Prediction Week: Results from our Community NL Central Prediction
March 31, 2010
Thanks to everyone that participated in our Brew Crew Ball division predictions. All told, we got 178 predictions. After eliminating five unrealistic predictions (any prediction with a team winning less than 55 or more than 110 was wiped out), we had a sample size of 173 entrants. Here are our predicted NL Central standings:
| Team | Avg W | Avg Finish |
| Cardinals | 89.6 | 1.35 |
| Brewers | 86.1 | 2 |
| Cubs | 80.2 | 3.3 |
| Reds | 77.0 | 4 |
| Astros | 71.0 | 5.1 |
| Pirates | 67.3 | 5.75 |
All told, I'm pretty happy with these results. This is a pretty fair approximation of my expectations for the division this season.
Other questions of note:
Will the NL Wild Card come from the NL Central?
| Response | Vote |
| Yes | 51% |
| No | 49% |
Who will be the Brewers Most Valuable Player in 2010?
| Player | Vote |
| Ryan Braun | 48% |
| Prince Fielder | 31% |
| Rickie Weeks | 9% |
| Yovani Gallardo | 8% |
| Randy Wolf | 2% |
| Other | 1% |
Which Brewer's performance is most critical to the team's success in 2010?
| Player | Vote |
| Rickie Weeks | 28% |
| Randy Wolf | 16% |
| Yovani Gallardo | 15% |
| Manny Parra | 8% |
| Carlos Gomez | 6% |
| Alcides Escobar | 4% |
| Prince Fielder | 4% |
| Corey Hart | 4% |
| Dave Bush | 4% |
| Trevor Hoffman | 3% |
| Doug Davis | 2% |
| Ryan Braun | 2% |
| Gregg Zaun | 1% |
| Casey McGehee | 1% |
| Chris Narveson | 1% |
| Jeff Suppan | 1% |
| Other | 1% |
Fielder slam, big inning propel Brewers
March 31, 2010Prince Fielder hit a third-inning grand slam and the Brewers surged with eight runs in the eighth inning to down the Cubs, 12-7, on Wednesday.
Brewers 12, Cubs 7
March 31, 2010
W: Zach Braddock
L: Alex Maestri
The Brewers couldn't hold a 4-0 lead today, but came from behind with an eight-run eighth to finish off a spring sweep of the Cubs.
Yovani Gallardo pitched well today in an abbreviated outing, pitching four shutout innings with three hits and no walks, striking out two. The Brewer bullpen, however, couldn't hold the lead. Todd Coffey allowed three runs in the fifth inning, and Carlos Villanueva allowed three more in the seventh to give the Cubs the advantage. Zach Braddock allowed one unearned run while pitching the eighth and ninth to secure the victory.
At the plate, The first four Brewer runs were scored in the third inning on a Prince Fielder grand slam, his second home run of the spring. Rickie Weeks, Adam Stern, George Kottaras and Alcides Escobar all had multi-hit days, but the Brewers couldn't string together another rally until the eighth, when they loaded the bases with none out and came away with eight runs on six hits and four walks, including an RBI double by Ray Olmedo and an RBI single in the first Cactus League PA for Austin Stockfisch.
With the win, the Brewers cannot have a losing Cactus League campaign: They're 14-13-2 with one game to play.
Game Thread #-4: Cubs (16-9) at Brewers (13-13)
March 31, 2010
It's the second to last home game in Maryvale this spring, as the Brewers take on our neighbors to the south, who wore this uniform the last time they won something.
The Brewers and Cubs have already met twice this spring and the Crew will be looking for the sweep today, having won 5-3 on March 9 and 12-3 on March 12. Clearly, this game is a "must win."
After four days off, Ryan Braun is back in the lineup today, as is Corey Hart.
Follow the jump for today's pitching matchup, lineup and conversation on today's game!
Yovani Gallardo (2-1, 5.29 this spring, 13-12, 3.73 last season) is looking to rebound from a poor outing on Friday, when he allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks in three innings to the Padres. Even with the rough outing, he has 16 strikeouts in 17 innings this spring, and could go six or seven innings today in his final tuneup before Opening Day.
For the Cubs, it's minor leaguer Jay Jackson (0-0, 27.00 this spring). He's 22 years old and ascended rapidly through the organization last season, posting a 2.98 ERA over 127 combined innings in high A, AA and AAA. He's right handed, posts exactly a strikeout per inning, and John Sickels says he has a 90-95 mph fastball along with a good slider and curveball. Sickels rated him as a B prospect in this year's Prospect Book.
Via Tyler Barnes, here's today's Brewer lineup:
Rickie Weeks 2B
Adam Stern CF
Ryan Braun LF
Prince Fielder 1B
Casey McGehee 3B
George Kottaras C
Corey Hart RF
Alcides Escobar SS
Yovani Gallardo P
Enjoy the game!
Brewers’ Opening day lineup in flux
March 31, 2010Brewers manager Ken Macha confirmed what general manager Doug Melvin hinted on Tuesday: That Jim Edmonds, and not Corey Hart, could very well be the team's Opening Day right fielder.
Gomez striving to get on base for Crew
March 31, 2010Brewers manager Ken Macha said he employed Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder in addition to hitting coach Dale Sveum as part of a "full-force effort" this spring to encourage new center fielder Carlos Gomez to focus on improving his on-base percentage.
Crew’s Suppan on board with DL stint
March 31, 2010Brewers right-hander Jeff Suppan on Wednesday disputed the notion that his placement on the 15-day disabled list was just a convenient way for the team to solve its fifth starter quandary.
A history of injuries and DL stints
March 31, 2010
Adam McCalvy reported yesterday that Jeff Suppan was to pitch in a simulated game due to a stiff neck. Tom Haudricourt's report on it said Suppan has been battling neck soreness since Spring Training began and an MRI finally revealed a cervical disc problem that's leading to periodic sciatic pain. It's said that the pain has been going on for two months, but the source was just recently discovered.
Does this sound familiar, folks? That may be because suddenly discovered, previously unreported injuries have cropped up conveniently at least once a year over the past few years for the Brewers. In fact, this sort of sudden roster move may be a patented Doug Melvin special. Under pressure and with few options, Melvin buys himself more time by sending an unpopular and unproductive player to the DL with the possibility of a minor league rehab stint, thus buying himself more time and ensuring that no decisions or moves have to be made in the immediate future.
At the end of July last season, Suppan was sent to the DL with a strained left oblique suffered while batting. This made room on the roster to bring up Alcides Escobar and was the beginning of the process that sent J.J. Hardy to the minors just 13 days later and eventually led to Hardy's trade to Minnesota.
In early July 2008, when Suppan was struggling and the Brewers had just signed CC Sabathia, Suppan developed "joint irritation" and was place on the 15 day DL.
At the time, Suppan was 5-6 with a 4.71 ERA in 18 starts. In the start the before he was moved to the DL, he lasted just three innings, giving up six runs and five hits to the Pirates.
In late May 2008, shortly after the disastrous series in Boston and the rumors of the imminent firing of Ned Yost, Eric Gagne was put on the 15 day DL with rotator cuff tendonitis. He wasn't removed from the DL for over a month during which time Salomon Torres was a perfect 12-12 as closer. At the time he was placed on the DL, Gagne was 1-2 with a 6.98 ERA. He had blown five of 15 save opportunities and had already been removed from the closers roll once.
At the end of May 2007, Elmer Dessens was 1-1 with a 6.60 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP and the Brewers were getting no offensive output at third base. According to this article, they were "28th among the 30 major-league clubs at that position in slugging percentage (.273), 27th in batting average (.214), tied for 26th in home runs (one) and runs scored (16) and 25th in runs batted in (14)."
They also happened to have Ryan Braun playing third base and excelling at the plate in AAA.
So Dessens was placed on the 15 day DL with a right shoulder strain to make room on the roster for Braun and stayed there for 65 games until he was designated for assignment at the beginning of August and released about a week later.
Though this appears to be accepted practice in baseball, it's difficult to look at the collected moves and not feel as though they're at the least lacking in decency or honor and at worst verging on unethical.
And no matter how you feel about the principles of the situation, this apparent history of avoidance and refusal to deal with difficult situations is unsettling.
In this most current situation, it's hard to imagine that the Suppan problem will be any clearer in two weeks, making this DL move feel like simply a postponement of the inevitable. And while I can appreciate that Melvin is being careful in case of injury, the negative publicity that has come from yesterday's move is far worse than any sort of fan or media reaction to the Brewers needing to scramble to fill a starter's role on short notice.
Brewers Release Mike Burns
March 31, 2010Brewers Release Mike Burns
Per Haudricourt
RFB’s Third Annual First Pitch THIS Friday!
March 31, 2010
Baseball is finally back.
And what better way to kick off another Brewers season than a night of booze, great live music and dirt cheap shirts? That was a trick question. There is no better way.
This Friday, for the affordable cover price of FREE, you can ring in a new baseball season with fellow Brewers fans. Beyond Right Field Bleachers selling its remaining shirt stock for $3 per shirt (or two for $5), some of RFB’s favorite bands will be on hand to perform:
SUNDAY FLOOD – Appleton rock, Blueworm Records
THE RESPONSE – Milwaukee’s own
DROP DEAD GIANTS – Oshkosh rockers
SCARLET ESCAPE – Original lineup reunion
Show starts at 10 p.m. sharp at Maritime Tavern, 336 W. Wisconsin Ave., Appleton, WI.
Check out the Facebook event page HERE.
See you there!