After being swept in a three game set in Atlanta, the Milwaukee Brewers returned home to Miller Park for a three game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers April 17th-19th, 2012. Milwaukee took two of three in this closely contested series, and there were both positives and negatives in the Brewers' performance against one of the better clubs in the National League.
Pitching
On the positive side, Yovani Gallardo had his second good start in a row after getting clobbered on Opening Day. Gallardo gave up two runs in seven innings of work in the April 17th game, striking out seven and walking just one. Zack Greinke continued his outstanding pitching in Miller Park, allowing two runs in seven innings in the April 18th game. In his first two home starts, Greinke has allowed two runs in 14 innings, striking out 14 and walking two. Except for a blown save by Francisco Rodriguez in the April 17th game, the bullpen was effective.
On the negative side, Randy Wolf continued to struggle and took the loss in the series finale on April 19th. Wolf (0-2, 8.80 ERA) hasn't pitched well in his first three starts. The combination of Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier was eight for 24 against the Brewers' pitching staff, with a pair of home runs and five RBIs. Those two will be putting up some big numbers against a lot of pitching staffs this season.
Hitting
Brewer catchers Jonathan Lucroy and George Kottaras continue to hit well. Kottaras' double in the tenth inning of the series opener drove in two runs to win the game. He's making the most of his opportunities at the plate, with three homers and eight RBIs in just 15 at bats. Mat Gamel was three for eight in the series, with a homer (his first of the year) and two RBIs.
Notoriously slow starter Aramis Ramirez finally started to show some life in the last two games of the series. Ramirez was four for seven and hit his first home run of the year. If he's finally out of his early season slump and puts up his usual numbers, he'll provide a big boost to the offense.
On the downside, Dodger pitching held Ryan Braun hitless in the series. Nyjer Morgan continues to struggle at the plate. Morgan, who platoons with Carlos Gomez in center field, is just five for 36 for the year. Morgan hit .304 last season, so he should be productive once this season opening slump is behind him. If the slump continues, manager Ron Roenicke will have to consider a platoon of Gomez and Norichika Aoki. Rickie Weeks had a pair of doubles in the opener, but was one for eight with three strikeouts in the last two games. Weeks is hitting .200 with 18 strikeouts in 13 games this season. The Brewers need the top of the batting order to reach base more often.
A Featured Contributor in Sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, Mark Hudziak has followed the Brewers since they moved to Milwaukee in 1970.
Sources:
Milwaukee Brewers at Yahoo! Sports
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