Their season started off slowly, but lately the Milwaukee Brewers have been playing some pretty good baseball. It's a trend they were hoping to continue with their weekend series against the Diamondbacks, and for the most part they did their job. The Crew split the series at two games a piece, and were able to stay over .500 on the year. Let's hand out some Player of the Game awards!Thursday - Brewers 4, Diamondbacks 1
The Brewers fell behind early when Jeff Suppan gave up a home run to Felipe Lopez, the first batter of the game, and I know I wasn't the only one that was nervous at that point. But Suppan settled down and pitched a solid 6 1/3 innings after that. It was a good thing he did that because Milwaukee couldn't hit anything off of Max Scherzer. As soon as Scherzer was lifted from the game though, the Brewers found their offense. Weeks hit an RBI single, Prince Fielder walked with the bases loaded, and then Mike Cameron hit a 2 RBI ground rule double. That four spot was enough for the Crew, who picked up the win in game one.
As far as a Player of the Game, I'm really not sure who I want to give it to. Jeff Suppan not imploding after the home run was huge, but I'm going to actually give this one to Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman came in for the save in the ninth, and delivered for the second time in a Brewers uniform. Had I not been at this game, Suppan would have probably got it. But seeing how the crowd reacted to Hoffman, and hearing the Hells Bells and seeing Trevor Time flash on the scoreboard, followed by him actually delivering, I don't see a problem with giving it to our new closer every now and then.
Friday - Diamondbacks 5, Brewers 2
A pitching duel between Jon Garland and Manny Parra was all but forgotten because of one play, a play that had Brewers fans clamoring for instant replay all weekend long. With the Brewers up 2-1 in the 8th inning, Arizona's Tony Clark shot a ball down the left field line that nicked the foul line by the thinnest of margins. It was such a thin margin that I'm still not sure that it was actually a fair ball. Nevertheless, it was the difference, and the Diamondbacks took game two.
As far as Player of the Game, Duffy and Kendall are candidates with the team's two RBI's, and Craig Counsell had a nice 3-for-4 performance to throw his name into the ring on well. But I think Manny Parra is the most deserving with his line of 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER and 8 strikeouts.
Saturday - Diamondbacks 4, Brewers 1 - If you are a Dan Haren owner in your fantasy league, Saturday was a pretty good night for you. Haren went eight innings, gave up just four hits, and struck out eleven Brewers in a dominating performance at Miller Park. All the Brewers could muster in this one was a Prince Fielder RBI single, and for that he earns the Player of the Game, although only by default. Braden Looper didn't do terrible on the mound, giving up four runs in seven innings.
Sunday - Brewers 4, Diamondbacks 3
Needing a win to not only even the series but also get back over .500, the Brewers delivered in the 8th inning when Chris Duffy brought home a run via the groundout. Not pretty, but it worked. The Brewers needed Duffy's RBI because of a seven inning where Dave Bush gave up not one, not two, but three solo home runs to Diamondback hitters. This, in a game where Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron hit back to back jacks in the 2nd. But Duffy game through, Hoffman looked wonderful in a save opportunity, and the Brewers got the 4-3 win.
Lot of interesting sidenotes in this one as well. Ryan Braun sat out his second straight game because of upper back stiffness related to intercostal, a word Brewers fans have become all too familiar with this season. Brad Nelson got the start, but still is hitless in '09. If Nelson doesn't get a hit in the next week, he's probably done with the Brewers, if he's not already after today. We all love Brad Nelson, but at some point you gotta produce.
Also interesting was Macha's lineup for the day. Hart leadoff, followed by Hardy and Rickie in the three hole (remember, Braun was hurt). Hardy did get a hit in today's game, which was good, because he had only one hit in his last twenty at-bats before the Sunday contest. I'm interested to see what kind of lineup Macha rolls out when Braun is healthy again.
Player of the Game goes to Cameron, he was the only Brewer with multiple hits, one being that key home run (his 1,500th career hit).
Next up: A two game set in Pittsburgh, two more in Cincy, and then a three game weekend set versus the Cubs in Milwaukee.
2 comments:
nobody gets these references
I get them, and they're Effing hilar-piece
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