Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Blog » Ryan Braun

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

Burrell’s Two Blasts End Milwaukee’s Playoff Run

newcrewrox08 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:07:50 +0000

Jeff Suppan was roughed up for 5 runs in 3.0 innings of work, not exactly living up to his playoff hero billing. Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a home-run, Pat Burrell hit a 3-run blast in the 3rd, and Jayson Werth hit one of his own right after, giving the Phils an insurmountable 5-0 lead. The Brewers offense did next to nothing against Joe Blanton, and Prince Fielder’s solo blast in the 7th (Milwaukee’s only round-tripper of the Post Season) and Ryan Braun’s RBI single in the 8th provided the only runs. Ever the battlers throughout 2008, the Brewers’ hopes finally died on Sunday afternoon at Miller Park before an energetic, but obviously stunned, crowd 43,934. CC Sabathia made likely his last appearance in a Brewers’ uniform, pinch-hitting in the 3rd inning and striking out. Burrell hit another off of Guillermo Mota in the 8th, putting any hope of a Milwaukee comeback to rest. Brad Lidge didn’t earn a save, but shut down the Crew in the 9th, sending his club to the NLCS.

Offensive MVP: Phillies LF Pat Burrell (3-4/2R/2HR/4RBI/0BB/0K)

Pitching MVP: Phillies SP Joe Blanton (6.0IP/5H/1ER/0BB/7SO/1HR/Win-1st)

Alex’s Take:

This was an ugly game, but 2008 was a tremendous step forward for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball club. Jeff Suppan should shoulder a lot of the blame for the loss, but the offense had been hand-cuffed all series long, and couldn’t come through when they needed to. The Crew is a very young team, though, so there is a good amount of hope on the horizon, providing the starting pitching, which should be very young, comes through.

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.

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)

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)

Braun’s Spectacular Shot Keeps the Dream Alive

newcrewrox08 — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:11:24 +0000

Yovani Gallardo had gone 4 months without pitching, as he had gone down to a torn ACL that required what was considered originally to be season-ending knee surgery. Turns out that 4 months was all the time in the world for the prized young starter. Operating off a strict pitch count and not even swinging the bat when he came to the plate, the Brewers kept him relatively safe. Gallardo, in turn, kept the Brewers’ Post Season hopes relatively safe. Staked to an early 1-0 lead off a Bill Hall RBI double in the 3rd, he went on to mow down 7 Pirates in 4.0 innings, giving up only 1 run off a home run by Steve Pearce in the 4th. The next batter walked, but Gallardo induced an inning-ending double play by Ronnie Paulino right after.

Then came the bullpen: seven pitchers, six innings, zero runs allowed in one of its finest performances of the year. Offensively, the Crew was not so impressive for the rest of the first 9 innings. They actually only stranded 5 runners on Thursday, but they simply couldn’t execute small ball, and it forced extras. In the top of the 10th, the Buckos threatened big time against Todd Coffey. With one out, he surrendered a single to Jason Michaels, who then reached second on a fielder’s choice. Enter Pittsburgh’s All Star center fielder Nate McLouth and lefty Mitch Stetter for the biggest out of his career thus far. From a 3-1 count, Stetter got McLouth to whiff at that sweeping slider of his, and froze him on another one, recording the punch-out and bringing things to the bottom 10th.

That’s when things got interesting. Rickie Weeks started things off against Jesse Chavez with a single, and was moved to second on a perfect sacrifice bunt from the catcher Jason Kendall. Pinch-hitter Ray Durham, who has torn things up at Miller Park this year, was intentionally walked, putting two runners on with only 1 out. Alas, Mike Cameron failed to end it as he went down swinging. Craig Counsell then strode to the plate, crazy stance and all, and worked arguably the biggest walk by a Brewer in 2008 (it only took 5 pitches). This put the game, and with the Mets winning their game on a Carlos Beltran walk-off single moments earlier, possibly the season in the hands of sore and struggling left fielder Ryan Braun. He needed merely a bloop single or a walk, but the end result turned out to be far more legendary. On a 2-2 count, he finally got some of his prodigious power into a swing, and the ball went a long, long way. Braun collected the 1st and only grand slam by Milwaukee all season, as well as the first walk-off shot of his major league career. If the Brewers manage to reach the playoffs, it will probably be considered the defining moment of 2008, and one of the biggest home runs in Brewer history.

Offensive MVP: Ryan Braun (1-5/1R/1HR/4RBI/0BB/1K)

Pitching MVP: Carlos Villanueva, Eric Gagne, Guillermo Mota, Brian Shouse, Salomon Torres, Todd Coffey, Mitch Stetter(Win-3rd) (6.0IP/6H/0ER/1BB/3SO/0HR)

Fielder Delivers, Brewers Keep Pace with Mets

newcrewrox08 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:47:37 +0000

Dave Bush was shaky on Tuesday night, going 5.0 innings and giving up 3 runs. After going up 2-0 early on a Ryan Braun triple (he scored on the play off a throwing error in the outfield), the Crew slipped behind 3-2 after an inning in which Bush, normally a pitcher with good command, walked two batters, walked the pitcher, then surrendered some run-scoring singles with two outs. Milwaukee rallied back to take the lead in the 7th when Mike Cameron lined a two-run double into left with runners on the corners and 1 out. Disaster struck in the 8th, when recently-consistent reliever Guillermo Mota gave up a booming 2-run home run to the Pirates’ Steve Pearce. Down by one with a slip in the Wild Card race imminent, Jason Kendall provided one of his biggest hits of the year when he coaxed a two-out, game-tying double right over the right fielder’s head to score J.J. Hardy from second. After Salomon Torres battled through a scoreless 9th, the Crew came to bat. Reliever T.J. Beam struck out Mike Cameron and got a pop out from Ray Durham to start things off, but Ryan Braun managed to hit a tricky infield single, setting things up for the big man. Prince Fielder looked at two pitches, and with a 2-0 count, he crushed a rocket home run to ignite the 30,000+ fans and cued the Brewers to celebrate raucously at home plate. They won 7-5.

Offensive MVP: Mike Cameron (2-5/1R/22B/2RBI/0BB/1K)

Pitching MVP: Salomon Torres (1IP/1H/0ER/1BB/0SO/Win-7th)

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.

Parra, Brewers Demolished by Phillies

newcrewrox08 — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:03:12 +0000

Manny Parra gave up 5 runs in 1.1 innings…no that is not a typo. He was flat out terrible, a mirror image of how the rest of his team has been in September. The Brewers did next to nothing against Cole Hamels, though Jason Kendall hit a two-run double in the 4th and Ryan Braun finally hit a homerun, a solo shot, in the 8th. Parra is now 10-8.

Offensive MVP: Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins (3-5/3R/12B/1HR/3RBI/0BB/0K)

Pitching MVP: Phillies SP Cole Hamels (6.1IP/6H/2ER/3BB/4SO/0HR/Win-13th)

Alex’s Take:

I don’t really have much to say today. The Brewers are just awful right now, in every phase of the game, and it doesn’t look like there is any light at the end of the tunnel.