CC Sabathia

- And that’s why the Brewers went out and got Sabathia. What a great game. Nine innings. Two runs. Nine strike outs. And a home run to top it off. Striking out the side in the top of the ninth was also impressive. And, he’s excited to be a Brewer:

- Counsell (The other C.C.) delivered in the bottom of the inning with a clutch sacrifice fly to drive home Hall and collect a win going into the break. The Brewers bench is loaded with veterans that can deliver in situations like this. You have to like the way the team is put together.

- Speaking of veterans, Kapler went 2-4 and had a big RBI. He continues to contribute.

- The Brewers dropped a clunker on Saturday, losing 8-2. Volquez was dominant for the Reds, striking out 10. The game got out of hand late when Gagne and Mota gave up runs. More HERE.

- Friday’s game wasn’t any better… Three errors and three wild pitches led to a one-run loss, 6-5. The biggest play of the game was when Cameron lost a ball in the lights, allowing the tying run to score in the seventh. Tough break… More HERE.

- Jon Heyman at SI.com says Sheets appears to be in line to get the nod for the NL to start in the All-Star game. That’d be great for Sheets and the Brewers, but I’m a little surprised Heyman didn’t even mention Zambrano, who appears to be Sheets’ biggest competitor for the start, in his column.

- Recent Brewers first-round draft pick Brett Lawrie will play on the Canadian Olympic team, as it’s youngest member. Congrats Brett. Now nail down a deal with the Brewers.

- Yost is still considering a platoon of sorts with Bush and McClung for the fifth spot in the rotation. I can’t see that as a long-term solution with the wear physically and mentally it would take on those guys preparing to start one time through the rotation and being ready to be the long man the next time. Eventually, Yost is going to have to choose one of the guys and stick with him. My money is on Bush because he has a better track record and has been pitching great lately.

- Brew Crew Ball takes a look at the difference between Bush’s home and road starts. It appears his fastball has much more movement at home for some reason…

- Maybe McClung’s problems aren’t so much related to home/road splits as another factor. He appears to pitch much better outdoors than indoors.

- Remember when Torres was first traded to the Brewers and said he was considering retiring instead of reporting? His feelings have apparently changed considerably over the past few months. He now talks about how grateful he is for the chance the Brewers gave him. Torres is avoiding the topic of retirement and the future during the season so he doesn’t take any of the spotlight off of the team. That’s a very smart move, something a certain #4 in Green Bay should have tried to start doing four or five years ago…

- The Junkball Blues takes a look at the Brewer bullpen.

- Braun’s agent, Nex Balelo, will throw to him in the Home Run Derby tomorrow. That’s an interesting choice… Let’s hope Braun does well and it doesn’t affect his swing.

- Matt LaPorta has no hard feelings towards the Brewers organization. LaPorta seems like a classy guy. I wish him the best in Cleveland. Hopefully the trade works out well for both sides.

- LaPorta went 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout in the Futures game today. Mat Gamel walked twice and former Brewers prospect Will Inman pitched a scoreless frame with a strikeout. The World team beat the U.S. team 3-0.

- Hart says there was nothing wrong with the celebration that startled his daughter after he and his teammates learned he had made the All-Star game. Anyone that actually thought that incident scarred his daughter for life or some of the other B.S. I heard about it on Friday needs to seriously lighten up. It’s not like she was drinking beer, like kids at Wrigley…

- Yost says the Brewers’ defense is improved. I have to agree, but they’re not good enough to feel good about it yet. There is plenty of room for improvement. More HERE.

- Dayn Perry at Fox Sports gives Sheets his first-half NL Cy Young award.

- The Journal-Sentinel analyzes Melvin’s trade history. They list five trades that worked and five that didn’t. What stands out to me is how small of an effect the trades that “didn’t work” have had on the organization compared to the huge effect of the trades that “did work.” Melvin has made some outstanding deals for Milwaukee.

- Haudricourt also comments on the trades the Brewers and Cubs made to land pitchers. He says the teams beat the shopping rush by making their best offers early.

- The trade might be better than we think if one NL executive is right. The exec compares him to a former Brewer:

“I think he’s just going to be a Kevin Mench type.”

Ouch.

- One AL GM says the Cubs are lying when they claim the Harden deal was not a reaction to the Brewers landing Sabathia:

“I don’t think the Cubs acted rationally. I think that guy (Harden) is going to break and break soon. That deal was not in the works for weeks. That was a reaction. I keep hearing (Cubs manager Lou) Piniella wanted the front office to do something.”

- Al at Al’s Rambling says the Brewers may be after Pirates reliever Damaso Marte.

- The Hall/Branyan platoon at third has been working well. It might not be the ideal solution (at least in the minds of the players), but it’s hard to argue with the numbers.

- The Crew Cast returns.

- Jim Powell joins the run of podcasts.

- Team Wisconsin asks if it’s time to ditch the retro uniforms. I love the ball and glove logo and will continue to sport the retro hat, but I wouldn’t be heart broken at all if the Brewers decided it was time to move forward. There is no question that this franchise lives in the past too much. Let’s make some new memories.

- The Hardball Times profiles some draft picks including Brewers’ picks Jake Odorizzi and Evan Frederickson. They love Odorizzi, saying the Brewers got “excellent value” with the pick.

- Catching prospect Jonathan Lucroy continues to have a hot bat. (Hat tip to Brewers Nation)

- Sports Bubbler profiles Wisconsin native R.J. Seidel, a Brewer pitching prospect.

- The Brew Town Beat suggest at-bat songs for the Brewers.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 13th, 2008 at 9:49 pm and is filed under In The News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.