For those of you who followed the Brewers closely last year, weren't you constantly wishing the Crew had a player or two who could slap singles to all fields or who walked a ton in order to set the table for some of the big boppers (Fielder, Braun, Hart, Hardy)? It seemed as though the Brewer's hitters were all or nothing... a towering SOLO shot or a strikeout. And those strikeouts...what killers. When a player strikes out, it is such a huge loss. The runners on base don't advance, and the defense is not forced to make a play on either a ground ball or a fly ball. Anything can happen when a ball is put into play. I remember listening to a game earlier this year when the Brewers had two outs and Corey Hart was at the plate. He hit a grounder to the infield and it was bobbled, so he reached first on the error. The next batter hit a two run home run. This was a glaring example of how strikeouts can be killers, and putting the ball into play is so important.
Again, putting the ball into play is critical, but so are bases on balls or walks to the lay-person. Working the count and getting walks is important in driving up the pitch count of opposing pitchers, having runners on base forces the defense to react differently, and more men on base means more runs when the one of the Brewers jacks a ding dong. Looking at this year vs last year it is almost night and day in terms of the amount of walks the Brewers are taking. Let's look at a few examples:
The Brewers are second in the majors with 175 walks as a team. The top 5 teams in order are:
LA Dodgers 186
Mil Brewers 175
Wash Nationals 167
Bos Red Sox 166
NY Mets 165
By comparison, the Brewers as a team had 550 walks all of last season. Projecting this years stats over 161 game season, the Crew would end up with 742 walks, a 35% increase over last year.
What do all of these teams above have in common? Well, the Dodgers and Brewers each lead their respective divisions, while the Red Sox and Mets are 2nd in their respective divisions. The Nationals, well....
Of course walks do not determine championship teams, but they certainly help.
Here are some of the Brewer's individual players who are showing a lot more plate discipline this year:
Player, Total Walks Last Year, Walks This Year (38 Games)
Ryan Braun 42, 23
Prince Fielder 84, 34
Mike Cameron 54, 25
Corey Hart 27, 19
Let's also take a look at the most recent series the Brewers played in St. Louis (a 3 game sweep):
The Brewers won game 1, 1-0 (4 Walks, 2 Hits)
The Brewers won game 2, 8-2 (8 Walks, 7 Hits)
The Brewers won game 3, 8-4 (11 Walks, 8 Hits)
The Crew had 23 Walks and 17 Hits in the 3 game series. Pretty impressive!
Well, the Brewers just beat the Astros 4-2 as I am finishing writing this post. That's 7 in a row for the Crew, and 21-5 in their last 26. Amazing!!!! They are on fire, and it is so fun to be a part of.
BCBB
Showing posts with label Ryan Braun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Braun. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Land of Confusion
The title of the 1986 hit song from the super group Genesis seems very appropriate to describe the state of the Brewers and their fans this evening after a number of troubling events took place. First, Ryan Braun missed another game due to his ailing back which is related to the nagging intercostal strain he developed late last year and re-emerged while playing in the World Baseball Classic this Spring. This could be a season long problem, and that would be devastating for the Brewers. Does anyone remember how poorly Braun played down the stretch last year? Hopefully that is not a sign of things to come.
With Braun out (he didn't even travel with the team, instead he had an MRI which apparently showed no structural damage), manager Ken Macha made an interesting move to fill the void in left field by placing every day third baseman Bill Hall there. Prior to last year, Hall had been a jack-of-all-trades for the Crew playing numerous infield and outfield positions (was the Brewers everyday centerfielder in 2007). However, some speculated that Hall's lack of a permanent position contributed to his troubles at the plate. Last season, Hall platooned with Russell "the Muscle" Branyan, due to the fact that he struggled against right-handed pitching. This off-season, however, Hall got into great shape, had Lasik surgery on his eyes, and vowed to have a stellar season playing full-time at third.
Although hindsight is 20/20, I disagreed with the decision to place Hall in left field. Hall has been contributing tremendously this year both offensively and defensively at the hot corner. I am sure this maneuver was just a short-term fix, but I for one wouldn't mess at all with Hall's fragile psyche. Remember last year when Hall was talking to the media and requesting a trade? He claimed he had done everything the Brewers asked of him, and many of those things seemed detrimental to his long-term value and marketability. I just hope that this experiment doesn't cause Hall to backslide into his old ways.
Another reason Ken Macha may have made this move was to get some playing time for Spring Training masher, Casey McGehee. Claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs in late October of 2008, McGehee tore up the Cactus League batting .339 in 26 games with 20 hits, 6 home runs, and 16 RBI's. McGehee played so well that the Brewers cut Mike Lamb who they had picked up last year from the Twins. It was almost a certainty that Lamb was going to platoon with Hall at third base due to his defense and left-handed bat, but the Brewer's brass obviously weren't able to ignore McGehee's stick. McGehee even spent time at second base during Spring Training in case things didn't materialize with Rickie Weeks (and we all know how well Rickie is materializing...WOW!). With Hall and Weeks playing so well, McGehee has seen little playing time at all.
Well, as luck would have it, Hall got injured in the bottom of the first inning, diving for a sinking liner. Hopefully it is nothing serious, but I do know he missed 29 days in Spring Training with a calf injury.
So, where do the Brewers stand? Braun is injured (although he flew to Pittsburgh and blooped a 2-run double to tie the game in the 8th inning) and is probably playing at a mere 80% or so. Hall could also miss some time with this new ailment. Gallardo wasn't himself today, but he did throw a quality start (at least 6 IP and 3 earned runs or less). I hope that these blips on the radar screen don't derail the continuity and momentum the Brewers have developed recently. They are on fire.
The Brewers win 7-4 over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park
Notes:
-The Brewers have beaten the Pirates 16 straight times
-Trevor Hoffman recorded his 4th save as a Brewer and has yet to give up a run for Milwaukee
-Unlike last year, the Brewers seem to be able to come from behind and win
-Matt LaPorta had his first hit with the Cleveland Indians, a 2-run homerun in the 7th
BCBB
With Braun out (he didn't even travel with the team, instead he had an MRI which apparently showed no structural damage), manager Ken Macha made an interesting move to fill the void in left field by placing every day third baseman Bill Hall there. Prior to last year, Hall had been a jack-of-all-trades for the Crew playing numerous infield and outfield positions (was the Brewers everyday centerfielder in 2007). However, some speculated that Hall's lack of a permanent position contributed to his troubles at the plate. Last season, Hall platooned with Russell "the Muscle" Branyan, due to the fact that he struggled against right-handed pitching. This off-season, however, Hall got into great shape, had Lasik surgery on his eyes, and vowed to have a stellar season playing full-time at third.
Although hindsight is 20/20, I disagreed with the decision to place Hall in left field. Hall has been contributing tremendously this year both offensively and defensively at the hot corner. I am sure this maneuver was just a short-term fix, but I for one wouldn't mess at all with Hall's fragile psyche. Remember last year when Hall was talking to the media and requesting a trade? He claimed he had done everything the Brewers asked of him, and many of those things seemed detrimental to his long-term value and marketability. I just hope that this experiment doesn't cause Hall to backslide into his old ways.
Another reason Ken Macha may have made this move was to get some playing time for Spring Training masher, Casey McGehee. Claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs in late October of 2008, McGehee tore up the Cactus League batting .339 in 26 games with 20 hits, 6 home runs, and 16 RBI's. McGehee played so well that the Brewers cut Mike Lamb who they had picked up last year from the Twins. It was almost a certainty that Lamb was going to platoon with Hall at third base due to his defense and left-handed bat, but the Brewer's brass obviously weren't able to ignore McGehee's stick. McGehee even spent time at second base during Spring Training in case things didn't materialize with Rickie Weeks (and we all know how well Rickie is materializing...WOW!). With Hall and Weeks playing so well, McGehee has seen little playing time at all.
Well, as luck would have it, Hall got injured in the bottom of the first inning, diving for a sinking liner. Hopefully it is nothing serious, but I do know he missed 29 days in Spring Training with a calf injury.
So, where do the Brewers stand? Braun is injured (although he flew to Pittsburgh and blooped a 2-run double to tie the game in the 8th inning) and is probably playing at a mere 80% or so. Hall could also miss some time with this new ailment. Gallardo wasn't himself today, but he did throw a quality start (at least 6 IP and 3 earned runs or less). I hope that these blips on the radar screen don't derail the continuity and momentum the Brewers have developed recently. They are on fire.
The Brewers win 7-4 over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park
Notes:
-The Brewers have beaten the Pirates 16 straight times
-Trevor Hoffman recorded his 4th save as a Brewer and has yet to give up a run for Milwaukee
-Unlike last year, the Brewers seem to be able to come from behind and win
-Matt LaPorta had his first hit with the Cleveland Indians, a 2-run homerun in the 7th
BCBB
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