The Brewers won more games than they lost this week. There are a lot of very interesting story lines developing for this team. I’m going to try to touch all of my bases (lol) with some quicker quick takes. Connect the dots between them as you see fit!
– Today’s win was big for the Brewers. It put them at 4-3 for the week, above .500 on the week for the first time all year. It capped a series split after being down 0-2. Both wins were comeback wins.
– The Brewers bullpen appears to be jelling. Blazek – Thorberg – Jeffress seems to be the model for the 7th-9th innings in any close game. Jeffress’s post game interview today seemed to suggest that the bullpen is in a good spot as a unit. They’re staying loose, feeding off each other’s success, and staying cool under pressure. It was a good week for them.
– The Brewers hit 11 home runs in their series against the Reds. While I don’t like the sole reliance on home runs, I will say this: if you want to mount a come back, you do it with bombs. That’s exactly what the Brewers did today and last night in their comeback wins.
– I’m not sure what David Stearns is going to do, but I can promise you one thing: his phone is ringing. I’ve got a nice social media feed that keeps me up to date on Brewers trade rumors, and I’ve never seen this much activity for “player specific whisperings.” Take your pick of players whose trade value has never been higher: Braun, Lucroy, Jeffress, and Carter could all be gone in the blink of an eye.
– Aaron Hill is doing his job. Hill is a veteran who was brought to Milwaukee to play fundamental baseball, and he’s doing a great job of it. The box score won’t show it, but Hill was the real hero on the final play of today’s game. Lucroy’s throw to catch Billy Hamilton stealing was good, but Hill’s tag was incredible. Did I mention he’s on a 9 game hitting streak and scored three home runs last night, including a 10th inning grand slam? I think he’s too old to generate trade interest (he just turned 34), but I’ve warmed up to him in Milwaukee.
– The Brewers have all the momentum in the world going into a three game series in Miami, but I’m not going to hold my breath as a fan… The scheduled pitchers for the three game set are Wily Peralta (7.50 ERA), Zach Davies (8.78 ERA), and Chase Anderson (6.44 ERA).
And finally, a very special Sunday Cycle shout out to my mom and all the other moms out there! Thanks for all you do, make your sons and daughters take you to a ball game!