Milwaukee Brewin'

Brewers Must Beat the Cardinals

2014-08-01T20:49:00.000-05:00

The Brewers sit in first place with a two game lead over the Cardinals as they open this weekend's series in St Louis. They're 4-5 against them this year, actually a pretty good record considering their overall abysmal results against them since they lost the NLCS to St Louis in 2011 (2012: 6-9, 2013: 5-14). The Pirates sit just another half game behind the Cardinals, but if recent history holds true, Milwaukee's true danger lies south.

If the Brewers want to win the NL Central and make the playoffs while avoiding the Wild Card play-in (crap-shoot) game, they need to improve their results against their most bitter of rivals. The Cardinals made a couple of trades, including the bold move that brought them John Lackey, to strengthen their team before the trade deadline. One has to assume they'll play quality baseball to close the season; their track-record suggests they will. To make it to October the Brewers not only need to be better than they have been over the previous couple of months, they'll need to beat the Cardinals-- preferably often and repeatedly.

Carlos Gomez, Don't You Ever Change

2014-03-31T14:04:00.001-05:00

Today's Brewers game against the Braves began with such promise. Carlos Gomez, coming off an MVP-caliber season, swung at the first pitch to open the bottom of the first and laced a ball down the third base line for a hit. He promptly took second on a misplay by Braves' left-fielder Justin Upton. The crowd approved but was suddenly silenced when Gomez inexplicably tried to beat a throw from left field to third base and was thrown out. That's right folks, for a team criticized the last couple of years for a preponderance of TOOTBLANs (baseball nerdery for "Thrown Out On The Bases Like A Nincompoop" -- it's a real thing -- I did not make this up), the first offensive play of the season could not have been more apt.

The excitable style of play that Gomez brings to the field is a big part of his appeal as a player. There are few players in the majors who play with such youthful abandon and seem to enjoy their job as much as he. In this case his opening day excitement got the best of him. Sure, he'll commit more TOOTBLANs than we'd like, but I'll forgive him for it because he's so much fun to watch. Don't you ever change, Carlos Gomez.

Now That May is Over...

2013-06-06T11:35:00.001-05:00

This is not a post about the Brewers' recent roster moves, or even the latest garbage journalism to come out of ESPN related to the Biogenesis controversy. Rather, this is an account of where the Brewers stand as of the beginning of June, 2013, a time by which teams tend to have more-or-less settled into their roles within their divisions. Needless to say, the Brewers' role in 2013 is not good.

As of this writing the Brewers sit in last place in the NL Central, boasting a record of 22-35 with a winning percentage only better than the hapless Miami Marlins and Houston Astros (barely) across all of MLB. They're 15.5 games back of the division-leading Cardinals, and even a game and a half behind the Cubs (the CUBS!). Doug Melvin has publicly stated his team will not be trade deadline buyers, and likely will be sellers.

The offense has suffered some key injuries but the hitters have mostly met expectations (Rickie Weeks excepted). Jean Segura and Carlos Gomez, in particular, have played like MVP candidates. Indeed, their performances have been some of the only bright spots of this young season. Despite missing a month to injury, Aramis Ramirez has avoided his typical early-season slump. Ryan Braun has been Ryan Braun, though his power numbers have been somewhat lower than usual due to a nagging thumb injury that he's been playing through in typical Ryan Braun fashion.

The bullpen is much better than last year and was actually quite good throughout the month of May. Even John Axford, who again has had some struggles this year, has overall been fairly good. As of today he's pitched 12 consecutive scoreless outings, though his bad outings have skewed his numbers. Before landing on the DL Jim Henderson was perfect in save opportunities after taking over for Axford. The rest of the bullpen is about as good as we hoped they'd be at the start of the season.

The starters are another story. Yovani Gallardo's velocity has been down and generally he just hasn't pitched well. He's been no where near the "ace" the Brewers need him to be. Kyle Lohse, lack of run support notwithstanding, has so far not lived up to his billing. Wily Peralta has shown flashes of quality pitching but has been too inconsistent and pitch control has been evasive. He will improve but so far it's been a bit rough. Marco Estrada has been more like the Marco Estrada of 2010-11 than the Marco Estrada of 2012. Mike Fiers has simply been a disaster.

The starters have put the team behind too often and have failed to pitch deep into games, or even past the sixth inning, far too frequently. They're taxing the bullpen and if this continues those bullpen arms will go downhill fast come August and September. By September, though, the Brewers might be able to eat innings with a bunch of call-ups since they'll likely be nowhere near any kind of postseason run.

I'm ever the optimist, and I always think the Crew has a chance until they're mathematically eliminated, but this season has been rough. The month of May, in fact, was historically bad, with the Brewers tying the franchise's worst record of 6-22, set back in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots. I still enjoy watching them play, but I really hope they start winning some more games and make watching them more enjoyable. At this point even a .500 finish to the season seems tough and, with three very good teams in their division, a postseason birth nearly impossible. At this point my hope is they play competitive ball for the remainder of the season, have a respectable finish, and climb their way back above .500. Is that really so much to ask? If they perform closer to how they played in April than they did in May the answer is no.

5 Things to Hope For in a Brewers New Year, Part 5

2013-02-14T16:27:00.002-06:00

The thrilling conclusion to my five part series. This one took me longer to get to than I expected. The "new year" theme is a little tired considering it's mid-February, but I figured it's better late than never.

5. Another exciting year in the outfield

Not much needs to be said about Ryan Braun (I wrote this post before his name was listed in the Yahoo! Sports article about Biogenesis. Even so, his explanation seems plausible, even to an attorney, so I see no need to discuss speculation). He responded to last season's... "difficulties" in about the best way possible, putting up another MVP-caliber season. If he remains healthy he'll probably do it again because he's simply one of the best baseball players on the planet right now. 'Nuff said.

In addition to Braun and Angels' phenom Mike Trout, only one other player in the Majors stole at least 30 bases and hit at least 10 home runs. Yep, you guessed it: Frank Stallone... I mean, Norichika Aoki. He played his way into the lineup and never relinquished his spot. During his first Major League season he transitioned from Japan nicely putting up a respectable .288/.355/.433 line. He is a solid right fielder, an excellent "table-setter," his first Major League home run was an inside-the-park'er, and in my opinion he was simply a joy to watch. With his first Major League season under his belt I think it's fair to expect improvement.

Speaking of joys to watch: Carlos Gomez.

Over the past two seasons something happened that I never expected to happen. I've become a Carlos Gomez fan. He's one of, if not THE best defensive center fielders in the Majors. After three lackluster years at the plate he improved his hitting enough last season that, along with Nori Aoki, he made Nyjer Morgan expendable and became the everyday center fielder (he put up similar numbers back in 2008 with the Twins at age 22). He still needs to walk more, but at age 27 it's not inconceivable that he's still improving at the plate. If he can repeat his 2012 production at the plate he will again be the everyday center fielder and will be an important part of the Brewers success.

5 Things to Hope For in a Brewers New Year, Part 4

2013-01-09T20:47:00.000-06:00

The fourth of five parts.

4. A strong full season from Jean Segura

Doug Melvin made a tough decision in July last year when he traded Zack Greinke to the Angels. In doing so, however, he arguably got a better package of prospects in exchange for a half season of Greinke than he gave up back in 2010 for two full seasons of Greinke. Jean Segura served as the most important part of the deal and he stepped in as the Brewers shortstop for most of the remainder of the season.

Segura hit decently well as a rookie after a slow start (.264/.321/.331) and to my eyes played well enough at shortstop to secure the spot to begin the 2013 season. I expect him to see more days off than any of the other regulars, especially considering his age and the fact that he played winter ball this year in the Dominican Republic. (He won that league's batting title.)

He's young (22) and he'll be under contract through 2019, giving the Brewers plenty of time to let him develop, though that development projects to be at the Major League level a la the Rickie Weeks/Carlos Gomez model. Without expecting too much of him my hope is that he picks up where he left off last season (and during winter ball) without fading during the second half due to his heavy 2012 workload.

5 Things to Hope For in a Brewers New Year, Part 3

2013-01-07T20:12:00.003-06:00

Part three of five.

3. An improved bullpen

There's really not much to say about last year's bullpen. It was simply horrendous from front to back. We're talking historically bad (or at least it felt that way). The main (only?) accomplishment of this year's offseason has been the dismantling and rebuilding of the bullpen.

John Axford and Jim Henderson serve as the only regulars returning from last year's 'pen. Henderson's call-up and success remain one of the lone bright spots from 2012 and Axford, despite his struggles, still managed 35 saves and a career-best 12.1 K/9 ratio (his 93 K for the season was also a career high). They'll be joined by free agents Burke Badenhop (Rays), Tom Gorzelanny (Nationals), and Mike Gonzalez (Nationals), as well as some of the younger arms who don't make the starting rotation.

Even if this year's bullpen doesn't end up being very good I just don't see how it's possible for it to be as bad as it was last year. If the bullpen can manage to rebound from last season and perform somewhere near the league average it will be a vast improvement from 2012 and by contrast will feel the Brewers have the best 'pen in the Majors.

5 Things to Hope For in a Brewers New Year, Part 2

2013-01-04T08:50:00.001-06:00

Part two of five in a series for the new year.

2. A serviceable starting rotation

The only pitcher I'm absolutely certain will pitch in the starting rotation this year is Yovani Gallardo. It's also incredibly likely it will feature Chris Narveson (returning from shoulder surgery) and Marco Estrada. Mike Fiers will probably also make the cut. Beyond that, I'm not really sure. Mark Rogers? Wily Peralta? Tyler Thornburg? We'll probably have to wait until Spring Training is nearly over to know for sure.

Gallardo, Narveson, and Estrada are known entities, while the others become increasingly less so as we move down the list. The good news is that with the aforementioned high-powered offense the Brewers shouldn't need a league-leading pitching staff, they merely need a serviceable pitching staff. They need the starters to make it through five to six innings in most of their starts so too heavy a workload doesn't fall on the bullpen. As usual we can occasionally expect Gallardo to pitch deep into games. If the starters can do this the Brewers should be fine, especially if one (or more) of Fiers, Rogers, Peralta, or Thornburg exceeds expectations.

5 Things to Hope For in a Brewers New Year, Part 1

2013-01-03T12:06:00.001-06:00

With the new year upon us I've come up with a list of five things, in no particular order, to hope for from the Brewers in 2013. I will serially publish each post over the next week or so.

1. Continuation of last year's offense

The 2012 Brewers led the league in R (776), HR (202), SB (158), and SLG (.437), were second in OPS (.762), and fifth in both AVG (.259) and OBP (.325). This helped them win 83 games in spite of a bullpen that ranked at or near the bottom of the Majors in losses, blown saves, and ERA. With the entire starting lineup returning this season there's no reason to think they won't again put up offensive numbers near the top of the league, especially if Rickie Weeks hits as we've come to expect him to over the course of the entire season.

Here's how I project this year's lineup:

Rickie Weeks

Norichika Aoki

Ryan Braun

Aramis Ramirez

Corey Hart

Jonathan Lucroy

Carlos Gomez

Jean Segura

Pitcher

Not too shabby, eh?

Brewers Face Pivotal July

2012-07-05T18:03:00.000-05:00

Thus far the 2012 Brewers have underperformed and, aside from stellar performances by Ryan Braun, Norichika Aoki and Zack Greinke, underwhelmed, to say the least. Although at times blame has been placed on the hitters and starting pitchers, the main problem has been the bullpen. Blown leads, blown saves, and altogether shoddy work have been the orders of the day far too frequently, and each reliever has an ERA of at least 4.06. Much of the finger-pointing finds its way toward John Axford, though in my opinion he's still the best available option in the bullpen and should remain the closer for the time being.

Despite the fact that it feels like every other day another game is lost by the bullpen, the Brewers have mostly tread water right around five games below .500. Sporting a losing record for each of the first three months of the season, they sit seven games back of the first place Pittsburgh Pirates(!), six behind the Reds, and 5.5 behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. Many now figure the Brewers to be sellers at the trade deadline and rumors have started to swirl, particularly regarding Zack Greinke.

The season is merely half over. A strong second half could more than make up for limping out of the starting gate. Afterall, last year's world series champion began the month of September around seven games back of the wild card spot. The Brew Crew hasn't really gone through any period where they've been hot or cold. Their longest losing and winning streaks are just four games each.

If the Brewers are going to turn it around the month of July would be a great place to start. After the all-star break the Brewers host the Pirates and the Cardinals before heading to Cincinnati. These series represent an important opportunity to regain ground and Doug Melvin indicated he would wait until after them to decide whether he'll look to buy or sell as the trade deadline nears, assigning them even more importance.

Without a strong showing in July any postseason hopes will become much more difficult to actualize. Not only might Doug not add missing pieces, but the final two months could be played by a Brewers team missing Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and Francisco Rodriguez. The comeback needs to start now.

My Take on Ryan Braun

2012-04-04T20:00:00.000-05:00

I felt it important to publish my thoughts on this issue before the regular season begins, even if I'm late to the party. Warning: this is my longest and most thoughtful post yet.

Personally I don't think Ryan Braun is a cheater. He's simply been too consistent over the course of his career, is too smart, and has passed too many drug tests for me to think he increased his performance through performance enhancing drugs last year, or even sought to do so. I do think, though, that he violated MLB's anti-drug policy through abnormal levels of synthetic testosterone.

Braun won his appeal by attacking the process -- his best, and possibly only hope of winning against the strictest (overly strict?) anti-drug policy in professional sports, a policy that doesn't care how a substance gets into a player's sample. If it's there he's guilty, no matter what.

Braun was able to convince Shyam Das, baseball's independent arbitrator who casts the deciding vote in these appeals and had never once sided with an MLB player, that the mishandling of Braun's urine sample invalidated the sample itself and therefore the lab results. Braun did not win on a technicality. A flawed or compromised sample which enters the lab cannot lead to a valid conclusion. Apparently Braun was able to recreate the result of his test through a similar mishandling of a clean urine sample. For more on this check out this twelve minute interview with the Injury Expert, Will Carroll. I'm no expert on these issues so I defer to Carroll. It's an excellent listen and should clear up any confusion that remains about the lab result and appeal.

So why did Braun have high levels of synthetic testosterone in his system last October? The experts decided that he's innocent, but the answer is we just don't know. Frankly the public does not have enough information to draw any conclusions from this case. We can't assume that he mistakenly ingested something, that someone tampered with his sample, or that he purposely took something to gain a competitive edge. This leaves us in a gray and confusing area. Very few people know the facts here, and anyone else who claims to "know" that he's a cheater or not a cheater is wrong. Of course we are welcome to our opinions.

Braun has alluded to the "real" story regarding his positive test, but at this point declines to discuss it in any detail. He told his family, close friends, and teammates this story. His explanation seems to be good enough for them, as several have publicly come to his defense, including players from other teams and Jonathan Lucroy, the Brewers' young catcher.

I've commended Lucroy on this site and still believe he's an outstanding individual, on and off the field. When asked about the "real" story he said, "I'm not going to get into the details, but if you knew what we [know], people would be like, 'Wow'." He continued: "If some of the things came out, it would be a lot more negative than positive. There are reasons [the 'real' story will remain private]."

Honestly, who knows what he means by this? It seems, though, that he's accepted the reasons for the failed test and does not think Braun cheated. In today's baseball culture I highly doubt he would put himself on the line to defend a teammate he thought had cheated the system. Of course I could be wrong, but that's just what I think.

In the end I understand why people think Braun cheated. I'm just not one of those people. If he fails future drug tests I might change my mind, but I am willing to accept that it's possible that a player could fail one of MLB's drug tests, by false positive or for whatever reason, without having tried to gain a competitive edge with PEDs.

Braun won his appeal and does not deserve to be labeled a cheater. The system is designed to place the onus of innocence on the player, who is deemed guilty until proven otherwise. There's a reason he's the first Major Leaguer to do so -- it's extremely hard and the player must thoroughly convince the arbitrator of his innocence; in this case Braun succeeded. Unfortunately he will still and possibly always be a cheater in many peoples' eyes, and it's especially unfortunate considering the public wouldn't even know about the failed test if the case hadn't been leaked.

Ryan Braun is still my favorite baseball player, as far as I'm concerned is still my favorite clean baseball player, and I will wear his jersey this season just as proudly as I ever have.

What Can We Expect of Zack Greinke in 2012?

2012-02-22T23:41:00.001-06:00

More than we got in 2011? After joining the team in May last year Greinke put together a pretty solid year for the Brewers. All told he finished with a 16-6 record, 3.83 ERA, 1.2 WHIP, 201 strikeouts and a league-leading 10.5 K/9 while pitching only 171.1 innings over his shortened season. He gave up long balls at a higher rate and underperformed in the postseason but for the most part was the co-ace the Brewers hoped for when they sent a slew of prospects to the Royals in December of 2010.

Greinke will probably never match his 2009 season, one of the best by any pitcher in recent memory. Expecting him to do so is simply unrealistic. But his high strikeout rate suggests he still possesses the same exceptional pure stuff that could lead to another great season.

He should feel more comfortable in his second season with the Crew. He should feel less pressure to perform since he's no longer the new guy and barring injury should be able to pitch the entire season. He's talked publicly about the trust that developed last season between he and Ron Roenicke, as well as his faith in Jonathan Lucroy as his catcher. Additionally, an improved infield defense behind him can only help matters. Aramis Ramirez, Mat Gamel, and especially Alex Gonzalez all represent clear defensive upgrades over their predecessors. All in all I think we'll get an even better season out of Greinke in 2012 than we did in 2011.

A Princely Sum

2012-01-26T09:53:00.001-06:00

Last year I previewed what I expected to be Prince Fielder's final season in Milwaukee. In that post I said most of what I could possibly say about his career with the Brewers. Basically, he's a very good player, and we've been privileged to have him on our team for as long as he has.

Despite the fact that we knew it would never, could never happen, many Brewers fans held out hope that he might somehow end up back with the Crew this season. A slow-to-develop market for the slugger this offseason didn't help, but any such hopes were finally dashed Tuesday when he signed a $214 million nine-year deal with the Detroit Tigers -- a Princely sum, to say the least. We now must come to terms with the fact that Prince Fielder, a pillar of the Brewers' resurgence over the last five years, will never again wear a Milwaukee uniform.

I want this much money

Let me first say -- it could be worse. A lot worse. He could have signed with the Yankees, Red Sox, or any other large market, big spending team. He could have signed with the Cubs or even the Cardinals after Albert Pujols landed with the Angels. Let me also say -- good for him! Our very own Prince Fielder went and signed the fourth largest contract in MLB history, behind only A-Rod (twice) and Pujols. I somehow knew he would get the deal he was looking for, and just yesterday morning said to a colleague that we shouldn't rule out a mystery team jumping in on him.

Yes, I'm sad to see him go. We knew this day was coming but it's still sad that it's finally here. But we've been spoiled as Brewer fans. We've enjoyed watching MLB's most dynamic and productive hitting duo for the last several years. Prince will probably retain that title now that he's joining Miguel Cabrera in Detroit.

I'll always enjoy watching Prince Fielder and I'll probably keep cheering for him now that he's a Tiger. He's the type of hitter that you think just might hit a home run every time he comes to the plate. His plate discipline has improved steadily over the past few years and he should now be considered one of the best sluggers of his time. Plus, the dude missed one game over the past three seasons and only thirteen in six years! What's not to love about that?

Fare thee well, Prince Fielder. May you continue perform the way we've come to expect and may you end up more worthy of that ridiculous contract than A-Rod and Pujols by the end of theirs!

I will miss that smile

Happy New Year, Brewers Fans!

2012-01-05T11:28:00.000-06:00

No, this site has not joined the wealth of abandoned Brewers blogs littered across the net. I took some time off following the season but am looking forward to writing here again in 2012. A lot of Brewers news has occurred this offseason: MLB's leak of Ryan Braun's failed drug test, the ongoing speculation about where Prince Fielder might land, the signing of Aramis Ramirez and the subsequent shipping-off of Casey McGehee to name a few of the top stories. I intend to explore these topics and more, even if I'm incredibly late to the party. I hope my readers will again enjoy visiting Milwaukee Brewin' and I know I will continue to savor writing it. Happy New Year, Brewers fans, and GO BREWERS in 2012!

Reflections on the Brewers Postseason

2011-10-21T15:04:00.000-05:00

Yes, the Brewers season ended about as disappointingly as possible, limping through the NLCS and losing to the division rival St. Louis Cardinals in six games. Even worse, the games they lost, aside from Gallardo's start against Carpenter, weren't even close, with a run differential of 10-31. The Cardinals all but destroyed the Brewers' pitching and the Crew's hitters somehow never cracked Tony La Russa's bullpen.

There's plenty of ammunition to criticize Ron Roenicke, as there always is when a team fails to meet expectations (just ask Red Sox fans). Mark Kotsay did a great job of making him look like an idiot for starting him in center field in game 3, Kotsay'ing the Brewers in epic fashion not once but twice in the first inning and ultimately costing them the game (his HR notwithstanding). Aside from the game winning hit in NLDS game five, Nyjer Morgan basically did nothing with the bat all postseason, leading Roenicke to start Kotsay. Carlos Gomez, always the best defensive option in center field, likely was also the best option at the plate. He should have seen more playing time and should have started in Kotsay's stead.

Many have criticized Roenicke's bullpen management. There's much that can be said about the Brewers pitchers, but if nothing else, Roenicke should have leaned more heavily on bullpen arms such as Axford, K-Rod, and Hawkins, over the likes of Estrada and Narveson. Kameron Loe only pitched 2.1 innings in the NLCS (though it felt more like 20.1) but even that may have been 2.1 too many, considering how many runs he gave up, even if some of them can be blamed on defensive lapses.

In retrospect (and maybe in advance) it's easy to say that Marcum never should have started game 6, but starting Narveson or Estrada would have reduced the entire pitching staff by one, since no one (myself included) seems to think Marcum would ever be viable coming out of the bullpen. Yes, he pitched horrendously, but for all the success he had this season there was reason to believe there was at least a chance he could bounce back for game 6, much like Randy Wolf did in game 4. Roenicke did the right thing by starting Marcum and pulling him quickly when it was obvious he didn't have it.

The Crew's bats share responsibility for losing the NLCS, as many of the hitters underperformed badly, with exceptions of Ryan Braun, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Jonathan Lucroy, and Yuni "The Second 'T' is Now Somehow Silent" Betancourt. For as strong as the offense was all season, they should have been able to score more runs. Had they done so they would at least have stood a fighting chance against the Cards.

All negatives aside there are also some positives to remember. On a personal level, I attended games 1 of both the NLDS and NLCS, viewing two Brewers postseason victories in person in the electric atmosphere of Miller Park. Despite the overall outcome thousands of Brewer fans can say the same.

Ryan Braun proved once again that he thrives on the biggest of stages, setting a major league record by reaching base in the first inning nine games in a row. Yovani Gallardo emerged as the team's true ace, pitching brilliantly in the NLDS and battling through game three on a day he obviously didn't have his best stuff.

The Brewers came within two wins of only their second World Series appearance ever. They won their first postseason series in almost thirty years and capped the NLDS with one of the most exciting win in franchise history. They fell short of the ultimate goal, but took us along one helluva ride and created some incredible lasting memories in the process.

Do or Die For the Wolfman

2011-10-13T10:05:00.000-05:00

The Brewers fell to the Cardinals two games to one yesterday after their bats couldn't quite overcome a deficit created by what can only be termed a horrible first inning. Moving on, the Brewers send Randy Wolf to the mound tonight versus Kyle Lohse for game four. Wolf comes off one of his worst starts of the year when he threw three innings of seven run ball in game four of the NLDS. Lohse, on the other hand, has not thrown since game one of the NLDS in which he allowed six runs (five earned) in 5.1 innings.

The Brewers need Wolf to bounce back in a big way, as another loss will put them one away from elimination with one still to play in St. Louis. Lohse hasn't thrown in twelve days, giving the Brewers an opportunity to knock around a pitcher who could be a little rusty. They need a strong performance from a starter to give them a chance to win. The series is not over, and the Crew can still steal a game (or two) from the Cardinals in St. Louis. A big factor in today's game will be whether the Wolfman rises to the occasion. He said after Gallardo's gem last Friday that he wanted to kiss him for giving him another start and a chance to bounce back. Now he needs to deliver.

Your National League MVP

2011-09-19T10:22:00.002-05:00

The competition for the NL MVP seemingly comes down to two candidates, with two others receiving honorable mention. Prince Fielder and Justin Upton, in my view, don't quite make the cut. Fielder has the power and RBI numbers, but little else. Upton lags behind the front runners, slightly, in most of the important statistical categories. Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp have been the two most outstanding players in the league with regard to the completeness of their game. They hit for average, they hit for power, they steal bases. They're not the best defenders at their positions, but they hold their own. The question then arises, who most deserves the award?

Let's first look at their current statistics side by side:
Games: Braun 140:Kemp 152 (has not missed a game)
Runs: 103 (each)
Hits: 179:180
2B: 36:28
3B: 5:4
HR: 31:34
RBI: 103:113
SB: 31:40
CS: 6:10
BA: .336:.320
OBP: .400:.398
SLG: .597:.565
OPS: .997:.963

As the stats suggest, the two are fairly evenly matched. For categories with a clear leader, Kemp gets the edge in games played, HR, RBI, and SB, while also getting caught stealing more than Braun. Braun leads in 2B, BA, SLG, and OPS. I'm not sure that one has necessarily performed any better than the other, all things considered. Last year Albert Pujols and Joey Votto had very similar stats across the board, but Votto won the award in the landslide. When faced with a (near) statistical dead heat, the writers who pick the winner almost universally vote in favor of the player whose team makes the playoffs. That player, the reasoning goes, brings more value to his team because his production helped his team compete and reach the postseason. Oftentimes, without that production, the team likely would fall short.

The Brewers competed in their division all year and built a strong lead in the NL Central during a torrid August during which Braun batted .369 with a .436 OBP, 24 runs, 10 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 12 SB, and a 1.057 OPS. Kemp's Dodgers, on the other hand, basically failed to compete all season. In such a context, Braun clearly deserves the award.

Rickie Returns

2011-09-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

The Brewers enjoyed an incredible run during the month of August and have mostly limped into September with a record of 3-4 to start the month. They owe much of their success over the past month and a half to their pitching staff, who mostly pitched brilliantly over that stretch. It's a good thing they did, too, because the Brewers offense has certainly felt the absence of Rickie Weeks.

The Crew activated Weeks from the disabled list yesterday and intend to ease him into action. He only recently began to run the bases, and he hasn't seen live pitching since his injury. Many of us hoped he'd be called on to pinch hit yesterday, and an opportunity presented itself in the sixth inning. Ron Roenicke instead called on Nyjer Morgan and later explained that he would prefer Weeks to see his first at bats in a less high leveraged situation. Still, it was great seeing Rickie back in uniform and ready to play, and it'll be a good day when he's able to slide back into the five spot and start at second base. The offense could use a boost.

A Month to Remember

2011-08-26T10:56:00.000-05:00

On July 25th the Brewers sat a half game out of first place, behind co-division leaders Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Needless to say, one month later the picture has changed. The Pirates, as many of us expected, fell completely out of contention in rather quick fashion, while the Cardinals went 13-15 over the next month. The Brewers, meanwhile, won 24 of their next 29 games. The Crew now leads the Cardinals by nine and a half games, and the Pirates have fallen even further, sitting behind the Reds in fourth place at 16 games back.

The NL Central is now the Brewers' to lose, and while a postseason birth is by no means guaranteed, it's looking more and more likely everyday. The month of August has been great for Brewer fans. It's been one of the most dominating performances in club history and I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, watching and marveling at this club and what they've accomplished over the past month. It's certainly been a month I'll remember for a long, long while.

Playoff Hopes Starting to Come into Focus

2011-08-17T13:17:00.001-05:00

The Brewers still have 39 regular season games left, but after winning 18 of their last 20 games and opening a seven game lead in the NL Central, murmurings of the Crew making the playoffs are growing. Granted, of those 39 games they play the Cardinals six times. If the Cardinals sweep both series they would reduce the seven game lead to one. That's highly unlikely, considering how the Brewers have played as of late, along with this season's record between the two, but it's still possible. Indeed, there are still too many games left in the season for me to feel comfortable expecting the Brew Crew to make the postseason, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't started thinking about the distinct possibility, even probability, that they win the division.

The last three weeks could very well be the deciding factor in who makes the playoffs in the NL Central. The Brewers have the talent to continue their success (though a 90% win ratio probably won't continue), and there's no reason to expect they won't be able to hold their division lead. For now, though, the best course of action seems to be to sit tight, not get ahead of ourselves, and enjoy the incredible run the Crew has been on for as long as it lasts. The Brewers have played some extremely strong baseball lately, with pitching, batting, and even defense all shining at one point or another. I've enjoyed every bit of it and I can't wait to see how the rest of the season (and postseason?) plays out. Go Brewers.

A Bad Time to Lose a Starter

2011-08-10T10:29:00.001-05:00

On the heels of last night's extra innings win in St. Louis came news that Brewers' starting pitcher Chris Narveson sliced his hand while attempting to fix his glove with a pair of scissors. He will miss his next start and might land on the DL. Normally a missed start by a team's number five pitcher would not be of much concern because off days usually allow the other starters to move up spot and pitch on regular rest. Indeed, with Monday's off day, that is still possible if Narveson misses only one start.

However, this injury comes on the first day of a stretch where the Brewers play seventeen games in sixteen days, including a double header in Pittsburgh on August 22nd, requiring another starter to step up and fill in for Narveson if he ends up on the DL. With the double header at the end of this stretch the Crew may need to call up a minor league pitcher, such as Mark DiFelice or Mike McClendon, regardless of whether or not Narveson misses more than one start. Narveson's injury shouldn't affect the Brewers too much, but its timing is unfortunate.

The Most Important Series of the Year

2011-08-09T14:59:00.000-05:00

Forty seven games remain in the Brewers' season. Although, in the end, every game plays into a team's record with just as much weight as any other, none are more important than the three that begin in St. Louis tonight. Beginning with last week's series vs the Cardinals in Milwaukee, games between the two rivals now take on a playoff atmosphere in what's become a two team race in the NL Central. Winning two games of this series will have a large impact on the fortunes of either team, both mentally and in the standings. The Brewers enter the series with a chance to improve their lead from three games to six, while the Cardinals could close the gap with a sweep. Last week's series became quite heated, and I expect nothing less from these next three games. Outside of the actual postseason, these games represent the beginning of the best baseball has to offer: two division rivals on hot streaks, high intensity and competition, battling it out for what could make the ultimate difference in their seasons at a point when the playoffs seem a real possibility. Let the pennant race continue.

Tony La Russa Roots For the Brewers

2011-08-01T10:51:00.000-05:00

Last week the Cardinals made a trade to bolster their starting rotation and bullpen. In doing so they certainly improved their pitching staff, though that improvement came at a large cost as they sent their young slugging center fielder, Colby Rasmus, to the Blue Jays. I have to wonder if the Cardinals couldn't have made similar improvements without losing someone who could have become a centerpiece of their lineup in seasons to come. Rasmus has had his ups and downs over his time in the majors, but most scouts believe he's the real deal and one (tweeted by Buster Olney) said: "I think Rasmus has a chance to be a star. I don't understand that deal at all." At center field, such a commodity should be kept at nearly any cost.

The friction between Rasmus and La Russa had been well documented, with the manager telling the media that Rasmus didn't listen to Cardinals' coaches, but rather his father and personal coach instead. Shortly after last week's trade, Rasmus's father spoke to the media denying La Russa's claims, but obviously the Cards felt that Rasmus just wasn't a fit for their club, which more or less means La Russa doesn't like him and didn't want him on his team. Peter Gammons pointed to a deeper issue with regard to the trade, saying "Maybe Edwin Jackson becomes better than .500, but old adage:when managers make trades, general managers often trade jobs." Perhaps a better option would be for the general manager to find a new manager who won't chase valuable players out of town.

Most Brewers fans rejoiced to see Rasmus leave St. Louis, and the one Cardinal fan I know was extremely displeased with the move, the combination of which says a lot about the trade. Time will tell whether this trade will turn out to be as one-sided as we think it is, but right now I have to assume that La Russa really doesn't want his club to win, and in fact actually cheers for the Brewers. The trade couldn't have come at a better time for the Brewers, who send Zack Greinke to the mound today vs the Cards. Greinke has given up 10 HR to left handed hitters this season, compared with only 3 to right handers.

Axford Saves 25th Straight

2011-07-27T07:33:00.000-05:00

When John Axford recorded the third out in the ninth inning last night against the Cubs he matched the club record for consecutive games saved. Axford's run seems all the more impressive considering how his season began. He lost a heart breaker on opening day, allowing a walk off home run to Ramon Hernandez. He then blew his second save within his first five opportunities, bringing back memories of 2010 and Trevor Hoffman's infamous implosion that opened the door for Axford in the first place. Since that second blown save, though, he's been nothing short of remarkable. True, he still puts a runner or two on base more often than we'd like, but you can't argue with the results.

Axford routinely throws a curveball and a fastball that sits in the mid to high 90s, mixing in the occasional slider. He throws his curveball for strikes in the top and bottom of the zone, fooling hitters by blowing a high fastball by them that they just never seem ready for, even if they expect it, and they can't help but swing at it. His speedy high fastball and curveball combo often proves just too much for them to handle, as evident in his success since stepping into the closer's role in May of last year.

Axford's performance means that Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez likely won't see any save opportunities any time soon, exceptions being nights Axford is unavailable. The K-Rod - Axford eighth and ninth inning punch seems almost too good to be true, and on most nights practically shortens the opponent's game to seven innings. The trade for K-Rod is looking pretty good right now, and so long as the Brewers keep winning and Axford keeps dealing, K-Rod will need to be ok being the most famous setup guy in the Majors.

On a related note -- hats off to Kameron Loe, who came in with zero outs and the bases loaded in the sixth inning last night and escaped without allowing a run. He got Alfonso Soriano to ground out to third (force at home) and then induced a double play ball to end the inning. Loe very well might have won the game for the Brewers.

Carlos Gomez Will Be Missed

2011-07-22T09:18:00.001-05:00

Carlos Gomez broke his collar bone Wednesday on a typically exceptional diving catch that just might have saved the win for the Crew at that early stage of the game against the Diamondbacks. A tough break (literally and figuratively) for Gomez who always gives it his all. Gomez is likely out for the season and I, for one, will greatly miss his glove in center field, even if Nyjer Morgan has shown that he deserves to start there on a regular basis.

Gomez's struggles at the plate have been well documented. For each of the past two years I've hoped that something might click in his approach at the plate that might help him swing at less bad pitches and hit more line drives, allowing him to better use his speed on the base paths. That hasn't happened, but Gomez is truly a valuable piece of this team. He plays with abandon in center field, often putting his body on the line for his team, and consistently makes plays that very few center fielders across the majors can. For just a couple examples, watch his catch of a Colby Rasmus fly ball from June 12, and this one off Carlos Beltran on June 7.

His speed helps him contribute on offense more than he otherwise might, most notably shown in this inside the park home run against the Giants on May 28. Ron Roenicke seems to have mastered the art of getting the most out of Gomez, starting him against left handed pitchers (.269 average against lefties), using him as a late-inning defensive replacement, and as a pinch runner. I never thought I'd say this, but the Brewers are a worse team without him. His teammates love him and respect him, and Carlos Gomez will be missed.

Brewers Lineup Shakeup Paying Dividends

2011-07-21T10:44:00.001-05:00

After losing their first two games in Colorado following the All Star break Ron Roenicke shuffled his lineup, moving Corey Hart into the leadoff spot and Rickie Weeks to bat fifth. Since then the Brewers, who have mostly struggled on the road this year, are 4-1. Weeks' and Hart's numbers haven't shown marked improvement over these past few games, and it certainly helps that Ryan Braun has returned to the starting lineup, but it's definitely possible that the lineup shakeup has played a role in the Crew's recent success. Sometimes a tweak like that is just what a team needs to get things going after a rough stretch. I still think Nyjer Morgan makes a better leadoff hitter than Hart, as Morgan is more of a pure on-base player, with speed and little power.