Simulated 2020 Baseball Season (JosephC)

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

May 23 - Cubs 17, Brewers 4

 

The one bit of good news today, Smoak was activated from the DL and is starting a rehab assignment.

 

And from the "fresh arm" front-

J.P. Feyereisen recalled from AAA, Drew Rasmussen sent to AAA

 

Also worth nothing that Hernan Perez replaces the injured Kris Bryant on Chicago's roster.

 

As far as the game, pitiful Brewer defense leads to TEN UNEARNED CHICAGO RUNS. Brewer pitching can hardly be excused, 13 hits, 9 walks, 4 home runs (3 of those to Ian Happ) and another game where they have to use the entire bullpen. Yelich smacked another home run and looks to finally be in one of those stretches where he can carry an entire offense. But lately the pitching has been so bad that it won't even matter.

 

IMO it's time to bring up Eric Lauer and give Bowden Francis (1.82 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 2.69 FIP in AAA) a chance.

 

So the Brewers fall to 26-26. But the Cardinals, Pirates and Reds all lose as well so the Brewers maintain their 1 1/2 game lead.

 

In other league news, A's starting pitcher Chris Bassitt suffered a torn flexor tendon and is out for the year. Bassitt had a 4.44 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 4.50 FIP.

 

[attachment=2]5_23_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]5_23_batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]5_23_pitchers.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

May 24 - Brewers 3, Cubs 1 (10 innings)

 

Roster move before the game-

Drew Rasmussen recalled from AAA, J.P. Freyereisen optioned to AAA

 

A rarity today, a good old-fashioned pitching duel. Peralta was nothing short of masterful, tossing 6 shutout innings before being pulled (97 pitches, his highest total of the season). Jharel Cotton was just about as good for Chicago, only allowing 1 run in 8 innings.

 

Drew Rasmussen gave up a home run to Albert Amora in the seventh to tie the game at 1. Counsell then played with fire by using Devin Williams and Corey Knebel in a tight game but both of them came through.

 

Luis Urias hit an opposite field two run homer in the bottom of the 10th off of Craig Kimbrel to win it for the Brewers. Great moment for Urias as he has been slumping. Kimbrel looking like an awful move for the Cubs. 7.85 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, 4.03 FIP.

 

In other league news, Cody Bellinger suffered a mild shoulder strain and is listed as day-to-day for a week. Normally day-to-day injuries do not make the headlines, but this is Bellinger. Bellinger currently has a .342/.479/.793/1.272 slash line with 23 home runs and 53 RBIs (on pace for a 73 HR, 168 RBI season).

 

[attachment=2]5_24_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]5_24_batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]5_24_pitchers.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

May 25 - Scheduled day off

 

Hard to believe MLB would come up with a schedule that has 8 teams not playing on Memorial Day.

 

Roster move made-

J.P. Feyereisen recalled from AAA, Drew Rasmussen optioned to AAA

 

Current 26-man roster-

Starting pitchers = Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes, Adrian Houser, Josh Lindblom

Relief pitchers = Josh Hader (closer), Corey Knebel (setup), Devin Williams (setup), Alex Claudio (middle), J.P. Feyereisen (middle), Ray Black (middle), David Phelps (middle), Chris Lee (long)

Catchers = Omar Narvaez, Manny Pina

Infielders = Ryan Braun, Keston Hiura, Eric Sogard, Luis Urias, Brock Holt, Jedd Gyorko

Outfielders = Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Avisail Garcia, Ben Gamel, Keon Broxton

 

Disabled List = Justin Smoak (on rehab assignment), Brent Suter (2-3 weeks), Logan Morrison (4 weeks)

 

Other players on 40-man roster (36 players total)-

Pitchers = Drew Rasmussen, Eric Yardley

Catchers = David Freitas

Infielders = Orlando Arcia, Ryon Healy, Ronny Rodriguez

Outfielder = Tyrone Taylor

 

Some other pretty significant news from around the league. Two trades made.

 

Toronto gets:

LF-J.D. Martinez (229 plate appearances, .256/.328/.420/.748, 8 HR, 27 RBI)

Boston gets:

1B-Travis Shaw (66 plate appearances, .211/.318/.509/.827, 5 HR, 13 HR)

RHP-Maverik Buffo - A ball (9 starts, 48 innings, 4.50 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 4.48 FIP, 4.3 BB/9, 7.1 K/9)

 

Martinez is the big name here, but I found this to be a pretty questionable move for the Blue Jays. OOTP engines tend to not like older hitters, Martinez' production has slipped in the sim and he turns 33 before the year ends. He has two years left on his deal but also has an opt-out at the end of this year, so who knows how long that deal goes? The Blue Jays had Derek Fisher DH'ing and he had a .224/.344/.428/.782, 8 HR, 22 RBI...so fairly similar to what Martinez is doing. Travis Shaw had been hurt for most of the year which is why his plate appearances are down. He steps right into Boston's starting lineup at first base, which was previously held by Michael Chavis who has really struggled (.202/.262/.380/.642, 6 HR, 18 RBI). Buffo ranks just outside of Boston's top 30 prospects.

 

Washington gets:

RHP-Brandon Kintzler (19 1/3 innings, 6.98 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 3.89 FIP, 4.2 BB/9, 6.1 K/9)

Miami gets:

RHP-Jackson Tetreault - AA ball (8 starts, 41 2/3 innings, 6.91 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 5.21 FIP, 3.7 BB/9, 7.8 K/9)

SS-Jose Sanchez - A ball (118 plate appearances, .240/.322/.250/.572, 0 HR, 4 RBI)

RHP-Jacob Howell - A ball (8 starts, 37 2/3 innings, 4.06 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 4.19 FIP, 4.8 BB/9, 8.1 K/9)

 

Kintzler is having a poor year, but the Nationals bullpen is awful (6.14 ERA, worst in the NL) so it's not surprising they would make an early move like this. None of the three prospects are anywhere near the Marlin's top 30 prospects (Tetreault is the top rated, only at #49).

 

Mike Trout hit career home run #300.

 

NL Standings

 

[attachment=3]5_25_NL Standings.jpg[/attachment]

 

AL Standings

 

[attachment=2]5_25_AL Standings.jpg[/attachment]

 

NL Wild Card

 

[attachment=1]5_25_NL Wild Card.jpg[/attachment]

 

AL Wild Card

 

[attachment=0]5_25_AL Wild Card.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

Team Stats-

 

[attachment=2]5_25_Team Stats.jpg[/attachment]

 

Batting Stats-

 

[attachment=1]5_25_batting stats.jpg[/attachment]

 

Pitching Stats-

 

[attachment=0]5_25_pitching stats.jpg[/attachment]

[TURBO]

Random question, is Yordan Alvarez the total and complete stud that your sims are showing? I have him in a couple keeper leagues, and wasn't sure I'd keep him or not...

[JosephC]

Alvarez's game ratings (contact, gap power, home run power, discipline, avoid K) all make him look like he will be a future masher. It's worth noting that he was insanely good in March/April (OPS well over 1.200, 18 home runs in 139 plate appearances) but he hasn't been as good in May (.831 OPS, 4 home runs in 102 plate appearances).

 

As far as a fantasy league, the guy did have 27 home runs and a 1.000+ OPS in what just barely over 1/2 a MLB season in 2019. He also pretty much hit everything on his trip through the minors.

[TURBO]

Alvarez's game ratings (contact, gap power, home run power, discipline, avoid K) all make him look like he will be a future masher. It's worth noting that he was insanely good in March/April (OPS well over 1.200, 18 home runs in 139 plate appearances) but he hasn't been as good in May (.831 OPS, 4 home runs in 102 plate appearances).

 

As far as a fantasy league, the guy did have 27 home runs and a 1.000+ OPS in what just barely over 1/2 a MLB season in 2019. He also pretty much hit everything on his trip through the minors.

 

yup, I have some really tough decisions to make.

 

Vlad Jr. is another guy that was so disappointing last year but seems to have that golden boy label hanging over him. I pretty much have to decide between him and Jose Ramirez, who is extremely proven.

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

May 26 - Brewers 9, Giants 7

 

An ugly, ugly day for the Brewer's pitching staff against the worst offense in baseball. But thanks to a big day by the bats, the Brewers managed to pull this one out.

 

Jeff Samardzija entered this game with a very respectable 3.79 ERA but Brewer hitters had him figured out from the onset. Lorenzo Cain, Avisail Garcia, Omar Narvaez, Luis Urias and Brock Holt all with first inning singles that resulted in 3 runs. Samardzija was struggling badly and only managed to get out of the inning when Brandon Woodruff came to the plate (OOTP doesn't give Woodruff nearly enough credit for his hitting ability). Inning two started with a walk to Cain, a walk to Garcia, a single by Christian Yelich and then a bases clearing double by Keston Hiura and that was it for Samardzija (1 inning, 6 earned runs, 7 hits, 3 walks).

 

At this point the Brewers held a commanding 6-2 lead. Logan Webb came into the ballgame for the Giants and shut down the Brewer bats for the next four innings. The Giants eventually took a 7-6 lead as Brewer pitching fell apart. But Eric Sogard had a big single in the 7th inning that scored Narvaez, putting the Brewers ahead for good. The Brewers got an insurance run in the 8th on a Narvaez single.

 

Woodruff started the game and managed to make it through five innings but it wasn't pretty. 2 more home runs allowed (Mike Yastrzemski, Evan Longoria), bringing his total to 14 home runs allowed in only 63 2/3 innings. Feyereisen was the fresh arm and first out of the pen, and unsurprisingly gave up 2 runs and the Brewer's lead. Josh Hader came into the game in the ninth for the save, but walked two hitters and was replaced by Chris Lee who got the final out. Just another really ugly day for the pitching staff.

 

David Phelps left this game with an arm injury. Report has already come in and he is out for at least one week with a dead arm. No word on a roster move yet, but something will probably happen because I don't think Counsell could function for a whole week with only 7 relievers. Could very well save Feyereisen from getting sent back down as a Feyereisen for Drew Rasmussen fresh arm swap was almost guaranteed to happen.

 

[attachment=2]5_26_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]5_26_batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]5_26_pitchers.jpg[/attachment]

[brewcrewdue80]

Gotta love that fresh arm means 1 day optioned. Basicallt every 2games Rasmussen or Feyereisen are optioned for one another. In the latest it was one game. That's clearly ignoring the rules. And both accumulate IP with the minor league team optioned to so reality is these arms arent likely fresh. Isnt it supposed to be 10 days on options unless injury creates the recall need? Also the simulation seems to bounce the two from long relief to closer since they fail at both. Think they should be sending down a position player and keep both up(Id rather a new pitcher) simulation is such poor managing. If this simulation was really happening for 2020 season Im certain majority here would want both CC and Stearns fired by now.

[owbc]

I think real world Stearns/Counsell would be better at tinkering with the pitching staff and finding the correct roles for everyone. In simulation land it seems like someone else in the NL Central is going to get hot while the Brewers will linger around .500 and ultimately miss the playoffs. Unless they make some serious moves to get some pitching. It's a little easier for the sim to figure out the offense although slightly hilarious that Sogard is on pace for a 5 WAR season.

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

May 27 - Giants 11, Brewers 6

 

Another horrible outing by Houser, 7 earned runs allowed and only 1 out recorded...against the worst offense in baseball. ERA is up to 9.91. It would be ridiculous if he got another start. The first few guys out of the bullpen didn't get the job done either. Devin Williams continues to scuffle along and Knebel gives up a home run to Brandon Belt.

 

The bottom of the order performed admirably well. Kevin Gausman started for the Giants and had been lights out this year. He entered the game with a 2.03 ERA which was second best in the National League. Sogard with a 2 run home run in the 2nd and Braun hit a solo home run off Gausman in the 7th. Braun added a second solo home run in the 9th off of Dany Jimenez, the only run that Jimenez has allowed so far in 17 innings of work. Unfortunately the top of the order, Cain-Garcia-Yelich-Hiura, were a combined 0/15.

 

Really easy to get down on the pitching staff at this point. Starters ERA = 13th in the NL. Bullpen ERA = 9th in the NL. Team ERA = 13th in the NL. Giants have the worst offense in baseball and the Brewers have allowed 18 runs in these two game.

 

Also an update on Suter's injury situation. He now figures to be out for at least three more weeks.

 

[attachment=2]5_27_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]5_27_batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]5_27_pitchers.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

May 28 - Brewers 1, Giants 0

 

Roster move made-

Drew Rasmussen recalled from AAA, J.P. Feyereisen optioned to AAA

 

A wonderful pitching duel highlighted by a great start by Corbin Burnes, a home run by Christian Yelich for the game's only run and a game saving, diving catch by Eric Sogard to end the ballgame.

 

It was going to be interesting because the only Brewer relievers not at exhausted status entering the game were Drew Rasmussen and Ray Black. So it was obvious that Ramussen would be the first guy out of the pen and then big questions as to who would get used after that. As it turned out, it appears Black was the game's designated closer but he ended up walking two batters and getting pulled. Corey Knebel came in with one out to go and the bases loaded, Billy Hamilton hit a liner to third that Sogard made a diving stab and to end the game.

 

Needless to say, it would be a huge boost to the Brewer's rotation if Burnes can keep having results like he did in this game.

 

[attachment=2]5_28_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]5_28_batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]5_28_pitchers.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

May 29 - scheduled day off

 

Roster move made-

Justin Smoak added to 26-man roster, Ben Gamel optioned to AAA

 

Not at all happy to see Gamel optioned, but he has an option left and Keon Broxton does not.

 

[attachment=3]5_29_NL Standings.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=2]5_29_AL Standings.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]5_29_NL Wild Card.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]5_29_AL Wild Card.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

[attachment=2]5_29_Team Stats.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]5_29_Batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]5_29_Pitchers.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

May 30 - Brewers 8, Rays 5

 

Peralta left this ballgame after the fifth inning with an injured hand. The diagnosis after the ballgame is a sore thumb and he's only expected to be out for 2 days, so it doesn't look like he will miss his next start.

 

Rays figured to be a pretty strong team heading into the season, but they've just sort of stumbled along so far. They entered the game with a 28-31 record and have had a hard time scoring runs (11th in the AL) and the bullpen has been poor (12th in the NL in bullpen ERA).

 

Snell was charged for 5 earned runs, but two of the three runs the Brewers scored in the third inning came from a misplayed ball in center by Kevin Kiermaier that turned into a Lorenzo Cain triple. Cain also had another triple. Oliver Drake got into the ballgame and gave up a three run home run to Avisail Garcia, it was the first home run for Garcia since April 16. Hiura also broke a bit of a home run drought. His solo homer in the fourth inning was his first since May 13.

 

Peralta was cruising in this ballgame, then got into the fifth and gave up a smash base hit through the shift to Mike Zunino, then hit Kiermaier with a pitch and, two batters later, Austin Meadows hit a 3-run home run. Overalll the bullpen did a good job, except that Corey Knebel gave up another home run in the ninth inning (he has now allowed 5 home runs in 15 innings pitched). Knebel's rating in the game are excellent, so I'm anticipating he'll turn the corner and be pretty good in the second half, but it is sure is frustrating watching him right now.

 

In other league news, the Dodgers have signed Alex Wood to a 3-year contract extension. Wood has started 11 games with a 3.71 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 4.22 FIP, 1.9 BB/9, 6.7 K/9. It's a 15.3 million deal that pays him 5.1 million in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He also gets a 170k bonus each time he reaches 180 innings pitched. Seems like a good deal for the Dodgers as this is little money for them. But Wood has an injury history, and the fact that he could only get 4 million guaranteed for 2020 doesn't make this an unreasonable deal from his end.

 

[attachment=2]5_30_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]5_30_batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]5_30_pitchers.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

May 30 - Rays 7, Brewers 4

 

Another poor outing for Brandon Woodruff who posted a 6.61 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 6.16 FIP in the month of May. He left this game with 4 runs in and the bases loaded, and Ray Black came in walked Austin Meadows and Hunter Renfroe, forcing in two runs and pushing Woodruff's run total to 6. Black is starting to tail off after being red-hot to start the year.

 

There was a glimmer for hope in the seventh as the Rays brought Oliver Drake in the ballgame, who promptly gave up a double to Brock Holt and then a home run to Jedd Gyorko to pull the Brewers to within 2. But then Drake was able to get Cain and Sogard on ground outs and the struck out Yelich to end the inning. The Brewers also had the first two men reach base in the eighth inning after Jose Alvarado came into the game, but Colin Poche was the next guy out of the pen and ended the threat.

 

The Cardinals (1 game back) have now won three games in a row and the Reds (3 games back) have won four games in a row. The Cubs in full self-destruct mode. They have lost 7 straight and are now only 1 1/2 games ahead of the Marlins for the worst record in the majors.

 

In other league news, Red Sox pitcher Martin Perez will miss the next 4 months with radial nerve compression. He had a 5.36 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 3.51 FIP in 45 1/3 innings. He started the year as a follower, really struggled, and then moved into a more typical bullpen role and had been much better recently.

 

Since we are now through May, I'll end this post with the current top 30 prospect list.

 

[attachment=4]5_31_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

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[attachment=1]5_31_prospects_1.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]5_31_prospects_2.jpg[/attachment]

[brewcrewdue80]

Prediction: Rasmussen is optioned and Feyereisen is called up today and pitches a terrible 1ip.

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

June 1 - Nationals 5, Brewers 2

 

Max Scherzer was vulnerable in this game but the Brewers could not come up with the big hit. The Brewers loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning and Scherzer was able to strike out Christian Yelich and Justin Smoak, and then got Omar Narvaez on a medium-hit ball to centerfield. In the fourth inning with no outs, Narvaez was thrown out at home by Victor Robles on a Luis Urias single. In the seventh, Sogard got to third base with only 1 out but couldn't score as Lorenzo Cain and Avisail Garcia were strikeout victims. So the Brewers had plenty of chances in this game but had trouble delivering the big hit.

 

Garcia may have had a critical strikeout in the seventh inning, but overall he had a really good day. He hit a home run in the fifth inning, threw out Trea Turner at the plate in the second inning and also made a diving catch off the bat of Eric Thames in the second to end the inning and save at least one run from being scored.

 

Not a great start for Josh Lindblom, who had one clean inning in the third but otherwise struggled through five innings. Adam Eaton his a home run to lead off the ballgame. The Nationals scored three runs in the second and Lindblom had the benefit of getting one out on a sacrifice bunt, and the other two outs were recorded on the already mentioned great plays by Garcia. If Garcia hadn't made that diving catch to end the second, there is a very good chance that Lindblom might not have made it through the inning.

 

And it was just an odd bullpen game. Alex Claudio came in and pitched the entire sixth inning, Corey Knebel came in an pitched the entire seventh inning and Devin Williams came in and pitched the entire eighth inning. Not the usual "one man gets on so this pitcher will automatically be pulled after he faces the minimum three batters" approach that it seems like happens most of the time. Knebel looked solid, recording a strikeout and getting two outs on weakly hit fly balls. Williams gave up a home run to Asdrubal Cabrera.

 

The Cardinals and Reds also lost their games today.

 

Here are the Players of the Month for May-

NL Batter = Cory Bellinger-Dodgers (135 PA, .343/.474/.806/1.280, 15 home runs, 29 RBIs, 33 runs scored, 5 stolen bases)

AL Batter = Aaron Judge-Yankees (120 PA, .278/.417/.680/1.097, 12 home runs, 23 RBIS, 22 runs scored)

NL Pitcher = Dakota Hudson-Cardinals (6 starts, 40 2/3 IP, 4-1 record, 1.77 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 2.82 FIP, 0 HR allowed, 13 BB, 35 strikeouts)

AL Pitcher = A.J. Puk-A's (6 starts, 38 IP, 5-0 record, 1.18 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 2.57 FIP, 1 HR allowed, 15 BB, 44 strikeouts)

NL Rookie = David Peterson-Mets (5 starts, 38 1/3 IP, 3-0 record, 1.88 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 3.10 FIP, 2 HR allowed, 7 BB, 30 strikeouts)

AL Rookie = A.J. Puk-A's

 

[attachment=2]6_1_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]6_1_batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]6_1_pitchers.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

June 2 - Brewers 16, Nationals 2

 

A shocking result considering the pitching matchup in this game was Adrian Houser vs. Stephen Strasburg.

 

It would be easy to look at Houser's 6 2/3 inning and only see one strikeout and figure that he pitched into some luck with batted balls in play, but his performance was anything but. He had 9 ground outs and 7 fly outs and most everything was weakly hit, easy outs. Truly an excellent performance, his finest of the year, especially considering the offense he was pitching against.

 

The Brewer bats hit Strasburg around pretty well, but then absolutely destroyed the Nationals bullpen which lived up to it's awful reputation. The highlights are too numerous to mention. 16 hits, 7 doubles, 7 walks and a 3 run home run by Justin Smoak. Christian Yelich with 5 RBIs to put him at 37 for the season, wrestling the team lead away from Keston Hiura. Just look at the box score and enjoy.

 

Only other thing worth mentioning is Juan Soto, Fangraphs have him as being a below-average fielder. However, he looked like Alfonso Soriano in this game. He dropped a routine fly ball in the first inning, which got the Brewers off to a good start. Later in the game he misplayed a liner into another base hit. There was also a single by Yelich that he misplayed into a double and then threw to the wrong base allowing Yelich to wind up at third base.

 

Avisail Garcia was hit by a pitch and has to leave the ballgame. More information regarding his health status is still pending. Garcia had two good games against the Nationals, but was coming out of a 2/20 stretch and has been bad with the bat so far this year.

 

[attachment=2]6_2_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]6_2_batting.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]6_2_pitching.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

June 3 - Brewers 6, Nationals 5

 

The Brewers looked great outside of a bullpen meltdown in the eighth inning.

 

Was really looking forward to seeing Corbin Burnes pitch considering he looked so good in his previous start. He gave up 1 run over 5 1/3 innings and was solid. He had 3 up, 3 down innings in both the 1st and the 5th. In the second he allowed a 2-out walk and then got the final out, and in the fourth he allowed a 2-out single and then got the final out...so two more innings with a minimal threat. In the sixth he gave up a single to Trea Turner, a fly out to Juan Soto, a walk to Eric Thames and Craig Counsell pulled him with two men on and at 83 pitches. I probably would have left Burnes in the ballgame, but David Phelps came in and got Howie Kendricks to ground into a double play so it was the right call by Counsell.

 

The Brewers had a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh and it was setup for a Devin Williams in the seventh, Corey Knebel in the eighth, Josh Hader in the ninth scenario. Williams got the job done with a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. Fortunately the Brewers added an insurance run to push the lead to four entering the bottom of the eighth, because Knebel came in and was a disaster. Michael Taylor walked and then went to second on a wild pitch. Victor Robles flew out to center. Another wild pitch put Taylor at third. Trae Turner doubled, Taylor scored and that was the end for Knebel. Ray Black came in and didn't fare much better. Juan Soto single, scoring Turner. Eric Thames struck out. Howie Kendrick walked. Alex Claudio comes into the ballgame with runners on first and second and two outs. Yan Gomes singles in Soto, Wilmer Difo singles in Kendrick, and then Claudio get Yadiel Hernandez to fly out to left to end the inning. So the Nationals score 4 in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 5.

 

Sean Doolittle, one of the few National relievers that is pitching well this year, comes into the game. Luis Urias is the first man up and hits a 1-0 pitch for a 403 foot home run to left field which was the game winner for the Brewers. Josh Hader came in to save the ballgame and had no issues while recording two strikeouts and a ground ball out.

 

Brewer offense earlier in the game was highlighted by a two-run home run by Lorenzo Cain immediately followed by an Eric Sogard home run. Cain also knocked in another run with a single in the seventh. Sogard continues to be amazing. He is now tied for second on the team in home runs with Hiura with 8.

 

There is still no word on the extent of Avisail Garcia's injury.

 

The Cardinals have lost two straight. Current standings have the Brewers in first place with a 32-29 record. Cardinals in second, 29-31 and 2 1/2 games back. Reds in third, 29-32 and 3 games back.

 

In other league news, Padre's shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is out 4-5 weeks with a fractured wrist. It's a huge loss for San Diego as Tatis had a .294/.382/.558/.940 line with 13 homers and 35 RBIs. Pirate's starting pitcher Mitch Keller has been battling a sore shoulder. It doesn't appear to be serious but he may miss his next start. Keller has a 5.14 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 3.82 FIP in 48 innings. Dodger third baseman Justin Turner has been suspended for 3 games for arguing balls and strikes.

 

[attachment=2]6_3_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]6_3_batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]6_3_pitchers.jpg[/attachment]

[JosephC]

I was going to wait until tomorrow to do this. Originally I was thinking to post the first 19 picks before I headed to work, and then not post the Brewers pick and the rest of the draft until after I got home to see if anyone wanted to throw their 2 cents in. But then I decided to post the first 19 picks tonight, hopefully a few extra people will get to see this before heading off to work tomorrow morning.

 

The user can do a draft pick-by-pick, or have it sim a round at a time, or if the user is running a team the user can sim it until the team's next pick. I did this pick-by-pick, so the Brewer's pick hasn't been made yet and I have no idea who it will be. There is a mock draft. The mock had them taking Tanner Witt but he went #19 to the Mets so he is off the board.

 

So the Brewer's pick and the rest of the draft results will be posted sometime tomorrow night.

 

[attachment=0]2020_milwaukee_brewers_2020-06-04_20-42-18.jpg[/attachment]

[owbc]

This simulated team is starting to remind me of 2019...right when it looked like they were heading for a slide to sub-.500 they start to pull out some impressive victories. The amount of offensive firepower is also impressive. Lorenzo Cain's resurgence is a real bright spot, plus Sogard playing at an all-star level. And having Hader performing as well as recent years doesn't hurt.

[JosephC]

In the interest of full-disclosure, I cheated. Last night I decided that I would make the team's fifth round pick. Why fifth round? Because that's the last pick that has to sign (more on that later). I just wanted to have a little bit of fun and it obviously doesn't impact the sim anyway since none of the players that get picked are going to play on the major league team in 2020. So yeah, I was hoping for a dropper and definitely got one and cheated. The engine made all other picks, which will be obvious when you look through the list. Fictional David Stearns liked the hitting much more than the pitching in this draft. The fourth round pick definitely looks like I made the pick because it's a Wisconsin player who went higher than anticipated (maybe way higher because I've never heard of him), but I did not make that pick.

 

The game does not have a set draft pool for each team based on picks within the first ten rounds. This works more like it did in a few years back. First round picks have a slot value suggestion...each player has a demand...each team has a draft budget with no cap...if you have enough of an allocated budget to meet all the demands, then it's easy to sign all the players. This only applies to the first five rounds. Every player taken after round five is immediately added to the organization that drafted them. Bottom line, everyone taken after round five is already in the Brewer's organization, first five round picks still have to sign to become Brewers. Based on the amount of the Brewer's draft expenditures (7.2 million), I am fully expecting all of the first five round picks to sign.

 

I was also planning on posting screenshots of all of the first five round picks but am short on time. If someone really wants to see them, let me know and I'll try to post them over the weekend.

 

Here are the Brewers picks:

 

1. 1B-Aaron Sabato/North Carolina

2. 2B-Casey Martin/Arkansas

3. LF-Slade Wilks/Columbia Academy (Mississippi)

4. RHP-George Klassen/Port Washington (Wisconsin)

5. RHP-Cade Cavalli/Oklahoma (JosephC's cheating pick)

 

6. CF-Alerick Soularie/Tennessee

7. C-Bryant Bowen/South Carolina

8. SS-Jack O'Dowd/Lipscomb (Tennessee)

9. 3B-Jamal O'Guinn/Southern California

10. SS-Yohandy Morales/Monsignor Pace (Florida)

 

11. 3B-Gavin Casas/American Heritage (Florida)

12. LF-Nolan Schanuel/Park Vista (Florida)

13. 2B-Bryce Blaum/Texas A&M

14. 3B-Colt Keith/Biloxi (Mississippi)

15. 3B-Andy Armstrong/Oregon State

 

16. CF-Dylan Nause/Texas Tech

17. 3B-Michael Davinni/Aliso Niguel (California)

18. CF-Jaren Shelby/Kentucky

19. RF-Nick Howie/Eastern Kentucky

20. 1B-Austin Plante/Southern Nevada (Nevada)

 

21. C-Devin Burkes/The Village Charter (Florida)

22. 1B-Liam Hibbits/VCU

23. 3B-Jaden Agassi/Del Sol (Nevada)

24. SS-Jack Mahoney/St. Viator (Illinois)

25. SS-Jonathan Vaughns/St. John Bosco (California)

 

26. CF-Tyler Williams/Oklahoma City

27. 3B-Tim Elko/Mississippi

28. 2B-Brandon Michie/Mercer

29. RF-Mackenzie Wainwright/St. Edward (Ohio)

30. SS-Jalen Vasquez/Fort Dorchester (South Carolina)

 

31. CF-Josh Fitzgerald/Kirkwood CC Iowa

32. 3B-Cole Austin/Arkansas

33. 3B-Zach Needham/Lewis-Clark State

34. 3B-Jordan Stephens/Miami

35. RF-Elliot Willy/Oregon State

[PeaveyFury]

I'm in the 2023 season of OOTP21, and Sabato (drafted by the Phils at 15 in mine) is putting up good minor league numbers, but hasn't broken through yet. I drafted 1B Michael Brown, who has high projection ratings but is stuck in rookie ball as of yet.

 

I acquired Robert Hassell III somewhere along the line via trade, and he's become a really nice prospect, rated #58.

[JosephC]

https://www.ootpdevelopments.com/

 

June 5 - Brewers 4, Red Sox 3

 

Avisail Garcia's injury turned out to be a bruised shin, listed as day-to-day for 2 days. He started in this ballgame so it's unlikely he'll miss any time at all.

 

Another good pitching performance by Freddy Peralta. The Red Sox got two runs in the third inning on a Jeter Downs single and a Xander Bogaerts double later in the inning. After that Peralta really got on a roll and only allowed 2 singles in innings 4-6. I really thought he should have come out and started the 7th inning as he was only at 78 pitches, but the quick-hook Counsell/engine combination strikes again.

 

So it was setup for a Devin Williams 7th/Corey Knebel 8th/Josh Hader 9th. Williams came in and walked Alex Verdugo, gave up a single to Travis Shaw, gave up another single to Kevin Pillar (Verdugo scored) and David Phelps was brought in to bail him out. Phelps struck out Jonathan Lucroy and then got Downs to ground into a double play which ended the Red Sox final threat. Phelps came out to get 1 out in the 8th, then the game went to Knebel and Hader and both looked great.

 

As far as the offense, Justin Smoak hit a two run homer in the second to get things started. In the third, Keston Hiura doubled in Christian Yelich and then Ryan Braun doubled in Hiura two batters later. The Brewers were shutout over the last six innings but those four early runs were enough to win the ballgame.

 

The Brewers are now on a three game winning streak. That doesn't seem like a big deal, but this is the first time they've won three in a row since they swept the Pirates in a 3-game series from April 21-April 23.

 

So here's how the top 3 teams in the NL Central stack up:

Brewers = 33-29

Cardinals = 30-32, 3 games back

Reds = 30-33, 3 1/2 games back

 

[attachment=2]6_5_game summary.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=1]6_5_batters.jpg[/attachment]

 

[attachment=0]6_5_pitchers.jpg[/attachment]