9/27 Brewers (Obermueller) @ Astros (Villone)

[MassBrew]

So Fox is feeding me a late afternoon game here on the East Coast (A's - Mariners).

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/mad.gif

 

What's up with that?

 

Back to trusty mlb.com's audio with JP....

[MassBrew]

Nice six innings from Wes so far, ground balls, no walks -- three extra-base hits from Pods, putting on a Rookie of the Year show in front of at least a (partial) national audience.

 

Yeah, shame on everyone who can't enjoy the moment. Earlier from David (xisxisxis), and from others who expressed a similar sentiment:

 

Yeah it would be great to get to 70 wins so the PR department, Melvin, Yost, and Payne can all go into spin mode to show that this team has turned it around. Then in 5 years when we still haven't reached 500 we can look at this season as Taylor's last 2 months of 2000 where a small fluctuation in the record was made into more than it should have been.

 

No Thank You, I'll take a sweep by the Astros. Nice draft position and a record closer to the level of talent in this organization. Less spin and more reality is what we need.

 

I imagine you're not watching or listening today, xis. Or if you are, hope you're having fun cheering on the Astros. Gimme a break. I suppose if the Brewers had a chance to go 81-81 or 82-80 this weekend you'd be hoping for the sweep as well, for the same reasons.

 

Look, unlike my minor league postings, where I keep the kid gloves on, you've known me to be a lot more realistic on the major league side. But to just flat out post that you'd like to see this fairly likable group (unlike last year's bunch -- with only eight names matching from last year's season-ending team) just lay down in these four games isn't right.

 

Yes, the big picture's important, but if a couple of Ulice Payne quotes in December about knocking out the Astros and battling to the end is going to bother you that much, well, whatever. Sorry you haven't enjoyed the games in Houston at all.

[MassBrew]

Obermueller through six:

 

73 pitches, 54 strikes

 

On the road in this big spot...huge.

[DHonks]

I've been a part of that,too, Mass. Although it's tough...I root for the Brewers always. But I always enjoy seeing young guys and I would have liked seeing a Sexson, Weeks, Hall, Cruz infield for a gam or two. I guess I'll have to wait till next week to see Weeks play. I may go on Tuesday or Wednesday

[MassBrew]

Draft order looks official after Saturday afternoon's games:

 

1. San Diego

2. Detroit

3. New York Mets

4. Tampa Bay

5. Milwaukee

6. Cleveland or Texas

7. Cincinnati

 

Bud Selig is allowing the Giants to volunteer to give up home-field advantage with the Braves, by not playing a Shea Stadium make-up game Monday if necessary, so the Mets cannot have a better record than the Brewers. The best the Brewers can do is tie the Reds' record, in which case the Brewers get the higher draft pick based on a worse record last year.

[Al the Thinking Man]

Very difficult for me not to pencil in Wes for a 2004 rotation spot. He has a low K/9 rate, a high WHIP, gives up HR's, and yet, with all that, he had a very high rate of quality starts. He's also just fun to watch, works fast, throws strikes, etc.

 

But, to be perfectly honest, he still has an option (or two, says Brian), it'd be silly not to have him start in Indy next year and let things work themselves out. We gave away Mike Matthews last April for nothing, and I believe he spent the whole year with SD. We can't afford to lose even "stopgap" players for nothing.

[clancyphile]

Agreed, Al. Heck, have him replace Kinney.

 

--

 

Two more runs for Scotty - reach the .300/100 runs/40 SB plateau, make the case for Rookie of the Year.

[Al the Thinking Man]

Clancy, that's with my heart, not my head. Wes' 2003 numbers are unimpressive, He makes good AAA depth, and would be a good long man/spot starter, but he isn't a starter...yet. He's a bulldog, which would seem to fit in with his being a middle man also.

[clancyphile]

Perhaps, Al, but Obermueller's the type of pitcher who could keep a club in a game. A lot like Wayne Franklin. And the Brewers won 18 of Franklin's 34 starts.

 

Franklin and Obermueller will make adequete 4 and 5 starters.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Franklin had an E.R.A. of 5.34 with a 1.5 whip, all while leading the NL in homers allowed. I'd surmise that the Brewers winning record in his starts has FAR more to do with run support than Franklins' stellar pitching. If we're assuming Doug Davis is going to be part of the rotation, I see no reason to have 2 soft tossing lefties.

 

Anyhow, Obermueller has now had 8 quality starts in 11 tries, so I'd at the very least give him a shot at the rotation next year, if no better options present themselves.

[LouisEly]

Al, perhaps the best reason for Wes to start the year at AAA is the fact that he is still learning how to pitch. IIRC, he didn't start pitching until he was a junior or senior in college. Poor mechanics (trying to throw hard instead of pitch), a result of lack of experience pitching, led to arm problems in 2000 and 2001 but no arm problems in 2002 or 2003.

 

He is a very good hitter, so he could do well as a long reliever who won't need to be pinch-hit for. But from what I've seen, it seems like he starts games shaky and settles down after an inning or two (three hits in the first inning today, after that gave up as much as two hits in an inning only once), so maybe the pen isn't the best place for him. He could use more experience, so he should start 2004 where he could get the most experience (MLB long reliever or AAA starter), but it won't do him good to be the 5th starter in April getting skipped in the rotation.

 

But with 8 quality starts in 11 outings, he has earned a shot at winning a spot in the rotation.