Post by Commissioner Erick on Nov 22, 2023 10:42:16 GMT -5
St. Louis Cardinals (67-40) @ Milwaukee Brewers (62-42)
STL: ? ? (?-?, ?.??)
MIL: Brock Straub (1-4, 5.65)
Cardinals 3 Key Stats
2: Players with between 130-145 plate appearances and an OPS above 1.100: St. Louis’ offense was strong early in the year, but they weren’t getting huge performances from key offensive positions of First Base and Left Field. Nomar Mazara was solid, but strikeout prone. He didn’t offer anything on the bases, and his defense has been below average. First Base was worse as Alejandro Toral had just six homers and a .675 OPS, good for a negative WAR when adding in his position and subpar defense. The Cards turned to Top 50 prospect Andy Stewart to solve their First Base issue and he’s been awesome. He already has 14 homers in 35 games, with a .315 average and a .396 OBP. He’s produced a 1.127 OPS taking the league by storm. The Cards also debuted Ethan Mikolajcyk, who doesn’t have Stewart’s pedigree, but has joined him in a prodigious debut. He’s hitting .391 with eight doubles and eight homers, good for a 1.112. These two are new to the league, but they’re destroying the PBA so far.
.280: Ronny Mauricio’s OBP: St. Louis has had some amazing offensive performances this season, but Mauricio has not been among them. He’s hitting just .215 as his offense has really waned the past two years. He’s never been a strong offensive player, but he’s had a few strong averages in the past, and once had 17 homers leading to a 118 OPS+. If the Cardinals other eight hitters continue to terrorize the league, Mauricio’s offense will be gravy, but against elite staffs, he’s an automatic out.
8.31: Boyd Vander Kooi’s ERA: With a few pitching injuries, St. Louis signed Boyd Vander Kooi to be another option in their bullpen mob, but he’s struggled with St. Louis. A .462 BABIP hasn’t helped, but Vander Kooi has walked three in 4.1 innings. The journeyman has had a solid career and produced a 3.39 ERA for Oakland and Seattle last year. As Adam McGurk becomes eligible to come off the IL, Vander Kooi may not have shown enough to warrant staying on the roster.
Brewers 3 Key Stats
5.65: Brock Straub’s ERA: Milwaukee has always had solid back end starting behind their trio of aces, but Straub hasn’t delivered this year. He’s only started eight games, but he’s 1-4 with a 5.65 mark in those games. He’s allowed nine homers in 43 innings, which explains most of the lack of production, though he hasn’t allowed multiple homer games in his last six starts. St. Louis leads the league in homers so this will be a stark test.
.211: Jacob Barnes’ average: Milwaukee is second to last in the NL in average and Barnes may not be able to help that. Pressed into duty after Zack Prajner’s broken finger, he’s only hitting .211 after his first week. It’s only been six days and Barnes is better against left-handed pitching but faced mostly righties last week. He also hit .328 earlier this year in Triple-A after hitting .321 in Double-A last year. Still, scouts don’t love Barnes’ hit tool, and he’s no longer playing in the high altitude of Colorado Springs. The Brewers desperately need someone to hit for a high average, so Barnes will have to hope his minor league numbers translate.
.649: Milwaukee’s July OPS: The Brewers have had the worst OPS in the league in July. Nobody has a worse average and only the Dodgers have fewer doubles. The Brewers led the league in walks for the month, but it only led to a .298 OBP. The team fared worse against lefties than righties where the team had only five doubles, one triple, and three homers. All figures were either last or second to last. The team still gets on base a good amount, but with their lineup, if they don’t hit homers, they don’t score.
Questions for the GMs:
For Tim Lentz, did you expect Ethan Mikolajczyk and Andy Stewart to hit the ground running like they have their first month in the league?
Joe Mills has a bad back. Will he be in the lineup today?
Will Adam McGurk be on the roster today or will he spend another week in rehab?
For Luke Grimmelbein, how has the first week of Jordan Barnes and Taban Ohon at Shortstop looked to you?
Brock Straub has not been as strong has he was in the past. Kenny McMahon is in the minors after struggling this year. Do you feel like you have the starting pitching depth to win the NL Central?
Mike Perches wasn’t in the lineup last week with his abdominal strain. How did Steve Eckroat fare?
TRIVIA: Andy Stewart is a University of Arizona alum. The school is known for its pitching, but which Arizona alum is tied for third in single season PBA homers?
STL: ? ? (?-?, ?.??)
MIL: Brock Straub (1-4, 5.65)
Cardinals 3 Key Stats
2: Players with between 130-145 plate appearances and an OPS above 1.100: St. Louis’ offense was strong early in the year, but they weren’t getting huge performances from key offensive positions of First Base and Left Field. Nomar Mazara was solid, but strikeout prone. He didn’t offer anything on the bases, and his defense has been below average. First Base was worse as Alejandro Toral had just six homers and a .675 OPS, good for a negative WAR when adding in his position and subpar defense. The Cards turned to Top 50 prospect Andy Stewart to solve their First Base issue and he’s been awesome. He already has 14 homers in 35 games, with a .315 average and a .396 OBP. He’s produced a 1.127 OPS taking the league by storm. The Cards also debuted Ethan Mikolajcyk, who doesn’t have Stewart’s pedigree, but has joined him in a prodigious debut. He’s hitting .391 with eight doubles and eight homers, good for a 1.112. These two are new to the league, but they’re destroying the PBA so far.
.280: Ronny Mauricio’s OBP: St. Louis has had some amazing offensive performances this season, but Mauricio has not been among them. He’s hitting just .215 as his offense has really waned the past two years. He’s never been a strong offensive player, but he’s had a few strong averages in the past, and once had 17 homers leading to a 118 OPS+. If the Cardinals other eight hitters continue to terrorize the league, Mauricio’s offense will be gravy, but against elite staffs, he’s an automatic out.
8.31: Boyd Vander Kooi’s ERA: With a few pitching injuries, St. Louis signed Boyd Vander Kooi to be another option in their bullpen mob, but he’s struggled with St. Louis. A .462 BABIP hasn’t helped, but Vander Kooi has walked three in 4.1 innings. The journeyman has had a solid career and produced a 3.39 ERA for Oakland and Seattle last year. As Adam McGurk becomes eligible to come off the IL, Vander Kooi may not have shown enough to warrant staying on the roster.
Brewers 3 Key Stats
5.65: Brock Straub’s ERA: Milwaukee has always had solid back end starting behind their trio of aces, but Straub hasn’t delivered this year. He’s only started eight games, but he’s 1-4 with a 5.65 mark in those games. He’s allowed nine homers in 43 innings, which explains most of the lack of production, though he hasn’t allowed multiple homer games in his last six starts. St. Louis leads the league in homers so this will be a stark test.
.211: Jacob Barnes’ average: Milwaukee is second to last in the NL in average and Barnes may not be able to help that. Pressed into duty after Zack Prajner’s broken finger, he’s only hitting .211 after his first week. It’s only been six days and Barnes is better against left-handed pitching but faced mostly righties last week. He also hit .328 earlier this year in Triple-A after hitting .321 in Double-A last year. Still, scouts don’t love Barnes’ hit tool, and he’s no longer playing in the high altitude of Colorado Springs. The Brewers desperately need someone to hit for a high average, so Barnes will have to hope his minor league numbers translate.
.649: Milwaukee’s July OPS: The Brewers have had the worst OPS in the league in July. Nobody has a worse average and only the Dodgers have fewer doubles. The Brewers led the league in walks for the month, but it only led to a .298 OBP. The team fared worse against lefties than righties where the team had only five doubles, one triple, and three homers. All figures were either last or second to last. The team still gets on base a good amount, but with their lineup, if they don’t hit homers, they don’t score.
Questions for the GMs:
For Tim Lentz, did you expect Ethan Mikolajczyk and Andy Stewart to hit the ground running like they have their first month in the league?
Joe Mills has a bad back. Will he be in the lineup today?
Will Adam McGurk be on the roster today or will he spend another week in rehab?
For Luke Grimmelbein, how has the first week of Jordan Barnes and Taban Ohon at Shortstop looked to you?
Brock Straub has not been as strong has he was in the past. Kenny McMahon is in the minors after struggling this year. Do you feel like you have the starting pitching depth to win the NL Central?
Mike Perches wasn’t in the lineup last week with his abdominal strain. How did Steve Eckroat fare?
TRIVIA: Andy Stewart is a University of Arizona alum. The school is known for its pitching, but which Arizona alum is tied for third in single season PBA homers?
