Rolling Carlos Gomez GIFs: Your 2014 Milwaukee Brewers thread

Jumping the gun a bit here, but after a long winter and a DOA 2013 season, we need the distraction of spring training more than ever.

And there's a lot to look forward to this season: the starting rotation is secretly pretty good, and if the team is a long shot to actually make the playoffs, they're at least poised to possibly, maybe be in contention for a wild card come September, which really is all that I ask for as a fan.

From an NY Times hypothetical:

Let’s skip ahead to the victory celebration and imagine how baseball’s general managers and decision makers might sum up a run to the championship.

BREWERS, Doug Melvin

People forget that we were actually over .500 after Ryan Braun’s suspension last year. With Braun back, the offense we already had, a strong bullpen and Matt Garza making our rotation deeper, this isn’t really a surprise to us.

you promised Gomez gifs

Oh there will be plenty. I'm sure he's going to make a diving catch in one of the Marlins aquariums or something and it'll be incredible

Just peaked into the Cardinals thread and they are already having a long, eager conversation about prospects. Guessing that won't happen here.

you never know! and as a favor from one harddrinking midwestern NL central team to another:

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2894699/Carlos-Gomez-robs-Votto.gif

oh hell yes
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/3290553/atlmilfight3.gif

http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/3290553/atlmilfight3.gif

A+

not to put a damper on things but that NYT article is soooooo hilariously bad

TWINS, Terry Ryan

Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano were 20 when this season started, and now they’ve brought Minneapolis its first title since before they were born. What a thrill to see Phil Hughes jump into the arms of first baseman Joe Mauer after the final out.

WHITE SOX, Rick Hahn

Nobody thought we’d be standing here after scoring the fewest runs in the league in 2013 while allowing the most unearned runs. But then again, nobody knew how good Jose Abreu would be.

YANKEES, Brian Cashman

How funny that we won our 28th championship while using only one player under 28 years old in the World Series. Of course, that player was Masahiro Tanaka. His three wins and a save will go down in Yankees lore.

MARLINS, Dan Jennings

We built our ballpark on the site of the Orange Bowl, so it was pretty cool to see Jose Fernandez predict this upset and make the No. 1 sign as he left through the tunnel. And no, we’re not trading him.

METS, Sandy Alderson

Ike Davis, Curtis Granderson and Chris Young all rediscovered their 30-homer bats, and when Bartolo Colon went down in the playoffs, Matt Harvey came off the disabled list. When he struck out Stephen Drew to win the World Series, it was amazin’!

NATIONALS, Mike Rizzo

Doug Fister gave us a four-deep rotation, Bryce Harper was named the National League’s most valuable player, and Washington is so crazy for us that even congressmen walk around with their shirts untucked like Rafael Soriano after the last out.

Yeah, wishful thinking and thin logic abound. But it's still nice to fantasize.

BEARS, Morris Buttermaker

Sure, it's easy to put everything on Kelly Leak and Amanda Whurlitzer. But what most impressed me was how far the other kids came: Ahmad, Tanner, Rudi Stein is my top SABRmetrician -- and Little Timmy Lupus, are you kidding me with that defense?

@AdamMcCalvy 8m
Aramis Ramirez had surgery to remove a non-malignant polyp from his colon and will be a few days behind when spring games start.

Does anybody think this guy will be able to stay healthy for a full season?

ya - why not?

reckless ballplayers and their non-malignant polyps

http://mlblogsbrewers.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/bullpen-phone.jpg

http://brewers.mlblogs.com/2014/02/19/fetcher-reports-to-spring-training-tries-to-walk-on-as-member-of-2014-brewers

I like him

http://media.jsonline.com/images/242976021_gomez%20hair.jpg

http://deadspin.com/hank-the-dog-runs-in-a-milwaukee-brewers-sausage-race-1531870105

So far in the first inning of the season, a Segura walk, a Weeks strikeout, and a Ryan Braun homerun.

Just before the homer, one fan wearing an A's hat yelled "MVP-E-D."

Mike Vassallo ‏@MikeVassallo13
Ryan Braun goes 2-for-2 with a run, double and walk today. Has reached base in 6 of 7 plate apps this spring (4-for-5, hr, 2bb).

Scooter Gennett is 2-21 this spring

ehh. david ortiz is 2-for-18

david ortiz ate scooter gennett by accident

it begins!

http://mlb.com/news/article/mil/brewers-reliever-francisco-rodriguez-gets-treatment-after-stepping-on-cactus?ymd=20140312&content_id=69172758&vkey=news_mil

Rodriguez is already behind the other relievers because he signed late in the offseason and arrived late after securing a work visa amid political turmoil in Venezuela. Roenicke does not believe the cactus caper will prevent Rodriguez from being ready by the Brewers' March 31 season opener.

Roenicke does not believe the cactus caper will prevent Rodriguez from being ready by the Brewers' March 31 season opener.

cactus caper

Estrada was in ace mode today: 5 1/2 scoreless innings, 50 of his 70 pitches were strikes.

@MikeVassallo13
Marco Estrada (6ip, 4h, 0bb, 5k) lowers his spring ERA to 2.70. He has tossed 12.0 consecutive scoreless innings.

Most underrated Brewer right now

I hope so! It suddenly looks like a real solid rotation if he's performing as well as he's shown capable of.

Hart disappointed his Brewers teammates didn't reach out to him more during his contract negotiations.

“I’m sure when we see each other there will be a lot of hugs. But that’s about it,” Hart said

Only hugs? Cold.

http://www.4freeimagehost.com/show.php?i=PUSH24606c426b85.jpg

brewers will have hank the dog bobblehead night on 9/13

I'm gonna try to go to the exhibition game tomorrow since I can't do opening day. Interested in seeing how they integrate Hank into the in-game graphics. I'm assuming there's clips of him on the scoreboard at some point.

at every point. i'm actually thinking they'll add him to the 25-man roster and platoon him at first.

Fun game. Estrada killed it again today; another five scoreless innings.

Not sure if RRR was making a point by not challenging that Ramirez out, but he would have won that challenge

turning up the heat

Two consecutive homeruns for Braun. Keep those boos coming, Philly.

yeah, that'll do :)

i don't care if he's a philly-killer - i love braun

also ffs if we're going to boo anyone we should be booing our own team

Gomez out to a strong start again. Though 2013 had "career year" written all over it I just love to see the dude do well, I love the combo of speed + flash + randomly shredding through a bat with your kneecap

This will be a big year for Tyler Thornburg. Would love to see him have a good year here and then transition into the rotation in 2015. One of the few bright spots in our horrible farm team.

so this season is going pretty well

http://giant.gfycat.com/AbleHeartyDevilfish.gif

h8 u aramis

I know it won't last forever so I am trying to enjoy it while I can, but holy shit, best record in baseball. It's surreal.

Like, the whole run up to the season was "omg, the team has such an impossible schedule in April, no fair." Turns out it wasn't a thing.

just like every Brewer team since 2005 I think they have a chance if they stay healthy. I don't think they're as good as the 2011 team but they're not that far off, especially with Gomez continuing to play like an all-star

Oh! It's written in the stars....

9 in a row!

Pittsburgh starting to look like the Pittsburgh we all remember from not-too-long ago

i am afraid for the cardinals to play the brewers today. :(

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/Matt-Garza-Brewers-Cardinals-crazy-041414.gif

pretty much how I feel every time the Cards are in town now

ditto. they always seem to run super hot vs. milwaukee

what a shame

Phew, got back a little bit of our dignity with that one. And also Peralta and Thornburg. Incredible.

that makes 20 straight batters retired for Thorny

After years of watching these guys not quite live up to hopes and expectations it really is a treat seeing them fall into their grooves

Man, nuts game today. Milwaukee commits 4 errors (including Reynolds and Ramirez running into each other on a pop-up) and show off more terrible baserunning yet still do just enough to win thanks to Scooter and a bizarre play where Maldonado literally hits the cover off the ball which eventually results in another run. Better lucky than good!!

Happy Easter, Carlos Gomez.

@CJNitkowski
Best I could tell Gerrit Cole's feelings were hurt when Carlos Gomez hammered that ball. Talked trash, scampered away when Gomez bit back.

this series has been really entertaining, Braun now twice tying the game off Grilli, lets hope we get the same result today

i find it weird that MLB's stance on fans running on the field is "don't film it don't even talk about it" but whenever the slightest scuffle breaks out they make it front and center everywhere

they feel that paying attn to fans running on the field will inspire more to try it. it isnt particularly interesting and is potentially dangerous to players in theory.

scuffles are a ~disgrace~, of course, but exciting and totally part of fan entertainment

Brew Crew are looking pretty good. I think just getting back Ramirez and Braun is obviously one of the big differences. If they are productive and you add them with Lucroy and Gomez, you got a really nice middle of the lineup. I think the question will end up being will the pitching hold out.

As a Reds and big NL Central Baseball fan, I think it is going to be a pretty epic season this year. You hear that baseball's fan base is sliding, but to me it seems that there is some pretty big interest in baseball among this division's fanbases.

Most epic battle in the Trot Wars yet.

If you re-watch on MLB Gameday you can clearly hear Cole yell "Stay there, motherfucker!" as Gomez heads to third.

i find it weird that MLB's stance on fans running on the field is "don't film it don't even talk about it" but whenever the slightest scuffle breaks out they make it front and center everywhere

these are two very different things imo

agreed that Milwaukee could definitely be competitive again this year - projections had them at 83-79 though I think with some players turning out better than expected and a bit of luck they could be a 90 win team and so far they've had both those things. as Braun put it they could've easily been swept in Pittsburgh but things just rolled their way.

I have no doubt the bottom will fall out eventually, possibly sooner than later. Eventually luck will stop breaking our way, and we'll start to feel our lack of depth. But they're building up a mighty nice early cushion, and their schedule gets significantly easier after May, so this could be a very exciting fall

losing Gomez for a week or whatever is probably gonna hurt. I have confidence in the pitching but I do feel like this is a lineup that could suddenly go quiet for a long stretch. Segura hitting like 90% infield grounders is not a good sign and you have to imagine that Lucroy will eventually come back to earth (as well as Ramirez hitting like .800 with RISP)

Segura has been actively hard to watch, and Davis and Scooter could still break either way. We're placing a lot of expectations of relatively young/untested players (though damn, if Davis has a full-on breakout year it's going to be a crazy ride)

I've always rooted for Scooter though he hasn't exactly torn up the minors so I can see him struggling a bit. I hope not though, because Weeks has been awful so far. Davis I think is the real deal. Segura worries me though you gotta remember he's young and clearly isn't seeing the ball very well right now. My home is that the bullpen (particularly Will Smith and Tyler Thornburg) remain as good as they've been - lucky to have such a low ERA, but the peripherals have been outstanding thus far.

If you re-watch on MLB Gameday you can clearly hear Cole yell "Stay there, motherfucker!" as Gomez heads to third.

That's hilarious.

Even more hilarious:

@Haudricourt
Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole after the game: "I didn't curse at him." Audio from the video clip clearly shows he did curse Carlos Gomez.

So has Pittsburgh now replaced St. Louis and Cincy as the would too tight club in the NL Central?

I think they have.

wound too tight...

http://thebaseballcodes.com/2014/04/21/go-go-gone-gone-gomez-pimps-explodes-over-tongue-lashing

its a little funny to me how this situation is kinda the reverse of what happened with McCann and yet Gomez seems to be getting all the blame again. reminds me a bit of Nyjer Morgan, that dude would get blamed for any altercation no matter how slight because of his history. obviously it's in the team's best interest for Gomez to calm down or at least be more selectively aggressive (especially at the plate, which he's definitely gotten way better at - in 09 and 10 you could count on him to strike out on ABs in which not a single pitch in the strike zone was thrown). the article above has a good point too - NFL teams know which players get riled up easily and are most likely to give 'em a free 15 yards.

So the narrative is shaping up: The Brewers are villains.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/milwaukee-brewers-carlos-gomez-edgy-aggressive-winning-baseball-team-personality-042214

http://ronroenickestolemybaseball.com/2014/04/22/despicable-brewers/

The national media and all opposing fans are going to call Braun a cheater and Gomez a thug, and that’s just how it’s going to be. The Brewers know this which is why they hired a puppy to be the face of the franchise.

like '86 Mets w/ brats

so Braun just clobbered Segura in the face with his bat! didn't see it but sounds like it was pretty nasty.

Serves segura for insulting braun's mom like that

that braun's such a dick

Braun thought Segura was getting into his stash.

Holy hell, miracle win. We came from behind, in St. Louis, with Gallardo starting, without Braun and Segura, after losing Aramis. Incredible. This team is for real.

http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4373375/Gomez-Hug.gif

it was a lot of fun last night flipping between this and Spurs/Mavs. both seemed like they were going to end at exactly the same time too.

between Scooter, Reynolds, and Bianchi (who yesterday made a ridiculous over-the-shoulder catch halfway into the outfield that probably would've resulted in a walk-off had it not happened) we are seeing some really great infield defense for once with this team...after having Prince for so many years you forget what a good fielding 1B even looks like. so that's exciting!

Awesome .gif

what a monster - making innocent kid cry like that!

If Team Split Squad can beat the Cardinals in St. Louis then the Brewers truly can do anything. Another incredible win.

i bet that monsteroider braun would've bashed her face in with a bat

St. Louis Cardinals ‏@Cardinals 1m
Position player Martin Maldonado warming up in the Brewers bullpen.

doesn't look too bad, really

There's a time and a place for pitching position players, and that was it.

Doesn't look like we'll be keeping Wang around much longer though. We can't keep working our bullpen like that.

agreed - that was the right move. no shame in punting a game you're down by 6 in anyway (especially if your 3 and 4 hitters are Scooter and Lucroy!)

I don't quite understand how Rule 5 works, if Wang gets cut from the 25-man he's back on the Pirates right? It's hard to just release a 22-year old like that but if Roenicke has no intention of putting him in a meaningful situation even when the bullpen is taxed you have to figure his days are numbered.

if he's cut they have to offer him back to the pirates for like $50K or something. i'd assume the pirates would do it, but it's not uncommon to be like fine, give us someone else instead

upon reflection the pirates would totally do it -- he's 22 and lefty, kinda weird he was even rule 5 eligible

a few years ago the pirates basically tried to hide rule 5 pick donnie veal in the bullpen for an entire season -- 16 IP plus some minor league 'rehab'. but that's neither good for the player nor any team off to as good a start as the brewers.

If there were some loophole that let us send him down to minor league for "rehab" that would be incredible. But the current situation isn't fair to us or him. It's gonna mess up his development if he never gets minor league seasoning. It was a treat watching him pitch in spring, but playoffs will be the bigger treat

http://37.media.tumblr.com/37f0f0164470d657e065584324c805d6/tumblr_n4xfl0D5uO1rrldk1o2_400.gif

a few extra crow hops for votto(?)

yeah Votto's face was priceless on that. though to be fair Gomez got robbed in his first two at bats that game (well, the second one wasn't hit well, but that's usually a bloop)

gotta say the "win by 1, lose by 5" pattern is kinda worrisome but I'm still optimistic.

wow, what a start for Peralta. makes me glad we don't have the DH in the NL.

Braun DL'd with oblique strain

why is Lyle Overbay batting cleanup for a winning team?

I know Weeks isn't doing so well but I can't believe there wasn't a way to shoehorn him in here somehow

Man, what an incredible game for Weeks. 3-5, 2 RBI and he scored the winning walkoff run. And he's finally above 300 again. He looked great in every at bat, like the Weeks of old; he was just the bat we needed with Braun and Ramirez out.

Also, not being reported on much, but Mike Fiers has been crazy dominant in Nashville. Just struck out a record 13 in his last start. I've got to believe he's going to come into play this season.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/1c903f6ca99fa98ab0ddcea7dfd20442/tumblr_n5j2174vFc1rrldk1o1_400.gif

Weeks was 3-4 today, with a homer. Incredible rebound.

And Khris Davis! Winning the game with the most unlikely broken bat single. <3

This season just keeps getting better and better.

christ, I didn't even know they were playing an afternoon game today! though seeing they won it lessens the pain quite a bit. Brewers just abusing the Pirates closers this year.

also lol @ Gomez getting taken out of a game due to injury and then saying, "ok, guess I'll serve that suspension now". Major League Baseball!!

i too would be thrilled if Weeks started producing again, but wtf @ him not wanting to play the outfield

I can understand him not wanting to play outfield (he probably wouldn't be very good out there and who wants to switch positions midway through a contract year), but I think it was kind of crappy of Roenicke to leak the conversation and throw Weeks under the bus like that. Not that it matters right now; with Weeks hitting again he finally has the capital to brush that story off

https://twitter.com/ArionNation/status/467142171716780032

That's so good! Also I looked it up and it's not quite true: Kiwis do have a ton of potassium, but it's just slightly less than a banana does per gram.

Next year's Brewers thread should be Rolling Rich People Conversations

that is amazing.

so the day after relaying that story to the gf, she comes home with a bag of kiwis... completely unaware of why she had bought them.

Wow, Lyle Overbay in to pitch.

Well, Wang was a fun oddity while he lasted.

i love how most of the bullpen has these pristine ERAs and then you've got Wang who has a 17.6 ERA over 6.2 innings. i hope he does well for someone but can't imagine he's sticking around.

this has definitely been a nuts season so far - we're starting Lucroy at 1B, we've lost Braun and Ramirez for extended stretches, we've already pitched two position players, and yet they're sitting with the NL's best record.

Y'all know where my rooting interest generally lies, but I still felt bad for Wang last night. He was like Chumley to Roenicke's Tennessee Tuxedo: "Go out there and let these guys kick the shit out of you for 0.2 innings and we'll both be rich and famous!" But ehhhh...that's baseball.

Getting sent back (and subsequently sent down) would be the best thing that could happen to Wang. He's a talented kid, but he needs seasoning, and he's not going to get that under these circumstances.

I'm pondering a Michigan/Wisconsin road trip in early July...might try to catch a Brewers game somewhen just before the All Star break.

Man, I don't miss Randy Wolf

"DON'T GET DOUBLED UP, ELI-- never mind."

too soon :(

either yahoo is being wonky right now - or Yovani Gallardo just won the game in the 10 with a walk-off, pinch-hit home run.

ooops, double. still...

even better they walked Mark Reynolds with the bases empty to get to him

MLB At Bat was wonky so I had to listen to the Baltimore broadcast of this game, but it was fun hearing the announcers try to figure out why in the world the Brewers were pinch hitting Gallardo. What an incredible win.

i didn't see the game...why DID they pinch hit Gallardo? crazy!

there wasn't anyone left on the bench!

and that is why i like NL baseball better.

otm

yeah otm.

Gallardo is one of the best hitting pitchers in the league. He's got enough power that he's a bit of a threat, and I think 12 career home runs, so he's not usually an easy out. In a situation like that I would legit rather see him bat than somebody like Logan Schafer or whatever

NL baseball, where one of the best hitters at his position has a career .585 OPS and you endure it with a smile because sometimes he hits adorable novelty homers

hm "why would you walk a guy with the 4th most home runs in the league for a career .585 OPS" yes good q let's really dig into this

Or, even better, let's just let teams choose separate offenses and defenses altogether, imagine the OPS's then!!

Imagine a world where some people took baseball really, really seriously

Loving the crew

Gomez, the original B-Boy

http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4581761/gomez.gif

BP: "Marco Estrada is on pace to shatter the Brewers record for most homers allowed in a season. Braden Looper had 39; he's on pace for 50. (This would also tie the MLB record, held by Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven.)"

could Fiers come back up? he has Major League experience and is doing well in Nashville.

He has been called up while Thornburg is on the DL. But we're not at panic mode yet with Estrada. He's still a good pitcher; he just really, really can't avoid the occasional homerun (or in the case of last night, grand slam, but that was an aberration—most of the homers he gives up are solo shots).

I agree, Estrada is hitting a rough patch and I think he still deserves a spot. I just want to see Fiers again. Though honestly they're pretty much the same type of pitcher.

Yeah I love watching both of them. It's so much fun watching Fiers, in particular, when he's on. Such awesome location and movement on the ball.

what in the sweet fuck

Thomas Harding ✔ @harding_at_mlb
Follow
#Rockies trainer Keith Dugger says doc removed a "fatty mass with tentacles" from left index finger of OF Carlos Gonzalez. Could miss 5 was

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6e/Touched_by_His_Noodly_Appendage.jpg

oh fuck wrong team wrong thread

Ugh, all the articles calling to pull Estrada from the rotation are killing me. He had one bad 6th inning due in large part to a very erratic strike zone and a manager who refused to pull him when it was clear he had run out of steam. Least we owe the guy after so many QS is one more start before booting him.

yeah Estrada has been a pretty good back-end rotation guy for a few years now, that HR rate will normalize and he'd most certainly be a starter on many other teams

That was awesome

http://31.media.tumblr.com/81f95e62e297ddd5fb60c86e89c38344/tumblr_n78haj2mFP1rrldk1o1_1280.jpg

Even by the standards of a season that's offered nothing but satisfaction, that Luc revenge grand slam was exceptional

I don't need to go into all the reasons why the D'Backs are idiots but I will say I love seeing ANY team lose this way

http://giant.gfycat.com/UnimportantUnlinedCopepod.gif

Hahahahahahahah

good work, it took you two tries to hit him

i'm having trouble deciding if this or the Yovani walkoff was better, this season has been awesome

Estrada looked mighty good today

Also Gomez had the audacity to try not to get thrown out on a double play:

http://deadspin.com/benches-clear-after-carlos-gomez-tries-to-break-up-doub-1596138563

First at 50 wins!

http://exclaim.ca/images/ooioo.jpg

a fitting tribute imo

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsNPOciCIAAmzoa.png

I hope this is just normal turbulance, but man has the Brewers inability to score more than 1 run been frustrating lately

i know Will Smith has good season stats but he's getting hit real hard lately

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11207240/jean-segura-leaves-milwaukee-brewers-following-death-9-month-old-son

Terrible week. Or month, actually. Glad we ended with a win but that was brutal. Never been more thankful for the All Star break

Tonight was the first time since last month that the team felt like the 2014 Brewers again

best moment from last night's game: Ryan Braun ruining someone's dinner (if you rewatch the HR, it smacked a table that a group was eating at, and cups flew everywhere)

I just looked up Lucroy's contract - 5 years, $11 million. What a freakin bargain that turned out to be.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--NsWCFT98--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/k76z5dcc6tklknhibbdu.gif

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--NsWCFT98--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/k76z5dcc6tklknhibbdu.gif

http://37.media.tumblr.com/994cbb8e1faf33564c0ad497fee7bfae/tumblr_n98l2r0wBx1rrldk1o1_400.gif

lol

Game notes

The Mets optioned OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis to Las Vegas. ... Mets SS Ruben Tejada was given the day off as a precaution after he was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Seattle's Taijuan Walker. RF Curtis Granderson returned to the New York lineup after missing two games with a stomach virus. He went 0 for 4. ... The Brewers are playing Michael Jackson songs when Carlos Gomez strides to the plate, and the quirky outfielder is raising his right leg and imitating a leg kick done by the King of Pop before entering the batter's box.

That's not "quirky", that's recommended

I'm sure this is the case with most teams (save the Cards, probably), but there's such a clear correlation between how much fun the players are having and how well the team is performing. In general the weirder and wackier the team is the better they are, and right now they are having Nyjer Morgan levels of fun again

Isn't it more the better a team is performing, the more fun the players are having?

Yerp, although I suppose there's the occasional happy-go-lucky terrible team. (And the cardinals never have fun because only a 162-0 record is acceptable)

iirc nick swisher never became a True Yankee because he had too much fun when the team was losing

Fiers vs. Greinke on Saturday. That's a fun matchup.

This was just the Crew's second series win since July 1, yet they are alone in first place. Incredible.

well that turned out nice. good to see Fiers back.

sweet jesus - eight strikeouts through four innings!

kinda nice to get some hits off Edwin Jackson for once

I really hope Fiers can stick around this time. I love watching guys like that

he's at 11 through 5. this is nuts.

he was always a K machine iirc. was surprised he was back in the minors at the start of the season (i don't exactly follow the brewers too closely)

and he struck out the side in the 6th. I think 14 K's is the highest by a single Brewer in a game since like...Ben Sheets. And he did it in only 6 innings.

I'm not sure why he was in the minors either, I do remember him battling with injury all last year and generally imploding after a real great first 8 or so starts. I think they just picked Estrada over him.

Also, not being reported on much, but Mike Fiers has been crazy dominant in Nashville. Just struck out a record 13 in his last start. I've got to believe he's going to come into play this season.

― Evan R, Sunday, May 11, 2014 10:11 PM (3 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Realest shit I ever wrote

Current line: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, ended by retiring 18 straight Jays

I know he kinda started like this in 2012 as well but I WANT TO BELIEEEEVE

He definitely fares better against batters who haven't seen him much, but man, what a weapon

i'd never actually watched him pitch before last night. was not expecting such a pedestrian fastball, considering what a K machine he is.

His low velocity is why he was undervalued as a prospect for so long. But he makes up for it with pin-point location and an often impossible-to-read delivery. He just confuses the hell out of batters.

http://38.media.tumblr.com/579143f8a2bceb5cff5af0821a90e324/tumblr_nbwr3xDkzN1rrldk1o1_400.gif

really, it's hard to believe they don't give up 2 runs every inning after that shit.

I'm gonna have to go to sleep now but if they end up blowing this game...

did you doubt it?

if they miss out on the Wild Card by one game...

it's not going to be that close.

wasn't sure that game would ever end, managers kept trying to bunt their way out of scoring

~go brewers~

Well they fought. But this was the game that killed any lingering wild card hopes for me. Barring the most unlikely of Pirates sweeps, it is over.

Sucks that they are limping into the finish like this, but it was an incredible season for so long so I am trying not to be bitter.

I guess the obvious narrative here is that the offense ran out of steam, but that doesn't really tell the story, since our batters are by and large still getting on base; they're just constantly stranded there. The LOB stats for the last week or two have been insane; there were so many games we should have run away with.

Also I guess we stopped hitting homers. And this is what happens when the Brewers don't hit homers.

it's been depressing (and this Packer start isn't helping matters) but I thought they were headed for a .500 season at the beginning of the year and I think they should be pretty good next year. I thought the rotation would be in shambles by now but it seems like they got 5 solid ones for 2015 and if Braun picks up the offense should be decent as well.

gomez tries to bunt his way on an awful lot for a guy with 45 homers over the last two seasons

Expecting nearly as good of years from Luc and Gomez next year, and I expect a slightly better year from Braun (though I no longer expect miracles from him; age and injuries are starting to take their toll). The rotation should be great next year. Also it's not unreasonable to expect even better years from Scooter and Davis, who both played well if not spectacularly this year. Age and experience can only help them.

Fiers' dominance has been the most satisfying storyline of the season for me; thrilled he'll be in the order next year.

I am glad Weeks rebounded a bit this year, and gets to leave the Crew with his head held high. I'm going to applaud the shit out of him on Saturday night.

I would imagine Segura will be better next year as well. I doubt Luc will have this good a year but hopefully he won't have to.

It's going to be sad to see Weeks go, I really hope he gets a starting role elsewhere. I've had my frustrations with him but I always loved watching him play. Hard to believe he's been in the league for over a decade now.

Next year will be make or break for Segura. The optimist in me says he'll figure things out at the plate, maybe pick up a little bit of power, and learn to get the damn ball out of the infield. But there's also a chance pitchers just figured the guy out. It was so nice having a real SS we could be proud of for a while; would be a shame if we're stuck with the same bat we saw all year for the next three or four years.

Let’s skip ahead to the victory celebration and imagine how baseball’s general managers and decision makers might sum up a run to the championship.

BREWERS, Doug Melvin

People forget that we were actually over .500 after Ryan Braun’s suspension last year. With Braun back, the offense we already had, a strong bullpen and Matt Garza making our rotation deeper, this isn’t really a surprise to us.

Roenicke lives

noooo not Garth Iorg!!!

I'll miss hearing the name Garth Lorg. But that's about it.