8/1/08 Brewers (Suppan) at Braves (James): 6:30 CDT

[jwill535]

who's leg does Kapler have to hump to get more playing time?

[joepepsi]

2B Rickie Weeks

SS JJ Hardy

LF Ryan Braun

1B Prince Fielder

RF Corey Hart

3B Bill Hall

CF Mike Cameron

C Jason Kendall

P Jeff Suppan

I guess we dance with what brung us.

 

No reason to start Gabe Kapler in CF, after all he only went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles yesterday and has a .954 OPS against lefties this year. No, let's trot out Cameron for another night of strikeouts and first pitch pop ups! Mike K'd 10 times in 21 at bats over the home stand, posting a Kendall-like .513 OPS. Sometimes it's good to give a guy a day off, ya know...

Do you suppose Mike Rivera is happy to just be in the majors making good money and doesn't really mind never playing?

 

[TauPentaRei]

what we need here now is more cow-bell. more cow-nsell.

 

i thought the inequation:

 

heady Counsell turning bunt double play >> non-hustling Weeks producing double play

 

...would have guaranteed at LEAST one more day of playing time.

 

When does the Power 50 release its Grit Rankings? Am I wrong in placing Weeks in the bottom 5 of Brewer 25 man roster grit relativity? Or do the HBPs and plowage of the Cubs catcher (game #3?) keep him permanently up there? The only players with less grit I can see is Braun & JJ (too pretty), Rivera (catchers shouldn't be offensive minded in Yost-ese) and Parra (Manny is too girly of a name).

 

I was thinking about the performance over the last 4 days and, most certainly, I agree what was needed more than anything was a nice roadtrip. Sort of like how you return home after a wild Vegas bender (SF and STL) and your girlfriend / wife is all loving and caretaking at first even though there are domestic problems (HOU 1 of 3)... but then you settle into home and your normal chores are still there unattended and the real problems from the aforementioned bender (RISP hitting) get raised (lose the first 2) by the partner who was alone who starts to get all emotional because you're leaving again soon and all you did was create more work so some irrational fights happen (lose the next 2) and the best thing that happens is you call time-out and go back to the bar (Atlanta) until things cool down.

 

Suppan, PLEASE allow me to somehow internally justify the $28M you are on the books for by - all I am asking is - keeping us in this one.

[GormanHarvey]

2B Rickie Weeks

SS JJ Hardy

LF Ryan Braun

1B Prince Fielder

RF Corey Hart

3B Bill Hall

CF Mike Cameron

C Jason Kendall

P Jeff Suppan

Ned Yost never ceases to amaze me.

[sargennm]

2B Rickie Weeks

SS JJ Hardy

LF Ryan Braun

1B Prince Fielder

RF Corey Hart

3B Bill Hall

CF Mike Cameron

C Jason Kendall

P Jeff Suppan

Ned Yost never ceases to amaze me.

Yeah, why put your most talented right handed hitters against a crappy left-handed pitcher?

 

[joepepsi]

TauPentaRei, the post of the week! Perhaps the month. Great job. :D

[GormanHarvey]

 

Yeah, why put your most talented right handed hitters against a crappy left-handed pitcher?

 

I doubt I am alone in not being a fan of this line-up for tonight

[LUKE232323]

What is wrong with the lineup? Just because Hart is playing over Kapler?

[sargennm]

Yeah, why put your most talented right handed hitters against a crappy left-handed pitcher?

 

I doubt I am alone in not being a fan of this line-up for tonight

I'm sorry if you felt that was directed toward your comment alone. It's more directed to everyone who complains about the lineup. I'd like to see a little more Kapler and a little less Cameron, too. But the idea that Yost is a complete idiot to throw this lineup out there, it's baffling to me. This is the lineup that has the most talent against LHP.

 

[jhpc12]

Corey seemed really upset when told he was going to sit a couple of days. I like that. Everybody says he sometimes goes with the flow, but I could tell Wed. after he struck out 3 times (Baun 3 times & JJ 2 times and they looked as bad as Corey's) he was really upset with himself. ESPN showed a shot of those three in the dug out with a look of disgust on their faces.

 

What I'm saying is that Corey is not the only problem, nobody carried their weight on the home stand. So I like the fact that Ned backed down. We're facing a weak left hander and hopefully everyone will get well off of him.

 

The line up for to night and what the did on the home stand.

 

Weeks: 3/18 avg./.167 XBH/1 BB/ 2 K/6 RBI/0 RBI verses Cubs/0 Runners left on/5

 

Hardy: 3/25 avg./.120 XBH/1 BB/2 K/7 RBI/1 RBI verses Cubs/0 Runners left on base/9

 

Braun: 8/25 avg./.320 XBH/4 BB/2 K/9 RBI/7 RBI verses Cubs/0 Runners left on base/7

 

Fielder: 6/22 avg./.273 XBH/2 BB/6 K/6 RBI/2 RBI verses Cubs/2 Runners left on base/4

(both after game was already decided)

Hart: 7/22 avg./.318 XBH/3 BB/2 K/7 RBI/1 RBI verses Cubs/0 Runners left on base/11

 

Hall; 4/19 avg./.211 XBH/1 BB/2 K/6 RBI/3 RBI verses Cubs/2 Runners left on base/7

(9th inning after game was decided)

Cameron 4/21 avg./.190 XBH/2 BB/1 K/10 RBI/3 RBI verses Cubs/1 Runners left on base/9

 

Kendall; 2/21 avg./.095 XBH/1 BB/2 K/1 RBI/0 RBI verses Cubs/0 Runners left on base/10

 

Meaningless RBI's when your down 6-10 runs does not mean you are having a great or even an average series.

 

I know that Braun & Hardy were hot early in the month, but Hardy really cooled down just like everyone else in the line up.

 

I expect a Brewers win (7-3) and the start of a lot of new streaks.

[jwill535]

What is wrong with the lineup? Just because Hart is playing over Kapler?

Other then the fact that Kendell is running on fumes, Cameron hitting like he is swinging with a mini bat, Hart's baseball IQ is around 1 the last couple weeks and Kapler is hitting the cover off the ball, nope no problem at all.

 

[GormanHarvey]

What is wrong with the lineup? Just because Hart is playing over Kapler?

Weeks being in there after not hustling yesterday, Hart being in there after Ned saying that he's really struggling and needs a break of more than one day, and Kendall being in there in spite of looking like is ready to keel over any day due to exhaustion. Ned has zero control of this team, which is apparent in the fact that he starts Weeks after failing to hustle in the biggest series of the season to this point and overall playing like crap in the entire series and by letting Hart talk his way back into the line-up

[LUKE232323]

So we're supposed to bench Cameron and Hart? Haha!!

 

Give it a rest with the complaining about the lineup.

[GormanHarvey]

So we're supposed to bench Cameron and Hart? Haha!!

 

Give it a rest with the complaining about the lineup.

 

I guess I was taking the manager of the team at his word when he said that Hart needs a break. I would hope he has a better gauge of the situation than us. I don't think anyone that has watched Hart play over the last week could possibly argue with that logic. And can anyone really disagree with Cameron not needing to be in the line-up right now?? BTW, how many times can you ever remember me complaining about the line-up? Seriously

[jwill535]

well since both have been horrible at the plate and Hart just as bad in the field as of late it would be nice to at least halve the problems and put the guy in that has at least done something positive lately.

 

Leg humping comment would apply to Rivera also to some extent.

[joepepsi]

I don't think Hart should be benched. He has been OK since the All Star break; just had a bad series against the Cubs, but was fine before that. I think playing Rickie against the lefty is the right idea too. But Cameron has been bad since the All Star break. He was terrible at the plate in Chicago. Given the Kapler is coming off an excellent game maybe he deserves another start and Cam could use a day off. I think Kendall could use a lighter work load over the next few weeks too.

[Brawndo the Thirst Mutilat]

Kapler is hitting the cover off the ball

 

Prior to yesterday, Kapler was 0 for his previous 12 PA in the preceding two weeks. No hits, no walks. That included 2 starts. Lo and behold, it turned out that this mini-slump had zero predictive value for his performance in yesterday's game.

 

Just like yesterday's 3-4 has zero predictive value for his next AB, whenever that might be.

[jwill535]

well that 3-4 is alot better then what either of the other two have produced lately.

[BrewCityUnit]

So we're supposed to bench Cameron and Hart? Haha!!

 

Give it a rest with the complaining about the lineup.

 

Come on now Luke. I like you, I think you are a good basketball player, but you whine more than anyone I know on this site.

 

Yost is a joke but I do like the line-up tonight. Why panic and start changing things just because we got it handed to us 4 days in a row. If we are going to win, we need Weeks in the line-up doing good things. Cameron > Kaplar even though it is not showing now.

[LUKE232323]

I agree that Yost is a joke, I just don't see an issue with that lineup against a lefty. Do people really want Hart benched for five games? Weeks, if it was a righty pitcher, I am pretty sure we'd be seeing Durham tonight.

[sheethead]

It wouldn't be like Ned to give the playing time to those deserving. On top of that, Kapler is sure to come back down to Earth this year. His career numbers are proof of that.

 

Edit: and for the record, I didn't start the complaining, but I can complain about the lineup all I want. Its why I love Freedom and being an American. Telling me I can't complain about the lineup sounds like you are telling me you don't like Freedom or America.

[GormanHarvey]

I agree that Yost is a joke, I just don't see an issue with that lineup against a lefty. Do people really want Hart benched for five games? Weeks, if it was a righty pitcher, I am pretty sure we'd be seeing Durham tonight.

I don't think anyone said anything about benching Hart for 5 games. Today would make two and I think that would suffice, although personally I wouldn't mind seeing him get another one tomorrow. And I am probably one of the biggest Weeks supporters on this site, but I guess I am the only one that has a problem with his lack of hustle yesterday. And you'd have to be blind not to see that Kendall is wearing down. Did anyone see him try to throw the ball in the Cubs series?

[sargennm]

Can we all agree this is good? Cubs lost to the Pirates, 3-0.

[GormanHarvey]

Can we all agree this is good? Cubs lost to the Pirates, 3-0.

Agreed, but how does that happen? 31 runs against us and 0 today against the Pirates??!!

[sargennm]

Can we all agree this is good? Cubs lost to the Pirates, 3-0.

Agreed, but how does that happen? 31 runs against us and 0 today against the Pirates??!!

As I said in the Non-Brewer IGT, that's why I don't bet on baseball.