From Sunday, August 7th, 2011
Brewers 7, Astros 3
W: Greinke (10-4) L: Norris (5-8)
The Brewers did exactly what they needed to do against a down and out team, sweep them on their own field. Make no mistake about it, Milwaukee is not taking anything lightly, but they know the teams they are suppose to beat and they are determined to fulfill the expectations.
Zack Greinke delivered another dominating performance and this time it was against the struggling Houston batters. He dropped his ERA to 4.21 as he only allowed one earned run on four hits in seven innings. He also had six strikeouts and walked three.
As good as Greinke pitched, it was nothing compared to how great his defense was. In the first inning Jose Altuve attempted to bunt for a hit, except the ball went just to the right of the pitcher mound and Greinke made an incredible lunging grab for the out. In the second inning with Carlos Lee on first base, J.D. Martinez hit a sharp ball to Greinke, who miraculously snagged it in his glove and threw to Yuniesky Betancourt to start a 1-4-3 double play. The very next inning with two men on base and two outs, as Greinke began his motion he caught Clint Barmes attempting to steal third base. Zack quickly turned around and tossed the ball to Casey McGehee to end the threat. Who would have guessed that the Cy Young Award winner the Brewers acquired in the off-season was also a possible Gold Glove winner.
Prince Fielder got the offense rolling early when he smacked a solo homer down the right field line in the first inning. It was a thing of beauty to watch Prince swing his hips fast around to crush the ball out of the park. There is no doubt the man has offensive talent and the Milwaukee fans are so lucky to be witnessing it before their very eyes. Fielder finished the day going 3-4 with two RBIs and four runs.
The Brewers added two more runs in the third when Nyjer Morgan led off with a double on a line drive to right field. Felipe Lopez wasted no time getting Morgan home when he singled to center. After Ryan Braun struck out and Fielder reached on a fielder's choice, Mark Kotsay singled to score Prince. Kotsay started in place of Corey Hart who got the day off to rest his left hand, which was hit by a pitch the previous night. Mark filled the shoes well going 3-5 with an RBI and a run.
Milwaukee scored another two runs in the fifth inning, courtesy of Betancourt's single that drove in Fielder and Kotsay. Yuniesky continues to be a breath of fresh air for this ball club as he finished the game 3-5 with three RBIs. He is by far having the best second-half of the season of any Brewer and that is extremely good news considering how much production the bottom three of the batting order need to have for this team to make a playoff run.
The Brewers accomplished something they have not done all season, sweep a team on the road. It does not matter that team was the Astros, who are currently on pace to finish the season with 100 losses. It only matters that Milwaukee is improving their road record, which could not come at a better time considering they will be heading into Busch Stadium to face the second place Cardinals next.
Showing posts with label Felipe Lopez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Felipe Lopez. Show all posts
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Fielder perfect as Brewers roll
From Saturday, August 6th, 2011
Brewers 7, Astros 5
W: Narveson (8-6) L: Myers (3-12) SV: Axford (32)
Great offense, spectacular defense, and a shutdown bullpen are what powered the Brewers to victory against the Astros. Prince Fielder went 3-3 with four RBIs, Nyjer Morgan made an outstanding throw from right field to third base to end the game, and four members of the bullpen controlled the last 3.2 innings of the ball game.
Milwaukee scored right away in the first inning to start the game. After Corey Hart and Morgan reached base with back-to-back singles, Prince Fielder crushed an impressive three-run homer down the right field line. The ball hit the tip-top of the foul pole and came slamming back down onto the field.
Chris Narveson pitched well to garner the win but the Brewers offense is what made him stay afloat. Narveson went 5.1 innings and gave up four earned runs on five hits. He allowed two home-runs and recorded four strike outs. This was by far one of his worst performances of the season but the Brewer batters made sure to back their starter up.
After Carlos Lee hit a solo shot in the second to give the Astros their first run of the game, the Brewers came right back to tack on some runs. After Braun and Fielder both singled to lead off the third, Yuniesky Betancourt continued his hitting ways with an RBI double. Felipe Lopez then reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Fielder to reach home.
The Astros countered in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own on one shot from J.D. Martinez.
With Milwaukee hanging on to a one-run lead, Fielder added some insurance in the sixth inning with an RBI double that scored Braun from first base.
Takashi Saito, LaTroy Hawkins, Francisco Rodriguez came in and pitched three scoreless innings without allowing a single hit to the Astros. Hawkins and K-Rod both received holds.
John Axford entered the game in the ninth with a three-run lead to close the door on Houston. They gave him more trouble than he initially wanted, although he was still able to record his 32nd save of the season with help from the defense.
With one out, Clint Barmes homered to give Houston a chance to comeback into the game. The Axe-Man quickly discarded the home-run and got Humberto Quintero to fly out. Astro newcomer J.B. Shuck then hit a grounder towards Axford who threw the ball over the head of Fielder. Schuck rounded the bases and began to head towards third. Morgan, who is playing right field due to a hand injury that knocked Corey Hart out of the game, threw the ball all the way to third base where Casey McGehee put the tag on the Astro runner to end the game.
Brewers 7, Astros 5
W: Narveson (8-6) L: Myers (3-12) SV: Axford (32)
Great offense, spectacular defense, and a shutdown bullpen are what powered the Brewers to victory against the Astros. Prince Fielder went 3-3 with four RBIs, Nyjer Morgan made an outstanding throw from right field to third base to end the game, and four members of the bullpen controlled the last 3.2 innings of the ball game.
Milwaukee scored right away in the first inning to start the game. After Corey Hart and Morgan reached base with back-to-back singles, Prince Fielder crushed an impressive three-run homer down the right field line. The ball hit the tip-top of the foul pole and came slamming back down onto the field.
Chris Narveson pitched well to garner the win but the Brewers offense is what made him stay afloat. Narveson went 5.1 innings and gave up four earned runs on five hits. He allowed two home-runs and recorded four strike outs. This was by far one of his worst performances of the season but the Brewer batters made sure to back their starter up.
After Carlos Lee hit a solo shot in the second to give the Astros their first run of the game, the Brewers came right back to tack on some runs. After Braun and Fielder both singled to lead off the third, Yuniesky Betancourt continued his hitting ways with an RBI double. Felipe Lopez then reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Fielder to reach home.
The Astros countered in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own on one shot from J.D. Martinez.
With Milwaukee hanging on to a one-run lead, Fielder added some insurance in the sixth inning with an RBI double that scored Braun from first base.
Takashi Saito, LaTroy Hawkins, Francisco Rodriguez came in and pitched three scoreless innings without allowing a single hit to the Astros. Hawkins and K-Rod both received holds.
John Axford entered the game in the ninth with a three-run lead to close the door on Houston. They gave him more trouble than he initially wanted, although he was still able to record his 32nd save of the season with help from the defense.
With one out, Clint Barmes homered to give Houston a chance to comeback into the game. The Axe-Man quickly discarded the home-run and got Humberto Quintero to fly out. Astro newcomer J.B. Shuck then hit a grounder towards Axford who threw the ball over the head of Fielder. Schuck rounded the bases and began to head towards third. Morgan, who is playing right field due to a hand injury that knocked Corey Hart out of the game, threw the ball all the way to third base where Casey McGehee put the tag on the Astro runner to end the game.
Gallardo dominates in Brew win
From Friday, August 5th, 2011
Brewers 8, Astros 1
W: Gallardo (13-7) L: Happ (4-14)
These are the games that must be won by the Brewers. Obviously Milwaukee must beat the other contending teams, most specifically St. Louis, but they must also lay down the hammer on the weak teams to stay in contention. They did just that Friday night in an all around impressive victory.
Yovani Gallardo was exceptional in a commanding performance that made his skipper proud. His teammates stood in awe as he chewed up and spit out the Astro batters one by one. Gallardo pitched a solid eight innings and only allowed one earned run on four hits. His six strikeouts are a tribute to how well he controlled the game.
The early run support might have had some effect on Gallardo's performance. Milwaukee jumped on the Astros early scoring three runs in the first. Corey Hart led off the game with a walk and Jerry Hairston followed with a single in his first start as a Brewer. Ryan Braun doubled on a line drive to left field that easily scored Hart and moved Hairston to third. After Prince Fielder lined out, Casey McGehee singled which got home Hairston and Braun.
Houston got their only run of the game in the second inning when Humberto Quintero singled with one out and the bases loaded. Yovani quickly got the next two batters to end the only threat of the game from the home team.
The Brewers scored another three runs in the third which started with a Braun single. Fielder followed with a double and McGehee walked to load the bases with zero outs. Yuniesky Betancourt continued to swing a hot bat as he single to get one run in. Felipe Lopez got his first RBI since returning to the Brewers, when he hit a sacrifice fly to center field that had plenty of room to score Fielder. Jonathan Lucroy capped off the run with a single to give Milwaukee a 6-1 lead.
Hart homered for the 16th time this season and Lucroy walked with the bases loaded to get his second RBI of the game to give the Brewers their final two runs.
All the pieces of the puzzle fell in place in this game and now the only thing to do is build on it. The Brewers must keep accelerating with momentum and piling up wins to keep pace with the teams that are chasing them. There is no time to take a break, that is what the off-season is for. Now is when every player must bunker down, keep their head forward and give everything they got for the next six weeks.
Brewers 8, Astros 1
W: Gallardo (13-7) L: Happ (4-14)
These are the games that must be won by the Brewers. Obviously Milwaukee must beat the other contending teams, most specifically St. Louis, but they must also lay down the hammer on the weak teams to stay in contention. They did just that Friday night in an all around impressive victory.
Yovani Gallardo was exceptional in a commanding performance that made his skipper proud. His teammates stood in awe as he chewed up and spit out the Astro batters one by one. Gallardo pitched a solid eight innings and only allowed one earned run on four hits. His six strikeouts are a tribute to how well he controlled the game.
The early run support might have had some effect on Gallardo's performance. Milwaukee jumped on the Astros early scoring three runs in the first. Corey Hart led off the game with a walk and Jerry Hairston followed with a single in his first start as a Brewer. Ryan Braun doubled on a line drive to left field that easily scored Hart and moved Hairston to third. After Prince Fielder lined out, Casey McGehee singled which got home Hairston and Braun.
Houston got their only run of the game in the second inning when Humberto Quintero singled with one out and the bases loaded. Yovani quickly got the next two batters to end the only threat of the game from the home team.
The Brewers scored another three runs in the third which started with a Braun single. Fielder followed with a double and McGehee walked to load the bases with zero outs. Yuniesky Betancourt continued to swing a hot bat as he single to get one run in. Felipe Lopez got his first RBI since returning to the Brewers, when he hit a sacrifice fly to center field that had plenty of room to score Fielder. Jonathan Lucroy capped off the run with a single to give Milwaukee a 6-1 lead.
Hart homered for the 16th time this season and Lucroy walked with the bases loaded to get his second RBI of the game to give the Brewers their final two runs.
All the pieces of the puzzle fell in place in this game and now the only thing to do is build on it. The Brewers must keep accelerating with momentum and piling up wins to keep pace with the teams that are chasing them. There is no time to take a break, that is what the off-season is for. Now is when every player must bunker down, keep their head forward and give everything they got for the next six weeks.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Wolf shuts down Astros
From Friday, July 29, 2011
Brewers 4, Astros 0
W: Wolf (7-8) L: Lyles (0-6)
Randy Wolf was superior against the Houston Astros on Friday night as he recorded his first win since early June.
Wolf did not allow a run and gave up only four hits in seven innings. It was a pitching duel between Wolf and Houston's starter Jordan Lyles. The Astros had base runners in the first, second, and third but could not do anything with them, while the Brewers did not get a hit until the fifth.
Milwaukee finally got something going as soon as Hunter Pence was removed from the game due to a trade to the Phillies. Prince Fielder led off with a double to right field. Newly acquired second baseman Felipe Lopez followed with a single to give Casey McGehee runners at the corners. Lopez played with the Brewers in 2009 and has spent the majority of this season in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system. McGehee singled on a soft ground ball to third base which was enough to score Fielder. Two batters later, George Kottaras singled home Lopez.
The Astros had base runners again in the sixth but Wolf quickly shut down the threat and continued his dominance.
Takashi Saito and Kameron Loe finished the last two innings. Since the Brewers had a four-run lead, Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford were given some much needed rest. Saito and Loe each pitched a three-up, three-down inning to close out the game.
Felipe Lopez said in an interview after the game that he is excited to be back in Milwaukee because he loves the atmosphere at the ballpark and wants nothing more than to help the Brewers be a contender. He continued to say that when he walked into the clubhouse that everything felt right and this is where he was meant to be. Lopez has been off this season for his standards, but when he played in Milwaukee he was nothing short of outstanding. He went two for four and scored a run in the win.
Brewers 4, Astros 0
W: Wolf (7-8) L: Lyles (0-6)
Randy Wolf was superior against the Houston Astros on Friday night as he recorded his first win since early June.
Wolf did not allow a run and gave up only four hits in seven innings. It was a pitching duel between Wolf and Houston's starter Jordan Lyles. The Astros had base runners in the first, second, and third but could not do anything with them, while the Brewers did not get a hit until the fifth.
Milwaukee finally got something going as soon as Hunter Pence was removed from the game due to a trade to the Phillies. Prince Fielder led off with a double to right field. Newly acquired second baseman Felipe Lopez followed with a single to give Casey McGehee runners at the corners. Lopez played with the Brewers in 2009 and has spent the majority of this season in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system. McGehee singled on a soft ground ball to third base which was enough to score Fielder. Two batters later, George Kottaras singled home Lopez.
The Astros had base runners again in the sixth but Wolf quickly shut down the threat and continued his dominance.
Takashi Saito and Kameron Loe finished the last two innings. Since the Brewers had a four-run lead, Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford were given some much needed rest. Saito and Loe each pitched a three-up, three-down inning to close out the game.
Felipe Lopez said in an interview after the game that he is excited to be back in Milwaukee because he loves the atmosphere at the ballpark and wants nothing more than to help the Brewers be a contender. He continued to say that when he walked into the clubhouse that everything felt right and this is where he was meant to be. Lopez has been off this season for his standards, but when he played in Milwaukee he was nothing short of outstanding. He went two for four and scored a run in the win.
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