Adam Lind is now a Brewer

Baseball?  What?  It's November.  The NFL is full swing.  College Hoops is sprouting from the fertile ground.  Not to mention the NBA.  OK, not to mention the NBA.  Well, maybe it's because we just finished seeing Madison Bumgarner give the single greatest pitching performance of our lifetimes over the course of this World Series.  Hands Down.  No Hyperbole.  Or, maybe it's because the Brewers just traded for Adam Lind.

First off, I haven't read anything on this trade, beyond a couple texts from folks saying the Brewers traded Swing man Marco Estrada to the Blue Jays for 1B/DH Adam Lind.  So, whatever this post becomes is going to be straight opinion rather than some Dialectical mashup formed from the Frankensteining of 8 different articles on the subject.  Now that that's qualified, let's get to the straight dope.

Gotta say, I love Adam Lind.  In more than a platonic fashion.  I mean look at this guy's face.  It's like he took a digger in Chorlton's bathroom, after dipping his chin in a vat of Vaseline.  For this reason alone, we should embrace him with open arms.

Adam Lind weighs in at a "listed weight" of anywhere from "195" to "210" pounds, but that's a laughable stretch in the way Prince Fielder used be listed at 6'0, 250 lbs.  This dude is not 195 pounds.  No way.  Throw in some brats, cheese curds, and a few steins of the Champagne of Beers, and I predict Lind will be pushing 250 in no time (although Poutine is no joke.  I shant disparage Poutine, not on these holy pages).  I also predict the Brewers will "list" him at a more appropriate "230", a weight which won't shake the less delicate sensibilities South of the Border.

One aspect of this outsized persona that needs some serious attention is Adam Lind's beard.  Come on, it's Movember after all.  I mean, look at that Orangutan on Lind's chin.  Check out the shades- Lind is not lacking self-awareness.  Ask yourself, is this a shit eating grin?  Did he lose a bet?  He had to lose a bet.  These guys hate it.  These guys love it.  My wife hates it.  This guy likes to touch it.  And yes, of course his beard has a twitter account.  Did I mention his eerie resemblance to this guy?  Pink tights on 250 pound ginger- what could go wrong?

Want more?  Feast your eyes on this: Witness the speed, the grace, the charm, the wit.

He's safe.  He knows it.  But he still wants to help the ump with the call.  Nice guy.  If Adam Lind was your neighbor, I bet he'd shovel your walk for you.  If he was a politician, he'd definitely kiss your baby.

But seriously, and most importantly, Adam Lind is a left handed power hitter, a component sorely missing from the current Brewer lineup.  Here comes a brief aside- I watched WAY too much baseball this past two summers.  Probably enough to get committed in a state like Mississippi, and that's saying something.  Chalk it up to a combination of fatherhood, fantasy baseball, and a pre-existing condition in the realm of OCD.  Anyway, that quasi-humblebrag aside, I'd reckon I've seen 80% of Lind's at-bats over the past two seasons. (ed. note- give or take 40%) Here's what I saw- the good news first:

1) He absolutely destroys right handed pitching. (subject to the editor, but memory serves that he was .350 plus this year, and hit .300 plus with some serious pop last year) (ed. note- yer in the ballpark- only 20 homers last year vs. righties)  Lind was a great guy to own in a fantasy league which allows for daily lineup changes.  Consistently and predictably, Lind would crush right handed pitching, even more so during Day games.  We'll see if that holds true (especially the latter) in Milwaukee.

2) He hit lefties relatively well during the first half of 2013, but for whatever reason (likely a deep bench in Toronto), he wasn't given the opportunity to hit against lefties this year.  I think his stats ended up with him hitting sub .100 against lefties, but he's not really that bad. (ed. note- he was brutal, batting .061 vs. southpaws with no homers)  

3) He's changed his approach at the plate in the past two seasons.  He's become a very patient hitter, taking a ton of first pitches, and working counts to find balls he can drive to the gaps.  Before that, he was quite the free swinger, albeit with more home runs coming as a bi-product.  It will be interesting to see which approach he favors in Milwaukee. (ed. note- Lind's career year came in 2009, when he hit .305 with 35 HRs, and 114 RBI)

4) For a guy who's hit over 20 homers in at least 4 of his big league seasons, the stats say Lind had a mysterious power outage last year.  He ended up hitting just 6 homers in 300 plus at bats, half of which came in the hitter's paradise of Rodgers Center.  Ouch.  Perhaps that's why he was made available.  It could also be that in Toronto, he's rather redundant, with Edwin Encarnacion locked in at 1B. Plus, guys like Jose Bautista, Brett Lawrie, Juan Francisco, and the recently acquired Justin Smoak are available to DH and do lots of the same things Lind does well.  All that said, Lind's lack of Homers in 2014 isn't really a concern.  He hit a lot of ground rule doubles, and just plain doubles, to the gaps last year.  The stats say if he gets the ball out of the infield, it's likely a hit- he's hitting over .600 on balls hit to the outfield in the past two seasons.  The power is still there, it was just gap and warning track power last year.

Which brings us to some of my concerns over the trade.  It certainly isn't giving up Estrada.  He was a decent player, who has filled several niches for the club over the years.  But after catching a bad case of Gopherballitis this year, he didn't seem to fit in the team's plans going forward as anything more than a long reliever and swing starter.  What concerns me most is that Adam Lind may be a guy who belongs in the American League.  Let's address that, and some other negatives.

1.) Lind only played in 96 games last year, despite serving mainly as the team's DH.  If I recall, the injuries were mainly a chronic back issue, and a fractured foot, which he acquired from a rogue foul ball.  If he's that dinged up while serving primarily as a 30 year old DH, it's not likely he's going to play more games while manning 1B, sporting a few more Wisconsin pounds around the old midsection.  The optimist hopes that he'll keep the back loose and limber while playing the field, instead of the old hot/cold lockup of being a DH.

2.) He's wretched at 1B.  I can't think of anyone with less range than he has.  Prince was bad, and (despite FSN's bullshit on the topic) never really became even an average defender, but after a few seasons, he at least looked the part.  Lind does not look the part.  I was really searching for a joke there, but there really wasn't one to be had.  Comparing him to a 40-year old Derek Jeter or an inanimate object really isn't funny.  Bad defense is not a death knell, as it is first base after all, but it also doesn't stack the deck in Lind's favor.

3.) Lind has played all 8 of his major league seasons for the same team.  That means 8 seasons in the AL.  Insert all the old arguments about a veteran's advantage knowing all the pitchers in your league, especially your division, etc. etc., as well as spending most of his career in a hitter's ballpark.  I'm not terribly concerned with this, as he hit around .400 in interleague games the past two seasons, and he's moving from one hitter's ballpark to another.

4.) The numbers against lefties aren't good, and they are worse than I remember.  Lind has hit .212 lifetime against lefties.  Worse than that, his OPS clocks in around .588.  That's not useful, not even for a middle infielder, let alone a first baseman.  So, he's going to be a platoon player.  Fortunately, starting pitching in the NL Central is heavy on righthanders, so this, combined with smart teams placing more value on splits and platoons, may not hurt Lind's value as a Brewer. (ed. note- Are the Brewers a smart team?) 

Well, a few beers later, I realize I'm probably nitpicking Adam Lind's negatives, in order to balance the ledger.   This is a good trade- at the very least a good roll of the dice.  Lest we forget the dynamic duo of Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds who platooned at first base last year. They each held their own defensively, but their lack of pop and consistency killed us down the stretch.  To be sure, 100 games out of Lind (and let's say a platoon w/ Lucroy) is better than what we had in 2014.  I just wanted to make sure my admiration for Adam Lind the person/fantasy commodity wasn't clouding my judgement of Adam Lind the player.
As a fan, I really do enjoy watching Lind work a count and swing the bat.  He's got an effortless power stroke (ed.note- lifetime .860 OPS vs. righties).  It will be no small joy to watch him in a Brewer uniform, as long as he's not sitting on the bench with yet another back injury.  For the record, I hope we bring back Reynolds as a backup for both Lind and Ramirez.  Mark is solid defensively at either position, and will get more than his share of at bats in a first base platoon, as well as in late innings, not to mention full time duty when Lind and Ramirez take their customary DL stints.

For posterity's sake, let's throw out some hypothetical numbers which would constitute a successful season for "the Ginger" in 2015.

Games- 100

Average- .275

HRs- 20

RBI- 75

OBP- .350    

SLG- .450

OPS- .800

I keep trying to manufacture a comp for what this trade feels like as a fan of both Lind and the Brewers.  Nothing really rings the bell clear and true, but let's go for the oddball that keeps popping to mind:  Xavier McDaniel.  In his prime.  In a decent year for the Bucks.  The X-Man was a uniquely talented offensive player, and probably a much better fantasy than real life commodity, but damn if he wasn't fun to watch.  You know what, screw the comp.  As with most things, I suppose it's best not to over analyze it, but rather to thank Doug Melvin's moustache and enjoy the ride instead.

Conversations with Doug Melvin's Moustache.

to begin:  because it's long, I'll put this post in a nutshell.  Q:"Who do you think Doug Melvin and the Brewers will acquire at the MLB trade deadline? A:"A guy whose name is in all caps near the end of the post"  Discuss.  For the brave amongst you who are interested in drug influenced conversations with a General Manager's moustache, by all means, Plow Ahead.

It's the end of July. We're less than a week away from the trade deadline, that arbitrary demarcation of sink or swim for MLB franchises. In America's Pastime, to buy or to sell, that is the question. It's quite the decision for many franchises this year. In fact, without checking the rest of the internets and relying entirely on my own swiss cheese memory, I can't remember a year with so many teams hovering on either side of .500, nor a year with absolutely no definitively dominant team. (Who is it? Oakland? Name a great hitter in that lineup. The Dodgers? Not even first in their own division. I like the makeup of the Nats and Angels, but they've got flaws too)

So, in a year full of so much parity, there ought to be a lot of teams confused as to whether or not they are buyers or sellers. Several bad teams may consider themselves a solid #2 starter or a big stick away from the World Series. These factors should lead to several bigger than usual-type trades. Trades which will undoubtedly change the futures of franchises in the decade to come. All caused by the pressure of that July 31 deadline, and the imagined outcomes of thousands of possible BABIPS and WARS. Wax on, Wax off. 

So... what does any of this mean for our semi-beloved Milwaukee Brewer franchise? What types of hypotheticals are being filtered through Doug Melvin's moustache?

If I'm Doug Melvin's lip foliage, I'm high on a few peyote buttons, thinking in several different directions at once, and trying to calm down a rather frantic Doug Melvin.

DM:I'll tell you one thing, Mr.Sanchez, this Brewer team is rather firmly entrenched in first place. This is not a place we are accustomed to. I understand mediocrity. I understand the beauty of the struggle. I understand the raisin in the sun. But I am not sure I'm ready to handle the luster of this particular pot of gold. How did we get here? Where will we go? Does it matter?

DMM:"Don't freak out Doug Melvin. For God's sake man, you have TWO FIRST NAMES! As your lip sweater, I advise you to remember the last time we did this peyote thing.  It was last year, on our Southwestern road swing, where you finally saw the same vision that I have always had tucked in between my whiskers- Starting Pitching wins Championships. Always has.  Always will.  That was a good day. Those Enchiladas were delicious. I still have some Salsa Verde over here in the left hand corner nook.   Doug, you ask how we got here.  We got here mostly through building a pitching staff of mostly solid, #2 type, veteran, starting pitchers.  Lohse and Garza have been very good additions- you done good there Dougie.  Oh yeah, and we also developed most of our offensive talent within our own system, and added a few exciting defensive players like GoGo and Segura. Not to mention, it doesn't hurt having your best players like Braun, Lucroy and Gomez hitting their primes at the same time. Not to stress you out, but where we go from here, and if it matters or not, might just have a little bit to do with what you choose to do here at the trade deadline.  Bottom line Doug, we're in first place in the division.  First Place!  The Brewers!  Best record in the National League!  Facts!" 

Oh jeez.  Heavy hangs the crown.  Yeah, we're in first, but we just snuck through that rough patch which let the whole Central Division catch up to us. They ALL scare me- even the Cubs. You may not know this, as you are only a dirt squirrel, but human life can be quite filled with anxiety from time to time, and I can't always know for sure which way to go. The fans want me to be perfect. My wife wants me to be perfect. But I'm not. I'm Doug Melvin. Shouldn't I toss in all the chips, and go and get David Price? I hear he's available. I mean, that's what the internets tell me. If you yourself, my household pet which I stow aboard my upper lip, taught me that Starting Pitching wins championships, shouldn't I go trade for the best guy out there... I mean come on you little fanny duster, this is MILWAUKEE, we have a shot at a CHAMPIONSHIP this year! This is beyond once in a generation! This is my LEGACY!

"Relax Doug Melvin. Aren't you Canadian? You remind me of Larry David in that one sketch except he's bald and you have ME on your not very staunch upper lip. You seem so laconic in your interviews with ROCK and MOM JEANS. Maybe that's because you let me take over and do the talking. Jesus, we need to go find some Valium for you to balance this ship. Anyway, let me, your crumb catcher, assuage your fears, and KNOCK SOME COMMON SENSE INTO THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS! Just kidding there buddy. 
 OK, first things first. Stop worrying about the NL Central:  The Cubs suck, and won't be any good for a couple years. The Reds have some decent starting pitching, but they have injuries across the board, including notorious Brewer Killer Brandon Phillips, and their best player, Joey Votto. I wouldn't be surprised if he's out for the rest of 2014. They also can't hit right handed pitching, and our starters all happen to be right handed. 
 Sure, the Cardinals seem to be our nemeses year in and year out, and although you can't ever count them out, they are having a rough year. Their two best hitters, Matt Holiday and Allen Craig have both declined this year. More like fell off two cliffs. The whole team is striking out a ton, even sometimes on 4-2 counts, and can't hit for power. And they lost the straw that stirs the drink, Yadier Molina, for most of the regular season. We play them a lot down the stretch, so here's to controlling our own destiny in that regard. 
 The Pirates scare me a little, but only in the way the Elephant is frightened by the mouse. They've got a lot of speed and some pop in that lineup, but no real power other than McCutcheon and Alvarez- that latter has really underperformed this year. Their pitching, however, has Overperformed all year, getting solid numbers out of guys like Morton and Volquez. They don't have a true ace, unless you count Liriano, he of the 2 wins and mid 4 ERA. However, last year, they were willing to spend on guys like Byrd and Morneau down the stretch, to help put them in the playoffs. So, if they were to go all in and mortgage some future for a guy like David Price, and another someone like AJ Burnett- who is familiar and soft and warm and broken in like your wife's love mitten... well, then we might have something to be worried about. 

But that's a lotta what if's Doug Melvin, and I, your Lower Brow, do not deal in other team's whatifs. We deal in our team's whatifs, Doug Melvin, and you seem to be hung up on David Price, as are a lot of teams, as he's really the only difference making arm out on the market. Here's the deal- Unless Tampa Bay receives a Godfather offer for him, they aren't moving him. They've won seven straight, and are right in the middle of the playoff hunt, so Price is likely going nowhere. Even if he is, it's not to Milwaukee. Let's be honest, the minor league cupboards are pretty bare. 
 DON'T HANG YOUR HEAD LIKE THAT DOUG MELVIN, I can see your gut, but not your shoes! Empty minor league cupboards are what happens when your major league ones are so damn full! Did I tell you lately how much I appreciate the advice you gave Roenicke about the Gennett/Weeks platoon? That thing is really working out. That shirt looks great on you. The vertical stripes are VERY slimming. Oh boy... this pep talk is taking a turn for the worse. Well, why don't you and I go soak your minor league sorrows in a pint, old buddy."

(Two bars & six pints later) Alright Mustache, you have again showed me the error of my ways, mainly by just clinging there to my upper lip through the thick and thin. I can see we're in a pretty good way right now, and I should just enjoy the ride, not just be focused on rampant and delusional self-improvement of my baseball team as a manifestation of my own mortality... and rather short penis. I mean, HEY, we're in first place! FIRST PLACE! FUCK YEAH, TIME TO GO PLAY AMERICAN PIE ON THE JUKE BOX. E-4!

"DOUG, DOUG! That is not a "Juke Box". That is a woman. Those are sequins, not buttons upon which to press E-4. E-4 is what Ricky used to make a lot of before he fell into his destiny as a platoon player. That is a liverwurst sandwich, Doug. Her liverwurst sandwich. Don't take a bite... aw Jeez Doug. Hey Buddy, let's go sit down at the bar and finish talking about what to do at the trade deadline this year. DOUG, DOUG!, let's make an honest assessment of our strengths and weaknesses, and distinguish between our needs and wants."

You're such a frickin' adult sometimes, you Mouth Mirkin, but more often than not... you're right. To be honest... we really don't need much this year. We've got 4 solid starters, each who can dominate on any given night, each who can pitch deep into ballgames. A couple are power pitchers which always plays well in the playoffs. Our lineup is solid, and Roenicke has tinkered with it pretty well, putting hot hitters at different slots in the lineup. Shit, he had Brauny hitting at 2,5 and finally back to 3, all within a week. Yikes! Before the PEDs, that never would have happened. Lucroy is a legit MVP Candidate, and just so Solid on defense. GoGo is still a knucklehead, but he's our knucklehead, and damn if I wasn't right on getting him locked up longterm before he became an All-Star. Speaking of All-Stars, I don't know how Ramirez got to start in the midsummer classic, but let me put it this way, I'm darn glad he's playing in a contract year. I'd like to joke about Jean and his many 6-3 groundouts this year, but there's just no way there's anything funny about a guy losing a kid. He's played good D and is hitting the ball well to opposite field as of late. Khris Davis is Krushing the ball much better than the non-stripper Chris Davis in Baltimore. Heck, even the two-headed Overeynolds is hitting better than that Chris Davis. Unlike him, I think our platoon has over 20 homers on the year, and is definitely hitting over .200. I bet you every sportswriter and blogger in Milwaukee would have had me trade for the other Chris Davis in the offseason, and NOW LOOK. EVERYONE LOOK! FEAST YOUR EYES!

You're starting to rant, Doug.

Sorry, Sorry. So, yeah, combine all that with the Weeks/Gennett platoon, and we're pretty solid on offense. Heck, if I'm honest with myself, I can see we could use an upgrade at 4th outfielder, and maybe a toolsy utility guy to back up Jean. Ben Zobrist comes to mind for both of those needs. Maybe I can get him on the cheap from the Rays and cover all our bases, proverbially speaking of course. Wait, you said the Rays aren't really likely to be selling now, and let's face it, they are more wants than needs, aren't they? Sometimes, you little Molestache, you say the most when you say nothing at all.

What about the bullpen? Aw, you know bullpens, they come and go like metamucil farts. But I gotta say, ours has been pretty darn good this year. Let's start with K-Rod. He wasn't even our closer in Spring Training, heck he was barely on our team. But he's like that girlfriend that keeps coming back, summer after summer, back for more of Dougie's Sugar. Look at him though- second in all of baseball in saves. And that's why you don't break the bank for closers. I'll tell you what-that Will Smith for Aoki trade looks darn nice, considering he might be a darn good lefthanded starter in the future, and he's more than served his purpose this year. Not to mention, Zach Duke. Have you looked at his ERA and WHIP? Are you kidding me? Zach Duke! I found him down in the Arizona Penal League. Where do you think we got these peyote buttons?

What about right handed relievers Doug? Well, the lefties have been getting righties out too, plus, we got Wooten and Kintzler and they've done a real good job for us this year.

No they haven't. They've both sucked. Well, that's just like your opinion, Man. And even if you're right, Henderson and Thornburg coming back from the DL real quick, and those are two guys we can count on.  Not to mention the promise of Jeffers.

Are they really, Doug? A journeyman minor leaguer coming off shoulder problems, a second year kid with elbow trouble, and a guy who had the upside of a homeless man's Doc Gooden... before he himself had his own spate of drug problems. Sounds like several beacons of reliability. A handful of Old Faithfuls. 
Sigh... When you're right, you're right, you little Cookie Duster. So, we finally get to it. We need a veteran right-hander out of the bullpen for the late innings. But here's the thing- to me, bullpens are a crapshoot. I mean we had a couple of lights out closers in Axford and Turnbow both turn South in a hurry like two-day old Chinese food. How do I know who to trust when all I've got is scouting reports, stats, advanced stats, and video of each and every pitch these guys have thrown in the past decade. It's tough to build a pair of shoes out of a couple of shoestrings.

Dougie Dougie Dougie. All I hear out of your mouth are excuses, and I'm hearing a lot of them here on my perch above your wordhole. You sound like a little baby chicken instead of the robust Walrus everyone can see that you are. You know what you need to do Dougie, and you're not even going to have to step out of your comfort zone to do it. Are you ready? Two words for you- LaTROY... HAWKINS. Just rest for a minute in that little thoughterfall.
 You little Son of a Selleck. You've done it again. That makes so much sense it's almost too much sense. He's pitching for a horrible team, in a bad park for pitchers out there in Colorado, yet he's still got a serviceable ERA, solid peripherals, and 17 saves. He's been pitching well, the old codger. Did you know that he and I have remained pen pals since his days with the Brewers? We use the only remaining Pony Express rider, a 103-year old guy named Lightning Jack who carries our parcels back and forth on his Donkey named Stan. Nice Fella, that guy. But yeah, it'd be nice to have LaTroy back. The Rockies are bad, and not going anywhere fast, so it's likely a 41 year old closer doesn't fit too tightly into their plans. He sure would look good in the late innings for us. He pitched real well for us back in 2011, the last year we had a shot to go anywhere. So, I'm comfortable with his track record. You know how it is, you old soup strainer, I can't seem to quit "my guys". Guys like Doug Davis, Yuniesky Betancourt, and K-Rod... I like to give them a second time on the wagon. Now that you've mentioned it, THIS team WITHOUT Latroy Hawkins on it would look a little like my face without you on it.

"Gotta tell you Dougie, I'm not quite sure how to take that last thing you just said. So, I'm just going to hope it's the last nubbin of the peyote talking. By the way, I'm pretty sure Yuni B is available, as he's just over a little sea, playing in Japan... and we do need a utility man... just saying."

(Full disclosure: the author met Doug Melvin in Boston on a roadtrip to Fenway a few years back.  He's nothing like the indecisive peyotehead represented here.  Except for the Canadian stuff.)

Rise and Fall of the Brewers

I haven't really followed the Brewers much since I left Wisconsin in 2000, but this Grantland piece nicely chronicles their rise and fall since then.

--Bart Torvik

Time to sit Weeks?

I have broken the seal. Here it is, a baseball post.

I am not a Rickie Weeks fan. His defense is not good. He is a career .249 hitter. He has had only 2 seasons in his 8 full years with the Brewers that he has played in more than 130 games. Yet he makes over $10 million per year.

The options are limited at this point. With his high salary the Brewers would likely have to pay a large chunk of his salary to any team that would take him in trade. Why give him away and pay his salary unless you have some young talent you want to try out, or a vastly superior player to play there which the Brewers don't have.

Rickie was able to turn around his season last year after spending much of it hitting under .200. He finished at .230, so I kind of understand the Brewer's patience. There is no way they can trade Weeks at his current production level (hitting .187) , and he still has time left on his deal.

There is a clause in Weeks' contract that will have to make them think about the bench at some point. This is from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

If Weeks accumulates 600 plate appearances in 2014, or 1,200 plate appearances combined in 2013 and 2014, the option vests for $11.5 million in 2015. If he does not reach those levels, the Brewers can void the option. Weeks also must be healthy at the end of 2014 - in other words, no disabling injury - for the option to vest.

As of now there is no way the Crew want Weeks option to vest for 2015. At least that way they only have him for one more year at his exuberant salary. I guess if they want to make sure Weeks does not reach the 1200 vesting option they can always bench him next year to make sure he doesn't reach the number of at-bats, but it's never too early to start guaranteeing he can get there.

I am reminded of the Bill Hall contract the Brewers practically had to buy out so they could trade him after he lost it.

The Streak Lives

The Brewers have now won nine games in a row.  It is the first streak of such length since 2003 when they racked up ten straight W’s.  Tonight, staff co-ace Gallardo hurled 6.2 IP giving up 3 ER.  Command issues nearly cost him in the 7^th inning when with no one on base and needing just one more strike to close the inning Gallardo suddenly lost his stuff and ended up walking the bases loaded.

Southpaw Tom Gorzelanny entered in relief and needed just three pitches to fan lefty Yonder Alonso and extinguish the threat.

Jean Segura (.377) continues his climb to stardom going 3-5 and flashing some serious leather at short stop.  His unassisted double play in the 4th bailed Gallardo out of a major jam.  That Greinke trade is looking like a pleasant surprise right now.  Despite my eternal optimism, I must admit feeling like trading a former Cy Young winner for some prospects would take a while to pay dividends.  If I weren't so naturally optimistic, I might have thought offloading Greinke for AAA and AA farmhands would certainly doom the club to a decade of mediocrity.

Thankfully, I am a glass half full kind of guy.  (Full of what, who is to say?)

John Axford pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning touching 97 on the gun and flashing a tight breaking ball on the black.  If he rights the ship the one-two punch of Axford and Henderson could prove lethal.  He still owns an ugly 9.35 ERA, but tonight’s performance was Ax’s sixth straight scoreless outing.

Jim Henderson earned his 5^th save of the season, sealing victory with a swing and miss strikeout on a 96 MPH fastball.

The Brewers currently have 4 players in the top 20 in WAR:

• Jean Segura: 1.2 WAR (6^th in NL)
• Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez: 1.1 WAR (9^th in NL)
• Norichika Aoki (or “lazy river,” in Japanese): 0.9 WAR (16th in NL)

Bryce Harper, 8th in NL WAR, is getting a lot of hype in the media again this year for his hot start—much like last year when he was all but declared a hall of famer but ended the season mired in a funk that saw his average dip from a season high of .307 in June all the way down to .270.  (Also, Kemp had sealed up the MVP with his .417 average through April.  Oops.  It’s a long season.)  No doubt the #phenom Harper is deserving of superlatives given his age and supreme talent, but Jean Segura is rivaling if not outperforming the young stud in many ways so far this year and deserves more national recognition.  It must be true that chicks—and the media—dig the long ball.

Freak Injuries Continue

Up 7-1 in the 6th inning against the lowly San Diego Padres, appearing likely to extend a winning streak to eight games following a 2-8 start, the Brewers' best starting pitcher to date attempted a sac bunt.  Hit too hard, the sacrifice turned into an out as the Padres gunned down the lead runner at second.  Kyle Lohse, who was throwing a gem, jogged out the fielder's choice and, in the process, somehow injured his left pinky finger against the first baseman's body. There was no throw on the play. He was immediately taken out of the game after it appeared the trainer attempted but failed to pop the possible dislocated digit into place.  Now, the announcers are speculating Lohse's left pinky finger -- on his non-throwing hand -- might be broken.

I am biased, to be sure, but it sure seems like the Brewers have been stung by an unusual number of injuries the past couple years.

Last year, Mat Gamel, who was supposed to be the replacement for Prince Fielder, tore an ACL chasing down a routine pop fly in foul territory.  Jonathan Lucroy, on pace to make the all-star team (in my humble opinion), broke his hand in a hotel suitcase incident when, as legend goes, he reached under the bed in search of a sock at his wife's behest and a suitcase just happened to fall on his hand.

For certain, that excuse is cleverer than "I just fell down."

But (possibly) breaking a finger jogging to first base by having your hand brush against the first baseman's body as your foot touches the base?

C'mon, man!

Lohse has a 2.52 ERA, four quality starts, and, if the Brewers can hold a 7-1 lead after 7.1 IP, is going to move to 1-1 on the year.  Suffice it to say, losing their best starting pitcher on top of Hart and Ramirez would be a major blow.  The likely candidate to replace Lohse would be Fiers, the rookie standout from last year in the midst of a major swoon who was just sent back down to the minors.

If that worst case scenario occurred, the Brewers would have three starting pitchers who began 2012 in AAA or lower.

UPDATE: A little birdie told me Lohse only suffered a dislocated pinky finger and he hopes to make his next start. The Brewers caught a break there. Er, avoided one. Ha ha, get it?

Improbable Surge to .500

After winning the first game of the season in walk-off fashion, the Milwaukee Brewers lost five games in a row.  They then lost three of the next four to fall to 2-8.  They played 60% of those games at the friendly confines of Miller Park.

Even for me, ever the eternal optimist, this looked pretty grim.  

By this point, the Brewers had been decimated by injuries—key injuries.  So many that they extended Corey Hart’s ride on the pine to the dreaded 60-day DL to make room for Blake Lalli, a player few of us had ever heard of (he hit a walk-off sac fly in his first home plate appearance).  

This move pushed Hart’s return back until May 30^th at the earliest, about a month later than expected—wishful thinking, perhaps—when the injury occurred.

In addition to former all-star Hart, the erstwhile potent Brewers lineup that led the league in homers in 2012 also found itself without all-star caliber cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez, who is not expected back even when eligible to come off the 15-day DL.

The slew of injuries forced the Brewers to reunite with a much maligned player who some claim is the worst player in major league baseball, a guy who was waived in 2012 by the KANSAS CITY ROYALS: Yunieski Betancourt.  At one point, rumor had it Betancourt was to replace Aramis Ramirez in the cleanup spot.  

Hell, folks, had just frozen over.  

(Not that he could have done any worse than Rickie Weeks, who has turned the four spot into a black hole, going 5-46 with 22 strikeouts; worse, prior to moving to the cleanup spot, Weeks had been one of the Brewers’ hottest hitters, batting .467 in the club’s first four games.)

As if all this wasn’t bad enough, Ryan Braun had missed three games of his own during the 2-8 start and showed clear signs of a nagging neck injury, slumping in very un-Braun like fashion going 1-12 with 6 Ks in a series against the rival St. Louis Cardinals.  One can almost hear the chants: urine sample!

But, heading into the 8^th inning of the series finale against those Cardinals, down 0-4, the Brewers amidst a franchise record in futility with 32 straight scoreless innings, Ryan Braun blasted an opposite field home run.  One hit wiped out the scoreless streak and began a stirring extra innings comeback that halted a five game losing streak and, importantly, avoided a sweep at the hands of the Cardinals.

As far as early season games go, it was a huge win.  But it was just one game, and the Brewers were sort of lucky not to be 1-10.  And was Braun really back?  (The next game, Braun went 0-5 with 4 strikeouts.)  Could a lineup missing two of its top three power hitters from 2012 prop up a middling starting rotation led by Yovanni Gallardo who at that point sported a not so sterling 6.61 ERA?

The off day following this victory slash glimmer of hope, Yovanni Gallardo was arrested around 2am for a DUI.  This was rock bottom.  It had to be.  For both Gallardo and the Brew Crew.

That remains to be seen.  But so far so good.

Since starting 2-8 the Brewers have won six straight games becoming the first team to win six games in a row after a 2-8 start since the 1977 world champion Yankees.  In Gallardo’s first start after the DUI arrest, he threw 6 dominant innings, earned his first victory, and crushed a two-run homer off San Francisco Giants ace Matt Cain.  Braun isn’t quite the Braun we know and love, but he has drawn five walks in his last four games.  Jean Segura is second in the National League with his .386 batting average.

Corey Hart is still out another 5 weeks.  Aramis Ramirez is shelved for another couple weeks.  But with a stunning winning streak that includes a sweep of last year’s World Series champs, the Brewers have discovered what to do when you find yourself with a shovel in a deep hole.

Just dig up, stupid.

Brewers Correspondent

Since this is supposed to be a Wisconsin Sports Blog, and neither Chorlton nor I follow the Brewers too much, I invited my prolific brother, Brett, to join the blog as our Brewers Correspondent. He is free to report on other matters as well, of course.

For a taste of Brett's reporting skills and literary style, here is a blog post he wrote on the Brewers in 2007. I don't know if Brett is aware that this blog still exists, and I don't know how long it will continue to exist. But it's there now, so catch it while you can.

Robin Yount Shot Dale Sveum in the Back

Seriously. But it was an accident, and Sveum is fine.