Site Status
Well, I have taken over the Daily Brew at BrewerFan.net and am still trying to figure out what the purpose of this site will be. I was considering mirroring the new content to Do The Brew, but I'm not sure if that is a good idea. Anyway, please keep an eye on the RSS feed for updates and hopefully I'll get everything squared away soon. And if you're looking for daily Brewers' analysis, don't miss the Daily Brew.
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2003 | Permanent Link
Sheets, Brewers Salvage Game Three
As is becoming the norm, Ben Sheets put together another quality start to help the Brewers rebound after poor outings from the bottom of their rotation. The 24-year old has been solid all season but he has been pressured to overachieve because of the ineptitude of the Crew's #4 and #5 starters. In fact, the Brewers have come into 12 of his 20 starts this year with a 2-game (or more) losing streak:
Date IP ER W/L ----------------------------- 04/05 7.0 5 L 04/15 8.0 1 W 04/25 7.0 5 W 04/30 6.0 6 L 05/10 6.0 2 W 05/15 8.0 1 L 05/25 8.0 4 L 06/10 7.0 2 L 06/20 8.0 0 W 06/25 6.0 4 W 07/01 6.0 2 L
In those situations, Sheets had racked up 6 quality starts but the team's record was only 5-6. Make that 7 quality starts and a 6-6 record, thanks to a fantastic outing on Sunday.
In the final game of a weekend series against the Rockies, Sheets went 7 strong innings and allowed only 1 run on 4 hits and a walk. The win improves his record to 7-6 and drops his ERA to a team-best 4.08. The only blemish on the right-hander's record came in the first when Juan Uribe and Todd Helton hit back-to-back doubles. Sheets struck out 6 and got 9 ground-ball outs compared to only 6 in the air, a significant achievement for the homer-prone ace.
The Brewers got on the board in the third when Scott Podsednik and Keith Ginter hit consecutive singles. With runners at first and third and one out, Geoff Jenkins lifted a 3-2 offering from Denny Stark to the warning track in left, scoring Podsednik from third. Richie Sexson followed with a grounder to third but Greg Norton threw it into right field, allowing Ginter to move to third. Stark got out of it, however, when John Vander Wal grounded out to first.
When Sheets was removed for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh, the game was still tied at one. Wanting to make sure their ace got a chance for the victory, the Crew put together a one out rally against former-closer Jose Jimenez. Scott Podsednik singled to left and stole second before Keith Ginter struck out swinging. Geoff Jenkins was walked intentionally to setup first and third and two outs for Richie Sexson. The big man came through on a 3-2 count and both runners moving with a double off the wall in right. John Vander Wal followed with a walk but Wes Helms grounded out to end the inning. Nonetheless, the Brewers were up 3-1 and Sheets had a chance to pick up his sixth win.
Dan Kolb made his first appearance since suffering a minor hamstring injury and was dominant. He got Mark Bellhorn to ground-out to first but limped back to the mound. After a brief visit from a trainer and Manager Ned Yost to make sure he was alright, Kolb struck out Juan Uribe and Todd Helton to end the inning.
The Rockies' brought in Joe Roa for the eighth and the former-Brewers-farmhand set down the side in order. Roa was 2-2 with a 4.83 ERA in 5 games with Triple-A Indianapolis but was signed to a Major League contract by Colorado on July 4th.
Coming off two blown saves in a row, Mike DeJean showed no signs of the struggles he has been enduring. The sinker-baller struck-out Preston Wilson and Greg Norton before retiring Jay Payton on a flyball to left. The save was DeJean's 17th in 23 tries.
Scott Podsednik's consecutive games reached streak was extended to 36 games after the centerfielder went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base. Keith Osik also had two hits for the Crew, who improve their record to 35-51. The loss drops Colorado to 46-44 but they have now won 4 of their last 5 series. They head to Arizona for a two-game series while the Brewers stay at home for a four-game series with Pittsburgh.
More Coverage:
Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2003 | Permanent Link
Late Inning Rally Comes Up Short
In another high-scoring slugfest, Colorado outlasted the Brewers Saturday to win game two of the series, 9-8. Rule 5 selection Matt Ford made his second start for Milwaukee and was roughed up by the high-scoring Rockies. He went 4 and two-thirds innings and surrendered 6 runs, 5 earned, on 8 hits and 2 walks. The 22-year old was put on an expanded pitch count and threw 82 pitches, his highest tally of the season.
The Rockies got things going right away on fireworks night at Miller Park when Ronnie Belliard and Chris Stynes led off the first with consecutive walks. Todd Helton made the most of an RBI opportunity by lacing a triple to left that got by the outstretched glove of Geoff Jenkins and rolled all the way to the wall. The young left-hander bounced back with a strikeout of dangerous Preston Wilson and got out of the inning unscathed after Larry Walker grounded out and Jay Payton popped to first.
After Darren Oliver set down the Brewers in order in the first, Mark Bellhorn greeted Ford with a double to left. Already down 2-0, Ford fought back and retired the next three hitters, stranding Bellhorn at second.
Richie Sexson and Brady Clark started off the bottom-half of the second with back-to-back singles. Wes Helms then hit the first pitch he saw from Oliver for a single to right. Not wanting to test the arm of Larry Walker or the knees of Sexson, third-base coach Rich Donnelly held the big man at third to load the bases. After taking a strike, catcher Keith Osik watched four pitches go by for balls and trotted to first for an RBI walk. Royce Clayton lined out to the pitcher and Brady Clark dove back to third, narrowly beating the throw from Oliver. With the bases loaded and one out, the Rockie pitcher walked Matt Ford on five pitches. It was Ford's first career RBI and it tied the score at two. After watching two bases-loaded-walks, Eric Young proceeded to swing at the first pitch he saw, grounding into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double-play.
With his first-inning troubles erased by the Brewers' rally, Ford pitched well in the third, allowing only a single to Todd Helton. The southpaw, who had an impressive 2.23 ERA in 22 appearances coming into the contest, struck out Larry Walker with a nasty slider to end the inning.
After Milwaukee failed to score in the bottom of the inning, Ford got Jay Payton to foul out to Sexson on the first pitch he threw in the fourth. Mark Bellhorn followed with a routine grounder to shortstop but Royce Clayton booted it for his seventh error of the year. The mistake proved costly as Charles Johnson launched a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left for a two-run homer. Ford got out of the inning without further damage but the Rockies had regained the lead, 4-2.
Wes Helms started things off in the home-half of the fourth with a scorching double to left center. Keith Osik moved him to third on a ground-out to second but Royce Clayton lined out to first and Matt Ford grounded out to shortstop, stranding Helms at third.
With his pitch count climbing, Ford got Todd Helton to fly out for the first out in the fifth. Preston Wilson followed with a single and Larry Walker did the same, taking an 0-1 pitch the other way. Needing a double-play ball to get out of the jam, Ford grooved one to Jay Payton and "Pocket Hercules" laced it to right center for a double that scored Wilson and Walker. With Payton in scoring position, Ford struck out Mark Bellhorn for the second out of the inning. Manager Ned Yost had gotten as much as he could out of his young pitcher and, not wanting to push his luck, brought in Luis Vizcaino. The right-hander did not disappoint, getting Charles Johnson to ground out to third.
Darren Oliver continued his dominance of the Brewers in the fifth and John Foster came on to face the Rockies in the sixth. The left-hander had not pitched since the first game of the recently-completed road trip, throwing a scoreless inning in the 9-1 meltdown on June 24th at Wrigley Field. Needing to put a zero on the board to keep his team in the game, Foster gave up a leadoff single to Darren Oliver. Ronnie Belliard then grounded to third where Wes Helms fielded it and threw to second to retire Oliver. Eric Young attempted to double-up Belliard but his throw ended up in the camera well and Belliard moved to second. With a runner in scoring position and one out, Foster got Chris Stynes to strikeout looking. Despite the rocky start, Foster had a chance to get out of it... but red-hot Todd Helton stood in his way. On the second pitch he saw, the All-Star first-baseman lined Foster's offering over the wall in right to give the Rockies an 8-2 lead. Preston Wilson followed with an infield single to third but Foster got Larry Walker swinging to end the inning.
After two quick outs, Wes Helms showed excellent patience in an eight-pitch at-bat and was rewarded with his 14th homer. Keith Osik grounded the first pitch he saw to second and just like that, the inning was over.
Needing to eat up some innings, Ned Yost brought in Brooks Kieschnick to try and quiet the Rockies' storm. The two-way workhorse had thrown 3 innings over the last two days and made short work of Jay Payton, Mark Bellhorn, and Charles Johnson. That's when the Brewers' hitters decided that enough was enough.
With Oliver finally through after six innings of 5-hit, 3-run baseball, Royce Clayton led off the seventh with a single to left against reliever Javier Lopez. Keith Ginter flied out to center but Lopez, who was drafted by the Red Sox in this winter's Rule 5 draft and later traded to the Rockies, then walked Eric Young and Scott Podsednik to load the bases. Colorado Manager Clint Hurdle removed the left-handed Lopez for Nelson Cruz, a 30-year old right-hander who came into the game with a 6.19 ERA. Bad decision. Geoff Jenkins hit a one-two breaking ball into the upper deck in right for a grand slam. Cruz struck out Richie Sexson and Brady Clark but the damage was done and the Crew was within one.
Coming off a terrible 3-hit, one-third-of-an-inning appearance a day earlier, left-hander Shane Nance struck out the side. In his second outing since being called back up to the big leagues, Nance did allow a walk to Chris Stynes but followed it up with a three-pitch strikeout of Todd Helton.
The bottom of the order couldn't do much against sometimes-closer Justin Speier. After Wes Helms struck out, Keith Osik and Royce Clayton both swung at the first pitch they saw, fouling out and flying out respectively.
Shane Nance came back out for the ninth looking to keep his team within one. After retiring Preston Wilson and Larry Walker, the 25-year old Texan left one up in the zone and Jay Payton made him pay with a solo shot to left. Nance rebounded to get Greg Norton looking but the mistake proved costly.
Needing two runs to tie the game, pinch-hitter Eddie Perez struck out against Brian Fuentes, a 27-year old left-hander getting his fourth save opportunity of the season. With one out and nobody on, Eric Young crushed a 2-1 pitch into deep left-field that narrowly cleared the wall and the outstretched glove of Jay Payton. With the lead cut in half, Fuentes hunkered down and struck out Scott Podsednik and Geoff Jenkins on 6 pitches.
Darren Oliver improved his record to 6-5 with the win and the save was Fuentes' second. Matt Ford got the loss, his first as a Brewer. Wes Helms broke out of an extended slump with a 3-for-4 night and Scott Podsednik extended his consecutive games reached streak to 35 with a walk in the seventh. Despite the loss, the Rockies' skipper had high praise for the Crew. "That's a different team than Brewers teams we've seen in the past," Hurdle said. "I don't care what their record is. They play hard." Unfortunately, this late inning rally came up a run short.
30,731 took in the action at Miller Park and most stayed till its completion on Fireworks Night. The loss drops the Brewers to 34-51 and the win moves the Rockies to 46-43.
More Coverage:
Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2003 | Permanent Link
The 2002 Rule 5 Draft: A Retrospective
For teams in the midst of rebuilding, the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 draft can be a blessing or a curse. By acquiring young, cheap prospects from teams with surplus talent, teams like Milwaukee can bolster their farm systems with relative ease. The cost? Fifty-thousand dollars and a spot on the 25-man roster for each player selected. By virtue of their league-worst record in 2002, the Brewers received the first pick in this year's draft and used it to acquire infielder Enrique Cruz from the New York Mets.
Cruz, along with second-round pick Matt Ford, have both remained on the Brewers' roster throughout the year and will likely remain there for the rest of 2003. If that occurs, they become property of the Milwaukee Brewers. If not, they must be offered back to the team they were drafted from. At the midway point in the season, it is instructive to look back at the players selected in last winter's draft and evaluate their progress thus-far.
There were 17 first-round picks, 8 second-round picks, and 3 third-round picks in the Major League phase of the draft for a total of 28 players. The following is an overview of each player's progress and an update on which players have remained with their drafting teams.
Enrique Cruz | SS/IF | Milwaukee Brewers from New York Mets
The 21-year old, who became the first position player ever selected with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft, was signed to a contract extension by Milwaukee on June 4th. The Dominican-native has appeared in 39 games and has a .104 batting average in 48 at-bats. Cruz, who spent the 2002 season at high-A St. Lucie of the Florida State League, has played solid defense but is clearly overmatched at the plate.
Hector Luna | SS | Tampa Bay Devil Rays from Cleveland Indians
Another 21-year old Dominican-born shorstop, Luna was returned to the Indians on April 2nd. After spending the 2002 season with the Kinston Indians of the high-A Carolina League, Luna played well during Spring Training, posting a .310 average and .747 OPS in 18 games. He has spent 2003 at Double-A Akron where he has posted mediocre numbers and committed 24 errors.
Buddy Hernandez | RHP | San Diego Padres from Atlanta Braves
The Oakland A's acquired Hernandez from the Padres on draft day for infielder Jose Flores. The 24-year old was returned to Atlanta in March and has posted a 3-3 record and 3.83 ERA in 36 relief appearances for Triple-A Richmond.
Wil Ledezma | LHP | Detroit Tigers from Boston Red Sox
The 22-year old Venezuelan southpaw has been a pleasant surprise on an otherwise dismal Tigers' team. In 20 relief appearances, Ledezma is 2-2 with a 4.05 ERA and 35 hits allowed in 40 innings. His solid pitching, which includes a 1.28 WHIP and 27 strikeouts to go against only 16 walks, has earned him a spot in the starting rotation. He is likely to make his first start on Tuesday against the White Sox.
Derek Thompson | LHP | Chicago Cubs from Cleveland Indians
In another draft-day move, the Cubs traded Thompson to the Dodgers for cash. Unfortunately, the first round pick of the Indians' in the 2000 amateur draft suffered a season-ending elbow injury before making his Major League Debut. He is on the 60-day DL and will likely remain with the Dodgers.
D.J. Carrasco | RHP | Kansas City Royals from Pittsburgh Pirates
Drafted in 1999 by the Pirates, Carrasco has become a staple of Kansas City's young pitching staff. In 28 relief appearances spanning 42.1 innings, the right-hander has posted a 3.61 ERA and .224 batting average allowed. Already 26, Carrasco spent the last two seasons dominating the Carolina League with the Lynchburg Hillcats.
Matt Roney | RHP | Pittsburgh Pirates from Colorado Rockies
Roney, along with Indians' first-round selection Travis Chapman, were dealt on draft day to Detroit. In 25 games, the 23-year old from Tulsa, Oklahoma, has a 1-2 record and a 3.40 ERA. He is 1-1 in 3 starts but has been pitching out of the bullpen for most of the year. Opposing hitters have managed only a .210 clip against him but the base-on-balls has been his nemesis, surrendering 22 in 25 innings to go along with 25 strikeouts.
Victor Hall | OF | Colorado Rockies from Arizona Diamondbacks
Hall was traded to the Astros for 30-year old reliever Nelson Cruz. In 17 games for Colorado, Cruz has posted a 3-4 record and a 6.19 ERA. He has battled a shoulder injury and has bounced between the starting rotation and bullpen. Hall, on the other hand, was returned to Arizona in March after clearing waivers. The 22-year old left-hander struggled mightily in 21 Spring Training games, managing only a .219 average and striking out in nearly a third of his at-bats. The slick-fielding outfielder was sent back to El Paso for his second stint at Double-A and has put up solid numbers, including a .292 batting average and .350 on-base percentage.
Marshall McDougall | SS/IF | Texas Rangers from Cleveland Indians
The former-Florida State college standout was offered back to the Indians but they declined to take him back and he is now at Double-A Frisco in the Rangers' system. His numbers are nothing spectacular but the 24-year old, who won the MVP of the College World Series in 1999, is a valuable acquisition.
Travis Chapman | 1B/3B | Cleveland Indians from Philadelphia Phillies
A 2000 draft choice out of Mississippi State, Chapman was part of the Matt Roney trade to Detroit. He hit only .172 in limited action with Detroit during Spring Training and was returned to the Phillies on March 26th. He is currently hitting .294 with 8 home runs for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Luke Prokopec | RHP | Cincinnati Reds from Los Angeles Dodgers
The 25-year old Australian has pitched in the Majors on three separate occasions with the Dodgers and Blue Jays and has put up a career 5.30 ERA in 231 innings. He has remained on the 60-day DL sine February with a shoulder injury and recently tore his labrum for a second time in a bullpen session. He will require another surgery and is out for the season.
Aquilino Lopez | RHP | Toronto Blue Jays from Seattle Mariners
Though he has struggled over the last month, the Blue Jays have kept Lopez in the bullpen all season and he has appeared in 40 games. The Dominican-born 28-year old is 1-2 with a 4.53 ERA and is seventh in the AL with 12 holds.
Javier Lopez | LHP | Boston Red Sox from Arizona Diamondbacks
A fourth round selection in 1998 out of the University of Virginia, Lopez was traded to the Rockies in March for RHP Ryan Cameron. The 25-year old Cameron is 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA in 25 appearances at Triple-A Pawtucket. Lopez, a 25-year old Puerto Rican whose submarine motion makes him brutal on left-handed hitters, has a 3.94 ERA in 40 appearances for Colorado. The groundball-specialist has allowed only 5 walks in 32 innings while striking out 25.
Luis Ayala | RHP | Montreal Expos from Arizona Diamondbacks
A veteran Mexican leaguer, Ayala has put together a solid season out of the Montreal bullpen. His 3.09 ERA is impressive but even more so is his miniscule 0.83 WHIP. In fact, the 25-year old has allowed only 3 walks in his 35 innings of work this year. He is currently on the disabled list with inflammation is his shoulder.
Jose Morban | SS | Minnesota Twins from Texas Rangers
The switch-hitting Dominican shortstop was placed on waivers in March by the Twins and was quickly snatched up by the Orioles. Like Enrique Cruz, he has struggled in very limited playing time but has remained on the 25-man roster. In 25 games, Morban has 12 at-bats and only one hit - a solo home run on April 19th against Tampa Bay.
Mike Neu | RHP | Oakland Athletics from Cincinnati Reds
Neu, a 25-year old out of Miami, has appeared in 19 games for the A's and posted a 3.76 ERA. The reliever has put up gaudy save totals in his four year minor league career but has pitched mostly in mop-up situations for Oakland.
Chris Spurling | RHP | Atlanta Braves from Pittsburgh Pirates
The last pick of the first round was dealt to the Tigers on March 25th for pitcher Matt Coenen. Coenen, a 23-year old left-hander, has a 2.23 ERA in 9 starts at Class-A Myrtle Beach. Spurling has appeared in 25 games out of Detroit's bullpen, putting up an 0-1 record and a 4.85 ERA. He started 15 games for Double-A Altoona in 2001 but was moved to the closer role in 2002. At 25, he made 51 appearances and racked up 20 saves.
Matt Ford | LHP | Milwaukee Brewers from Toronto Blue Jays
The first pick of the second round has been solid for Milwaukee this year. The 22-year old spent 2002 in Class-A Dunedin of the Florida State League where he went 9-5 with a 2.37 ERA in 18 starts. He has spent most of 2003 in the bullpen and has actually improves on his minor league statistics. In 22 games, Ford has posted a 2.23 ERA and a .217 batting average against and has earned a spot in the Brewers' beleaguered rotation.
Shane Victorino | OF | San Diego Padres from Los Angeles Dodgers
The 22-year old Hawaiian centerfielder played in 36 games for the Padres but hit only .151 with an anemic OPS of .410. San Diego shipped him back to Los Angeles and the speedster is now playing for Double-A Jacksonville. After 33 games, he is hitting .321 with 7 steals and 10 extra-base hits.
Ronny Paulino | C | Kansas City Royals from Pittsburgh Pirates
The Dominican-born 22-year old was returned to Pittsburgh in March after doing well in very limited opportunities in Spring Training with Kansas City. He has struggled at Double-A Altoona, hitting only .210 with 4 homers and 12 runs scored through 36 games.
John Koronka | LHP | Texas Rangers from Cincinnati Reds
Selected out of high school in the 12th round of the 1998 draft by the Reds, Koronka appeared in 5 Spring Training games for Texas but his 6.75 ERA got him sent back to Cincinnati. He has a 4-3 record and a 3.53 ERA in 9 starts with Double-A Chattanooga.
Blake Williams | RHP | Cincinnati Reds from St. Louis Cardinals
The 24th overall pick in the 2000 draft, Williams appeared in only 4 innings with the Reds in Spring Training before finding himself back with St. Louis. The 24-year old is 2-8 with a 4.23 ERA with the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Class-A Florida State League.
Gary Majewski | RHP | Toronto Blue Jays from Chicago White Sox
A 2nd round pick by the White Sox in 1998, Majewski appeared in 5 Spring Training games with the Jays and posted a 6.35 ERA. He was shipped back to the White Sox in March and the 23-year old reliever is struggling this season at Triple-A Charlotte.
Matt White | LHP | Boston Red Sox from Cleveland Indians
The 25-year old has had quite a busy summer. After posting a 27.00 ERA in 3 appearances for the Red Sox, he spent most of May on a minor league rehab assignment. He was designated for assignment on June 3rd and then traded from the Red Sox to the Mariners for outfielder Sheldon Fuse. In Seattle, he cut his ERA down to 13.50 in 3 more appearances but was mercifully returned to the Indians on June 30th. All told, he surrendered 13 hits (including 3 home runs and 5 walks) and 14 runs (all earned) in 5.2 innings of work, and he did not strike out a batter.
Rontrez Johnson | OF | Oakland Athletics from Texas Rangers
The 26-year old outfielder spent his first 6 seasons in the minors with Boston before moving to Texas. He was waived by Oakland in March and picked up by the Royals. He went 1-for-3 in eight games with KC but was returned to Texas in April. He has spent the rest of 2003 with Triple-A Oklahoma and is hitting .233 with 5 homers in 63 games.
Jerome Gamble | RHP | Cincinnati Reds from Boston Red Sox
A fourth round selection in 1998 by the Red Sox, Gamble was returned by Cincinnati on March 7th. He was 1-2 with a 1.82 ERA in 14 starts last year with Augusta in the Class-A South Atlantic League but has struggled a bit in 2003 with Double-A Sarasota. In 5 starts, he is 0-2 with a 4.70 ERA.
Jason Dubois | OF | Toronto Blue Jays from Chicago Cubs
The 6-foot-4 Dubois was returned to Chicago in March and has spent the season at Double-A West Tennessee. He is hitting .289 with 9 homers and 39 runs scored in 78 games.
Adrian Brown | OF | Boston Red Sox from Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Sent down to the minors by the Red Sox in March, the 29-year old Brown is hitting .266 with 17 steals at Triple-A Pawtucket.
Of the 28 players selected, 6 were infielders, 5 were outfielders, and 17 were pitchers. Of those, 14 players remain on MLB rosters - 3 infielders, 0 outfielders, and 11 pitchers. Two of those 11, Derek Thompson and Luke Prokopec, are on the disabled list. The Brewers are the only team with two Rule 5 selections on their MLB roster.
It remains to be seen whether Enrique Cruz and Matt Ford will turn into bona-fide big league contributors. Regardless, the fact that the new Brewers' regime is willing to partake in the Rule 5 process is indicative of their commitment to rebuilding the club's farm system. In that regard, the Crew is definitely on the right path.
Posted on Saturday, July 05, 2003 | Permanent Link
Rockies Win Ugly At Miller Park
It took 3 hours and 48 minutes to resolve and the two teams combined to throw 409 pitches. There were 13 walks, 25 hits, 14 runs, and 26 runners left on base. It was ugly, but the Rockies prevailed 8-6 over the Brewers on Independence Day in front of more than 21,000 at Miller Park.
Dave Burba got his second start of the season but managed to go only 4 innings. The veteran gave up 3 earned runs, all in the first inning, but threw 104 pitches while walking 4 and allowing 4 hits. The right-hander again had trouble keeping the ball down in the strike zone, surrendering 8 flyballs compared with only 2 on the ground.
The Rockies got things going right out of the box when Burba hit Chris Stynes with a pitch. Todd Helton singled to right and both runners advanced a station on a passed ball by crossed-up Eddie Perez. Preston Wilson laced a double to center that scored Stynes and Helton and gave the Rockies a quick 2-0 lead. Larry Walker flied out to left for the second out of the inning but Jay Payton hammered a 2-1 pitch from Burba into right-field to score Wilson. Juan Uribe struck out to end the inning but the Crew had spotted Colorado 3 tallies before even getting an at-bat.
Facing rookie right-hander Aaron Cook, the Brewers wasted no time getting the offense going in support of Burba. Eric Young led off with a walk and Scott Podsednik followed with a solid single to left. Geoff Jenkins grounded to shortstop but Podsednik broke up the double play to setup runners at the corners with only one out. Richie Sexson walked after a 7-pitch at-bat to load the bases and John Vander Wal hit his fourth career grand slam into the bullpen in left. Just like that, the Brewers were on top of the Rockies 4-3.
Finding himself with the lead, Burba continued to make things exciting. He allowed two baserunners in the second and three in the third but managed to wiggle out of both jams before setting down the side in order in the fourth. Nonetheless, Burba's outing was disappointing in that it again forced Yost to go to the bullpen early. With Matt Ford pitching after him in the rotation on a restricted pitch count, it is important for Burba to get deeper into ballgames.
The Brewers got things going again in the fourth with a two-out double by Scott Podsednik. The centerfielder extended his hitting streak to nine-games and has now reached base in 34 consecutive contests. Geoff Jenkins followed with a hard grounder to first that ate up Todd Helton and dribbled into right. Podsednik scored on the play, which was ruled an error, and Jenkins was safe at first. Richie Sexson followed with a blast to left that slammed off the wall for a double, moving Jenkins to third. The Rockies intentionally walked John Vander Wal to load the bases but Wes Helms grounded out to second.
In the fifth, reliever Shane Nance made his first appearance since being called up a day earlier to replace the traded Curtis Leskanic. After getting ahead 0-2 against the first batter he faced, Preston Wilson launched a 1-2 offering from Nance onto the concourse in left center for his 19th home run of the year. The left-hander then got Larry Walker to ground-out to second but was unable to get out of the inning. After consecutive singles by Jay Payton and Juan Uribe, Ned Yost brought in Brooks Kieschnick to face the right-handed hitting Bobby Estalella. Kieschnick struck him out on a 3-2 pitch but the runners were moving and Eddie Perez rushed his throw; the error allowed Payton to score. Greg Vaughn pinch hit for the pitcher with a runner at second base but Kieschnick struck him out on three pitches. When the dust settled, the Rockies had climbed back to tie the game at 5.
In the bottom half of the frame, the Brewers got one back when Royce Clayton homered off of Jose Jimenez to straight-away center. After Kieschnick set down the side in the top of the sixth, the Crew got things going again with a leadoff single by Geoff Jenkins. With two outs and Jenkins still at first, Wes Helms lined a single to right and Eddie Perez walked to load the bases. With a chance to give Milwaukee a cushion, Royce Clayton grounded one softly back to the pitcher to end the rally.
Valerio De Los Santos continued his inspired pitching in the seventh. The left-hander consistently hit 95 miles per hour on his fastball and he struck out two to go along with a single walk in his inning of relief.
After the Brewers went down quietly in the bottom of the inning, Leo Estrella came on to pitch the eighth. The first batter he faced, pinch hitter Greg Norton, laced a 2-2 pitch from the usually-automatic Estrella into the upper deck in right to tie the game. The sinkerballer came back to retire Ronnie Belliard on a ground-out to shortstop but his struggles continued when Mark Bellhorn hit the first pitch he saw into right-center for a double. Todd Helton was walked intentionally but Estrella couldn't find the zone against Preston Wilson and walked him on four pitches. With the bases loaded and one out, Larry Walker hit a pop-fly to shallow left that Geoff Jenkins caught on the foul line with a diving attempt. With a chance to get out of the jam unscathed, Estrella walked Jay Payton, again on four pitches, to score the go-ahead run. The next hitter, Juan Uribe, got the benefit of the doubt on a close pitch and drew another walk, this one on 8 pitches.
Manager Ned Yost had seen enough and he brought in Luis Vizcaino. Estrella was tossed from the game on his way to the dugout when his animated complaints were deemed inappropriate by homeplate umpire Mark Carlson. Yost came to Estrella's defense and was quickly thrown out himself for the second time this year. Cooler heads eventually prevailed and Vizcaino got Bobby Estalella to fly out to left, ending the inning.
With the Rockies up 8-6, the Brewers were unable to muster any offense in the eighth. Vizcaino came back out for the ninth and allowed two seeing-eye singles before setting down the side. Colorado brought in Justin Speier in the home half of the inning and he retired the bottom third of the order with ease for his third save of the year.
Every Brewer in the starting lineup had at least one hit and John Vander Wal led the way with a 2-for-4 showing that included 4 RBI and a walk. Scott Podsednik continued his hot hitting, going 2-for-5, and Geoff Jenkins had two hits and a highlight reel catch in left.
Mark Bellhorn, who came on in the second to replace the injured Chris Stynes, led the Rockies with a 3-for-4 day, a walk, and a run scored. Jay Payton was 2-for-4 with 2 walks and 2 RBI while Todd Helton and Preston Wilson each had a pair of hits and a walk. Former-Brewer Ronnie Belliard, hitting in the leadoff spot, was 0-for-6.
July 4th has not been kind to the Brewers over their 23 year history. The loss drops their all-time mark on this day to 11-21, and only once in the team's history has the club been on top of their division on the Fourth of July (1975).
1970 - L 8-6 vs Kansas City
1971 - W 4-0 vs Minnesota
1972 - W 4-2 at California
1973 - L 10-7 at Baltimore
1974 - W 15-3 vs Cleveland
1975 - L 8-2 at Detroit
1976 - L 3-1 vs Boston
1977 - L 5-0 vs Minnesota
1978 - L 7-2 at Minnesota
1979 - L 4-2 at New York Yankees
1980 - L 2-0 vs California
1981 - No Game
1982 - L 4-1 vs Boston
1983 - W 8-3 at Cleveland
1984 - W 4-2 vs Seattle
1985 - L 7-1 at Seattle
1986 - W 5-4 vs Oakland
1987 - W 2-1 at California
1988 - L 3-1 vs Minnesota
1989 - W 4-3 at Boston
1990 - W 7-1 vs Oakland
1991 - L 3-0 at Cleveland
1992 - No Game
1993 - L 4-3 at Minnesota
1994 - L 3-2 at Chicago
1995 - L 5-3 at Oakland
1996 - L 4-1 at New York Yankees
1997 - L 13-1 vs Minnesota
1998 - L 6-5 at Philadelphia
1999 - W 4-3 at Pittsburgh
2000 - L 7-4 vs Philadelphia
2001 - L 7-2 vs St. Louis
2002 - W 5-4 at Cincinnati
2003 - L 8-6 vs Colorado
Darren Oliver will go for the Rockies on Saturday against 22-year old Matt Ford. Oliver is 5-5 with a 4.84 ERA in 16 starts this year. The veteran left-hander is coming off of three consecutive quality starts and, like Aaron Cook, has put up significantly better numbers at home (4-0, 3.27 ERA) than on the road (1-5, 6.25 ERA).
The Rockies improve to 45-43 on the year and 14-28 on the road. Milwaukee falls to 34-50 and 15-28 at home. The 2002 team lost its 50th game on June 26th when their record dropped to 27-50. After 84 games, the 2002 club had 31 wins.
More Coverage:
Posted on Friday, July 04, 2003 | Permanent Link
Brewers Return Home To Face Rockies
The Brewers begin a three-game series today against the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park. The two teams are meeting for the first time this year and will get together again later this month in Denver. The Crew split the season series last year by sweeping the Rockies at Miller Park. Colorado is 22-19 all-time against the Brewers but Milwaukee is 13-7 at home.
Veteran Dave Burba will make his second start while rookie Aaron Cook goes for Colorado. Burba went 5 and two-thirds innings against Minnesota last Saturday and gave up 3 earned runs on 9 hits and a walk. Several Rockies hitters have had success against the 37-year old:
AB AVG HR OPS -------------------------------------------- Greg Vaughn - 22 .227 3 1.075 Greg Norton - 21 .333 0 .820 Larry Walker - 19 .474 2 1.531 Chris Stynes - 10 .300 0 .600
Burba will have to do a better job of keeping the ball low in the strike zone in order to stop the high-scoring Rockies, a team that is second in the National League in runs scored. Todd Helton leads the team with a .333 batting average and a .994 OPS. Preston Wilson is hitting .301 with 18 homers and 73 runs batted in, placing him second in the NL behind Albert Pujols. Jay Payton, Larry Walker, and Charles Johnson are also having strong 2003 campaigns.
The Rockies' sport two former-Brewers on their 25-man roster. Ronnie Belliard, who was drafted by the Crew in 1994 and remained in the organization until 2002, signed with Colorado in the off-season and has earned a starting spot in the Rockies' infield. The 28-year old is hitting .323 with an on-base percentage of an even .400. While Belliard had little success with Milwaukee, Greg Vaughn is another story. The 38-year old signed a minor league contract with Colorado in April and was called up to the big leagues on June 4th. A 1986 draft pick by the Brewers, the 38-year old spent 7+ seasons in Milwaukee and was a consistent run producer. In just over ten professional seasons, the slugger has averaged 33 home runs and 101 RBIs to go along with a .242 average.
Aaron Cooke, a 24-year old right-hander, made 5 starts in 2002 and posted a respectable 2-1 record and 4.54 ERA. The youngster earned a spot in the Rockies' rotation this year but has struggled to get opposing hitters out. In 76.2 innings, he's allowed 97 hits and 37 walks to post a 2-6 record and an ERA of 5.63. He was sent down to the minor leagues on June 17th and was recalled just this past Wednesday. Interestingly enough, he has had more success in the unfriendly confines of Coors Field than he has on the road:
W-L ERA AVG ------------------------------- Home - 2-0 5.55 .295 Road - 0-6 5.71 .326
The Rockies are coming off a four-game split against the Arizona Diamondbacks and the club is 5-5 in its last ten. With a 44-43 record, the Rockies' are 8.5 games back of the Giants for the NL West lead and are 3 games behind the Dodgers for third place in the competitive division. The series in Milwaukee will be followed with a brief two-game stint at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix before the team returns home to Coors for five games against rivals San Francisco and Los Angeles.
After a ten-day, nine-game road trip, Milwaukee is at home for 10 games in ten days against the Rockies, Pirates, and Reds. The team is 15-27 at home and 34-49 overall.
Posted on Friday, July 04, 2003 | Permanent Link
Podsednik Shines On Road Trip
When Scott Podsednik made the Brewers' roster this spring, most fans didn't notice. If they did, the most common reaction was probably straight out of Major League: "I've never even heeeeaaard of this guy!" And, quite frankly, the 27-year old veteran of Triple-A probably hadn't done much to earn the attention of Major League baseball fans.
"I knew his name, but I didn't know who he was or what he was capable of doing," manager Ned Yost said. "I knew [General Manager] Doug [Melvin] picked him up on a waiver deal. Doug liked him and thought he would give us some versatility at the Triple-A level. If we got in trouble and one of our outfielders got hurt, we could bring him up."
Nonetheless, the outfielder earned a Major League roster spot after a so-so spring training because of an injury to Geoff Jenkins. Still, it seemed unlikely that the inexperienced Podsednik would get much playing time in his spot as a fifth-outfielder.
That all changed on May 13th when Milwaukee benched beleaguered under-achiever Alex Sanchez and gave Scott Podsednik the starting job in center-field. A few days later, Sanchez was dealt to the Tigers and the center-field spot was Scott's to win or lose. And win it he did.
The soft-spoken native of West, Texas, took nothing for granted and has made the most of his first opportunity to play everday in the big leagues. Since joining the starting lineup, his statistics have climbed at a rapid pace and the recent roadtrip against three division leaders was icing on the cake:
AVG OBP SLG OPS ----------------------------------------- Last 9 .432 .523 .568 1.091 Season .324 .403 .448 .851
The rookie managed 16 hits over the nine-game road trip including 3 doubles and a triple. He knocked in 6 runs and scored 9 times, contributing at least one run in 7 of the team's 9 games. He struck out only 4 times to go along with 7 walks and 3 stolen bases. He did, however, get caught stealing twice and was picked off on another occasion.
Over the course of the series, Podsednik improved his batting average by 24 points, his on-base percentage by 25 points, and his slugging percentage by 28 points.
He leads the Brewers in batting average, on-base percentage, and triples and is second in steals. He has also climbed his way onto the league leaders list in the National League and is leading several categories among rookies.
AVG OBP SB OPS R 3B BB ---------------------------------------------------- NL (Total) 7th 10th 5th --- --- 4th --- NL Rookies 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 1st 1st ML Rookies 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd
He also leads all MLB rookies in pitches per plate appearance, Runs Created per 27 outs, bases-on-balls per plate appearance, and bases-on-balls per strikeout.
Despite the gaudy statistics, pundits have been slow to jump on the bandwagon. The blue-collar Texan lacks the flair of Marlins' rookie Dontrelle Willis and most discussions of NL Rookie of the Year include Brandon Webb of Arizona, Xavier Nady of San Diego, and Ty Wigginton of the Mets - but not Podsednik. While his statistics are head and shoulders above the other hitters (Nady and Wigginton), it remains to be seen whether he will get the national exposure necessary to make a viable case for the award.
Coming into 2003, Podsednik had racked up a total of 26 major league at-bats. He now has more than 10 times that number and will likely rack up another 300 before the year is done.
"When you can get in there and know that you are going to get four at bats every day, you can really sit back and concentrate on your approach and try to stay consistent with it," Podsednik has said. "I'm going to try and not get too high or too low, stay on a level keel and I'm still going to try to learn as much as possible about me and the league."
The Brewers are immensely pleased with their waiver-wire pickup. "He's a perfect example of what we are trying to accomplish here," says skipper Ned Yost. "He's a kid that has tremendous work ethic, tremendous drive to win and is a very good situational baseball player in all aspects of the game."
Scott will look to keep his streak of 33-games in which he reached base alive Friday against the Rockies.
Posted on Friday, July 04, 2003 | Permanent Link
Road Trip Ends In Disappointment
Coming off a complete game win against his former team, Matt Kinney had a chance to give the Brewers a series victory Thursday night against the rival Astros. Alas, it was not meant to be.
The 28-year old right-hander was making his 15th start of the season, already three more than he made all of last year. Despite allowing only 5 hits, Kinney gave up 6 earned runs in his 6 innings of work. Houston took advantage of four walks and made the most of their measly hit total.
The Brewers got off to an early lead against Houston rookie Jeriome Robertson. The left-hander set down the first four hitters he faced but allowed a one-out single to Brady Clark in the top half of the second. Wes Helms, who has been anemic at the plate during the Brewers' recent road trip, followed with a solid double to left that moved Clark to third. Eddie Perez got under a 3-1 offering from Robertson and lofted it into center, scoring Clark and putting the Crew up 1-0. The Astros intentionally walked Royce Clayton, the fourth time this season that the weak-hitting shortstop has been given an intentional free pass. Interestingly enough, that total ties his career mark set back in 1996 and again in 1997. In this situation, however, the move payed off as Matt Kinney remained hitless for his career with a 3-pitch strikeout.
After Kinney retired the Astros in order in the third, the Brewers' bats got right back into it. Eric Young led off the inning with a walk and Scott Podsednik, who was playing in front of family and friends from nearby West (TX), followed with a single to center. Geoff Jenkins grounded into a fielder's choice for the first out of the inning and Richie Sexson came to the plate with runners at the corners. On the first pitch he saw from Robertson, the slugger launched a deep fly ball to the warning track in left, scoring EY from third. Brady Clark grounded out to end the inning but the Brewers' had given Kinney an early 2-0 lead.
Unfortunately, the lead was short-lived. After getting the first two outs in the bottom of the third with relative ease, Kinney fell behind Craig Biggio and walked him on five pitches. Geoff Blum, who has been playing second base during the series in place of injured Jeff Kent, followed with a single to center. With Jeff Bagwell at the plate, Kinney fed the power hitter a steady diet of breaking pitches before hanging one on 1-2 that Bagwell golfed one-handed into the left field seats. Just like that, the Brewers were down 3-2.
Kinney faced the minimum in the fourth thanks to a double-play that erased another of his 4 bases-on-balls. In the fifth, his luck wasn't so good. Adam Everett popped out for the second time in as many at-bats but pitcher Jeriome Robertson looped an opposite-field single into left. Kinney walked Biggio for the second time and it again came back to haunt him. After a first-pitch ball, Geoff Blum hammered the right-hander's offering into the seats in right for another 3-run homer. Kinney battled back to retire Bagwell and Lance Berkman but he left the game with the Astros up 6-2.
The Brewers mustered a brief rally in the sixth but it wasn't until the eighth that they managed to chase Robertson from the game. After Geoff Jenkins flied out to lead off the inning, Richie Sexson hit his 23rd home run of the year to left-center. Unlike Tuesday, the odd dimensions of Minute Maid Park were unable to keep this tape measure shot in play. Unfortunately, that was all the Brewers could muster as Octavio Dotel came in and erased the next two hitters in order.
Houston added another run in the eighth when Brooks Kieschnick walked Jeff Bagwell and Luis Vizcaino allowed him to score on a single by Richard Hidalgo.
Unlike the last two nights, there was no drama in the bottom half of the ninth. Dotel continued his dominance by inducing a double-play ball off the bat of Royce Clayton before getting John Vander Wal to fly out weakly to left.
Brady Clark and Eddie Perez each had two hits for Milwaukee and Eric Young continued his inspired hitting with a 1-2 night that included 2 walks. Interestingly enough, the only Brewer hitter to strike out was Matt Kinney (he did so twice).
"It's all part of the learning process," skipper Ned Yost said after the game. "It could have been a phenomenal trip."
With two consecutive series losses, the Brewers fall to 34-49 including 4-6 in their last ten. The Crew is 9.5 games out of first place, a spot that is shared by Houston (whose win ups their record to 44-40) and St. Louis. The Pirates' win puts them two games ahead of Milwaukee for the fifth spot in the NL Central.
More Coverage:
Posted on Friday, July 04, 2003 | Permanent Link
Crew Bounces Back In Extra-Inning Win
On a night when their clubhouse leader was dealt to the Royals only minutes before game time, the Brewers showed no signs of wavering from the "never say die" attitude that has become their hallmark. Instead, the club came right back from a heartbreaking extra innings loss the previous night to beat the division-leading Astros in eleven innings.
Wayne Franklin continued his string of quality starts and gave Milwaukee 7 strong innings, allowing only 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in what was certainly a pressure-packed start against his former team. The only real blemish on Franklin's line came in the fourth when Morgan Ensberg smashed a pitch over the wall in left for a two-run homer. Brian Hunter added an RBI groundout in the seventh and Franklin departed with the game tied at 3.
Tim Redding went for the Astros and was solid through four innings, allowing only 3 baserunners. The Crew got things started in the fifth with consecutive singles by Keith Osik and Royce Clayton. Franklin grounded into a double-play but Osik moved to third and scored on a basehit to right by Eric Young. EY stole second and Scott Podsednik walked, setting up first and second with two outs for Geoff Jenkins. Redding hit him with a pitch to load the bases for the dangerous Richie Sexson.
On a 3-2 pitch, Richie scorched a grounder just left of second base that Houston shortstop Adam Everett snared in shallow centerfield with a diving play. Nonetheless, Podsednik was running on the play and he scored from second right behind Young. With runners at first and second and still two outs, John Vander Wal drew a 7-pitch walk to load the bases once more, this time for Keith Ginter. The former Astro, who got the start at third for Wes Helms, grounded sharply to his counterpart, Morgan Ensberg, who flipped to second for the inning-ending force-out. Helms got the night off after taking a Billy Wagner slider off his ankle the previous evening.
From there, the bullpens took over. Luis Vizcaino and Valerio De Los Santos, each of whom has struggled this season, combined for three innings of no-hit ball. Houston's corps of relievers was even more impressive:
IP H R
----------------------------------
Pete Munro - 1 2 0
Mike Gallo - 1 0 0
Kirk Saarloos - 1/3 0 0
Octavio Dotel - 1 0 0
Billy Wagner - 1 0 0
Brad Lidge - 1 0 0
----------------------------------
5.1 2 0
In the top of the eleventh, Jimy Williams may have gone to the well once too often. Ricky Stone, who threw an inning of scoreless relief and got the win in game one of the series, walked leadoff hitter Keith Osik. Royce Clayton laid down a sacrifice bunt to third that moved Osik to second with the pitcher's spot due. Brooks Kieschnick managed a pinch-hit groundout to second that moved Osik to third with two down.
Eric Young, who had homered the previous night against Billy Wagner, grounded Stone's 2-1 offering right back up the box. With Everett and second-baseman Geoff Blum closing quickly, the ball hit the second-base bag and caromed into left center, scoring Osik to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead.
Young stole second on the first pitch to Scott Podsednik and scored when the Texas-native hammered a 1-1 pitch into left center for a double. Geoff Jenkins grounded out to first but the damage had been done and the Crew was up 5-3.
Coming off two rough outings in a row, Brewers' closer Mike DeJean got the night off from manager Ned Yost. Forced to divert from the typical bullpen hierarchy, the skipper called on sinkerballer Leo Estrella, by far the most consistent reliever in the Brewers' pen.
In his first save opportunity of the year, Estrella got Jeff Bagwell on a quick ground-out to shortstop. The 28-year old right-hander then got ahead of Richard Hidalgo 0-2, but his next pitch was up in the zone and Hidalgo hammered it into left for a single. To make matters worse, Estrella followed up the single with a walk to Morgan Ensberg that brought up slugger Lance Berkman. Hitting from his stronger (left-handed) side, Berkman grounded softly to second and Eric Young flipped to Royce Clayton to force-out Ensberg.
With two-outs and runners at the corners, Greg Zaun came calling. The backup catcher had ended the previous night's contest with a sacrifice fly and was looking to again break the Brewers' hearts. The veteran fouled off seven pitches and took two more for balls before grounding softly back to Estrella to end the game.
De Los Santos got the win and Estrella the save, firsts for both Milwaukee relievers. The extra-innings contest took 3 hours and 35 minutes to resolve and 24,340 took in the action at Minute Maid Park. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Crew and upped their season mark to 34-48. The loss dropped Houston back into a tie for the NL Central lead at 43-40.
More Coverage:
Posted on Thursday, July 03, 2003 | Permanent Link
Leskanic Dealt To Royals
In what is likely to be the first in a flurry of transactions, Milwaukee traded reliever Curtis Leskanic Wednesday to the Kansas City Royals. In return, the Crew receives two minor league prospects: right-handed pitcher Wes Obermueller and second-baseman Alejandro Machado.
Obermueller, a 26-year old starting pitcher, was born in Cedar Rapids and spent his college days at the University of Iowa. He was drafted in the second round of the 1999 amateur draft and began his career as a reliever in the Gulf Coast League.
Interestingly enough, Obermueller has a Wisconsin connection. On January 30th, in an event attended by Ned Yost and other members of the Brewers' organization, Wes was honored with the first-ever "Alumni Achievement Award" from the Wisconsin Woodchucks, an independent professional baseball team in Wausau that competes in the Northwoods League. When Obermueller, who played for the Woodchucks' in 1998, made his Major League debut last September, he became the first alumni ever to make it to the big leagues.
Obermueller split last season between High-A Wilmington and Double-A Wichita. He also got a cup of coffee at the big league level but struggled mightily, allowing 10 earned runs in 7.2 innings. Reports out of Omaha are that his velocity has dropped to the low-90s since making the transition to a starting role but he also possesses an above-average curveball and changeup. Obermueller has posted good numbers at the minor league level throughout his career, though much of it was as a reliever:
Year Team (Level) ERA WHIP K:BB IP ------------------------------------------------------- 1999 - GCL Royals (R) 2.60 1.18 3.25 38.1 2000 - Charleston (A) 1.15 0.77 5.80 31.2 2001 - Wilmington (A+) 3.08 1.42 1.75 38.0 2002 - Wilmington (A+) 2.79 1.15 3.14 45.2 2002 - Wichita (AA) 2.91 1.31 1.62 105.2
Obermueller has spent the entire 2003 season starting at Triple-A Omaha. Through July 1st, his numbers are impressive and he leads the Pacific Coast League in victories:
10-5 | 4.41 | 17 appearances, all starts | 2 complete games ----------------------------------------------------------------- IP H ER R HR HB BB SO K:BB WHIP AVG ----------------------------------------------------------------- 106.1 108 52 61 11 7 42 62 1.48 1.41 .262
According to an article on MLB.com, Obermueller will be joining Triple-A Indianapolis, a club that is in dire need of starting pitching. He will instantly become one of the top pitching prospects in the Brewers' system and could see action this year given the Crew's inability to find consistent starters.
The second piece of the trade puzzle is Alejandro Machado, a native of Venezuela who signed as an undrafted free agent in 1999 with the Atlanta Braves. Machado, who turned 21 in April, is a solid defensive infielder who can play shortstop or second base and whose offensive game has improved consistently. TheProspectReport.com tagged him the Royals' seventh best overall prospect before the 2003 season and had good things to say about the switch-hitter:
Acquired along with pitcher Brad Voyles from the Braves in the Rey Sanchez deal at the 2001 trading deadline, Machado started to put together his offensive game at Class A Wilmington, finishing the season especially strong by batting .366 after July 1st. Machado is a slap hitter with virtually no extra-base power who needs to consistently get on-base to be of offensive value. If he can bring his walk rate up to that of previous seasons, he could resemble Luis Castillo offensively. While he spent most of the season at shortstop, some believe he's better suited as a second baseman, as he may lack the arm to play on the left side in the majors.
He began his big league career with the GCL Braves in 1999 and spent 2000 at Rookie-level Danville. Machado played in 28 more rookie league games in 2001 before being promoted to single-A Macon of the Atlantic Coast League. After being traded to the Royals, he spent 2002 with the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks and has spent the first half of this season with Double-A Wichita:
AB AVG OBP SLG OPS -------------------------------------------------------- 2002 - Wilmington (A+) 325 .314 .366 .366 .733 2003 - Wichita (AA) 78 .287 .362 .377 .739
The speedy baserunner also managed 20 stolen bases last season and has already equalled that clip through 78 games in 2003. He has been assigned to Double-A Huntsville where he will join the rest of the Brewers' top prospects, including soon-to-be double-play-partner J.J. Hardy.
It will be a lot quieter around the Brewers' clubhouse without Curtis Leskanic around but he will have a chance to pitch in a pennant race for the first time in Kansas City. On a personal note, Curtis has always been one of my favorites and he will be missed. I wish him the best of luck with Kansas City and I am hopeful that he will remain healthy for at least the rest of this season. After all the hard work he's put into rehabbing his injured shoulder, no one deserves a chance to win more than Leskanic. Don't panic, Kansas City - you've got Leskanic!
Although no confirmation is currently available, the Brewers are reportedly paying all of Curtis' remaining 2003 salary. In exchange, Milwaukee receives two quality prospects for an aging, injury-prone, and expensive relief pitcher that is a free agent at the end of the season.
Well done, Mr. Melvin. Well done.
Posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2003 | Permanent Link
Taking Pitches: A Discussion
The importance of pitches per plate appearance (P/PA) was discussed recently by Al Bethke over at Al's Ramblings. The post compiles the Brewers' current P/PA numbers and does a good job explaining why taking pitches adds value to an offense.
At this point, a few games after Al's post, the Brewers' P/PA's look like this:
PA P/PA ------------------------------------ Keith Ginter 155 4.3 John Vander Wal 210 4.2 Scott Podsednik 267 4.1 Brady Clark 132 4.1 Keith Osik 140 3.9 Richie Sexson 367 3.9 Brooks Kieschnick 40 3.9 Royce Clayton 302 3.9 Enrique Cruz 52 3.8 Wes Helms 308 3.8 Alex Sanchez 176 3.7 Geoff Jenkins 327 3.7 Eric Young 300 3.6 Eddie Perez 191 3.4
To put these figures into perspective, these are the top five and bottom five P/PA figures for qualified (3.1 PA/team game) NL hitters:
PA P/PA ------------------------------------ Brad Wilkerson 286 4.4 Adam Dunn 300 4.4 Bobby Abreu 346 4.3 Jose Hernandez 306 4.2 Roberto Alomar 302 4.2 ... Moises Alou 339 3.4 Kenny Lofton 317 3.4 Marquis Grissom 327 3.3 Jay Payton 342 3.3 Corey Patterson 330 3.3
That means that the difference between the "best" and "worst" players in terms of P/PA is only 1.1. Out of 83 qualified hitters in the NL, the "median" numbers (of Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez, who rank 41st and 42nd) are 3.7 P/PA. The average seems to be around 3.6-3.8.
Obviously, there are two ways to get on top of this list. First, you can be a good hitter who has a strong sense of the strike zone (like Brad Wilkerson). Second, you can strike out an inordinate amount of times, thus guaranteeing at least 3 pitches per plate appearance (like Jose Hernandez). Adam Dunn is the ultimate combination of these two attributes - he both walks and strikes out at incredible clips.
With so much credit being given to Butch Wynegar, the Brewers' hitting coach, for instilling an ethic of patience at the plate, it is good to see that the numbers jive with the common sentiment. Brewers' hitters are taking more pitches than the league average and the top four (Ginter, Vander Wal, Podsednik, and Clark) are seeing at least 4 pitches every time they step to the plate.
Why is this important? Al isolated the most important benefit of taking pitches in his column: the more pitches your hitters see, the less innings the starter will pitch. Relievers are not starters for a reason - they are not as good. The more pitches a starter is forced to throw, even if he retires every batter, the earlier he will make his exit. Al uses the Crew's recent outing against Mark Prior to illuminate the point:
Let's say you are having a tough time versus a Mark Prior type. If you have 9 Eddie Perezes in your lineup, not only will you suck, but Prior can get Eddie out 27 times and give up 9 runners in only 123 pitches, less than he threw in 8 innings last week versus the Crew. In other words, you better beat the starter, regardless. ... Let's say you have 9 Keith Ginters on your lineup card. To get 27 outs while allowing 9 baserunners, Prior would have to throw 153 pitches (though I wouldn't be all that surprised if Dusty let him hit that once this year). Odds are, Prior will only be allowed to go 6-7 innings in that case, and you'll have a shot at the Cubs' bullpen for a couple frames. Looking at how we fared against Borowski last Thursday, after Prior had thrown 127 pitches, working pitch counts higher is very important to your offensive success.
A significant benefit, indeed. There are also a few ancillary benefits of taking pitches:
- Especially early in the game, taking more pitches gives the entire team an opportunity to see what (and how well) the pitcher is throwing. It is harder for a pitcher to "save" a pitch for the latter innings when he is forced to throw 4, 5, or even 6 pitches to a hitter. This makes future at-bats against the pitcher less likely to result in outs, if only slightly.
- Taking pitches increases the likelihood that a pitcher will make a mistake. Even the best starters in the league will make several mistakes throughout the course of a game. The more mistakes a team forces the pitcher to make, the more likely they are to capitalize on them and score runs. With each additional pitch thrown in an at-bat, the chances of the next pitch being a mistake increase.
- A team that takes a lot of pitches ensures that they control the pace of the game. By stepping out of the box, taking pitches, and forcing the opposing hurler to work hard in each at-bat, a team can slow down the game. This allows the team's own pitcher to rest, something that adds value to a hitter's at-bat. Oftentimes, struggling pitchers will finally get out of an inning but their club will go down 1-2-3 after only a few pitches. This doesn't happen as often when teams dedicate themselves to taking more pitches.
- A high P/PA number also means that a hitter is less likely to go into extended slumps. Because this figure represents a strong knowledge of the strike zone, a hitter will be more consistent and take bases-on-balls even when they are not hitting well. A player like Keith Ginter or Scott Podsednik will thus contribute to their team's offense at a more consistent level than their peers who see less pitches. Even when they make outs, they have added value to the offense.
Butch Wynegar seems to "get it" and so do a number of Brewers' hitters. Even the free-swinging Geoff Jenkins has been trying hard to improve his patience at the plate and it is paying early dividends. Eric Young, the club's leadoff hitter, is the most disappointing of the Brewers' hitters. In that role, he should be right up near the top of the list in P/PA but he is instead at the bottom. For those wondering why the offense seems more productive when Scott Podsednik and Keith Ginter bat 1-2 in the lineup, this is probably the reason. While the team might not actually score more runs, there is an appearance of a better approach because the starter is forced to throw so many pitches to get them out.
And what is the difference between 3.7 and 4.0 pitches per plate appearance, you ask? Consider an everyday player who racks up 600 plate appearances over the course of the season:
PA P/PA Total Pitches --------------------------- 600 3.4 2,040 600 3.7 2,220 600 4.0 2,400 600 4.3 2,580
The difference between 3.7 and 4.0 P/PA is 180 pitches. A team (of 9 hitters, for simplicity's sake) with a P/PA total of 3.7 will require opposing pitchers to throw 19,980 pitches. A different team with a P/PA total of 4.0 will require opposing pitchers to throw 21,600 pitches. The difference - 1,620 pitches - is 10 pitches per game. That might not seem like much, but it could easily be the difference between 6 and 7 or 7 and 8 innings for an opposing starter. Over a 162-game season, that can have significant value... and while translating it into an exact win total is difficult, these extra pitches seen could translate into a half dozen victories or more.
The Brewers, it would seem, are doing a good job of taking pitches. This is an important metric and the Milwaukee organization would do well to weigh it accordingly when evaluating current or prospective players.
Posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2003 | Permanent Link
A Case Of DeJean Vu
After a heartbreaking loss on Sunday afternoon, the Brewers looked to be headed for their third straight loss. Down 4-3 entering the ninth inning, the Crew was faced with the unenviable task of scoring a run against Houston closer Billy Wagner. Brady Clark led off the inning with a great at-bat, fighting off pitch after pitch before nearly beating out a grounder to shortstop. With one out, Eric Young stepped to the plate.
On a 1-0 pitch, EY turned on a Wagner fastball and sent it screaming into the seats in left. The line drive barely cleared the high fence but it tied the game and gave the Brewers reason for hope. Wagner's next pitch, to Scott Podsednik, was 101 miles per hour. Needless to say, he was none too pleased.
Podsednik capitalized on the closer's aggressiveness and drew a 6-pitch walk. Geoff Jenkins followed with a single through the whole at short and Podsednik stole third. In another 6-pitch at-bat, Richie Sexson walked to load the bases with only one out. Facing a brutal left-hander, Yost decided to pinch hit for John Vander Wal and sent Eddie Perez up to try and elevate a sacrifice fly. On the first pitch, Eddie popped one straight-up. Two outs.
Needing a clutch hit to drive in the run, Wes Helms stepped to the plate. On the first pitch he saw from Wagner, the fireballer held on to a slider too long and plunked Helms in the right ankle. While painful, it scored the run and Helms stayed in the game. With the bases still loaded, Keith Osik flied out to right field on the first pitch from Wagner to end the inning.
Game over, right? Wrong. On the second pitch from Brewers' closer Mike DeJean in the bottom of the ninth, light-hitting Geoff Blum launched a ball up in the zone over the fence in right center to tie the game. Facing the heart of the Astros' order, DeJean set down Bagwell, Berkman, and Hidalgo in order to end the inning. But the damage was already done.
Ricky Stone, a sinkerball specialist, lived up to his name and got the Brewers in order with three ground-outs in the tenth. Still, the Brewers' had a rested bullpen (only Dan Kolb and Leo Estrella had been used) and the bottom of Houston's order was due up. But for whatever reason, Yost decided to stick with the struggling DeJean. That decision proved costly.
After getting ahead of Morgan Ensberg 0-2, DeJean hung a splitter and the Astros' young third-baseman pounded it down the line in left for a stand-up double. To make matters worse, Keith Osik let the second pitch to Brad Ausmus scoot away for a passed ball, allowing Ensberg to move to third. With no choice but to load the bases, Yost ordered DeJean to intentionally walk Ausmus and shortstop Adam Everett. With the pitcher due up, Houston manager Jimy Williams sent Greg Zaun to the plate. His job? Get the ball over the drawn-in infield.
And on a 2-2 pitch, the veteran catcher did just that by launching a high flyball to deep right field. Brady Clark made the catch but didn't have a chance to throw out the runner. Ensberg scored and the Brewers' losing streak was 3.
After the game, Ned Yost was his usual self. "Our guys continue to battle," he said. "This is a good test to see what happens from now on. This was a tough loss but they haven't quit yet. They continued to play hard."
And play hard they did. The Crew got a solid start from ace Ben Sheets, who went 6 innings and gave up just 2 runs on 6 hits. He did allow an uncharacteristic 4 walks, his highest tally of the season, but he made up for it with 7 strikeouts and the Astros helped him out by stranding 11. Sheets' quality start put the Brewers in excellent position to win, up 3-2 when he exited for a pinch hitter in the seventh.
The Brewers got on the board in the fourth when Richie Sexson smashed a Wade Miller pitch off the flagpole in centerfield. In one of the more odd ground rules in a ballpark where oddities abound, the pole is actually in play. Richie legged out a triple but the ball probably traveled nearly 475 feet. Geoff Jenkins, who had led off the inning with a single, scored on the play. Unfortunately, the Crew was unable to drive in Sexson from third and had to settle for a single run.
In the Milwaukee 6th, Richie Sexson again started things off with a one-out walk. John Vander Wal followed with a deep double to left center that scored Richie all the way from first. The big first-baseman appeared to be in pain as he "slid" into home but, as usual, he stayed in the game. Vander Wal, like Sexson, was robbed of a homer by the strange dimensions at Minute Maid Park, but unlike Sexson, he scored on a Wes Helms' single.
Richard Hidalgo answered right back with a bomb to center off of Sheets in the latter half of the sixth. Sheets wiggled out of it without further damage, however, and the Brewers remained on top, 3-2.
After a two-out triple by Scott Podsednik in the top of the seventh, Geoff Jenkins grounded out to strand another baserunner. The Brewers matched the Astros' untidy total of 11 runners left on base.
Dan Kolb came on in the seventh for Milwaukee and gave up another home run to Richard Hidalgo, this time a two-run blast that put Houston on top 4-3. It was the 28-year old's 13th big fly of the year and he is now boasting a hefty .986 OPS.
The Brewers got another leadoff walk from Richie Sexson in the eighth and had something brewing after Vander Wal singled to center. Unfortunately, Brad Lidge buckled down and struck out Helms, Osik, and Royce Clayton in order with some nasty heat.
Leo Estrella was called on to pitch the eighth and he quickly racked up two of his trademark ground-outs. Veteran left-hander Orlando Merced pinch-hit with two outs and wacked a swinging bunt just in front of the plate that Osik fielded and threw wildly to first. Merced was safe and the play was ruled an error but Estrella promptly got out of the inning by inducing a weak pop-fly to right off the bat of Craig Biggio.
That setup the comeback and subsequent meltdown in the ninth and tenth.
It was the Brewers' third loss in a row and it drops their record to 33-48. Houston's 43-39 record keeps them in a tie for first place in the NL Central with the Cardinals. Wednesday's matchup features former-Astro Wayne Franklin for the Crew and Tim Redding, a 25-year old right-hander with a 3.99 ERA, for Houston.
More Coverage:
Posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2003 | Permanent Link
It's Fire Sale Time
The Brewers have a number of players on their roster that should not be there come August 1st. Whether or not they are in fact dealt will be a tough test of Doug Melvin and the rest of the "new regime"'s committment to building for the future. In my opinion, here are the players that the Crew should be shipping off for prospects.
#1: Curtis Leskanic
The 35-year old reliever is in top form and is showing signs of returning to his pre-injury form. When at his best, Curtis is a dominating setup man with a vicious slider and a mid-to-high-90s fastball. The biggest concern is obviously his health - after multiple surgeries and an entire season out of commission, Leskanic could be done for good at any day. He also could go on to throw for 2 or 3 more seasons. Such is the gambles MLB GMs take when evaluating pitchers recovering from injuries. Curtis makes a hefty chunk of change, $3,700,000, that dates back to his days as a top-tier closer. Any team willing to deal will almost certainly need the Brewers to pay his prorated salary. And if we're smart, that's exactly what we'll do.
Potential Suitors: Just about anyone in a pennant race could use a quality reliever. The Yankees and Red Sox are probably candidates 1 and 2 but the Giants and Cardinals are also in dire need of bullpen help.
#2: Eric Young
This veteran second-baseman has been discussed in detail before, both in the breakdown of Roberto Alomar's trade and in the feature article about Keith Ginter. Quite simply, EY is a hindrance to the Brewers and would be better served on a contender. He can still hit and put up good OBP and SB numbers and could be a valuable hitter off the bench. His "veteran leadership" will no doubt be a key attribute when contenders evaluate him and this could be the difference maker. He is making $2 million this year and again, the Brewers would likely need to pay his remaining salary in order to deal him.
Potential Suitors: With Alomar going to the White Sox, there are several teams in need of second base help. Among them, Houston and St. Louis seem like the prime candidates while Arizona or Kansas City might be dark horses.
#3: John Vander Wal
When baseball people talk about "professional hitters," they're talking about John Vander Wal. A proven run producer who can play either LF or RF and who provides a powerful left-handed bat off the bench, the 37-year old Vander Wal also comes cheap - he's making only $550,000 this season. While he has been a valuable part of the Brewers' offense this season, he would be better off with a contender and may net the Crew a prospect or two.
Potential Suitors: The Los Angeles Dodgers seem like a good fit but any team in the hunt would do well to consider him. He will probably not interest anyone as a starter or even platoon player but he will nonetheless be a valuable commodity coming off the bench.
The Rest
Unfortunately, there are also a few players who are unlikely to move for a variety of reasons.
First and foremost is the 33-year old offensive nightmare that gets penciled into the lineup each day at shortstop. Royce Clayton makes $1.5 million and has lost the range on defense that made him so valuable in the past. Unfortunately, that probably means that no one will be interested in adding him to their clubs. But you never know: Dusty Baker might like to include him on the "worst bench ever" that he seems to be creating, one that already includes such classic non-producers as Lenny Harris, Paul Bako, Tom Goodwin, and Troy O'Leary.
Second is cheap-but-aging closer Mike DeJean. If he was making anywhere near as much as Leskanic, he would be tops on this list. But at only $1.7 million, DeJean is a pretty good bargain. Nonetheless, the Brewers should move to trade him and the club should accept any reasonable offer. My fear is simply that Melvin will trade him for the sake of trading him, something that isn't necessary given his price tag and age (he's still only 32). That said, he will probably be a valuable reliever on an otherwise-paltry market and teams like the BoSox and Yanks might come calling.
Third is catcher Eddie Perez, a guy whose offensive production may have drawn interest from other clubs. The 35-year old Venezuelan is not part of the club's future but he is also not making much money this year. Again, we should be wary of trading him for the sake of trading him but we should also see if there is any interest from other clubs. As a backup catcher who can come off the bench and hit and also provide "veteran leadership," Perez could be useful to a contender. He'd certainly be better than many of the contenders' current backups.
Finally are the big guns, Geoff Jenkins and Richie Sexson. Both will be difficult to deal and it is unlikely that Melvin will be willing to risk the public relations backlash that may result from dispensing with the two franchise players. However, no player should be considered untouchable - particularly if the prospects we would acquire in return are high-ceiling players who are close-to or already-in the big leagues. Ben Sheets would probably fit in this category as well.
As far as I see it, the only untouchable players might be Matt Ford and Enrique Cruz, and those two are not likely to even see offers given their status as Rule V picks.
The next month will be chock-full of rumors and negotiations... let's hope that Doug Melvin is able to pull off some good deals that bring even more talent into the already-improving Brewers' farm system. Dean Taylor layed the foundation and brought in some excellent players last fall before being fired and it's now up to the Melvin to continue making progress toward, as Al Bethke puts it, the "final goal."
Posted on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 | Permanent Link
Alomar Dealt, EY Next?
Roberto Alomar, who for whatever reason was one of the hottest commodities on the trading market, has been dealt to the White Sox for a couple of pretty good prospects. The Mets, who will pay the remainder of Alomar's salary (almost $4 million), netted Royce Ring and Edwin Almonte, two minor league pitchers, and infielder Andrew Salvo.
Royce Ring was fairly well-known (at least as well-known as a college baseball player can be these days) for his "wild thing" reputation. The San Diego State closer used to sprint in from the bullpen with Metallica blaring over the loud speakers, a fitting routine for a guy with long hair and a blazing fastball.
The 22-year old left-hander is 1-4 with a 2.52 ERA this season for Double-A Birmingham, a team in the same division of the Southern League as the Brewers' own Huntsville Stars. He has appeared in 36 games and racked up 19 saves in 35 and 2/3rds innings. He has only allowed 33 hits and 14 walks but has fanned 44 batters. Opponents are hitting a meek .237 against him.
Edwin Almonte is another good prospect, albeit less promising than Ring. The Dominican native was selected in the 26th round of the 1998 draft and is spending his second year at Triple-A Charlotte. The right-hander is already 26 but has put up good numbers throughout his career. In 2002, he posted a 2.24 ERA in 50 appearances, striking out 56 while walking only 12 in 60.1 innings. He has an outstanding changeup and is another prime candidate for a future closer spot in the big leagues.
Andrew Salvo, the third prospect sent in the Alomar deal, is a fairly average utility infielder that spent 2002 and the first part of 2003 at Kannapolis, the White Sox' A-ball affiliate. He's still only 23 and has some potential but he is by far the least valuable of the trio.
All told, this is a veritable steal for the Mets. And more importantly for Milwaukee, Chicago GM Kenny Williams may have helped the Brewers' deal Eric Young. Let's compare his career numbers to those of Roberto Alomar:
AVG OBP SLG OPS HR RBI SB --------------------------------------------------------------------- Roberto Alomar - .302 .373 .447 .820 15 78 34 Eric Young - .287 .361 .394 .755 8 53 48
Clearly, Alomar is the better player. Looking at the 2002 and 2003 seasons, however, and the two are much more closely matched:
AVG OBP SLG OPS HR RBI SB --------------------------------------------------------------------- Alomar - 2002 - .266 .331 .376 .707 11 53 16 Alomar - 2003 - .262 .336 .357 .693 2 22 6 Young - 2002 - .280 .338 .369 .707 3 28 31 Young - 2003 - .258 .336 .427 .763 8 20 17
Alomar is 35 and plays better defense than EY. Both are good baserunners but EY probably has more steals left in him at this point in their careers. Alomar provides a left-handed bat, too, which gives him a boost over the right-hand-hitting Young. But over the last two years, Eric Young has been a better hitter than Roberto Alomar. They hit for nearly the exact same average and OBP but EY has more power and a lot more steals.
With a number of clubs now looking for a second baseman whose not named Roberto Alomar, Doug Melvin should be the on phone shopping our "veteran leader" around to anyone who will listen. If Payne and the "new regime" are willing to eat his remaining salary, there is no reason that Melvin shouldn't be able to net at least one top-level prospect from a contender with a hole at second base. And if Kenny Williams' offer to the Mets is any indication, the Brewers' might be able to grab two solid prospects for EY, something that would also allow Keith Ginter to see regular playing time in Milwaukee.
It's a win-win situation. Let's just hope that Doug Melvin agrees.
Posted on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 | Permanent Link