Ideal Pitching Staff

[HiAndTight]

This of course assumes a couple guys come back from injury as expected and don't end up with more serious injuries.

 

1-Peralta

2-Lohse

3-Gallardo

4-Garza

5-Nelson(again, JUST maybe he comes up and dominates like rookies do from time to time)

 

BP

K-Rod

Smith

Thornburg

Henderson

Duke/Gorz

Kintlzer

Jeffress-He looks like the walks are really under control and his K-Rate is excellent, and he's been going 2-3 innings.

Kintzler is showing signs IMO of getting that sinker back. Though his peripherals look atrocious.

 

Duke looks legit, but Gorz had his velo back tonight. If Thornburg and Henderson can come back strong, that gives you 4 elite late inning guys(NOT counting Duke and his .226 BAA RH and .227 BAA LH and mid 1.00 ERA).

 

Some will prefer Wooten, but I just think Kintzler, despite terrible peripherals, looks like his pitchers are looking better.

[3and2Fastball]

C Kershaw

F Hernandez

M Tananka

S Gray

W Peralta

 

That'd be my ideal starting 5 for the Brewers

 

oh, wait, you mean realistically?

[Roderick]

You know Melvin is going to pull the trigger on someone at the deadline. I vote it will be a "Scott Linebrink", unless two of Kintzler/Henderson/Thornburg are healthy and really playing well at the end of July.

[FVBrewerFan]

Well, not to start a whole OT debate here, just stating fact. Wang will take one of those spots.

 

I don't care too much about Kintzler/Wooten/Henderson, as long as one of them aren't forced into the 8th inning role. Would love to see Thornburg get back to his April form, that would be huge.

 

Like most bullpens there will be shuffling around, as long as they have it straightened out for the pennant run. With 3 capable LHP, I don't think they need an 8th inning guy- they can go with matchups. But I don't think RR's manual allows for that.

[reillymcshane]

Well, not to start a whole OT debate here, just stating fact. Wang will take one of those spots.

 

I don't care too much about Kintzler/Wooten/Henderson, as long as one of them aren't forced into the 8th inning role. Would love to see Thornburg get back to his April form, that would be huge.

 

Like most bullpens there will be shuffling around, as long as they have it straightened out for the pennant run. With 3 capable LHP, I don't think they need an 8th inning guy- they can go with matchups. But I don't think RR's manual allows for that.

I think a bullpen arm is a possibility. Outside of Duke, K-Rod and Smith, the pen has been pretty erratic and had some injuries. I think they'll wait until they see Henderson and Thornburg - I hope they are back by mid-July so that can happen.

 

Kintzler scares me more than anyone in the pen. I actually think Wooten is decent. Nothing great, but a serviceable #5 or 6 type guy.

[torts]

C Kershaw

F Hernandez

M Tananka

S Gray

W Peralta

 

That'd be my ideal starting 5 for the Brewers

 

oh, wait, you mean realistically?

 

whelp! we're 1/5th of the way there!

[HiAndTight]

Well, not to start a whole OT debate here, just stating fact. Wang will take one of those spots.

 

I don't care too much about Kintzler/Wooten/Henderson, as long as one of them aren't forced into the 8th inning role. Would love to see Thornburg get back to his April form, that would be huge.

 

Like most bullpens there will be shuffling around, as long as they have it straightened out for the pennant run. With 3 capable LHP, I don't think they need an 8th inning guy- they can go with matchups. But I don't think RR's manual allows for that.

 

 

Right, but I'm thinking about who are the 12 guys you'd want to take into a post-season or down the stretch in September.

 

And I still believe Wang is going to the DL for a stint before Sept if we need it.

 

Jeffress would need to prove it, but he's held right handers to a .575 OPS while they have a BABIP of .379 against him. He just might have turned the corner and COULD be a impact arm down the stretch.

 

Kintzler...again, I'm going on faith here, but it looks like he has that nice sinker back.

 

 

As far as the Roenicke comment, I don't understand that one at all. He's played the matchup's beautifully this year in my opinion. He's used Duke in the 8th when lefties were coming up, Smith in the 7th if the tough part of the order was up. I think he's used matched up pretty well.

 

 

If, and when we're talking about shoulder and elbow injuries it's always a big if, but IF Henderson and Thornburg can get back healthy, that gives you two more power arms. Guys who the stuff to be closers or set up guys. And a really well balanced bull pen with power arms with plus fastballs(Smith, Thornburg, Henderson, Jeffress) as well as a really good lefty in Duke, and Kintzler could be a guy to come in when you're looking for a big DP.

 

Wooten HAS been better, but moving forward, Kintzler has more to offer I believe. Not to mention, if Nelson doesn't start, if we made it to the post-season, he could come in out of the pen with that power sinker throwing 97-98.

 

We're not going to matchup 1-4 with LAD, Washington or probably the Cards, but if we can get good starts and go to a dominant pen, maybe the year nobody was expecting a real run in the post-season comes this year.

[DoubleSwitch]

Like most bullpens there will be shuffling around, as long as they have it straightened out for the pennant run. With 3 capable LHP, I don't think they need an 8th inning guy- they can go with matchups. But I don't think RR's manual allows for that.

 

This is what they have been doing for most of the season. Smith has pitched partial innings in almost half his appearances, and plenty of people complained when he brought in Kintzler or Thornburg to face righties instead of sticking with Smith or Duke. Now that Smith has slid into a more traditional setup role RR doesn't know how to play matchups. The poor guy can't catch a break. Personally I think he's done a great job managing the pen.

[SRB]

C Kershaw

F Hernandez

M Tananka

S Gray

W Peralta

 

That'd be my ideal starting 5 for the Brewers

 

oh, wait, you mean realistically?

 

Nice try, Wily.

[FVBrewerFan]

Like most bullpens there will be shuffling around, as long as they have it straightened out for the pennant run. With 3 capable LHP, I don't think they need an 8th inning guy- they can go with matchups. But I don't think RR's manual allows for that.

 

This is what they have been doing for most of the season. Smith has pitched partial innings in almost half his appearances, and plenty of people complained when he brought in Kintzler or Thornburg to face righties instead of sticking with Smith or Duke. Now that Smith has slid into a more traditional setup role RR doesn't know how to play matchups. The poor guy can't catch a break. Personally I think he's done a great job managing the pen.

 

Yes and no. RR has gone to situational match-ups in the 8th, but mainly because there is no option right now for an 8th inning guy. To start the year Henderson was that guy, ever since he has tried to "force" Kintzler into that role.

 

I have no problem with an 8th inning guy if he a lock-down type of guy. They just don't have that now. Smith is the closest, but if the opposing team has 3 RH hitters due up, he's not the best option. I do think RR is basically handling the pen the right way these days, my concern is he will continue trying to force someone into the 8th inning role when it's really not necessary.

[HiAndTight]

Yes and no. RR has gone to situational match-ups in the 8th, but mainly because there is no option right now for an 8th inning guy. To start the year Henderson was that guy, ever since he has tried to "force" Kintzler into that role.

 

I have no problem with an 8th inning guy if he a lock-down type of guy. They just don't have that now. Smith is the closest, but if the opposing team has 3 RH hitters due up, he's not the best option. I do think RR is basically handling the pen the right way these days, my concern is he will continue trying to force someone into the 8th inning role when it's really not necessary.

 

How will he continue to do it when he hasn't done it this year? And to say he tried to "force," Kintlzer into that role is just plain old hindsight being 20/20.

 

Of the two guys he tried to "force," into being 8th inning guys, one was our closer last year who put together a dominant year, and the other was a guy who threw 77 Innings and was also fantastic in that role while sporting a 2.54 FIP. Kintzler struggled and as such, he's been used less in high leverage situations and Henderson went on the DL(after the rigid, stuck in his ways RR removed him from the closers role to start the season and went with K-rod).

 

And there absolutely is an option right now for an 8th inning guy. It's the reliever we have who has a 1.43 ERA despite facing right handers nearly 2/3rds of the time. Just because he's a lefty doesn't mean he's more than capable of getting righties out.

 

I think this is a manufactured argument based on preconceived notions of RR rather than what he's actually done this year...which has been outstanding.

 

This is what they have been doing for most of the season. Smith has pitched partial innings in almost half his appearances, and plenty of people complained when he brought in Kintzler or Thornburg to face righties instead of sticking with Smith or Duke. Now that Smith has slid into a more traditional setup role RR doesn't know how to play matchups. The poor guy can't catch a break. Personally I think he's done a great job managing the pen.

 

I agree. I've come to accept that no matter who are manager is, people will think he's a moron because players don't perform as expected and as such, the manager will get the blame for putting them in that situation as with Kintlzer who was very good last year, or Henderson(who should have been the SU man to start the year if not Kintlzer as both were outstanding last year).

 

RR has done pretty much everything everyone on this board wanted him to do, from moving Braun to the 2 holes, Gomez to the 4, to using his best reliever in the 7th at times when the other teams best hitters were up, or the game hung in the balance(as he did with Smith last night), or using Duke as well as he has this year and so on. Yet there are still fears that if we get another really good reliever, he's going to be too rigid and force him into the 8th inning role all the sudden.

 

I would imagine if Henderson and Thornburg regain their form from earlier this year or last year, he's going to look really smart....of course others will say our pen is easy to manage so it'd be too difficult to mess it up.