04/18/2004 - Milwaukee (Capuano) @ Houston (Clemens)

[endaround]

So what does Ginter have to do to get into the starting line up?

[pabrewerfan]

Does Jenkins day off scare anyone else? He really seemed to be favoring his ankle after his triple in yesterday's game. I hope it is just minor.

 

Sheets back is already bothering him and now Obermueller is banged up....

 

Let's hope this isn't the start of an injury-filled season.

[danzig6767]

This series is a prime example of what seperates contenders from pretenders,pitching.I love all our great position prospects,but we better pray some of the pitchers pan out also.

 

I know its early,but we are right back at the bottom of the pitching stats,5 1/2 runs a game and not much to make things look like it will get better anytime soon.

[xisxisxis]

So what does Ginter have to do to get into the starting line up?

 

I believe it involves a meeting with Yost and a pair of Knee-pads.

 

 

EDIT: Actually we can take some positives from this game. The Astros have 16 hits and the benificiary of 3 BB and yet they've only scored 6 runs. I know that's a stretch but it is a positive.

[molitor fan]

(Unneeded rip removed)

[germanking]

What if Keith Ginter changes his name to Pedro Sanchez from Puerto Rico and said he lied about his age, he is actually 36 then Yost would have no other choice but to put an old scrapper in the lineup everyday.

[AJAY]

Days like today make me wonder we ever left the AL Central.

I can't wait to start playing some regular teams for a change. The Cardinals, Barry Bonds, and the Astros really leave you shell-shocked.

 

Even I can use a day off from baseball tomorrow. My head is still spinning.

[PepsiFanClubAlum]

Wow, that one has me wondering how we won one in Houston. They are on a whole nother level. I am ready for this streach of contenteders to end. This next 6 games is crucial. We need Sheets to win his 2 and someone else to step up.

 

If we could get to .500 by the Cincy series on the 27th, by winning 4 fo our next 6. I think we can contend for .500 all season. They got to dig deep.

 

It is just our luck that we catch Houston white hot, while the Cubs are banged up and Maddux is struggling.

[DuWayne Steurer]

OK, I've been away all day, and didn't hear what happened to Caps, what's up? I see in the box score Oby got hammered.

 

(Sigh)........

 

Starting pitching is not looking good right now. Sheets, sore back, Caps hurt, Oby and Kinney not pitching well at all........

[rluzinski]

Let's look at the bright side, the Crew is on pace to better last year's record. 69 wins, baby!! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[texcrew]

I was at todays game (if you want to call it that). Capuano pulled up lame at first base after almost beating out a grounder to third base. He was favoring his ankle and it did not seem too serious at the time. Podsednik looked very good against Clemens and was our only offensive threat in the game. The two balls that got over his head were very legitimate and there was also a swirling wind that was causing havoc for everyone.

The Brewers have probably had the toughest schedule in the early going, they look like they needed a little break.

[clancyphile]

75 wins.

[DHonks]

Where are those who claimed he was an above average CF?

 

I am one, but maybe I'm just excited by watching him and comparing him to the prior CF. I used to joke that a great advertisement for a video game would be having a linebacker running at a running back, then diving the wrong way. Then the commercial could say "our new game is so smart, it won't allow these foolish mistakes to happen." Watching Alex Sanchez on a nightly basis was like that. So much speed, but so few instincts. I admit that Pods has looked poor lately, but in Miller Park against the Astros he ran down a lot of line drives that could have been gappers. His problem as of now is going back on balls, but coming in or balls to his sides he's fine. I can't fault him for balls hit 415 feet on a line in heavy winds, though.

[rluzinski]

I certainly won't take from Pods his speed, and therefore his ability to get to calls in the gaps. I also appreciate the wind causing trouble for everyone. Still, there are many fine defensive CFs that can do that and much more. Hell. most CF are fast and get to the gaps pretty well. Perhaps it's time for Pods to take a couple steps back and stop playing so shallow.

 

Clancy,

 

6 wins X

--------------- = -----------------

14 games 162 games

 

 

 

X = ----------- = 69.4 wins

 

 

Edit: Why the HEK does it delete multiple spaces?

[brettac1]

I think they can definitely pull a .500 season and maybe contend for 3rd with StL (their pitching is almost as bad as the Crew's). I think that after this rough stretch to be 6-8 is a pretty good accomplishment, but they can definitely do better. Struggling against the likes of Houston, SF, Cubs, and so on is a given, but they have to beat the chump teams like AZ, Cincy, Pittsburgh, etc. Lets see what they can do.

[igor67]

Well to this point we've seen the beginnings of a Ben breakout, which was one of those preseason keys to doing better than anticipated, and solid performances from Davis and Capuano. Spivey has been better than I anticipated, but not to the extent he can carry the team. So on average the offense has been about what I expected overall. The real issue has been giving away every game Obbie and Kinney have been in save 1. Luckily while some of our pitching prospects may not be quite ready enough to replace both men, we only need to replace one, perhaps with Ford? The parallels between Kinney and Rusch are getting eerie. Both pitchers with previously excellent BB:K ratios that have horrible starts based largely on not having those excellent ratios. Mercifully we have other options now, and can move on without hanging on ever dwindling prospects for a turn around.

[clancyphile]

igor67

 

Obermueller's been okay, I think. The problem Sunday came from the fact he was called on with pretty short notice after Capuano pulled up lame in the third.

 

But Kinney needs to go. ASAP.

[RobertR]

Obermueller's been o.k. against the Giants without Bonds in the starting lineup. He's been rocked in his other two appearances and has a subpar K/9 rate.

 

It's just not true to call the starting rotation beyond Sheets, Davis and, maybe Capuano although his WHIP is scary, as anything more than awful. And that includes Franklin in the evaluation.

 

Robert

[endaround]

I would not include Davis as being not awful. He fully deserve that ERA of close to 6.

[homer]

He's had one good start (win), one great start (loss) and one simply awful start (loss). All in all I wouldn't say he's been awful, but OK.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Capuano has given up 5 homers in 13 innings. I don't care what the other stats say, that's gonna catch up with a guy. How his ERA is under 4 is beyond me at this point.

 

Davis has surrendered 4 long balls in only 16 innings, to go along with his ugly 5.97 ERA and 1.62 WHIP.

 

Sheets is the ONLY guy who's shown much of anything so far, as I don't count Oby's 7 shutout innings against a Bonds-less Giants in too high a regard, considering what they have outside of the Bonds.

 

If our starting pitching doesn't improve on these numbers, it's going to be ugly-Ugly-UGLY this year.

[RobertR]

I'm including Davis in the "not awful" class by noting that his career ERA+ is right around league average. He has an established track record. Obviously, his upside is limited, but I think the awful start is going to be an outlier.

 

Then again, I could be wrong, and the "not awful" class could be reserved to just Sheets.

 

Robert

[DuWayne Steurer]

Robert, I hate to lump guys together for comparison sakes, as I generally feel it's unfair to say "player X's career took this path, so player Z's expected path should be the same"

 

But, I look at Rusch last year, and he was "not awful" before last year, and look what happened.

 

I'm not saying I EXPECT Doug Davis to be that terrible, but I wouldn't be extremely shocked, either, because it DOES happen to guys.

 

Unfortunately, they are almost always Brewers when it happens to them.

[RobertR]

That's the trouble with projecting. All we have is past track records and some insight into current conditions, health, mechanics, etc.

 

That said, how long was it before Rusch had two good starts last year? Rusch was a definite outlier in just how bad he was.

 

But, I do agree with the basic point that the rotation is a mess. Sheets has looked very good, but has back problems. Capuano has had his moments, but now has an injury to deal with. Davis has looked good and bad. Obermueller has one good outing, against a punchless Giants lineup, and two bad outings. And Kinney has been plain awful, not helped by Yost. Not exactly ideal conditions nor completely unexpected.

 

Robert

[xisxisxis]

Sheets is the only pitcher a good team would have in their rotation. The remainder are 5th starter fodder on teams hoping to make the playoffs if they have a day off about 50% of the time the 5th starter pitches.

 

Long-term Sheets is the only one in the current lineup who will be CONTRIBUTING to the next winning Brewers team.