The Brewers Bar Weekly Hangover 7/26/15

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)

A Triumph of Fan Giveaways: Tuesday was Major League Night at Miller Park – clips of the film were shown on the big screen, Bob Uecker threw out the first pitch, and a tidy $10,000 donation was made in Uecker’s name to the Make-a-Wish foundation. But for fans who purchased a special ticket package, the highlight of the evening was the limited edition Harry Doyle bobblehead. Unlike the all-fan giveaway bobbleheads, this one has a higher level of detail that is particularly evident in the head/face paint job. The best part, of course, is that the ugly little thing talks. You press a button and it spits out four lines of dialogue from the movie:

• “Just a bit outside.”
• “Haywood swings and crushes this one toward South America. Tomlinson is gonna need a Visa to catch this one…”
• “…This guy threw at his own son in a father son game.”
• “Personally, I think we got hosed on that call.”

Sure, it gets old quick…but most bobbleheads are old immediately. This one is guaranteed to get a few laughs from your family, friends, and coworkers, and it only cost $35 for what otherwise would have been a $22 Loge Outfield Box ticket. Truly the pièce de résistance of promotional ballpark swag.

Buzzkill (Worst event/news of the week)

First “Major” Trade Lacks Pizzazz: By the end of April, we already knew that the Brewers would be sellers once the trade deadline rolled around. Now that the time has come, the reality of the Brewers’ place in the trade market is settling in – they don’t seem to have much that anybody else wants. With one or two notable exceptions (see below), it may be tough for the Brewers to make the kind of deals they’ve been able to make in recent years for players like Zack Greinke, Marco Estrada, and Yovani Gallardo.

Although there still may be good trades to be made in the next few days, the news that Aramis Ramirez was dealt to the Pirates for some random minor league pitcher didn’t exactly set the world on fire. The random pitcher in question, Yhonathan Barrios, wasn’t even ranked as a top 30 prospect. He’s a former position player who had only pitched about 100 innings. According to Doug Melvin, Barrios has a “good arm,” which is…kind of what you’d expect a pitcher to have, no? Apparently he can throw in the upper 90’s, but at this point I feel like I’ve seen plenty of flame-throwing pitchers come out of bullpens throughout the major leagues. “Good arm” doesn’t really set him apart. Barrios could always prove doubters like me wrong – he did just get his first Biloxi save the other day – but one hopes that the next bit of trade news this week is something we can sink our teeth into.

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

Gerardo Parra: This guy just keeps on hitting. Last week, Parra went 8-for-19 (.421) and showed no signs of slowing down. The last time he took the collar was July 10 in Los Angeles. There was only one other game in the month of July where he didn’t get a hit, and in that case he was a late inning substitution and only had one at-bat. He’s been the most consistent hitter in the lineup since the end of April. Hopefully the Brewers can get more for him on the trading block than an unranked pitching prospect.

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

Hernan Perez: Following that Ramirez trade, Perez appears to be the everyday third baseman (although I suppose Hector Gomez or Jean Segura might see some time at third). He had an unremarkable week, but so did a lot of guys – Perez is in this spot because he pulled the classic c’mon, man move of wearing the wrong jersey during Thursday’s game in Arizona.

I’m not sure what the numbers are for the opposing team’s broadcasters noticing when a player has the wrong uniform, but it must be close to 100%. The Diamondbacks TV team’s line about Perez being more focused on his haircut than his jersey was pretty condescending. Don’t these guys know the pressure Perez must be under in his role as the impromptu starting third baseman? Although you have to admit that particular hairstyle does look pretty unflattering after it’s been stuffed under a baseball cap for a few innings…

Back on the Wagon (Thoughts on the week ahead)

The West Coast road trip continues in San Francisco, and since it’s an odd-numbered year the Giants are vulnerable as hell. The Brewers are in a mode where they might sweep a better team (like they did with the Pirates to open the second half of the season) or get beat like the jabronis they are by the Diamondbacks. Speaking of jabronis, the Cubs are the Crew’s first opponent on a long home stand that will also include the Padres and goddamn Cardinals. The Brewers are 4-2 against the Cubs, making them one of the few teams – along with the Twins, Tigers, and Phillies – that our hometown heroes have a winning record against. Preserving that record through the weekend is one of the few non-trade deadline sources of drama that Brewers fans have to pay attention to.

(Image: @Brewers)