Highlights-Lowlights: Reds-Brewers

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
Wily Peralta - The young Brewers pitcher continue to dazzle in the last couple outings. He pitched great against Cincinnati going seven innings strong with three hits allowed, one run earned and five strikeouts. Peralta seemed in full control all game long with great command and did not face many problems all game long. In the last two starts, Peralta pitched 15 innings only allowed six hits and striking out 10 batters. The last part is key, it seems like Wily is pitching more to contact than anything else which is important.

Ryan Braun - I wanted to write a longer blog post about Braun, and I might do it on Friday regardless of how he plays against New York. Braun seems fully healthy for the first time all season. He had another great series against Cincinnati. Braun went 5 for 12 in the series driving in five runs with a home run as well. He is in complete control of his swing whether it be pulling the ball or taking to the opposite field.

Zach Duke - When Milwaukee signed Zach Duke in the offseason, I didn't think much of it. Personally, I thought Duke wouldn't be on the roster by this time, or I would hate him like I did Mike Gonzalez. Duke is the best left-hander in baseball in terms of ERA. He struck out the side in the eighth inning of Tuesday night's game. Duke also came in to get out Billy Hamilton in the seventh inning with two outs and a runner on second.  He is one of the MVP's of the Milwaukee team thus far.

Mark Reynolds - Honestly, I had no idea if Mark Reynolds still existed with this Brewers team. He went radio silent for two months of the season then came through in a major way on Wednesday afternoon. Reynolds hit two home runs pushing the Brewers ahead by two runs and then added a solo shot in the eighth putting Milwaukee up by four runs and ensuring Francisco Rodriguez didn't have pitch for a third straight game. Hopefully, this is one of Reynolds' hot streak for the next couple of weeks.

Jean Segura - For the first time in a long time, Segura made an impact in a baseball game on the offensive side of the game. Segura had two hits on Monday night, one being a triple where he ended up scoring on a bad throw by the Reds defense, and he ignited the inning in the fourth scoring on Carlos Gomez's ground-rule double.

Lowlights
Instant Replay - If Major League Baseball is going to have instant replay, they need to use it right. Zach Cosart attempted to bunt the baseball to move the runners over, but the ball hit the bat plus his hand to go with it. The umpiring crew thought Cosart was hit by a pitch when in reality, it was a foul ball. Umpires felt sorry for Cosart because he had an injury. Simple as that. MLB needs to call it like they see it instead of trying to aid the player because he got hurt on the play. It doesn't mean shit, he still swung at the baseball.

Roenicke's not pulling Jimmy Nelson - With having a sweep, there is not much to complain about truthfully, but the manager of the Brewers had a couple mistakes this week with the pitching staff. Roenicke is damn lucky Jimmy Nelson did not get roughed up in the seventh when he gave up two straight singles then 'hit' two batters allowing a run in. Nelson still pitched great, but he could have really had a start spoiled in the seventh with Roenicke leaving him in too long.

Duke's one-pitch outing - This is another move by Roenicke that I failed to understand on Wednesday afternoon. Duke had only 13 pitches the night before and Hamilton swung at the first pitch. Duke could have easily stayed out for another inning saving Will Smith whose already pitching way too much for a day. Roenicke's logic on Wednesday afternoon baffled me. There is no reason Duke should have came out of the game.

Knowing these aren't the real Reds - I really hate to be a cynic. I really do, but we all know this isn't the Cincinnati team that owned Milwaukee for the first couple months of the season. They are without Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto plus missing some other pieces as well. Still, it is nice to build some momentum as well as a two and a half game lead in the National League Central.

Charlie.

Reds-Brewers Preview (7/21-7/23)

Yes, your Brewers previews are back in full force. We have kind have been lacking on it during the month of July and honestly, I get real busy in the coming month so hopefully they will continue, same with highlights/lowlights.  

Monday:      Mat Latos (2-1 2.79) vs. Wily Peralta (10-6 3.72         7:10 pm FSNWI
Tuesday:      Homer Bailey (8-5 4.21) vs. Jimmy Nelson (1-1 5.40)  7:10 pm FSNWI
Wednesday: Mike Leake (7-8 3.63) vs. Kyle Lohse (10-4 3.16)      1:10 pm MLB Network

Five Things to Watch
1.) Figuring out Cincinnati - If there has been one team in Milwaukee's side this season, it is Cincinnati. The Brewers have not won a series against their division rivals yet this season. I believe they are the only team this season to take two road series from Miller Park. This is a different Cincinnati team that Milwaukee played earlier this month. Reds will be without Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips leading to their offense go silent this weekend against New York as the Yankees swept them.

2.) Mat Latos' dominance against Milwaukee - In two starts this season, Latos controlled the Brewers bats pretty well. In 14 innings pitched, Latos gave up only six hits and two total runs in two starts versus Milwaukee this season. Ryan Braun is the hottest Brewer on the team right now, and he struggles mightily against Latos only having two hits in 20 at-bats against the tatted up righty. Therefore it really doesn't matter that Latos never beat Milwaukee at Miller Park. It would be great to see the Brewers break through against Latos early and often. Latos' last start featured Pittsburgh jumping on him pretty hard with two home runs and five runs surrendered in five innings.

3. Johnny Luc looking for a spark - One of the things flying under the radar is Jonathan Lucroy is having a horrible month along with the team. Lucroy only has five hits in 38 at-bats. It is hard to think what's wrong with Lucroy right now. The book may have changed on Lucroy a bit where teams have figured him out slightly. I wonder if Lucroy will start doing things a little differently, or possibly Ron Roenicke mess with the lineup again putting Lucroy second ahead of Braun. He needs a good week to rite the ship, I don't think it is cause for concern.

4. Jimmy Nelson the sequel - This will be the second time with Nelson starting in the rotation. I don't think this is a do or die start for Nelson even though Marco Estrada pitched adequately on Saturday. Nelson faced a buzzsaw in a hot St. Louis team going up against a top five National League pitcher. Nelson will now face a Reds lineup that features a couple big bats in Jay Bruce, Devin Mesoraco and Todd Frazier yet not dealing with Votto or Phillips help him a little bit on Tuesday night.

5. Reds Road Losing Streak - All of the sudden, Cincinnati has lost six straight games on the road. They were terrible this weekend in New York. This is a little bit of a do or die series for the Reds. If they were to get swept, Cincinnati heads towards .500 again but if they were to win a couple games, the Reds build a little momentum trying to make a run at the NL Central Division title. Cincinnati only scored six runs over the weekend with three walks and 51 strikeouts. It could be Milwaukee's time to strike.

Appropriate YouTube Video 


I found this song on my Spotify playlist this morning and I think it fits perfectly for both teams. Pressure by Youngblood Hawke.

Prediction
Milwaukee hasn't won a series against a team not named Colorado since mid-June. It is about time to win a series. Brewers get two out of three.

Charlie. 

Highlights-Lowlights: Brewers-Reds (7/4-7-6)

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
Matt Garza - This is the Matt Garza Brewers fans hoped for when Milwaukee signed the right-hander. This might be peak Garza, but still it was a joy to watch him pitch on Saturday afternoon. Garza looked completely dialed in with a complete game shutout only allowing two hits and struck out nine batters. Finally, Garza's ERA dipped below four, the first time it has been under four since April 14th, but Garza did have a 2.88 ERA in the month of June.

Jonathan Lucroy - He really didn't have a good series, but it is worth giving him credit for calling a great game on Saturday with Garza. Lucroy did also add a home run on Friday trying to bring the team back after a four run deficit early on. I honestly cannot remember the last time Lucroy wasn't on the highlight-lowlight chart for highlights. He deserves it almost every time out.

Logan Schafer - It has to be tough being Logan Schafer and other Brewers that get shifted around in Triple A and MLB. Schafer took his knocks but made the most of his opportunity on Sunday playing for Ryan Braun with a triple and double off Mat Latos whose been virtually unhittable lately. I like Elian Herrera, but it seems like Logan really helps out the team more. He is a better defender whom can play all three outfield positions and seems to come up with big hits every now and again.  

Aramis Ramirez - Good weekend for the All-Star starter at third base. He played really well on Saturday having two hits and driving in the only run of the game. Ramirez had hits in both of the other games as well. Ramirez also made a hell of a defensive play late in the game on Saturday with a bunt which is always a detriment of Garza

Lowlights
Ryan Braun's back spasms - Another Braun injury to deal with which really does suck even though it is not considered to be serious. This seems like Braun's sixth or seventh injury already this season, and yes that's probably an overreaction yet it is just a bummer. Braun is having a fine season, but it is unfortunate for him. Hopefully, this doesn't delay what seemed to be the start of a Braun hot streak too.

Kyle Lohse - We really shouldn't be concerned about Lohse because he arguably has been the best Brewers pitcher of the season, but the last four starts are a little unsettling. Three of the four starts he has given up three runs with a couple unearned runs mixed in there as well, and he goes only five innings in two of the last four starts. Lohse's runs came quick on Friday, and before you know, Milwaukee is trailing by four runs in the fifth inning.

Will Smith - As we talked about this in the last couple weeks, this had to be expected from Smith. He cannot be perfect for the rest of the year. Smith was so good and him regressing a bit shouldn't be surprising at all. Granted, Smith giving up a two-run homer to Known Brewer Killer President Jay Bruce is much better than him giving up multiple hits allowing multiple runs yet I realize this is flawed logic.

Carlos Gomez - Milwaukee had a road trip from hell and so do Gomez with going two for 18 during the five games. He dipped below .300 for the first time since May 23rd. I am not very concerned with Gomez's recent struggles. It is the law of large averages. He goes on a huge hitting streak and it seems inevitable there will be a little dip there.

Gotta figure out Cincinnati - At some point, Milwaukee will need to win a series against Cincinnati. They play them 10 times in the month of September. Cincinnati has the pitching and they might make a move for some hitting at some point in the trade deadline. Brewers need to find their way against the Reds sooner rather than later. Next matchup comes at The Keg on July 21st.  

Charlie.

Highlights-Lowlights: Reds vs. Brewers (6/13-6/15)

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
Yovani Gallardo - Who knows what changed with Yovani in the last couple starts, but he has come back to life. Gallardo delivered another great start only allowing one run in seven innings giving up six hits with eight strikeouts. In the last two starts, Gallardo allowed only one run striking out 16 batters with only 10 hits off of him. Yovani is not going to be this good all the time, but it is refreshing to see him bounce back after the brutal six-game stretch. You wonder if it motivated him to see Kyle Lohse starting to get attention as the quote 'ace' of the staff. I could be looking too far into it, but Gallardo does seem to be handling opposing batters like he did at the start of the year.

Scooter Gennett - You think he likes the lead-off spot? In the last four starts for Scooter Gennett, he has two hits in each of the games. He really does seem to flourish in a spot where Gennett says he is the most comfortable. He had two doubles on Saturday and added another one yesterday which drove in a run therefore he is not just getting on-base with singles, Gennett adds a little bit more. It would be great if he started taking more walks. Gennett's OBP is only .335 which isn't good for a player hitting .296.

Carlos Gomez - He continued his hitting ways this week as Gomez extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Gomez added a big hit on Friday night driving in the game-tying run. Gomez had two hits on Sunday as well as the run scored to tie Saturday's game. It is fair to say Gomez is the straw that stirs Milwaukee's drink. He helped ignite all of the big Brewers innings this weekend. Even though he dropped to fourth place in the All-Star voting, I think it is guarantee he will be in his second-straight All-Star Game.

Khris Davis - He started the scoring attack on Friday night with a solo home run off Homer Bailey, Davis' first home run since June 5th against Minnesota. Davis had a productive groundout Saturday to tie the game late on Saturday as well. The most important thing is Davis hasn't wavered after the hot streak he had in late May. He could have faltered a little bit, but Davis remained consistent throughout the last 10 games which is encouraging to see from a young player.

Ryan Braun's home run - He didn't really have a highlight weekend as Braun only had one hit during the weekend dropping his average to .281, the lowest its been since April 23rd. But we will not worry about that right now. Braun hit his first meaningful home run of the year. Eighth inning with one out and a runner on second, he hits an opposite field home run. People are waiting on Braun to get hot again, and with two hitter-friendly ballparks, he might have an opportunity to breakout.

Lowlights
Marco Estrada's home runs - They continue to be a problem for this Brewers team. He gave up homers to Billy Hamilton, Todd Frazier and Brandon Phillips allowing for the first five runs of the game. Milwaukee came back to tie the game at three only to see Estrada giving up a two-run shot in the subsequent inning. It is not good right now. He didn't even walk a batter today. They were all gopher balls. Estrada is a problem on this Brewers roster right now. I don't know how starting him again will help this Brewers team because it seems like a given Estrada giving up at least one homer.

Matt Garza's defense - PUKE. Matt Garza's defense reared its ugly head on Friday night with a short-arm throw to second base and airmailing a ball into the stands later in the game. He had four unearned runs. Garza actually pitched great if it weren't for the errors as he only gave up an earned run. Garza's next start is against Arizona, and I fully expect them to try to bunt more offense plus try to put more pressure on him as teams will notice this start.

Rob Wooten - Not the best outing for Mr. Wooten. He gave up six straight hits and allowed five runs. He is the first pitcher since John Gelnar in 1970 to give up six straight hits in an appearance without getting an out. Let's chalk this up to a bad outing by him. It is a bummer to see because the Brewers had a chance to get back into this game only being down a run and Wooten puked all over his shoes. It happens now and again unfortunately.

Francisco Rodriguez - Yes he got a save on Saturday night, but he blew the game on Friday night. That's one you would have loved the Brewers to have after coming back from a four-run deficit, but K-Rod gave up a run leading to Cincinnati's win. I have no idea what's wrong with closers when they are playing in non-save situations, but the wheels always seem to come off for them. Hopefully, Frankie will find the secret of pitching in non-save situations.

Irving Falu - Ron Roenick gave Jean Segura a night off on Friday night, and it did not work well for the Brewers.  The now-Nashville player Irving Falu added a couple errors to give Milwaukee four on the night with him and Garza's ineptitude on defense. He also came up multiple times in big spots with runners on and Falu went like a fart in the wind. Happy to see him back in Nashville.

Charlie.

Reds-Brewers Preview (6/13-6/15)

Brewers previews to get you ready for the series where we have five things to watch, pitching matchups and prediction. We add a YouTube video in the mix, it could be really anything.   

Pitching Matchups 

Friday: Homer Bailey (7-3 4.60) vs. Matt Garza (4-4 4.42)       7:10 pm FSNWI

Saturday: Mat Latos (0-0 0.00) vs. Yovani Gallardo (4-4 3.71) 6:15 pm FOX

Sunday: Mike Leake (3-6 3.61) vs. Marco Estrada (5-3 4.56)   1:10 pm FSNWI

Five Things To Watch 

1.) Ryan Braun - It seems like we talk about this topic every two weeks. Braun goes hot for a little bit then cools off and it has become a theme of the season thus far. Braun struggled in the last road trip, but he has good success against Bailey plus he had a home run off Leake in the past. I mentioned in Highlights-Lowlights earlier this afternoon, I think Braun needs to get back to playing at hitter-friendly parks. I think he does well this weekend. 

2.) Matt Garza's Solid June - All of the sudden, Garza has seen his ERA dip about a half of run in the last two starts. He is quietly pitching well for the Brewers. He handled Minnesota nicely and did an adequate job in Pittsburgh.  Garza will be up against a tough Cincinnati lineup whose handled him well in the past. Garza needs to keep staying the course and not try to do too much.  

3.) Return of Mat Latos - He makes his first start of the season on Saturday night. He struggled mightily against the Brewers last season with nearly six runs given up in three starts, the highest ERA against an NL Central team. He had two starts at Miller Park which one he didn't get any run support and the other was brutal for him. First starts are always tricky because they could feature the best a pitcher has to open their year or just a disaster. 

4.) Mike Leake's problems... Dodgers and Giants-related or nah? - In the last two starts, Mike Leake has given up a total of 10 runs. But the opponents he faced where both Los Angeles and San Francisco, two of the stronger offensive teams in Major League Baseball. He also getting little run support with six of his last eight starts, the Reds have put up three or less runs. Brewers had one of those in a 2-0 victory in early May. 

5.) Bullpen adjustment - Milwaukee used their bullpen a lot in the last couple of days. Brandon Kintzler is probably not playing tonight after throwing 40 pitches last night. Will Smith might be a shaky one with pitching in the last two games. It is nice to have Mike Fiers there in case Garza doesn't have it tonight or Milwaukee needs multiple innings. 

Appropriate YouTube Video 

In honor of Father's Day, we are going with a montage HBO put together for the Game of Thrones finale about how bad Fathers have been in the show. 

Prediction 

Brewers will take two of three games. It would be nice for them to actually win the first one because I am there tonight. Reds always make me nervous. 

Charlie. 

Highlights-Lowlights: Brewers-Reds (5/1-5/4)

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
Wily Peralta - Easily, the best performance of the weekend.  The young Brewers pitcher dazzled on Friday night going eight shutout innings giving up three hits and striking out seven batters. Peralta has been one of the stars of the young season as he rapidly improved from last season. Also Wily drove in the only two runs for the Brewers on Friday so he did it all to ensure the only Brewers victory of the weekend.

Jonathan Lucroy - Good weekend for Johnny Luc whom drove in a run on Sunday going two for two plus he had a three hit day on Friday night. Lucroy is the only Brewer right now with a batting average over .300 at .312. He needs to keep hitting with this Brewers offense looking weaker and weaker without Ryan Braun. Hopefully, he continues to set the pace.

Johnny Cueto - More people should be talking about the start Cueto is having this season. He did allow two runs on Saturday, but they were two solo shots by Mark Reynolds and Aramis Ramirez. Other than that, he allowed three total hits, striking out 10 batters in eight innings of work. This is the third start out of four where Cueto has struck out 10 or more batters. In those starts, he has struck out 37 batters averaging 9.25 strikeouts per start. Cueto is second in the league with 60 strikeouts with only Jose Fernandez having more with 65.

Todd Frazier - With Jay Bruce having a tough start to his season, someone needed to replace his Brewer Killer role and it was Mr. Frazier. He is known for big series against the Brewers before, but he had his hand in a lot of things that happened for the Reds this weekend. He drove in six runs this weekend plus added a home run as well.  I don't know if we can anoint Frazier a new Brewer Killer, but he is definitely building his case for it.

Carlos Gomez's Catch - OOPS HE DID IT AGAIN. HE PLAYED WITH JOEY VOTTO'S HEART, GOT LOST IN THE GAME. OOOO BABY OOO. Seriously, it was a great catch.



Lowlights
Jim Henderson - Not a great appearance for Henderson on Thursday night as he gave up five runs on four hits plus a home run happened in there as well. He went from having an ERA around three to being around seven after this disastrous appearance. Of course, the day after he went on a Disabled List with shoulder inflammation. I don't know why it took Ron Roenicke a dumpster fire eighth inning to figure that one out, but it did.

Inevitable Disabled List - Ryan Braun will miss two more series with the rib cage injury. Brewers bats are pretty cold right now, and it appears they will have to do without their star for another week. He would return next week Monday to play in the Pittsburgh if he is ready to go. If not, he could return against Chicago over the weekend next week. We shall see what happens with Braun's rib cage injury. I want him as healthy as possible so if he needs more time, that's not a problem.

Marco Estrada - Pretty bad start from Marco. I am not really surprised though. Even though he pitched well at Cincinnati in the past, Great American Ballpark can be a type of stadium where Estrada would struggle in being a fly ball pitcher. He gave up two homers, one was super weak that would only go out at GABP, but still the fact remains, Estrada surrendered them both. What I am worried about is him walking four batters. Hopefully that's just a blip on the radar.

Tyler Thornburg - Not a good weekend for one of the more promising Brewers this season. Thornburg gave up two runs on Saturday giving Cincinnati some much needed insurance runs late in the game, and then he gave up a double to Frazier in the 10th giving Cincinnati the win. In his last seven starts, Thornburg has walked at least one batter. Is that worthy of a concern?  Maybe. It is always one batter, but still, it would be nice to see him have a clean frame.

Aramis Ramirez - Remember when he had a red hot start where we thought this year would be different for him?  And then he has gone ice cold in the last week. Even though he had a homer on Saturday, Ramirez's average is down to .248.  We are only 27 days away from Aramis Ramirez Day folks, don't worry about it.

Charlie.

Brewers-Reds Preview (5/1-5/4)

Brewers previews to get you ready for the series where we have five things to watch, pitching matchups and prediction. We add a YouTube video in the mix, it could be really anything.   

Pitching Matchups
Thursday: Marco Estrada (2-1 2.87) vs. Homer Bailey (1-2 6.15)      6:10 pm FSNWI
Friday:     Wily Peralta (3-1 2.56) vs. Mike Leake (2-2 3.82)             6:10 pm FSNWI
Saturday:  Yovani Gallardo (2-0 1.91) vs. Johnny Cueto (2-2 1.15)    6:10 pm FSNWI
Sunday:     Kyle Lohse (4-1 2.70) vs. Alfredo Simon (4-1 1.60)         3:10 pm FSNWI

Five Things To Watch
1.) No Disabled List for Braun, Ramirez and Segura return - Brewers decided to send down Elian Herrera and bring up Rob Wooten as Aramis Ramirez and Jean Segura return to the lineup tonight. Ryan Braun will be missing from the lineup for the fifth straight game. There is no Disabled List appearance, but you wonder if he will be there by Saturday when Logan Schafer's stint is up on Saturday. Getting Ramirez and Segura will definitely help this offense, and hopefully, their injuries will not affect their play this weekend.

2.) Why is Wei-Chung Wang on the team? - I am even more convinced if Wei-Chung Wang would get put back with say Seattle or Kansas City, he wouldn't be on this roster, but since, Milwaukee would give him back to Pittsburgh, they want to avoid it if they can. Yet it would be really nice to have Caleb Gindl, a quality outfielder with a little bit of pop. The other thing is Mike Fiers is dominating Nashville right now striking out everybody in sight, and he has already proven to be an adequate long reliever. Same goes for Jimmy Nelson who did okay his first time around.  This is a very timely article from Jim Owczarski from OnMilwaukee about Wang.

3.) Mark Reynolds is playing right field for two games, is this real life? - With Milwaukee only having two infielders, my guess is Reynolds plays right field tonight which could get real ugly. At least Great American Ballpark is bandbox which means it could be easier for Reynolds than other places even like Miller Park. The other thing is keeping  Lyle Overbay's hot bat in the lineup plus add Reynolds' home run ability at GABP is a sneaky part of it and yes, I just talked myself into having Reynolds in right field. Also Dan provides a solid point here.

@SnoTap12 We'll get through it. Can't be any worse than Kotsay in Center in a crucial NLCS game.
— Dan Maciejewski (@dmaciejewski) May 1, 2014

4.) Gallardo vs. Cueto should be quite good - While Yo has been good so far this season, Cueto is having one of the best seasons thus far as a pitcher. He isn't getting run support, but Cueto has not allowed more than five hits in any of his starts this season.  Additionally, he struck out 27 batters in the last three outings. If you want a silver lining, Ramirez handles Cueto pretty well. Gallardo is not a slouch against Cincinnati either. He shut them out three times last season, once at GABP. I think we are in for a dandy on Saturday night.

5.) Great American Ballpark struggle bus - My apologies for not finding the statistics on what Milwaukee's exact record at this stadium, but they have not played well there in the past. Weird shit always tends to happen especially late in games. One of those places that makes you nervous as a fan.

Appropriate YouTube Video


I wish I could have some Skyline Chili. It's freezing in Milwaukee today. Also the mascots are TERRIFYING.

Prediction
I am seeing a split. Cannot expect them to beat both Simon and Cueto plus today's game with a still beat-up bullpen makes me a bit nervous even if Cincinnati is not playing well.