Brewers @ Phillies
Half empty: The Crew is coming off a 3-7 homestand and has already lost as many games in September than they did the entire month of August (20-7)
Half full: The Crew won a grinder of a game Wednesday versus the Reds and enter a key 4-game series in Philadelphia in good spirits and a 4-game lead with 16 to play in the wild card race…and Ben Sheets on the mound for the opener.
Hang in there Brewer fans, meaningful September baseball is rarely without some turbulence!
Here is a statitstical montage Brian Mikolajek and I put together, with an assist from STATS to get you ready for the Phillies series:
The season series between these clubs is tied at one win a piece.
The Brewers have won each of their last three road games, outscoring their opponents 21-4 in that span. However, they have dropped seven of their last 10 games overall.
Philadelphia has lost three of its last four games, including two in a row.
With his win on Saturday, Ben Sheets established a new career-high with his 13th win of the season. Sheets is 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA in seven career starts against the Phillies.
Jamie Moyer is 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA in his last two starts.
Seventeen of Mike Cameron’s 24 home runs have come on the road this season.
Ryan Howard has three doubles, three homers and seven RBI in his last five games. Howard is 0-for-6 in his two meetings with the Brewers this season
ACTIVE SCORELESS INNING STREAK
ROY OSWALT HOU 23.1
BEN SHEETS MIL 20
JASON GRILLI COL 16
JOSE VALVERDE HOU 14.2
GUILLERMO MOTA MIL 13.1
*Sheets’ 20 ip scoreless inning streak currently ranks tied for 10th among longest scoreless streaks in MLB this season
Wild Card Standings on September 1st:
MIL 80-56 —
PHI 75-62 5.5
STL 74-63 6.5
HOU 71-66 9.5
Wild Card Standings on September 11th:
MIL 83-63 —
PHI 79-67 4
HOU 79-67 4
STL 78-67 4.5
Best NL Records in September:
HOU 8-1 .889
LAD 8-1 .889
NYM 6-2 .750
SF 6-3 .667
3 with 5-4 .556
Worst NL Records in September:
ARZ 2-7 .222
CHC 2-6 .250
MIL 3-7 .300
SD 3-7 .300
PIT 3-6 .333
Brewers hitting in September with NL Ranks:
Team Record 3-7 14th
Average .222 15th
On-base pct .307 12th
RISP .179 15th
Ground into DP 10 2nd
Total Runs 28 t-last
Home Runs 7 11th
Remaining Schedule Among NL Contenders
Cubs (87-58 record)
17 games remain
6 home games
11 road games
.556 opp. win pct
(hardest schedule in MLB)
Brewers (83-63)
16 games remain
6 home
10 road
.523 opp. win pct.
Phillies (79-67)
16 games remain
10 home
6 road
.473 opp. win pct.
Astros (79-67)
16 games remain
6 road
10 home
.478 opp. win pct.
Cardinals (78-67)
17 games remain
8 home
9 road
.489 opp. win pct.
Best Record versus Left Hand Starters, 2008
Team W L PCT
Los Angeles Angels 27 14 .659
Chicago Cubs 27 14 .659
Milwaukee Brewers 31 17 .646
New York Mets 31 17 .646
Boston Red Sox 21 12 .636
Chicago White Sox 29 18 .617
All games of the Phillies series will be televised on FSN Wisconsin with the exception of Saturday’s game, which can be seen on FOX Network.
Enjoy the weekend.
-BA
Brian Anderson's House of Blogs 
If the Brewers blow a solid playoff lead for the second year in a row, how can they possibly even consider bringing Ned Yost back again as manager. Last year and this, when the games have mattered most, they have not only lost, but lost impressively. I remember Ned as a player, I like Ned, but I think Ned must go of they choke this away yet again.
Frustrated in Phoenix!
Wild Card Standings on September 11th:
MIL 83-63 —
PHI 79-67 4
HOU 79-67 4
STL 78-67 4.5
Wild Card Standings on Sept. 14
PHI —
MIL —
Nice…
well, kinda surprising that the Crew fired Ned despite my comment a few days ago. But they just haven’t performed down the stretch two years in a row. That seems like a leadership issue.
I credit the management for doing everything to go for it this year. This is by far the best chance they’ve had, probably ever. Hope this decision works out.
As a long time Dodger fan let me introduce you to a word I thought only west coast teams would understand…
PPPAAAAANNNNIIIIIIICCCCCCC!!!!!!!!!
Fire the guy who brought you from dogs to respectability and let the third base coach call the shots. Nice.
Enjoy the offseason.
Ryan Braun has definitely changed his swing since his injury. If you look at his swing over the past several weeks since he has been struggling, most obviously when he misses, he doesn’t finish like he used to. One of the things that helped him generate so much power was his follow through which literally pounded his bat off his bat. Now he has this weird finish in which he stops his follow through and swings his bat around his head. Some may say that it doesn’t affect the move to the ball, but I disagree. Please return to your old finish!
In previous comment I meant to say that he used to pound his bat off his back.
I feel disgusted after losing last night’s game at Wrigley; …It has been too long since the ’82 post season and this Brewers team has too much talent to fall short again. Over the past 5 seasons the Brewers have made drastic improvements to the overall team talent….however, letting Cordero go to the Reds this off-seasn was a BIG mistake; and to add insult to injury the Crew signs Gagne’, pronounced (Gag-mee) if you’re a Red Sox or Brewers fan. The Brewers have used Torres, but he really is more of a set-up man for the closer.
The hitting, up to this point, has shielded the below average bullpen. I like Shouse, Stetter, Torres, and Villanueva…but can’t count on Riske, Mota, Gagne’,
Last, Yost got fired because he doesn’t know how to put together a line up. Why in the “H” is R. Weeks leading off with a .233 BA??? And this is his ’08 season high, the majority of the time he was batting .210 or lower. Plus he’s a liability in the field, how many errors by Weeks have cost the Breweres a close game? Cameron isn’t the answer either; why not Durham, Hardy, or Hart? I realize Hart has been somewhat “MIA” for the last 45 days but he’s still a .275 hitter with speed and power.
The Sabbathia trade WAS great, but it won’t mean a thing if I’m enjoying football-only in October!
Dissapointed in Tampa
Hard to watch the past few weeks, glad I missed most of the games and just heard the final outcome later in the obituaries I mean box score. So many watch in disbelief as a team with so much potential just gives up. The season is a marathon and the finish line is nearing and they quit with a mile to go. Blame Ned, Blame The closing staff, the fact is The TEAM QUIT. Young future stars who may never get this close again… There chance to go to the series with C.C is closing soon. They have time to put together a turn around people will talk about forever, or end it in a way that will turn away many of there fans.I am so sick of being reminded about 1982. It might as well have been 1892. The past is the past, let it go! This team could leave a memory in Milwaukee forever and wipe out the 1982 merry-go-round the organization keeps parading by us. PLEASE SAVE US FROM REVISITING ANOTHER BLAST FROM THE PAST!
Hopeful in Missouri!
WoW. Now we are tied for the WC lead.
Comments anyone?
Well you got invited to the dance guys… Let’s try going into game two and give C.C. some run support! Winning games in the 9th inning is exciting, but you can not live off it every game. It is a long season and I am sure the team is tired, however, the race is not done. Leaving a legacy in Milwaukee can last for a long time, just ask us who have suffered the 26 year old merry-go-round reminder. This is the chance to do something great. The TEAM must get fired up and win TOGETHER. Ryan and Prince can not hit HR’s every game to make up for everyone else. The TEAM needs more than the obvious two to get hot. The fan pep rally was great, however I did not see that fire on the field today! We are behind you all & know what you CAN do. Let’s WIN this and stop looking back!
Still hanging on in Missouri!
update the blog pal.
Well it was nice to see the team make the playoffs. However it was disappointing to see them fall apart hitting wise the last third of the season. They had the talent, the hitters but just could not get hits or score runs. That is what cost them so dearly. You cannot win the big show if you cannot muster up more than a run or two a game. Pitchers will have a bad day now and then. C.C. did all he could for the team and then some. Lack of runs. You have bases loaded with one out in the first inning and you can’t drive in any of those runners you are not going to be competitive enough. So why could they not hit the last part of the season. Lets be honest, you cannot have a weak hitter in right, one at third both around 215 when you already know the pitcher and catcher spot typically is a 210 area. That hurts big time. That has to become more productive. I hope C.C. can give us another year and a hitting coach can figure out the problem with lack of run support. Wish Gabe Kapler had been healthy enough to play outfield and help the offense. We did not use our second base trade player Durham enough.
So whose the new coach next season?