Jeff Suppan was brilliant on Friday evening, pitching 7 shutout innings, only giving up 5 hits and 3 walks (1 strikeout).  Stymied by the Chicago Cubs’ tremendous pitching staff for the past three and a half days, the Milwaukee offense needed a breakout day and got one.  In the top of the first, Rickie Weeks lead things off with a single, J.J. Hardy worked a walk, and Ryan Braun hit a booming RBI double off of starter Chuck James.  Corey Hart chipped in with a sacrifice fly with one out to extend the lead to 2-0.  In the second inning, Jason Kendall hit a one-out single and was tripled in by Weeks after a sacrifice bunt by Jeff Suppan.  The Brew Crew truly broke things open in the third, when Prince Fielder hit a colossal home run and Mike Cameron followed suit three batters later to give Milwaukee a 6-0 lead.

Neither team pushed across runs until the eighth, when Bill Hall hit a double over center-fielder Mark Kotsay’s head and was later driven in by Gabe Kapler.  When J.J. Hardy hit a seemingly innocent grounder to Braves’ third-baseman Omar Infante, but he threw it badly and both Kendall and Kapler were able to score.  Milwaukee relievers Brian Shouse and Guillermo Mota combined to pitch two perfect innings and seal the 9-0 verdict.

Offensive MVP: Rickie Weeks (2-4/1R/13B/1RBI/1BB/2K)

Pitching MVP: Jeff Suppan (7IP/5H/0ER/3BB/1SO/0HR)

My Take:

The Atlanta Braves are a very beleaguered team right now.  They recently traded away Mark Teixeira and put Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, and Tim Hudson on the D.L.  The Brewers won a game easily that they should have won easily, and although that may not seem like too much to write home about, they have often struggled beating below average teams in 2008.  This victory was needed badly by the Brewers, and will hopefully turn things around after that disastrous homestand.  The success with runners in scoring position has continued for the second straight day, and Jeff Suppan pitched as well as he ever has in a Brewers uniform.

Jeff Suppan was atrocious on Sunday afternoon, giving up 8 earned runs on 11 hits in 6 innings of work.  He also walked one and struck out 3.  The Brewers were up 4-1 thanks to a Prince Fielder sac fly in the first, a Mike Rivera double in the second, and a two-run shot by Ryan Braun in the third.  But Suppan was hit and hit hard in the fifth, surrendering seven runs that were capped off by a three-run shot by Geoff Blum, his second of the day.  Milwaukee tallied one in the sixth off a J.J. Hardy single that scored Russell Branyan from second, but reliever Seth McClung gave up 3 earned runs off of 5 hits and 3 walks in only 2.0 innings pitched to crush any hope of a Brewer comeback.  Astros starter Randy Wolfe struggled, giving up 3 earned runs in 4.1 innings of work, but Chris Sampson relieved him and handcuffed the Brewers for the next few frames, giving up only 1 earned run.  In the ninth, Rickie Weeks tripled and scored on a ground-out by Hardy.

Offensive MVP: Astros 3B Geoff Blum (2-4/2R/2H/2HR/4RBI/0BB/1K)

Pitching MVP: Astros RP Chris Sampson (2.2IP/2H/1ER/0BB/2SO/0HR)

My Take:

So long first place.  This was one of the tougher losses of 2008, but it is simply part of the ebb and flow of a 162 game season.  It would have been nice for the Brewers to have a little momentum going into their 4 game series with Chicago, but that’s just not the way it turned out.  Suppan is often up and down throughout a year, so he could easily bounce back next time.  The upcoming four games will say a lot about whether the Brewers are truly a contender or just a pretender, but even the outcome of that series should be taken with a grain of salt.

Jeff Suppan had just returned from the disabled list and was scuffling immediately.  He allowed two Cardinals’ runs in the first inning, the first off the strength of a monstrous home run by All Star Ryan Ludwick, the second off of a Rick Ankiel two-out RBI single.  Suppan settled down in the second, but allowed St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina to double in Troy Glaus with two out.  Up 3-0, the phenomenal right-handed starter Kyle Lohse briefly flirted with a no-hitter into the fifth inning, but Prince Fielder quickly wiped that out when he singled.  Lohse did not surrender any runs through the first six innings and was looking untouchable, and even though Jeff Suppan had settled in to pitch a very respectable game, all appeared bleak on Monday evening for Milwaukee.  With CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets slated to pitch the series’ final two games, the Brewers were still in a strong position to either split or win the series after a loss in Game 2.  But, oh wait…there WAS no loss in Game 2!

In the top of the seventh inning, things were looking encouraging when J.J. Hardy hit a lead-off double and Ryan Braun hit a tricky grounder to the left side of the mound that St. Louis third-baseman Troy Glaus was forced to hold on to, allowing Hardy to get to third and himself to get a base hit.  Prince Fielder mashed a ground ball to left field, scoring Hardy and putting Milwaukee on the board, but Gabe Kapler chopped into a rally-killing double play (Hall struck out with a runner on third and two gone).  Suppan kept his club in the game with a scoreless seventh frame, and that paved the way for one of the most heroic comebacks in the history of the Brewers/Cardinals rivalry.  Mike Cameron struck out to lead off the eighth, but Jason Kendall singled right after.  Pinch hitter Russell “The Muscle” Branyan showed very little muscle as he lined out softly to shortstop, and with Rickie Weeks (not one of Milwaukee’s greatest clutch performers of 2008) coming to the plate, it looked as though Tony La Russa’s struggling bullpen would escape another demoralizing defeat (they surrendered three Brewers’ runs in the top of the 10th inning in Game 1 of the series to kill an inspiring Cardinals’ comeback).  Apparently, the arrival of Ray Durham served as something of a wakeup call to the younger second baseman.  He smacked a double to the wall in left-center field and the always-hustling Jason Kendall motored around the bases to score.  With Weeks on second, J.J. Hardy, who has been as hot as any hitter in baseball for the past oh…month or so…promptly tied the game at 3 with an RBI single.

Steady left-handed reliever Brian Shouse pitched a perfect eighth, and in the ninth, with two outs, the hero of last night’s game produced an astonishing encore.  When Bill Hall connected with the pitch from Kyle McClellan, there was no doubt in my mind (or Hall’s) that it was going to go a long, long way.  When the ball came down into the sea of Cardinals’ red, the stadium, which had been so alive for the first six innings of the game, fell deathly silent.  There would be no comeback, no celebration for La Russa’s Redbirds in the bottom of the ninth.  Salomon Torres, who had pitched two innings the day before, allowed absolutely nothing, and the Brewers won their fifth straight game on the road (sixth straight overall).  Ned Yost’s upstart club is now in sole possession of second place in the NL Central, in sole possession of the Wild Card Berth, and with the Cubs down 9-2 in the top of the ninth inning, it appears as though Milwaukee, 8.5 games back just over a month ago, will be sitting a mere 1 game behind their bitter rivals.

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

Pitching MVP: Jeff Suppan (7IP/8H/1HR/3ER/2BB/3SO)

My Take:

Few times in my life have I been at a total loss for words.  This is one of those times.  I have followed the Milwaukee Brewers since I was a young child, and I have seen some good games, some numerically greater comebacks, but never have I been this convinced of an impending defeat.  Kyle Lohse looked almost un-hittable, Jeff Suppan looked mediocre early on, and the Milwaukee offense looked totally listless.  I give Ned Yost props for keeping the bench spirits high, or at least alive throughout what looked like a very ugly game.  No team wins games like these against their rivals on the road unless they have confidence in themselves as a team.  The Brewers clearly have confidence in themselves that hasn’t been seen in Milwaukee in over a quarter century.  I will go out on a limb and make a bold prediction: the Brewers WILL win the series at Busch Stadium!

    A day after Milwaukee’s long-proclaimed ace pitcher was unable to neutralize the injury-ridden, yet still dangerous Rockies lineup, a most unlikely candidate managed to outperform both C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets.  Dave Bush, pitching perhaps the greatest game in his major league career, completely baffled the Colorado offense Thursday afternoon.  He yielded one unearned run, struck out a mind-boggling thirteen, walked none, and surrendered only three hits in eight superb innings.

Trailing after the first frame 1-0, Milwaukee’s offense awoke from its slumber and tied the game in the third on a Ryan Braun single which scored lead-off hitter Rickie Weeks.  The fourth inning could have been the Crew’s greatest single performance in a game this whole season.  In a nutshell, they scored six runs, five with two outs off a Gabe Kapler double, a Weeks double, and a Prince Fielder triple.  In the seventh, right fielder Corey Hart (recently elected to the All Star Game) padded the lead with a solo home run to deep left and Gabe Kapler (continuing to prove himself as one of the team’s best off-season acquisitions and bench players) doubled in Bill Hall to put the Brewers up 9-1.  In the eighth, J.J. Hardy came through yet again, sending a pitch over the left field fence, scoring Joe Dillon, and capping Milwaukee’s scoring outburst.  At the end of the day, manager Ned Yost found his club sitting in sole possession of second place in the N.L. Central and a mere four games behind the Chicago Cubs.

Alex’s Take:

Good, better, and great.  That describes how I feel about the Brewer’s four game series against the Colorado Rockies, the Brewers’ offense’s performance on Thursday afternoon, and the pitching of Dave Bush.  There has been talk of setting up a six-man pitching rotation once Jeff Suppan returns from his injury.  Dave Bush, who has been stellar at Miller Park this season (3-2 record, 2.87 ERA before today’s brilliant performance) and Seth McClung, who has been strong away from Wisconsin (1-1 record, 3.28 ERA in 11 appearances) may share the final spot in Ned Yost’s rotation.  Bush and McClung struggle away and at home respectively, thus, the move makes sense.  What to be wary about is the fact that starting pitchers are often very, very, very habitual, and setting up the less-than-conventional rotation might cause them meltdowns.  It is a risky move, but if it plays out well, it could really benefit the Brewers’ already strong starting pitching.  The offense has been quite streaky this year, sometimes displaying dominance like today, or they play more flatly, like yesterday, so I am taking this 11 run day with a grain of salt.  A great fact remains, though: they don’t have to score 11 runs a game to win when their starting pitching is this good.

J.J. Hardy led the Milwaukee Brewers with three rbi as they defeated Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks by the score of 8-6 on Tuesday night.  Hardy hit a solo home run off Johnson in the second inning and finished the game with three rbi to lead the team.  They were able to knock the Big Unit out of the game after only 3 2/3 innings.

Joe Dillon hit his first home run of the season in the second inning off of Johnson as well.  Dillion finished the game with two rbi as they both came on the home run.  Mike Rivera had a rbi double and a rbi single in the game to record two rbi in the game.  Corey Hart contributed with one rbi in the game as well.

Jeff Suppan pitched five innings while giving up nine hits and five runs to pick up the win.  Suppan didn’t have his best stuff out there on the mound but he was able to get through five innings and improve his record to 5-6.  He should really thank his bullpen and offense for picking up the win for him.

Mitch Stetter, David Riske, Guillermo Mota. and Salomon Torres all pitched one inning of relief for the Brew crew.  Mota was the only reliever to give up any runs as he gave up two hits and one run in the eighth inning.

The Brewers will now try to take the series lead on Wednesday night.  Brewers Blog

The Milwaukee Brewers were attempting to sweep the Atlanta Braves in their three game series but the Braves had other thoughts and defeated the Brewers 4-2.  It was still a good series for the Brewers however as they took two out of three games from the Braves down in hot Atlanta.

Jeff Suppan suffered his sixth loss of the season as he fell to 4-6 after taking the loss on Wednesday.  Suppan pitched six innings and allowed nine hits and four runs to score.  Suppan did strike out five batters but still had trouble getting outs in the game.

Mitch Stetter and Guillermo Mota finished the up the game for the Brewers on the mound.  Stetter pitched 1 2/3 innings while Mota recorded the final out in the eighth inning.

The Brewers scored both of their runs on rbi doubles in the third inning.  Mike Rivera doubled to score Mike Cameron and then Rickie Weeks doubled to score Rivera.  The Brewers as a team were limited to only six hits during the game.

So after taking two of three from the Braves, the Brewers will now be off on Thursday as they fly to Minnesota to begin a three game series on Friday evening.

Are you a big Brewers fan that watches or listens to most of the Brewers games?  Do you have an intrest for writing or letting your opinion be heard on the Internet?  Brewershomeplate is currently looking for a contributer that cover some game recaps during the middle of the week and a possibly a weekend here and there.  If you are interested, please use the contact us link on the main page or leave a comment in this thread and we will get back to you.

Brewers Blog

Prince Fielder came up huge for the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night as he went deep in the eighth inning to give the Brewers the 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.  It was a very good win for the Brewers who beat the Diamondacks as they continue their slide.  Great way to start off the series!

Besides Fielder’s rbi, Bill Hall also had a rbi sac fly in the second inning.  The other two Brewers runs were not earned when they scored two runs in the seventh inning.  Diamondbacks third basemen Mark Reynolds committed a throwing error that allowed the two runs to score.

Guillermo Mota pitched the eighth inning to get the win in the game and is now 2-3.  Salomon Torres pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his sixth save of the season.  Moto and Torres were pitching in relief of Jeff Suppan who threw the first seven innings of the game.  Suppan gave up seven hits and three runs while getting a no decision.

Brewers Blog

Rickie Weeks went 2-4 and had a huge rbi triple in the eighth inning to score J.J. Hardy as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Atlanta Braves.  The Brewers only had three hits in the game and Weeks had two of them so they are very lucky to come away with the win.

Weeks was the main guy at the plate for the Brewers like we already mentioned.  He had two of the Brewers three hits.  The other player to record a hit in the game was Bill Hall.

Jeff Suppan tossed eight innings while only giving up four hits.  Suppan improved to 3-4 on the season with the win.  Salomon Torres pitched the ninth inning to record his fourth save of the season.

Brewers Blog

The Milwaukee Brewers were shutout by the Florida Marlins by the score of 3-0 on Tuesday night.  As if getting shutout wasn’t bad enough, the Brewers only had two hits in the entire game as Scott Olsen pitched a complete game one hitter.

Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder had the two hits for the Brewers.  Too bad that one hit was a grand slam for Brewers fans…

Jeff Suppan pitched five innings but gave up eight hits and three runs to take the loss.

It was just a bad game all around for the Brewers who are now 16-16 on the season.

Brewers Blog

The Milwaukee Brewers gave up a run in the sixth inning and then two more in the eigth innings as they went onto lose to the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1.

Jeff Suppan had pitched seven innings and only allowed five hits and one run before giving way to David Riske who gave up two runs in only .2 of an inning.  Just a terrible performance by Riske, who will hopefully throw the ball better next time he is called on.

The lone RBI for the Brewers came off the bat of Ryan Braun who singled in the third inning to score Rickie Weeks.  The Brewers left 17 guys on base and only recorded nine hits in the game.

Brewers Blog