The Brewers Bar Weekly Hangover 5/17/15

suit-crew-topper

Each Sunday evening we will review our favorite and least favorite events of the previous week, and share our perspective on how the team is doing.  Please enjoy responsibly.

Cheers! (Best event/news of the week)

Lucroy’s Coming Back (Eventually): After Ryan Braun’s PED indiscretions, Jonathan Lucroy more or less became the face of the franchise (you could make a case he’s the co-face with Carlos Gomez).  Like everyone else on the team, Lucroy got off to a slow start before his injury, but his absence has left a big hole in the lineup (and in fans’ hearts).  Even though no official return date has been set, it appears that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.  Lucroy has started catching bullpen sessions, and he even has some tech rehab kicks: “…newly modified cleats from New Balance, which had been augmented with toe caps made from carbon fiber covered in rubber.”  That sounds like some sweet endorsement potential.

To be sure, it’s not like Lucroy coming back will be the missing link that turns around this lame team, but at least it will be fun to say “LUUUUUUUUUC” at the ballpark again.

Buzzkill (Worst event/news of the week)

That Fourth Inning Against the Mets: This was like the car crash you can’t look away from.  When 10 runs score in an inning, there’s usually a fair number of seeing eye ground balls or bloops that happen to fall in, but most of the nine hits in that inning were struck hard.

[mlbvideo id=”118467683″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]

In all, 15 batters came to the plate, Matt Garza’s ERA jumped from 4.04 to 5.72, and it became an occasion to learn about the historical context of such a debacle:

The unexpected barrage marked the fourth time in Mets history the club scored at least 10 runs in an inning and the first since July 16, 2006, when New York tallied 11 in the sixth inning against the Cubs. The last time the Mets scored exactly 10 runs in an inning was June 30, 2000, at Shea Stadium against Atlanta in a game that’s remember for one of the largest comebacks in franchise history. […]

Had one more run scored in the bottom of the fourth inning, it would have been truly historic. The Mets’ franchise record for runs scored in a single inning is 11, set in the sixth of a July 16, 2006, win over Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Brewers’ club record for runs allowed in a single inning is 12, set in the sixth of an Aug. 7, 1998, loss in Cincinnati.

At least we know it could have been worse.

Have One on the House (Brewers player who deserves a drink)

Luis Sardiñas: Arguably the most promising piece of the Yovani Gallardo trade, Sardiñas made his first start as a Brewer on Saturday, which happened to be his 22nd birthday.  He went 2-for-3 in his debut, and added another hit this afternoon.  Counsell will have Sardiñas hitting second by the end of next week.

Time to Sober Up, Pal (Brewers player who made me want to drink)

Scooter Gennett: He seems like a sweet kid, but Gennett didn’t get one hit all week in 15 at bats.  His batting average is a damn sad .154 and he has a negative WAR.  I don’t know if Gennett still has minor league options, but if he does the odds of him being around for his late September gnome giveaway look pretty slim.

Back on the Wagon (Thoughts on the week ahead)

The Brewers next series is in Detroit, where they haven’t played since 2009, when they were swept in a three game series.  I don’t have any strong memories of that series, except a vague recollection that the Brewers were not very good in interleague that year (Baseball Reference confirms they were 4-8).  I remember more clearly the previous 2007 series in Detroit when they were no-hit by Justin Verlander but went on to win the next two games, which took the sting out of being on the wrong side of baseball history.  In any case, the Tigers are fighting with the Royals for top of the AL Central so one assumes they’re looking forward to beating up on one of the worst teams in MLB.

The last two times the Brewers have been to Atlanta have been interesting.  In 2013, Kyle Lohse finished his first season in Milwaukee with a complete game, but the game was more memorable for Gomez instigating a bench clearing brawl by gratuitously pimping his homer off Paul Maholm.  Gomez never did touch home plate.

Last year, the Brewers committed one of the most boneheaded mistakes in baseball history when they brought in the wrong pitcher in the seventh inning:

[P]itching coach Rick Kranitz and bullpen coach Lee Tunnell each missed Thursday’s game to attend the high school graduations of their children.

Minor League pitching coordinator Rick Tomlin was serving as pitching coach, and bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel was running things down in the bullpen.

When things began to go south for starter Matt Garza — who gave up four runs in 6 1/3 innings — in the bottom of the seventh, Roenicke wanted Kintzler and Smith to warm up in the bullpen, but failed to properly communicate his wishes.

“I didn’t go back and tell Rick Tomlin who to get up and bring in, so it was my fault,” Roenicke said. “It’s just, you do things the same way every day and then when it changes, it just changes what goes on and I had to make the change.”

During the inning, Roenicke sent backup catcher Martin Maldonado down to the bullpen to relay the message, rather than calling on the bullpen phone. However, Maldonado thought Roenicke wanted Duke to warm up and told him to get loose.

But neither Duke nor Smith got warmed up in time before Roenicke moved to pull Kintzler out of the game.

Hopefully all the coaches’ children are in college this year.

(Image: Craig Ruttle/AP)

Arrow to top