The Brewers Bar Weekly Hangover 6/21/15

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)

Brewers Sign Draft Picks, Including Potentially Historic Orimoloye: No one seems to think that highly of the Brewers farm system.  Among those who analyze such things, the highest ranking that comes up for the Brewers’ minor league talent after some quick Googling is #19 by Baseball America.  Plenty of others rank them much lower.  The less trouble they have stocking their system with top picks, the more hopeful fans can be that 2015 will be remembered as an outlier.  It took less than a week to bring #1 pick Trent Clark on board, along with Nash Walters and Cody Ponce.

A couple days later, the Brewers signed four more picks, including 18-year-old outfielder Demi Orimoloye.  Orimoloye is an interesting case because although he grew up in Canada, he was born in Nigeria.  If he were to make it to the big leagues someday, he would be the first player born in Africa to do so.  That would be a lovely story.  Only in America.

Buzzkill (Worst event/news of the week)

Yost’s Revenge Continues: In 2008, when Ned Yost was infamously fired with 12 games left in the season (which he never saw coming), many Brewers fans thought it was a long time coming.  Yost’s prickly personality rubbed a lot of folks in Milwaukee the wrong way (apparently it does in Kansas City, too) so even though he helmed the team as it evolved from a 100-game loser to a Wild Card berth, few Brewers fans were sorry to see Yost go.

Six seasons later, it looks like the joke’s on us.  As you may have heard, Yost managed the Royals to a seven-game World Series in 2014, and as of this writing they have a 3.5 game lead in the AL Central.  Meanwhile, to the best of my recollection the Brewers have not played in a World Series recently and are 21 games under .500.  In the seven games the Brewers and Royals have played since Yost took over in Kansas City, the Brewers haven’t won a single contest.  By completing a four-game sweep of Milwaukee last week, Yost overtook Whitey Herzog to become the winningest manager in Royals history.  To achieve that feat against the team that unceremoniously dismissed a few years ago must have been especially satisfying.

It appears the Brewers are now saddled with a full blown Ned Yost Vengeance Curse.  Our team is on the losing end of poetic justice.  Bloody hell.

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

Shane Peterson: When the Brewers called up Peterson earlier this month, I would guess the reaction of a lot of fans was, “Who the hell is this guy?”  After just a couple of weeks, that reaction has likely changed to, “Who the hell does Khris Davis think he is standing in Shane Peterson’s way?”  Defense has never been Davis’ strong suit, so when this Peterson cat shows up and immediately starts making highlight reel plays, it’s like love at first sight.

Peterson has also hit pretty well (.306) for a guy with fewer than 20 MLB games under his belt.  Surely a slump at the plate is right around the corner since that’s been the theme of the Brewers’ season, but at this moment Peterson is making the most of his opportunity.  His efforts are appreciated.

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

Kyle Lohse/Matt Garza: I remember feeling pretty satisfied when the Brewers went out and got two of the best available free agent pitchers in 2013 and 2014.  Clearly the lesson is that I shouldn’t trust myself when I feel good about anything.

Is there any Brewers player more disappointing than Kyle Lohse?  After two productive seasons in the top half of the rotation, Lohse ended Saturday with the league lead in losses, earned runs allowed, and was second in home runs surrendered.  It looks like Lohse’s hot run that began in 2011 has, like all good things, come to an end.  Looking back on the first half of his career, Lohse was not exactly an exceptional pitcher in Minnesota.  It wasn’t until the St. Louis phase of his career that Lohse became a pitcher to be reckoned with, and now everything is evening out again.  Actually, maybe he’s not as disappointing as I think he is because he was never as good as I thought he was.

By comparison, Garza has always had a sub-4.00 ERA, so he is having a remarkably bad 2015 season.  Last week, he was roughed up by the Ned Yost Vengeance Curse to the tune of six earned runs on 13 hits in seven innings.  This afternoon in Colorado, Garza was the victim of a several lucky bloops and poor defense, but the hits again added up to 13 and the earned runs added up to seven.  Granted, he didn’t get any breaks today so arguably he deserved a better fate.  But when the book was closed on Garza after today’s game against the Rockies, his ERA stood at 5.48.  That’s not the ERA of a guy who is consistently keeping his team in games.

Back on the Wagon (Thoughts on the week ahead)

After their short road trip, the Brewers are back home this week for series against the Mets and Twins.  Nothing much is really at stake, but fans do have something to look forward to – a return of the modified Double Clutch!  In previous seasons, the Double Clutch food stand outside section 215 offered fans different dining options inspired by the visiting team’s home town – a version of Skyline Chili when the Reds were in town, for example.  The loss of the Double Clutch was one of the most disappointing changes to Miller Park’s frustrating 2015 off-the-field experience.  Happily, a version of the Double Clutch is back, now called “Specials by Series” according to Brewers new media director Caitlin Moyer.  (It was actually in place for the Nationals series last week, but some of us missed out.)  This week, fans can look forward to a pastrami sandwich for the Mets, and Cajun pork chop on a stick for the Twins.  Finally, the Brewers are getting something right in 2015!

(Image: Morry Gash/Associated Press)