainwright paints the inside corner with a 3-2 fastball.
A very impressive first inning for Manny Parra. Cesar Izturis grounds out to short and Joe Mather and Albert Pujols go down swinging.
2nd inning:
The Brewers didn't make Wainwright work very hard this inning. Corey Hart and Mike Cameron flied out on the first pitch they saw and Craig Counsell flied out in a four-pitch at-bat.
Parra retired the first two hitters before Yadier Molina and Nick Stavinoha singled. That brought to the plate Wainwright, a really good hitter (.267) for a pitcher. Parra got him to bounce out to short and that was that.
3rd inning:
The Brewers get some help in scratching out a run but could have done more. Jason Kendall reached on an infield hit and continued to third when Wainwright threw away the ball. Parra's bunt to the left side then got past Wainwright for a hit as Kendall advanced to third.
Rickie Weeks fouled out but Hardy beat out a chopper to short on a very close play at first as Kendall scored. Wainwright stopped it there, however, striking out Braun and getting Fielder to pop out.
A 1-2-3 inning for Parra, with a couple of "atom" balls. Felipe Lopez hit a liner right at Weeks and Mather ripped a shot right at Braun in left.
1-0, Brewers.
4th inning:
Two more runs for the Brewers, who are getting it done without the long ball. Hart leads off with his 39th double of the season into the leftfield corner and Cameron follows with another to drive him in.
Pujols makes a diving stab of Counsell's sharp grounder to get the out but it moves Cameron to third. With the St. Louis infield in, Kendall punches a single up the middle to score Cameron. Parra bunts Kendall to second but Weeks bounces out to third.
3-0, Brewers.
A great play by Hart in right saves Parra. Pujols and Ryan Ludwick lead off with singles before Parra catches Troy Glaus looking at strike three. Yadier Molina then hits a sinking liner to right but Hart charges in and makes a diving, sliding catch to rob him of a hit. Parra then whiffs Stavinoha and gets out of the inning.
Manager Ned Yost was talking about Hart's outfield play before the game and how he isn't afraid to play shallow and go after balls. That was a perfect example of it.
5th inning:
With one down, Wainwright drills Braun with a pitch. Was it intentional or an accident? I've heard people wonder if Braun would get one because he has killed the Cards this year. Anyway, on a hit-and-run, Fielder lines into a double play.
A snappy 1-2-3 inning for Parra, who gets three grounders. Counsell makes a nice play on one by Felipe Lopez and Hardy does the same on Izturis' grounder up the middle.
6th inning:
Cameron singled to left with one down and stole second but Counsell fouled out and Kendall grounded out to third. Glaus made a nice play down the line and Pujols added a nice scoop at first.
Still 3-0, Brewers.
Parra retires the first two hitters but Ludwick gets the Cardinals on the board with a ome run to left-center. Ludwick is sure having some season, isn't he? Parra strikes out Glaus, who is woofing big time at home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi.
3-1, Brewers.
7th inning:
Right-hander Kyle McClellan in to pitch for the Cardinals.
A chance to pad their lead slips away from the Brewers. With one down, Weeks walks. When Glaus boots Hardy's hit-and-run grounder and it caroms into the outfield, Weeks goes to third.
Braun then hit a liner that went right to Izturis at short. Given that reprieve, McClellan retires Fielder on a grounder to first.
Molina leads off the bottom of the inning with a single and that's all for Parra. Carlos Villanueva coming in to pitch for the Brewers.
Villanueva strikes out pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker but pinch-hitter Josh Phelps, called up from the minors earlier in the day, singles to center to put two on. Villanueva strikes out Felipe Lopez on a check swing but Izturis surprises the Brewers with a bunt to the left side for a hit that loads the bases.
Villanueva just got a huge out, getting Mather to foul out to Kendall on a 3-2 pitch to get out of the inning.
There was some extracurricular activity at the end of that inning. Villanueva pumped his fists when he got the out and Pujols started walking toward him from the on-deck circle and woofing at him. The two exchanged words and Fielder got between them.
The umpires then talked to both managers afterward. Let's just say it's a bit tense out there right now.
8th inning:
Cameron walks with one down and Counsell singles but reliever Ryan Franklin gets Kendall on a liner to right and retires pinch-hitter Gabe Kapler on a grounder to short.
David Riske in to pitch for the Brewers.
Let's just say that Riske doesn't have it tonight. Pujols hits a booming double off the wall in center and Ludwick follows with one into the corner to cut it to 3-2. Glaus, who had struck out in all three of his at-bats, singles to center to tie it and when Fielder doesn't cut the off-line throw from Cameron, Glaus takes second.
Molina does his job, grounding out to second to get Glaus to third. Yost summons lefty Brian Shouse to face the left-handed hitting Schumaker but La Russa is countering with Aaron Miles.
The Brewers had the infield in and got what they wanted when Miles hit a grounder to Hardy but he threw the ball low to the plate, forcing Kendall to field it on one hop as Glaus slid in ahead of the tag. Should have been an out at the plate but now the Brewers are losing, 4-3.
After a sacrifice by Braden Looper, Lopez bounces an RBI single up the middle to make it 5-3.
Looks like the Brewers are going to let the Cards off the mat. Guillermo Mota coming in to pitch.
Mota picks off Miles but Fielder makes a throwing error in the rundown and Miles gets to second. Mota stops it there by retiring Izturis on a pop-up.
New Cards closer Chris Perez coming in to pitch.
9th inning:
With one down, Hardy doubles into the rightfield corner. But Braun strikes out and Fielder does, also.
The final: Cardinals 5, Brewers 3.
The Brewers had a chance to stick a dagger in the Cards and let it get away from them. Their wild-card lead is back to 3 1/2 games, where it was when they got here.$ (768)
SI: Sabathia deserves Cy Young
Steve Aschburner, who used to be a sportswriter for the Milwaukee Journal, believes Milwaukee Brewers pitcher CC Sabathia just might deserve to win the National League Cy Young award.
Aschburner gives five reasons why this should be so. Let the debate begin.$ (94)
Did Villanueva wake up Cards?
St. Louis - Did the shouting match between Brewers reliever Carlos Villanueva and St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols at the end of the seventh inning tonight wake up the Cardinals?
Pujols led off the eighth inning with a double off reliever David Riske, igniting a four-run rally that propelled St. Louis to a 5-3 victory at Busch Stadium. Instead of falling 5 1/2 games behind the Brewers in the wild-card race, the Cards climbed back to 3 1/2 games out.
Worse yet, the Brewers fell six games behind the first-place Cubs in the NL Central.
Afterward, Brewers manager Ned Yost was asked if the Villanueva-Pujols flap might have snapped the Cards to attention.
"It definitely has an effect," said Yost. "You get to a point where they've been struggling against us. They get into a situation with the bases loaded. You make your pitch, get the out and walk on off.
"Villanueva let his emotions get away from him a little bit, a young guy. He got out of a tough spot. You can't allow that to happen.
"It leaves them thinking 'I missed another opportunity' instead of waking up a sleeping dog, so to speak."
Villanueva had gotten out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and shook his fists in elation. Pujols, in the on-deck circle, walked toward Villanueva, gesturing in anger.
"I was caught up in the moment and got a little excited," said Villanueva. "They took offense to that. I couple of words were said back and forth. I'm not going to back down from anybody."
Oh, and if you were wondering why Yost bypassed Eric Gagne in favor of David Riske in the eighth, Gagne had left the team earlier in the day when his wife went into labor in Scottsdale, Ariz. Yost normally uses Gagne in the eighth inning with save situations on the line but didn't have that option tonight.$ (34)
Pujols fires on Villanueva
St. Louis - I just heard from the Cardinals clubhouse and Albert Pujols did go off on Brewers reliever Carlos Villanueva (see my previous post) for his actions in the game tonight and said it did wake his team up and spur them to rally to win.
"I don't care what a player does but when you start pointing to the dugout and saying all those things he was saying, a guy like me that respects the game, I didn't like that and I let him know it," said Pujols.
"He did us a favor. He woke up a sleeping giant. They beat us all year long. You don't have to do something stupid like that. I respect the game. I wanted him to know I didn't appreciate that."
Pujols later said the incident won't be forgotten. But the teams don't play again this season. It's sort of like that beanball war they had at the end of last season. It was too late to do anything about it afterward.
Let's just say these teams don't like each other very much. And I guarantee you the Cards don't like the fact that the Brewers beat them 10 times in 15 meetings. They aren't used to that.$ (111)
What Cards really hate: losing to Brewers
So, the St. Louis Cardinals are taking offense to all sorts of the things the Brewers are doing that they consider a breach of etiquette.
Yes, reliever Carlos Villanueva got too excited and demonstrative after getting out of a bases-loaded jam Wednesday night. And Albert Pujols took offense to it, in essence challenging Villanueva to a fight on the field.
Pujols might have been right about that incident. Brewers manager Ned Yost said Villanueva let his emotions get away from him, which happens at times with young players. But Pujols doesn't mind posing and watching his majestic home runs when he crushes one against a pitcher, which isn't exactly a sign of respect.
And supposedly the Cards took offense to the Brewers' players pulling out their jerseys after winning the game Tuesday night. They insisted that's a way of trying to show up the opponent.
The Brewers have been pulling their jerseys out after victories all season, in essence out of respect and solidarity with centerfielder Mike Cameron. Cameron started doing it a long time ago as a tribute to his working class father, who would come home after a long day at work and untuck his shirt and sit down and relax.
Early in the year, it was just the outfielders who did that with Cameron after victories. Then the infielders wanted in on the act. This is really a close, hard-playing, fun-loving bunch and it is more a bit of camaraderie than anything. God forbid big leaguers be allowed to have any fun.
Here's what the Cards really hate about the Brewers: The fact that the Brewers now beat them more often than not. St. Louis was accustomed to having its way with Milwaukee over the years but the Brewers went 10-5 this year against the Cards and they didn't like that much. They liked the Brewers a lot more when they kicked their butts.
Ryan Braun wore out St. Louis pitching all year, batting .459 with seven homers and 13 RBI. So, in the fifth inning Wednesday night, Cards right-hander Adam Wainwright buried a fastball in Braun's ribs. That'll show him to beat up our pitching.
Wainwright had pinpoint control all night, not walking a batter in six innings. I guess that particular pitch, with that particular batter, just got away from him. But Braun didn't say boo. He just took his base.
The Cards like to take the first shot in beanball wars because if the other team retaliates, they lose their pitcher. The first shot is always the free one.
So, Pujols says last night's antics won't be forgotten. The teams don't play again this season, so we'll see how long memories are next year.
What the Brewers really did wrong Wednesday night was not untucking shirts or being demonstrative on the mound. What they did wrong was let the chance slip away to throw dirt on the Cardinals. Had they not rallied for four runs in the eighth to win, 5-3, the Cards would be 5 1/2 games behind the Brewers in the wild card race, not 3 1/2 games.
That's what the Brewers really did wrong. Still, they went 10-5 against St. Louis this year. That's what really upset the Cardinals, who are used to ruling the roost.$ (239)
St. Louis writer blogs on the Brewers
After last night's theatrics in St. Louis, here's another take from St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Bernie Miklasz on the Milwaukee Brewers. Miklasz thinks the Brewers are a talented team, but arrogant.$ (248)
The righties are playing
Pittsburgh - Manager Ned Yost has his right-handed hitters in the lineup tonight -- other than Prince Fielder, of course -- to face Pirates lefty Tom Gorzelanny.
Here is the Brewers' lineup:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
CF Mike Cameron
3B Bill Hall
C Jason Kendall
RHP Dave Bush
I haven't heard if Eric Gagne made it back from going home to Arizona for the birth of a child. I'll let you know at the start of my game blog later, if not before.$ (90)
Villanueva: I've lost some respect for Pujols
Pittsburgh - I finally got to talk to Carlos Villanueva about the things Albert Pujols said about him after the game Wednesday night in St. Louis. Pujols accused Villanueva of pointing into the Cards dugout after getting out of a bases-loaded jam and said he showed the team no respect.
Villanueva said he was not pointing into the St. Louis dugout and meant no disrespect whatsoever, that he merely was excited about getting out of the jam. And he said Pujols had no right to go off on him like that.
"I think sometimes he thinks he's bigger than the game," said Villanueva. "He's not.
"I have respect for the Cardinals. I'm going to do my best to do my job. I did not point in their dugout or look at anybody. (Catcher Jason) Kendall (who caught a foul pop for the last out) was a little bit toward their dugout and I was looking at him.
"I used to have a lot of respect for Pujols. Now, I've lost some of that respect. I don't know why he would say those things about me. They're not true."
As for the other "mini controversy" in St. Louis -- the Brewers untucking their shirts after victories, which some Cardinals folks said was showing the other team up -- both manager Ned Yost and centerfielder Mike Cameron, who started the tradition, had the same basic response.
"If they don't want to see it, then beat us," said Yost.
Cameron had almost the same words, and couldn't believe anyone would make a big deal about it.
Anyway, that's the final words on those two topics.$ (35)
Brewers-Pirates, Game 1
Pittsburgh - Here we go with the action from the game tonight at PNC Park between the Brewers and Pirates:
1st inning:
A big start for the Brewers, who score three runs in a span of three batters off lefty Tom Gorzelanny. Rickie Weeks leads off with a single to left, J.J. Hardy draws a walk and Ryan Braun hammers an opposite-field homer to right to make it 3-0 before most people have found their seats.
Dave Bush gets three consecutive fly-ball outs in the bottom of the inning.
3-0, Brewers.
2nd inning:
Bush singles up the middle with one out but that's all for the Brewers.
Freddy Sanchez doubles to right with one down and Andy LaRoche draws a walk but Bush stops it there by getting Jack Wilson to ground out to second.
3rd inning:
The Brewers make three quick outs against Gorzelanny, who appears to be settling in after the rough start.
The one thing that makes you nervous about the Brewers, especially if they make the playoffs, is their penchant for making defensive mistakes in the infield. Bush should have had an easy inning but the right side of his infield let him down.
After Nate McLouth walked with two outs, Weeks booted a grounder by Ryan Doumit. Fielder then muffed a grounder from Adam LaRoche and couldn't get it to Bush in time, loading the bases.
Despite those extra outs, Bush escaped by getting Brandon Moss to fly out to center.
4th inning:
The Brewers aren't doing anything against Gorzelanny now. Another 1-2-3 inning. Kendall took a called third strike that he didn't like for the third out. Catchers can't say much because they want their pitcher to get the same calls.
A nice play by Hardy saved the Brewers a run. After Andy LaRoche punched an opposite-field double to right, Wilson hit a grounder up the middle for an infield hit but Hardy dived to stop it, keeping LaRoche from scoring.
That play loomed large because, after Gorzelanny bunted Wilson to second with LaRoche holding third, Nyjer Morgan popped out.
Still 3-0, Brewers.
5th inning:
Another 1-2-3 inning for Gorzelanny. He is carving up the Brewers now. That's 11 consecutive batters retired.
McLouth hits the first pitch from Bush over the centerfield fence for his 23rd homer of the year and first since July 28.
Bush's defense saves him another run. After Moss doubles with two down, Sanchez hits a liner headed for left field but third baseman Bill Hall makes a diving catch to rob him of an RBI hit.
3-1, Brewers.
6th inning:
Will the Brewers ever get another runner on base? Braun (deep fly to center) and Fielder (liner to center) hit the ball hard but it's another 1-2-3 inning for Gorzelanny. That's 14 hitters in a row put down.
Bush finally has a 1-2-3 inning, against the bottom three hitters in the lineup.
7th inning:
The Brewer finally get somebody on base when Cameron draws a leadoff walk. But Hall strikes out, and so does Kendall, with Cameron stealing second on the pitch. Bush hit a liner to center but McLouth was playing shallow and easily gloved it.
With one down, McLouth singled to right. After Doumit flied out to deep right, manager Ned Yost summons lefty Brian Shouse to face left-handed hitting Adam LaRoche. The move works when LaRoche grounds out to second.
Still 3-1, Brewers, the same score at this stage on Wednesday in St. Louis.
8th inning:
With two down, reliever Denny Bautista surrenders a double to Braun, then intentionally walks Fielder. That tactic works when Hart goes down swinging.
Shouse retires the left-handed hitting Moss but surrenders a single to the right-handed hitting Sanchez and Yost summons Eric Gagne. Not sure why Yost allowed Shouse to face Sanchez. He's batting .299 vs. lefties and .244 vs. righties.
Andy LaRoche pops out on the first pitch from Gagne. And Wilson pops out to short.
9th inning:
Reliever Salomon Torres surrenders a one-out hit to Morgan but retires McLouth and Doumit on grounders to record his 26th save of the season.
Brewers win, 3-1. Kind of a weird game. They scored three runs before making an out, then made 27 outs without scoring another run. But it was enough. That's all that counts.$ (302)
The same guys
Pittsburgh - The Brewers are going with the same lineup tonight that they used last night in their 3-1 victory over the Pirates, with the exception of right-hander Jeff Suppan, of course.
Suppan hopes to finish off an unbeaten August. Thus far, he is 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA in five starts this month.
Here is the lineup:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
CF Mike Cameron
3B Bill Hall
C Jason Kendall
RHP Jeff Suppan
The Pirates aren't very good but their pitcher tonight, LHP Paul Maholm, is pretty good, so the Brewers will have their work cut out for them. They begin the day with a 4 1/2 game lead over St. Louis in the NL wild card race.$ (28)
Staying with what they've got
Pittsburgh - I just talked with Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and he said he doesn't expect to make any deals before the deadline tomorrow to have players eligible for the post-season.
Melvin said he has talked with some clubs but hasn't been enticed enough to do a deal. Players must be on your roster before Sept. 1, either active or on the DL, to be eligible for the post-season.
"I don't think we'll do anything," said Melvin. "We'll just go with the people we'll call up."
Melvin referred to the September call-ups from the minors. They will report to Milwaukee Sunday and be in uniform Monday for the afternoon game against the Mets at Miller Park.
Among those being considered to be called up are pitchers Mitch Stetter, Tim Dillard and Mark DiFelice, catcher Vinny Rottino, outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. and infielders Joe Dillon and Mat Gamel.
"I've had a few calls but there's nothing out there that I don't think we can do better with than the guys in our own system," said Melvin. "Our bench is deep enough and our bullpen hasn't been getting enough work."
The availability of the Nashville players won't be a problem. Nashville was supposed to play a four-game series in New Orleans through Monday to end the season but the last three games of that series were canceled because of the approaching hurricane.$ (23)
Brewers-Pirates, Game 2
Pittsburgh - Here's the action from the game tonight between the Brewers and Pirates at PNC Park:
1st inning:
Shortstop Jack Wilson makes a great play to end the top of the first. J.J. Hardy (one-out single) was aboard with two outs when Prince Fielder hit a grounder up the middle. Wilson, shifted up the middle, made a diving stop to the right of second base and got up and threw out Fielder.
Suppan surrenders a one-out double to Brandon Moss but he strikes out Nate McLouth looking and retores Ryan Doumit on a fly to center.
2nd inning:
Corey Hart leads off with an absolute bomb into the bullpen area in left-center. It was his 20th homer of the season, making Hart only the second player in Brewers history with two 20/20 seasons (homers and steals). Hart has 22 steals.
1-0, Brewers.
Suppan puts the Pirates down in order, with Doug Mientkiewicz lining out to deep right for the second out and Luis Rivas lining out to center for the third out.
3rd inning:
With one down, Rickie Weeks singles and scores when Hardy pounds a triple to the deepest part of the ballpark in left-center. Hardy had no triples for the season until this trip and now has two.
Pirates second baseman Rivas saved a run by fielding Braun's chopper over the mound and firing to the plate, where Doumit made the tag on Hardy for the out.
2-0, Brewers.
Suppan retires the Pirates in order on a couple of groundouts and a strikeout of Maholm.
4th inning:
Nothing doing for the Brewers this time. Hart and Hall ground out, sandwiched around a strikeout of Cameron.
Hall makes a brilliant stab to start a rare 5-6-3 double play to end the inning. The Brewers were shifted around on Doumit, with Hall playing where the shortstop normally plays. He made backhand stab of Doumit's shot, threw to Hardy, who fired to first for a DP. A really nice play.
5th inning:
Kendall leads off with a single and Suppan bunts him to second. But Weeks has the misfortune of hitting a drive to the deepest part of the ballpark and McLouth hauls it in about 400 feet away. Hardy then strikes out.
Rivas walks with two down and Wilson follows with a drive to left-center -- where Weeks flied out -- that Cameron hauls in for the third out.
6th inning:
The Brewers break this one open.
Braun led off with a walk and Maholm hit Fielder with a pitch. After Hart grounded into a force at second, Cameron hammered a three-run homer out to left-center to make it 5-0. No big shock that Cameron pounded one against Maholm. Entering the game, he was 9 for 12 (.750) vs. Maholm with two homers.
Hall also owns Maholm, coming into the game with a .650 average (13 for 20) with two homers. Hall just cranked a double to left off Maholm, chasing him from the game.
Kendall greets reliever Jesse Chavez with a booming double to left-center to score Hall. Suppan then dunks a hit over first base and Weeks follows with an RBI double to left-center. Weeks is caught off second on Hardy's grounder to short for the second out. Weird play. Suppan was holding at third.
Braun, who led off the inning with a walk, flies out to center. Five runs score. 7-0, Brewers.
The Pirates finally get on the board when Brandon Moss crushes a two-run homer to left-center with one down. Weeks makes a nice play on Doumit's grounder up the middle to end the inning.
7-2, Brewers.
7th inning:
Fielder walks, Hart singles, they move up on a wild pitch by Chavez and Cameron delivers a sacrifice fly to center to make it 8-2.
Three fly balls to Cameron, three outs. The guy can still play center with the best of them.
8th inning:
Nothing for the Brewers against Tyler Yates except a two-out infield hit by Hardy.
Guillermo Mota in to pitch for the Brewers.
Mota has pitched better of late but after retiring the first two hitters, he lost his command. He walked Morgan, balked him to second, then walked Moss. That was enough for manager Ned Yost, who summoned Brian Shouse to face McLouth. Shouse got McLouth to fly to left.
Still 8-2, Brewers.
9th inning:
Closer Matt Capps takes over to get some work for Pittsburgh and the Brewers show him no mercy. Hart singles with one down, Cameron doubles and Hall singles them both in. Kendall then doubles in Hall. What a whupping.
Brewers lead, 11-2.
All the Brewers need Seth McClung to do is get three outs and get outta here. But he surrenders a run on Jack Wilson's single and now has loaded the bases with a walk to Chris Gomez.
After a visit from pitching coach Mike Maddux, McClung gets Morgan to ground out to short to end it.
Brewers win, 11-3. They are a season-high 23 games over .500. They've pulled within 5 1/2 games of the first-place Cubs and are now 5 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis and Philly in the wild card race.
They're also 10-1 against the Pirates this year.$ (348)
Brewers putting together historic August
Pittsburgh - The Brewers' victory tonight over Pittsburgh gave them a 19-7 record in August, one of the best months in their history.
Just think. Last August, the Brewers fell apart, going 9-18 and allowing the Cubs to overtake them en route to the NL Central title. This year, the Brewers are playing their best baseball.
In fact, the 19-7 August has come right on the heels of that four-game sweep by the Cubs in Miller Park at the end of July.
"Last year, we were trying not to lose and let the Cubs catch us," said rightfielder Corey Hart after the Brewers moved a season-best 23 games over .500 (79-56).
"This year, our focus is to keep going ahead and win as many series as we can."
The Brewers' 10th victory in 11 games against Pittsburgh this season pulled them within 5 ?? games of the Cubs, who actually lost for a change. Just as important, the Brewers boosted their lead in the wild card race to that same margin over St. Louis and Philadelphia.
"Every time we win, it's another day off the calendar," said centerfielder Mike Cameron, who paced the Brewers' victory with four runs batted in. "That makes it tougher on everybody else."
Veteran right-hander Jeff Suppan has certainly made his presence known in August, posting a 5-0 record and 3.00 earned run average in six starts. Suppan put a cap on that banner month by shackling the Pirates on three hits and two runs in seven innings to boost his career record against them to 12-3.
"You always want to contribute," said Suppan. "I've been throwing some quality innings. You just want to give your team a chance.
"We're grinding out the season and trying to get as many wins as we can. It's a different feeling than last year. This team is different."
Another Brewer playing a huge role in the August surge has been Cameron, with a .360 batting average, nine home runs and 22 RBI. Cameron ignited a five-run outburst against Pirates lefty Paul Maholm in the sixth inning with a three-run blast and later added a sacrifice fly.
"It's definitely satisfying to be able to contribute in many facets," said Cameron. "We've been playing good baseball. That's most important at this point of the season."
The Brewers will try to win their 20th game in August tomorrow with unbeaten ace CC Sabathia on the mound. You've got to like their chances.$ (78)
Brewers call up 10 players
Pittsburgh - The future might be now for the Milwaukee Brewers, especially after a 26-year playoff drought, but that didn't stop them from summoning some of their top prospects for the final month of the season.
The list of 10 players the Brewers are calling up today from the minors for September includes third baseman Mat Gamel, shortstop Alcides Escobar and catcher Angel Salome. Baseball America ranks Escobar as the Brewers' No. 3 prospect, with Gamel seventh and Salome eighth.
All three players spent the season at Class AA Huntsville, though Gamel was promoted to Class AAA Nashville for the final week of the minor league season.
Another player getting his first taste of the majors is first baseman Brad Nelson, once one of the top prospects in the organization who fell back and then re-established himself this year at Nashville.
The other players coming up from Nashville have played for the Brewers at some point, either this season or in the past: pitchers Mitch Stetter, Tim Dillard and Mark DiFelice, infielder Joe Dillon, outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. and catcher Vinny Rottino.
Stetter, Dillard, DiFelice, Dillon and Gwynn all spent time with the Brewers earlier this year.
Stetter, who was 3-3 with a 2.48 ERA in 28 relief appearances with Nashville, will give the Brewers a second lefty in the bullpen with Brain Shouse. He went 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 23 appearances with Milwaukee in two earlier stints this season.
Dillard, who made eight relief outings for the Brewers in the middle of the season, was 6-1 with a 1.99 ERA in 37 appearances for Nashville. DiFelice, who pitched 10 times out of the pen for the Brewers earlier this year, was 5-1 with a 3.22 ERA in 13 outings (12 starts) for the Sounds.
Gwynn, who batted .200 in 20 games for the Brewers at the start of the year, hit .275 with two homers and 26 RBI in 93 games with Nashville. Dillon batted .227 in 46 games with Milwaukee and .263 in 46 games for the Sounds.
Rottino, a September call-up last season, was the primary catcher at Nashville, batting .260 with seven homers and 55 RBI in 118 games. He caught in 101 games.
Nelson, a fourth-round draft pick in 2001, was in his fourth season at Nashville, with no prospect of starting for the Brewers as long as Prince Fielder is on hand. But Nelson put together his best season since 2004, batting .286 with 36 doubles, 18 home runs, 78 RBI and 73 walks in 132 games.
"That's awesome that he's coming up," said Brewers outfielder Corey Hart, who played with Nelson in the minors. "He was a huge prospect that got hurt (broken wrist bone in 2003) and had to fight his way back. He's one of those guys you really pull for."
Gamel, Escobar and Salome were Southern League all-stars at Huntsville. Gamel batted .329 with 35 doubles, 19 homers and 96 RBI in 127 games for the Stars before moving up to Nashville and batting .238 in five games.
Escobar, voted "Most Exciting Player" in the league in a Baseball America poll, batted .328 in 131 games wit 24 doubles, five triples, eight homers, 76 RBI and 34 stolen bases.
Salome clinched the league batting title with a .360 average in 98 games, with 30 doubles, 13 homers and 83 RBI. He has a .973 OPS (on-base plus slugging).$ (40)
Yost: Scoring call "a joke"
Pittsburgh - Manager Ned Yost and the rest of the Brewers were irate today of the scoring decision that cost left-hander CC Sabathia a no-hitter against Pittsburgh.
The only hit for the Pirates came when Sabathia failed to field a tapper in front of the mound by Andy LaRoche in the fifth inning. Sabathia tried to pick up the ball bare-handed and dropped it, but official scorer Bob Webb ruled it a hit.
"That's a joke," said Yost. "Not even close. "Whoever the score keeper was absolutely denied major league baseball a nice no-hitter right there. That's a play CC makes easily and throws him out by 10 feet. For me, that's a no-brainer."
The Brewers were so upset about the scoring decision that they are petitioning MLB to overturn it and give Sabathia the second no-hitter in club history. They have sent a DVD to MLB offices for review but no one could recall a precedent of a no-hitter call being overruled.
Sabathia, who is 9-0 with six complete games in 11 starts since coming from Cleveland, was dominant, walking three and striking out 11. No other hitter came close to registering a hit.
Sabathia was cool about the situation, stopping short of saying he was robbed.
"If I would have fielded it with my glove, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation," he said. "We won. We swept the series. That's the biggest thing. If they change it, they change it. If they don't, they don't."
I'll file a blog later with comments from Webb and others. This is going to be talked about a lot across the country.$ (110)
Scorer gives explanation
Pittsburgh - The official scorer for the game today between the Brewers and Pirates at PNC Park, a man by the name of Bob Webb, gave this explanation for his scoring decision in the fifth inning that prevented CC Sabathia from throwing a no-hitter:
"The play came off the bat, it was a spinning ball, to the right of a left-handed pitcher. In my opinion, it's not an ordinary play to make. It was difficult both because of the spin and because he has to make the play and turn completely around.
"The runner was well down the line. It would have been a really difficult play to make to get him. The standard for a hit or an error is an ordinary effort. In my view, it was a hit as a result of that standard.
"I called it immediately, believed it was a hit. I think that's a hit in every circumstance."
Webb made the call on a shallow tapper to the left side of the infield by Andy LaRoche, leading off the inning. Sabathia tried to pick up the ball with his bare hand but dropped it, and LaRoche reached base safely.
No other Pirates hitter came close to getting a base hit in the game.
Informed of Webb's reasoning, Brewers manager Ned Yost minced no words.
"Bull," said Yost. "Bull to all of that. That's a play CC makes easily. Not even close. I'm upset because if it was borderline or could have gone either way, then OK. But it was not even close.
"If you know baseball at all, that's a play that has to be made and that's a play that can be made very simply. He rushed it. If he picks that ball up, he throws him out by 10 feet.
"That's a stinking no-hitter that we all got cheated on."
The laid-back Sabathia, who pitched his league-leading sixth complete game in 11 starts since coming from Cleveland, declined to get worked up over the matter. But he left little doubt that he felt he should have made the play.
"The ball was still rolling," said Sabathia, who boosted his record to 9-0 with a 1.43 ERA. "I probably should have picked it up with my glove. If I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
"If they change it, they change it. If they don't, they don't. I'll be fine, either way. We won. We swept the series. That's the biggest thing, the most important thing about today."
It indeed was big for the Brewers to win and complete the three-game sweep. They closed within 4 1/2 games of first-place Chicago in the NL Central and kept their 5 1/2 game cushion in the wild card race over Philadelphia. St. Louis dropped 6 1/2 back by getting swept in Houston.
The Brewers open a big three-game series against the Mets on Monday afternoon at Miller Park. The pitching matchup is pretty darn good; Ben Sheets vs. Johan Santana.$ (133)
Counsell, Kapler in lineup
Pittsburgh - The Brewers have two changes in their lineup today as they go for the sweep against Pittsburgh with CC Sabathia on the mound.
Craig Counsell is in for J.J. Hardy at short and Gabe Kapler is giving Mike Cameron a day off in center.
Here is the Brewers' lineup:
2B Rickie Weeks
SS Craig Counsell
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
RF Corey Hart
CF Gabe Kapler
3B Bill Hall
C Jason Kendall
LHP CC Sabathia
Brewers-Pirates, Game 3
Pittsburgh - Here's the action from the series finale today at PNC Park between the Brewers and Pirates, with CC Sabathia facing Jeff Karstens as mound opponents:
1st inning:
One batter, one run. Rickie Weeks leads off with a home run on a 3-2 fastball from Karstens.
That's all the Brewers get. They lead, 1-0.
Jack Wilson walks to lead off the bottom of the inning but Freddy Sanchez bounces into a 5-4-3 double play and Nate McLouth whiffs.
2nd inning:
Three up and three down for the Brewers. Bill Hall gave one a ride to deep center for the third out.
Brandon Moss walks with two down in the bottom of the inning but Sabathia strikes out Chris Gomez and that's that.
Brewers, 1-0.
3rd inning:
Another three up and three down for the Brewers. Since Weeks led off the game with a homer, Karstens has put down nine hitters in order.
Sabathia strikes out Raul Chavez and Karstens, then retires Wilson on a fly to center.
4th inning:
Braun walks with one down, ending Karsten's string at 10 consecutive hitters retired. But, with two down, Braun is thrown out trying to steal second.
Sabathia can take care of the Pirates with one glove tied behind his back. After Sanchez leads off with walk, McLouth hits a soft liner that Sabathia catches with his bare hand, then throws to first to double off Sanchez. Michaels whiffs for the third out.
5th inning:
Bill Hall and Jason Kendall single with two down and Sabathia gives one a ride the other way to deep left but Jason Michaels races back and hauls it in. Sabathia almost had a two-run double.
The first hit off Sabathia is a tainted one. Andy LaRoche hits a check swing tapper to the left of the mound. Sabathia tried to bare-hand it but couldn't pick it up and LaRoche was given a hit.
LaRoche moved up to second with two down, then stole third base. But Sabathia fielded Chavez's comebacker and got out of the inning.
If that turns out to be the only hit off Sabathia, it's going to be questioned quite a bit.
6th inning:
The Brewers just can't do anything with Karstens. Weeks and Braun ground out to short, sandwiched around Counsell's fly to right.
The Pirates go down 1-2-3. Brewers assistant media relations director John Steinmiller tried to get the official scorer to reconsider the hit he gave LaRoche in the fifth inning but he looked at the replay and wouldn't change it. He said it would have taken an extraordinary play by Sabathia to get the runner.
I don't think so.
7th inning:
Hart doubles down the leftfield line with one out and Gabe Kapler draws a walk. That's all for Karstens, who gives way to right-hander Tyler Yates.
Hall, who had some big hits against right-handed pitchers last night, comes through with another one. He laces a double to right-center, scoring both runners. Brewers lead, 3-0.
Michaels just hit the hardest ball the Pirates have hit all day, lining out to Hall for the second out. Still the only hit is that tainted one by LaRoche in the third.
8th inning:
It's officially a rout now. And with the Pirates' tainted hit, we don't even have a no-hitter to keep the suspense.
Reliever Sean Burnett takes over with two on and one out and surrenders the following: opposite-field RBI single by Fielder (his first hit of the series), walk to Hart, run-scoring wild pitch, two-run double by Kapler and a walk to Hall.
That's all for Burnett -- P.U. -- and it's 7-0, Brewers.
9th inning:
Brewers win and Sabathia gets cheated out of a no-hitter by that disputed call. Look for more follow-ups.$ (378)