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.

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 97

Tapping The Keg Podcast with Charlie & Mitch graces your ears for another week of fun. We start off the podcast talking about random things in the news or in our life... Most notably, Joel Embiid's Twitter game and pop music. Sports happen around the 10 min mark where we talk about the Brewers sweep, Roenicke's bullpen management and is Yovani Gallardo' trustworthy? We move on to talk about the Bucks full roster with the addition of Kendall Marshall. We do a little Packers training camp before finishing with Tony Dungy and Michael Sam.

Charlie.

Tap's Hangover Cure: Kato Kaelin Hates Ron Roenicke

Once again, I am trying something new in the mornings. With the next month being a little crazy and

I am not finding myself on the computer as much at night, this is one way to add a post every morning that will just feature a paragraph, something that happened last night in sports or something dumb on the internet. 

Kato Kaelin is a Wisconsin native. He is originally from the Milwaukee area and we worked at the same campus television station in Eau Claire. Everyone uses their Twitter account differently, and I didn't realize Kato used his to voice frustrations with the Milwaukee Brewers. Basically, a fan like you, me and that psycho whom takes his shirt off no matter how fat he is at Miller Park.  I have to respect that decision even though I cannot remember many times where we are having a discussion about Kato Kaelin over some beers.

Ron Ronoecke must be FIRED. @Brewers idiotic management will never bring a pennant to Milwaukee. Resign and all pitchers on Milw r a JOKE
— Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) July 20, 2014

Welp I mean I get mad at Ron too but I think he means well. 

As predicted Gallardo good for 3 innings top. @Brewers is Roenicke insane? Doesn't he realize the pattern for the last 3yrs with this guy?
— Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) July 20, 2014

Can't disagree here. 

Matt Garza should be pitching on the Garza strip. 5 runs in 1st inning. Thanks @Brewers
— Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) July 20, 2014

Might wanna stay away from that one.

Charlie. 

Orioles-Brewers Preview (5/26-5/28)

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
Monday:      Chris Tillman (4-2 4.21) vs. Kyle Lohse (6-1 2.67)     1:10 pm FSNWI
Tuesday:      Wei-Yen Chen (5-2 4.08) vs. Matt Garza (2-4 4.92)       7:10 pm FSNWI
Wednesday: Bud Norris (3-4 3.83) vs. Yovani Gallardo (2-3 3.51) 7:10 pm FSNWI

Five Things To Watch
1.) Home Sweet Home - Brewers are back at Miller Park for the first time in two weeks. The road trip ended on a high note with the Crew taking two of three from Miami, but in reality, Milwaukee really should be on a five-game winning streak as they pissed away both Thursday and Saturday's game. Even though the Brewers are only four games above .500 at home, it is still nice to be playing in front of the fans and getting to sleep in their own bed each night. This week at home needs to be an efficient one, and hopefully the hot hitting continues this week.  .

2.) New World Order - Ron Roenicke has been criticized by me in the past for being very generic and robotic with some of the decisions he makes in all aspects of the game. Roenicke thought outside the box to put Ryan Braun hitting second and Carlos Gomez in the cleanup spot. The Brewers scored seven and nine runs in their two wins this weekend, their highest run total in a game since their eight-run output against Arizona on May, 3rd. Roenicke is sticking with the lineup today, and you wonder if Aramis Ramirez will be hitting fifth when he returns from injury or if Roenicke will revert back to the old lineup.

3.) Kyle Lohse's continued success - This could be the biggest jinx of the season given I am writing this about 40 minutes before he tows the rubber, but right now, he is the best pitcher on the Brewers staff. Everything is working for Lohse which is great to see as other pitchers have struggled slightly. One thing that might make you a little nervous about today is Lohse really has seen any of the bats for Baltimore. That can also work to a pitcher's advantage too. Lohse goes out there with another strong outing like he did against Atlanta, I think you can make a case he deserves to be in consideration for Pitcher of the Month in the National League.

4.) Avoiding Nelson Cruz - One of the hottest players in baseball right now with 16 home runs for the season and hitting .295. Orioles picked him up as a flyer before the season started and no one really thought much of it yet he is carrying the team right now leading them in almost every batting category. One advantage the Brewers do have with him though is he cannot play defense to save his soul meaning the Crew could get some added chances with balls hit to left field this week. Given Miller Park and the weather this week, you almost have to expect Cruz to hit one or two out, let's hope they are solo shots.

5.) Little pitching, big offense week? - It is humid as all hell today meaning the panels will be open today and likely tomorrow if the storms hold off which is good news if you like a lot of offense. I wouldn't be surprised to see several balls fly out of the stadium. Granted, Brewers pitching has been good and Orioles haven't been too bad so maybe I am wrong and we will see a bunch of pitcher's duels like we have grown accustomed to in the first two months of the baseball season.

Appropriate YouTube video


For all the troops out there, serving, served or lost in combat. THANK YOU. This day is about remembering the fallen whom fought for our freedom. Nothing better than montages of soldiers coming home to their families.

Prediction 
Brewers have done well against the AL East thus far going 5-1. I could see two out of three from the Crew. Feels like they are getting warm again.

Charlie.

Highlights-Lowlights: Brewers-Braves (5/19-5/22)

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
Kyle Lohse - Brewers really don't have an ace to their staff, but they do have a number one pitcher, right now that's Lohse. No one is pitching better than him on this roster. He continued to dazzle against Atlanta going for eight innings giving up four hits and striking out eight batters with only walked one. Lohse looked in complete control for the full eight innings. He didn't really deal with any sort of problems, and won his six start of the season. Nine out of Lohse's ten starts have seen him go at least six innings.

Jonathan Lucroy - This man is on a complete tear. I know Buster Posey and Yadier Molina hang out in the National League, but Lucroy is playing like an All-Star starter. He is currently eighth in the league in batting average and on-base percentage. Lucroy reached base safely in 11 out of 17 at-bats against Atlanta, and hit over .500 for the season against the Braves. Lucroy is having the best May by far of any Brewers batter, and I do think you seriously have to consider Johnny Luc for the cleanup position even when Aramis Ramirez comes back.

Mark Reynolds - He was the main benefactor as to why Milwaukee won on Wednesday night with his grand slam. Reynolds is not going to give you the base-hits you want all the time, but he will bring the home run power. It is why Reynolds should stay in the lineup because now and again, he will hit a big home run for the team. Yes, he will also strikeout too, but you just roll with the punches there with Reynolds. But keeping him on the bench and starting Jeff Bianchi is not something that will win you baseball games. Simple as that.

Khris Davis - Decent series for him, and it would be great if he got hot at some point. I still believe he is figuring out Major League Baseball pitching even after two months. Davis hit a two-run homer on Monday night to pull the Brewers within two runs of Atlanta before shit hit the fan, and Davis drove in two runs on Thursday. He can hit against left-handers without question, but the struggle comes against the righties. Hopefully, Davis can find his groove in Miami and carry over to the homestand against Baltimore and Chicago.

Ryan Doumit -Known. Brewer. Killer. He always seems to do something against the Brewers, doesn't he? Doumit hit the home run that opened the Wang floodgates on Monday night, and then drove in two runs including the go-ahead on Thursday night. Doumit needs to stay far away from the National League Central.

Lowlights
Ron Roenicke's Decision Making - Not the best week for Ronald. He has been sort of above criticism for the season given how good the Brewers have been, but he is not helping things with all the injuries. There was the Wang decision on Monday which we already discussed, here and here. And then last night was a complete trainwreck with not having someone warm in the bullpen. Will Smith did give up two runs, but ended up getting an out as well. So help me God if he gets hurt in the coming days. Roenicke needs a full deck because he doesn't know how to handle one when it's limited.

Yovani Gallardo's ankle - To make matters worse on Tuesday night, Yovani Gallardo sprained his ankle meaning he could be out for Sunday's game against Miami. He will probably not see any Disabled List time for this one, but it is always disappointing to see a starting pitcher go down. Thankfully, it is just a sprained ankle, and not anything more serious to his legs. I wouldn't push Gallardo starting on Sunday, but the fact, Mike Fiers or Jimmy Nelson isn't up therefore the Brewers don't have a backup plan putting them at odds.

Ryan Braun's side - I feel like Michael Scott seeing Toby again... NOOOO GOD NOOO. Braun looked like he was struggling at the plate, and he pulled himself out of the game on Thursday night. It becomes a waiting game to see if Braun plays tonight. He is a former Miami guy so this series has some meaning to Braun and probably wants to be in the order. My guess is he will play tonight, sit out Saturday and play Sunday. Hopefully, he doesn't have to miss the whole series.

Wily Peralta - I don't think there is a reason to push a panic button on Peralta rather he just had a bad start against a good team. Peralta gave up a home run as well as walked four batters in five innings. Peralta still hasn't given up more than three earned runs in a game so far this season. Just a bad start from Wily, he will be fine.

Charlie.

The Growing Disagreement on Wei-Chung Wang

Wei-Chung Wang is one of the biggest storylines of the Milwaukee Brewers season thus far. We already know about why he is an intriguing player, and the consequences that come with him being off the team. Wang had another terrible outing giving up five runs in one inning making his ERA around 17.61.  This is unfair to Wang. He really should be in Single or Double A working on his craft but instead he gets trotted out once every two weeks to get hit around by MLB talent. Milwaukee is in a tough place with a General Manager whom wants him there and a Manager that doesn't. We don't know the latter part of that statement, but it sure feels like it.

Doug Melvin made all sorts of comments about how the Brewers are committed to Wang, long-term. We talked on the blog before about how it feels like Wang is first-round draft pick to replace them losing a pick to have Kyle Lohse. Melvin believes he will be a great pitcher, and he is terrified to let go of young pitching. It comes from him giving up on Jorge De La Rosa and Dana Eveland whom didn't become All-Stars post-Brewers life, but they did end up having solid years here and there. Further, Melvin waited until he absolutely last moment to let go of Manny Parra because he believed there still was a chance of him being successful.

No one likes to be wrong, and it seems like Melvin might top the list. For a long time, he brought in former Texas players, he had either drafted or traded for at some point, almost like he wanted to be proven right. Additionally, it doesn't help things that Hector Rondon, a Rule 5 guy like Wang, has become the closer of the Chicago Cubs after spending a year on the Chicago roster. Melvin looks to that and probably knows he cannot let go to Wang especially to rival Pittsburgh. But the difference between the Cubs and Brewers is Chicago spent a majority of the season below .500 while Milwaukee is in a pennant race. Having a liability in the bullpen like Wang is making things difficult on Ron Roenicke and it's starting to show through.

Last night, the Brewers trailed Atlanta by one run in the eighth inning coming off a half inning featuring a Ryan Braun home run. Will Smith, Milwaukee's usual set-up man, hadn't pitched since Friday, but Roenicke went with Wang. It became an entire dumpster fire with a six-run inning in the eighth leading to Milwaukee's third straight loss. Many people including me perceived as Roenicke waving the white flag because they were likely hopeless against Craig Kimbrel, one of the best closers in the game. But now that I had a chance to stew a little bit on this topic, Roenicke did this as a big giant FU to Melvin.

Why would Roenicke have Wang face Ryan Doumit, Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman? Wang wasn't going through the bottom of the order here. Further, he wasn't facing a low-tier team rather a likely playoff contender. Roenicke wanted to show Melvin how not ready this pitcher is and wants to have Jimmy Nelson or Mike Fiers in the big leagues, two guys completely dominating Triple A right now. Roenicke didn't mind losing the game to prove a point. Is that spiteful?  Yes. Will Roenicke get his point across to Melvin?  No probably not, but Roenicke wanted to make it clear Wang doesn't belong here. It's not really fair to Wei-Chung truthfully, but there is a clear division between the Manager and General Manager. Although Roenicke has seemingly lost his marbles trying to figure out what works with this baseball team so who knows it could be the manager doing something different.

What happens from here?  Who really knows. Wang is known liability. Does he go on the Jeff Suppan Disabled List with a 'shoulder' or 'elbow' injury that causes him to miss a month or so?  I don't think Melvin makes the move to give him back to Pittsburgh honestly, at least not yet. But Milwaukee is heading to an iceberg they cannot avoid especially if other pitchers struggle in the coming weeks. If Marco Estrada hits the skids and clearly does not look like a starting pitcher, what does Milwaukee do?  It becomes damn near impossible with Wang in the bullpen if Estrada starts showing signs of struggling as a starter.

Maybe there isn't a growing disagreement with Manager and Front Office, but it sure as hell is starting to feel like it a bit. Wang hasn't pitched in two weeks, but still, it seemed calculated. Almost like a moon door for Wang's career in Milwaukee.

Charlie.

Highlights-Lowlights: Brewers-Cubs

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
Jean Segura -This is really just the Friday game for Seggy as he had a three hit game. He was the reason Milwaukee won their only game of the series. Segura scored in the first inning, and then knocked in two runners in the second. Segura is starting to get a little bit warm in the past week or so. Segura's average went up to .262 on Saturday, the highest it has been since April 14th. Personally, I don't think he should leave the second spot in the order.

Kyle Lohse - Even though Lohse gave up two home runs, he pitched pretty well on a cold Friday afternoon in Chicago.  He finished seven innings in only 92 pitches which is impressive only giving up seven hits in the process. Lohse once again is having a great season which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone whose watched him in the past couple years. In his nine starts this season, Lohse has pitched into the sixth inning or longer in eight of them. An impressive and underrated start to this season.

Matt Garza's Six Other Innings - First inning was such a bummer for Garza. After the bad start, Garza only allowed one hit and two baserunners. It is similar to what he did against New York in the past game as well. Hopefully, Garza can find a way to rite the ship in the first inning because he will start putting together some solid outings. I am not starting to freak out about Garza yet. He is doing some great things on the rubber, just needs to put all together.

Edwin Jackson - He continued his strong May with a tremendous start against the Brewers Saturday
afternoon. Jackson pitched seven inning only giving up four hits and striking out eleven batters. He has been an occasional thorn in the Brewers side from time to time and he was on Saturday afternoon feasting on Brewers weak bats. The closest the Brewers got was in the first inning with two two-out hits. Jackson could become an interesting trade option if Chicago messes around a bit with his biggish contract.

Lowlights
Matt Garza's First Inning - You have to believe the routine for Garza will be changing in the coming days. This is the second straight start where he has given up three runs in the first inning plus in his Arizona start, he gave up three runs in the first three innings as well. It could be that Garza is trying to make the perfect pitch and isn't getting comfortable right away leading to his struggles in the first frame. As I said above, Garza will be fine, don't go crazy folks.

Jeff Bianchi - I have no idea why Ron Roenicke decided he wanted Bianchi at third and Mark Reynolds at first, but it happened without much success at the plate. Bianchi is hitting .154, the lowest his average has been this season and for the month, he is hitting .091. Bianchi struck out five out of the six times he stepped to the plate this weekend. I think it is time for Bianchi to find a seat on the bench for awhile.

Marco Estrada - If there was one inconsistent starting pitcher for the Brewers, it's Marco.  He gave up two more home runs today making it 12 on the season. Estrada is leading the National League with home runs given up. This is becoming quite a problem for the Brewers fifth starter. He needs to get back into his groove a little bit with his changeup. Estrada told the media after the game he didn't really have a feel for his changeup which isn't a good thing at all. Playing at Marlins Stadium on Friday will definitely help him out though.

Ron Roenicke's lineup - Ugh. I wish I could write a complete rant about how Roenicke has royally screwed up this lineup but no one really listens to me. Rickie Weeks should have been in the lineup all weekend. Bianchi continues to be bad and Martin Maldonado stays on the bench despite a red-hot bat. Looks Roenicke needs to take some risks. This became a complaint of mine last year, but it seems like his robotic ways are rearing its ugly head yet again.

Carlos Gomez's body - Bummed out that he had the flu or food poisoning causing him to be miss two games in Chicago. I don't know if he could have helped the Brewers offense, but sure would have been a welcomed addition given how putrid they were over the last two games.

Charlie.

Highlights-Lowlights: Pirates-Brewers (5/11-5/13)

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
Marco Estrada - When Marco gave up a first inning home run to Known Brewer Killer Neil Walker, I thought here we go again with Estrada in the month of May. But he proved me wrong taking control of the baseball game from there with six strong innings giving up only five more hits and no more runs after the Walker solo shot. Estrada giving up nine home runs is concerning but expected. He is a fly ball pitcher and he works a ton of change-ups. If one of those hang, it will head out of the ballpark. Estrada's ERA is down to 3.28 after Tuesday's performance, and that's pretty damn good for a back-end starter.

Rickie Weeks - Did you know Weeks is hitting .625 for the month of May? Do you know people still hate Weeks like the plague? Do you know he is the better option at second base right now? Weeks is playing his ass off. He had two opposite field hits on Thursday afternoon with a double and a home run. Weeks had a big RBI pinch hit on Tuesday night. He is on complete fire folks. Either get with it, or get behind. Also, let's stop with the trade nonsense right now. I will write about this next week whether Weeks is still hot or not but it's the wrong move by the Brewers.

Wily Peralta - We need a losing effort horn like The Solid Verbal Podcast because Peralta dazzled again knocking his earned run average to 2.05. Peralta pitched great going seven innings only allowing one run and gave up five hits with striking out four batters. For the season, Peralta only walked 10 batters in eight starts this season, and in the last two, he walked just one batter. The biggest criticism about the young right hander was his control. It seems to be fixed, at least for now, and if that's the case, the Brewers could be looking at a frontline pitcher.

Khris Davis Walk-Off - I wish I could explain Khris's thrill for the dramatics, but it seems like he has it. Three big extra inning hits on the road that all helped the Brewers win baseball games, and then a walk-off hit at home. With this team likely to be contending for a National League Central crown, Davis' ability to be clutch in the moment is a big, big thing. Hopefully, he puts it together in other innings than the ninth or extras though.

Mark Reynolds defense - When Milwaukee signed Mark Reynolds, most people including myself, saw it as a way for the Brewers to add some power, but no one expected him to be this good on defense. He made two run-saving plays on Thursday afternoon including the start of a great double play after Tyler Thornburg walked the first two batters in the eighth. With how bad the Brewers were at defense last season, this is a much-needed boost to their piss poor defense of last season. It's appreciated.

Lowlights
Ron Roenicke has a decision looming and it's terrifying - I have no idea how the whole Scooter and Rickie thing is going to play out. We never had this problem last season because Weeks never really got hot all year minus the one little spurt when Gennett got called up. Roenicke has to know he cannot move Weeks from the lineup, but at the same turn, Gennett is playing too good to keep him on the bench. I hope he just rides the hot hand for awhile and see what happens. Heaven help me if he continues to straight platoon.

Francisco Rodriguez - You know this is a lowlight because it is the reason why the Brewers lost on Wednesday night as Frankie gave up four straight hits leading to three Pirates runs. But it is a good thing. Rodriguez isn't going to be perfect all year. I would much rather have him 'blow up' in a tied game versus him blowing a three-run save or something dumb like that. He did fine on Thursday afternoon and hopefully, it will continue this weekend.

Andrew McCutchen - I don't really call the best players on teams, Known Brewer Killers, unless it is Troy Tulowitzki whose the president of the club. But McCutchen usually does some serious damage against the Brewers. But he went 1 for 12 with only one run scored. It is apparent McCutchen is bothered a bit from his foot injury he sustained on Saturday. I don't think for one season the Brewers figured out McCutchen or something dumb like that. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up on the Disabled List or takes some time off this weekend.

Spotty Brewers offense - Even though they won two of three against the Pirates, it doesn't mean their offense didn't look like complete shit at times. They only scored one run on Wednesday night and nine out of eleven batters before Weeks's single in the eighth inning struck out. Carlos Gomez not being in the offense might be hurting this team more than the Braun injury. The jury is still out on that one, and who knows how long they will be without Gomez yet let me tell you, it isn't that fun.

Charlie.

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.