Brewers: Highs and Lows After 10 Games

Three series into the 2012 MLB season, the Milwaukee Brewers sit at 4-6, three games behind the first place St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central Division.

The Brewers lost two out of three games to the Cardinals to open the season, and bounced back to win three of four games against the Chicago Cubs. Over the weekend the Brewers lost three straight to the Atlanta Braves.

Milwaukee's starting pitchers have given up a combined 38 earned runs and 10 home runs in 52.2 innings, with Randy Wolf allowing a team high 11 runs on 18 hits in just 9.1 innings pitched (10.61 ERA). Brewers pitchers have been susceptible to big innings, and gave up four or more runs during several innings.

As a team, the Brewers have given up 57 runs, the most of any team in baseball. Milwaukee fielders have also committed 11 errors to begin the season, which is 4th most in the MLB. Alex Gonzales leads all Brewers with three errors, and seven Brewers have committed at least one error.

On the positive side, the Brewers have scored 43 runs on 74 hits, and are 3rd in the league with 14 home runs.

Kottaras hits a 2-run homer
against the Cubs

The Brewers have seen great production from their two catchers, Jonathan Lucroy and George Kottaras. The duo has combined for 12 hits, six runs, six RBI and five home runs.

Corey Hart is off to a hot start as well, batting .321 with four home runs and eight RBI.

The Brewers will need to eliminate the big innings and cut down on errors as they head to California to begin a three game series against the 9-1 L.A. Dodgers Tuesday night. Yovani Gallardo (1-1) will face Chad Billingsley (2-0).

Brewers Set for Opening Day

Friday afternoon Miller Park will play host to the Milwaukee Brewers 2012 season opener against the NL Central rival and reigning World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The two teams last meeting was during last season's NLCS.

Although Friday's game opens the season for Milwaukee, St. Louis began their season with a win Wednesday night against the Miami Marlins.

Yovani Gallardo will take the mound Friday for the Brewers, and Jaime Garcia will get the nod for the Cardinals.

While no official lineups have been announced, expect to see Jonathan Lucroy catching Gallardo, Matt Gamel at first, Rickie Weeks on second, Alex Gonzalez at shortstop, Aramis Ramirez on third, and Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez, and Corey Hart rounding out the outfield.

Both teams are opening their season missing last year's slugging first basemen, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols.

Aaron Rodgers Featured in Milwaukee Brewers Commercial

Ryan Braun Wins Appeal

Ryan Braun, the reigning National League MVP won his appeal of a 50 game suspension as a result of a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.


Braun had tested positive for synthetic testosterone during last season's playoffs, and challenged his suspension in January. After 35 days of arbitration, a neutral third party voted in 2-1 decision to clear Braun.

Said Braun on Thursday:

"I am very pleased and relieved by today's decision. It is the first step in restoring my good name and reputation. We were able to get through this because I am innocent and the truth is on our side. We provided complete cooperation throughout, despite the highly unusual circumstances."

Braun will address the media again on Friday.


The MLB is less than enthusiastic with the outcome brought forth by the neutral third party and arbitrator Shyam Das. Rob Manfred, MLB's vice president for labor relations, said:

"Major League Baseball considers the obligations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program essential to the integrity of our game, our Clubs and all of the players who take the field. It has always been Major League Baseball's position that no matter who tests positive, we will exhaust all avenues in pursuit of the appropriate discipline. We have been true to that position in every instance, because baseball fans deserve nothing less.

"As a part of our drug testing program, the Commissioner's Office and the Players Association agreed to a neutral third party review for instances that are under dispute. While we have always respected that process, Major League Baseball vehemently disagrees with the decision rendered today by arbitrator Shyam Das."

Regardless of the MLB's opinions, Braun is back, and will report to training camp on Friday.

Fielder Signs Massive Contract with Detroit

After seven seasons at first base for the Milwaukee Brewers, free agent Prince Fielder has moved on, signing a 9 year, $214 mil contract with the Detroit Tigers.

As a Brewer, Fielder was a three time all star (2007, 2009, 2001), the 2011 All Star Game MVP, a two time Silver Slugger award winner, the 2007 NL Hank Aaron Award winner, the 2009 Home Run Derby winner, and holds the Milwaukee single-season record for home runs (50 in 2007).

Because Fielder was a Type A free agent, Milwaukee will receive Detroit's first round draft pick in the 2012 draft (27th overall) and a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds of the draft. The Brewers already own the 28th pick in the draft as a result of their season record in 2011.

Fielder has a history in Detroit, as his father, Cecil Fielder, played with the franchise from 1990-1996. Prince often joined his father at batting practice, and was hitting home runs at Tiger Stadium by the time he was 12.

Detroit has already announced that current first baseman Miguel Cabrera will attempt the switch to 3rd base, a position he played during his time in the minor leagues, to allow Fielder to assume the first baseman duties.

Huge Weekend for Wisconsin Sports

This past weekend was huge for Wisconsin sports. The Brewers, Badgers and Packers all had big wins on their way to an undefeated weekend.

Brewers


Friday night the Brewers began a three game series against the Florida Marlins. Going into the game the Brewers had a magic number of two to clinch the National League Central division, meaning they needed to win two games, or the second-place St. Louis Cardinals needed to lose two games, or some combination of the two.

The Brewers got on the board early on a solo home run by Prince Fielder in the second inning. The Marlins tied the game in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Bryan Peterson.

In the eighth inning Corey Hart doubled and Nyjer Morgan walked, bringing Ryan Braun to bat with two men on base. Braun worked Marlins pitcher Clay Hensley into a 3-1 count and sent the following pitch 431 feet into center field, putting the Brewers up 4-1.

"I think for me honestly, I live for that moment. You play the game to have the opportunity to play meaningful games down the stretch in September," Braun said after the game. "I truly expected to come through in that situation."

John Axford claimed his 44th save in the ninth inning to give the Brewers the victory.



With the Brewers' magic number reduced to just one, the Crew now looked to the Cubs/Cardinals matchup that was, at the time, in the eighth inning. 20 minutes later, the Cubs beat the Cardinals 5-1, ironically giving the Brewers their first NL Central division title since 1982.

The Brewers went on to beat the Marlins again on Saturday (6-4) and Sunday (9-5) to improve to 94-65 on the season. The Brewers' victory on Sunday gave the crew 55 wins at home in the 2011 season, a team record. The Brewers will also attempt to pick up their 95th win of the season on Monday night, which would tie the team record for most wins in a season.

Badgers

On Saturday the 7th ranked Wisconsin Badgers (4-0) faced off against the South Dakota Coyotes (2-2) at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.

After struggling in the first quarter, the Badgers exploded to end the first half and went on to steamroll the Coyotes 59-10.

Russell Wilson continued his dominance for the Badgers, completing 19 of 25 passes for 345 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Wilson found wide receiver Nick Toon seven times for a career-high 155 reception yards and two touchdowns. Jared Abbrederis also caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Montee Ball amassed 15 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and James White carried the ball 9 times for 95 yards and a score. As a team the Badgers collected 267 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.



The Badgers finished out the non-conference schedule with their fourth straight win. They have outscored their non-conference opponents 194-34.

Wisconsin opens their Big Ten schedule next Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. ESPN College Gameday will come to Madison for the night game as the #7 and #8 teams face off.

Packers

The Packers traveled to Soldier Field on Sunday for a rematch of the 2010 NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears.

Green Bay opened the scoring in the first quarter when Aaron Rodgers found tight end Jermichael Finley for a  six yard touchdown pass. Rodgers found Finley again in the second quarter on a seven yard score to put the Packers up 14-0.

The Bears scored on a pass from Jay Cutler to Dane Sanzenbacher to make the score 14-7. Both teams added field goals near the end of the second quarter to make the score 17-10 at the half.

The Packers added another field goal in the third quarter, before going up 27-10 in the fourth on a third Rodgers/Finley connection, this time from from ten yards out.

The Bears scored again late in the fourth on a 32 yard pass to Kellen Davis to make the score 27-17. After a late-game punt return touchdown was called back on a penalty, the Bears were unable to mount a comeback and the Packers walked away with the victory.



Aaron Rodgers completed 28 of 38 attempts for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns, all to Jermichael Finley. Greg Jennings led all receivers with 9 receptions for 119 yards.

The packer defense held Chicago running back Matt Forte to just two yards on nine carries, and Morgan Burnett intercepted Jay Cutler twice.

The Packers return home next Sunday against the Denver Broncos (1-2).

Zack Greinke Shines in First Start at Miller Park

In his first home start for the Milwaukee Brewers this season, Zack Greinke pitched six innings, struck out nine, and gave up just two earned runs on the way to a 4-3 Brewers victory over the San Diego Padres.


Read the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.

Zack Greinke's Milwaukee Brewer Debut Scheduled

Zack Greinke will make his first start for the Brewers on Wednesday. Check out the Bleacher report article here.

Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun Win NL Player of the Week Awards in April

Although the Brewers have struggled somewhat as a team so far this season, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun have been off to a red-hot April.


Check out the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report

Corey Hart Set to Return to the Milwaukee Brewers

According to sources for the Milwaukee Brewers, Corey Hart will return to the team for his first start on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how well he feels after his Monday night start for Triple-A Nashville.


Read the rest of the article here on the Bleacher Report.

Braun Homers, Brewers Win Series

The Brewers beat the Braves for the 3rd straight time to win the home series and improve their season record to 3-4.

Ryan Braun got the scoring started with a 2-run homer in the first inning. After the Braves tied the game, Nyjer Morgan ran over Brave catcher Brian McCann, jarring the bar loose and scoring the go-ahead run. The Brewers added a run in the 8th on a Prince Fielder RBI.

Shaun Marcum pitched well, giving up 2 runs in 6 innings of working. He also recorded 4 strikeouts and walked just 2 batters. The Brewer relievers held on to the lead, and John Axford tallied his 2nd save of the season.

The Brewers welcome in the rival Cubs for a 3 game series starting tomorrow. Randy Wolf will face off against Carlos Zambrano.

Yo to the Rescue

The Milwaukee Brewers finally scraped out their first win of the 2011 MLB season last night in a 1-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Yovani Gallardo was undoubtedly the hero of the game, pitching a complete game shutout, giving up just 2 hits and scoring the sole run for the Brewers.

Gallardo became the first Brewer pitcher in history to throw a complete game shutout and score the only run of the game, and is the first player in the MLB to accomplish the feat since Pete Harnisch of the Houston Astros did it in 1991.

The Brewers face the Braves again tonight at 7. Marco Estrada takes the mound for the Brewers facing Mike Minor. Both are making their first starts of the season.

Hart Rewarded for Hot Season

The Milwaukee Brewers and Corey Hart reached an agreement Monday on a three-year, $26.5 million contract extension. This comes after pre-season contract arbitration and numerous mid-season trade talks.

Hart was anything but hot coming into the 2010 season. The 2009 campaign and spring training of 2010 were not high points in Hart's career. He was left out of the opening day starting line-up and failed to make the All-Star Ballot.

Despite this, Hart has lit up the field throughout the first half of the season. He made the All-Star Team by way of the players' ballot, and ended up starting for the National League due to an injury to Jason Heyward.

After trade talks surrounded Hart, he publicly announced his preference to stay a Brewer.

"In years past, I think I've pressed too much to worry about what would happen next year," he said. "I told them all along I wanted to be here [in Milwaukee], because my family likes it there and it's a comfort level. Not having to worry about that now, I can take a deep breath and go out there and relax."

As of Monday, Hart is hitting .288, with 23 homers and 72 RBI's.

"The Brewers are very excited to have Corey signed for the next three years," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said in a statement issued by the club. "He is one of our drafted and developed players and with his two-time All-Star performances, Corey deserves this contract that will provide his family security. We appreciate his wanting to remain a Brewer and a part of the Milwaukee community."

Suppan Released by Brewers

Veteran pitcher Jeff Suppan was released by the Milwaukee Brewers today in the most costly cut in Brewer history. Suppan, in the final year of his contract, still had more than $10 million left on his contract.

Suppan, in 2 starts and 13 relief appearances, had an 0-2 record and an ERA of 7.84.

His spot on the roster is being filled by right-hander Chris Smith, who will be promoted from Triple-A Nashville. Smith played 35 games for the Brewers last year, and has been dominant so far this year in Nashville, compiling a 2-1 record with 16 saves and an ERA of 1.71.

This is the statement released by Suppan earlier today:

"I want to thank Mark Attanasio and Doug Melvin for all they have done for my family and me, especially how they handled this situation.  I've played with a number of organizations, and the Brewers are one of the classiest.

"When I signed in 2007, I was committed to winning, and to this day I still am.  Nobody is more disappointed than I am with how things have turned out.  I enjoyed my time here in Milwaukee as both a player and a member of the community.  As such, I will continue my involvement with Brewers Charities for the remainder of the 2010 season.  My commitment to this cause and the people it serves is unwavering.

"I wish the Brewers organization, its fans and especially my teammates all the best."

Roy Halladay, Ubaldo Jimenez, and the Brewers

,On Saturday, Roy Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in Major League history, and the second this season (Oakland's Dallas Braden was the first). Halladay was absolutely nasty, making the right pitches at the perfect time and striking out 11 Marlins. This is just another great accomplishment for Halladay, who already has a Cy Young award and 7 All Star Appearances. With a 1.99 ERA, you'd think he'd be the frontrunner for this year's NL Cy Young, but a certain Colorado pitcher is blowing away the competition...

Rockies righty Ubaldo Jimenez has been absolutely lights out this season. He is the first pitcher to 10 wins and only two months have passed in the season. His ERA is filthy; 0.78 in 80 innings pitched. That means that he has only given up 7 runs all season. He even beat 2-time reigning Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum yesterday. It is probably inevitable that his numbers will go up a little bit, but right now a Jimenez start essentially means a Rockies win. If he keeps up this pace, he is undoubtedly headed for an All-Star Game start, Cy Young award, and even in the running for NL MVP. We could be in for a historic season watching him.

Finally the Brewers. How disappointing this season has been. Already 9 games under .500, no one is fearing the beer right now. A couple thoughts:

• John Axford looks like a keeper in the Milwaukee bullpen. He throws super hard and has the potential, with fellow prospect Zach Braddock, to be in the back end of the Brewers pen for years to come. Plus he's trying to grow a handlebar mustache.
  
• I'm excited to see what Chris Capuano has to offer, as he is getting the start Thursday in Florida. I hope he does well, as he's come so far, but I don't think he could be as bad as Chris Narveson and Manny Parra have been.
• Corey Hart is on fire. Trade him while he still has value!
• How bad is the Brewers pitching? Besides having the third worst ERA in the majors (5.36), it is so bad that Brewers hitters lead the league in many of the major statistical categories and they still can't keep up. Ryan Braun is third in the NL with a .318 batting average, Casey McGehee is first in the NL with 41 RBIs and Corey Hart leads with 13 home runs. Alcides Escobar even leads the league with 5 triples. The old addage is that pitching wins championships and that is soooo true!
• Yes, everyone is saying this, but Jeff Suppan is horrible. Plain and simple. If the Brewers have better options than him, he shouldn't be on the team. I'm obviously not the person to determine that, but at this point money should not be a factor in deciding whether he stays or not.
• Bill Hall, still making roughly $8 million from the Brewers this season, threw a 1-2-3 inning for the Red Sox on Friday night.
  

Capuano defies the odds

Chris Capuano, a former 18 game winner and All-Star for the Brewers is making his return after being away from the game for 30 months. He underwent his second Tommy John surgery in 2007, with most believing his career was over. Yet Cappy never gave up and finally got a chance to prove himself this year down in the minors. Between Single-A Brevard County and Triple-A Nashville, he went 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA in 7 starts. The Brewers were forced to make a decision today on whether to bring him up to the majors or allow him to be a free agent and sign with another team. Obviously intrigued by his minor league stats and most likely not wanting to see 3 years of commitment to him while injured get flushed away, they agreed to call him up.

With a few of the Brewers starting pitchers in flux (aka Chris Narveson, Dave Bush, and Manny Parra), it should be interesting to see if he gets an opportunity to start or if he will exclusively pitch out of the bullpen. I'd personally like to see him start over Narveson, but Macha really seems to like Narveson. The Brewers have yet to make a corresponding move, but it's likely that Marco Estrada, who has actually pitched very well since being called up, will get sent down. Personally, I'd like to see the Brewers make a statement and get rid of Claudio Vargas or even Jeff Suppan, but Brewers management doesn't really seem to work that way. I'll be at today's game, so I'm very excited to see #39 back on the field, even if he doesn't get into a game. If he does get a chance to pitch, I expect a huge standing ovation from the Milwaukee faithful.

Brewers Prospect's Warmup Music

Cutter Dysktra, an infielder from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers shows that anyone can get pumped up by Miley...

Brewers Die Hard Fan...

This is dedication!

Brewers Find Their Groove

The Brewers beat the Pirates 20 to 0 (yes 20) Thursday to complete the sweep against Pittsburgh. The win tied the Brewer record for largest margin of victory, and is a Brewer record for the largest shutout victory in team history. The Brewers also set a club record by leading by 8 runs in four straight games, going back to the final game of the Nationals series.

This three game series against the Pirates was an offensive explosion for the Brewers. In the series Milwaukee outscored Pittsburgh 36-1. The Crew amassed 46 hits, which included 25 extra-base hits (8 home runs).

Several Brewers saw huge production during this series. Ryan Braun went 7-11, hitting 2 home runs and collecting 8 RBI's. Prince Fielder ended a 15 at-bat streak without a hit and finally hit his first home run of the season. Alcides Escobar had arguably the best series of his young career, going 6-14 which included back-to-back triples.

Pitching was also big for the Brewers, as all three starters threw shutouts, the lone run coming from relief pitching. The Brewers starters (Dave Bush, Yovani Gallardo, and Randy Wolf) threw a combined 18 shutout innings. Currently the Brewers have gone 19 innings without surrendering a run.

This series sweep allowed the Brewers to go back above .500, improving their record to 8-7.

The momentum gained in Pittsburgh is vital as the Brewers return home for a series against the rival Cubs.

Brewers Lock Down Gallardo

Yovani Gallardo will be wearing a Brewer jersey for at least the next three seasons.

This morning he signed a five year contract extension that runs through 2014, with a no-trade clause over the first three season.

The new contract guarantees Gallardo $30.1 million, which could grow to $42.5 million depending on an interesting contract clause concerning the 2015 season.

This clause is based on a points system, where in Gallardo can earn points on his way to being a free agent for the 2015 season. For this to happen, Gallardo must earn 6 points. Points can be earned by winning the Cy Young Award (5 points), finishing second in the balloting (3 points), and finishing third in the balloting (1 point).

The no-trade clause of the contract exists until 2013, when Gallardo has the option to submit a 10-team list to the Brewers if he desires a trade.

Signing Gallardo is huge for the Crew. He is very young (24) and is coming off a huge 2009 season after sitting out most of 2008 with a torn ACL.

In 2009 Gallardo went 13-12 with a 3.73 ERA. During the season he also became the fourth Brewer in history to throw 200 strikeouts.

Gallardo was excited about the new contract, saying:

"It's a great feeling knowing I'm going to be here for the next five years. Growing up, me and my parents never dreamed of this amount. It hasn't really settled in yet. I try not to show too much emotion, but it's great."

"It sets up my son more than anything. It sets him up for college or whatever he wants to do. That's the No. 1 thing."

By signing Gallardo the Brewers have extended contracts for two young stars through at least 2014. (Last year the Crew signed Ryan Braun through 2015).

Braun was pleased as well with the new contract, saying:

"I'm excited. First and foremost, I'm excited for Yovani. He deserves it, and I know that the financial security is a great thing. That's something I can relate to. I'm excited to be with him for at least the next five years.