2021-04-06: Brewers (Peralta) at Cubs (Alzolay) [Brewers win, 4-0 -- Pitchers allow just one hit, Peralta strikes out 8 over 5.0 IP]

[Eye Black]

 

 

Freddy Peralta: Batter (Cubs) vs Pitching Stats

 

Adbert Alzolay: Batter (Brewers) vs Pitching Stats

 

 

Statcast Game Preview for Cubs-Brewers

 

Statcast Game Feed for Cubs-Brewers

[Hopper]

I need a day off from watching this mess.

The only reason I am going to watch tonight is to see fastball Freddy take advantage of his opportunity to start a game.

I am expecting 6 innings of 3 hit baseball, 8 K's, 1 run allowed.

Sounds great, but even if that happens, the Crew will still be hitless when he exits.

Hard to believe how much this season feels like last season.

It's way too early to be this down on the team, but it just seems futile.

[wildcat2237]

I need a day off from watching this mess.

The only reason I am going to watch tonight is to see fastball Freddy take advantage of his opportunity to start a game.

I am expecting 6 innings of 3 hit baseball, 8 K's, 1 run allowed.

Sounds great, but even if that happens, the Crew will still be hitless when he exits.

Hard to believe how much this season feels like last season.

It's way too early to be this down on the team, but it just seems futile.

 

If Yelich doesn't snap out of his funk and we are seeing the new Yelich, the Brewers are in major trouble this season. Heck, if this is the new Yelich the franchise in trouble for the next 7-8 seasons.

 

That said, lets talk June 1.

[SeaBass]

I think it's fairly easy to think the offense is just in a bit of a funk. Just before the season started I did a rudimentary comparison between spring training in 2020 to spring training in 2021 and the offense was night and day better this year than last year.

 

In 2020 the Brewers only had 8 spring training games (out of 20 total) where they scored 5 runs or more, 1 game with 14 runs, 1 game with 7 runs, 2 games with 6 runs and the other 4 with 5 runs.

 

They had 9 games where they scored 2 runs or fewer.

 

That's probably as bad as it gets. A truly pathetic performance and it was during spring training where there are some terrible pitchers to pad stats against.

 

This year they had 16 games (out of 29) with 5 or more runs, 3 games where they scored double digits, several games with 7, 8 or 9 runs scored. So much better compared to last season. Yelich looked like himself, stats elevated to a 1.3 OPS and sure a lot could be attributed to it being spring training but he passed the eye test.

 

This lineup can hit. They're slumping a bit right now, the Twins did a number on them and it makes sense that guys might start pressing trying to get things going especially if they only have one or two hits to begin the year.

 

They just need to get into a groove, maybe it's just mindset right now because they've started slow, I just really thought before the season that the offense wasn't going to be as bad as last season, which in and of itself is a low bar, but I felt they would be more than simply better than horrendous. We need to give them a chance to get it going. Four games is too early to panic.

[Eye Black]

Cain is out of the lineup once again. He last played in a game on Saturday.

 

Vogelbach batting second and playing 1B tonight. Shaw is back starting at 3B.

 

Wong 2B (L)

Vogelbach 1B (L)

Yelich LF (L)

Shaw 3B (L)

Bradley CF (L)

Garcia RF

Narvaez C (L)

Urias SS

Peralta P

 

Brewers are loading up with 6 left-handed batters in the lineup. In his very brief career thus far Alzolay has been much tougher on RHH (.612 OPS against in 74 plate appearances) than LHH (.817 OPS against in 73 plate appearances). He’s only pitched 33.2 MLB innings over 10 games, so not exactly a sample worth counting on.

[Hopper]

In what world is Vogelbach a #2 hitter?

I would literally put every starting player above in the #2 hole before Vogelbach. (except Freddy of course)

That includes Narvaez.

Wow, weird line-ups so far this year.

[DR28]

In what world is Vogelbach a #2 hitter?

I would literally put every starting player above in the #2 hole before Vogelbach. (except Freddy of course)

That includes Narvaez.

Wow, weird line-ups so far this year.

 

I'm guessing because he's a good OBP guy.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

In what world is Vogelbach a #2 hitter?

I would literally put every starting player above in the #2 hole before Vogelbach. (except Freddy of course)

Wow, weird line-ups so far this year.

 

I'd tend to agree with you. But no one other than Narvaez is hitting right now, and Vogelbach will at least give you a decent at-bat with some patience most of the time. The problem is, as long as Hiura continues to scuffle, and if Cain isn't playing, the Brewers have no real solution for the #2 hole in the lineup.

[DR28]

In what world is Vogelbach a #2 hitter?

I would literally put every starting player above in the #2 hole before Vogelbach. (except Freddy of course)

Wow, weird line-ups so far this year.

 

I'd tend to agree with you. But no one other than Narvaez is hitting right now, and Vogelbach will at least give you a decent at-bat with some patience most of the time. The problem is, as long as Hiura continues to scuffle, and if Cain isn't playing, the Brewers have no real solution for the #2 hole in the lineup.

 

I would put Narvaez in 2 hole then.

[Eye Black]

In what world is Vogelbach a #2 hitter?

I would literally put every starting player above in the #2 hole before Vogelbach. (except Freddy of course)

That includes Narvaez.

Wow, weird line-ups so far this year.

They also put Shaw in the #2 spot earlier this year and I was equally perplexed at that decision. Shaw has bottom 10th percentile speed in MLB. Vogelbach is even slower, a bottom 5th percentile runner in baseball. I am sure they have some research that shows putting a base clogger in front of your fastest guys doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme, but it seems weird to me that Vogelbach and Shaw are hitting right in front of Yelich and JBJ. I’d rather they just hit Yelich #2.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

In what world is Vogelbach a #2 hitter?

I would literally put every starting player above in the #2 hole before Vogelbach. (except Freddy of course)

Wow, weird line-ups so far this year.

 

I'd tend to agree with you. But no one other than Narvaez is hitting right now, and Vogelbach will at least give you a decent at-bat with some patience most of the time. The problem is, as long as Hiura continues to scuffle, and if Cain isn't playing, the Brewers have no real solution for the #2 hole in the lineup.

 

I would put Narvaez in 2 hole then.

 

It does make it easier for the Brewers to throw Hiura in as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement if the Cubs go to a lefty reliever later in the game, though.

[Eye Black]

It does make it easier for the Brewers to throw Hiura in as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement if the Cubs go to a lefty reliever later in the game, though.

I think we have the winning answer here. Similarly when Shaw was replaced previously out of the two-hole in the order it appeared to be predetermined he was going to be replaced as part of a late game switch.

[PinaMadness]

In what world is Vogelbach a #2 hitter?

I would literally put every starting player above in the #2 hole before Vogelbach. (except Freddy of course)

That includes Narvaez.

Wow, weird line-ups so far this year.

 

I'm guessing because he's a good OBP guy.

[markedman5]

[KeithStone53151]

Feel free to blame me if the Brewers get shut down for 6 innings again, but I kinda see a bit of a breakout game coming today. Alzolay mostly throws fastball curveball, very rare changeup...and while the 2 pitches are good, they aren't good enough to wreck us 2+ times through the order. When the Brewers have had success this year, it's been off 2 pitch bullpen pitchers. I also like the lineup shakeup today. Here's hoping...

[yfinn6]

Feel free to blame me if the Brewers get shut down for 6 innings again, but I kinda see a bit of a breakout game coming today. Alzolay mostly throws fastball curveball, very rare changeup...and while the 2 pitches are good, they aren't good enough to wreck us 2+ times through the order. When the Brewers have had success this year, it's been off 2 pitch bullpen pitchers. I also like the lineup shakeup today. Here's hoping...

 

I don't know, fastballs were giving them fits last night, granted the guy who had the biggest trouble with the upper 80s heat is on the bench tonight.

[brewcrewdue80]

While I get the lineup platoon matchup, I just dont get Vogelbach at 2 should have batted Yelich 2 and Vogelbach 3. Wong and Yelich are everyday Starters who youre not removing from the game anyway. Late game bat a righty vs a lefty replacement when its 3batters minimum. 1 PA. Just give it up. Youre not bringing special RH batters to pinch hit for them anyway. Just watch Vogelbach keeps Yelich from an extra base this game.

[yfinn6]

"Keston getting the night off after kind of a slow start..."

 

Man, how would you describe someone's start to a season where the hardest contact they made was a grounder to 3B?

[ThisIsMyCrew]

Is there no streaming with FoxSportsGo anymore? I was able to get first series but didn’t try last night. Is there another other options? Even with a cable subscription.

[trwi7]

Is there no streaming with FoxSportsGo anymore? I was able to get first series but didn’t try last night. Is there another other options? Even with a cable subscription.

 

Bally is going to have an app but it's not ready yet. Not like they had time to prepare for this.

[SomewhereInTime]

I believe in Travis Shaw!

[pacopete4]

And just like that, offense solved!

[Eye Black]

Alright, let’s go!! It’s amazing how good three runs in the 1st inning can feel.

[Craigilicious]

I need that first class ticket to Ding Dong City!

[SeaBass]

Wait a minute, is this what the kids these days call "offense"?