Game of the Week: July 21: MIL @ SD

[mikereds]

Milwaukee Brewers (69-26) at San Diego (48-49)

Probable starters (this could change at manager's discretion coming off of an All-Star break)

LHP Brock Straub (4-4, 4.29) vs RHP Anderson Espinoza (8-4, 4.57 ERA)

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The Padres face a tall order to try to end their 10-game losing streak. Following the All-Star break, they are required to host the reigning PBA champion and NL-leading Milwaukee Brewers for a three game series. Can the Padres start winning to keep their slim NL West division hopes alive? Can the Brewers put together more wins and fortify their big lead in the NL Central as the NL's #1 seed?

5 Key Stats for the Brewers:

• 3.04. The Brewers' current PBA-leading ERA.  This is an impressive stat, especially considering they play in an NL Central with some decent hitting teams.  The second closest team ERA in the PBA is the 3.40 ERA currently held by the Red Sox.
  
• 5. The team-leading number of saves by Josh Blystone and Joe Dyck.  The Brewers seem to have an extreme committee approach to relief pitching and do not care which bullpen arm earns the save.  All of their current relief pitchers sport two or more saves.  Judging by the results, their indifference to having a closer seems to be paying off.
  
• +215. The PBA-leading run differential of the Brewers.  There is nothing lucky or circumstantial about Milwaukee's dominance in the NL.  They are consistently bashing their opponents in many aspects of the game.
  
• 7. The number of Brewers who made the 2028 All-Star team.  In contrast, the Padres only had 2 All-Stars.  The Padres may be a bit better rested coming into this series, and against these Brewers you take any advantage you can get.
  
• 29. The number of home runs by 1B Rodolfo Rivera, who also leads the team with a 1.038 OPS.  He may not be very close to Cardinals MVP candidate Patrick Leonard in the homer and RBI categories, but for the Brewers purposes he's certainly close enough.
  

5 Key Stats for the Padres:

• 10. It's the most obvious number to currently cite for the Padres, as every player and fan is steadfastly aware of it.  It's the 10-game losing streak the team is currently on.  San Diego thus far has a 3-12 record in July.
  
• 941,515. The current attendance figure of the Padres, which is 27th in the PBA.  The Padres are also dead last in merchandising and media revenue.  Despite their respectable record, the Padres are in danger of seeing their budget drop in 2029.
  
• -15.1. The current team zone rating of the Padres defense, ranked 12th in the NL.  The team has also committed 55 errors.  The Padres gloves have mostly let the team down this year.
  
• 4.2. The team-leading WAR by young All-Star 2B Greg Kelly.  He currently hold the team triple crown, leading the Padres in average, homers and RBI's.  Kelly will be the offensive anchor for the Padres for years to come.  He can also play center field pretty fell, though for the time being the Padres have used Kelly solely at second base.
  
• 5.95. The ERA of starter John Thacker, who remains in the rotation despite having a 2028 season to forget.  He has struggled mightily with his control this year, walking an alarming 7.8 per 9 innings.  He's out of options, so a demotion to the minors could be risky for San Diego.
  

 

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Questions for the GM's:

For Louis Grimmelbein, Brewers GM:

• You seem to be playing it safe with 3B Nick Rollins, who is on the IL with knee inflammation that hinders his range and baserunning.  His return date is uncertain and his knee also gave him some trouble in April and May this year.  Are you worried this could be a major injury that may affect his availability for the playoffs?
  
• The team payroll projects to increase by over $60 million next year due to all the arbitration projections for a large group of players in their late 20's.  How will the Brewers remain within budget with all these higher salaries coming due in the next few years?
  
• With a cozy lead in the NL, are there any young players who will receive large cups of coffee in September as the rest of the team gets some rest and gears for the playoffs?
  

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For Creig McBride, Padres GM:

• Do you still have some hope the Padres can regroup and sneak into the playoffs this season?
  
• SS Royce Lewis has had a nice year in the field, but a tough year at the plate.  Will Lewis remain with the Padres as he goes further into his 30's or depart via free agency or trade?
  
• Veteran Adrian Morejon had been having a pretty good season, one of his best.  Who will spell him in the rotation until he is able to return from the IL sometime in September?
  

 

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TRIVIA:

In the All-Star game earlier this week, which player started for the NL at catcher and played every inning behind the dish?

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 1: Daniel correctly guessed Hyo Sang Choo

[brewersgm]

Jul 9, 2022 12:55:25 GMT -5 mikereds said:

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Questions for the GM's:

For Louis Grimmelbein, Brewers GM:

• You seem to be playing it safe with 3B Nick Rollins, who is on the IL with knee inflammation that hinders his range and baserunning.  His return date is uncertain and his knee also gave him some trouble in April and May this year.  Are you worried this could be a major injury that may affect his availability for the playoffs?
  
• The team payroll projects to increase by over $60 million next year due to all the arbitration projections for a large group of players in their late 20's.  How will the Brewers remain within budget with all these higher salaries coming due in the next few years?
  
• With a cozy lead in the NL, are there any young players who will receive large cups of coffee in September as the rest of the team gets some rest and gears for the playoffs?
  

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1. It's definitely possible. Nick has struggled to stay healthy in his young career and his health along with Matt Aceto's struggles are part of why we made the move to sign Arcia. We will try to do whatever we can to have him healthy in October, even if it means limiting his playing time until then.

2. It projects to be that high because we have a lot of good players who will be worth a lot of money. Not the worst problem to have. We could keep everyone and be under budget next year but the year after there will be issues. Expect major off season moves for the Brewers. We also have a lot of players knocking at the door who will be ready soon. Their cheap salaries should help us stay competitive. On the hitting side in particular we are really excited about Grant Stein.

3. The 40 man roster is a limit. There are a lot of guys I'd love to see get extended run but there won't be 40 man space for them. That said expect players like Steve Eckroat to get a lot of looks in the outfield and some young SP to get a look in the rotation.

[CMAC - Padres]

For Creig McBride, Padres GM:

Do you still have some hope the Padres can regroup and sneak into the playoffs this season?  I believe that the Padres recent 3-12 record keeps us out of the playoffs. This team is perplexing to me. Every time I feel like we are turning the page, we take two steps back. This team, on paper, is better than the rankings & standings would indicate. We stupidly kept Yamada this year, and in turn got our finances all F'd up. So to answer your question, I believe we will be once again we will be playing golf come the end of September. 
SS Royce Lewis has had a nice year in the field, but a tough year at the plate. Will Lewis remain with the Padres as he goes further into his 30's or depart via free agency or trade? The Padres' front office would like to keep Lewis as a lifelong Padre. However, business comes first and it will depend on the finances going forward. If we can afford him, we believe he will bounce back into form after a down year at the plate. Even Juan Soto has a down year - this just happens to be Royces'. We have 1 more year to evaluate Lewis and the rest of the Padres system. 
Veteran Adrian Morejon had been having a pretty good season, one of his best. Who will spell him in the rotation until he is able to return from the IL sometime in September? The Morejon injury hurts the Padres, severely. This is one more reason why the Padres will NOT make the playoffs. Given the constraints that the commish has put on small market teams, we do not have the depth to replace Morejon. So we will have to figure out a replacement, and right now that replacement will be Jake Shirly. Hopefully he can duplicate the stats that he showed the SD front office in 2027. 

[mikereds]

BREWERS 5, PADRES 3

WP: Branden 'Scruffy' Andexler (13-3)

LP: Anderson Espinoza (8-5)

The Milwaukee Brewers topped the San Diego Padres, 5-3, in National League action at Petco Park. The game was highlighted by the performance of Milwaukee pitcher Branden Andexler. Andexler went 5 innings to notch the win. He scattered 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 7. His record improves to 13-3. Joe Dyck was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 6 of 9 save opportunities.

Quadir Murriel, the 29-year old second baseman , had a direct impact on the outcome. Murriel contributed a run-scoring single in the top of the fourth inning to put Milwaukee up, 4-2.

"Obviously," said San Diego manager Creig McBride, "we've hit the skids."

The Brewers lead the National League Central Division by 11½ games.

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Post-game questions for the managers:

For Louis Grimmelbein, Brewers GM:

• The Brewers won this game without even hitting an extra base hit!  The box score, however, shows you left a lot of runners on base and should have scored a lot more than 5 runs with the 3 Padres errors.  Taking this win as a good sign, or is it cause for concern?
  
• Lots of great production by the Brewers so far this year.  As of today who would you pick for MVP among your players?
  
• Tight PBA budgets notwithstanding, are there any positions of interest you are looking to fill via trade before the deadline?
  

For Creig McBride, Padres GM:

• We're nearing the trade deadline and it looks like the Padres' ship has likely sunk.  Will anyone be moved by the trade deadline?
  
• After the two errors in this game, 3B Luis Almanzar now has as many errors as he does home runs (9).  Is he treading on thin ice?
  
• Despite the dismal record of late in the majors, the upper minors for the Padres has been looking very good. A, A+, AA and AAA all have convincing winning records.  Which prospects are you most excited about at this time?
  

Trivia:
Without looking at the PBA standings ... which team has the longest winning streak in the PBA right now (5 game streak)?

[brewersgm]

Jul 11, 2022 21:10:49 GMT -5 mikereds said:

Post-game questions for the managers:

For Louis Grimmelbein, Brewers GM:

• The Brewers won this game without even hitting an extra base hit!  The box score, however, shows you left a lot of runners on base and should have scored a lot more than 5 runs with the 3 Padres errors.  Taking this win as a good sign, or is it cause for concern?
  
• Lots of great production by the Brewers so far this year.  As of today who would you pick for MVP among your players?
  
• Tight PBA budgets notwithstanding, are there any positions of interest you are looking to fill via trade before the deadline?
  

1. We did a great job getting on base, no EBH but a lot of walks and we didn't strike out much either. We can win games like this if we have that level of plate discipline.

2. It's gotta be Hawkeye. He's having his best season yet, leading all of the PBA in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. He's an exceptional talent who we are thrilled to have.

3. With Yamada's injury we may be in the market for another lefty reliever. We could also use a righty OFer. We'll see what's out there. We aren't going to be too aggressive but if there is a deal out there that makes sense we'll go for it.

[Commissioner Erick]

TRIVIA 2: Daniel correctly guessed the White Sox.