Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Blog » Corey Hart

2009 Season Preview

newcrewrox08 — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:31:25 +0000

Hello Brewershomeplate readers! It’s been a long time since the unfortunate end to Milwaukee’s Postseason appearance, but with Spring Training fast approaching, it is time to provide a little insight into what I believe the Brew Crew will look like this year.

Offense:

First and foremost…NEXT TO NOTHING HAS CHANGED! Every starter 1-8 in the lineup (although the order will probably be shifted) was a Brewer starter in 2008. Although this is great for team chemistry that is many times lacking in today’s free agent era, the offense…well…it plainly and simply was mediocre at best last season. Pitching carried the team through the season and into the playoffs, though the offense probably got a little more of the limelight what with Ryan Braun’s legendary home runs and such. Conversely, the bench will be very different in ’09. Gabe Kapler (Tampa Bay Rays), Russell Branyan (Seattle Mariners), and probably Ray Durham either have parted ways with Milwaukee or are going to. This is not good news, as those players managed to provide key sparks to the team when it needed it the most. Notably, Branyan’s ability to hit a home run any time he strode to the plate, or Kapler’s hard-nosed defense and offensive saavy. Durham managed to keep the struggling Rickie Weeks motivated at 2nd base and came up with quite an impressive highlight reel himself in the waning months of the 2008 campaign. The bench this year will still feature the ever-dependable vet, Craig Counsell as well as late-season acquisition Mike Lamb, who will probably be a platoon starter with Bill Hall at 3rd base this year. Several wild cards to make the bench are Trot Nixon (the ex-Boston Red Sox outfielder), Tony Gwynn Jr., Casey McGehee, a 3rd baseman plucked off waivers in the off season, and perhaps Matt Gamel, the highly touted 3rd base prospect. Mike Rivera will again be Jason Kendall’s backup at catcher. So look for the offense to be slightly more productive in ’09, considering the chemistry and new hitting coach, Dale Sveum, who should relate to the players a lot more effectively than the departed Jim Skaalen did.

Pitching:

This is where things could get messy. The two greatest starting pitchers perhaps ever to don a Brewers uniform are leaving. CC Sabathia is a New York Yankee, and Ben Sheets is being courted by the Texas Rangers, and although he hasn’t signed with anyone (there is talk of elbow surgery in his future), he has made it clear being a Brewer is not interesting to him any longer. That throws the young Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra likely to the top of the starting 5. Dave Bush should be number 3, with Jeff Suppan behind him at 4. The 5th spot in the rotation is a little more confusing, as Seth McClung could be a possible answer here, but his flashes of late-inning brilliance may place him in the bull pen. Carlos Villanueva will be the set up man or long reliever, as he never really settled into a groove as a starter. The new member to the pen is Trevor Hoffman, a much safer and predictable new closer than Eric Gagne was, because his best seasons were brought about by his pin-point control and wicked changeup (which he hasn’t lost by the way), not steroids. Guillermo Mota, Salomon Torres, and Brian Shouse are gone as well as Gagne, and that could create a void Trevor Hoffman, Jorge Julio, and Mitch Stetter may or may not be able to succesfully fill. Julio has been unraveling his past couple years, and Stetter is quite young (albeit he certainly has talent). Hoffman is certainly aging, but is definitely serviceable (unfortunately, his mid 80s fastball is a little more hittable than Torres’ low 90s sinkers were) So the pen should be about as good if not slightly better than in 2008. The starting rotation will almost certainly not produce another 90 win season, BUT, there is enough talent there for new pitching coach Bill Castro to perhaps mold into a legitimate Wild Card contending staff.

Coaching

Dale Sveum is still a member of the Milwaukee coaching staff, but not in a manegerial role. He is the hitting coach and Ken Macha, the ex-manager of the Oakland Athletics, is taking the big chair. Willie Randolph, the ex-New York Met’s manager, will be the bench coach. Needless to say Macha should do a better job making the tough decisions than Ned Yost did, and Willie Randolph will probably be a little harder on the players than Robin Yount or Dale Sveum before him were, which could certainly be what the younger players need to keep themselves motivated. Mike Maddux, the wizard of resurrecting pitchers plucked off the scrap heap’s careers is now a Ranger coach, and long-time bullpen coach Bill Castro probably will not do quite as good a job as Maddux did. But he knows his players and their tendencies well, and that is a very good sign. All in all, the coaching staff is miles and miles ahead of where it was at this point last year.

My Projected Lineup by Position:

1B: Prince Fielder
2B: Rickie Weeks
SS: J.J. Hardy
3B: Bill Hall/Mike Lamb/Casey McGehee
C: Jason Kendall
LF: Ryan Braun
CF: Mike Cameron
RF: Corey Hart

My Projected Season Numbers

Final record: 87-75
Standings: 2nd place, NL Central, NL Wild Card runner up

Bush Dazzles, Brewers Win First Playoff Game Since ’82

newcrewrox08 — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:24:52 +0000

The Dave Bush-led Brewers were believed by 100% of TBS analysts to be swept by the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday evening in Milwaukee. Good thing they’re analysts and not prophets. The Brewers jumped out to a 1st inning 2-0 lead thanks to some tremendous patience at the plate against the 45-year-old Jamie Moyer. Mike Cameron and Bill Hall walked to start things off and took 2nd and 3rd on a wild pitch. Ryan Braun struck out, but Prince Fielder drove in Cameron with a sac fly. With two gone, J.J. Hardy ripped a single into left that gave the Crew another run. Braun hit a sac fly in the 5th to make it 3-0, but his offense stranded the bases loaded in that frame.

Bush threw 5.1 innings, yielding 5 hits, no walks, struck out 3, and gave up only 1 run. In the 6th, Jayson Werth hit the ball out to deep right, where Corey Hart tumbled into the wall with the ball in his glove, but lost his grip on it when he came crashing to the ground. The play turned into a triple, and Bush was pulled in favor of the young lefty Mitch Stetter, who induced an RBI groundout to big Ryan Howard. Carlos Villanueva then retired Pat Burrell for the final out. The pitcher was allowed to hit for himself with one out in the 6th, and singled. Mike Cameron and Bill Hall did likewise, but Ryan Braun struck out and Prince Fielder flew out to shallow left. Villanueva proceeded to throw a flawless 7th.

Two veterans chipped in in the 7th to provide a little insurance. J.J. Hardy led things off with a single and made it to second on a beautiful sac bunt by Corey Hart. Craig Counsell (owner of two World Series rings) then hit a tough chopper on the right side of the mound and dove headfirst onto the first base bag for an infield single. Another vet, backstop Jason Kendall lined a run-scoring single to left right after. Eric Gagne worked around a Jayson Werth double for a scoreless 8th (he retired former Brewer outfielder Geoff Jenkins, who finally got his Milwaukee Post Season appearance, for out number 1).

In the 9th, things got very interesting for Salomon Torres, who surrendered singles to the first three men to greet him. The bases were juiced with nobody out, but Torres threw a sharp slider that Pedro Feliz chopped into a double play. A run originally scored on the play, but due to the fact that Shane Victorino bowled over the fielding Counsell at second without sliding, interference was ruled, and Ryan Howard had to return to third base. The next batter, Carlos Ruiz, bounced back to Torres, who flipped the ball to Fielder at first to seal the 4-1 victory. Not since Game 5 of the 1982 World Series had the Brewers won a Post Season game.

Offensive MVP: J.J. Hardy (3-4/1R/1RBI/0BB/0K)

Pitching MVP: Dave Bush (5.1IP/5H/1ER/0BB/3SO/0HR/Win-1st)

Alex’s Take:

This was a much-needed win. It forced a Game 4 featuring Jeff Suppan squaring off against Phillies’ righty Joe Blanton. The offense looked very patient at the plate on Saturday, and that is the only hope the Crew has of winning tomorrow and giving Sabathia another shot on Tuesday. Suppan will have to prove that he is truly an October pitcher as well, and that Doug Melvin was wise to invest so much money in him.

CC Finally Defeated as Phillies Win Game 2 5-2

newcrewrox08 — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:05:03 +0000

Big plays have cost the Brewers the first two playoff games in 2008. On Wednesday it was a misplayed ball by Mike Cameron in center field. On Thursday it was an unbelievable at-bat by the Phillies pitcher Brett Myers (who battled Sabathia for a walk after being down 0-2) and a grand slam by Shane Victorino in the 2nd inning that did the Crew in. The offense was stifled by Myers, who through 7.0 strong innings, and only managed a run off of a J.J. Hardy bases-loaded walk in the 1st and a Craig Counsell RBI groundout in the 7th. With the bases juiced, Myers losing his command, and a run already in with 1-out, Corey Hart swung at the first pitch, grounding out weakly into a double play. His decision was atrocious and cost the Brewers the game any way you look at it. The bullpen continued to impress, shutting down the Phils after Sabathia’s short and shaky start ended. The Brewers are facing almost insurmountable odds, as teams down 0-2 in NLDS series have lost the series 16 out of 16 times. The 1982 Brewers, an AL team, did fall down 0-2 in the ALCS (before the current divisional format), but came back to win the final 3 games at Milwaukee County Stadium. That sent them to the Suds Series against St. Louis, who won in 7.

Brewers’ Defense Coughs up Playoff Opener

newcrewrox08 — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:00:55 +0000

Yovani Gallardo threw 4.0 innings in Game 1 of the NLDS against Philadelphia. That may sound like a poor start, but relatively speaking, the 22 year old was not bad at all. He gave up 3 runs, but they were all unearned thanks to some horrendous defense by Milwaukee (Bill Hall, Rickie Weeks, and even the usually solid Mike Cameron). A botched play on what should have been a bunt double play by Cole Hamels turned into everybody reaching. With two outs, second baseman Chase Utley crushed a pitch into center that was playable for Cameron, but he seemed to misread the ball, and it barely bounced out of his glove, allowing two runs to score. No error was charged on the play that was ruled a double, but there is no doubt that Cameron would be the first to admit he should have (and can) make that catch. A run was walked in with the bases loaded later in the inning.

For the remainder of the game, Milwaukee’s bullpen threw extremely well, handcuffing the deadly Phillie lineup for 4.0 innings. The lefty ace of Philadelphia, Cole Hamels, pitched out of his mind, going 8.0 scoreless, 2 hit, 9 strikeout innings and picking up the win. Against perfect (41 saves in 41 chances regular season) closer Brad Lidge, the Crew seemed to settle down. Ryan Braun drove in the first Brewer playoff run (scored by Ray Durham) since 1982 with a booming double, but Corey Hart, still looking as lost at the plate as ever, whiffed with runners at second and third and two out.

Offensive MVP: Phillies 2B Chase Utley (1-4/1R/12B/2RBI/0BB/0K)

Pitching MVP: Phillies SP Cole Hamels (8.0IP/2H/0ER/0BB/9SO/0HR/Win-1st)

Alex’s Take:

All in all, this game really wasn’t that bad. The Brewers defensively looked atrocious, and had they not committed those errors, they likely would have won 1-0. But sadly, their largely playoff-inexperienced team was unable to convert the critical plays at the critical times and it came back to bite them. The offense looked bad, but really it was just Cole Hamels being extremely good. Tomorrow’s game is a must-win if the Crew hope to advance, because they have CC Sabathia on the mound against Brett Myers. Take that game, and the Brewers will find themselves in the friendly confines of Miller Park for two games that, if won, would send them onto the NLCS. If they lose tomorrow, their hopes of a pennant will all but disappear.

Sabathia and Braun: The Stuff Legends are Made Of

newcrewrox08 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:02:45 +0000

Pitching on three-days’ rest for the second start in a row, CC Sabathia, possibly the greatest in-season acquisition by a team in Major League history (perhaps not stats-wise, but impact-wise), hurled an absolute gem of a complete game on Sunday. He struck out 7, walked 1, and only gave up 4 hits and 1 unearned run in 9.0 inspired innings. He won his 11th game as a Brewer, his first against the Chicago Cubs, and the second-biggest single game in Brewers history. The biggest would be the final game of 1982, when Milwaukee faced Baltimore for the division title (there was no Wild Card in those days). That game, no doubt of great magnitude, simply wasn’t as dramatic as this one. An error by first baseman Prince Fielder set up an RBI ground-out by Ronny Cedeno that gave the Cubbies a 1-0 lead in the 2nd.

Then things got ugly. The Brewers were completely shut down offensively by the Cubs’ young starter Angel Guzman (2.0 innings), Chad Gaudin (1.0 inning), Neal Cotts (1.0 inning), and Kevin Hart (1.0 inning). Following Mike Cameron’s lead-off single in the bottom of the 1st, 18 Brewers in a row were mowed down by Cubs’ pitching. But in the bottom of the 7th, the dream began to come alive. Ray Durham, batting from his weaker right side, doubled to start things off. Ryan Braun then advanced the second baseman to third with a groundout. Prince Fielder was intentionally walked, J.J. Hardy unintentionally walked, and Corey Hart looked totally lost at the plate, swinging and missing at three obvious balls for the second out. Craig Counsell, the ever-dependable veteran or big games, worked a monumental walk with the bases loaded to bring the tying run home. Jason Kendall failed to add on.

In the top of the 8th, Sabathia continued his dominance, striking out the first two men to greet him, and then retired Koyie Hill by making a barehanded grab of a bouncer to the mound and throwing to first. Then, after 26 years of futility, the Milwaukee fans finally experienced something worth going absolutely crazy about. Mike Cameron hit a one-out single. Then, Ray Durham flirted with a possible run-scoring extra base hit, but his deep drive to right was run down and caught by Micah Hoffpouir. Ryan Braun didn’t waste any time in powering his club into the Post Season. He liked the first pitch from Bob Howry, swung at the first pitch from Bob Howry, and drove the first pitch from Bob Howry deep into the electrified sellout crowd of 45,299 for his 37th home run of 2008, and got RBIs number 105 and 106.

Sabathia returned to the mound, knowing full well that the New York Mets were down 4-2 to the Florida Marlins late in the last game at Shea Stadium, and finished what he started. Alfonso Soriano flew out to shallow left, Ryan Theriot hit a single, and that brought career Brewer-killer Derrek Lee to the plate. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Lee chopped to the awaiting glove of Ray Durham, who relayed to the shortstop J.J. Hardy, who fired back to Fielder at first to win the game 3-1. The fans went absolutely nuts, but nothing was comparable to their reaction minutes later, when they watched the final frame of the Marlins/Mets game, and watched Ryan Church fly out to deep center to seal Milwaukee’s first trip to the playoffs since the World Series of 1982. The players enjoyed a well-earned champagne shower to boot.

Offensive MVP: Ryan Braun (1-4/1R/1HR/2RBI/0BB/1K)

Pitching MVP: CC Sabathia (9.0IP/4H/0ER/1R/1BB/7SO/0HR/Win-11th)

Broken-down Sheets Coughs up Brewers’ Wild Card Lead

newcrewrox08 — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:37:17 +0000

Give the injured Ben Sheets credit for starting Saturday afternoon’s critical game against the Cubs (likely his last ever in a Brewers’ uniform). Just don’t look at his final line. The All Star starter is probably done for 2008, but his shaky start made it all the more hard for the Crew to reach the “Promised Land.” He gave up a 2-run blast to backup first baseman Daryle Ward in the 1st, and two more on a Mike Fontenot single in the 3rd. Mark DiFelice, Dave Bush, and Manny Parra pitched 5.2 solid, scoreless innings that set the stage for a Brewers’ rally that just fell short. In the 8th, down 4-1, the Crew rallied to score 2 runs and load the bases with 1 out for J.J. Hardy, who chopped out into a force play at home plate. Then Corey Hart, the struggling outfielder who did manage to collect a big hit the night before, could not keep the magic going, as he grounded out harmlessly. Salomon Torres was pounded by Kosuke Fukudome, the light-hitting Cubs’ outfielder who hit a two-run home run to put the game out of reach. Kerry Wood closed the door in the ninth. With a Mets’ 2-0 win, the Brewers found themselves tied for the Wild Card lead with one to play, setting up perhaps the most important game in club history. A win guarantees at least a one game playoff with the Mets, but a loss could very likely shatter the season.

Unlikely Heroes Seal Monumental Victory for Brewers over Cubs

newcrewrox08 — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:35:37 +0000

Jeff Suppan had been knocked around again and again in September (with an ERA over 10 in the month), and he was hit hard again on Friday by the Cubs. The difference? He pitched his heart out to keep the game in control, and managed to do just that in 5.0 solid innings. Jim Edmonds, who has dominated Brewer pitching all year, hit an opposite-field solo blast in the 2nd to put Chicago ahead 1-0. It could have easily been 3-0 if not for Mike Cameron. In the 1st, Cubs’ powerful rookie Micah Hoffpauir crushed a two-out pitch from Suppan to the gap in right center. The savvy center fielder read the ball perfectly off the bat, but to catch the ball, it took a spectacular diving play to retire the side and save two sure runs.

Catcher Jason Kendall, who gunned down a potential base-stealer and Hoffpauir trying to stretch a single into a double later on, hit a huge two-out RBI double to knot things firmly at 1-1 in the 2nd. Suppan gave up more hits after Edmond’s homer, but settled down mightily, and even recorded 5 strikeouts along the way; four to some of the best Chicago had to offer (Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Micah Hoffpauir). He did not record his 11th win of the year, for the game was tied going into 6th. Ray Durham started things with a booming double off lefty Sean Marshall that bounced over the wall in left, and Ryan Braun worked his way on with a walk. But Prince Fielder struck out swinging and J.J. Hardy was retired on a harmless pop-out. This set the stage for a game-changing bloop single by Corey Hart that scored Durham and put the Crew ahead for good. In the 7th, reliever Seth McClung, who had just pitched a pair of sparkling innings, was allowed to hit, and he reached on catcher’s interference. The Cubs’ Chad Gaudin then balked, letting the huge flamethrower get to second.

Mike Cameron then coaxed a single between third and short, putting runners at the corners for Rickie Weeks, who had replaced Durham due to an injury. Weeks, criticized by many (including myself) all year long, wasted no time in giving Milwaukee another boost in their run for the playoffs. He lined a three-run home run to left to give his club some more breathing room, and he was even prompted to a curtain call by the deeply appreciative crowd of 44,804 (mostly Brewer fans by the way). McClung did the rest, finishing things off with a fiery demeanor that made the night even more amazing for Brewer fans, who cheered raucously once they saw the final from Shea Stadium: 6-1 Marlins over the Mets. Milwaukee is now 1.0 games ahead of New York in the Wild Card chase.

Offensive MVP: Rickie Weeks (1-1/1R/1HR/3RBI/0BB/0K)

Pitching MVP: Seth McClung (4.0IP/1H/0ER/1BB/6SO/Win-6th)

Brewers Win Final Road Game of 2008 8-1

newcrewrox08 — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:33:59 +0000

The odds are certainly stacked against the Milwaukee Brewers. They would have to combine a miraculous winning streak with a full-blown collapse by the New York Mets to have a CHANCE at backing into the post season, but the fact of the matter is they still have a chance. Seth McClung couldn’t get out of the 4th inning, but reliever Todd Coffey bailed him out of a bases-loaded jam with two key strikeouts. Prince Fielder hit a solo shot off of Reds’ starter Bronson Arroyo, and also crushed a two-run double in the 4th. Corey Hart picked up two RBIs off of sac flies, J.J. Hardy knocked in a run, and Ryan Braun collected #99 of the year as the Brewers rolled to an emphatic 8-1 win. The Mets failed to hold onto a late lead in Atlanta and lost 6-7. The Crew trails New York by 1.5 games going into tomorrow’s off day. Milwaukee’s overall road record in ’08 was 41-40.

Brewers’ Offense Starts to Return as Sveum Gets 1st Win

newcrewrox08 — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:53:35 +0000

This one looked great in the first inning, and much less good in the third. Ben Sheets had gone a mere 2 innings when he exited with right forearm tightness, and this put tremendous pressure on the oft-criticized Milwaukee bullpen as well as new manager, Dale Sveum, to hold on for the last 7 innings against the deadly Chicago lineup. They did. In perhaps their greatest collective performance of 2008, seven relievers combined to throw 7 one-run, 5 hit (all singles) innings and seal a huge 6-2 victory on Wednesday night at Wrigley. Prince Fielder ripped a double down the right field line off Jason Marquis in the first to unload the bases and put his club up 3-0. Sheets yielded a home-run to Cubs’ third baseman Aramis Ramirez, and went down with an injury he probably received while taking a swing in the top of the third. Enter Mark DiFelice, who hurled 2 scoreless. Then new acquisition Todd Coffey for the 5th, Carlos Villanueva for 2/3 of the 6th, and Mitch Stetter to retire Jim Edmonds for the final out of that inning. J.J. Hardy hit an RBI double in the 7th, and Corey Hart lined a single to left that scored a pair of Brewers and put his club up a commanding 6-1. Even Eric Gagne pitched in, throwing a flawless 7th inning. Guillermo Mota did give up a single and a walk, but got through the 8th unscathed. In the 9th, Salomon Torres struggled, but should have gotten out of it without a run scoring, but Prince Fielder, who had otherwise had a spectacular night, failed to field a low throw from Ray Durham that would have completed a game-ending double play. A run scored on the play, but Torres came right back to retire pinch-hitter Daryle Ward to wrap it up.

Offensive MVP: Prince Fielder (3-4/1R/22B/3RBI/1BB/0K)

Pitching MVP: Mark DiFelice (Win-1st), Todd Coffey, Carlos Villanueva, Mitch Stetter, Eric Gagne, Guillermo Mota, Salomon Torres (7IP/5H/1ER/3BB/6SO/0HR)

Alex’s Take:

The offense seems to be clicking again, Prince Fielder is crushing nearly everything he sees, and the bullpen turned in a great (not just good, but great) performance! This happened against the Chicago Cubs of all teams! Dale Sveum, though I don’t know if it was something he said or just his calm demeanor, really managed his pen well tonight, in a game that the Cubs could’ve easily charged back against the Achilles’ heel of this 2008 Milwaukee team. The key to this series is obviously the rubber match tomorrow, and a tough match up it is. Dave Bush will be pitted against Rich Harden, a spectacular pitcher who dominated the Crew the last time he faced them. The offense will probably need 5 runs or more to win tomorrow’s critical game, but the good news is, it seems like they are capable of doing it now.

Bush Blown Away by Mets in Series Sweep

newcrewrox08 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:40:39 +0000

Dave Bush yielded a first inning grand slam to Ryan Church, and things just kept getting worse for the reeling Crew, who lost their third straight home game against New York and were swept for only the second time at Miller Park all year. Bush settled down somewhat, but still gave up a total of 6 runs in 5.0 innings. The bullpen coughed up 3 more, and that was more than enough for the Mets behind Oliver Perez and their recharged bullpen. Corey Hart hit an RBI double, and J.J. Hardy added a solo shot, but the Brewers offense was basically put to sleep.

Offensive MVP: Mets RF Ryan Church (1-4/1R/1HR/4RBI/0BB/1K)

Pitching MVP: Mets SP Oliver Perez (6.2IP/5H/2ER/5BB/5SO/1HR/Win-10th)

Alex’s Take:

The Brewers are in trouble now. Three games into September and still they do not have a win. They will need to bounce back and probably will against San Diego and Cincinnati, but what does it matter if they can never find out how to beat teams on and above their level?