2018-05-09: Indians (Carrasco) at Brewers (Guerra) 12:10 PM CDT [Brewers lose, 6-2; Knebel makes his return]

[Eye Black]

[pre]Indians Lineup Brewers Lineup

 

1. Francisco Lindor (S) SS 1. Lorenzo Cain ® CF

2. Jason Kipnis (L) 2B 2. Christian Yelich (L) LF

3. Jose Ramirez (S) 3B 3. Jesus Aguilar ® 1B

4. Michael Brantley (L) LF 4. Travis Shaw (L) 3B

5. Yonder Alonso (L) 1B 5. Domingo Santana ® RF

6. Tyler Naquin (L) RF 6. Jonathan Villar (S) 2B

7. Bradley Zimmer (L) CF 7. Manny Pina ® C

8. Roberto Perez ® C 8. Orlando Arcia ® SS

9. Carlos Carrasco ® P 9. Junior Guerra ® P

[/pre]

 

*Reminder: For those out-of-market today’s television broadcast is going to be on MLB Network in addition to the typical Fox Sports carriers.

[JosephC]

Indians in struggle mode right now. 4 straight losses, 3-8 in their last 11. Brewers need to keep the ball rolling.

[Outlander]

I think I was the only person to boo Evan Marshall when he entered the game yesterday. Remember when Braun faced him a couple of years after his beaning in Arizona and he hit a 3 run home run.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Wouldn't be surprised if the roster move to activate Knebel is just DL-ing Franklin or Miley for today's game, particularly with their longman (Suter) and super relievers (Jeffress / Hader) all getting significant work last night. Go pitching heavy today in case Guerra has another uneven start and force CC to start Villar at 2B - although it also wouldn't surprise me to see Perez somehow start because CC didn't want to roll out a LH-hitting 2B too many games in a row regardless of the opposing starter being right-handed.

 

edit: guess it's already sorted out that Knebel is taking Miley's roster spot after he's getting DL'd.

[pitchleague]

Levering barely got through the starting lineups without cracking up! SOMETHING (probably Uecker) was just making him laugh. SO MANY stifled laughs, extended silences, and muffled/cracking voices. I wish we could find out what was so funny.

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

Rough start for Junior

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

I take it back... he pitched out of it nicely with the K

[KeithStone53151]

Junior doing his best Josh Hader impression...

[stoutdude04]

Arcia...such a frustrating at bat. 1-0 and he swings at a curve ball low and away. Why aren't you looking for a pitch you can drive? Then proceeds to swing at the same pitch the next 2 pitches for a k. Just an awful at bat.

[jonescm128]

Arcia is painful to watch at the plate. He looks so lost. I don't think its a good idea to put a free swinger in front of the pitcher, but thats just me...

[KeithStone53151]

Arcia...such a frustrating at bat. 1-0 and he swings at a curve ball low and away. Why aren't you looking for a pitch you can drive? Then proceeds to swing at the same pitch the next 2 pitches for a k. Just an awful at bat.

 

Carrasco has a nasty breaking pitch. Really easy to say "just don't swing" from where we are sitting. I'd like to think guys are smart enough to know "I just swung at 2 crappy sliders, odds are a 3rd one is coming...don't swing" but apparently for Arcia that isn't the case.

[stoutdude04]

Arcia...such a frustrating at bat. 1-0 and he swings at a curve ball low and away. Why aren't you looking for a pitch you can drive? Then proceeds to swing at the same pitch the next 2 pitches for a k. Just an awful at bat.

 

Carrasco has a nasty breaking pitch. Really easy to say "just don't swing" from where we are sitting. I'd like to think guys are smart enough to know "I just swung at 2 crappy sliders, odds are a 3rd one is coming...don't swing" but apparently for Arcia that isn't the case.

 

Obviously I am not a professional baseball player, but I was more speaking to the fact that he swung at a pitch that he probably shouldnt have swung at regardless. Since it was a 1-0 pitch I would have thought he/most hitters would be looking for something to drive, not something on the outer half of the plate to put in play. At 1-2 I would expect him to swing at that pitch, but not 1-0.

[jonescm128]

Arcia...such a frustrating at bat. 1-0 and he swings at a curve ball low and away. Why aren't you looking for a pitch you can drive? Then proceeds to swing at the same pitch the next 2 pitches for a k. Just an awful at bat.

 

Carrasco has a nasty breaking pitch. Really easy to say "just don't swing" from where we are sitting. I'd like to think guys are smart enough to know "I just swung at 2 crappy sliders, odds are a 3rd one is coming...don't swing" but apparently for Arcia that isn't the case.

 

Obviously I am not a professional baseball player, but I was more speaking to the fact that he swung at a pitch that he probably shouldnt have swung at regardless. Since it was a 1-0 pitch I would have thought he/most hitters would be looking for something to drive, not something on the outer half of the plate to put in play. At 1-2 I would expect him to swing at that pitch, but not 1-0.

 

This seems to be an issue for the entire lineup. They let good early pitches right down the middle go by and end up swinging at crap outside the zone. Not a very aggressive offense...

[Fear The Chorizo]

Junior may not be much longer for this game if he can't limit the damage here...Brewers really could use a deep start from him before heading to CO

[Fear The Chorizo]

welp...

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

The Junior Guerra experience may not be long for this world. Hasn't looked great his last few times out. Location hasn't been there.

[tmwiese55]

Velocity has been there though. Positive vs last year.

[jonescm128]

That pretty much does it. I would be shocked if the Brewers could score 5 runs off of Carasco. Indians bullpen is pitiful but that didn't stop them from shutting the Brewers down last night.

[Fear The Chorizo]

depending on how the next couple innings go, this may be a game we see Perez toe the bump to preserve the pen - would stink to burn through the entire pen right before leaving on a 10-game road trip with only 1 offday more than a week out. Or both Lopez and Williams should get alot of work...

[MoreTrife]

I'm not even mad at Junior. We can't expect our pitching to keep teams to less than 3-4 runs every game because of our putrid offense. The offense is so pathetic it really pisses me off. Feels like they aren't going to "come out of it".

[pacopete4]

You can't expect each and every game to be a low scoring game. Guerra will be fine for us but he's going to, along with others, give up runs from time to time. But right now, we have no offense so these types of games you might as well chalk up a loss.

[jonescm128]

I'm not even mad at Junior. We can't expect our pitching to keep teams to less than 3-4 runs every game because of our putrid offense. The offense is so pathetic it really pisses me off. Feels like they aren't going to "come out of it".

 

I agree. Nothing they are doing gives me any confidence that they will break out of this slump. I hate to even call it a slump because I just think they are bad.

[KeithStone53151]

depending on how the next couple innings go, this may be a game we see Perez toe the bump to preserve the pen - would stink to burn through the entire pen right before leaving on a 10-game road trip with only 1 offday more than a week out. Or both Lopez and Williams should get alot of work...

 

I think it would have to get a lot worse for that to happen. Only Suter and Hader are likely unavailable today. Jennings pitched minimally and Williams/Albers/Lopez/Barnes haven't pitched since at least Sunday. Our pen is in OK shape, if this game gets out of hand and Guerra gets pulled early...Lopez probably pitches 2-3 innings and switches spots with woodruff tomorrow.

[jonescm128]

If Domingo starts getting hot (and it looks like he has been) I think you need to put him up around #2 in the order. His .458 OBP over the last 7 games is wasted with Villar, Pina, and Arcia hitting behind him.

[pacopete4]

I wanted to see:

 

1. Santana

2. Cain

3. Yelich

4. Braun/Aguilar

5. Shaw

6. Villar

7. Pina

8. Arica

 

But we most likely won't.