From Saturday, August 13th, 2011
Brewers 1, Pirates 0
W: Estrada (3-7) L: Correia (12-11) SV: Axford (34)
Five Brewer pitchers combined for nine shutout innings to beat the Pirates. It was easy going until the ninth, when things got a little intense. John Axford allowed a lead off triple that Nyjer Morgan misplayed in center field. It almost spelled disaster, but the Axe-Man was able to shut it down.
Marco Estrada got the spot start in replace of the injured Chris Narveson, who hurt himself cutting his glove with scissors. Manager Ron Roenicke had to be pleased with Estrada who dominated the five innings that he was in for. Marco felt he could have gone further in the game, considering he only allowed one hit and struck out five, but Roenicke made up his mind that he only wanted Estrada pitching half the game. Needless to say, it was a dominated half. No one could have done better and it was exactly what the Brewers needed.
Yuniesky Betancourt scored the only run of the game in the second inning on a solo shot to left field. Yuniesky dialed in on a 0-2 fastball and crushed it out of the park. A few months ago nobody would have ever guessed the Brewers would win a game with the only offense coming from a Betancourt home run, but now nobody is surprised. We are all witnesses to the talent and now we expect it. The best part is he expects it as well.
It has to be comforting that Roenicke knows he can turn the ball over to his bullpen in a one-run game and be confident they can give him a win.
Saito, LaTroy Hawkins, and Francisco Rodriguez all recorded a hold in this game. K-Rod was the only one of the three to allow a batter to reach base, but he made up for it with two strikeouts. Saito and Hawkins both struck out a batter as well.
The only trouble came in the ninth inning when Axford gave up a triple to Xavier Paul. To be perfectly honest, Morgan should have been able to make the play if he had not overran the ball. Instead of turning around over his left should to make the grab, he continued to look over his right shoulder which gave him no chance.
With zero outs and the Pirates hottest batter at the plate in Andrew McCutchen, Axford really had to concentrate. McCutchen swung at the first pitch and grounded it right to Betancourt, who looked back Paul before making the play at first. On the very next pitch, Matt Diaz grounded out to Jerry Hairston who kept the runner at third before recording the out at first. At this point the Miller Park crowd became eccentric. Axford made things a little more nerve-racking by walking Garrett Jones, but made up for it when he struck out Neil Walker to end the game. The fans went into a frenzy as the Axe-Man garnered his 31st consecutive save.
Showing posts with label Ron Roenicke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ron Roenicke. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Brew defeat Cards, win sixth straight
From Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Brewers 5, Cardinals 1
W: Wolf (9-8) L: Westbrook (9-6)
Randy Wolf dominated the Cardinals and pitched eight innings to give the Brewers their fifth straight road victory.
Once again Milwaukee got on the board first and continued to win when doing so. Corey Hart led off the game with a walk as Nyjer Morgan and Ryan Braun followed with back-to-back singles. Prince Fielder hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Hart. Casey McGehee walked and the Brewers seemed to be heading for a big inning when Yuniesky Betancourt unfortunately grounded into a double play to end the threat.
The Cardinals came right back with a run of their own when Albert Pujols scored Rafeal Furcal with a sacrifice fly of his very own. It was the only run Wolf surrendered the entire game. Randy only allowed five men to reach base in what was by far his best performance of the season. Although he only had one strikeout, there was great movement on the ball and he was constantly mixing his pitches to fool the St. Louis batters. Wolf's ERA is now lowered to 3.48 and he has been a solid number three for the Brewers impressive starting rotation this year.
Milwaukee took the lead again in the third when Braun scored from second off of Fielder's double. McGehee grounded out and Betancourt made up for his double play in the first when he singled home Prince.
The game did not conclude without some controversy. After Jerry Hairston's base hit, Josh Wilson hit a sacrifice bunt to move him over. Pitcher Marc Rzepczynski threw the ball off target and Pujols had to take his foot off the bag in order to catch the ball. Wilson seemed to get there at the same time Pujols attempted to step on first. The umpire called Wilson safe and Tony La Russa came flying out of the dugout to argue the call. La Russa was quickly ejected and the Brewers made him pay as Corey Hart added some insurance with a single that scored both Hairston and Wilson.
Although Wolf probably could have finished with a complete game, manager Ron Roenicke was not willing to take any chances as he sent in Francisco Rodriguez to pitch the ninth. K-Rod got the first two batters out, but ran into trouble when he allowed back-to-back singles. Rodriguez got Yadier Molina to ground out for the win.
The Brewers send Yovani Gallardo to the mound in the finale in an attempt to get their second straight road sweep.
Brewers 5, Cardinals 1
W: Wolf (9-8) L: Westbrook (9-6)
Randy Wolf dominated the Cardinals and pitched eight innings to give the Brewers their fifth straight road victory.
Once again Milwaukee got on the board first and continued to win when doing so. Corey Hart led off the game with a walk as Nyjer Morgan and Ryan Braun followed with back-to-back singles. Prince Fielder hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Hart. Casey McGehee walked and the Brewers seemed to be heading for a big inning when Yuniesky Betancourt unfortunately grounded into a double play to end the threat.
The Cardinals came right back with a run of their own when Albert Pujols scored Rafeal Furcal with a sacrifice fly of his very own. It was the only run Wolf surrendered the entire game. Randy only allowed five men to reach base in what was by far his best performance of the season. Although he only had one strikeout, there was great movement on the ball and he was constantly mixing his pitches to fool the St. Louis batters. Wolf's ERA is now lowered to 3.48 and he has been a solid number three for the Brewers impressive starting rotation this year.
Milwaukee took the lead again in the third when Braun scored from second off of Fielder's double. McGehee grounded out and Betancourt made up for his double play in the first when he singled home Prince.
The game did not conclude without some controversy. After Jerry Hairston's base hit, Josh Wilson hit a sacrifice bunt to move him over. Pitcher Marc Rzepczynski threw the ball off target and Pujols had to take his foot off the bag in order to catch the ball. Wilson seemed to get there at the same time Pujols attempted to step on first. The umpire called Wilson safe and Tony La Russa came flying out of the dugout to argue the call. La Russa was quickly ejected and the Brewers made him pay as Corey Hart added some insurance with a single that scored both Hairston and Wilson.
Although Wolf probably could have finished with a complete game, manager Ron Roenicke was not willing to take any chances as he sent in Francisco Rodriguez to pitch the ninth. K-Rod got the first two batters out, but ran into trouble when he allowed back-to-back singles. Rodriguez got Yadier Molina to ground out for the win.
The Brewers send Yovani Gallardo to the mound in the finale in an attempt to get their second straight road sweep.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Brewers defeat D-backs in extras
Brewers 5, Diamondbacks 2
W: Saito (2-1) L: Cook (0-1) SV: Axford (26)
The Brewers and Diamondbacks went back and forth throughout the night with both teams having an opportunity to win the game at the end.
Ryan Braun continued his hitting ways as he gave Milwaukee an early lead with a solo shot in the first inning. He just keeps proving how valuable of a player he is to this ball club. It is amazing how he missed the games that he did and is still able to come right back swinging as if no time had passed.
Chris Narveson was outstanding as he pitched his best game of the season. He did not allow a run and only gave up four hits in seven complete innings. Running on all cylinders he was able to throw any pitch in any count.
"Narveson's idol growing up was Tom Glavin," said Brewers commentator Bill Schroeder during the game. "He sure is pitching like him tonight."
It was incredible the way he threw the baseball. Curveballs would start way off the plate and break hard down into the strike zone. The Arizona players looked completely helpless and I am sure they had no idea Narveson was capable of this. If he can pitch remotely as well as he did tonight, the Brewers will be a very difficult team to beat in the five spot.
Manager Ron Roenicke removed Narveson from the game in the eighth inning for Francisco Rodriguez, even though he had only thrown 86 pitches and a complete game was in his sights. Roenicke must have regretted the decision after Rodriguez gave up two earned runs as the Diamondbacks tied the game. One of Roenicke's comments when the Brewers acquired K-Rod was to strap in because he will walk a tight line. Rodriguez proved that by constantly falling behind in the count and allowing the Diamondbacks to get back into the game.
Arizona had a very good chance to make their comeback complete by walking off in the ninth. Takashi Saito came in to pitch for Milwaukee and Justin Upton led off with a ground-rule double. With Chris Young at the plate, Saito threw a wild pitch that allowed Upton to advance to third. Roenicke was forced to bring in a fifth infielder as he has done a few times this season, with zero outs this was a very bold move. Saito was impressive as he got the next two batters to ground out. He intentionally walked Kelly Johnson and then got Sean Burroughs to fly out to end the threat. The Arizona fans were stunned and the momentum had shifted in Milwaukee's favor.
The Brewers did not take long to regain the lead. Mark Kotsay singled and Corey Hart walked to start the inning. After a balk that moved the runners to second and third, Nyjer Morgan delivered the play of the game with a single to right that scored Kotsay easily. Braun then got a single of his own to score Hart. After a pitcher change, Prince Fielder grounded into a double-play. Another pitcher change led to a Rickie Weeks single to score Morgan that gave the Brewers a comfortable three-run lead for closer John Axford.
Axford walked the first batter he faced to give the Diamondback fans hope. He crushed any chance of that as he got a double play and then struck out Willie Bloomquist for a much needed Brewer victory. The win puts Milwaukee in first place by themselves again as they are a half game ahead of Pittsburgh. The Brewers need to continue winning on the road to have a chance of wrapping up the division at the end of the season.
An important note: Carlos Gomez is out indefinitely with a fractured clavicle he suffered during a marvelous diving catch that saved the game for the Brewers. It is a crushing blow to the team as he is an extraordinary defensive player and a key piece to the puzzle.
W: Saito (2-1) L: Cook (0-1) SV: Axford (26)
The Brewers and Diamondbacks went back and forth throughout the night with both teams having an opportunity to win the game at the end.
Ryan Braun continued his hitting ways as he gave Milwaukee an early lead with a solo shot in the first inning. He just keeps proving how valuable of a player he is to this ball club. It is amazing how he missed the games that he did and is still able to come right back swinging as if no time had passed.
Chris Narveson was outstanding as he pitched his best game of the season. He did not allow a run and only gave up four hits in seven complete innings. Running on all cylinders he was able to throw any pitch in any count.
"Narveson's idol growing up was Tom Glavin," said Brewers commentator Bill Schroeder during the game. "He sure is pitching like him tonight."
It was incredible the way he threw the baseball. Curveballs would start way off the plate and break hard down into the strike zone. The Arizona players looked completely helpless and I am sure they had no idea Narveson was capable of this. If he can pitch remotely as well as he did tonight, the Brewers will be a very difficult team to beat in the five spot.
Manager Ron Roenicke removed Narveson from the game in the eighth inning for Francisco Rodriguez, even though he had only thrown 86 pitches and a complete game was in his sights. Roenicke must have regretted the decision after Rodriguez gave up two earned runs as the Diamondbacks tied the game. One of Roenicke's comments when the Brewers acquired K-Rod was to strap in because he will walk a tight line. Rodriguez proved that by constantly falling behind in the count and allowing the Diamondbacks to get back into the game.
Arizona had a very good chance to make their comeback complete by walking off in the ninth. Takashi Saito came in to pitch for Milwaukee and Justin Upton led off with a ground-rule double. With Chris Young at the plate, Saito threw a wild pitch that allowed Upton to advance to third. Roenicke was forced to bring in a fifth infielder as he has done a few times this season, with zero outs this was a very bold move. Saito was impressive as he got the next two batters to ground out. He intentionally walked Kelly Johnson and then got Sean Burroughs to fly out to end the threat. The Arizona fans were stunned and the momentum had shifted in Milwaukee's favor.
The Brewers did not take long to regain the lead. Mark Kotsay singled and Corey Hart walked to start the inning. After a balk that moved the runners to second and third, Nyjer Morgan delivered the play of the game with a single to right that scored Kotsay easily. Braun then got a single of his own to score Hart. After a pitcher change, Prince Fielder grounded into a double-play. Another pitcher change led to a Rickie Weeks single to score Morgan that gave the Brewers a comfortable three-run lead for closer John Axford.
Axford walked the first batter he faced to give the Diamondback fans hope. He crushed any chance of that as he got a double play and then struck out Willie Bloomquist for a much needed Brewer victory. The win puts Milwaukee in first place by themselves again as they are a half game ahead of Pittsburgh. The Brewers need to continue winning on the road to have a chance of wrapping up the division at the end of the season.
An important note: Carlos Gomez is out indefinitely with a fractured clavicle he suffered during a marvelous diving catch that saved the game for the Brewers. It is a crushing blow to the team as he is an extraordinary defensive player and a key piece to the puzzle.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Zack Attack
Brewers 5, Rays 1
W: Grienke (7-2) L: Hellickson (7-6)
Zack Grienke knew the Brewers needed a win badly and so did his manager. Ron Roenicke apparently talked to Zack and told him that the team needed a big game out of him, Grienke was clearly up to the challenge.
Grienke struck out ten batters over seven innings in which he gave up only one earned run. The ten strike outs makes it the 12th time in his career in which he had double digits K's. Zack made the Rays look foolish all night with none of them ever coming close. His ability to pitch like that will take the Brewers a long way this season.
"Three plus pitches...you never know what to expect," said Johnny Damon before the game. "As a hitter you are pretty much playing a guessing game with him."
Damon went 0 for 4 with two strike outs, but it was his defense that really hurt the Rays. The Brewers had bases loaded in the first inning thanks to three walks. Casey McGehee hit a pop up to shallow left field. Weeks tagged up and got home with ease as Damon never even attempted a throw. His defense would only get worse.
Yuniesky Betancourt hit his fourth home run of the season, first since May 20, to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead in the second inning. This would remain the score until the seventh when Grienke would finally give up a run to B.J. Upton. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Ryan Braun hit a two-run single to give the Brewers some breathing room.
The next at-bat Johnny Damon's defense would hurt the Rays again, when Prince Fielder singled to left field. Josh Wilson got waved in before he even came close to third base, as Damon scooped the ball and threw a floater that barely got to home plate. Wilson leaped over the catcher and home plate as the ball bounced past him. The pitcher who was backing up home threw the ball to the catcher as Wilson crawled to touch the plate before the tag was applied. A thrilling play that never should have happened if it wasn't for Damon's poor throw.
The Brewers got a much needed overall team win. As for Shaun Marcum pitching Wednesday afternoon, the chances are looking good.
"They didn't trade for me to sit here and watch games," explained Marcum to reporters before the game. "When it's my day to get the ball, I want to go out there and pitch."
W: Grienke (7-2) L: Hellickson (7-6)
Zack Grienke knew the Brewers needed a win badly and so did his manager. Ron Roenicke apparently talked to Zack and told him that the team needed a big game out of him, Grienke was clearly up to the challenge.
Grienke struck out ten batters over seven innings in which he gave up only one earned run. The ten strike outs makes it the 12th time in his career in which he had double digits K's. Zack made the Rays look foolish all night with none of them ever coming close. His ability to pitch like that will take the Brewers a long way this season.
"Three plus pitches...you never know what to expect," said Johnny Damon before the game. "As a hitter you are pretty much playing a guessing game with him."
Damon went 0 for 4 with two strike outs, but it was his defense that really hurt the Rays. The Brewers had bases loaded in the first inning thanks to three walks. Casey McGehee hit a pop up to shallow left field. Weeks tagged up and got home with ease as Damon never even attempted a throw. His defense would only get worse.
Yuniesky Betancourt hit his fourth home run of the season, first since May 20, to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead in the second inning. This would remain the score until the seventh when Grienke would finally give up a run to B.J. Upton. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Ryan Braun hit a two-run single to give the Brewers some breathing room.
The next at-bat Johnny Damon's defense would hurt the Rays again, when Prince Fielder singled to left field. Josh Wilson got waved in before he even came close to third base, as Damon scooped the ball and threw a floater that barely got to home plate. Wilson leaped over the catcher and home plate as the ball bounced past him. The pitcher who was backing up home threw the ball to the catcher as Wilson crawled to touch the plate before the tag was applied. A thrilling play that never should have happened if it wasn't for Damon's poor throw.
The Brewers got a much needed overall team win. As for Shaun Marcum pitching Wednesday afternoon, the chances are looking good.
"They didn't trade for me to sit here and watch games," explained Marcum to reporters before the game. "When it's my day to get the ball, I want to go out there and pitch."
Monday, June 20, 2011
Roenicke, Sveum ejected, Brewers nightmares continue
Rays 8, Brewers 4
W: Niemann (2-4) L: Narveson (4-5)
Umpire Bob Davidson can not come to Milwaukee without ejecting someone. Last year he tossed a Milwaukee fan sitting in the front row and tonight he tossed two of the coaches.
Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke got his first ejection as a Brewer. Unfortunately, that did not inspire the Brewers to play any better.
Nyjer Morgan was hit on the left arm by a fastball from Tampa Bay Ray's starting pitcher Jeff Niemann. As he headed for first base, Bob Davidson called him back claiming that Morgan stepped into the pitch. As Nyjer stepped into the home plate umpire's face, Roenicke squeezed in between them defending his batter. Replays showed Morgan attempting to turn away from the ball with no apparent intentions of ever stepping into it. It was obvious that Davidson made the wrong call. Fox Sports Wisconsin commentators Brian Anderson and Bill Schroeder went ballistic and could not believe what they had just witnessed.
"Talk about looking for something that isn't there," said Anderson. "That is just a blatant bad call," chimed in Schroeder.
Roenicke kept his cool for the most part and play continued. With a full count, Morgan swung at ball four as the boo birds came down hard on Davidson. To his credit Nyjer walked back to the dugout clearly holding all of the frustration inside him, the same could not be said about his hitting coach. Dale Sveum screamed and pointed at Davidson from the top of the dugout, which did not last long as he was ejected in seconds. Ron Roenicke came flying out of the bench area and got up in Davidson's face. He said his part and was ejected within minutes.
The fans came to his defense with loud cheers in hopes that the game was going to be turned around. Considering the Rays had a 1-0 lead, it was not farfetched to think the momentum was in favor of the Brewers.
One out with the bases loaded, Kotsay and Betancourt both failed to bring home a run. The Rays got out of the jam and all hope seemed to be lost. The game went down hill fast as Narveson struggled in the seventh inning giving up two more earned runs.
Brewers reliever Mark DiFelice gave up a three-run homer in the eighth, making him the second pitcher to be called up from AAA Nashville in the last week to have an unsettling ERA. He has a 9.00 ERA in 1.0 innings pitched. Casey McGehee and Prince Fielder both had errors. Jonathan Lucroy sent a solo shot to deep center field for his first home-run in June.
"The biggest thing that bothers me is the inconsistency of this ball club," said Roenicke before the game. "Our pitchers and our offense are both so inconsistent. I know that the home runs come and go which will give you a little inconsistency on offense, but the overall inconsistency is our problem."
That makes two of us Mr. Manager.
W: Niemann (2-4) L: Narveson (4-5)
Umpire Bob Davidson can not come to Milwaukee without ejecting someone. Last year he tossed a Milwaukee fan sitting in the front row and tonight he tossed two of the coaches.
Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke got his first ejection as a Brewer. Unfortunately, that did not inspire the Brewers to play any better.
Nyjer Morgan was hit on the left arm by a fastball from Tampa Bay Ray's starting pitcher Jeff Niemann. As he headed for first base, Bob Davidson called him back claiming that Morgan stepped into the pitch. As Nyjer stepped into the home plate umpire's face, Roenicke squeezed in between them defending his batter. Replays showed Morgan attempting to turn away from the ball with no apparent intentions of ever stepping into it. It was obvious that Davidson made the wrong call. Fox Sports Wisconsin commentators Brian Anderson and Bill Schroeder went ballistic and could not believe what they had just witnessed.
"Talk about looking for something that isn't there," said Anderson. "That is just a blatant bad call," chimed in Schroeder.
Roenicke kept his cool for the most part and play continued. With a full count, Morgan swung at ball four as the boo birds came down hard on Davidson. To his credit Nyjer walked back to the dugout clearly holding all of the frustration inside him, the same could not be said about his hitting coach. Dale Sveum screamed and pointed at Davidson from the top of the dugout, which did not last long as he was ejected in seconds. Ron Roenicke came flying out of the bench area and got up in Davidson's face. He said his part and was ejected within minutes.
The fans came to his defense with loud cheers in hopes that the game was going to be turned around. Considering the Rays had a 1-0 lead, it was not farfetched to think the momentum was in favor of the Brewers.
One out with the bases loaded, Kotsay and Betancourt both failed to bring home a run. The Rays got out of the jam and all hope seemed to be lost. The game went down hill fast as Narveson struggled in the seventh inning giving up two more earned runs.
Brewers reliever Mark DiFelice gave up a three-run homer in the eighth, making him the second pitcher to be called up from AAA Nashville in the last week to have an unsettling ERA. He has a 9.00 ERA in 1.0 innings pitched. Casey McGehee and Prince Fielder both had errors. Jonathan Lucroy sent a solo shot to deep center field for his first home-run in June.
"The biggest thing that bothers me is the inconsistency of this ball club," said Roenicke before the game. "Our pitchers and our offense are both so inconsistent. I know that the home runs come and go which will give you a little inconsistency on offense, but the overall inconsistency is our problem."
That makes two of us Mr. Manager.
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