The Brewers Bar Weekly Hangover 7/19/15

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)

Bill Schroeder Gets Wall of Honor Plaque: In recognition of his 20+ years of service as a Brewers TV broadcaster, Schroeder was officially enshrined in the Wall of Honor on Friday. Schroeder has been one of the TV voices of the Brewers for a generation of fans, and no one would question his professionalism and dedication. He’s had a number of broadcast partners over the years, and he seems to have settled into a nice rhythm with current play-by-play man Brian Anderson (he also has good chemistry with fill-in Matt Lepay). When it was announced Schroeder would be honored in January, I noted with some amusement how quickly the Brewers updated Wall inclusion criteria to add Schroeder. That’s a minor detail and it’s not like the Brewers should be too exclusive since it’s a nice bit of pomp to induct someone new to the Wall. In fact, I’m now firmly of the opinion that the Brewers should update inclusion criteria every January solely for the purpose of making these benign feel-good moments possible each year. Schroeder is a fine candidate for opening that “benign feel-good” door, and I look forward to briefly stopping to read his plaque at some undetermined point in the future.

Buzzkill (Worst event/news of the week)

National League Drops Third Straight All-Star Game: The 2015 American League champion will have home field advantage in the World Series for the third year in a row. There are plenty of arguments against the All-Star Game determining World Series home field advantage (and seemingly none in favor), one of which is the arbitrary nature of the game. More than other sports, the result of an individual baseball game is not necessarily a good indicator of the superiority of the winning team. Over the course of a 162-game season, the great teams will ultimately shine, but it’s not uncommon in baseball for a top team to lose to a lousy team. Even when both teams are stocked with All Stars, the game can hinge on one pitcher having an off day, an uncharacteristic fielding error, or multiple batters making solid contact but hitting the ball right into the defense. Putting World Series home field advantage on the line based on the outcome of one game is madness, and now it’s going to benefit the AL for third year in a row (assuming the NL opponent isn’t the Giants).

At the pace they’re on, the goddamn Cardinals may very well have a significantly better record than their AL counterpart if they win the NL championship. It’s crazy to think they wouldn’t have home field advantage in that case, and yet that’s exactly what could happen.

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

Mike Fiers: Starting the second half of the season 14 games under .500, it would have been nice if the Brewers could get off on the right foot. They did, with a 4-1 victory over the Pirates, thanks to a terrific start by Fiers in which he went seven innings and only gave up three hits. At the end of May, Fiers was 1-5 with a 4.53 ERA. He’s turned it around since then, winning four of his last six decisions and dropping his ERA to 3.79. After a rough start in 2015, Fiers has settled into his role a solid back-of-the-rotation starter, and his efforts are appreciated.

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

Francisco Rodriguez: As noted in this space last week, K-Rod is having a brilliant season. But for Brewers fans watching the All-Star Game with special attention to our home players, it was a bummer to watch K-Rod give up two runs in the seventh. The game was essentially out of reach for the NL at that point, so many of us changed the channel and didn’t get to see Ryan Braun’s triple in the bottom of the ninth. After he pitched a scoreless inning in the 2014 All-Star Game, it was Non-Save Situation K-Rod that showed up this year. (In fairness, I should point out that Save Situation K-Rod is already two-for-two since the break.)

Back on the Wagon (Thoughts on the week ahead)

A two-game series against Cleveland opens the week, and a quick look at the AL Central standings shows that the Indians are below .500 and well out of their division race. The last time the Brewers faced the Indians in 2009, they chalked up a sweep in a series that included Prince Fielder’s first career grand slam.

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Is it just me, or do two-game series feel like they don’t really count? For fans at Miller Park on Tuesday, it will count more if they are able pick up that sweet limited edition talking Harry Doyle (i.e., Bob Uecker) bobblehead that spits out quotes from the movie Major League. (I predict there will be more than a few annoyed family members, friends, and coworkers in Milwaukee on Wednesday.)

Then it’s a four-game series (which really, really counts) in Arizona. The Brewers last trip to Phoenix also featured a fairly meaningful grand slam.

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Clearly, the stage is set for a dramatic week!

(Image: Jeff Roberson/Associated Press)