Highlights-Lowlights: Padres-Brewers (4/21-4/23)

This is SnoTap's version of recap of the two, three or four game series Milwaukee Brewers will play this season. We focus on the positives and negatives with topics about the game and topics that were nowhere near close to part of the game. 

Highlights
Scooter Gennett - Talk about responding to the moment. Scooter moved up to the two hole in order to take some pressure off Jean Segura, and for now, it seems Scooter may have stolen the two spot from Mean Jean for the time being. He scored a run in all three games along with hitting a home run on Tuesday providing the only offense for this Brewers team. He also added five hits in the series. I was extremely anti-Scooter when he came up last season thinking Rickie Weeks still had something in the tank, and it appears I was very wrong. Way to make me eat crow Scooter.

Kyle Lohse - The veteran strikes again for Milwaukee with another great performance. He allowed only one earned run with five strikeouts only allowing five hits in the process. Lohse mowed through the San Diego offense pretty easily and battled out of a jam or two as well. One thing I found interesting is after he walked three batters last Saturday, he did not walk a batter tonight. Lohse rarely walks batters so if it is over two, it is a bit of a big deal. He walked five in Philadelphia, zero the next game. Walked three, zero the next game. Hey Kyle, keep going with the latter.

Jean Segura - For the first time all year, we saw signs of life from Jean Segura. He played well as Roenicke shifted him down in the order. Segura had two hits on Monday and another two Wednesday including a big three-run blast breaking the game wide open for the Brewers. Segura seems to be finding his stroke again down in the order, and if he could get hot, look out. Brewers could really boast an interchangeable lineup plus having him hit before the pitcher is not the worst thing in the world.

Yovani Gallardo - Even though he came away with the no decision, a nice outing from Yovani on Tuesday night going seven strong only allowing one run spread over five hits. Gallardo handled San Diego for every inning but one of them. I cannot say enough about the start from Yo. In the last three Aprils, he had an ERA of over five with opponents hitting over .300 against him. He takes on his biggest challenge on Monday night when he faces St. Louis at Busch Stadium, a place that has given him all sorts of trouble.

Ryan Braun - He ends up closer to the lowlights because Braun did not have a good Tuesday game going 0 for 5 with a looking strikeout to end it in the 12th. But he did provide RBI's in the two other games. I feel like I saw better swings from Braun at Miller Park than I have seen all season. If I had a blog where I could predict things, I think this Chicago series will be huge for him.

Lowlights
Ron Roenicke's Figaro decision - With winning the first 16 of 22 games, the manager cannot get much criticism, but Roenicke deserves a bit for deciding to stay in with Alfredo Figaro versus a pinch hitter then Wei-Chung Wang. The same result could have happened and the Brewers still end up losing yet it doesn't hurt to add a bullpen arm when it is available plus have a pinch hitter come up and see what happens.

Tuesday night's game in general - Easily, the worst baseball game I have watched this season. I would not like to watch that again, thanks.

RISP - I think we talk about this every year with the Brewers no matter how good or bad they are. Brewers had multiple opportunities to bust Tuesday's game wide open and they could not take advantage of the situation. Against a team like San Diego, you can force extras doing that, but against a St. Louis-like team, it will not end well for them.

The Brewers 8th on Wednesday - It made zero sense to have Tyler Thornburg get all warmed up and pitch to one batter then two batters for Will Smith. Just pick one and ride it out. No need to waste the arms when they have taken a beating in the last week.

Charlie.