7/24/04: Brewers (Hendrickson) @ Astros (Redding)

[DuWayne Steurer]

Leave it to Vizco to keep it close.

[DuWayne Steurer]

*sigh*

 

Tough loss.

 

We really could use another bat with some pop (Wes Helms, I'm looking at you! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/mad.gif )

[tyguy20204]

Helms needs to sit on the bench.

 

Shoddy defense and no power.

[packfan79]

For the rest of the season!!

[batman]

That was a pretty frustrating game. I'm surprised no one mentioned the early hook for Lil' Ben... I don't get that at all. I know Nedley hates young players (joke! sort of), but he was pitching very well and his pitch count was still quite low. He was removed after a fluke hit-and-run roller that barely got to the outfield... why did that prompt Ned to come running out out of the dugout with the hook?

 

If you want to build Hendrickson's confidence, don't treat him like you're afraid he'll implode at any minute. We don't know if Ben has Obermueller's problems going deep into games or not, yet. If Obermueller got to pitch into the sixth inning so often, why doesn't Hendrickson?

 

I don't get it. Ben is young, but that's no reason to treat him like a mental gidget, to quote Mr. Derek Lowe.

 

~Bill

[DuWayne Steurer]

I agree Bill. Even Ben looked a little puzzled there. We have people questioning his mental toughness. It would have been nice to see how he responded there, especially after working out of the toughest jam there is the previous inning.

[pitchleague]

Obermueller seemed to pitch okay and keep games relatively close for innings 1-5. it was that 6th inning that he couldn't get through.

 

As for Hendrickson, he hasn't yet survived the first couple of frames unscathed in any of his 3 starts. The way the offense was going in this game (3 hits off of Redding?!?!?!?), I think he had to make a change before things got too out of hand.

[MarquesJohnson2000]

The way the Brewers are going, the next run for Houston was going to make it "too out of hand".

 

I don't agree that Ned HAD to make the move there but I understood why he did it. It seems to be contrary to his earlier stated philosophy of letting these guys work through situations instead of avoiding situations, however.

[stkmtimo]

Well, let's hope the offense can give Doug Davis some run support in his quest to be the Crew's first 10 game winner tomorrow.

 

Tim

[batman]

I think he had to make a change before things got too out of hand.

 

That's the thing, though... it sure didn't seam like Hendrickson was getting roughed up, and at that point he was just as good an option as any of the long relievers to not give up any more runs. The home run by Lane was just a solid piece of hitting, and that was the only hard hit ball that inning. I'm very confident that any of the other starters would have remained in the game, which is why I found the decision questionable. Lil' Ben hasn't done anything to prove he's going to fail, yet, and to just assume he will is not a very good confidence-building measure. Wise ended up allowing two inherited runners to score, too. Yeah, that's 20/20 hindsight, but did he really offer a better chance of stopping those two runs from scoring than Hendrickson?

 

I hated seeing Jeff Bennett, too, but at this point I've just decided to anticipate him getting the call in every important situation. That way, I'm pleasantly surprised about once a week. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

~Bill

[ja002h]

Yeah, Bennett (both of 'em) needs to hit the road.

[tyguy20204]

J. Bennett has potential he just needs to learn to stop hanging sliders and most definitely should not be used in important situations.

[stkmtimo]

Bennett's outings are almost always like this:

He comes in, gives up a solo bomb then strikes out the rest of the batters. It's been like that a lot lately, but tvguy is right, he needs to stop hanging sliders. He comes in and does that and then the opposing team rips him right away.

 

Tim