The Brewers are currently tied with the Giants for the most wins in baseball. With Braun back in the lineup, they should be better equipped to continue their surprisingly dominant start.
Braun, the only player in baseball to homer three times in a game this season, is hitting .318/.361/.598 through his first 88 plate appearances. He has six homers, 18 runs batted in, and three stolen bases on the year. He is also the league's best troll and a living argument for misanthropy.
Unfortunately, Braun's return will coincide with a trip to the disabled list for third baseman Aramis Ramirez. He left Saturday's game against the Yankees with a hamstring strain. A trip to the disabled list is likely. Mark Reynolds could end up sliding over to third in Ramirez' absence with Lyle Overbay and Martin Maldonado standing in at first.
After a hard-fought series in Milwaukee, the Yankees return home for two in the Bronx and two at Citi Field against the Mets, before welcoming the Pittsburgh Pirates to New York.
Interleague play continues this week as the Yankees return to New York to take on the Mets and Pirates. Little was expected of the Mets this season, and while they haven't blown anyone away, they're still just 17-19 and only four games out of the NL East lead after about a month and a half of the season.
This series will mark Curtis Granderson's return to the Bronx; Granderson signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Mets in the offseason after spending the last three seasons with the Yankees (during which he posted two 40+ homer seasons). Granderson will no doubt hear a few boos from the Yankee fans, but based on his performance in a Mets uniform, Yankee fans should thank him for taking his talents elsewhere. After missing most of 2013 with a variety of injuries, Granderson has hit just .185/.233/.333 with only three home runs here in 2014.
While Grandy has been a disappointment, the Mets have gotten great production from Daniel Murphy (.317/.367/.455, 133 wRC+) and David Wright (.289/.337/.388 with a 104 wRC+). Without much outside of these two, though, the Mets offense has left something to be desired (23rd in the league in runs scored), and their pitching hasn't been much better (19th best ERA in the majors). As of late, the Mets have been struggling mightily, going 2-8 in their last ten games, so the Yankees will have a good chance to get back on track during this series.
The Pirates snapped a twenty-year playoff drought last season, relying on a terrific pitching staff and the MVP performance of Andrew McCutchen. This year, they've been disappointing so far, managing just a 16-20 record (although they've been playing better as of late, notching a 6-4 record over their past ten games). Their pitching rotation has not been able to replicate the success it found last year, as the loss of A.J. Burnett has proved costly (I can't believe I just wrote that) and the regression of Francisco Liriano after a stellar 2013 (3.71 xFIP this year as compared to 3.12 last year, because his strikeouts are down and walks are up) has been quite costly for Pittsburgh.
McCutchen hasn't had any trouble getting going this year, though, as he has picked up right where he left off and has hit .319/.427/.511 for a 165 wRC+ this year. If Starling Marte (97 wRC+) and Pedro Alverez (96 wRC+) can find a bit more consistency, the Pirates will continue to be dangerous. But without some improvement from the rotation, it could be a long season in Pittsburgh.
Pitching Highlight: Someone? vs. Gee
CC Sabathia had been scheduled to start Thursday night's game at Citi Field, but with him on the DL now (more on that here), someone else will have to step up. With Nuno and Phelps already in the rotation, and Adam Warren solidified in the bullpen, that very well may be Alfredo Aceves. The right-hander has been quite serviceable so far this season (although he did take the loss on Sunday in Milwaukee), posting a 3.95 xFIP and a 6.00 K/BB ratio, albeit in just two appearances.
Chase Whitley, who was scratched from his Sunday start at Triple-A Scranton, could be an option, as he has been terrific so far this season in the minors pitching to the tune of a 2.49 ERA, a 1.066 WHIP, and 11.45 K/9. Whoever Girardi picks, this Yankee pitching staff that seemed like the team's biggest strength has become more of a liability than anyone could have imagined.
No matter who Girardi taps for Thursday's start, it will not be a favorable matchup for the Yankees, because opposing the Yankees will be Dillon Gee. He has been one of the Mets best pitchers this year, although his 2.73 ERA, when compared to his 4.33 xFIP, shows that he's been a little lucky so far this season en route to a 3-1 record. His 2.20 K/BB ratio and .226 opposing BAPIP further show that he has not been quite as good as his record and ERA may make it appear. Still, Gee is a good pitcher, and with either Aveces or Whitley on the mound opposing him, the Yankees will be hard pressed to win this game.
Who's hot and who's not?
Hot: John Ryan Murphy - The backup catcher has had success ever since finding his way to the Bronx once Francisco Cervelli landed on the 60-day DL. He's only appeared in 10 games so far this season, and while his stats have been inflated due to the small sample size, he still deserves some recognition for just how damn good he's been at the plate all year. Overall, he's hit .407/.407/.556 for a 170 wRC+, capped off by Sunday's three-for-four showing in Milwaukee. Murphy's success at the plate has been one of the best surprises so far this season, and with Austin Romine and Gary Sanchez still in the minors, he should give the Yankees amazing catching depth (and perhaps some trade chips?) in the coming years.
Not: Brian McCann - The man Murphy has been backing up, and the man who was brought in during the offseason to provide some production at a position that provided no punch last year, has certainly struggled in the early goings of 2014. He has hit just .125 with no home runs and no RBI in the past seven days. For the season, McCann has managed just a 58 wRC+ with only four home runs and 12 RBI. It's still early, and McCann has enough on his hands managing the ever-changing pitching rotation, but the Yankees will need him to step it up to keep pace in the AL East. Sooner rather than later would be nice.
Final notes and predictions: 4-3 (2-2 against the Mets, 2-1 against the Pirates)
The Yankees have just come off a disappointing series against the Milwaukee Brewers, a series that saw them drop their last two games by one run. While their pitching staff has been decimated by injuries this year, guys like Phelps and Nuno have done relatively well, keeping the Yankees in games and giving the offense a chance to sneak out a win. Sometimes it's happened, and sometimes not. This is about the best we can expect while we wait for Michael Pineda and Sabathia to get healthy again.
While the offense should find some success against Mets pitching, the Mets hitters should be able to take advantage of the Yankees rotation. Look for Kuroda and Tanaka to pick up wins, while Nuno and Aceves/Whitley/whoever might be in for some rough outings. Kuroda should especially have a great chance for a W, since many Yankee hitters historically have hit Colon well: Jeter's hit .385 lifetime against him, Beltran's hit .295 with four home runs in 44 at bats, Tex is hitting .286/.362/.548 in 42, and Ichiro has hit .299 against Colon in 87 ABs.
Against the Pirates, the Yankees should be able to pick up two of three. While the Pirates will avoid Masahiro Tanaka, none of Pittsburgh's starters have been terribly impressive this year (Cole has been pretty solid, however, so look for the Yankees to have trouble with him) and the Yankee lineup is much more consistent than the Pirates, so the Yankees should pick up a couple wins, if not get the sweep. If the Yankees get two good starts out of Nuno, it could be a very good week for New York.
It's About the Money | Michael Eder: CC Sabathia is giving up more home runs because his adjustments have made him more vulnerable against right-handed hitters.
So far this season, the Milwaukee Brewers are the best traveling offense in the NL. After that, the Rockies are as good or better than any team in the National League at producing runs. Spread the word.
The Colorado Rockies are fourth in the National League in wRC+ on the road behind only the Brewers, Nationals, and Dodgers. In fact, those are the only four teams in the NL over 100 in wRC+. The Rockies also rank fourth in wOBA and wRAA on the road behind those same teams.
They are third in OPS on the road, third in isolated power on the road, and second in slugging on the road. The Rockies lead the NL in wRC -- you guessed it-- on the road.
The Colorado Rockies are eighth in the NL in road BABIP.
So why is Bill Madden of the New York Daily News on MLB Network claiming, "the Rockies have bigger home/road gaps then ever before! What happened to the humidor?"
Their tOPS+, which measures their road performance against their home performance shows them at the below average mark of 72.
This is why when Madden says things like, "they have a 100 point differential in batting average and on base percentage and a 200 point differential in slugging!" no one corrects him, because those things are all true. The problem is, this is not the result of them being bad on the road, it is the result of them being absurdly good at home.
Instead of measuring the Rockies road performance against themselves, the Rockies road performance should be measured against the rest of the league. This stat is called sOPS+ and shows the Rockies at the above average mark of 110.
The Rockies are being docked points for something they do better than the rest of the league for the sole reason that they are destroying people at home.
Interestingly, the team immediately trailing the Rockies in wRC+ on the road is the team with the best record in baseball: the San Francisco Giants. The Rockies are closer to the Nationals (105) and Dodgers (103) than the Giants at 92. At 101, the Rockies are exactly as close to the first place Brewers (110) as the Giants are to them.
And yet, I have not heard a single person accuse the Giants of being a mirage due to their below average play on the road.
Will this continue the rest of the season? Honestly, I doubt it. It's hard to win on the road in the MLB. They say that if you win half of your games on the road and two-thirds of your games at home, you have a successful formula for getting to the playoffs.
Colorado is 10-12 on the road so far and 13-5 at home so they can even afford to fall off a bit and maintain a decent pace.
That the Rockies may not continue to play this well away from Coors Field does not change the fact that they have. And using their own home stats as the only measure against them is unfair and misleading.
So far this season, the Milwaukee Brewers are the best traveling offense in the NL. After that, the Rockies are as good or better than any team in the National League at producing runs. Spread the word.
The Brewers and the Pirates have faced each other 7 times this year. The good guys are 6-1. The Brewers look to continue their success as the season series returns to Miller Park.
I think the most apropos term to describe how deftly the Brewers have handled the Pirates this year is "spank." The Brewers have spanked the Pirates and hopefully they'll continue to do so in this three game set at home. However, the Carlos Gomez suspension is going to come down any moment, or at least it should. We've been waiting for days on it and as of this writing MLB has yet to announce it. The Brewers also currently haven't officially placed Aramis Ramirez on the DL or activated Braun so it's kind of hard to know what caliber Brewers team the Pirates will be facing.
The Pirates aren't at full strength either. Andrew McCutchen has been battling ankle soreness, but will likely be playing. Starling Marte has been dealing lower back pain and hasn't played for a few games. It uncertain if he'll be ready to play against Milwaukee. Catcher and resident tough guy Russell Martin is currently on the DL and when he returns he'll have a 1 game suspension to serve so he won't be playing this series. Travis Snider already served his suspension and will be available. To make matters worse, Wandy Rodriguez was activated off the DL and will lose, I mean start a game this series.
We all remember the last time the Brewers faced the young child Gerrit Cole. Everyone is wondering if there will be fireworks tonight because of the hissy fit he threw last time, but I suspect that nothing will happen. The Brewers have always shown themselves to be a pretty stand up team and I can't remember the last time a Brewers pitcher actually threw at someone intentionally. I imagine the adults on Cole's team have sat him down and told him to focus on making his pitches instead of a scene. He's had some trouble as of late allowing 7 runs in his last two games. He did hold the Brewers to 1 run the last time and he a good, if immature, pitcher so it won't be a cake walk.
Who do the Brewers get on Wednesday: Jekyll or Hyde? Liriano was excellent last year and I thought he had righted the ship. That clearly hasn't been the case so far this year. He has a 4.64 ERA and 4.20 FIP. He is striking guys out less, walking more, and allowing more home runs than he has the previous two years. He's also a lefty and even without Gomez the Brewers can kill a lefty. The last time they met (this year) the Brewers tagged him for 4 runs in six innings. Let's hope for a repeat.
Of note for the Brewers: Peralta didn't have his best stuff in his last start but he still only allowed 2 runs in 6 innings against the Yankees. I expect a better outing this time against the Pirates. Last time he allowed 2 runs (1 ER) in 7 innings against them.
Thursday, May 15th 12:10 PM: Yovani Gallardo vs Wandy Rodriguez
Last time Rodriguez faced the Brewers he gave up 4 ER in 4IP. After that start he went on the disabled list. Now he's returning from the disabled list and the Brewers are the first team he'll be facing. If this was an underdog movie about Wandy Rodriguez he'd pitch a no-hitter and the game would end with a tearful embrace between him and the one person who believed he could do it: Either a poor child living on the wrong side of the tracks that formed an unlikely bond with Wandy (does anyone use that idiom anymore) OR perhaps a lovely young nurse that in helping him rehab not just his arm but his soul fell in love with him. Since this is the real world, and Rodriguez kind of sucks, the Brewers will probably scored 6 runs in 5 innings.
Of note for the Brewers: Assuming the Carlos Gomez suspension is announced on Tuesday, and MLB drops it down to two games instead of three like I suspect, AND he begins serving it on Tuesday, this would be the first game back for him.
Prediction
I'm still a little salty about the Cole meltdown so I'm not going to be rational this time. The Brewer are going to get a sweep. They have the pitching advantage. They have home field advantage so home runs should be easier to come by. Ryan Braun could be returning on Tuesday. Gomez might only miss two games of the series. Also, it's possible this is my dream and you're all only figments of my imagination. So yeah, the Brewers are totally going to sweep.
It definitely wasn't the prettiest game, but the Brewers did what they needed to do to beat the Pirates. Marco Estrada gave up a first-inning home run and labored through six innings, but limited the Pirates to just that one run. Meanwhile, a Jonathan Lucroy RBI single in the third put the Brewers up 2-1, and the Brewers tacked on one run with a Rickie Weeks pinch-hit RBI single, another on a Mark Reynolds sacrifice fly, and one more on a Jean Segura RBI infield single. The Pirates scored a run off of Will Smith to close the gap, but Francisco Rodriguez shut the Pirates down to end the game.
The roster shuffling continues in Milwaukee.
Prior to yesterday's game, the Brewers made a few roster moves. They first activated Ryan Braun from the disabled list and placed Aramis Ramirez on it. Ryan Braun was back in the lineup on Tuesday, though only played six innings and went 0-for-2 with a walk in the game. Meanwhile, Mark Reynolds got the start at third base, and figures to get the majority of playing time there while Ramirez is out. This also means that Lyle Overbay will probably get most of the starts at first during this time, and Noah asked if that is really the best thing for the team. The other roster move sent Caleb Gindl back to Nashville for utility player Elian Herrera. Herrera had been on fire since returning to Nashville, so we will have to see if that translates to the majors.
The schedule isn't kind to the team either.
It's a tough time to be hurting for players right now. Tuesday's game began a long stretch for the Brewers that will last until the end of June. Noah looked at this streak on Monday, noting who the Brewers will play and some of the longer stretches. They will play 46 games in 48 days, which includes streaks of 16 in a row, 20 in a row, as a well as a 10-game road trip and a streak of 15 road games in 19 days. This could be a critical time for the Brewers. If they can make it through and still have the division lead at the end, it could mean very good things for this team.
First base remains a point of interest for the team.
One name that remains connected to the Brewers is free agent first baseman Kendrys Morales. The Brewers first base situation has been more stable than last year, though could still see an improvement. However, Noah notes that Doug Melvin is currently not interested in signing Morales. It's probably the right move, as first base isn't bad and the signing would come with the loss of a draft pick. However, should the Brewers be looking to upgrade at first base anyway? That's what Noah asked yesterday, looking at possible options outside the organization. For now, it looks like the situation at first will remain as it is. However, if the Brewers remain in contention and first base remains a concern, that may change.
Prior to Sunday's game, Francisco Rodriguez had been perfect in save opportunities this season. Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew has some quotes from Doug Melvin about what Rodriguez has meant for the team so far this year.
Playing well means more exposure for the Brewers on the national level. This week's Sports Illustrated will feature Carlos Gomez on the cover, and the John & Cait blog has a photo of it. Also, a new billboard went up yesterday for the Brewers in Milwaukee that features Carlos Gomez.
Minor league weekly awards came out on Monday, and Tyler Crazy, Jed Bradley, and Chris McFarland were all honored. Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has more details on the awards.
Brad Krause has been in attendance at the Nashville Sounds series in Iowa, and has a photo gallery from Sunday's game, as well as Monday's game.
Check out morineko's daily minor league update for a more in-depth look at yesterday's minor league results.
The Brewers continue their series against the Pirates at Miller Park. Francisco Liriano starts for the Pirates, and Wily Peralta takes the ball for the Brewers. First pitch is at 7:10 pm, and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com has the preview.
The Cubs have been honoring Wrigley Field's history with commemorations of each decade, one per homestand. This Friday begins the 1930s.
During the homestand that begins Friday, Wrigley Field will be both figuratively and literally transformed into what it looked and felt like during the 1930s, as the Cubs host the Brewers and Yankees.
This morning, the Cubs and Benjamin Moore will begin painting the Wrigley Field marquee to match its mid-1930s color scheme following its installation in 1934. The team worked with Harboe Architects and Wiss, Janney, Elsnter Associates, Inc. to research the marquee’s color scheme from the era, which included removing layers of paint and primer to expose the first layer of enamel. Samples were then color-matched by Benjamin Moore to determine the Mallard Green and French Quarter Gold paints that are being used. I'm at Wrigley this morning to witness the repainting of the Wrigley marquee and will have photos in another post this afternoon.
This Sunday, May 18, the Cubs will wear a throwback uniform from 1937, the year during which Wrigley Field’s now-iconic scoreboard was installed and the ivy was planted on the newly-constructed bleacher wall. The 1937 jersey features a zip-up front and the uniform marks the first year the team switched from a navy blue to a royal blue color on its uniforms. You can see what that uniform looks like above. Since there was no major-league team in Milwaukee in 1937, the Cubs worked with the Milwaukee Brewers to select an appropriate throwback uniform. The teams decided on the 1937 American Association (minor league) Milwaukee Brewers uniform, which inspired the Brewers' look for this Sunday.
Giveaways for this weekend include a bobblehead commemorating one of the most debated moments in baseball and Wrigley Field history –- Babe Ruth’s alleged “called shot” off Charlie Root in the 1932 World Series. Of course, we now know that this was a myth, and no such "call" was actually made by Ruth. It'll be a cool giveaway, to the first 10,000 fans Friday, but truth be told, I'd rather have seen a bobblehead commemorating Gabby Hartnett's Homer in the Gloamin' September 28, 1938, perhaps the signature moment in Cubs history. Anyway, here's the Ruth bobblehead:
Also Friday, Babe Ruth's 97-year-old daughter Julia Ruth Stevens will deliver a ceremonial first pitch and lead the 7th inning stretch with her son Tom Stevens.
Saturday, 10,000 fans will receive a Cubs umbrella presented by Morton Salt. The company is celebrating the 100th birthday of its signature Morton Salt Girl.
On Throwback Sunday, May 18, the first 5,000 kids 13-and-under receive a Cubs Viewmaster®.
When the Cubs welcome the Yankees to Wrigley Field Tuesday, May 20, the team will honor retiring captain Derek Jeter before the game for his exceptional career and impact on the game of baseball.
As the team has done for the first two homestands, the Cubs will have specialty food offerings meant to evoke the 1930s. The Decade Dogs stand near section 123 is serving a Cheese Steak Dog, featuring a Vienna Beef hot dog, shaved ribeye steak, grilled onions, peppers and provolone cheese. This one looks pretty good:
The drink of the homestand for adults 21-and-over is the 1930s Called Shot cocktail –- a Manhattan made with fans’ choice of Bulleit Bourbon, Bulleit Rye, Crown Royal or Bushmills Irish Whiskey. The Called Shot will be served in limited-edition souvenir glasses May 16-21 on the main concourse at section 109 and the bleacher patio in left field.
Fun stuff. Perhaps there will also be some Cubs wins.
Six years ago, Francisco Rodriguez made history with the Angels. This year, he is on pace to top himself.
Last night, May 13, 2014, Brewers' closer Francisco Rodriguez notched save number 16 in 2014 as he maintained a three run lead in the ninth inning of the Brewers 5-2 victory over the Pirates. He did not allow a base-runner while striking out one. This continues an excellent year for Rodriguez, who now has a 0.43 ERA and 0.62 WHIP over 21 innings.
On May 13, 2008, Francisco Rodriguez was still a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He pitched an inning for them that night, notching his 16th save on the season as he gave up a hit and struck out two to preserve the team's 2-0 lead over the White Sox.
In 2008, Rodriguez went on to finish with 62 saves, the most ever in a single season. He's on the same pace for the Brewers in 2014. Can he do it again? Can Francisco Rodriguez break his own record for saves in a season?
To earn such a high number of saves, a lot of things will need to happen. First, Rodriguez will have to stay as dominant as he has been so far in 2014. Well, not quite as dominant, I guess, but somewhat close. In all honesty, he wasn't that great in 2008: He had a 2.24 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP and a 3.22 FIP. Those are really good numbers, but it left room for error. Enough error that he also tied his career-high with seven blown saves in 2008.
If he can maintain even better numbers than he did in 2008, he'll be that much closer to achieving a new record. He's blown one save this year, in the only game he has allowed a run. Nobody can expect any pitcher to stay as dominant as Rodriguez has been, but he could continue to produce league-best numbers.
Second, the Brewers will have to trust that he can handle a high number of innings. If he hopes to reach 62 again, he'll need to have every save possibility possible. They can't hand save opportunities to guys like Will Smith or Tyler Thornburg willy-nilly. They can only give ninth inning duties away if Rodriguez has been particularly overworked.
So far, the Brewers have been pretty good about throwing Rodriguez in at nearly every opportunity. Will Smith is the only other pitcher on the team with a save, and that came on April 13 when he only needed to secure one out after Kyle Lohse went 8⅔ innings and Rodriguez had pitched the previous three days. He has also pitched four days in a row at one point. Rodriguez is currently on pace to throw 87 innings this season, a career-high. He has not pitched over 73 innings since 2004, a decade ago. So far the Brewers have been unafraid to bring him into the game often, but will that keep up as the season drags on?
Third, and tying in to number two, he'll have to have enough opportunities. That means the Brewers will have to keep winning, of course. And it means they'll have to keep winning a lot of close games. Fortunately for anyone hoping to see a record-breaking season, the Brewers are built to be in a lot of close games. The offense is not good enough to blow out teams often while the strong pitching should keep them in contention most days. Obviously Milwaukee has played a lot of close games already -- of 39 games so far, just 14 have been won by more than three runs. The Brewers have also been very good in close games, winning 18 of 25.
Still, the season is nearly a quarter over, only. There is still a lot of time left, and a blazing pace early in the season certainly does not mean Rodriguez -- or any player -- will keep it up for all of 2014. The Brewers have been playing close games so far and seem like the kind of team who are in for a lot more tight contests, but nobody can guess how the next four-and-a-half moths will go.
If Rodriguez does somehow match his 62 saves in 2008, he would vault all the way to eighth all-time with 366 career saves, one off from Jeff Reardon. At just 32 years old, K-Rod still has plenty of time left. He's reinvented himself so well, that there is all of a sudden a very real chance that he could continue to vault up the all-time saves list, perhaps even becoming the third ever to reach 500 saves.
Rodriguez wasn't even supposed to be the closer coming into 2014. He was supposed to be the set-up man for Jim Henderson until Henderson struggled in spring training and early in the regular season. Now, there's no way we could expect the Brewers to remove Rodriguez from the closer's role anytime soon.
Rodriguez has transformed himself from the fire-balling young reliever he was with the Angels. He no longer has the same velocity. But he's pitching smarter, and after years of control issues has just a 1.7 BB/9 while still striking out over 11.5 batters per nine innings. If he can maintain his success, he could be in for another record-setting year.
Per ESPN's Jayson Stark and FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, the deal is a one-year, major league contract and carries a base salary of $1 million. He can also earn an undisclosed amount based on performance incentives.
This isn't the first time Wolf has opted out of a contract this year. In March, Wolf reportedly requested his release after being faced with the ultimatum of signing a 45-day advance-consent clause or heading to the minors. The clause, which was proposed just a month after originally signing with Seattle, would have given the Mariners a 45-day window in which they could've released Wolf without having to pay him anything. To make matters more interesting, Wolf had already won the team's 5th starter job.
Curiously, Rosenthal reports that Wolf agreed to sign the 45-day advance consent waiver with the Marlins because he was signing in the middle of the season instead of at the beginning. If he struggles with Miami, the team can release him within the next 45 days without having to pay his entire $1 million salary.
He signed a minor league deal with Arizona early last month, but has yet to reach the majors this season. He had a 4.50 ERA and 9.3 K/9 in 6 starts at Triple-A Reno this season.
Wolf last pitched in the majors in 2012, spending the entire 2013 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. A 14-year big league veteran and 2003 NL All-Star, Wolf owns a career 132-117 record, 4.20 ERA (100 ERA+), 4.37 FIP, and 20.5 WAR. He struggled with a 5.65 ERA (though he had a 4.79 FIP) in 30 games for the Brewers and Orioles in 2012, but had posted a combined 3.70 ERA (108 ERA+), 4.36 FIP, and 7.8 WAR from 2009-2011.
Wolf appears likely to take over Jose Fernandez's role in the rotation. The 21-year-old ace recently tore his UCL and looks to be headed towards Tommy John surgery. While Wolf will never be able to completely fill the gaping hole left by Fernandez, he should be an adequate option for the remainder of the year.
The Marlins' rotation has been surprisingly exceptional so far this season, owning a 3.74 ERA and 3.68 FIP that rank 12th and 13th, respectively, in baseball. Even without Fernandez, they still appear to be a solid unit with Nathan Eovaldi, Tom Koehler, and Henderson Alvarez all enjoying strong starts to the season.
Rickie Weeks lead off the first inning with an opposite field double. He advanced to third on a bunt hit by Jean Segura. With runners at the corners Ryan Braun hit into a double play. Weeks had to stay put and with two outs Jonthan Lucroy grounded into the third out. It was basically the worst thing ever.
Weeks decided not to let anyone strand him at third base his next time up so he hit his first home run of the season to give the Brewers the 1-0 lead! He hit that one to the opposite field as well. That's very encouraging. Jean Segura drew his second walk and then something weird happened. I was listening on the radio so I had to rely on the call. Segura got put in a rundown after being caught off first. He got to second base and the throw was off target so he ran to third. However, it was then revealed that the umpire had called a balk before the pick off attempt and therefore Segura had to return to second base. None of it matter as Braun lined out to end the inning.
Yovani Gallardo walked a couple guys and a runner reached on an error, but the first Pirates hit didn't come until the 5th inning when Jose Tabata lined a single up the middle. The second hit came off Tony Sanchez's bat on an 0-2 pitch. It was a home run giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Wandy Rodriguez kept things chugging along with a single of his own. Travis Snider worked a full count before Gallardo finally struck him out for the first out of the inning. Neil Walker would get a base hit and runners would be at first and second with still just one out for Andrew McCutchen. He would ground into a fielder's choice. Now with two outs and runners at the corners, Pedro Alvarez lined to Rickie Weeks who was able to secure the out at first time.
Martin "Slugger" Maldonado tied the game with a lead off home run in the bottom of the 5th inning. Wandy Rodriguez was able to stop the damage there as he struck out the next three batters.
The problems continued for Gallardo as he returned the lead to the Pirates with a Gaby Sanchez lead off home run. Gallardo would retire the next three in order.
Gallardo stayed in the game to face the Pirates relief pitcher. He struck him in out and Roenicke brought Zach Duke into the game. Duke didn't allow a hit.
Justin Wilson returned in the 7th and struck out the side.
Tyler Thornburg entered the 8th inning and promptly walked both McCutchen and Alvarez. Mark Reynolds bailed out Thornburg by starting a double play to get the runners at second and first bases. After that Ron Roenicke opted to make a double switch. Jeff Bianchi came in to play third base and would hit in the pitcher's spot (due up second next inning), Mark Reynolds moved from third base to first, and Jonathan Lucroy moved from first to catcher. Rob Wooten came in to pitch with the runner at third base and 2 outs and struck out Jordy Mercer.
With the left-hander Tony Watson on the mound, Roenicke pinch hit Elian Herrera for Logan Schafer. Predictably Herrera struck out. Jeff Bianchi did the same. Rickie Weeks singled, but Jean Segura lined out to the pitcher to end the inning.
Wooten returned for the 9th inning. Jose Tabata singled and Tony Watson popped up and Ike Davis drew a walk. With one out and runners at first and second, Starling Marte grounded into an inning ending double play.
The Pirates sent Mark Melancon to the mound for the save. Ryan Braun got his first hit of the game with a line drive single. Melancon then walked Jonathan Lucroy on four straight pitches. Mark Reynolds was up next and loaded the bases with a 6 pitch walk. On a 2-2 count Khris Davis hit a line drive. Ryan Braun scored and with the throw coming home Jonathan Lucroy slide and was safe. The Brewers won their second walk-off game in this series!!!
The Brewers will try to win another series as they travel to Chicago to face the Cubs. Kyle Lohse takes on Jeff Samardzija in a patented Cubs Friday day game. Start time is 1:20 pm.
The B-squad's B-squad fell prey to the arm of Tyson Ross, and a makeshift pitching mashup got pounded.
The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Kevin Quackenbush gets tonight's JNMHSotG, because that kind of name deserves every single ounce of recognition it can get. The perfect Bottom of the 9th you pitched for your San Diego Padres was all well and good, Kevin Quackenbush, but know that you're taking home the most prized trophy in all the land not for your pitching, but because you're named Kevin Quackenbush, Kevin Quackenbush.
Honorable Mentions are due to: Billy Hamilton, who walked once and stole a pair of bags; Chris Heisey, who a hit (a hit!) and a pair of walks; and Todd Frazier, who walked and singled, stretching his career-best hitting streak to 14 games.
Key Plays
The Top of the 1st inning had an aura about it that suggested the second game of today's doubleheader may well go as swimmingly as the first. Hamilton took a leadoff walk and promptly stole both 2B and 3B, and after Heisey walked behind him, Hamilton scored on a slow grounder hit to the SS by Brandon Phillips. Unfortunately, that was the peak of the Reds' offensive evening. Reds led, 1-0.
Through the first 1.2 innings, Jeff Francis appeared to have channeled the stuff that led him to a Top 10 finish in the 2007 Cy Young Award voting. He struck out three of the first five Padres he faced, but was then promptly touched up for a single by Cameron Maybin and a following laser-dinger from Rene Rivera. Reds trailed, 2-1.
The Padres added another run off Francis in the Top of the 3rd, as former Red Chris Denorfia doubled off the wall in RF before scoring on a single from Chase Headley. Reds trailed, 3-1.
Logan Ondrusek took over for Francis for the Top of the 6th and promptly did what Logan Ondrusek does: allow baserunners. Surprisingly, it wasn't allowing hits that was the problem this time (he's allowed 16.4 H/9 in 2014), it was allowing walks that got him (he's only allowed 1.9 BB/9 so far). Whatever. WHIP is WHIP is WHIP, and Logan's ghostriding his to the moon. Dude walked the bases loaded before being pulled for Sean Marshall, and after a slapped single from former Red Yonder Alonso scored one, the jam was avoided. Reds trailed, 4-1.
Marshall got tapped for a solo dinger from Everth Cabrera in the Top of the 7th, and Alonso smoked the first dinger of his season off Sam LeCure in the Top of the 8th to wrap the scoring. Reds lose, 6-1.
FanGraph That Looks Like It'd Be Pretty Heady to Ski
The Reds just got out-dingered by the Padres 4-1 in this series. San Diego entered tonight's game having hit the 4th fewest dingers in baseball this season.
I don't know what to do with the Reds lineup. It seems like they've got enough decent pieces to formulate something more productive than what they've done, even with the injuries factored in. There's nothing really categorically wrong with what they've rolled out recently (especially when you factor in "trying to get guys going" and whatnot), but it seems like they've hit better than their scoring has dictated. I dunno.
That said, I still think Joey Votto needs to be hitting 2nd in the order. Yes, we'd all love to see him get hot and crush 40 dingers and a pocket full of doubles in the next month with eleventy men on base, but if he's going to continue to see pitcher's pitch around him, I'd rather Bryan Price tell him to take as many walks as possible and sport a .500 OBP than put him in a position where he feels the need to swing the bat more often. Joey is absurdly good as some things, and I'd personally rather maximize his gooditude on those things than compromise that in attempts to make him something he's not. Magic Johnson was built like a power forward but had a game like a point guard; he was better when handling the ball than when he was backing folks down on the block. Let Joey be Joey and build around that, and please ask 'tHom to shut up about it in the process.
The Milwaukee Brewers squeaked by the Pittsburgh Pirates thanks to a Bottom of the 9th comeback earlier this afternoon, so this evening's loss drops the Reds a full 7 games back in the NL Central standings. Does it seem a bit early to worry about that kind of thing? It does, kind of, until you realize that most every team in baseball has already played 40 games this year. That's 1/4th of the season already in the books.
The "Big 162" gets talked about a lot, probably more at other places than at Red Reporter. Tonight's game had punt written all over it, from the starting pitcher through the player called up and right on to tonight's lineup, and it was done to keep two other pitchers pitching on their regular rotation during the upcoming road trip. I get that. This game was all about a future stretch of games, but that didn't make watching it any more fun, which is good, I suppose, because there were about 9 people in the stands to see it.
The previous Other Note was brought to you by Cy Schourek's love of commas.
I think Cameron Maybin will be activated again before tomorrow night's game. I'm pretty sure this year's NL Rookie of the Year Award race will come down to him and Edinson Volquez.
Four home runs accounted for the early scoring, as each team hit two home runs while the Pirates built a 3-2 lead. It came down to the bottom of the ninth, as Ryan Braun hit a single and Jonathan Lucroy and Mark Reynolds walked to load the bases with no outs. Khris Davis followed them up with an RBI single to send the Brewers home with a walk-off.
With the early game yesterday and the Brewers traveling afterwards, it was a very quiet news day for the Brewers yesterday. Here's the few news items for today.
Today, the new movie Million Dollar Arm is opening in theaters. Cait of John & Cait had a chance to talk to Mark Ciardi, one of the movie's producers and a former Brewers pitcher.
Miller Park will host a pro soccer game for the first time this year, and Jim Hoehn has details on the event.
Minor League Update
Team
Level
Record
Yesterday
This Weekend
Nashville Sounds
AAA
21-19
Oklahoma City 4, Nashville 2
Friday: Oklahoma City @ Nashville Saturday: Oklahoma City @ Nashville Sunday: Oklahoma City @ Nashville
Another series, another win... after a 2-6 road trip, the Cubs come back home for five games, starting off with a three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers.
I'm starting to sense a trend here... play a team, win one game. Is that how it's supposed to be done? Something tells me that's not right, but I'm not sure. I'll check into it and get back to you.
For the ninth time in the first 39 games, the Chicago Cubs won one game in a series, losing yesterday to the St. Louis Cardinals by a final score of 5-3. A golden opportunity in the eighth inning went for naught when pinch-hitter (or pinch-something) Nate Schierholtz did the most probable thing with the bases loaded: grounded out to second base. The Cubs' record now stands at 13-26; as Al mentioned in his recap, that is the fourth-worst record for the team through 39 games since 1900. Only 1953, 1966, and 1981 have been worse.
The painstaking quest for a second series win continues back home at Wrigley, where the Cubs start a five-game homestand with three games against the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee comes into this series with a record of 26-15 after having just finished a 5-4 homestand against Arizona, Pittsburgh, and the New York Yankees. The Cubs are 1-2 against Milwaukee this year and have a staggering 11-28 record against them since 2012, including a 5-12 record at Wrigley. That should inspire some confidence, don't you think?
The Cubs get a bit of a break here as they get to face Garza, who is the Brewers' worst starter by a decent margin at the moment. Their rotation as a whole is strong (third in NL in WHIP, fourth in OPS against), but that's pretty much the case across the entire NL Central right now other than Pittsburgh. The bullpen is lights-out, including lefties Zach Duke (1.56 ERA, 0.923 WHIP) and Will Smith (0.47 ERA, 1.138 WHIP), and then there's the resurgent Francisco Rodriguez, who's pitching possibly better than he has in his entire career (1.64 ERA, 0.773 WHIP, 16 saves in 17 opportunities). Basically, it's another score-early-or-else scenario, similar to Atlanta.
THE OFFENSE:
The Brewers offense features three starters whose OPS is currently at or above .750:
Milwaukee's offense is near the league average in most major categories (AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, runs per game) and is certainly a step up from what the Cubs faced against Atlanta and St. Louis. One noticeable absence in this series will be third baseman Aramis Ramirez (.699 OPS), who is currently on the 15-day disabled list with a strained hamstring. The weak link in the Brewers offense continues to be shortstop Jean Segura, who is posting a .273 OBP and a .617 OPS, almost exactly the same as the first time the teams met. His backup, Jeff Bianchi, is... well... he's pretty bad right now. Okay, really bad (.208 OBP, .386 OPS). Left fielder Khris Davis is also struggling with a .257 OBP and a .658 OPS. Then again, those numbers would play pretty well in the Cubs' outfield right now, so I guess I shouldn't poke too much fun.
On the Cubs side, Luis Valbuena has re-joined Anthony Rizzo (.873 OPS) and Starlin Castro (.808 OPS) in the over-.750 OPS club; Valbuena currently sits at .761 (with a .365 OBP to boot). Several others are hovering around the .700 mark, including Emilio Bonifacio at .712 with a .350 OBP. But the outfield... man, the outfield. It's just ugly (14th in the National League in OBP and OPS), and it doesn't seem any relief is in sight. But at least they have five homers now!
GAME PROJECTIONS:
The Friday game looks like it's going to be a low-scoring affair. The weather looks blah (high 40s, winds blowing in a bit, chance of rain), and with two hot hands on the mound, don't expect a lot of runs. Oh, and dress in layers. And bring some blankets. And some more layers. You get the idea.
The Saturday matchup will feature slightly better weather and somewhat worse pitching, although Jackson has managed to have a string of several not-horrible starts as of late. Al's advice about heavy bunting seems like a good plan here. And if you're sitting on the first-base side... well, just keep your eyes open. All the time. (This has been a public service announcement from On The Horizon.)
As for Sunday... well, I'd be worried. The Brewers don't necessarily hit lefties any harder than righties, but Wood hasn't been inspiring much confidence as of late, and about the only thing that's been a knock on Estrada this season is his tendency to give up the gopherball (10 HR in 49 innings). Something tells me that's not going to be a problem for him in this matchup.
RUSS' PREDICTION: It's worked so far, and I don't see any reason to deviate from it now: 1-2.
NEXT STOP: The five-game homestand comes to a close with the New York Yankees looking to finish what they started in the Bronx. With Masahiro Tanaka as one of the likely starters, it may not be that tough of a task for them.
After a walk-off win to take the series from the Pirates yesterday, the Brewers roll into Chicago looking to start a winning streak.
Folks, I want you to be sitting when I tell you this because it's going to come as quite the shock: The Cubs kind of suck. Hard. As a team they rank 29th in offense with an 81 wRC+. Anthony Rizzo is the only true threat in that lineup. Their bullpen ranks 23rd and isn't very threatening, though I think Hector Rodon is totally solid. The Cubs rotation has actually performed quite admirably and unlike last time we're not going to miss The Shark. We can thank stupid Busch Stadium for that. Wednesday's game in St. Louis got rained out, pushing the Cubs rotation back a day. Their devil magic has weakened, but it's clearly still in play.
Samardzija hasn't been striking guys out like previous years (20.3% this year compared to around 23% the 3 previous years) but he's also lowered his walk rate and drastically limited his HR/9. This year his HR/9 is at 0.32 where the last two years it was right around 1.04. I'm not convinced that's a fluke either. His ground ball rate has increased the last several years: 2011-41%, 2012-44.6%, 2013-48.2%, 2014- 51.6%. Over that same period his FB% has gone down: 41%, 33.1%, 31.4%, 28.7%. I don't expect his HR/9 to stay quite as low as it is right now, but Samardzija is legit.
Of note for the Brewers: Kyle Lohse didn't have his best stuff in his last start. It feels like this whole last time through the rotation you could say that about every pitcher. Still, he has yet to give up more than 3 runs in a start. I don't expect that's going to change after this game.
I lobbied really hard for the Brewers to sign Edwin Jackson and when they signed Lohse instead I was plenty peeved. Boy was I wrong! Jackson is kind of like the inverse of Lohse in that he constantly under-performs his peripherals likes it's his super power. Last year his FIP was a respectable 3.79 but his 4.98 ERA was the stuff of nightmares. It's basically the same story this year with his FIP at 3.44 and his ERA at 4.56. His 18.7 K% and 9.7 BB% are both just a little worse than league average and his .279 BAA and 1.44 both solidly below average. He's keeping the ball in the park with a 0.38 HR/9 but that's going to skyrocket at some point. Hopefully the Brewers can help him with that.
Of note for the Brewers: Matt Garza and Edwin Jackson have been near mirror images of each other this year. That's a scary thought. I do still think Garza turns it around though. Also, this is the first game Carlos Gomez will be available for after coming off his suspension. Let's hope his back is well enough to play.
I don't really know what to make of Travis Wood. He had an excellent (fluky?)season in 2013 and so far this year his peripherals are even better. His ERA is up near 5.00 though and I'm not convinced his improved strikeout rate (20.5% up from around 16-18% the previous 3 years) is for real. His fastball sits around 88-89 mph but he mixes it with a cutter around 85-86 and the occasional slider, changeup, and curveball. Maybe he has good deception? I don't know. But he's totally the kind of pitcher to give the Brewers batters a hard time.
Of note for the Brewers: I love Marco Estrada.
Prediction
I kind of want to predict a rain out or two again. There is rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday though I don't know exactly when it's supposed to hit. Samardzija is tough and Wood is weird, but the Cubs offense is awful, and there's always the Cubes effect in play. The Brewers should win 2 out of 3 but I could see some shenanigans happening. Gomez is coming back on Saturday so I'll be the optimist and say they do win that 2 out of 3. They'd better with that Braves 4 set coming up next...
Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball. The usual caution is advised.
For 2014, we are going to have the same game-thread routine as 2013. Here's how it works.
You'll find the game preview -- like this one -- posting as the first link in the StoryStream™, which will then contain all the overflow threads and the recap. The recap will also be on the front page as a separate post; once I post a game recap, the stream for each game will be retitled "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.
In general, game previews will post two hours before game time. Exception: for day games after night games, that will usually be 90 minutes.
You will also be able to find the First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in this StoryStream™. As I've done for each regular-season game for several years now, we'll have the First Pitch thread at five minutes before game time (moved up from actual game time per your requests), then an overflow one hour, two hours and 2:45 after game time.
