With the exception of Saturday night’s 6-0 victory, the Brewers failed to execute on nearly all fronts this week en route to an uninspiring 1-5 home stand. They entered play today with the second worst team ERA in the National League behind lackluster efforts from the first four pitchers in the starting rotation. Opening Day starter Kyle Lohse was rocked so early and often that many in the sell out crowd never bothered to leave the parking lot to enter Miller Park.
The team hitting has been spotty at best, oddly reminiscent of the Brewers of late last year. Hits have been infrequent and rarely in the same inning. I predicted last week that this team would struggle to manufacture runs due to the bottom of the lineup. Quite surprisingly, it has been Adam Lind, Jean Segura, Khris Davis, and rookie Hector Gomez who have been producing while All Stars Jonathan Lucroy and Aramis Ramirez have struggled to get it going. If you’re looking for a “glass half full” type of outlook, look no further than this: if the young core of this team continues to produce, the veteran core will come around and the Brewers will win some ball games.
Unfortunately, I find myself falling into the “glass half empty” camp already. It’s hard to be confident in a team whose 1-4 starting pitchers are getting shelled, whose closing pitcher appears to still be incapable of holding a tie ball game, and whose defensive errors and inexcusable baserunning mistakes cast a woeful light on a manager who is not traditionally known for being a disciplinarian. Simply put, it’s not very good right now to be in the Brewers camp, and with the Cardinals home opener this week, it’s not going to get any easier.
It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but unless the Brewers come together and start winning some series, this team may fall out of contention by June.
Quick Notes:
- I’ve abandoned the “Single, double, triple…” format of last year because it was too difficult to have an article that flowed the way I wanted it to. Sorry. Not Really.
- Brewer of the Week: Jimmy Nelson. I don’t know what changed between spring training and Saturday night, but Nelson was unhittable. Should he keep this up, he will become EXTREMELY valuable if the Brewers find themselves in sell mode come July.
- I had the pleasure of taking in a Marlins game in Miami this past week, and had to say it made me appreciate the Milwaukee fans and Miller Park more than ever. The stadium, while gorgeous, felt so artificially new because it was so embarassingly empty. Milwaukee has a very loyal fan base, but it’s going to be tested should they enter a 5-year rebuilding period.
- Nachos on a stick- good, not great.
- Miller Park guest services- great, not good. RE: Opening Day Lost Wallet.