Spring Training Record

I saw this little nugget on comment from brewcrewball and I couldn’t agree more.  If they can score around 7 a game and limit the opposition to about 2 runs a game this could be a great year.  😂

We'll win most games with that plan.

Spring Training is notorious for guys hitting HRs and pitchers getting knocked around trying new things but this is a good sign especially from Hiura.  Like Yelich, he’s a good hitter and I don’t think he forgot how to hit last season.  

I think C19 messed with a lot of people and their normal routines especially some of these ball players that are creatures of habit.  Any little variation can throw them off their axis, and there was a lot of variation last year.

The Brewers are an intriguing squad in that if things break their way - especially of their hitters can return back to more of their career averages - they should have a pretty good team.  I can’t think of a better 1-2 closer combo than Williams and Hader.   Woodruff and Burnes have legit stuff and should pitch well.  They just need some other guys to step up and if they do that and stay healthy this can be a playoff caliber team even with the improvements we’ve seen from other NL teams like the Mets and Phillies and Cards and Padres.

Is Woodruff going to be the first repeat opening day starter since Gallardo?

Eric sogard is a cub, so baseball is good again

I was going to start a thread that it is o.k. for you to hate Sogard now that he is a Cub, albeit a minor league deal.  Guess this will do tho.

Got a nice win today, 8-5 over the Padres.  Brewers pitching no hit them thru 5 innings and then the roof caved in.

Another nice win today 12-3 over the Rockies. Brewers clubbed 4 homers and Burnes pitched 2 innings, 0 hits, 1 BB and 5 Ks.

Pitching staff looks strong... and Ashby is lights out. Might be an interesting call up for the second half.

Bradley is insurance for Cain- who’s somehow hurt after a year off- and it was a very smart move. If Garcia has a career year, the OF will be the strength of the team again. Then Hiura’s struggles can work themselves out in the bottom half of the order.

This team could be pretty damned good with this staff...

Brewers finally win at home. Mannt Pina had 2 doubles, Avisil Garcia had to hits and turang hit a homer. Pitching was not that good tho, Woodruff and Suter were both roughed up each giving up 2 runs in 2 innings as did Boxberger and Topa.

I don’t get it either with Cain.  CC sounded concerned when asked about it and quad injuries can linger a bit.   Given that he took the year off he needs the reps just about more than anyone.  

Thankfully they got Bradley Jr and Garcia is having a really good Spring Training so far.

Another good Brewer win today. Garcia and Yelich with back to back homers in the 5th.  Brewers pound out 17 hits and score 12 runs.

Avisail Garcia is the story of spring training.   He lost a ton of weight in the offseason and seems to have regained his mojo and is just killing it at the plate so far.

Omar Narvaez is another guy that hopefully is on his way to bouncing back in 2021.  

What else is encouraging is how well some of younger prospects are playing.  Feliciano, Garrett Mitchell, Ethan Small, and Aaron Ashby in particular have looked pretty good in Arizona.  

NOT a good day today.  After 17 hits yesterday the Crew only got 4 today, 1 a 1st inning homer by Travis Shaw.  Brett Anderson pitched well in his 2 innings, Josh Hader came in and was bombed.  2 homers and a walk given up in 2/3 of an inning. He did get 2 strike outs for the 2 outs.  Other pitchers got worked over too. Final 9-1 Oakland.

It's more than practice for many.  For instance Travis Shaw has a clause in his contract that if another team wants him he can opt out of his Brewer contract.  And there is about 8-10 guys fighting for 1 or 2 roster spots.

Obviously need to temper excitement at this stage ,but Mitchell is fun to watch

After a couple of tough losses Brewers bounce back today and beat the Scubbies 8-3.  Crew gets 10 hits.  Woodruff pitched 2 innings giving up 5 hits but no runs.  Oh, and EKB's favorite whipping boy, Sogard, got a hit for the Cubs. 

Garrett Mitchell sure looks the part.  Dude can hit.  

Houser looking pretty decent and add that to Peralta who has had a nice Spring Training and this team has a lot to be excited about.  

I was listening to someone on the radio compare Garrett Mitchell to a young Mike Trout.  LOL, nothing like setting unrealistic expectations for the guy, but he must be pretty impressive for anyone to even bring up Trout and Mitchell in the same sentence.

Trout is built like a linebacker and is just such a freak of an athlete that it’s tough to compare him to anyone.  Maybe Bo Jackson.  

In a way, he reminds me of slighter bigger version of Christian Yelich.  The way he makes contact with the ball.  He just pounds it.  

What’s impressive to me is he’s killing it against lefties.  That’s not something you see all the time from a left handed batter.  

Nice showing against the Dodgers.  Got some hits and runs off Kershaw and touched up Trevor Bauer as well.

Brewers Cactus record is now 9-8.  Things are looking up too. Yelich is hitting better, Garcia is pounding the ball and Mitchell is batting .500.  Hader pitched better today getting 2 K in his 1 inning.  Perdomd struck out the side to end the game over the D-backs. Crew wins 9-3.

Brewers lose a slugfest to the Rockies 9-8.  The good news is Yelich hit another HR and appears to be all the way back.  The bad news is Houser got shelled giving up 9 hits and 7 runs in a little over 3 innings.

Coming down to the finish line for spring training.  Brewers beat the Reds 7-1.  Burnes pitches well again and is 3-0 in ST. Garcia hits his 4th homer in AZ.  Yelich cooling off a bit only 1 for 2 in the game but is slugging .920.

Last two games in Arlington v Texas before the opener on Thursday.

With this latest loss the Reds are 7-19 in spring training.  For all their hype this year (pitching) other than Castillo the rotation hasn’t looked good so far.  Yes it’s spring training but something to keep an eye on.

So the Crew swept the Rangers in 2 games in Arlington to close out the Exhibition season. They finished 15-11.  Pitching against the Rangers was superb. On Monday night Hader, Williams and Boxberger each  struck out the side to end the games after Houser only gave up 2 hits with 6 Ks thru 5.2 innings.  Today Brett Anderson went 5 innings giving up 6 hits but 6 relivers only gave up 1 more hit. 

This team could go a ways in the NL this year.   I say 88 and 74.

Gotta get Yelich right out of the gate and figure out if Cain has anything in the tank. Loving our 1-2 starters...need 5 solid innings from 3 and 4. Just get us to the 8th with a lead!

Not worried about whether Cain has anything left.  Garcia and Jackie Bradley can easily make up for any Cain short comings.

91-72. Wins a tiebreak over the Cards to take division.

Shit.

Just give 'em 92 wins and save me the stress of a play-in game.

The Airbender... a changeup from a right handed pitcher that moves like a slider from a lefty... good grief, that thing is filthy. Then comes back with 97 in the black at the knees. It’s ridiculous.

If the SP gets some improvement at 3-4-5 and as advertised from 1-2, they have the pen to end the game early.

Freddy Peralta has been flying under the radar in spring training and has looked decent so far.  Houser has been up and down, but it wasn’t so long ago that Burnes was inconsistent and he seems to have figured things out.  Houser was lights out this week.

The top of the rotation looks good with Woody and Burnes, but if they can get Houser and Peralta to pitch relatively well I’m not sure the Brewers aren’t a serious contender in the NL.   Yes, it’s the Dodgers and Padres and everyone else, but I’m not worried about anyone in the NL East and if I’m the Cardinals and Cubs I will not look forward to facing the Brewers.  

It’s tough sometimes to assess spring training (especially for pitchers), but the Brewers have been impressive in just about all phases of the game.  Hitting, pitching, defense, etc.  And no team in MLB can go to a Hader and Williams to close out games.  Not even the Padres or Dodgers.

The one thing that could derail them is injuries especially in the pitching department.  Hopefully it’s not an issue.

@Tschmack posted:

The top of the rotation looks good with Woody and Burnes, but if they can get Houser and Peralta to pitch relatively well I’m not sure the Brewers aren’t a serious contender in the NL.   Yes, it’s the Dodgers and Padres and everyone else, but I’m not worried about anyone in the NL East and if I’m the Cardinals and Cubs I will not look forward to facing the Brewers.  

I think that the Brewers getting into the post season a year ago with no consistency from the lineup points to how good the SP is. Burnes was a CY favorite before he got hurt. Assuming he continues at that relative level and Woody takes one more step, that’s as good a 1-2 as there is. If Peralta’s addition of a 4th pitch (changeup) is legit, that’s huge. Houser is a WIP, but it’s a great point on Burnes- dude was lost, then he figured it out.

The lineup is the big ? right now. The corner IF and SS could all be black holes. You would hope that they’d get something out of the 4 OFs. Yelich looks to be back- gotta have that no matter what. How this shakes out might determine the season...

Yelich, Narvaez, and Garcia look all the way back.  Kolton Wong looks better than advertised (hitting).  Hiura isn’t technically all the way back, but looks a lot better than he did last season.  Pina gets overlooked a bit but hit nearly .400 in spring training.  Arcia and Shaw are concerns for sure, but most of their key players appear to be making good contact up to this point.

As for pitching, they have some options if Houser or Peralta falter.  Lindblom struggled a bit but can start.  Suter has looked decent.  So there is some depth there.  And Brett Anderson should be steady as one of the top 5 guys in the rotation.

Last year was not much fun to watch even with the Brewers squeaking into the playoffs.

Here’s to hoping the hitting has turned around somewhat as the poor hitting last year made them borderline unwatchable for much of the short season.

Brewer fans, you waited a year and a half to watch baseball in person. Might as well get bonus innings. On to the 10th we go. Only four hours into this game. T.Shaw knocks in 2 in the bottom of the 9th to tie it up.  Hader to start top of 10

a one anda two anda three and down go the Twins. Hader no problems,

Last year Hader's fastball dipped to career low 94 and change. He's throwing 98-100 today according to the gun here. Lordy.

wooooooooo   hooooooooooooooooo  !!!!!!  what a home opener

Arcia hits a chopper to second and Cain beats the throw home with head-first slide. Brewers pull out improbable

It's good to have Lo Cain back.

@skully posted:

a one anda two anda three and down go the Twins. Hader no problems,

Last year Hader's fastball dipped to career low 94 and change. He's throwing 98-100 today according to the gun here. Lordy.

I don't know. I was disappointed it took him 11 pitches to strike out the side and the first guy fouled a couple of pitches off. Only 7 swinging strikes against 3 guys.