Class In Session for Young Brewers: Tough Lessons in the NLDS

[bleacher10]

Is the Brewers lack of experience catching up with them at the worst time?

Did C.C. blow his arm out before the most important game of the season?

 

Here's an amazing article detailing the trials and tribulations of the Brew Crew thus far:

 

http://bleacherreport.com...ns-in-nlds#comment_297402

 

I'd love to see some comments posted on the article as to what you think.

[jeffy]

Fans in Milwaukee will drive themselves crazy with "what ifs" after this series.

 

While this is true, I think it is always often going to be like that in a series like this. Things are no different for the Cubs...what if they did not make Zambrano have to get 7 outs in the 2nd inning last night? Should we prefer having a non-cempetitive team? Isn't it better to see the team be just a couple breaks from maybe being up 2-0, rather than having them get blown out?

 

The what if's extend to the regular season...what if they had clinched a day earlier and CC had gotten a chance to rest?

 

Without doubt, this was the most difficult two games to watch for Brewers fans since the 1982 World Series.

 

I don't feel that way. Do others? While it is disappointing (especially since just yesterday I got a notice from the Brewers that I won the right to buy NLCS tickets), several regular season games seemed more painful to me.

[dlk9s]

Did C.C. blow his arm out before the most important game of the season?

No. His fastball was still 93-96 MPH. His command was just off, the ump did him no favors, and the Phillies hit every mistake pitch hard.

 

There's a big difference between blowing one's arm out and having a bad game. Heck, there's a big difference between blowing one's arm out and simply being tired.

[endaround]

There were many games in September this year (Cubs 4 run blow up anyone? Having Shouse walk Howard to pitch to Burrell?) and too too many last year that these games wouldn't even make the top 50 of the Yost-Sveum era.

[RobertR]

Heck, it's not like 5 runs allowed is a super awful performance either. Believe it or not, a team is allowed to score 6 runs and bail out a pitcher.

 

Robert

[yfinn6]

Yeah, these two haven't been as disappointing as others this year, or probably others in the past.

 

It's not like we blew big leads late in either one of these games.

[bjkrautk]

Heck, it's not like 5 runs allowed is a super awful performance either. Believe it or not, a team is allowed to score 6 runs and bail out a pitcher.

 

Robert

Agreed. 3 runs spread over 2 games isn't going to lead to a lot of wins, regardless of the pitching and defense.

[paul253]

I dont think this has anything to do with the postseason. They Brewers are doing the same thing they've been doing since August. They are swinging at pitches they shouldnt swing at. The are playing terrible defense. And they are completely unable to put together multiple hit innings. In my opinion, teams learned how to pitch to us and we havent made adjustments.

[TooLiveBrew]

And they are completely unable to put together multiple hit innings.

 

The top of the 1st yesterday was a multiple-baserunner inning. Not much difference if Myers gave up the 3 BBs or 3 more hits -- that was a very good inning until the Hart blunder/topper.

 

 

In my opinion, teams learned how to pitch to us and we havent made adjustments.

 

Fielder, Braun, Hardy, & heck even Weeks have. We have two or three absolute black holes in the lineup right now in the 6-7-8 range, though. Hard to keep things going.

[AJAY]

Did C.C. blow his arm out before the most important game of the season?

 

No, it was Ned Yost who blew out Sabathia's arm by not resting him more in blowout victories. Ned never thought ahead to October. He only cared about complete games and not the postseason.

[paul253]

Fielder, Braun, Hardy, & heck even Weeks have. We have two or three absolute black holes in the lineup right now in the 6-7-8 range, though. Hard to keep things going.

 

Fielder and Hardy continue to swing at pitches out of the strikezone. Cameron and Hardy drew nice walks in the first, but Fielder's was intentional. Look at game one...of the 10 or so strikeouts they had, i dont believe more than 2 were actual strikes. Thats what I mean when I said pitchers have learned how to pitch to them. They know if they throw in high Fielder will swing. Hardy too.

[Ennder]

All players are like that(except maybe Pujols!), it is why you come up with a scouting report for them. I think this is trying to place the blame on something in retrospect. The Brewers slumped the last month of the season. They looked terrible at the plate in April as well and it wasn't 'other teams figuring them out', it was just them slumping and not hitting very well.

 

When fielder slumped it was because he gained weight, then he got hot and it was? He sure didn't lose the weight. Point is when a player is in a slump it always looks ugly and it isn't just the other teams figuring them out every time, most of the time it is just them not 'seeing the ball well'.

[rluzinski]

Fielder has possibly the best plate discipline on the team, so to suggest he's part of the problem doesn't add up to me. He's not part of the problem.

 

The Brewers are getting outplayed by a superior team. At this point we know the strengths and weaknesses of this team. They were just good enough to get into the playoffs and they haven't been embarrassed in any game. Accuse me of setting the bar low, but my goal has always been to just not get swept.

[Baldkin]

And they were half a step by a gold glove center fielder, who if he's 31 instead of 34, those two innings we give up no runs.

[Postseason2006]

The biggest "what if" was those people clammering for the great wEEKs to play and once again, he proved what he really is.

[kmcasper23]

As long as they learn from this experience like the young Phillies did last year and come back stronger next year!