2009-08-26 Reds (Wells) at Milwaukee (Looper) : 7:05 PM CT [Brewers lose, 4-3]

[SeriesFinale]

I know the game doesn't matter, so why do I get worked up?

Hits close to home.

 

And I was all set to rage on Mike Burns, too.

 

I know there's a lot of anti-Macha sentiment lately, but there's not much he can do when Stetter comes in and plunks his man.

[TooLiveBrew]

Braun made up for that error. Struck out on four pitches and swung at two that were balls.

 

Braun's "defense" was beyond mockable. That dude single-handedly screwed any shot the Crew had at winning that game late.

 

Thanks, inconcievably bad "route" you took to that easy F7 putout, Ryan! Hooray for having no clue as to how to play little-league caliber OF defense! I genuinely think that was the easiest OF play I've ever seen botched. Any calls for him to move to RF (including my own) need to just shut up. He's still a terrible defender.

[BrewCrewForever]

I have to disagree with TooLiveBrew. I would not call Braun a "terrible" defender. Yes, he totally blew that play. But to call him "terrible" based on that one bad play? He has made many great plays and routine ones over the past two seasons.

[TheCrew07]

I can think of 1 great play he's made, and what's so special about making routine plays? If you're actually in attendance at the games you can see how often he turns his shoulders the wrong way off of the bat. In his 2 years in LF I can count the times one hand he's gotten a good jump on a ball when I've been at the game. Maybe I just keep catching him on "bad" days, but I doubt it.

 

How many misplays on routine plays has he made over the last 2 years that have given the hitter an extra base? Those don't show up as errors but he's given up extra bases just the same.

[brewmann04]

I wonder in the last 2 years how many games did Braun win with his bat aganist how many he lost with his glove.

Yesterday was a terrible route to that fly ball but in the grand scheme of things another loss does not really matter. PS That play does not happen if Vargas does not throw the ball away.

[Eddiehitsthefoulpole]

The problem isn't that Braun misjudged a ball, or Vargas threw it away, or Stetter hit his batter; the problem is all of those things. We make a lot of mistakes during the course of a game. It seems to be getting worse as the season goes along. This is getting tough to watch.

[TooLiveBrew]

I have to disagree with TooLiveBrew. I would not call Braun a "terrible" defender. Yes, he totally blew that play. But to call him "terrible" based on that one bad play? He has made many great plays and routine ones over the past two seasons.

But it wasn't based on one play. His routes are still routinely bad, and he rarely makes a decisive play if the SS is running back & tracking a shallow fly. He waits for the IF to give way, when at any level of ball, both the OFs & IFs are coached that those are the OF's balls, and it's his job to call off the IF (whose job is to then get the heck outta the way). The only redeeming factors Braun has in the field at this point are his speed & arm, which can often mask just how badly he reads balls hit into play.

 

I don't believe he will never become an average or above-avg. defender in LF, but it pains me every single time Brian Anderson calls him a very good LF -- which he did yet again last night. Braun has a long way to go out there, and I can live with mistakes... what I can't live with is lackadasical play, which imo is exactly what resulted in last night's gaffe. He was doing his little hot-stuff trot to the ball, and by the time he realized he'd completely misread the ball, it was far too late.

 

And I will freely admit (as if it wasn't clear...) that I posted out of frustration last night. Probably should have collected my thoughts better & made a more constructive post, but after a second straight gut-punch of a loss, I just didn't. There's that good advice Bill Murray gave the groundhog in Groundhog Day -- "Don't post angry" ... or something like that http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif