tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58985062126005357132024-03-14T02:53:18.256-07:00Milwaukee Sports NetworkUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1405125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-89901180899953594542012-09-19T09:35:00.001-07:002012-09-19T09:35:04.733-07:00Milwaukee Brewers: Will They Repeat What the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals Did? - Bleacher Report<div> <p>As of September 19, 2011, the St. Louis <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/st-louis-cardinals">Cardinals</a> were 12-5 and were in second place in the NL Central, 5.5 games behind the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/milwaukee-brewers">Milwaukee Brewers</a> in the division race.</p> <p>The Brewers would go on to win the division, but the Cardinals made a strong enough push to win the National League wild-card berth.</p> <p>They slugged it out with the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/philadelphia-phillies">Philadelphia Phillies</a> in the NL divisional round, taking the series in five games. Then, they moved on to take the National League Championship Series from the Brewers in six games.</p> <p>In what was arguably one of the most entertaining and memorable World Series <span class="spellcheck">matchups</span> in years, the Cards would win it all in seven games.</p> <p>At this time last year, nobody gave them a chance.</p> <p>The Brewers are in the exact same position right now.</p> <p>As it stands today, the Brew Crew is 12-4 on the month of September. Yes, they are 13.5 games out of the division, but with the addition of a second Wild Card this season, they find themselves just 2.5 games out of postseason play.</p> <p>Of course, they would need to jump the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/los-angeles-dodgers">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> and, you guessed it, the St. Louis Cardinals to get there.</p> <p>The Cardinals of 2011 had a much easier schedule on their way to October last season. They only had to play the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/new-york-mets">New York Mets</a>, who were 73-80, the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/chicago-cubs">Chicago Cubs</a>, who were 67-86, and the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/houston-astros">Houston Astros</a>, who were 52-100.</p> <p><img alt="Hi-res-152333841_crop_exact" src="http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/article/media_slots/photos/000/550/068/hi-res-152333841_crop_exact.jpg?w=340&h=258&q=85"/><span>Joe Sargent/Getty Images</span></p> <p>The Brewers of 2012 have a much tougher road ahead.</p> <p>They still have games left against the 74-73 <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/pittsburgh-pirates">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> (who trail them in the wild-card race by just 1.0 game), the 89-57 <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/washington-nationals">Washington Nationals</a> and the 89-59 <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/cincinnati-reds">Cincinnati Reds</a> before hosting the 48-100 Houston Astros and 71-70 <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/san-diego-padres">San Diego Padres</a>.</p> <p>Yes, the final two series of the year should be there for the taking. However, having to face the two best teams in the National League back to back can hurt them long term.</p> <p>That said, the Brewers have been playing extremely hot baseball.</p> <p>In their last 10 games, they have gone 8-2 and have won three straightâ"five of those victories coming against the Cardinals and including a three-game sweep of the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/atlanta-braves">Atlanta Braves</a>, a team that leads the NL wild-card race.</p> <p>As a team, the Brewers' 707 runs scored this season leads the National League, as does their 184 home runs. The offense hasn't been the issue, but it seems as though the Brewers are trying to slug their way into the postseason.</p> <p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/ryan-braun">Ryan Braun</a> has been playing out of his mind. Over the last 30 days, he owns a .349 batting average and leads the NL with a 1.048 OPS.</p> <p>He's been leading by example, crushing seven home runs, making him the first player in the NL with 40 or more bombs this season, adding 21 RBI and stealing seven bases.</p> <p>In other words, he is willing his team to victory, as any leader should.</p> <p>While it is far too early to tell how everything is going to play out, what we can be sure of is a fantastic finish to the 2012 Major League Baseball season, one that promises to have a few surprises still to come.</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-16490623847124962542012-09-18T17:35:00.001-07:002012-09-18T17:35:04.112-07:00MLB: Why Milwaukee Brewers Outfielder Ryan Braun Is NL MVP - Bleacher Report<div> <p>There's a certain stigma attached to <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/ryan-braun">Ryan Braun</a>'s name following last year's <span class="spellcheck">PED</span> controversy, however, that shouldn't stop the writers from giving him a much deserved, second straight NL MVP Award.</p> <p>Now before you jump to conclusions, I'm a <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/cincinnati-reds">Reds</a> fan and have no bias favoring Braun. The fact of the matter is that Braun's numbers are far and above every other player in the National League.</p> <p>In 139 games, Braun is batting .312/.387/.602/.989 with 40 HR, 103 RBI, 95 runs, 30 doubles and 24 steals.</p> <p>According to ESPN's projections, Braun is expected to finish the year at .312/.387/.602 with 44 HR, 114 RBI, 105 runs 33 doubles and 26 steals. If by some miracle Braun steals six bases between now and the end of the season, he'll be just the 11th player in in <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/mlb">MLB</a> history to reach the 40-30 mark.</p> <p>Braun's numbers truly speak for themselves. His 40 home runs give him a commanding lead in the National League, while his 95 runs, 103 RBI and .312 batting average are good for second, second and fifth respectively.</p> <p>Braun's 103 RBI are second only to Chase Headley's mark of 104. Additionally, when MVP voting begins, Braun's .312 batting average will likely be viewed as fourth best considering the fact that suspended outfielder Melky Cabrera leads the National League.</p> <div id="poll-227221" class="module poll poll_module"> <div id="poll-ballot-227221" class="poll-ballot"> <h4 class="poll-question">Who will win the 2012 NL MVP Award?</h4> </div> <div class="poll_results c4" id="poll-results-227221"> <h4 class="poll-question">Who will win the 2012 NL MVP Award?</h4> <ul><li class="option"> <h4>Ryan Braun</h4> </li> <li class="option"> <h4>Andrew McCutchen</h4> </li> <li class="option"> <h4>Buster Posey</h4> </li> <li class="option"> <h4>Other</h4> </li> <li class="c3"><label id="total_votes">Total votes: 0</label></li> </ul></div> </div> <p>Braun could easily lead two of the three Triple Crown categories by the time the season ends and that won't go unnoticed.</p> <p>In addition to the basic slash line, RBI and home run totals, Braun's .602 slugging percentage, and .989 OPS are both NL bests.</p> <p>Though it's lower than the value he posted last year, Braun's 6.5 WAR is just .02 behind the NL leader Andrew McCutchen. He and McCutchen are also tied for the NL lead in runs created at 126, giving them a sizable 19 run lead over Buster Posey's 107.</p> <p>Braun isn't just an offensive juggernaut though, his 2.8 defensive WAR is good for second behind <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/chicago-cubs">Cubs</a> second baseman Darwin Barney. Although it doesn't make a huge difference to writers, whose decisions are based largely around offensive performance, it is worth noting.</p> <p>Perhaps what's most impressive about Braun's 2012 campaign is that he's produced these numbers without the protection of Prince Fielder. Many people, including myself, wondered and/or doubted whether Braun could produce equally impressive numbers without Fielder.</p> <p>Those doubts were quickly stifled in 2012.</p> <p>Although Braun was caught using PEDs last season, the test was thrown out due to a handler's error. There's no doubt that Braun's name and performance carries a stigma, but it's hard to believe that if he was using this season, he wouldn't get caught.</p> <p>What's really helping Braun's case is his team's performance down the late-season stretch. The <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/milwaukee-brewers">Brewers</a> have won 20 of their last 26 games and find themselves just 2.5 games behind the second NL Wild Card spot.</p> <p>The Brewers being in the playoff hunt, puts the spotlight on Braun and his impressive season. However, he really deserves the award no matter how the Brewers finish in 2012.</p> <p>Need your own proof? Take a look at Baseball-Reference's listing of the <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2012-batting-leaders.shtml" target="_blank">National League batting leaders.</a></p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-80233107071074801352012-09-18T16:35:00.001-07:002012-09-18T16:35:04.052-07:00Milwaukee Brewers Lineup Against Pittsburgh Pirates, September 18 - Rant Sports<div> <div id="attachment_24509" class="wp-caption alignnone c4"><a href="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/files/2012/09/Milwaukee-Brewers-Lineup-Against-Pittsburgh-Pirates-September-181.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-24509" src="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/files/2012/09/Milwaukee-Brewers-Lineup-Against-Pittsburgh-Pirates-September-181.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="360"/></a> <p class="wp-caption-text">Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE</p> </div> <p>The <a href="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/milwaukee-brewers/" target="_blank"><strong>Milwaukee Brewers</strong></a> (74-72) will face the <a href="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/Pittsburgh-Pirates/" target="_blank"><strong>Pittsburgh Pirates</strong></a> (74-72) in a critical three-game series that will directly affect who still has a shot at the postseason and who will be realistically out of contention with 13 games left to play. Both teams are currently 2.5 games back of the <a href="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/St-Louis-Cardinals/" target="_blank"><strong>St. Louis Cardinals</strong></a> (77-70) with 16 to play.</p> <p>Milwaukee has been sensational over their last 10 games winning seven of them, including a sweep of the <a href="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/Atlanta-Braves/" target="_blank"><strong>Atlanta Braves</strong></a> and a series win over St. Louis. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has lost eight of their last 10 games while falling apart in the crucial weeks of the season. There is no question this is going to be a wild series filled with excitement and drama.</p> <p>The following is the Brewers starting lineup against the Pirates for Tuesday night:</p> <p>Right Field: <strong>Norichika Aoki</strong><br/>Second Base: <strong>Rickie Weeks<br/></strong>Left Field: <strong>Ryan Braun</strong><br/>Third Base: <strong>Aramis Ramirez<br/></strong>Catcher: <strong>Jonathan Lucroy</strong><br/>First Base: <strong>Travis Ishikawa<br/></strong>Center Field: <strong>Carlos Gomez<br/></strong>Shortstop: <strong>Jean Segura<br/></strong>Pitcher: <strong>Yovani Gallardo</strong></p> <p>Ace <strong>Yovani Gallardo</strong> will face off against Pittsburghâs ace <strong>A.J. Burnett</strong> to jump start the series. Gallardo is 7-0 with a 2.98 ERA in nine starts since <strong>Zack Greinke</strong> was traded, while he also leads the majors in quality starts with 24. Milwaukee will be looking to win their 10<sup>th</sup> straight game with him on the mound.</p> <p><strong>Ryan Braun</strong> will look to continue his hot streak after hitting his 200<sup>th</sup> and 201<sup>st</sup> career home runs against the <a href="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/New-York-Mets/" target="_blank"><strong>New York Mets</strong></a> on Sunday afternoon. Braun has seven hits, two homers, and three RBIs in his last four games. If the Brewers want to keep winning, they will need him to lead the charge.</p> <p><strong>Norichika Aoki</strong> is another player the Brewers need to keep playing well if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. Aoki currently has a hit in his last seven games and is batting .297 with six RBIs over that span. He has been outstanding for Milwaukee this year and looks to be getting even better as the season progresses.</p> <p><a href="http://www.rantsports.com/blog/author/michaelterrill/" target="_blank"><em>Michael</em></a> <em>is a MLB and NBA Featured Writer for</em> <a href="http://www.rantsports.com/" target="_blank"><em>Rant Sports</em></a><em>, but covers topics for various teams in baseball, basketball, and football. Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter</em> <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelTerrill" target="_blank"><em>@MichaelTerrill</em></a> <em>and on</em> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mike.terrill.35" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>.</em></p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-50073508391992499352012-09-18T14:35:00.001-07:002012-09-18T14:35:06.269-07:00Yunel Escobar and Equality In Baseball - Reviewing the Brew<div id="ec-6043"> <div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://reviewingthebrew.com">Home</a> » <a href="http://reviewingthebrew.com/category/brewers/">Brewers</a> » <strong>Yunel Escobar and Equality In Baseball</strong></div> <p><em>This article contains some language that might be â" that should be â" seen as offensive.<br/></em></p> <p>This article has very little to do with the Milwaukee Brewers. This has to do with a lot more pressing issues than the Wild Card Race. This has something to do with more than just baseball.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/escobyu01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker&utm_campaign=Linker" target="_blank">Yunel Escobar</a></strong>, as has been reported quite widely, was spotted over the weekend with eye black that contained on it a homophobic slur written in Spanish. The message was âTu Ere Mariconâ, translated loosely to âYou are a faggot,â or a similar derivative in Spanish slang depending on the source.</p> <p>Word came down today that the offending eye black has cost Escobar three games. In my mind â" and hopefully the minds of others â" a small price to pay.</p> <p>The real issue is that the blame shouldnât fall squarely on Escobarâs shoulders â" there is an entire institution at fault here.</p> <div id="attachment_6044" class="wp-caption alignleft c8"><a href="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/80/files/2012/09/6505938.jpg?69fa8c"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6044" title="MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays" src="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/80/files/2012/09/6505938-220x300.jpg?69fa8c" alt="" width="220" height="300"/></a> <p class="wp-caption-text">Iâm positive that Yunel Escobar didnât think he was offending anyone with his eye black. And thatâs exactly the problem. (Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)</p> </div> <p>I was going to be careful about my word choice here, but doing so would be doing a disservice to the larger issue. I donât care what your views on homosexuality are. I donât care what religious or sociological background comes in to play here. I donât care that âyou can hear worse in schoolsâ or âthey say worse stuff in the locker roomâ. Why does that make it right? How is that even an argument? This is flat-out wrong.</p> <p>Everyone knows what the term âfaggotâ is referring to here. Everyone has heard it â" most of us have even said it â" and we knew it was wrong and disparaging the entire time. We know that itâs alienating and hurtful to a group of people that, whether you choose to believe it or not, are struggling to gain acceptance and normalcy every day. You canât tell me that no other Toronto Blue Jays player knew what Yunel Escobar had written on his eye black, or didnât see it âuntil it was too late.â How did he get out of the clubhouse like that?</p> <p>It was â" it had to be â" a series of blind eyes turned towards Escobar for the sake of an inside joke or out of pure ignorance to what was going on. Escobar got off light, but thatâs nothing compared with the complicit ignorance of the rest of the players involved.</p> <p>Itâs not a stretch to assume that someone on that field might be closeted, or that at least one of the players had gay friends or family members. It doesnât take much to tell Yunel to take off the eye black â" to remind him that people of all walks of life are baseball fans, to remind him that isnât something that professional athletes should do.</p> <p>Hell, this isnât something that decenthuman beingsshould do.</p> <p>I understand that there is a right to free speech in this country but there is no need for that speech to defame an entire part of society for no reason other than pure prejudice. A grown man and public figure ought to be able to realize that. And the Toronto Blue Jays and Major League Baseball had a great chance to bring that message home, and instead they quickly got rid of the issue.</p> <p>There was a two-day âinvestigationâ, a short press conference, and a three-game suspension. Time to move on, right? Tell that to the kids around the country right now struggling with their sexuality. Even a few of them might just grow up to be professional baseball players. Is this the league they want to be a part of?</p> <p>Baseball, since closing the book on the era of racial segregation, has done an admirable job at honoring the diversity of the National Pastime from a racial standpoint as well as highlighting how important inclusion has been to the game. Do we really have to wait decades before we can have a frank discussion about sexuality in sports? Do we really need to brush aside incidents like this until we have an openly gay baseball player? Could it be that maybe, just maybe, we donât have openly gay baseball players because baseball is in large part admitting theyâre not ready for that discussion?</p> <p>I think that this incident proves it. The Toronto Blue Jays and Yunel Escobar said all the right things and are giving money to all the right places in the aftermath of the eye black incident. That doesnât mean they are doing the right thing.</p> <p>The right thing is what the San Fransisco Forty-Niners did â" coming out in support of the LGBT community without PR pressure. The same goes for the leagues of NHL players who contributed to the âIt Gets Betterâ campaign, as well.</p> <p>The right thing to do is to stand in defiance of incidents like this and make sure you send a message that things like this wonât happen again â" a three game suspension does NOT send that message.</p> <p>The right thing to do is to lead the way to make sure that everyone â" and I mean EVERYONE â" has a chance to enjoy and participate in Americaâs Pastime without the fear of discrimination, bigotry, and exclusion.</p> <p>In my opinion, and hopefully the opinions of others, Major League Baseball swung and missed on this one.</p> <p>Tags: <a href="http://reviewingthebrew.com/tag/toronto-blue-jays" alt="Toronto Blue Jays"/>Toronto Blue Jays, <a href="http://reviewingthebrew.com/tag/yunel-escobar" alt="Yunel Escobar"/>Yunel Escobar</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-60361120343651695432012-09-18T12:35:00.001-07:002012-09-18T12:35:04.978-07:00Principally Speaking, Pirates' And Brewers' Seasons On Line Tuesday Night - Baseball Nation<div> <p class="byline" id="byline-prerender">By <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/rob-neyer">Rob Neyer</a> - <span class="author-title">National Baseball Editor</span></p> <div class="side-inset side-inset-large"> <div class="entry-photo photo-large"><img alt="Carlos Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers steals third base against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)" height="250" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/5606853/151124036_extra_large_large.jpg" width="300" /> </div> <p class="social-tools"><span class="set set1"><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=sbnation" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" class="c8" /></a> </span> <span class="set set2"> </span></p> </div> <div id="stream_summary" class="stream-summary"> <p>The Pirates and Brewers are both still hanging around the National League Wild Card race, but just barely. Which makes their series this week so vitally important to each club.</p> </div> <p class="social-spoken">Follow , and Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baseball-Nation/201491739872419">Baseball Nation on Facebook.</a></p> <p><span class="datetime">Sep 18, 2012 -</span> Tuesday night, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/pittsburgh-pirates">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/milwaukee-brewers">Milwaukee Brewers</a> kick off a three-game series in Pittsburgh. Whoever wins the opener is still in the hunt for a postseason berth, whoever loses is essentially dead, and if you predicted this state of affairs when looking at the schedule last winter you're entitled to a kewpie doll.</p> <p>Why is this game so important? Because the Pirates and Brewers are tied in the Wild Card standings, and after this series only one of them (at most) can still be standing. Here's how this thing breaks down ...</p> <p><strong>First Principle:</strong> The Pirates are just as good as the Brewers. Based on underlying performances and abilities, the Brewers are probably four or five games better than the Pirates. But at this point in the season, a four- or five-game difference is almost exactly the same as zero difference.</p> <p><strong>Second Principle:</strong> Forget about the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/los-angeles-dodgers">Dodgers</a>. For the Brewers or Pirates to have a real shot, both the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/st-louis-cardinals">Cardinals</a> and the Dodgers have to play somewhat poorly the rest of the way. The Cardinals are loaded, and the better club to boot. The Dodgers are missing their two best starting pitchers. That doesn't <em>necessarily</em> mean they won't play well, but if you're pulling for the Brew Crew or the Buccos, you have to take some things on faith. And this is among the easiest.</p> <p><strong>Third Principle:</strong> Assuming Second Principle, it follows that Cardinals are the team to beat. Unfortunately, the Cardinals are pretty good <em>and</em> they've got that pesky 2½-games lead over the Brewers and Bucs. At this point in the season, 2<span class="c9" id="internal-source-marker_0.3198449411116502"></span>½. Yes, it can disappear in 72 hours. But it can also turn into the Blob in 72 hours, and leave its foes quivering in despair. What's more likely, of course, is neither. What's more likely is that 72 hours later, it's still 2½ or maybe 3½, which doesn't help at all.</p> <p><strong>Fourth Principle:</strong> Every game is precious. There aren't any <em>must-win</em> games, yet. But there are some probably-should-win games, and they start tonight for both teams.</p> <p>Now, putting all those together, we then assume ...</p> <p>The Brewers and Pirates need some help from the Cardinals and the teams <em>playing</em> the Cardinals. Unfortunately for the Brewers and the Pirates, they don't get to help themselves on this score, as neither has any games left against the Cardinals, who play (in order) three games against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/houston-astros">Astros</a>, three games in Chicago, three games in Houston, three games against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/washington-nationals">Nationals</a>, and three games against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/cincinnati-reds">Reds</a>.</p> <p>Not a lot of obvious help there. Frankly, what's most likely is that the Cardinals absolutely clean <em>up</em> against the Astros and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/chicago-cubs">Cubs</a>, winning six or seven of those nine games. Which would make things exceptionally difficult for any challengers. Yes, they also finish with six games against first-place teams ... but those first-place teams will have clinched their division titles, and might well be resting some of their best players. Gotta figure Cardinals win four of those six games, if they still need to. So that's 10 wins in their last 15 games. Yikes. That won't do at all.</p> <p>But that's why the Brewers or Pirates need to sweep their series against one another this week; just winning two of three won't be a real victory at all. The Brewers finish with four games in Washington, three in Cincinnati, and finally three at home against the Astros and three more against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/san-diego-padres">Padres</a>. Those first seven are going to be a <em>bitch</em>, with neither Nationals nor the Reds in full tune-up mode yet. The Pirates finish with three games in Houston, four in New York, then three at home against the Reds and three more against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/atlanta-braves">Braves</a>. In contrast, the Pirates should benefit somewhat from their tough competition looking ahead to the postseason. Which is why I like the Pirates' chances just <em>slightly</em> more than the Brewers'.</p> <p>None of that math will probably matter much, though. Not if the Cardinals do what they should do.</p> <fieldset class="poll-box"><legend>Poll</legend> <h5 class="poll-title">What's going to happen in this series?</h5> </fieldset><p class="entry-tags rounded"><span class="read-more">Read More:</span> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/st-louis-cardinals">St. Louis Cardinals</a>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/milwaukee-brewers">Milwaukee Brewers</a>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/pittsburgh-pirates">Pittsburgh Pirates</a></p> <p class="social-spoken">Follow , and Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baseball-Nation/201491739872419">Baseball Nation on Facebook.</a></p> <p> <h3>Do you like this post?</h3> </p> <div class="author-mini-profile clearfix"> <div class="author-avatar"><a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/rob-neyer"><img alt="Head_medium" class="author-image" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/author_profile_images/2073/Head_medium.jpeg" /></a></div> <div class="author-info"> <h3 class="author-name"><a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/rob-neyer">Rob Neyer</a></h3> <p class="author-title">National Baseball Editor</p> <p>Rob Neyer began his career with legendary baseball author Bill James, and later worked for STATS, Inc. and ESPN.com, writing more words for that website than anyone else. Rob has written or... <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/rob-neyer">Read full bio</a></p> <p class="author-meta-links"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/robneyer" class="author-main-profile">SB Nation Profile</a><br /></p> <hr /><h3 class="author-featured-content">Other features by <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/rob-neyer">Rob Neyer</a></h3> </div> </div> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-38240844239137969222012-09-18T11:35:00.001-07:002012-09-18T11:35:04.204-07:00Milwaukee Brewers Series Six-Pack With Reviewing the Brew - Rum Bunter<div id="ec-36410"> <div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://rumbunter.com">Home</a> » <a href="http://rumbunter.com/category/pittsburgh-pirates/">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> » <strong>Milwaukee Brewers Series Six-Pack With Reviewing the Brew</strong></div> <div id="attachment_36411" class="wp-caption aligncenter c8"><a href="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/4/files/2012/09/090212wildcard091.jpg?69fa8c"><img class="size-full wp-image-36411" title="090212wildcard09" src="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/4/files/2012/09/090212wildcard091.jpg?69fa8c" alt="" width="500" height="448"/></a> <p class="wp-caption-text">I think the Pirates keeping their eyes open might be the key</p> </div> <p><strong>Where did this Brewers surge come from?</strong></p> <p>Itâs hard to say where a run like this comes from â" early in the season, we could see the talent that the team had but it was just a matter of time as to when they could actually put it together. Believe me, weâre loving the ride right now but we would always rather take a division lead.</p> <p><strong><strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=braunry02,braunry01&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker&utm_campaign=Linker" target="_blank">Ryan Braun</a></strong> drives me insane, weâve developed quite a dislike, but damn if he was a Pittsburgh Pirates player all of my friends agree, we would love him. So do you think he can carry the Brew Crew to the post season?</strong></p> <p>I think heâs doing everything he can to down the stretch. It doesnât look like heâs slowing down, but heâs certainly going to need a lot help to make that happen. As a side note, we didnât see how you would hate him â" except for the t-shirt company, last yearâs haircut, and the fact that he beats down the Pirates every time he sees them.</p> <p><strong>Did you agree with trading Zack Grienke?</strong></p> <p>I didnât right away, but the deal grew on me. We got three top-level prospects, and Zack got a chance to move to a contender. Of course, he ended up about the same, except he doesnât get to bat now. I guess it was a wash.</p> <p><strong>So tell us the truth, did you remain faithful to <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/weeksri01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker&utm_campaign=Linker" target="_blank">Rickie Weeks</a></strong>?</strong></p> <p>-Nope. I donât care for him. I find him too fragile, emotionally unstable, and even though he has his moments â" he is not what Iâm looking for in a long-term partner.</p> <p><strong>You get to pick one to drink a couple cases of beer with over the course of a wild night in Milwaukee. Do you pick A) Ryan Braun B) <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/aokino01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker&utm_campaign=Linker" target="_blank">Norichika Aoki</a></strong> C) Tony Plush D) Other</strong></p> <p>-Oh man, There are so many to chose from. As much as Iâd love to try and out-crazy Plush, I think I take Ryan Braun â" we start by poppinâ bottles at his restaurant in Milwaukee. Than itâs clubbing to the break of dawn, wearing matching t-shirts, and bro-ing out hardcore. I canât wait.</p> <p><strong>Series prediction?</strong></p> <p>-Brewers take two, but itâs close the whole way. Kind of.</p> <p><em>Be sure to keep up to date with all the latest on the Pittsburgh Pirates and RumBunter by liking our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rum-Bunter/123646091035417" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. You can also follows us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/RumBunter" target="_blank">@RumBunter</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/RumBunter/team-rumbunter/members" target="_blank">@RumBunter/team-rumbunter/members</a>.</em></p> <p>Tags: <a href="http://rumbunter.com/tag/pittsburgh-pirates" alt="Pittsburgh Pirates"/>Pittsburgh Pirates</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-88281716143791878502012-09-18T09:35:00.001-07:002012-09-18T09:35:05.134-07:00Milwaukee Brewers (74-72) at Pittsburgh Pirates (74-72), 7:05 pm (ET) - News & Observer<div id="story_text_top"> <p>A pair of 15-game winners square off tonight when Yovani Gallardo and the Milwaukee Brewers visit A.J. Burnett and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park.</p> <p>The Pirates and Brewers are all even in the National League Central Division standings and are vying to remain in the running for the second of two NL wild card playoff berths.</p> <p>The teams are tied for third in the Central and 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the last of the pair of wild card spots.</p> </div><div id="story_text_remaining"> <p>Milwaukee's Gallardo enters the game with a nine-start unbeaten streak that stretches back to July 26, when he dropped an 8-2 decision to Washington.</p> <p>He's 7-0 in the subsequent outings, in which he's allowed two earned runs or less in eight of the nine games and pitched at least seven innings seven times.</p> <p>The Brewers have won each of his last nine starts, outscoring their foes, 59-26.</p> <p>Gallardo is 8-2 lifetime against the Pirates in 14 appearances and last faced them on Sept. 2, getting a no-decision after allowing 11 hits and seven runs in 4 2/3 innings.</p> <p>The Pirates reply with skidding righty A.J. Burnett, who's not won since Aug. 16 - a stretch of five starts.</p> <p>The 35-year-old Arkansas native was 15-4 on the season after a 10-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, but has since gone 0-3 in five tries while his ERA has climbed slightly from 3.54 to 3.66.</p> <p>He's been beaten by St. Louis, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati in the stretch, while getting no-decisions against San Diego and Milwaukee, allowing two hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings of the latter outing.</p> <p>Pittsburgh is 4-6 in his last 10 starts.</p> <p>On Monday in Chicago, Starling Marte drove in two runs, Kevin Correia pitched seven scoreless innings and the Pirates defeated the Cubs, 3-0, to take the finale of a four-game set.</p> <p>The game was delayed for three hours and thirty-seven minutes due to rain.</p> <p>Winning for the ninth time in his last 12 decisions, Correia (11-9) pitched valiantly, giving up just two hits while striking out six.</p> <p>Joel Hanrahan tossed a scoreless ninth to notch his 36th save of the season.</p> <p>On Sunday in Milwaukee, Ryan Braun hit two homers, Wily Peralta pitched eight shutout innings and John Axford closed it out in the ninth as the Brewers blanked the New York Mets 3-0 to take the rubber match of a three-game set.</p> <p>Braun's second homer was his 40th of the season, marking the first time in his career that he has reached the plateau.</p> <p>The Brewers won for the 20th time in their last 26 games.</p> <p>The Mets managed only two hits, both off of Peralta (2-0), who made just the third start of his career. He fanned five and walked only one.</p> <p>"He had a good 96 mph fastball and a good sinker," manager Ron Roenicke said. "He kept the ball down in the zone and had a good slider with great command."</p> <p>Milwaukee won eight of the first 12 games between the teams this season, including a sweep of a three-game set at Miller Park from Aug. 31-Sept. 2. The Brewers won 12 of 15 games in the 2011 series.</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-9280012888949042562012-09-18T06:35:00.001-07:002012-09-18T06:35:25.562-07:00Milwaukee Brewers: How the Brewers Will Survive Their 10-Game Road Trip - Bleacher Report<div id="content"> <div> <div class="slide-view"> <div id="slide-content"> <div class="slide"> <div class="slide-description"> <p>It's been quite a run for the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/milwaukee-brewers">Milwaukee Brewers</a>, who have won 20 of their last 26 games to find themselves in legitimate contention for the second wild card. </p> <p>The Brewers are only 2.5 games back of the St. Louis <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/st-louis-cardinals">Cardinals</a>, with the only other team in their way being the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/los-angeles-dodgers">Los Angeles Dodgers</a>, who trail the Redbirds by a game after splitting a 4-game series with the Cards.</p> <p>It was the best case scenario for Milwaukee to not only keep pace, but to also gain on the wild card leaders. The Brewers took two out of three over the weekend against the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/new-york-mets">New York Mets</a>.</p> <p>Now, the Brewers are faced with a daunting taskâ"remain in contention after playing ten games on the road against the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/pittsburgh-pirates">Pittsburgh Pirates</a>, <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/washington-nationals">Washington Nationals</a> and <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/cincinnati-reds">Cincinnati Reds</a>.</p> <p>Here's how the Crew can survive its 10-game road trip.</p> </div> </div> <div id="next-slides"> <div class="slide"> <p> <h2>Get Healthier</h2> </p> <p><img alt="Hi-res-151648613_display_image" rel="original_file_name:hi-res-151648613.jpg" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/602/024/hi-res-151648613_display_image.jpg?1347908936"/><br/><small class="photo-credit">Jeff Curry/Getty Images</small></p> <div class="slide-description"> <p>Brewers first baseman Corey Hart hasn't played since Sept. 9. At first, it was reported that Hart had a slight ankle tweak, but what has really bothered Hart is plantar fascia, which causes a great deal of pain in the arch of his left foot.</p> <p>On Sunday, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/9/17/3346090/corey-hart-injury-brewers-1b-suffers-setback-mlb-2012">Hart suffered a setback</a> when testing out the foot running the bases. He was hoping to return on Tuesday against the Pirates, but that looks unlikely now.</p> <p>Whether Hart can return at any point during the road trip is uncertain, but his absence would undoubtedly hinder the Brewers, with Travis Ishikawa mainly playing in his place.</p> <p><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/ryan-braun">Ryan Braun</a> (wrist) and Aramis Ramirez (back, wrist), the Brewers' two big boppers, have also <a target="_blank" href="http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120917&content_id=38561050&vkey=news_mil&c_id=mil">been dealing with injuries</a>, but the two combined for three home runs on Sunday.</p> <p>The absence of Hart's bat in the lineup over the next ten games could prove to be costly, so we'll see if Hart can find a way to tolerate the pain, because injuries like his don't just go away.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <p> <h2>Keep Swinging a Hot Bat</h2> </p> <p><img alt="Hi-res-152054283_display_image" rel="original_file_name:hi-res-152054283.jpg" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/602/025/hi-res-152054283_display_image.jpg?1347909584"/><br/><small class="photo-credit">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</small></p> <div class="slide-description"> <p>The Brewers offense is the reason Milwaukee is in this position, and it will have to continue pouring in runs if the Brewers want to remain in contention for the second wild card.</p> <p>It won't be easyâ"the Nationals and Reds <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/pitching/year/2012/seasontype/2/league/nl">rank first and second respectively</a> in team pitching in the National League. The Pirates have tailed off lately, but they still rank in the upper half of the league as well.</p> <p>Milwaukee gets to ease into this road trip, so to speak, by playing the Pirates first, but the trip is back-end loaded with a four gamer against the Nats followed by a trip to Cincy.</p> <p>With a resurgent Rickie Weeks in the two-hole, Braun and Ramirez anchoring the lineup, and Jonathan Lucroy hitting well over .300, it's hard to find any glaring weaknesses in the top-scoring offense in the NL. It will have to remain that way throughout this road trip.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <p> <h2>Take Advantage of the Pirates</h2> </p> <p><img alt="Hi-res-151128537_display_image" rel="original_file_name:hi-res-151128537.jpg" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/602/026/hi-res-151128537_display_image.jpg?1347910386"/><br/><small class="photo-credit">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</small></p> <div class="slide-description"> <p>As mentioned before, the Brewers catch a break by beginning the 10-game trip in Pittsburgh.</p> <p>There's no other way to put itâ"the Pirates are in a full-out nosedive with no signs of the engine flipping back on. The Bucs are 3-12 in their last 15 games and have fallen from the second wild card position to fourth place in the NL Central in just over two weeks.</p> <p>It would be ideal for the Brewers to sweep the Pirates, because it's far from guaranteed that Milwaukee will win series' against Washington and Cincinnati. </p> <p>A struggling James McDonald has been pulled from the starting rotation in favor of Kyle McPherson, and the Brewers will face McPherson along with AJ Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez, so it will be a tall task to pull off the sweep.</p> <p>Then again, it was a tall task for the Brewers to get back to .500. At 74-72, Milwaukee is two games above .500 for the first time since it was 4-2 in April. Conclusion: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r0OLoK0NZk" target="_blank">anything is possible</a>.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <p> <h2>Get Fiers and Marcum Back on Track</h2> </p> <p><img alt="Hi-res-152047577_display_image" rel="original_file_name:hi-res-152047577.jpg" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/602/027/hi-res-152047577_display_image.jpg?1347910960"/><br/><small class="photo-credit">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</small></p> <div class="slide-description"> <p>The Brewers can't ask for much more from Yovani Gallardo, Marco Estrada and Wily Peraltaâ"<a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=320916108">especially Peralta</a>â"but Mike Fiers and Shaun Marcum have faltered down the stretch.</p> <p>Marcum just hasn't been the same pitcher since returning from his stint on the disabled list, going 0-1 with a 5.70 ERA since Aug. 25. Meanwhile, Fiers' ERA has jumped from 1.80 to 3.23 since Aug. 7.</p> <p>Obviously, it was asking a lot for Fiers to continue his ridiculous pace, but we've seen this story play out with Marcum before. He simply can't locate his pitchers, which spells trouble since Marcum relies so much on control.</p> <p>In fact, both Fiers and Marcum rely on pinpoint accuracy for their success. If they can both rediscover the black of the plate, the Brewers could ride their starting five through this road trip.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <p> <h2>The Bullpen Remains Reliable</h2> </p> <p><img alt="Hi-res-152092881_display_image" rel="original_file_name:hi-res-152092881.jpg" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/602/028/hi-res-152092881_display_image.jpg?1347912252"/><br/><small class="photo-credit">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</small></p> <div class="slide-description"> <p>It's popular belief that the offense is the reason the Brewers are in the position they're in. But I like to say it's because the bullpen hasn't gotten in the way.</p> <p>This group has been on quite a run. The last bullpen mate to blow a save was Jim Henderson against the Cardinals on Sept. 7, but the Brewers still went on to win in extra innings. </p> <p>The last loss you can really pin on the pen was the debacle on Aug. 30 against the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/chicago-cubs">Chicago Cubs</a>, when the Brewers blew a 9-3 lead despite seven RBIs from Jonathan Lucroy.</p> <p>Yes, this unit still leads baseball in blown saves, and my head explodes when I think about how well positioned Milwaukee would be if not for this unfortunate statistic, but the fact of the matter is that John Axford is back in form as closer, and everyone else appears to be falling in line.</p> <p>The Brewers are bound to be in some close games during this east coast swingâ"they'll need their bullpen now more than ever.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <p> <h2>Outside Help</h2> </p> <p><img alt="Hi-res-151889588_display_image" rel="original_file_name:hi-res-151889588.jpg" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/602/029/hi-res-151889588_display_image.jpg?1347913356"/><br/><small class="photo-credit">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</small></p> <div class="slide-description"> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-impact-of-remaining-strength-of-schedule/">According to Dave Cameron of FanGraphs</a>, the Milwaukee Brewers have one of the more difficult remaining schedules as of Sept. 13 among the other wild card-2 contenders.</p> <p>Sure, this information is a little dated, but the point is that the Brewers will need teams outside of the Dodgers, Cardinals, Pirates, <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/philadelphia-phillies">Philadelphia Phillies</a> and <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/arizona-diamondbacks">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> to step up, because Milwaukee still has to play catch-up while holding others off at the same time.</p> <p>The Dodgers face a more difficult schedule down the stretch, while the Cardinals have the benefit of playing Houston and Chicago nine times. On a lighter note, the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/houston-astros">Astros</a> and Cubs are playing much better baseball as of late.</p> <p>With six teams within 4.5 games of each other, anything can happen, but the Brewers will have to hope the chips continue to fall their way in order to get out of this road trip alive.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <p> <h2>Manage a Winning Record Against Nationals, Reds</h2> </p> <p><img alt="Hi-res-144364514_display_image" rel="original_file_name:hi-res-144364514.jpg" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/602/030/hi-res-144364514_display_image.jpg?1347914218"/><br/><small class="photo-credit">Joe Robbins/Getty Images</small></p> <div class="slide-description"> <p>A sweep, or even a winning series, over the Pirates would be one thing, but to get through the Reds and Nationals with a winning record is a completely different beast.</p> <p>They are the two best teams in the National League, although both are 5-5 in their last ten games. Perhaps the Brewers will catch them at just the right time and manage to go 4-3 or better against the NL's elite.</p> <p>It's impossible to know exactly how the next ten days will play out around the National League, but if the Brewers do escape Pittsburgh unscathed and finish the road trip strong, they will probably still have a shot at winning the second wild card.</p> <p>Hell, they might even <em>hold</em> the second wild card with six games to go. That's how crazy these last few weeks have been, and you can bet the last couple will be just as wacky.</p> </div> </div> <div class="slide"> <p> <h2>Keep Having Fun</h2> </p> <p><img alt="Hi-res-152092880_display_image" rel="original_file_name:hi-res-152092880.jpg" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/602/539/hi-res-152092880_display_image.jpg?1347915953"/><br/><small class="photo-credit">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</small></p> <div class="slide-description"> <p>Milwaukee is playing like a team thatâ"wellâ"has nothing to play for. The exact opposite is true, however. Just don't tell the Brewers.</p> <p>I'm not sure if there is a team having more fun right now than the Milwaukee Brewers, and that is a huge reason why the Crew is back in contention. The unique characters on this team help keep the clubhouse loose, and the veterans' calm demeanor provides a lax atmosphere for young, inexperienced players like Wily Peralta and Jean Segura.</p> <p>Credit has to go to veterans like Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks and Aramis Ramirez, but most importantly manager Ron Roenicke. If you're going to pin the blame on him for the team's earlier struggles, you have to give him props for turning this thing around.</p> <p>Keep having fun, Brewers, and we'll keep having fun right along with you.</p> </div> </div> </div> <p><span class="large-orange button control-next">Begin Slideshow</span></p> <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1337714-milwaukee-brewers-how-the-brewers-will-survive-their-10-game-road-trip" class="keep-reading-button">Keep Reading</a> <div id="slideshow-share"> <div id="article-actions"> <div id="article-actions-box"><a id="flag-article-button" class="small-gray inverted button check_probation png-fix" title="Flag this article as infringing, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, offensive, or for plagiarism.">Flag</a> <div id="article-pick-container"> <p>Props <span class="article-pick-counter">(0)</span></p> <p><img alt="" height="16" src="http://static.bleacherreport.net/images/redesign/common/loading/small.gif?1346654879" width="16"/></p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="flag-article-lightbox">This article is <select id="flag-article-type"><option value="duplicate">a duplicate</option><option value="offensive">offensive</option><option value="plagiarism">plagiarized</option></select><p id="duplicate-copy">What is the duplicate article?</p> <p id="offensive-copy">Why is this article offensive?</p> <p id="plagiarism-copy">Where is this article plagiarized from?</p> <p id="badedit-copy">Why is this article poorly edited?</p> <textarea id="flag-article-comment"/><span class="medium-orange button">Flag This Article</span></div> </div> </div> </div> <p><span class="instruction"><img alt="Milwaukee Brewers" class="png-fix" height="24" src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images/team_logos/24x24/milwaukee_brewers.png" width="24"/> Milwaukee Brewers: Like this team?</span></p> </div> <div id="related_content" class="module wide-module"> <ul><li class="rc-b"><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1303159-milwaukee-brewers-10-brewers-prospects-who-will-shine-in-2013" class="image-with-caption"><img alt="Brewers Prospects Who'll Shine in 2013" src="http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/001/853/662/hi-res-149954631_crop_exact.jpg?w=200&h=126&q=75"/></a> <a class="rc-title" href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1303159-milwaukee-brewers-10-brewers-prospects-who-will-shine-in-2013">Prospects Who'll Shine in 2013</a></li> <li class="rc-b"><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1313060-milwaukee-brewers-10-crucial-needs-for-the-brewers-to-address-this-offseason" class="image-with-caption"><img alt="10 Needs for the Brewers to Address This Offseason" src="http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/001/860/490/roenicke-mound-visit_crop_exact.jpg?w=200&h=126&q=75"/></a> <a class="rc-title" href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1313060-milwaukee-brewers-10-crucial-needs-for-the-brewers-to-address-this-offseason">10 Needs Brewers Must Address This Offseason</a></li> <li class="rc-b last"><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1319656-scouting-reports-and-predictions-for-all-30-mlb-teams-top-september-call-ups" class="image-with-caption"><img alt="Scouting All 30 MLB Teams' Top Sept. Call-Ups" src="http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/001/881/237/sep_crop_exact.jpeg?w=200&h=126&q=75"/></a> <a class="rc-title" href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1319656-scouting-reports-and-predictions-for-all-30-mlb-teams-top-september-call-ups">Every MLB Team's Top Sept. Call-Up</a></li> </ul></div> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-24403191056539024932012-09-17T21:35:00.001-07:002012-09-17T21:35:24.774-07:00Milwaukee Brewers and the Last Crusade - WBAY<div id="WNContainerStory"> <div id="WNStoryBody" class=" withRelated"> <p>The Milwaukee Brewers begin their final road trip of the season Tuesday night with stints in Pittsburgh, Washington, and Cincinnati -- ten games in all, and all against playoff contenders or division leaders.</p> <p>The Brewers are two-and-a-half games out of the final wildcard spot, so this shapes up to be a make-or-break crusade.<br/></p> <p>"We just have to keep playing the way we have been playing. Our starting pitching has been great, our bullpen has been phenomenal. We're playing good defense and a lot of guys are swing the bat well. To beat good teams, you have to do all those things well. And we've done that now for a while, and if we keep it up, I like our chances," Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun said.<br/></p> </div> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-64033316067947548852012-09-17T15:35:00.001-07:002012-09-17T15:35:25.313-07:00Brewers' Hart Suffers Rehab Setback - Baseball Nation<div> <p class="byline" id="byline-prerender">By <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/nathan-aderhold">Nate Aderhold</a> - <span class="author-title">Contributor</span></p> <div class="side-inset side-inset-large"> <p><img alt="Photo" height="250" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/5568997/150847028_extra_large_large.jpg" width="300" /></p> <p class="social-tools"><span class="set set1"><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=sbnation" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" class="c8" /></a> </span> <span class="set set2"> </span></p> </div> <div id="stream_summary" class="stream-summary"> <p>Corey Hart suffered a setback in his recovery Sunday while attempting to run the bases and may not return as expected on Tuesday.</p> </div> <p class="social-spoken">Follow , and Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baseball-Nation/201491739872419">Baseball Nation on Facebook.</a></p> <p><span class="datetime">Sep 17, 2012 -</span> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/milwaukee-brewers" class="sbn-auto-link">Milwaukee Brewers</a> first baseman <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/841/corey-hart" class="sbn-auto-link">Corey Hart</a> suffered a setback Sunday afternoon in his rehab from a left foot injury, leaving a Tuesday return to the Brewers' lineup up in the air. Per <a target="_blank" href="http://brewersbeat.mlblogs.com/2012/09/16/setback-for-hart-on-the-bases/">Adam McCalvy of MLB.com</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>"Iâm definitely aiming for Tuesday, I just wish it would have felt better today than it did," Hart said. "Itâs a little frustrating. Today was the first day I tried to run the bases, and it didnât go as planned."</p> <p>Running in a straight line was fine, but the trouble came when Hart ran along the arc along the outer edge of the infield dirt.</p> </blockquote> <p>The 30-year-old Hart has now missed six consecutive games with the foot injury, a partial tear of his plantar fascia -- a connective tissue on the bottom of the foot. The Brewers' medical staff are now debating whether or not to give Hart an anti-inflammatory injection in his foot to quicken the healing process.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/31780/travis-ishikawa" class="sbn-auto-link">Travis Ishikawa</a> will continue to fill in for Hart at first base, but may also share time with <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/34284/taylor-green" class="sbn-auto-link">Taylor Green</a> if Hart continues to experience setbacks. Manager Ron Roenicke said that it is a "possibility" Hart will not return this season. Hart is batting .278/.340/.514 with 27 home runs and 77 RBI on the year.</p> <p><em>For more news and analysis on the Brewers, be sure to spend time at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brew Crew Ball</a>.</em></p> <p class="entry-tags rounded"><span class="read-more">Read More:</span> <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/search?tag=mlb-news">mlb news</a>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/841/corey-hart">Corey Hart (RF - MIL)</a>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/milwaukee-brewers">Milwaukee Brewers</a></p> <p class="social-spoken">Follow , and Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baseball-Nation/201491739872419">Baseball Nation on Facebook.</a></p> <p> <h3>Do you like this post?</h3> </p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-28735556073198685512012-09-17T12:35:00.001-07:002012-09-17T12:35:25.128-07:00Ryan Braun hits his 200th home run - Reviewing the Brew<div id="ec-6029"> <div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://reviewingthebrew.com">Home</a> » <a href="http://reviewingthebrew.com/category/brewers/">Brewers</a> » <strong>Ryan Braun hits his 200th home run</strong></div> <p>So it was really only a matter of time until this happened right? <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/player_search.cgi?results=braunry02,braunry01&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker&utm_campaign=Linker" target="_blank">Ryan Braun</a></strong> has been on absolute tear this year and last yearâs MVP season was only an indication that his future years to come would be incredible. Let me say that this is by no means an article based on âis he clean?â For the last time, Braun is clean. I shall not and will not delve any farther into that. Heâs an incredible power hitter that never said die this season and is a huge factor as to why the <a href="http://reviewingthebrew.com/">Milwaukee Brewers</a> eventually woke up. Complementing Braun in the line-up was a task thought to be impossible, unless you were <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fieldpr01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker&utm_campaign=Linker" target="_blank">Prince Fielder</a></strong>. Alas, <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ramirar01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker&utm_campaign=Linker" target="_blank">Aramis Ramirez</a></strong> proved everyone wrong. This duo is one of the deadliest in the MLB. I donât say that just because Iâm a Brewersâ fan (okay, maybe a little), but because itâs true. The production out of both Braun and A-Ram has been incredible and now Braun has established his career even farther as he hit his 200th and 201st home runs in yesterdayâs win over the <a href="http://risingapple.com/?utm_source=fansided_network&utm_campaign=top_bar">New York Mets</a>. <span id="more-6029"/></p> <div id="attachment_6030" class="wp-caption alignright c8"><a href="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/80/files/2012/09/6584858.jpg?69fa8c"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6030" title="MLB: New York Mets at Milwaukee Brewers" src="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/80/files/2012/09/6584858-229x300.jpg?69fa8c" alt="" width="229" height="300"/></a> <p class="wp-caption-text">Ryan Braunâs career has just been impressive from the get-go. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE</p> </div> <p>Perhaps the only person standing in Braunâs way of repeating for the MVP title is <strong><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mccutan01.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker&utm_campaign=Linker" target="_blank">Andrew McCutchen</a></strong>. Braunâs 2012 has had eerie similar numbers to 2011 and thereâs no reason to dismiss his name from the MVP talk. Heâs been the face of the word âconsistencyâ and really, thatâs something that isnât arguable.</p> <p>Braunâs 200th home run yesterday signifies that this is not a broken man despite the offseason. He was and still is out there to prove his critics wrong. His 103 RBIs on the year are also more than likely going to surpass 2011â²s total of 111. So tell me, how does this man still seem to fly under the MLB radar despite winning a MVP award? Maybe thatâs just me, but whenever you listen to ESPN or any other sports station, you never hear of the Brewers, let alone Braun.</p> <p>Is it because the Brewersâ 2012 campaign was rocky for the most part? Is that the excuse used to overshadow Braunâs name from the media? People chastise him. You hear it in the boos when the Brewers are on the road and theyâre more intensified then ever before.</p> <p>So, congratulations to you Ryan Braun on that 200th home run and even your 201st. That is an accomplishment in my mind that should not be just swept under the rug. Braun is only 28 and with the power he has, Iâd expect and hope that he has a long, fulfilling career and will one day be recognized as one of the greats in decades to come.</p> <p>Tags: <a href="http://reviewingthebrew.com/tag/milwaukee-brewers" alt="Milwaukee Brewers"/>Milwaukee Brewers, <a href="http://reviewingthebrew.com/tag/ryan-braun" alt="ryan braun"/>Ryan Braun</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-10415411806432105332012-09-17T06:35:00.001-07:002012-09-17T06:35:26.138-07:00The Gauntlet Of The Milwaukee Brewers - Baseball Nation<div> <p class="byline" id="byline-prerender">By <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/grant-brisbee">Grant Brisbee</a> - <span class="author-title">Editor</span></p> <div class="side-inset side-inset-large"> <div class="entry-photo photo-large"><img alt="Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun celebrates with center fielder Carlos Gomez and right fielder Norichika Aoki after beating the New York Mets 3-0 at Miller Park. Credit: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE" height="250" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/5559451/20120916_jel_bs6_332_extra_large_large.jpg" width="300" /> </div> <p class="social-tools"><span class="set set1"><a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=sbnation" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, '', '[URL]', '[TITLE]')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/sm-share-en.gif" width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" class="c8" /></a> </span> <span class="set set2"> </span></p> </div> <div id="stream_summary" class="stream-summary"> <p>The Milwaukee Brewers were left for dead last month, but they've surged back into the Wild Card race. If they win a playoff spot, though, they'll have beaten some pretty strong odds.</p> </div> <p class="social-spoken">Follow , and Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baseball-Nation/201491739872419">Baseball Nation on Facebook.</a></p> <p><span class="datetime">Sep 17, 2012 -</span> On <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL201207290.shtml" target="new">July 29</a>, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/milwaukee-brewers">Brewers</a> lost to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/washington-nationals">Washington Nationals</a> in 11 innings. They led the game 7-3 after seven innings, but the bullpen would give up <em>eight</em> runs over the next four innings to lose. The loss dropped them 16 games behind the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/cincinnati-reds">Cincinnati Reds</a> in the NL Central, and 13 games back of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/pittsburgh-pirates">Pirates</a> in the Wild Card chase.</p> <p>Two days before, they traded <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/575/zack-greinke">Zack Greinke</a>. Because of course they did. They got something close to the package they traded to get him in the first place, which was a bit of a coup. Pitchers under contract age like new cars, slowly decreasing in value with every mile, but the Brewers were still able to get a shortstop prospect, a good young pitcher, and a hard-throwing project. The only thing missing was a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/33683/lorenzo-cain">Lorenzo Cain</a> dopplegänger.</p> <p>That was supposed to be the best part of the Brewers' season. Getting a little something back for Greinke. That was the highlight of the season, and that was just 47 days ago.</p> <p>So you can see why the Brewers are an exciting, trendy underdog right now. They just passed the Pirates and moved 2½ games back of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/st-louis-cardinals">Cardinals</a> for the second Wild Card. The bullpen that was such a mess in the early and middle part of the season has been better. The last time the Brewers lost a series was when they were swept in Colorado, which seems impossible, even if it was just a month ago. They have the second-best record in baseball since then.</p> <p>It's all happy fun time for the Brewers. At least, until you look at the schedule.</p> <div class="sr_share_wrap c13"> <table class="sr_share c11"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><thead><tr><th tip="A number in parentheses indicates which game of a doubleheader.<br>Click dates for box scores of games or standings on this day." class="tooltip sort_default_asc c9" align="center">Date</th> <th class="tooltip sort_default_asc show_partial_when_sorting c9" align="center">Tm</th> <th tip="<strong>Home or Away Game</strong><br>@ means it is an away game, blank means home." class="tooltip sort_default_asc show_partial_when_sorting c9" align="left"></th> <th class="tooltip sort_default_asc show_partial_when_sorting c9" align="center">Opp</th> </tr></thead><tbody><tr data-row="152"><td class="c10" csk="2012-09-21" align="left">Friday, Sep 21</td> <td class="c10" align="left">MIL</td> <td class="c10" align="left">@</td> <td class="c10" align="left">WSN</td> <td class="c10" colspan="2">7:05 pm</td> </tr><tr data-row="153"><td class="c10" csk="2012-09-22" align="left">Saturday, Sep 22</td> <td class="c10" align="left">MIL</td> <td class="c10" align="left">@</td> <td class="c10" align="left">WSN</td> <td class="c10" colspan="2">1:05 pm</td> </tr><tr data-row="154"><td class="c10" csk="2012-09-23" align="left">Sunday, Sep 23</td> <td class="c10" align="left">MIL</td> <td class="c10" align="left">@</td> <td class="c10" align="left">WSN</td> <td class="c10" colspan="2">1:35 pm</td> </tr><tr data-row="155"><td class="c10" csk="2012-09-24" align="left">Monday, Sep 24</td> <td class="c10" align="left">MIL</td> <td class="c10" align="left">@</td> <td class="c10" align="left">WSN</td> <td class="c10" colspan="2">1:05 pm</td> </tr><tr data-row="156"><td class="c10" csk="2012-09-25" align="left">Tuesday, Sep 25</td> <td class="c10" align="left">MIL</td> <td class="c10" align="left">@</td> <td class="c10" align="left">CIN</td> <td class="c10" colspan="2">7:10 pm</td> </tr><tr data-row="157"><td class="c10" csk="2012-09-26" align="left">Wednesday, Sep 26</td> <td class="c10" align="left">MIL</td> <td class="c10" align="left">@</td> <td class="c10" align="left">CIN</td> <td class="c10" colspan="2">7:10 pm</td> </tr><tr data-row="158"><td class="c10" csk="2012-09-27" align="left">Thursday, Sep 27</td> <td class="c10" align="left">MIL</td> <td class="c10" align="left">@</td> <td class="c10" align="left">CIN</td> <td class="c10" colspan="2">12:35 pm</td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="sr_share c12">Provided by <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/sharing.shtml?utm_source=direct&utm_medium=Share&utm_campaign=ShareTool">Baseball-Reference.com</a>:</div> </div> <p><br />It's pretty ludicrous to look at the schedule and start assigning wins and losses based on the strength of a team's opponents. All the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/philadelphia-phillies">Phillies</a> needed to do was win a series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/houston-astros">Astros</a> to climb into the middle of the Wild Card standings; they dropped three of four against the worst team in baseball. The A's were supposed to drown when they hit their rough part of the schedule; they took five of seven from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/los-angeles-angels">Angels</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/baltimore-orioles">Orioles</a>.</p> <p>Looking ahead at the Brewers' schedule is just as pointless. Except you know the Nationals and Reds are good teams. What's more is that they'll have something to play for -- the Reds are just 1½ back of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Even if both teams were in shutdown, prepare-for-the-playoffs mode, it would be a horrifying gauntlet. They aren't. That makes it more horrifying.</p> <p>And before that murderous swing against the Reds and Nationals? Three games in Pittsburgh against a Pirates team that might be doing the Kübler-Ross model out of sequence. They might be moving out of depression and acceptance and heading straight for anger. If you can't count on the Astros to lose to the Phillies, you certainly can't count on the Pirates to lose to the Brewers.</p> <div class="c13"><a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1193707/the-wolf.jpg"><img alt="The-wolf_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1193707/the-wolf_medium.jpg" /></a></div> <p><br />Yeah. Let's not. We're talking about the Brewers a month after they went 1-5 on a road trip to Houston and Colorado, and that's something else. The toughest road trip of the Brewers' season is coming up, though. The Cardinals are in the middle of a miserable stretch, and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/los-angeles-dodgers">Dodgers</a> aren't doing much better. But the Brewers aren't just playing out the string against the Cleveland Spiders and Washington Generals.</p> <p>If they can climb back in a race just a month after being 11 games under .500, they can beat the Nationals and Reds. The likeliest scenario, though, is that the rough road trip will hurt their chances, and they'll get close enough to spend a lot of time wondering "What if?" in the offseason, especially with regards to their bullpen.</p> <p>If they <em>can</em> survive the road trip, they'll have earned their reward -- a single play-in game to make the playoffs. It doesn't seem like much. But it's a helluva lot more than they were looking forward to just a month ago. We're talking about the Brewers in September, which is amazing, but in order to make the playoffs, they'll have to amaze us even more.</p> <p class="entry-tags rounded"><span class="read-more">Read More:</span> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/575/zack-greinke">Zack Greinke (P - LAA)</a>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/washington-nationals">Washington Nationals</a>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/cincinnati-reds">Cincinnati Reds</a></p> <p class="social-spoken">Follow , and Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baseball-Nation/201491739872419">Baseball Nation on Facebook.</a></p> <p> <h3>Do you like this post?</h3> </p> <div class="author-mini-profile clearfix"> <div class="author-avatar"><a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/grant-brisbee"><img alt="Grant_brisbee_medium" class="author-image" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/author_profile_images/2125/grant_brisbee_medium.png" /></a></div> <div class="author-info"> <h3 class="author-name"><a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/grant-brisbee">Grant Brisbee</a></h3> <p class="author-title">Editor</p> <p>Grant Brisbee has been the lead writer for McCovey Chronicles since 2005, when the San Francisco Giants-themed site became the second blog on the SB Nation network. He graduated from San Jose State... <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/grant-brisbee">Read full bio</a></p> <p class="author-meta-links"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Grant%20Brisbee" class="author-main-profile">SB Nation Profile</a><br /><span class="author-email"></span><br /></p> <hr /><h3 class="author-featured-content">Other features by <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/authors/grant-brisbee">Grant Brisbee</a></h3> </div> </div> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-16803869595460376302012-09-16T16:35:00.001-07:002012-09-16T16:35:25.353-07:00Randy Wolf will make first start as an Oriole on Sunday - Baltimore Sun<div id="mod-a-body-first-para"> <p>Lefty Randy Wolf, whom the Orioles signed Aug. 31 after he was released by the Milwaukee Brewers, will get the starting assignment Sunday against the Aâs. Heâs made three outings in relief for the Orioles (2-0, 5.68 ERA) but hadnât started a game since Aug. 19, when he allowed five runs for the Brewers in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.</p> <p>âItâs great to have that opportunity,â said Wolf, who has started 366 of his 374 big league appearances in a 14-season career. âWhen I came over here I told them Iâm going to help out whichever they need me, and they told me a couple days ago that they were thinking about having me start [Sunday] and today they told me. So, Iâm definitely excited.â</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-45528883360886622622012-09-16T14:35:00.001-07:002012-09-16T14:35:24.459-07:00Braun homers twice, Brewers top Mets 3-0 - Yahoo! Sports<div> <p class="first">MILWAUKEE (AP) -- <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8034">Ryan Braun</a> hit two home runs and rookie pitcher <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/9019">Wily Peralta</a> gave up two singles in eight innings, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the New York Mets 3-0 Sunday.</p> <p>The reigning most valuable player now has 201 home runs in his career, as Milwaukee won for the 20th time in its last 26 games to remain 2 1/2 games out of the second wild-card spot. The left fielder leads the league with a career-high 40 homers.</p> <p>Peralta (2-0) struck out five and walked one in his third start, and got his first major league hit when he doubled in the seventh.</p> <p><a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8583">John Axford</a> pitched the ninth for his 29th save.</p> <p>New York's <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/search?p=Chris+Young">Chris Young</a> (4-8) threw 6 2-3 innings and allowed three runs - all solo homers - and eight hits.</p> <p>The Mets lost for the eighth time in nine games.</p> <p>Braun is the sixth Brewers player to reach 200 homers and seventh to reach 40 in a season. His homer to lead off the sixth was his 103rd run batted in of the year and gave Milwaukee a 3-0 lead.</p> <p>In the fourth, Braun also led off with a deep home run to right-center. Aramis Ramirez, the featured bobblehead giveaway at Miller Park, followed by smashing another long blast to left-center for a 2-0 lead.</p> <p>That was more than enough Peralta, who led Milwaukee to its 19th victory in its last 22 home games. He stranded Josh Thole at second by getting <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8672">Ruben Tejada</a> to fly out in the third. In the sixth, Andres Torres led off with a single and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Young. Tejada fouled out and <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8314">Daniel Murphy</a> grounded out, however.</p> <p>NOTES: Milwaukee broke its single-season strikeout record when Peralta struck out Lucas Duda in the second. The Brewers now have 1,261 strikeouts, which leads the NL. . Braun had 33 homers last year. . Young is 2-7 in his last 13 starts. . Milwaukee has at least one extra-base hit in its last 85 games. . On Monday, New York begins a 10-day homestand, its second-longest of the year. . Milwaukee first baseman Corey Hart has not played since he sprained his left ankle last Sunday.</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-3586163896008316112012-09-16T12:35:00.001-07:002012-09-16T12:35:25.136-07:00New York Mets (66-79) at Milwaukee Brewers (73-72), 2:10 p.m. (ET) - Kansas City Star<div id="storyBody"> <p> <h4>By Sports Network</h4> <h4>The Sports Network</h4> </p> <p><span class="byline author vcard fn">By Sports Network</span></p> <p><span class="updated" title="2012-09-16T15:41:47Z">Updated: 2012-09-16T15:41:47Z</span></p> <div class="entry-content"> <p> Dominican rookie Wily Peralta makes the third start of his brief big-league career - and first against New York - when the Milwaukee Brewers host the Mets in the finale of a three-game series at Miller Park.</p> Peralta, who debuted with the Milwaukee organization as a 17-year-old in 2006, made his big-league debut on April 22 when he tossed an inning of one-run relief, allowing three hits, in the Brewers' 4-1 loss to Colorado.He made 28 starts at Triple-A Nashville and posted a 4.66 earned run average in 146 2/3 innings, then returned to the majors and earned his initial victory with six innings of three-run ball in his first start at Miami on Sept. 5.Peralta allowed a run on seven hits in the follow-up effort five days later against Atlanta and got a no-decision in Milwaukee's 4-1 victory.In 13 combined innings, Peralta has walked five batters, struck out eight and allowed a composite .319 batting average.He'll be opposed by 33-year-old Texas native Chris Young, who faces the Brewers for the third time in his 157th big-league start.It's his first meeting with them since Sept. 7, 2008, when he tossed a complete-game two-hitter, allowing a single run and striking out five in a 10-1 triumph.The win, which came when Young was a member of the San Diego Padres, remains the only complete game of Young's big-league career.The Princeton University product has pitched well in his two most recent starts, picking up a win (at Miami) and a no-decision (against Atlanta) while combining to give up three runs on 10 hits in 11 innings.The Mets are 3-7 in his last 10 starts.On Saturday, Rickie Weeks hit a home run, scored twice and drove in three to lead the Brewers to a 9-6 victory.Pinch-hit triples from Logan Schafer and Travis Ishikawa plated three runs for the Brewers, who have won 19 of their last 25 games to stay within striking distance of the NL Wild Card chase.Ike Davis hit a two-run homer in the ninth to bring the Mets within three, but it wasn't enough, as New York dropped its seventh game in its last eight tries.Shaun Marcum didn't pitch long enough to be considered for the win as he was pinch-hit for during a five-run fourth inning for the Brewers. Brandon Kitnzler (2-0) positioned himself for the victory after pitching a scoreless fifth.Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda each came through with an RBI for the Mets, but starting pitcher Jenrry Mejia (0-1) lasted just three-plus innings in his first start of the season, allowing five runs on six hits while walking five."Command is what we really have to get straightened out," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "Once the game starts you hope he settles down. I'm sure he was pretty excited. It's tough to pitch up here behind in the count."The Mets and Brewers split two games in a series in New York in May, after Milwaukee won four of six games between the teams in 2011.</div> <div id="item-license" class="c3"><a rel="item-license" href="http://www.kansascity.com/terms-of-service">Copyright 2012 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</a></div> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-53304414611235604022012-09-16T08:35:00.001-07:002012-09-16T08:35:25.040-07:00Randy Wolf will make first start as an Oriole on Sunday - Baltimore Sun (blog)<div id="mod-a-body-first-para"> <p>Lefty Randy Wolf, whom the Orioles signed Aug. 31 after he was released by the Milwaukee Brewers, will get the starting assignment Sunday against the Aâs. Heâs made three outings in relief for the Orioles (2-0, 5.68 ERA) but hadnât started a game since Aug. 19, when he allowed five runs for the Brewers in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.</p> <p>âItâs great to have that opportunity,â said Wolf, who has started 366 of his 374 big league appearances in a 14-season career. âWhen I came over here I told them Iâm going to help out whichever they need me, and they told me a couple days ago that they were thinking about having me start [Sunday] and today they told me. So, Iâm definitely excited.â</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-45188233029622530372012-09-15T22:35:00.001-07:002012-09-15T22:35:26.588-07:00Jenrry Mejia, NY Mets unravel in 5th inning of Saturday's 9-6 loss to ... - New York Daily News<div itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemid="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1160672!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/metsweb16s-2-web.jpg"><img title="MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Jenrry Mejia #32 of the New York Mets pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the game at Miller Park on September 15, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)" height="423" itemprop="contentUrl" alt="MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Jenrry Mejia #32 of the New York Mets pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the game at Miller Park on September 15, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)" width="635" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1160672.1347765695!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/metsweb16s-2-web.jpg"/><h4 class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</h4> <h4 class="caption" itemprop="description"/> <p>Jenrry Mejia allows five runs on six hits in three innings Saturday night at Miller Park.</p> </div><div itemprop="articleBody"> <p><strong><a href="http://nydailynews.stats.com/mlb/boxscore.asp?gamecode=320915108&meta=true">BREWERS 9, METS 6</a></strong></p> <p>MILWAUKEE â" Kids. They say the darndest things. Like <a title="Jenrry Mejia" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Jenrry+Mejia">Jenrry Mejia</a>, who keeps trying to subvert the company line about his future as a reliever. All right, all right, the Mets finally said. Start a game.</p><p>âI want to show them I want to be a starter,â Mejia said, while preparing to do so in the big leagues for the first time in two years.  </p><p>In Saturday nightâs 9-6 loss to Milwaukee, the 22-year-old made a weak case. Mejia allowed five runs on six hits in three-plus innings, and issued five walks. Despite a 95 mph fastball, he struck out no one.  </p><p>As incapable as he was of overpowering with his pitches, Mejia was even less able to control where they went. He threw just 32 of his 68 pitches for strikes. Through two innings, he had thrown 18 strikes, and 22 balls. At 50 pitches, he had thrown 25 strikes. You get the idea; a poor showcase for the job he wants, before a jury that has already half-concluded he belongs in the bullpen.</p><p>The whole starter/reliever kerfuffle began all the way back in March 2010, in the last year of an old regime. Omar Minaya was the general manager, Jerry Manuel the manager and Terry Collins the minor league field coordinator when Mejia emerged in spring training as the organizationâs top arm, a 20-year-old too dynamic to keep out of the Opening Day bullpen.</p><p>That first act fizzled after a few months, and Mejia returned to the minors. Pitching coach Dan Warthen was the earliest, strongest voice in the organization singing for a Mejia future in the bullpen â" and he remains far from convinced otherwise.</p><p>âI think that he works hard to throw the baseball,â Warthen said this weekend. âItâs my opinion. With that, it is hard for me to fathom that he is able to go out there, and year after year throw 200 innings.â</p><p>Last year, when Mejia blew out his elbow after five Triple-A starts, Warthenâs concerns about the violence of the young manâs delivery appeared prescient. Then, after returning from Tommy John surgery this year, Mejia presented a wrinkle: Not only did he voice a preference for starting, but he was much better in the minor leagues in that role.</p><p>Pitching for Triple-A Buffalo, Mejia posted a 5.48 ERA as a reliever, before returning to the rotation. There, he went 2-3, with a 2.75 ERA. It was enough to make Warthen wonder if his bullpen prediction was correct.</p><p>âSure,â the pitching coach said. âHow he succeeds certainly makes all the difference in the world.â</p><p>Collins remembered the first time he saw Mejia in 2010, and all the excitement that arose.  </p><p>âHe was the Matt Harvey of the organization,â Collins said, referring to the current hot rookie. âEverybody couldnât wait for him to get here and see what he did.â</p><p>Now, the hype has dimmed, but the team still perceives talent.</p><p>âBy seeing him here, I hope weâll be able to make an intelligent determination of whether he can be a starting pitcher or not,â Collins said.</p><p>Mejia will receive a few more auditions.</p><p>âHis first start in a couple years in the big leagues he was probably a little anxious,â Collins said.</p><p>Pooh-poohing the nerves excuse, Mejia provided a simpler analysis. âI tried to throw strikes, but I threw balls,â he said, and that about captured it.</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-61618684069105978202012-09-15T20:35:00.001-07:002012-09-15T20:35:24.275-07:00Jenrry Mejia, NY Mets unravel in 4th inning of Saturday's 9-6 loss to ... - New York Daily News<div itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemid="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1160672!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/metsweb16s-2-web.jpg"><img title="MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Jenrry Mejia #32 of the New York Mets pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the game at Miller Park on September 15, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)" height="423" itemprop="contentUrl" alt="MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Jenrry Mejia #32 of the New York Mets pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the game at Miller Park on September 15, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)" width="635" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1160672.1347765695!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/metsweb16s-2-web.jpg"/><h4 class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</h4> <h4 class="caption" itemprop="description"/> <p>Jenrry Mejia allows five runs on six hits in three innings Saturday night at Miller Park.</p> </div><div itemprop="articleBody"> <p><strong><a href="http://nydailynews.stats.com/mlb/boxscore.asp?gamecode=320915108&meta=true">BREWERS 9, METS 6</a></strong></p> <p>MILWAUKEE -- Kids. They say the darndest things. Like <a title="Jenrry Mejia" href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Jenrry+Mejia">Jenrry Mejia</a>, who keeps trying to subvert the company line about his future as a reliever. All right, all right, the Mets finally said. Start a game.</p><p>âI want to show them I want to be a starter,â Mejia said, while preparing to do so in the big leagues for the first time in two years.  </p><p>In Saturdayâs 9-6 loss to Milwaukee, the 22-year-old made a weak case. Mejia allowed five runs on six hits in three innings, and issued five walks. Despite a 95-mile-per-hour fastball, he struck out no one.  </p><p>As incapable as he was of overpowering with his pitches, Mejia was even less able to controlling where they went. He threw just 32 of his 68 pitches for strikes. Through two innings, he had thrown 18 strikes, and 22 balls. At 50 pitches, he had thrown 25 strikes. You get the idea; a poor showcase for the job he wants, before a jury that has already half-concluded he belongs in the bullpen.</p><p>The whole starter/reliever kerfuffle began all the way back in March 2010, in the last year of an old regime. Omar Minaya was the general manager, Jerry Manuel the manager and Terry Collins the minor league field coordinator when Mejia emerged in spring training as the organizationâs top arm, a 20-year-old too dynamic to keep out of the Opening Day bullpen.</p><p>That first act fizzled after a few months, and Mejia returned to the minors. Pitching coach Dan Warthen was the earliest, strongest voice in the organization singing for a Mejia future in the bullpen -- and he remains far from convinced otherwise.</p><p>âI think that he works hard to throw the baseball,â Warthen said this weekend. âItâs my opinion. With that, it is hard for me to fathom that he is able to go out there, and year after year throw 200 innings.â</p><p>Last year, when Mejia blew out his elbow after five Triple-A starts, Warthenâs concerns about the violence of the young manâs delivery appeared prescient. Then, after returning from Tommy John surgery this year, Mejia presented a wrinkle: Not only did he voice a preference for starting, but he was much better in the minor leagues in that role.</p><p>Pitching for Triple-A Buffalo, Mejia posted a 5.48 earned run average as a reliever, before returning to the rotation. There, he went 2-3, with a 2.75 ERA. It was enough to force Warthen to wonder if his bullpen prediction was correct.</p><p>âSure,â the pitching coach said. âHow he succeeds certainly makes all the difference in the world.â</p><p>Collins remembered a slightly different first impression in 2010, one that left him more open to a starting assignment.</p><p>"He was the Matt Harvey of the organization,â Collins said, referring to the current hot rookie. âEverybody couldnât wait for him to get here and see what he did. He made that club that spring in the bullpen, but then I saw him at the end of the summer pitch, thatâs why I said, âthereâs no reason why this guy canât start.â I saw plus stuff for nine innings.â</p><p>For that and other reasons, the team permitted Mejia this audition. As Collins put it, âBy seeing him here, I hope weâll be able to make an intelligent determination of whether he can be a starting pitcher or not.â</p><p>The early verdict: Or not.</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-91977788394056707552012-09-15T14:35:00.001-07:002012-09-15T14:35:24.578-07:00Phillies and Brewers back in wild-card playoff hunt - Chicago Tribune<div id="story-body-text"> <p>When the trade deadline rolled around at the end of July, the Phillies were 46-57, which put them only 21/2 games better than the Cubs in the National League's wild-card playoff standings.</p> <p>They were in ninth place, 13 games behind the Braves for the second of the NL's two spots. They had just signed <strong>Cole Hamels</strong> to a $144 million contract while trading <strong>Hunter Pence</strong> and <strong>Shane Victorino,</strong> and it took a lot of imagination to see how they could hit enough to compete in 2013 and beyond no matter how strong their starting rotation.</p> <p>But crazy things still happen in baseball, as the 2011 Cardinals showed us.</p> <p>Entering the weekend, the Phillies were only four games back in the wild-card race. And the Brewers, who were 12 back at the July 31 deadline, were 31/2 back. They started providing solid backing for the reigning MVP, <strong>Ryan Braun,</strong> just after they dealt their ace, <strong>Zack Greinke,</strong> to the Angels.</p> <p>"Honestly, it didn't look good,'' said <strong>Travis Ishikawa,</strong> who helped the Giants win a World Series in 2010. "As far out as we've been and as bad as we played earlier, we found a way to play the ball we knew we were capable of playing out of spring. That's the way this game is. You never know what can happen.''</p> <p>As you know, you can't get anywhere in life without a little help. The Phillies and Brewers would like to thank the Pirates (especially), Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Mets and Marlins.</p> <p>Those five teams have squandered chances to join the Braves in having all but secured one of the wild-card spots. They were a combined 62-79 in August and entered the weekend 37 games below .500 since the trade deadline.</p> <p>Oh, as Ishikawa points out, they owe another vote of thanks to Commissioner <strong>Bud Selig</strong> and the owners who proposed expanding the postseason field to 10 teams, with a second wild card in the two leagues.</p> <p>"You add that one extra spot and everybody seems like they're in it now,'' Ishikawa told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We have a little ways to go but it's definitely going to be a fun few weeks.''</p> <p>Entering the weekend, 18 of baseball's 30 teams were still within 51/2 games of a playoff spot. That number would have been 13 under the old format, including only five of the 16 teams in the NL.</p> <p>The Phillies would seem to have a better shot to hang in than the Brewers, as they have been winning with their strong starting pitching and improved play from shortstop <strong>Jimmy Rollins.</strong></p> <p><strong>Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Kyle Kendrick</strong> and Hamels were 21-8 with a 2.96 ERA in 286 second-half innings entering the weekend, and rookie <strong>Tyler Cloyd</strong> had thrown well at times since replacing Vance Worley. Rollins hit .314 with four homers and a .931 OPS in the first 12 games after <strong>Charlie Manuel</strong> benched him for not running out a pop-up.</p> <p>Braun and the Brewers were pounding teams into submission. They averaged 5.4 runs in a 40-game stretch, out-homering their opponents 56-31.</p> <p>It's not going to be easy for either team to complete their journey back from the playoff grave. While the Brewers leave Monday for a tough 10-game trip that takes them to Pittsburgh, Washington and Cincinnati â" and with Braun (wrist) and <strong>Corey Hart</strong> (foot) hurting â" the Phillies have nine games left against the Nationals and the Braves.</p> <p>The heaviest lifting starts now.</p> <p><strong>Buck stops here:</strong> Seven of the 10 biggest spenders missed the playoffs a year ago, with only the Yankees, Tigers and Phillies getting into October. It's possible that all five of the biggest spenders could miss this year. The Yankees, Tigers, Angels and Phillies need strong finishes to get there, and the Red Sox already are dead.</p> <p>From this year's top 10, the Rangers (sixth in Opening Day payroll) and Giants (eighth) are the only teams pretty well assured of playoff spots. The others that can coast in are the Braves (16th), Reds (17th) and Nationals (20th).</p> <p><strong>Looking human:</strong> Is Superman losing his cape? <strong>Mike Trout</strong> batted .324 in May, .372 in June, .392 in July but only .288 in August and .298 for the first 12 games of September. There's not a bad month in this bunch but the trend shows the wear and tear of his first extended season.</p> <p>"Mike is incredibly energetic,'' Angels GM <strong>Jerry Dipoto</strong> told the Orange County Register. "He brings such a high level of energy to the game every day. But he has entered that zone where this is going to be the longest season he has had to play. They call these the dog days for a reason."</p> <p>Dipoto isn't complaining.</p> <p>"The bar was set so high that we're talking about a month where he hit .290 as a lull," he said. "If his accomplishments to date have created a standard where simply being really good can be considered a lull, we're going to be OK.''</p> <p><strong>Feeling good:</strong> While the media continues to dissect the <strong>Stephen Strasburg</strong> shutdown, the Nationals feel great riding toward the playoffs with a lineup that now finds <strong>Ryan Zimmerman,</strong> the original cornerstone, looking like himself.</p> <p>Zimmerman looked like an imposter in the first 21/2 months of the season. Bothered by a bad right shoulder, he was hitting .218 with three homers, 22 RBIs and a .590 OPS on June 24, but found relief after a cortisone shot and hasn't looked back.</p> <p>"I'm OK with the slow starts, but not being able to swing the bat and do the things health-wise, I was worried about that," Zimmerman said. "Because I know my body pretty well. Everyone in this room plays hurt. Everyone in every locker room. Nobody's healthy. And I've played hurt a lot just like everyone else. But it was a different kind of feeling. It made me nervous."</p> <p>In his first 72 games after the injection, Zimmerman hit .339 with 19 homers, 62 RBI and a 1.021 OPS. He entered the weekend with a 16-game hitting streak, including at least one RBI in a franchise record nine straight games.</p> <p>"We're riding him," manager <strong>Davey Johnson</strong> said. "Zim's swinging the bat good and playing good."</p> <p><strong>The last word:</strong> "Man, I don't know. The third person would probably win." â" 2002 MVP <strong>Jeff Kent,</strong> who is appearing on "Survivor,'' when asked who would win if he and <strong>Barry Bonds</strong> were on the same island.</p> <p><em><a href="mailto:progers@tribune.com">progers@tribune.com</a></em></p> <p><em>Twitter @ChiTribRogers</em></p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-64024565597616993782012-09-15T09:35:00.001-07:002012-09-15T09:35:25.152-07:00NY Mets snap six-game slide with a 7-3 road victory over Milwaukee Brewers at ... - New York Daily News<div itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" itemid="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1160250!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/metsweb15s-1-web.jpg"><img title="MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 14: Daniel Murphy #28 of the New York Mets celebrates with Jonathan Niese #49 after hitting a two-run home run in the top of the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on September 14, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)" height="423" itemprop="contentUrl" alt="MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 14: Daniel Murphy #28 of the New York Mets celebrates with Jonathan Niese #49 after hitting a two-run home run in the top of the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on September 14, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)" width="635" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1160250.1347681043!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/metsweb15s-1-web.jpg"/><h4 class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</h4> <h4 class="caption" itemprop="description"/> <p>Mets' Daniel Murphy celebrates with Jonathan Niese after hitting a two-run home run in the 2nd inning.</p> </div><div itemprop="articleBody"> <p><strong><a href="http://nydailynews.stats.com/mlb/boxscore.asp?gamecode=320914108&meta=true">METS 7, BREWERS 3</a></strong></p> <p>MILWAUKEE â" This is hope for the previously hopeless, what the Milwaukee Brewers are doing. This changes everything about how we view so-so teams, now and forever.</p><p>An overstatement? Hardly. Baseballâs second wild card, in effect for the first time this year, will affect the Mets during these next few summers of modest expectations â" and provide a reason for middling teams to believe that a well-timed hot streak can vault them into playoff contention.</p><p>Just look at the Brewers. They fell back to .500 after losing, 7-3, to the Mets on Friday night, but remain in the flawed race, littered as it is with inglorious teams.</p><p>This was not their year, or would not have been before this new playoff spot existed. The Brewers saw free agent Prince Fielder split last winter for Motown. Traded ace Zack Greinke to the Angels in July. Had 64 wins and 68 losses on Sept. 1.</p><p>This was not a contender, before beginning this month on a 10-4 run. Now, whether or not they make the playoffs, the Brewers are playing pennant-race baseball in mid-September, providing their beery, cheery fans with a hope and a story line.</p><p>No one expects the 2013 Mets to be much better than this yearâs version; pitchers are still developing, and the payroll will not see a significant uptick. But as the Brewers, and next weekâs opponent, the Phillies, have shown this year, there is a different model under this new system. Teams need only to avoid sinking completely until September, and start winning late.</p><p>âI think itâs great,â Terry Collins said, naturally. âIt keeps not only the players excited, it keeps the cities, the fans excited to play in the postseason.â</p><p>Collins is an old-schooler, and in the old days teams could win 100 games or more, and miss the playoffs. Is it a good thing that will no longer happen?</p><p>âYes, I think it is,â Collins said. âI just think, you watch other sports that have so many teams that play in the playoffs, I think itâs great. These guys want to play in October, I think itâs a tremendous move, and Iâm excited to see how it plays out.â</p><p>Scott Hairston was a Padre in 2010, when San Diego missed the playoffs after a September collapse. Under the new system, Hairston would have been able to enjoy October action.</p><p>âI think itâs a great thing for the game,â Hairston said. âIt gives more teams an opportunity to play in the postseason. I canât see any negative to come out of that at all.â</p><p>On this night, a Mets team starved for offense enjoyed a rare outburst, aided by two Milwaukee throwing errors. Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda contributed home runs, Jon Niese allowed two runs in six innings, and the Mets showed life not evident during the recent 0-6 home stand.  </p><p>No amount of scoring, or winning, can elevate this particular season â" but as their flawed opponent showed Friday, and as the Mets will remember next spring, you no longer have to be great in order to be relevant.</p> <p><img alt="METSWEB15S_3_WEB" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1160248!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/metsweb15s-3-web.jpg"/><h4 class="credit">Mike McGinnis/Getty Images</h4> <h4 class="caption">Jon Niese.</h4> </p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-46420202199719752802012-09-14T23:35:00.001-07:002012-09-14T23:35:24.763-07:00Mejia eager to show Mets his stuff - New York Post<p><strong>Redirect Notice</strong></p> <div class="c"><p class="readability-styled"> The previous page is sending you to </p><a href="/url?q=http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/start_him_up_QH7kKktOeENXBB5K8IpmaI%3Futm_medium%3Drss&ei=Rh9UUNqAIuizigLEq4CAAw&sa=X&oi=unauthorizedredirect&ct=targetlink&ust=1347692110559561&usg=AFQjCNFtxzWNmVFB7zIODi6KGrbWqq5qpg">http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/start_him_up_QH7kKktOeENXBB5K8IpmaI?utm_medium=rss</a><p class="readability-styled">.</p><p> If you do not want to visit that page, you can <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFQhhFPKd977IV9atsee-5CVoNXqQ&url=http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/start_him_up_QH7kKktOeENXBB5K8IpmaI?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Mets" onclick="return go_back();" onmousedown="ctu();">return to the previous page</a>.</p></div> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-42434687778210844832012-09-14T22:35:00.001-07:002012-09-14T22:35:24.962-07:00Struggling Mets beat Brewers - Yahoo! Sports<div> <p class="first">MILWAUKEE (AP) -- <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/9078">Mike Fiers</a> knows how damaging the loss might be for the surging Milwaukee Brewers.</p> <p>''The playoffs are right around the corner, and we need to win as many games as possible,'' the Brewers' pitcher said. ''Sure, there's a little bit of pressure there, but there is no excuse for me throwing the ball all over the place. I need to get back to pitching and start in the first inning.''</p> <p><a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8796">Lucas Duda</a> homered and doubled, <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8333">Jonathon Niese</a> pitched six strong innings and the New York Mets snapped a six-game losing streak, beating the surging Brewers 7-3 on Friday night.</p> <p>The loss dropped Milwaukee back to .500 at 72-72 - four games behind St. Louis for the second National League wild-card spot.</p> <p>Fiers (9-8) gave up six hits and four runs in five innings for Milwaukee, which had won 18 of 23 coming in.</p> <p>''One game is not going to change it,'' Fiers said. ''We had a really good stretch of wins here. We can still win the series. It's one game. If we can come back and win these next two games, it would be nice. It doesn't really matter where we're at. We need to win.''</p> <p>Niese (11-9), who had lost three straight starts, settled down after giving up two second-inning runs, allowing six hits, three walks and the two runs. He also had two hits and scored a run, helping the Mets to their biggest offensive output since a 9-5 extra-inning victory over Philadelphia on Aug. 28.</p> <p><a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8314">Daniel Murphy</a> also homered for New York.</p> <p>Fiers struggled from the start, and the Mets scored twice in both the first and second innings, equaling their offensive output in three losses in a sweep against Washington.</p> <p>In the first, Murphy walked with one out, went to third on <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7382">David Wright</a>'s double and scored on Ike Davis' groundout. Wright scored on Duda's ground-rule double.</p> <p>The Mets made it 4-0 in the second when Niese singled with one out and, two batters later, Murphy hit a ball into the second deck in right field for his sixth home run of the season.</p> <p>''Just command again,'' Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said about Fiers. ''He came out not throwing strikes. He tried to throw fastballs away and was pulling them across the plate a lot on the lefties. It was command, with the offspeed pitches also.''</p> <p>Milwaukee answered with two in the second, and it would have been more but for two runners getting thrown out at home. Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez led off with singles, and <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7734">Travis Ishikawa</a> doubled in Lucroy. Jean Segura grounded to Niese, who caught Gomez off third base, and Wright eventually tagged him out in a rundown. Fiers then singled in Ishikawa for his second RBI of the season. Norichika Aoki bounced to third, and Segura was tagged out at home. Rickie Weeks struck out to end the threat.</p> <p>Shoddy defense cost Milwaukee in the sixth.</p> <p>Duda homered to right center off reliever Manny Parra to lead off the inning - his second since being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo.</p> <p>Then, with one out, Andres Torres reached on an error by shortstop Jean Segura, who threw high to first on the slow roller. Torres scored on Josh Thole's double. Niese followed with an infield single that caromed off third baseman Aramis Ramirez's chest - barely keeping alive his errorless streak of 42 games. Ruben Tejada followed with what should have been an easy double-play grounder to Ramirez, but Rickie Weeks' relay throw to first bounced in the dirt and got away from Ishikawa, scoring Thole.</p> <p>''We haven't played this type game in quite a while,'' Roenicke said. ''I know we're going to have one of these once in a while, but we certainly need to bounce back tomorrow and play a lot better.''</p> <p>The Brewers threatened in the eighth with leadoff singles by Ryan Braun and Ramirez before a spectacular Mets double play, as Lucroy grounded sharply up the middle to a diving Tejada, who from his stomach flipped the ball to second, where Murphy pivoted and threw quickly to first.</p> <p>Milwaukee added a run in the ninth on Nyjer Morgan's RBI triple.</p> <p>The Brewers had won nine straight at home, tying a Miller Park record, and were one shy of equaling the franchise mark. The streak included a sweep of the Braves earlier in the week that put them over .500 for the first time since they were 4-3 on April 12. Milwaukee was 12 games under .500 as recently as Aug. 19 before its recent streak made it a wild-card contender.</p> <p>''Nobody expects us to be in this thing, and I think we've played that way, and that's why we've gotten back in it,'' Roenicke said. ''If you start looking at every game like it's 'you have to win,' I don't think the young guys will do well with that. So we haven't gone there.''</p> <p>The Mets - 19-38 since the All-Star Break entering play - had lost eight of nine and came in 13 games under .500 for the first time since the end of the 2009 season.</p> <p>''They play great here, we know they play great here,'' Mets manager Terry Collins said about the Brewers. ''They're in the hunt. They don't make many mistakes, so when they do, you've got to capitalize on it, and we did tonight.''</p> <p>Notes: Mets 3B <a class="yom-entity-link yom-entity-sports_player" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7382">David Wright</a> extended his hitting streak to eight games with his first-inning double. ... Brewers 1B Corey Hart missed his fourth straight game with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. ... New York Mets RHP Jenrry Mejia starts on Saturday - exactly two years since his last major league start. Mejia started three games for New York in 2010 and did not pitch in the majors in 2011 after Tommy John surgery. He has one relief appearance since being recalled Sept. 4.</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-30520512377521785822012-09-14T21:35:00.001-07:002012-09-14T21:35:24.901-07:00Brewers Power Their Way Back Into Wild-Card Picture - New York Times<div> <p itemprop="articleBody">MILWAUKEE â" The flat-screen televisions in the middle of the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/baseball/majorleague/milwaukeebrewers/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="Recent news and scores about the Milwaukee Brewers." class="meta-org">Milwaukee Brewers</a> clubhouse were strangely dark on Friday afternoon.</p> </div><div> <p itemprop="articleBody">The Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the teams the Brewers are chasing in the National League wild-card race, were playing the Cubs in Chicago, and the game was playing on multiple screens in the Mets clubhouse down the hall. A few Brewers checked out the broadcast on the lunchroom television in midafternoon, but about half the players sat at their lockers, talking or fiddling with personal electronic devices.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">The score? Irrelevant.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âNot everybody is always TV watching,â Brewers closer John Axford said. âAt the same time, we donât want to count on other teams. We want to make sure, if we make this run, weâre going to do it in our own way. Worrying about other teams in the wild-card race is only going to deter what weâre trying to accomplish.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">That the Brewers are in the hunt at all, after tumbling to a season-worst 12 games under .500 on Aug. 19, meant that Manager Ron Roenickeâs trips out in public are more pleasurable.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Roenicke, his wife, Karen, and son Lance made the two-and-a-half hour drive to Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Thursday to watch the Packers beat the Chicago Bears, 23-10. The family sat in the stands instead of a suite, and Roenicke said spectators repeatedly offered congratulations for the 18-5 run that has put the Brewers 3 ½ games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, their N.L. Central nemesis, for the second wild-card spot.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âEverywhere I went, walked around in the stands, they were really nice,â Roenicke said. âIt just shows you how everybodyâs excited about what weâre doing again. Weâre getting to that point where weâre being talked about. Three weeks ago, I donât know if we were talked about too much â" not in a good way.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">True. Last year as a rookie manager, Roenicke directed the Brewers to a franchise-record 96 victories and their first division title since 1982. A turbulent off-season included the loss of clubhouse leader Prince Fielder to Detroit through free agency, and the eventually successful appeal by Ryan Braun, the N.L.âs 2011 most valuable player, against a possible 50-game suspension for a positive drug test. The Brewers struggled into August with injuries, a shaky bullpen and inconsistent hitting.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Then, on July 27, after a seven-game losing streak dropped the team to 44-54, General Manager Doug Melvin traded the former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke to the Los Angeles Angels for three prospects rather than lose him as a free agent. Greinke, 9-3 at the time, will be a free agent this winter.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Melvin said Milwaukeeâs record at the time partly influenced his decision.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">But he held off dealing anyone else, even though the Dodgers reportedly had interest in Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âWe didnât make a lot of moves just because we werenât playing well,â Melvin said.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âI donât think the club panicked. I think they were disappointed in where we were. I donât think we ever thought we were out of it.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Braun, Ramirez and Hart have hit well enough all year to stand second, third and fourth in the National League in extra base hits going into Friday night, behind Jay Bruce of Cincinnati. Teammates have not swept the top three positions since Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and Moose Skowron did it in the American League with the 1960 Yankees.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">All three Brewers sluggers, and second baseman Rickie Weeks, have been especially productive in this 23-game stretch, though Hart has been out since Sunday with a plantar fascia tear in his left foot.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Braun, bidding for a second M.V.P. award, has hit .333 with 5 homers and 17 runs batted in in that span, while Ramirez has been even better: .333, 6 homers and 19 R.B.I.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Ramirez, mainly batting fourth behind Braun, has quietly put together an M.V.P.-caliber second half, batting .332 with 13 homers and 39 R.B.I.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âThe run heâs gone on of late has been absolutely phenomenal,â Axford said. âBecause of maybe where we are, the production heâs put together this year has been overlooked. Surround that guy with all these other pieces, and things start to click.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">And Weeks? After batting .199 at the All-Star break, Weeks has hit .355 with 6 homers and 11 R.B.I. since Aug. 30. With all that hitting the Brewers have won all nine of Yovani Gallardoâs starts since July 31, a stretch in which he is 6-0 with eight quality starts.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âI know we still have a long ways,â Roenicke said. âWe have a lot of teams in front of us. But if we continue to play like weâre playing, itâs going to be interesting at the end.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">INSIDE PITCH</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Both Mets Manager TERRY COLLINS and Milwaukee Manager RON ROENICKE said they considered a May 15 incident in which D. J. Carrasco, then with the Mets, hit Ryan Braun after a Rickie Weeks home run a nonissue. Collins removed David Wright from that game, fearing the Brewers might retaliate. âThatâs so long ago that it really doesnât even come into my mind at all,â Roenicke said. âWeâre at a point right now, weâve got to worry about beating these guys and winning as many games as we can.â</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-69018054181342951372012-09-14T18:35:00.001-07:002012-09-14T18:35:25.493-07:00Resurrected Brewers Stay in the Hunt - New York Times<div> <p itemprop="articleBody">MILWAUKEE â" The flat-screen televisions in the middle of the <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/baseball/majorleague/milwaukeebrewers/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="Recent news and scores about the Milwaukee Brewers." class="meta-org">Milwaukee Brewers</a> clubhouse were strangely dark on Friday afternoon.</p> </div><div> <p itemprop="articleBody">The Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the teams the Brewers are chasing in the National League wild-card race, were playing the Cubs in Chicago, and the game was playing on multiple screens in the Mets clubhouse down the hall. A few Brewers checked out the broadcast on the lunchroom television in midafternoon, but about half the players sat at their lockers, talking or fiddling with personal electronic devices.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">The score? Irrelevant.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âNot everybody is always TV watching,â Brewers closer John Axford said. âAt the same time, we donât want to count on other teams. We want to make sure, if we make this run, weâre going to do it in our own way. Worrying about other teams in the wild-card race is only going to deter what weâre trying to accomplish.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">That the Brewers are in the hunt at all, after tumbling to a season-worst 12 games under .500 on Aug. 19, meant that Manager Ron Roenickeâs trips out in public are more pleasurable.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Roenicke, his wife, Karen, and son Lance made the two-and-a-half hour drive to Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Thursday to watch the Packers beat the Chicago Bears, 23-10. The family sat in the stands instead of a suite, and Roenicke said spectators repeatedly offered congratulations for the 18-5 run that has put the Brewers 3 ½ games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, their N.L. Central nemesis, for the second wild-card spot.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âEverywhere I went, walked around in the stands, they were really nice,â Roenicke said. âIt just shows you how everybodyâs excited about what weâre doing again. Weâre getting to that point where weâre being talked about. Three weeks ago, I donât know if we were talked about too much â" not in a good way.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">True. Last year as a rookie manager, Roenicke directed the Brewers to a franchise-record 96 victories and their first division title since 1982. A turbulent off-season included the loss of clubhouse leader Prince Fielder to Detroit through free agency, and the eventually successful appeal by Ryan Braun, the N.L.âs 2011 most valuable player, against a possible 50-game suspension for a positive drug test. The Brewers struggled into August with injuries, a shaky bullpen and inconsistent hitting.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Then, on July 27, after a seven-game losing streak dropped the team to 44-54, General Manager Doug Melvin traded the former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke to the Los Angeles Angels for three prospects rather than lose him as a free agent. Greinke, 9-3 at the time, will be a free agent this winter.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Melvin said Milwaukeeâs record at the time partly influenced his decision.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">But he held off dealing anyone else, even though the Dodgers reportedly had interest in Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âWe didnât make a lot of moves just because we werenât playing well,â Melvin said.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âI donât think the club panicked. I think they were disappointed in where we were. I donât think we ever thought we were out of it.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Braun, Ramirez and Hart have hit well enough all year to stand second, third and fourth in the National League in extra base hits going into Friday night, behind Jay Bruce of Cincinnati. Teammates have not swept the top three positions since Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and Moose Skowron did it in the American League with the 1960 Yankees.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">All three Brewers sluggers, and second baseman Rickie Weeks, have been especially productive in this 23-game stretch, though Hart has been out since Sunday with a plantar fascia tear in his left foot.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Braun, bidding for a second M.V.P. award, has hit .333 with 5 homers and 17 runs batted in in that span, while Ramirez has been even better: .333, 6 homers and 19 R.B.I.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Ramirez, mainly batting fourth behind Braun, has quietly put together an M.V.P.-caliber second half, batting .332 with 13 homers and 39 R.B.I.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âThe run heâs gone on of late has been absolutely phenomenal,â Axford said. âBecause of maybe where we are, the production heâs put together this year has been overlooked. Surround that guy with all these other pieces, and things start to click.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">And Weeks? After batting .199 at the All-Star break, Weeks has hit .355 with 6 homers and 11 R.B.I. since Aug. 30. With all that hitting the Brewers have won all nine of Yovani Gallardoâs starts since July 31, a stretch in which he is 6-0 with eight quality starts.</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">âI know we still have a long ways,â Roenicke said. âWe have a lot of teams in front of us. But if we continue to play like weâre playing, itâs going to be interesting at the end.â</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">INSIDE PITCH</p> <p itemprop="articleBody">Both Mets Manager TERRY COLLINS and Milwaukee Manager RON ROENICKE said they considered a May 15 incident in which D. J. Carrasco, then with the Mets, hit Ryan Braun after a Rickie Weeks home run a nonissue. Collins removed David Wright from that game, fearing the Brewers might retaliate. âThatâs so long ago that it really doesnât even come into my mind at all,â Roenicke said. âWeâre at a point right now, weâve got to worry about beating these guys and winning as many games as we can.â</p> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5898506212600535713.post-37008379654482171702012-09-14T09:35:00.001-07:002012-09-14T09:35:27.060-07:00New York Mets (65-78) at Milwaukee Brewers (72-71), 8:10 p.m. (ET) - Kansas City Star<div id="storyBody"> <p> <h4>By Sports Network</h4> <h4>The Sports Network</h4> </p> <p><span class="byline author vcard fn">By Sports Network</span></p> <p><span class="updated" title="2012-09-14T15:15:36Z">Updated: 2012-09-14T15:15:36Z</span></p> <div class="entry-content"> <p> Right-hander Mike Fiers tries for the 10th win of his major-league career Friday when the Milwaukee Brewers host the New York Mets to begin a three-game weekend series at Miller Park.</p> The Hollywood, Fla. native allowed two hits in two scoreless relief innings with the Brewers last season, then debuted this season in late May and posted a 1.96 earned run average through 10 outings while winning just three times.He's been more successful with wins and losses since, however, going 6-3 in his last nine appearances, though the ERA has climbed substantially from 1.96 to 3.05.Fiers was a 6-3 winner at St. Louis in his most recent outing on Sept. 8, allowing a run on five hits in five innings with three walks and five strikeouts.He has never faced the Mets.For New York, lefty Jonathon Niese takes the mound with a chance to equal his career-high in wins.The seventh-round draft pick in 2005 had his major-league breakout season with 11 wins in 27 outings while putting up a 4.40 earned run average in 157 1/3 innings.He got to win No. 10 this season with a 2-0 defeat of Washington on Aug. 18, but has dropped three consecutive attempts at the record-tying triumph while losing to Houston, Philadelphia and Atlanta.In those three games, Niese has allowed seven runs in 20 hits in 19 innings.He's 1-0 lifetime against the Brewers in three starts.On Wednesday in New York, Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond each hit a solo homer to help the Washington Nationals complete a three-game sweep of the Mets with a 2-0 decision at Citi Field.Even though he posted double-digit strikeouts for the second time in his career, Matt Harvey (3-5) was given no run support and was charged with the loss. The rookie right-hander fanned 10 Nationals, one shy of his career high, but gave up Zimmerman's blast as one of five hits he allowed in five- plus frames."I felt good early and then I think I pressed to do too much," Harvey said. "That's a mistake that I regret and need to learn from."After setting a franchise record on Tuesday for most consecutive home games without scoring more than three runs, New York extended its streak to 13 in Wednesday night's loss.In Milwaukee, Rickie Weeks hit a three-run home run as the Brewers used a big fifth inning to take an 8-2 win over the Atlanta Braves and sweep a three-game set.Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run double in the big inning for the Brewers, who have won five of six to move three games behind St. Louis for the final wild card spot in the National League."I thought even when we were playing under .500 that we had the personnel to get over and get back in the chase," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "At our lowest point, I still thought we had it in us, but I still had some doubts that we would get back in it. But a lot of the young guys we've called up have performed well."Yovani Gallardo (15-8) won his seventh straight decision as he gave up just two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts over seven innings of work.The Mets and Brewers split two games in a series in New York in May, after Milwaukee won four of six games between the teams in 2011.</div> <div id="item-license" class="c3"><a rel="item-license" href="http://www.kansascity.com/terms-of-service">Copyright 2012 . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</a></div> </div><img src="http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0