The Milwaukee Brewers came into the 2012 season with a very good bullpen. Closer John Axford was coming off a 46 save season in 2011, and eighth inning setup man and potential backup closer Francisco Rodriguez surprised everyone by accepting salary arbitration and returning to Milwaukee. There were a few changes in middle relief, but it was still a solid group of pitchers that I figured would preserve a lot of victories for the Brewers' fine starting rotation.
I could not have been more wrong. Axford, who had been Mr. Automatic last season, had problems with command of his pitches, lost six games and blew six of his first 22 save opportunities before he was removed as closer in mid-July. He allowed just two hits and no runs in his first four appearances as a middle reliever, and appears to be regaining his confidence. It's still too early to declare Axford to be back to the top of his game, but he's headed in the right direction and I expect him to be the closer again down the road.
Beyond that, the bullpen, which had been inconsistent all year went into a complete meltdown in the first two games of the club's series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Brewers blew a four run lead in the ninth inning in Game 1 on July 23rd and followed that up by blowing a five run lead in the eighth inning on July 24th. I can't ever recall seeing collapses of this magnitude on consecutive nights, where so many pitchers failed to get the job done.
Manny Parra, who's had his ups and downs but had walked just three hitters in his last 13 appearances, suddenly had no idea where the plate was and walked three in two thirds of an inning on the 23rd and three more in a third of an inning of work on the 24th. Parra also gave up four earned runs in that third of an inning on the 24th. Jose Veras and Kameron Loe each gave up a run in a third of an inning in that game. Veras and has been a disappointment in his first (and possibly only) season in Milwaukee. Loe started out the season as the most reliable middle reliever in the bullpen. As recently as June 17th, he had a 2.64 ERA. Since then, he's blown four saves, picked up two losses, and saw his ERA climb to 4.04. Loe's 4.04 is actually the best ERA of any Brewers' reliever.
Since coming to the Brewers, Rodriguez has had few three up and three down innings and has had a tendency to put runners on base. Last year, he was able to pitch out of those jams most of the time, but that has not been true as much this season. Coming into the July 23rd game in the ninth inning with a three run lead, K-Rod should have had an easy save. Three walks, three hits, and a sacrifice fly later, Rodriguez had his fifth loss and fifth blown save of the year. Approaching the July 31st trade deadline, Rodriguez was a possible trade candidate as a closer, but his value took a big hit with this debacle.
Over the short term, the Brewers may have to consider allowing their starters to go longer if they have relatively low or moderate pitch counts and not routinely go to the bullpen in the seventh inning. Over the long term, the Brewers need a major evaluation and revamping of the bullpen. Some players may return to form and be back, but expect a lot of new faces in Spring Training 2013.
A Featured Contributor in Sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, Mark Hudziak has been a fan of the Brewers since they moved to Milwaukee in 1970.
Sources:
Phillies rally to beat Brewers
Phillies rally for 7-6 win over Brewers
Statistics from Yahoo! Sports Milwaukee Brewers
More from this contributor:
Jonathan Lucroy Goes Two for Three in First Minor League Rehab Game: Milwaukee Brewers Fan Reaction
Milwaukee Brewers Need More Offense From Their Center Fielders: Fan's View
Corey Hart Adjusting Well to Playing First Base for Milwaukee Brewers: Fan's View
A Look at the U.S. Sprinters in the Men's 100 Meters at the London Olympics: Fan's Preview
No comments:
Post a Comment