Can Brewers take advantage of sellers market?

Entering play on July 26^th the Brewers sit at 8.5 games back in the division behind the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.  The Brewers have 5 games remaining with the Cardinals 2 on the road and 3 at home. This year the Crew has gone 4-6 against the Red Birds.  While the Brewers are set for 12 more games with the Reds 6 at home and 6 on the road. So far the Crew has lost both games against the Red legs.  The non-waiver trade deadline is fast approaching on Saturday July 31st.  17 games remaining against the top two teams in division give Milwaukee hope.  The Brewers are just one hot streak from climbing back into the race.  Turning over the roster would be a public admission to mistakes. Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has to be honest with himself about this roster. Great GM’s know when to sell and reload.

I believe the Brewers are actually in an advantageous position to make some trades. Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, Casey McGehee, and Prince Fielder all could help a contending team. Weeks, McGehee, and Hart all have affordable arbitration eligibility.  Fielder’s price tag is going to be high, but his boom stick can carry a team for stretches. Randy Wolf’s contract is looking rough at this point. Just removing that salary off the roster would be beneficial.

Replacements could be acquired if suitable options aren’t in the minor league system. Major League ready pitching must be coming back in return. It’s not these players fault that the team has underperformed. Weeks and Hart’s career seasons could bring back solid returns. The Crew has a number of other veteran players that could be moved during the waiver deadline period for low level prospects. I’ll address those players in a later post.  Keeping the band together may not be a good idea if bad music is being produced.

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Brewers pitching reaches new lows vs. Pirates

The Brewers split their 4-game series in Pittsburgh.  Having back-to-back starting pitchers allow over 10 runs should be the officially sanctioned nail in the coffin on this current roster.  I can notorize any  necessary paperwork.  Some fan favorites must get traded for major league ready pitching.  This series served as Pedro Alvarez national coming out party with back-to-back appearances on MLB Tonight on the MLB Network.       

The opener was a 3-1 Brewers victory as Chris Capuano allowed 1 run in 5 frames to pick up his first victory since May 2007.  The reward for the good start was a trip back to the bullpen.  Prince Fielder launched his 23rd homer and Rickie Weeks hit number 18.  John Axford picked up his 12th save.  Jeff Karstens allowed 3 earned runs in 6 frames to drop to 2-5.  Pedro Alvarez walked 3 times and scored a run.

Game 2 was fun to watch as the Pirates scored 9 runs in the first inning.  Milwaukee chipped away to make it a 10-7 contest after 2.5 innings.  Pittsburgh was able to hold on 11-9.  Dave Bush allowed 10 runs in 4 frames.  Only 5 of the runs were earned due to 3 errors in the first inning. Pedro Alvarez hit a grand slam in the first and a solo shot in the second to finish with 5 RBI.  Neil Walker went 5-5 with a run scored.  Bush falls to 4-8 on the campaign.  Brad Lincoln couldn’t hold a 9 run lead by giving up 7 runs in 2.1 innings.  D.J. Carrasco went 2.2 scoreless innings to improve to 2-2.  Octavio Dotel allowed 1 hit, but struck out 3 for his 20th save.  Jim Edmonds was the bright spot for the Crew going 4-5 with a HR (5) 2 runs and 3 RBI.  His final at-bat could have gone for a triple to complete the cycle, but Edmonds doesn’t have the wheels at this point to make it happen.  Ryan Braun also blasted homer number 15.

After Bush got hammered in the previous game, a quality start from Randy Wolf is just what the doctor ordered.  The veteran lefty allowed 12 earned runs on 13 hits in 5.2 innings in a 15-3 loss.  Wolf drops to 7-9 on the year.  Delwyn Young went 3-5 with 2 runs and 5 RBI and his 4th homer.  Alvarez 3-5 3 runs and 3 RBI including a pair of ding-dongs (7).  Zach Duke went 6 strong with 2 earned runs to improve to 4-9.  George Kottaras hit homer number 8.  Casey McGehee and Carlos Gomez each had an RBI.  Lorenzo Cain was impressive in his limited time with the Crew, but was sent down to make room for Thursday’s starter.  

Yovani Gallardo returned for the finale to do what aces are supposed to do stop losing streaks.  Behind their ace the Brewers won 3-2.  Gallardo allowed 5 hits in 6 scoreless frames to improve to 9-4.  Ross Ohlendorf drops to 1-8 despite 6 innings of 1 run ball.  The Brewers scoring came via the long ball.  Prince Fielder hit a solo shot for his 24th.  Rickie Weeks 2-run shot is number 19 on the year.  Neil Walker went 2-3 with 2 RBI.  Pedro Alvarez was held in check with an 0-4.  John Axford picked up a 5-out save for number 13 on the year. 

Milwaukee is currently 44-53 with a 3-game home series against the Washington Nationals 42-54.   Fans of the two clubs have perceptions on opposite ends of the spectrum.  Washington is building momentum out of the basement with contributions from exciting young players.  Milwaukee is going nowhere fast with a combination of bad contracts and All-Stars on the trading block.  Friday is Chris Narveson 8-6 5.83 taking on Craig Stammen 2-4 5.50.  Saturday is Manny Parra 3-7 5.52 looking to rebound against J.D. Martin 1-5 4.14 ERA, while the finale has Dave Bush 4-8 4.34 against an opponent yet to be determined.

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White Sox don’t have enough for Fielder

If I had the task of dealing Prince Fielder, the White Sox wouldn’t be on my short list of potential suitors.  White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams is very aggressive in turning over his roster.  The problem is that the Sox don’t have what I’m looking for in return.  I want major league ready pitching. 

Daniel Hudson is a decent starting pitching prospect.  Hudson isn’t considered a top of the rotation hurler.  Dayan Viciedo is a corner infielder that needs to learn the strike zone and control his weight.  The 21-year old Cuban is batting .295 with a .295 OBP with the White Sox.  With more seasoning in the minors Viciedo could find his special purpose.  At 5’11” 240 lb is this type of frame you’d want at first base?  Gordon Beckham is another name mentioned as a possible piece to a deal.  I know as a fantasy owner how awful Beckham has been at the dish this season.  His .237 avg and .294 OBP isn’t what was expected of the 2nd year player.  Beckham’s power upside remains intriguing.  Tyler Flowers is the future behind the dish for the Sox and may be untouchable.  Flowers is currently at Triple-A Charlotte .228 avg. 16 bombs and 48 RBI.    

Lefty Santos Rodriguez was acquired in the Javier Vasquez trade. The 6’5” hurler has pitched in relief in Single-A for the Winston-Salem Dash.  With some tweaks is this a pitcher that could someday be in a big-league rotation?  57 strikeouts in 37.1 innings is a solid ratio.  David Holmberg is a 6’4” 220 lb lefty that’s pitching in the Rookie League for the Great Falls Voyagers.  His fastball is electric, but controlling it tends to be a problem.  Clevelan Santeliz has a live arm, but the righty hasn’t put up good numbers in Triple-A.  In 24 appearances striking out 28 while walking 22 isn’t going to earn a promotion to the show any time soon.  Part of the problem for the White Sox is that a number of young pitchers were given to the Padres as part of the Jake Peavy deal.    

The Brewers pitching staff is horrendous so any trades must involve major league ready pitching in return.  The White Sox have some interesting arms in the lower levels of the organization, but so do the Brewers.  If a trade goes down with Chicago for bats, then I believe the market for Fielder wasn’t that great.

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Brewers split series with the Braves

The Brewers split a 4 game series with the Braves.  Atlanta has the best home record in the National League at 32-12.  The bats came alive after the All-Star Break; however one spot in the starting rotation may have been lost in this series.    

The Brewers drop the opener 2-1 as all 3 runs came off solo shots Corey Hart 22, Martin Prado 11, and Chipper Jones 7.  Dave Bush got thru 6 frames with 5 strikeouts to drop to 4-7.  Jair Jurrjens went 6.2 innings to notch his 2^nd victory of the year (2-3).  Billy Wagner recorded his 21^st save. 

The Brewers rebounded in the 2nd game of the series with a 9-3 win.  The Crew peppered Tommy Hanson (8-6) for 4 runs 3 earned in 5 frames, then scored 5 more off the Atlanta pen.  Hanson drilled Prince Fielder in the thigh after Ryan Braun launched his 14th homer in the 3rd inning.  Braun and Fielder each with 2 RBI.  Carlos Gomez went 3-4 with 2 runs scored.  In the field was a different story as Gomez made a few errant throws.  Corey Hart 2-4 with a pair of runs.  Casey McGehee 3-5 with a run.  Melky Cabrera was the only Brave with 2 hits.  Randy Wolf allowed 3 earned runs in 6 innings to improve to 7-8.  Wolf struck out 4, gave out 3 free passes, and allowed 7 hits.       

Saturday’s 6-3 win was sparked by Corey Hart’s 3-run double in the 7th inning.  The Crew scored 5 in the 7^th as all 6 runs were charged to Tim Hudson 9-5.  The Atlanta starter went 6.2 innings before completely running out of gas.  Jonathan Lucroy 2-4 with a run.  Rickie Weeks 1-3 with a run, a walk, and 2 RBI.  Prince Fielder hit his 21st homer of the year in the 7th.  Prince was hit by Jonny Venters to start the 8th inning.  Venters and Bobby Cox were ejected by home plate umpire Angel Hernandez.  That’s back to back games Fielder was hit.  Without question, I would have drilled Jason Heyward or Troy Glaus in their first at-bat on Sunday.  Milwaukee used 4 pitchers in the contest.  Chris Narveson only 2 runs in 6 frames to improve to 8-6.  John Axford pitched 1.1 innings for his 11th save.

Before Sunday’s game Ken Macha and Bobby Cox met to discuss Fielder getting beaned in consecutive contests.  Macha also talked to baseball officials about the team getting hit so much.  The finale was an 11-6 rout as the Braves jumped out early and coasted to victory.  With score already 3-1 in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Brian McCann deposited an 0-2 pitch into the right field bleachers for a Grand Slam.  McCann now has 11 homers on the year and Matt Diaz blasted a 2-run shot for his 3rd.  McCann and Diaz combined to drive in 8 runs.  Omar Infante went 4-5 with 2 Runs and 2 RBI.  Manny Parra allowed 10 earned runs on 10 hits in 5.1 innings.  You could tell it wasn’t going to be good day for Parra; however he was left in to soak up some innings.  The loss drops Parra to 3-7 on the year.  Derek Lowe allowed 3 earned runs in 5.1 innings to improve to 10-8.  Rickie Weeks hit 2 solo shots off Lowe and now has 17 homers.  Weeks went 3-4 with 3 Runs and 2 RBI.  Prince Fielder hit his 22nd off Jesse Chavez.

The Brewers currently sit at 42-51 with a 4-game set coming up in Pittsburgh.  Chris Capuano 0-1 4.35 returns to the rotation to face Jeff Karstens 2-4 4.87 in the Monday opener.  Tuesday is Dave Bush 4-7 4.07 against Brad Lincoln 1-3 5.14.  Wednesday features a pair of southpaws Randy Wolf 7-8 4.56 vs. Zach Duke 3-9 5.38.  The finale is Yovani Gallardo 8-4 2.58 coming off the DL to face Ross Ohlendorf 1-7 4.62.

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Are Dodgers a potential trade partner?

In my quest to find potential trade partners for the Brewers, I got in touch with Ross Zelen of dodgerblueblog.com.  I saw LA as a potential suitor for Rickie Weeks, Randy Wolf, and Prince Fielder.  Zelen told me the Dodgers probably wouldn’t be interested in acquiring any of the trio due to cost.  LA is getting solid production at second base out of Blake Dewitt, Jamey Carroll, and Ronnie Belliard.  While Fielder would be an upgrade over Loney at first, the price wouldn’t be worth it.  Zelen was sad to see Wolf go, but recognized it was the right move. The lack of a quality 5^th starter could make some Dodger fans remorseful.  Wolf’s stats just don’t merit the price.  The only deal that would seem feasible is Trevor Hoffman for a low-level prospect.  I can’t wait to see what moves are made before the deadline.

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Pirates are ultimate slump buster

The Brewers bounce back with a 3-game sweep of the Pirates to enter the All-Star Break on a positive note.  Pittsburgh’s bullpen imploded as the Brewers won 2 of those games in walk-off fashion.  John Axford allowed runs in 2 of the contests, but helped this fantasy owner immensely in the series.  Axford is a member of Fall Guy Stuntman Association and helped with a pair of wins and a save.

In the opener the Brewers were down 4-2 entering the 8th inning, but scored runs in the 8th, 9th, and 10th to pull out the victory.  Prince Fielder blasted his 19th off Joel Hanrahan in the 8th inning.  George Kottaras hit an RBI Triple in the 9th off Octavio Dotel BS 4, and in the 10th, Ryan Braun hit an RBI Single off Evan Meek 4-3.  Doug Davis made his first start off the DL going 5 frames allowing 7 hits and 4 earned runs.  Lastings Milledge (2) and Andrew McCutchen (8) went big-fly off Davis.  John Axford picked up the win to improve to 4-1.  Paul Maholm went 7 strong for the Bucs allowing only 2 earned runs.  Corey Hart hit his 20th homer on the year.  Rickie Weeks scored a pair of runs.

Saturday saw the Crew win 4-3 as the heart of the order did major damage off Pirates starter Jeff Karstens.  Ryan Braun blasted number 12 and Prince Fielder hit his 20th.  Casey McGehee had an RBI Single and Craig Counsell hit a sac-fly.  Karstens allowed 4 earned runs with 6 free passes in 5 frames.  Karstens falls to 2-4.  Dave Bush allowed 2 earned runs in 6.1 innings to improve to 4-6.  John Axford allowed a run, but held on for his 10th save.  The Pirates had 2 homers as Garrett Jones hit his 11th, while Ryan Doumit hit number 8.  Andrew McCutchen drove in a run with a sac-fly.

Corey Hart’s 2-run shot in the bottom of the 9th sent us home (Section 127 Row 11 seat 18) with a 6-5 Brewers win.  His 21st homer of the year came off Pirates closer Octavio Dotel (BS 5) 2-2.  Milwaukee hit 3 home runs as Ryan Braun blasted number 13 off the Harley Davidson sign in left field and George Kottaras (7) hit a moon shot to right.  Randy Wolf toed the slab for the Crew allowing 4 earned runs and 7 hits in 6 frames.  Gopher balls did in Wolf as Lastings Milledge (3) and Pedro Alvarez (3) went yard.  John Axford picked up the win in relief to improve to 5-1.  Pirates starter Brad Lincoln was solid allowing 3 earned runs in 6 frames.  Ronny Cedeno went 3-4 with 2 runs scored.  Andrew McCutchen drove in a pair via the sac-fly.  The one thing that pissed me off was the amount of times Rick Peterson came out to the mound in this game.  He visited Wolf a couple of times and Braddock during a 1-0 count.  Wolf is more experienced than Lincoln, but his pitching coach came out to visit more.  I’ll have a longer rant on this topic in an upcoming post.

The Brewers enter the All-Star Break at 40-49.  Ryan Braun and Corey Hart will start in the All-Star Game.  Hart will also partake in the home run derby.  Last year Prince Fielder won the derby.  Yovani Gallardo is expected to attend the festivities, but won’t be participating in the exhibition game.

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Houston, we have a problem

The Brewers drop 2 of 3 at home to the Astros.  These are the types of series contending teams win.  When you look at Houston’s lineup there’s not much to get excited about.  From section 108 Row 18 Seat 5, I watched the Crew drop the opener 9-5.  Michael Bourn did most of the damage atop the lineup going 4-6 with 2 Runs, 2 RBI including his 1st homer of the season.  That ball was roped down the right field line.  Hunter Pence went 3-5 with 2 Runs and 2 RBI.  Pedro Feliz 3-5 with a pair of runs scored.  Carlos Lee 2-4 with 2 RBI.  Watching “El Caballo” running the bases is great.  On a passed ball he gingerly limped to second base.  Lee and Rickie Weeks both were laughing after the display of athleticism.  He runs like a player on RBI baseball for the NES.  Manny Parra toed the slab for the Crew allowing 4 earned runs in 5 innings.  He spends too much time putzing around with base runners.  Parra paid an awful lot of attention to Lee on the base paths.  Why pay attention to Lee?  Todd Coffey allowed 2 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning to fall to 2-2.  Bud Norris started for the Astros and gave up 5 runs 4 earned in 5 innings.  Gustavo Chacin picks up the win 1-0 in relief.  Ryan Braun went 2-4 with his 11th homer of the year.  Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart each had 3 hits.  Hart also drove in a pair. 

Milwaukee rebounded behind Yovani Gallardo’s boom stick to win 7-5.  Gallardo connected on his 3rd homer of the year.  The ace allowed 4 earned runs in 6 frames, while striking out 5.  Gallardo is now 8-3 on the campaign.  Brett Myers gave up 7 earned runs in 6 innings to drop to 5-6.  Prince Fielder hit 2 homers (17) and drove in 3 runs.  Rickie Weeks had a pair of RBI.  Michael Bourn feasted on Brewers pitching again going 2-4 with 2 Runs, and 2 RBI.  Pedro Feliz launched his 3rd homer of the year.  Lance Berkman 3-5 with 2 RBI.  Big Puma laced a run scoring double to center field off John Axford in the 9th inning.  Axford held on to pick up his 8th save, and then appeared on MLB Tonight on the MLB Network.  He talked about shaving his moustache because food was getting caught with Dan Plesac and Barry Larkin.

The finale saw Houston score 3 runs in the 7th inning to pull away from Milwaukee 5-1.  Lance Berkman drove in a run with a double and Chris Johnson drilled a 2-run double.  Johnson went 4-4 in the contest.  Geoff Blum was on base 4 times, 2-2 with 2 walks and 3 runs.  Wandy Rodriguez allowed 1 earned run in 7 frames with 6 strikeouts to improve to 5-10.  Dave Bush went 6 allowing 2 earned runs with 5 walks to drop to 3-6.  Carlos Villanueva allowed 3 hits and 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning to put the game out of reach.  Casey McGehee and Corey Hart each with 2 hits.  Hart extends his hitting streak to 15 games.

The Brewers are now 35-43 with a 4-game set coming up in St. Louis 43-35.  Randy Wolf 5-7 4.92 takes on Blake Hawksworth 2-4 5.11 ERA in the opener.  Friday is a pair of 7-4 southpaws Chris Narveson 5.17 against Jaime Garcia 2.27, while Saturday is Manny Parra 2-5 4.12 taking on Chris Carpenter 9-1 2.70.  The finale is Yovani Gallardo 8-3 2.56 vs. Adam Wainwright 11-5 2.34.  The first thing that stands out to me is the difference in ERA’s between the pitchers.  Secondly, the Brewers will send 3 consecutive lefties to the hill against Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Ryan Ludwick.  This isn’t a must win series for Milwaukee, but it’s close.

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Brewers sweep Twins

The Brewers are trying to make a statement at home with a 3-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins.  With the ebbs and flows of a 162 game season this is definitely one of the high points.   The key was the Brewers pitchers held the Twins first and second hitters in check.   Leadoff hitter Denard Span to 1-13 with 2 runs scored for the series.  Orlando Hudson went 1-12 with 2 BB and 1 Run.  Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau did their usual damage, but didn’t have as many ducks on the pond as usual.     

From Section 420 Row 11 seats 15-18 my family watched the Brewers win the opener 7-5.  Chris Narveson struggled allowing 3 runs before recording an out.  The southpaw stopped the bleeding going 5 innings to pick up the victory to improve to 6-4.  The Crew dropped a 4 spot of Scott Baker 6-6 in the 4th inning.  Casey McGehee with a 3-run shot number 12 on the year in that 4th inning.  Rickie Weeks blasted his 11th as well.  Jim Edmonds 3-4 scoring 2 runs.  Ryan Braun 3-4 1 run.  Justin Morneau and Delmon Young each with 2 hits and 2 RBI for the Twins.  John Axford picked up his 5th save of the year getting 6 outs. 
     
Tuesday’s 5-3 Brewers win over the Twins featured a head-scratching maneuver my Ken Macha.  With Jim Thome pinch-hitting in the 6th inning with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Macha pulled lefty Manny Parra for lefty Zach Braddock as part of a double switch.  Casey McGehee was pulled in favor of Craig Counsell.  Braddock ended up striking out Thome.  Braddock got 2 outs in the 7th inning and struck out 3 batters.  Milwaukee plated 3 off Francisco Lirano 6-5.  The Minnesota southpaw struck out 7.  Manny Parra allowed 2 earned runs in 5.2 innings to pick up the victory.  Parra looked upset after getting pulled by Macha, however the move worked.  Rickie Weeks 3-4 2 Runs 3 RBI.  Corey Hart and Alcides Escobar each with 2 hits.  Jonathan Lucroy scored twice.  Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau each with 3 hits.  Delmon Young drove in a pair.      John Axford allowed a run, but was able to hold on for his 6th save.  

Yovani Gallardo with a complete game shutout featuring 12 strikeouts in a 5-0 win to sweep the Twins.  Gallardo 7-3 didn’t allow a base runner until the 6th inning surrendering 5 hits.  Gallardo was dominant at the dish as well going 2-4 with 2 runs. Milwaukee hit a pair of 2 run shots in the 3rd inning.  Rickie Weeks launched number 12 and Prince Fielder blasted his 14th.  Nick Blackburn 6-5 allowed 5 earned in 3.2 innings.  Justin Morneau had 2 hits for the Twins.  Michael Cuddyer struck out 3 times. 

The Brewers have won 4 straight (32-40) and look to keep it going against the Mariners.  Dave Bush 2-5 4.67 toes the slab against Ryan Rowland-Smith 1-6 5.98.  Saturday is Randy Wolf 5-6 4.79 vs. Doug Fister 3-3 2.45.  The finale has Jason Vargas 6-2 2.66 going for Seattle.  The Brewers haven’t decided on their Sunday starter.

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Brewers take series from Angels

The Brewers start off the 6-game trip taking 2 of 3 from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  The Crew took the first two games of the series.  Milwaukee won the first game 12-2 as Ryan Braun (10) launched a grand slam in the 3rd inning.  Braun went 2-4 with 2 runs and 5 RBI.  Casey McGehee hit his 11th homer of the year.  Corey Hart 3-5 2 runs and 2 RBI.  Randy Wolf went 7 strong allowing only 2 earned runs.  He allowed 3 hits, walking 3 with 2 punch outs.  Wolf got back on track to improve to 5-6.  Joe Saunders (5-7) toed the slab for the Halos allowing 6 earned runs in 5.2 innings.  Trevor Bell came in to allow 5 more runs.  Howie Kendrick led the Angels going 2-3 with a run scored.  Angels shortstop Erick Aybar was injured on a slide by Casey McGehee late in the game.  Aybar suffered a hyper extended left knee.  I believe it was a clean play.

Game 2 saw the Crew score 6 runs after 2 innings in a 7-1 victory.  Prince Fielder blasted number 13 on the year.  Corey Hart with a 3-run double.  Ryan Braun, Jim Edmonds, Jonathon Lucroy, Craig Counsell, and Alcides Escobar each with 2 hits.  Dave Bush improves to 2-5 after going 7.1 and allowing only 1 earned run.  Ervin Santana (6-5) allowed 10 hits and 5 earned runs in 5 innings.  Kevin Frandsen went 2-3 for the Halos.

The Brewers ran into a buzz saw named Joel Pineiro (6-6) in a 5-1 loss.  Pineiro struck out 5 in 8 innings of 1-run ball.  The only blemish was a solo shot by Carlos Gomez 4 in the 3rd inning.  Milwaukee was only able to muster 3 hits.  Chris Narveson allowed 5 earned runs in 4.1 innings.  Mike Napoli 11 and Bobby Wilson 1 blasted homers.  Wilson’s was a 3-run shot.  The only positive from this game was that David Riske, Zach Braddock, and Trevor Hoffman each worked without any problems.

The Brewers are now 28-38 with a 3-game set coming up in Colorado.  The Brewers will miss Ubaldo Jimenez 12 wins, 1.16 ERA, and 0.98 WHIP entering play on Thursday.  Manny Parra 1-4 4.04 looks to continue building momentum as a starter against Jason Hammel 4-3 4.53.  Saturday is Yovani Gallardo 6-3 2.66 vs. Jeff Francis 2-2 3.29.  The finale has Randy Wolf 5-6 5.08 toeing the slab against Aaron Cook 2-4 5.15.

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Brewers lose home series to Rangers

The Brewers drop 2 of 3 at home to the Rangers.  Milwaukee sits at 26-37 on the year and ran into good starting pitching by the Rangers.  The much anticipated power surge by Prince Fielder was on full display.  Josh Hamilton’s bat looks to be heating up and I’m glad the series is over.     

The Brewers hit 4 bombs on their way to a 6-2 win in the series opener.  The blasts break down as such: Ryan Braun 9, Casey McGehee 10, Prince Fielder 10, and Corey Hart 17 all off Rich Harden (3-3).  The Rangers hurler went 6 innings allowing 6 earned runs.  Chris Narveson (5-3) toed the slab for the Crew going 7 frames with 4 strikeouts and 2 earned runs.  Vladimir Guerrero hit his 14th on the year and Michael Young with an RBI Double.

Saturday’s 4-3 loss was full of missed opportunities.  Rickie Weeks 3-4 with 1 Run and 1 RBI. Jonathon Lucroy 3-4 along with a run scored.  Manny Parra went 6 innings allowing 3 earned runs striking out 8 to drop to 1-4.  Scott Feldman 4-6 struck out 6 in 6 scoreless innings.  The Crew scored 2 runs in the ninth off closer Neftali Feliz in 1/3 of an inning.  However, Chris Ray SV 1 came in to slam the door for the final 2 outs.  Josh Hamilton struck out 3 times, but blasted his 14th homer on the year.  Ian Kinsler 2-5 with 2 runs.

Prince Fielder’s 2 solo shots (12) accounted for all the scoring in a 7-2 loss.  The other positive from this contest was that David Riske pitched in back to back games for the first time since returning to the club.  Yovani Gallardo (6-3) struck out 10 in 6 innings, but allowed 4 runs.  With the bases loaded in the 6th inning and 2-out I was expecting Rangers manager Ron Washington to pinch hit with Ian Kinsler for pitcher Colby Lewis.  The pitcher laced a single down the left field line to plate a pair of runs.  Lewis went 2-4 with 2 RBI and 1 run.  On the hill Lewis (6-4) went 8 frames with 10 punch outs and only 3 hits allowed.  Josh Hamilton 2-4 2 Runs and 3 RBI.  Hamilton launched #15 on the year. Justin Smoak 0-5 and 5 strikeouts.      

Up next for the Brewers is a cross country trip to play the Angels.  Monday is a pair of lefties to the hill Randy Wolf 4-6 5.31 vs. Joe Saunders 5-6 4.35.  Game 2 is Dave Bush 1-5 5.06 against Joel Pineiro 5-6 4.77.  The Brewers have yet to announce their starter, but Scott Kazmir 6-5 5.27 toes the slab for the Halos in the finale.  I’m looking forward to watching Mike Scioscia manage in this series.  For my money Scioscia is the best in the game today.

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