I don’t think the line up is causing any problems for the team, though for some hitters, it does seem like hitting before Braun/Fielder turns them into great hitters (TGJr., Kapler, and Hardy for a while last year)... While it has no affect for others (Gross, Hardy for the rest of the year).

Haudricourt tried saying that Hardy isn’t happy with hitting in front of the pitcher, but overlooks the fact that he was hitting in front of the pitcher when he started getting hot again last season (though in the 8th spot rather than the 7th).

Maybe there is a slight psychological effect the order is having on the players, but I think it’s just more likely that the team struggles more against right handed pitchers.

The TV guys mentioned that Schumaker would have been thrown out at second had Bill Hall gone there after cutting off Dillon’s toss. I don’t know if that’s true, but assuming it is (dicey, I know), how come there weren’t complaints about Hall fumbling the ball out of his glove after he caught Dillon’s throw? Schumaker ended up scoring, but Hall’s miscue on a ball he had in his glove was virtually ignored. That’s what I don’t get about blaming Yost for everything sometimes – how come he isn’t blamed for things like that?

This opens up another can of worms, too, but where’s the sense in complaining about Dave Bush giving up runs that inning in almost the same breath as condemning the defense behind him? I guess he should’ve struck everyone else out as soon as someone got on base.

on all the Brewer blogs that I visit today, and it just strikes me as odd. These Brewers are 4-2 at home and 4-3 on the road, sample size be damned. They’ve already won 2 of 2 road series this year, when last year they only won 9 out of 26. So many people always throw out the ”...just win 2/3rds of your home games and 1/2 your roadies, and you’ll be fine!” line as a recipe for success. Well, so far they’ve done just that and people are still uneasy. Aside from the Giants, they’ve beaten almost exclusively teams that I would call “playoff caliber”. They’ve also done all of this while the offense is struggling short of Kendall and recently Hart. When the offense finds its groove & when Cameron & Gallardo return I would be pretty psyched about the wins that this team is capable of piling up. There’s good times ahead…...

(Deep Breath…....I feel Better….Go Brewers!)

I agree that the lineups are far less important than the execution.

Some of the grumbling will cease when Cameron gets settled in. I think the pitcher at #8 is a pretty minor thing.

I’d prefer to see Braun at #3 with his better OBP. I’d also rather see Hart at #5, but that is all pretty minor.

Basically if the Crew was hitting better, we wouldn’t be complaining (as much).

I’ve discovered that I’m bored with the Brewers. Yost’s tinkering, and daring the team to fail just don’t excite me any more. I just don’t care to watch a game pitched by Dave Bush, with the most at-bats going to Gabe Gross and Joe Dillon (after Weeks, of course), and with Brian Shouse trying to get Albert Pujols out to end the inning. Well, Shousie got ‘er done, but clearly the lineup wasn’t up to generating any runs, so it didn’t matter.

I stop what I’m doing when Bill Hall comes up to bat. I stopped walking through AT&T Park last week when I noticed Manny Ramirez was up to bat on one of the TVs. I will make the time to watch Ben Sheets pitch a game. Whenever I travel to a baseball town, I try to get tickets to a game. I love baseball, and I don’t really care to watch the Brewers now.

Ned’s love and glorification of mediocre players has finally taken its toll on me. If the Brewers aren’t going to put forth their best effort every night, then why the hell should I care if they win or not?

Is that, especially when Capuano and Bush were both in the rotation, there’s an incredible sense of impending doom. Even on the days they’re pitching well, all of a sudden the wheels can just fall off, while Ned sits in the dugout with a blank look on his face the same way Ray Rhodes used to just watch the Packers implode.

I don’t deny that Bush got out of a tough spot last night. And he pitched one more successful inning than I thought he was good for. But his track record suggests neither of those things will happen consistently. Would McClung have been better? Maybe, maybe not. But we know where the road leads when Bush is left in too long: right down the middle, and slower than average. And management chose to stick with that anyway.

On the days when I get really frustrated, it feels like Ned is holding one dice in his hand, turns to all of us and says “I’ve got a hunch: This throw’s going to be a 6.” One in six times he’s right, but that doesn’t change the fact that his prediction was dead-set against the most likely result. Last night was the one in six: the night Bush had his implosion inning, then came back and pitched effectively past five innings.

Ned sits closer to games than I do. He’s at the park way more often and he doesn’t have a pesky day job to work around. So I know he sees what I’m seeing. He likely sees it better than I do. That’s why it’s infuriating when his logic seems to boggle the mind of entire rooms of seemingly intelligent people.

With that said, I think this year has been an improvement over last year. I don’t think management is killing this team right now, the way it has in the past. But Dave Bush’s tightrope-walking starts are still infuriating to watch.

Hmmm I wonder what camp I fall in ;) lol

Ned Yost is Satan and he hates us that is why he keeps playing his Cabana boy Gabe Gross. Yes Gabe makes a great fruity drink with an umbrella but right now he cannot buy a hit.

Oh yeah for sure I am in the Knee Jerk camp, One has to be true to oneself ;)