2020-08-13: Brewers (Anderson) at Cubs (Darvish) [Brewers lose, 4-2]

[DuWayne Steurer]

I'm not even sure what "this team was built for a 162 game season" means. Every team was. 60 games or 162 or 300 or 20, your team is built to win games. I don't buy the "they haven't gelled yet" or "they need time to come together" stuff. Every team most seasons is a somewhat new team. A 60 game season is going to be a crap shoot.

[brewers888]

I think this:

 

Garcia is not as bad as he's looked. Narvaez is not as bad as he's looked. Sogard has been pretty much exactly what we thought. In a normal year, we'd be halfway through April. Maybe 162 is no different than 60, but the condensed schedule means judgments happen more quickly.

 

Look, I'm not trying to be an apologist for this lineup. It looks really, really bad. And CC has made weird choices. But what are we really quibbling with re: Stearns? Are folks really saying we know enough to say Garcia and Narvaez are terrible? I mean, Smoak and LoMo, they were cast offs and crappy, and we were hoping they'd be hot. They're not. But that's like one scrap-heap signing we're complaining about.

 

It's a different conversation if folks think Garcia and Narvaez are going to be bad bad for a while. Then I think we just disagree, and that's okay. For me, jury's out on those two guys, and I won't burn Stearns at this point (yet).

 

I expected Narvaez to hit with bad defense but Garcia is hilariously overrated.

[adambr2]

I think this:

 

Garcia is not as bad as he's looked. Narvaez is not as bad as he's looked. Sogard has been pretty much exactly what we thought. In a normal year, we'd be halfway through April. Maybe 162 is no different than 60, but the condensed schedule means judgments happen more quickly.

 

Look, I'm not trying to be an apologist for this lineup. It looks really, really bad. And CC has made weird choices. But what are we really quibbling with re: Stearns? Are folks really saying we know enough to say Garcia and Narvaez are terrible? I mean, Smoak and LoMo, they were cast offs and crappy, and we were hoping they'd be hot. They're not. But that's like one scrap-heap signing we're complaining about.

 

It's a different conversation if folks think Garcia and Narvaez are going to be bad bad for a while. Then I think we just disagree, and that's okay. For me, jury's out on those two guys, and I won't burn Stearns at this point (yet).

 

Garcia is better than this, but when I look at his career profile and statistics it's a little puzzling to me how his market was 10 million a year. You can find pretty comparable players on the cheap. I guess they maybe thought there's an upside there to unlock, otherwise it's a little bit of a headscratcher.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I think this:

 

Garcia is not as bad as he's looked. Narvaez is not as bad as he's looked. Sogard has been pretty much exactly what we thought. In a normal year, we'd be halfway through April. Maybe 162 is no different than 60, but the condensed schedule means judgments happen more quickly.

 

Look, I'm not trying to be an apologist for this lineup. It looks really, really bad. And CC has made weird choices. But what are we really quibbling with re: Stearns? Are folks really saying we know enough to say Garcia and Narvaez are terrible? I mean, Smoak and LoMo, they were cast offs and crappy, and we were hoping they'd be hot. They're not. But that's like one scrap-heap signing we're complaining about.

 

It's a different conversation if folks think Garcia and Narvaez are going to be bad bad for a while. Then I think we just disagree, and that's okay. For me, jury's out on those two guys, and I won't burn Stearns at this point (yet).

 

I expected Narvaez to hit with bad defense but Garcia is hilariously overrated.

 

Garcia was terrific in 2017, ok in 2018 and solid last year. He's a solid corner OFer. Decent hitter, good defender. Who is overrating him?

[Oxy]

I think this:

 

Garcia is not as bad as he's looked. Narvaez is not as bad as he's looked. Sogard has been pretty much exactly what we thought. In a normal year, we'd be halfway through April. Maybe 162 is no different than 60, but the condensed schedule means judgments happen more quickly.

 

Look, I'm not trying to be an apologist for this lineup. It looks really, really bad. And CC has made weird choices. But what are we really quibbling with re: Stearns? Are folks really saying we know enough to say Garcia and Narvaez are terrible? I mean, Smoak and LoMo, they were cast offs and crappy, and we were hoping they'd be hot. They're not. But that's like one scrap-heap signing we're complaining about.

 

It's a different conversation if folks think Garcia and Narvaez are going to be bad bad for a while. Then I think we just disagree, and that's okay. For me, jury's out on those two guys, and I won't burn Stearns at this point (yet).

 

I completely agree. Throw in Urias as well to Narvaez and Garcia. The rest of the veteran pickups were pure stop gap players, but those 3 have a future with the club and Stearns needs to hit on 2 of them for the long term.

[owbc]

They decided to spend big on Yelich rather than Moose and Grandal. I think that was the right call. This isn’t that bad of a team overall.

[MrTPlush]

Omar Narvaez will turn it around. He has always shown to hit...so he should eventually figure it out.

 

Avisail Garcia? He honestly isn’t that far off his career norms believe it or not.

 

Urias? I’m not sure if it is the fact the team is so bad on offense we are desperate for anything else, but I feel as though Urias is being overly hyped. He may become something, but I don’t know if he is worthy of clamoring every time he isn’t in the line up. People act like he has been some massive unexpected loss through these first few weeks. Was he even making the team in a normal 162 game season?

[adambr2]

I'm definitely annoyed with Urias being relegated to the bench most days. We gave up too much to be treating him like a utility infielder. You don't see the Padres sitting Grisham, ever. You gave up Grisham and Davies for this guy, he is intended to be a big part of the future. Find out. I don't buy that he needs to be babied back in. He's 23. You already have a very short season to get him reps. Play him.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

The Urias thing bugs me a lot too. Treating him like a platoon guy is weird. Granted, it's what? Three games? So maybe that changes. But that's one place where I'm completely lost.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I'm definitely annoyed with Urias being relegated to the bench most days. We gave up too much to be treating him like a utility infielder. You don't see the Padres sitting Grisham, ever. You gave up Grisham and Davies for this guy, he is intended to be a big part of the future. Find out. I don't buy that he needs to be babied back in. He's 23. You already have a very short season to get him reps. Play him.

 

Stearns plainly said when he was acquired that they viewed him as the team's SS of the future, and that Arcia was basically on notice. He's provided an offensive spark in his few chances so far. I too am not real sure what the issue is. The guy doesn't profile as a platoon player, and the Brewers are treating him as such.

 

Of course, Arcia has been one of the team's few non-black holes on offense. Still if Urias isn't at SS, he should be at 3B or 2B. With the DH this year, there is little excuse to not have him in the lineup.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Leadoff walk. This typically goes well.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

I don't like the Cubs (and Contreras really, really rubs me the wrong way), but I wish the Brewers had a little more of that focus and camaraderie happening. I haven't yet seen a team with that level of energy and togetherness, and I respect it.

 

(Ducks)

[brewers888]

Its hard to show energy as a team when you never score.

[folly412]

The Cubs are pretty tolerable when you don't have to look at any of their fans.

[adambr2]

They decided to spend big on Yelich rather than Moose and Grandal. I think that was the right call. This isn’t that bad of a team overall.

 

The problem with being "not that bad" is that they're not a team on the rise. They've used most of their bullets on the farm to invest in the last few years. So there's little in the way of reinforcements like there was post 2016 when the team was clearly on the rise.

 

They have some exciting young or youngish pitching, and Yelich and Hiura. Everyone else is either really unproven or just a body. "Not bad" is an OK place to be when your arrow is pointing up, but ours isn't. We'll live and die by Yelich for some time. That gives us a chance, but we're starting to look a lot like the late era Melvin teams quickly.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

The Cubs are pretty tolerable when you don't have to look at any of their fans.

 

This is perfect. Well said.

[adambr2]

I'm definitely annoyed with Urias being relegated to the bench most days. We gave up too much to be treating him like a utility infielder. You don't see the Padres sitting Grisham, ever. You gave up Grisham and Davies for this guy, he is intended to be a big part of the future. Find out. I don't buy that he needs to be babied back in. He's 23. You already have a very short season to get him reps. Play him.

 

Stearns plainly said when he was acquired that they viewed him as the team's SS of the future, and that Arcia was basically on notice. He's provided an offensive spark in his few chances so far. I too am not real sure what the issue is. The guy doesn't profile as a platoon player, and the Brewers are treating him as such.

 

Of course, Arcia has been one of the team's few non-black holes on offense. Still if Urias isn't at SS, he should be at 3B or 2B. With the DH this year, there is little excuse to not have him in the lineup.

 

Yeah, I agree with all this. Sad though when a .649 OPS can be referred to as "not a black hole."

[pacopete4]

If the roster was built for 162, fine. But use it for the 60. Set your lineup, stop jacking it around and get them in a rhythm. It’s just not the time for irregular at bats.

[Oxy]

I would argue that the roster was built more for NOT having the DH. With the versatility of our bench and the number of quality middle inning relievers we have we were going to be double switching and minimizing ABs by our pitchers more than other clubs in the NL.

[brewers888]

Do we have a hit yet.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

If the roster was built for 162, fine. But use it for the 60. Set your lineup, stop jacking it around and get them in a rhythm. It’s just not the time for irregular at bats.

 

I've never been a big fan of platoons, but Counsell and Stearns have leaned into that idea in a big way this year. It's annoying. Platoons work when you have a ton of talented bench players like the Dodgers have. That's not what the Brewers have, though. As meh as it sounds, Gyorko should probably be taking the vast majority of the ABs at 3B. Urias at SS, Hiura at 2B. Get them in a routine.

[MrTPlush]

The Cubs are pretty tolerable when you don't have to look at any of their fans.

 

Yah, what are they suppose to do? Do the gauntlet every time someone strikes out?

[MrTPlush]

Do we have a hit yet.

 

I thought the same and looked...no.

[yourout]

If the roster was built for 162, fine. But use it for the 60. Set your lineup, stop jacking it around and get them in a rhythm. It’s just not the time for irregular at bats.

 

I've never been a big fan of platoons, but Counsell and Stearns have leaned into that idea in a big way this year. It's annoying. Platoons work when you have a ton of talented bench players like the Dodgers have. That's not what the Brewers have, though. As meh as it sounds, Gyorko should probably be taking the vast majority of the ABs at 3B. Urias at SS, Hiura at 2B. Get them in a routine.

 

And Manny needs some games against right-handers.

Narvaez stinks.

[brewers888]

Andy Haines is probably thankful to still have his job.