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Talkin’ Baseball And Brewers
Sunday July 19, 2009
Posted by: ggiesen at 5:36PM CST on July 19, 2009
By The Associated Press MILWAUKEE — The Brewers acquired second baseman Felipe Lopez from the Arizona Diamondbacks for two minor leaguers on Sunday, giving Milwaukee a much needed threat at the top of the order. Milwaukee has been without starting second baseman Rickie Weeks after he had season-ending surgery on his wrist in May. Since then, 38-year-old veteran Craig Counsell and rookie Casey McGehee have filled in, but Lopez gives the Brewers a more consistent veteran. "It’s exciting," Lopez said from St. Louis. "It’s tough leaving the guys here. At the same time, I’m excited for the opportunity." The 29-year-old Lopez is hitting .301 with six homers, 25 RBIs and six stolen bases in 85 games in his first season with the Diamondbacks. He can become a free agent after the season. Lopez, a nine-year veteran, is expected to join the Brewers in time for their game at Pittsburgh on Monday. "I’m leaving here on a good note," said Lopez, who has also played for Toronto, Cincinnati, Washington and St. Louis. "I love this organization. It’s one of the reason I signed here to begin with. I believe in this team. This team is only ... pieces away from being really good. It’s just the business side." The Diamondbacks, who fell to 39-53 after Sunday’s 2-1 road loss to St. Louis, got outfielder Cole Gillespie and right-hander Roque Mercedes from the Brewers in the deal. Arizona began Sunday 18 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West. "With our place in the standings, we have to consider trades like this," Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes said. "Felipe will be a free agent at the end of the year, and we acquired a couple of guys with long-term value." Gillespie hit .242 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs for Triple-A Nashville. Mercedes was 1-1 with six saves and a 1.08 ERA in 29 appearances for Class A Brevard County. The Diamondbacks are expected to call up Ryan Roberts from Class AAA Reno to take Lopez’s place at second base. Friday July 17, 2009
Posted by: ggiesen at 7:02PM CST on July 17, 2009
By Greg Giesen Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder gave fans a happy moment Monday with his victory in the State Farm Home Run Derby during All-Star Game festivities in St. Louis. Still, the sight of Prince Fielder out-homering Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz in the finals was bittersweet. Cruz, in case you forgot, was traded with Carlos Lee to the Rangers for closer Francisco Cordero, outfielder Kevin Mench, outfielder Laynce Nix and a minor league pitcher before the trade deadline in 2006. Cordero was a fine closer, but the Brewers eventually lost him to free agency. Mench was a serviceable bench player. Nix and Julian Cordero — the minor league pitcher — never really impacted the major league roster. Milwaukee, which was tired of watching Derrick Turnbow blow save after save, made the move to shore up the bullpen and get some value for Lee who became a free agent after the season and signed with Houston. The move didn’t get Milwaukee into the playoffs in 2007 — Cordero’s only full season with Milwaukee — and the Brewers lost Cruz who can play both corner outfield spots and provide more offense than say ... Corey Hart. Before posting any comments about Cruz, I understand hindsight is 20-20 and there were no guarantees about Cruz in 2006. But, this is any interesting topic considering people want Milwaukee to make a move before the trading deadline. Over the 10 games leading to the All-Star break, Milwaukee lost three-of-four to the Chicago Cubs and lost two-of-three to St. Louis and the Los Angeles Dodgers. All 10 games showed many issues, but the most prevalent are a lack of consistent starting pitching behind Yovani Gallardo; a lack of consistent offensive production; and a bullpen that was overworked during the first half. Thankfully, Milwaukee is in the average NL Central where fixing just one of these areas will give the Brewers a great chance to make the playoffs. The addition of an ace pitcher like Toronto right-hander Roy Halladay — like the addition of CC Sabathia last year — would help alleviate almost all those concerns. Halladay would give the rotation a lift, pitch deep into ball games to help the bullpen and typically keep games close so even on a bad offensive night Milwaukee should have a shot to win. It’s a no brainer. Milwaukee should send third baseman Mat Gamel, shortstop Alcides Escobar and whatever else in a package to the Blue Jays for Halladay. No so fast. Unless Milwaukee is committed to J.J. Hardy as the franchise’s answer at shortstop and have a solution for where the offensive power will come from after Fielder leaves for free agency, you don’t make this deal. And Milwaukee can’t answer yes to either notion. Giving up prospects is great when a team either has extensive depth in the minors — which the Brewers had before last year’s Sabathia deal — or sits one piece away from a World Series contender. You can’t say either about the Brewers. And as nice as making the playoffs would be, it’s not worth another decade of futility because the farm system is dried up and Milwaukee can’t replace the players leaving via free agency. Still not convinced? Then think about how much fun you will have watching Cleveland’s Matt LaPorta and Toronto’s Mat Gamel in the finals of the 2014 Home Run Derby while Milwaukee’s offense struggles with no one protecting Ryan Braun. Friday June 26, 2009
Posted by: ggiesen at 3:56PM CST on June 26, 2009
By COLIN FLY Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio suggested Thursday that Milwaukee may be active in the upcoming trade market and take on more salary if needed. "We still have flexibility, we’re a buyer, not a seller," Attanasio told The Associated Press. General manager Doug Melvin has declined to address rumors with about a month to go before the July 31 trade deadline, only saying it was nearly impossible he’d consider dealing top prospects Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar. But Attanasio said Melvin has spoken to several clubs in the past three weeks. It’s thought that the Brewers are most interested in acquiring a starting pitcher for their thin rotation after Manny Parra was demoted to Triple-A Nashville and Dave Bush was placed on the disabled list this week after being hit by a line drive. But Attanasio also mentioned bolstering the infield after second baseman Rickie Weeks (wrist) had season-ending surgery. Milwaukee has used a platoon of 38-year-old veteran Craig Counsell and Casey McGehee in Weeks’ absence. "We knew when Rickie went down we would need a little bit of help because he meant so much to our team. But, one of the things that’s worked so well in baseball that (Commissioner) Bud Selig’s put in with the wild card is just about everybody but two or three teams are in it," Attanasio said. The Brewers are often mentioned in trade rumors because of their deep farm system and Melvin’s deal last July to acquire pitcher CC Sabathia for four prospects. Sabathia, now with the Yankees, helped propel Milwaukee to its first postseason appearance in 26 years. That’s helped the Brewers stay competitive financially despite the economic downturn, something Attanasio is keenly aware of as an investment banker. With a payroll of more than $80 million this season, Milwaukee is averaging more than 37,000 fans per game through 33 games, keeping the franchise on pace to draw 3 million fans for the second straight season. "We’ve got such phenomenal fan support that we’ve managed to be OK," Attanasio said. "I think it’s because it’s fun and so when people decide what they’re going to reduce out of their lives, this will probably be one of the last things they take away." Attanasio spoke after he and his wife, Debbie, were honored in Milwaukee as COA Youth and Family Center’s 2009 Parents of the Year for the work they’ve done with school-aged children through Brewers charities. "We’re really delighted with the support we got," Attanasio said. "Especially in a tough time like this, we feel it’s very special." Saturday June 13, 2009
Posted by: sshemanske at 11:55PM CST on June 13, 2009
Twenty-two years later, Juan Nieves remains a fixture in the Milwaukee Brewers’ record book. Even Nieves is surprised by that. Nieves was just 22 years old and in just his second major-league season in 1987 when he made history. On April 15 of that year, Nieves became the first Puerto-Rican born pitcher and the first Brewer to pitch a no-hitter when he no-hit the Baltimore Orioles in a 7-0 Brewers’ victory at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. To date, Nieves remains the only Brewer with a no-hitter. Six others have come close with one-hitters — Skip Lockwood in 1972 vs. the New York Yankees, Jim Colburn in 1973 vs. the Texas Rangers, Moose Haas in 1985 vs. the Yankees, Danny Darwin in 1985 vs. the Minnesota Twins, Teddy Higuera in 1987 vs. the Kansas City Royals and CC Sabathia in 2008 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nieves’ no-hitter came in the ninth game of the Brewers’ American League-record 13-0 start that season. The young, slightly built left-hander went on to a 14-8 record in the season that also featured Paul Molitor’s 39-game hitting streak. But Nieves’ days of glory were short-lived. He pitched only one more season in the majors — 1988 — before seeing his career cut short because of shoulder problems. Now in his second season as the bullpen coach for the Chicago White Sox, Nieves was back in Milwaukee this weekend for the three-game interleague series against the Brewers at Miller Park. Nieves previously coached in the Yankees’ minor-league system and was a pitching coach in the White Sox’s minor league system for nine years before joining the parent club for the 2008 season. The 44-year-old Nieves said he’s surprised no other Brewers’ pitcher has thrown a no-hitter. "I would have thought by now, somebody here would have had one," Nieves said. Friday May 29, 2009
Posted by: ggiesen at 8:06PM CST on May 29, 2009
Baseball fans dig the long ball. Home runs are the reason fans flocked to watch Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire back in 1998. Home runs electrify crowds and can turn a game around with one swing of the bat. But home runs are also a Siren’s call to baseball players and teams that can lead to disaster. The Milwaukee Brewers are a perfect example of a team drawn to the allure of the home run only to find its promises of high-octane splendor empty. Entering Friday's game against Cincinnati, the Brewers have hit 53 home runs — second in the National League. Eighty-five of Milwaukee’s 218 runs scored have come via the home run. That’s 39 percent of the team’s offense. During the Brewers’ recent 28-game stretch during which they went 22-6, Milwaukee hit 35 home runs. During that span, the Brewers scored 155 runs and 56 — or 37 percent — came via the long ball. When Milwaukee isn’t hitting home runs, things don’t go so well. Since finishing a three-game sweep of St. Louis May 18, Milwaukee has hit three home runs accounting for four of its 22 runs. Milwaukee’s record during that period is 3-6. Going a step further, the Brewers are 22-9 in games in which they homer, but just 5-11 in games in which they don’t. "Hopefully, we’ll hit some more home runs," Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder said when asked about the team’s dependence on home runs. Thanks Prince, but that’s not going to solve Milwaukee’s problems. All baseball teams run hot and cold when it comes to offense and sometimes it’s due to a slump and other times it’s due to facing hot pitchers. But when those power outages arise, teams have to grind through the tough times and score enough runs to win. The St. Louis Cardinals did just that Wednesday in their 3-2 victory over Milwaukee at Miller Park. Shortstop Brendan Ryan led off the game with a walk. He moved to third on a single and scored on a fielder’s choice. In the third, Ryan doubled and moved to third on left fielder Chris Duncan’s groundout to first. Ryan scored on a sacrifice fly. The Cardinals’ final run came in the sixth when right fielder Nick Stavinoha doubled, moved to third on a groundout to second and scored on catcher Jason LaRue’s single. In contrast, the Brewers got the lead-off hitter on three times. In the fourth, shortstop J.J. Hardy singled and two outs later moved to second on a walk before outfielder Frank Catalanotto tripled. In the sixth, Fielder led off with a single. Mike Cameron struck out and Catalanotto flied out to center. After an error put runners at the corners, Jason Kendall flied out. In the ninth, third baseman Mat Gamel walked. Pinch hitter Jody Gerut popped out. Catcher Mike Rivera couldn’t advance the runner, grounding into a fielder’s choice — shortstop to second. After second baseman Craig Counsell singled, putting the tying run in scoring position, Hardy grounded out to short to end the game. There wasn’t a single home run, but St. Louis beat Milwaukee because the Cardinals got runners on base, hit to the left side for productive outs and scored the runner. They manufactured runs. That’s exactly how championship-caliber teams beat good pitching and grind through offensive slumps. The Brewers need to focus on fundamental hitting. Players like outfielder Corey Hart, third baseman Bill Hall and Hardy need to focus on putting down bunts, moving runners over and executing at the plate with fewer than two outs. All three have hit 20 home runs in a season and have that ability, but the team’s long-term success depends on them getting on base, moving runners over and driving them in by any means necessary. Milwaukee doesn’t do that. Instead, the Brewers get runners on base and wait for the big hit. On Wednesday, it was a two-run triple by Catalanotto. But that wasn’t enough. Against Minnesota Sunday, it was Fielder’s two-run homer in the ninth. But, that was too little and way too late. Home runs are nice and fans love watching the ball fly out and Bernie Brewer go down his slide. But until Milwaukee puts together a multi-dimensional offense, the Brewers will struggle against good pitching and lose to fundamentally sound offensive baseball teams. Brewers’ Melvin says no active trade talks ongoing
Posted by: ggiesen at 7:34PM CST on May 29, 2009
By COLIN FLY Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he’s not talking to any teams about trades, dispelling the notion that Milwaukee is looking for a second baseman or in the hunt for Padres starter Jake Peavy. “We don’t have any trade discussions going on with anybody,” Melvin said Friday night before Milwaukee took on the Cincinnati Reds. Melvin said he spoke to the agents of a few free agent infielders the day after second baseman Rickie Weeks injured his wrist, but hasn’t since. Weeks is out for the season after he was hurt swinging a bat on May 17 in Milwaukee’s 8-2 win over St. Louis and later needed season-ending surgery on his left wrist. The Brewers have slumped since Weeks, the Brewers’ leadoff hitter, left the lineup. The Brewers won three of the next four but are 1-5 in their last six games and are averaging just two runs a game. In the six-game span, Milwaukee is hitting .204 with two homers and 45 strikeouts. “There’s no doubt we’re going to miss Rickie over the course of the summer,” Melvin said. “(But) we’re not going to sit here and say that every week because there’s nothing you can do about it.” Since spring training, Melvin also has repeatedly denied that the Brewers are pursuing Peavy, the Padres’ ace. Milwaukee has made one trade with San Diego this season, sending outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. to the Padres for outfielder Jody Gerut on May 21. Both Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron and closer Trevor Hoffman also played in San Diego with Peavy. The Brewers made a splash last July when they traded four prospects for CC Sabathia, who went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts as Milwaukee reached the postseason for the first time in 26 years. With the losses of Sabathia and Ben Sheets in free agency, Milwaukee’s starting rotation was thought to be a weakness. But the Brewers entered Friday night’s game tied for first in the National League with 27 quality starts and have a team ERA of 4.07, good for ninth best in the majors. Tuesday May 19, 2009
Posted by: ggiesen at 3:59PM CST on May 19, 2009
By Greg Giesen Journal Times The Milwaukee Brewers lost second baseman Rickie Weeks for the season Monday when they announced that he would have surgery to repair the Extensor Carpi Ulnaris tendon sheath on his left wrist. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Don Sheridan and is expected to take place Wednesday in Phoenix. Dr. Sheridan performed surgery on the same tendon on Weeks’ right wrist on August 15, 2006. Weeks, the overall No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft, was batting .272 with nine home runs and 24 RBIs in the leadoff spot and looked like he was finally reaching his potential. With Weeks gone, Milwaukee’s short-term solution is Craig Counsell at second base. Weeks will be placed on the disabled list Tuesday and a corresponding roster move will be made. So what should Milwaukee do? — Should shortstop J.J. Hardy move to second base to make room for one of Milwaukee’s top prospects shortstop Alcides Escobar? — Should Milwaukee move versatile third baseman Bill Hall to second base and put Mat Gamel at third? — Should Milwaukee just keep Counsell at second for the remainder of the season? — Should Milwaukee re-call Nashville Sounds second baseman Hernan Iribarren, who is hitting .311? Thursday May 14, 2009
Posted by: ggiesen at 2:34PM CST on May 14, 2009
By Greg Giesen Journal Times The Milwaukee Brewers recalled infielder Mat Gamel, rated Milwaukee’s No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, from Class AAA Nashville Thursday and demoted infielder Brad Nelson. There’s little doubt Nelson needed to head down to Nashville after going hitless in 21 at-bats. Gamel, the 2008 Topps Minor League Player of the Year, was hitting .336 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 31 games for the Sounds and didn’t have much more to prove in the minors. But, why promote Gamel when there isn’t a place to play him other than designated hitter when Milwaukee faces the Minnesota Twins May 22-24. Is Gamel going to replace Bill Hall at third base? Is he going to play for Prince Fielder at first base? A prospect like Gamel needs to play everyday and that opportunity just won’t present itself with the Brewers unless Milwaukee makes a trade involving any of the infielders. |
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