Monday, June 4, 2007

Game Notes for Cubs-Brewers

1. Cubs officials have been busy assembling the Big Top Tent on the Miller Park grounds as the Chicago Cubs Circus comes to Milwaukee starting tonight. Big Z is scheduled to reside alongside the lions and tigers - Alan Trammell has been given the standard tiger whip if Z comes at his catcher again.



The Wild Animal and Crazy Venezuelan wing is on the left.
2. Speaking of Mr. Barrett, sources tell Chuckie Hacks that he has admitted himself to St. Luke's Hospital as a precautionary measure in case Big Z goes loco (medical term) again during the series.
3. Wrigleyville informs Chuckie Hacks that the rest of the Cubs are "dispersed in random hotels throughout the Milwaukee area with no player knowing where any other is staying. This cuts down on fistfights, but keeps our Assistant to the Traveling Secretary very busy."
Should be an interesting series. Marquis vs. Bush tonight - hopefully Bushie can avoid those 7-run innings that have plagued him this year.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aaaaaaaaarrrrg! Bases loaded 1st inning...nothing. Ditto in the second. Ned Yost needs to go. Bush is a 6 inning pitcher...period. He can't get a guy out in the 7th, it's almost gauraunteed. What happens? 1st and 3rd, no outs. Time to pull him? Nope says Ned. Base hit, tie game. Who else saw this coming: Soriano waiting and teeing off on a Wiser change? Once again...Prince Fielder homer or bust!

Anonymous said...

Again....I blame Hardy for not hitting a home run in this game. Why on Earth was DB out there in the 7th inning? I guess I'm fine with him starting the inning, but when Barret walks after like 10 pitches, someone should already be warmed up and entering the game. The Brewers have bases loaded TWICE; once with 0 outs and once with 1 out and they also have 1st & 3rd with 1 out in the first handful of innings AND Fielder hits a bomb AND the Cubs make two rediculous errors AND Billy Hall gets a couple of hits AND Bush gets down 2 sac bunts and we score 2 F***ing runs!?!? WTF? This team is becoming borderline unwatchable.

woziszeus said...

Bush had thrown only 78 pitches through 6 innings, and the only run he had let up was in the first...he was cruising. Plus he was going up against the bottom of the Cubs order.

I DO agree...with runners on 1st and 3rd he needed to be pulled with the 8th hitter up (lefty, Izturis (SP?)). Shouse could have handled Izturis, then depending on the pitch hitter (I don't know if it would have still been Floyd), Shouse could have worked one more hitter or turn it over to Wise.

It is literally...maybe...Yost's only downfall, the inability to properly use pitchers in real-time game situations.

And BTW...in the 2nd with bases loaded 0 out...Bush needed to go up there and not swing the bat...period. He should have gave himself up.

Anonymous said...

With runners on 1st & 3rd with no outs nobody was warmed yet. I think that is what I am mainly focused on. By the end of Barret's AB Bush was nearing 90 w/ a 1 run lead and 0 outs and he was staring down the 7th inning which hasn't exactly been kind to him this year. Still no one up. Single, 1st & 3rd. Pan to Yost in the dugout with that stupid look on his face and his hands under his arms. Two guys spring up and start warming. Too late. Bush is your #4 starter guys. He doesn't have a big contract and he's never won a Cy Young. It his absolutely, 100% not his job to go out and throw 105 pitches every outing. 70-90 pitches & 5-6 solid innings is an immensely effectice outing for your #4  guys. Stop trying to turn this particular guy into your ace. Your #4 guy was @80 pitches going into the 7th w/ a 1 run lead. No less than one guy should've been warming at the start of the 7th. 10 pitch walk. Hook, give me the ball & a pat on the backside for a great start. Again, pitching didn't lose this game, but overall Yost cannot manage a bullpen. I'm sick of Bush finding a way to lose after very respectable starts. He's becoming like Sheets, who I am not ripping right now B/C he's been great. But you know what they call a pitcher who pitches great and always seems to get the loss? Answer: A losing pitcher

woziszeus said...

AP,
I don't think anyone will disagree with the coaching decision to not have someone warming up, or not pulling Bush after 1st & 3rd, or that we are disappointed that Bush didn't get the win after a good outing.

What is your fascination with all this "4th starter" stuff? Its irrelevant. You think just because Dave Bush is technically the Brewers "4th starter" we should limit our expectations of him? Dave Bush is in his 4th full year as a starter in MLB and has made 84 starts. Does being the "4th starter" mean you lower pitch counts to 70-90, or limit innings to 6 or fewer? Is there some statistical formula I'm not aware of that links pitch counts & innings pitched to what "number starter" you are in your team's rotation?

Do you think Yost tells Bush (and Vargas for that matter)..."Hey guys, you don't have big contracts, you haven't won any CY Young awards, and you are our 4th & 5th starters, so just get us through the 5th inning...that's all we expect out of you."

F No...Bush & Vargas would stare at Yost with a blank face.

Nobody is trying to turn anybody into an "ace." Bush was cruising through 6 innings with a low pitch count. He got unlucky in the 7th and was probably pulled 1 guy too late. That's all. There is no magical wall that stops Bush once the 7th inning comes along.

If you want to question coaching decisions...fine. If you want to question Bush's physical ability to be a MLB starting pitcher...fine. Just don't come up with arbitrary comments when it comes to making a baseball point. The fact that Bush is the Brewer's "4th starter," hasn't won a CY Young, and doesn't have a big contract have absolutely NOTHING to do with the decision to keep him in that game, or how he actually pitched in that game.

Anonymous said...

If your expectations are the same for Bush, then why does Sheets get the ball opening day? Why did Suppan get the largest contract in Brewers history? In a previous comment you said Gross & Dessens were the 26th & 27th guys on the roster and essentially I was an idiot and you inferred we shouldn't expect as much from them. How hypocritical are you? I was saying that GG & ED were useless and you said they were last on the roster. What does that matter, I now offer, I expect the same from them. In reality I don't because that would be stupid.

Yes you expect less from Bush than you do from Sheets & Suppan. The Yankees expect more from Clemens than they do from Ching Ming-yuan (SP?) The Marlins expect a shit ton more from Willis (Not the horse) than they do from Obermueller. Using your baseball formula every player is equally important, every player is an MVP, they should all get paid the same, and pitch the exact same number of innings. That is sadly not the case. This is precisely why ONLY ONE GUY (per league) wins the Cy Young, MVP, and Rolaids reliever and they don't give every MLB player the same trophy at the end of the year that they do when you are in ....like....3rd grade cub scout softball.

I honestly hope you don't realistically expect the same from Bush that you do from Sheets. I can't believe I had to write this much to explain it to you. Essentially, at this level of competition, some guys are vastly more talented than others and they are also more important to their collective teams. It's pretty easy: Your #1 is better than your #4 & #5. It's almost intrinsic to the whole "#1" thing.....Sheets is more talented and Suppan has pitched in HUGE games under pressure.......you give him a longer leash than you would Vargas. ARod is a former MVP.....you let him work through a slump longer than you would let Bill Hall try to battle through it. Why does Fielder bat 3rd and Counsell 8th? The expectations are the same, right? Let's see Graffinino bat clean up, I EXPECT 40 home runs from all of my Brewers....umm....no.

For the record, Bush pitched great in that game. But also, for the record, he loses it every time at about 85-95 pitches. That's fact. Saying your #4 is not as good as your ace is...well...not arbitrary. It's also fact. You can keep hope alive if you want, but I guarantee that if by some miracle the Crew is staring game 7 of a world series in the face, it's Suppan or Sheets on the rubber guy. I hope this helped.....

Anonymous said...

One more quick thing.....why would you have Bush go up there and not swing the bat w/ bases loaded? Shouldn't you expect the same from him that you do Fielder? Why do you lower expectations for him at the plate but not on the mound? That was a pretty dumb argument Woz.

Anonymous said...

....AND I meant implied not inferred. I'm back to being an idiot......

Anonymous said...

i think its obvious for everybody reading what you have written AP that you know nothing about baseball.

Anonymous said...

I have a feeling Woz is now posting anonymously.....

Anonymous said...

I like the spirit - but frankly am a little lost in these arguments. It's pretty clear to me that Sheets is the #1 starter, Bush is the #4 starter, and Bush is a better pitcher than he is a hitter. Now that I've cleared that up...

My take: I don't blame Yost for putting Bush out there in the 7th, when he's gone 6 innings of 1 run ball and the bullpen has been heavily used over the past week or two. I don't even blame Yost for sticking with Bush when it's 1st and 3rd and nobody out. I don't blame Yost for the fact that Bush, Shouse and Wise couldn't hit their spots in the inning. Yost can only push the buttons - he can't control it if his guys don't execute. That 7th inning was a bit of bad luck (that nubber into left against Shouse was a killer) and a lot of bad execution, mixed in with a tip of the cap to the Cubs for some good hitting. That's it - now on to game 2 tonight.

Anonymous said...

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/how-good-is-your-4-starter/

I'm over it.....go Brewers!

This article above was a good piece and i thought I'd offer it as a peace offering to all I've offended. Unless of course you hate the article, then i guess it is a hate offering.

Anonymous said...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/7371/career_by_all_sit_splits.html

I know nobody is looking at this, but I just thought I'd put it up anyway. Check the career numbers graph at the bottom of the page. At 90-105 pitches notice how Bush is less effective than from 75-90. Also notice the 1st inning. I know, I know "he has 84 career starts,,,,yadda yadda....", but those starts produce a trend. I think this makes a pretty stron case for pulling a pitcher at 90 pitches with a one run lead, regardless of wether or not that particular pitcher was "cruising" or not.

"Does being the "4th starter" mean you lower pitch counts to 70-90, or limit innings to 6 or fewer?"

....The answer to that would appear to be a resounding YES!

Anonymous said...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/7371/career_by_all_sit_splits.html

....sorry, here's the page.