Randy Wolf Shuts Down Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers Win 4-1

by Kyle Lobner on Sep 5, 2011 5:46 PM CDT in WPA Game Recaps

Randy Wolf was a sharply focused man pitching to blurry hitters today.

W: Randy Wolf (12-9)
L: Jake Westbrook (11-8)
S: John Axford (41)

HR: Ryan Braun (27), Nyjer Morgan (4)

MVP: Randy Wolf (+.317 pitching, +.039 batting for +.356 total)
LVP: Jerry Hairston Jr. (-.049)

Win Expectancy Graph and Star of the Game Voting

This was a pretty big win, dropping the Brewer magic number to eleven to clinch the NL Central.

Randy Wolf was the star today, pitching eight innings for the third time in six starts and allowing just one run on four hits, walking two and striking out five on 112 pitches. Wolf and Yuniesky Betancourt (batting ninth and eighth, respectively) also combined for five of the Brewers' 12 hits on the day.

Meanwhile, the Brewers scored individual runs in the second, third, sixth and seventh in support of Wolf. Two of those runs scored on solo home runs for Ryan Braun and Nyjer Morgan despite a pretty strong wind blowing in from center.

Today's other stuff:

Jerry Hairston Jr. left the game in the middle of the fourth inning with neck soreness, and was replaced at second base by Craig Counsell.
Corey Hart drove in the Brewers' first run with a two-out single in the second, extending his hitting streak to 17 games.
Ryan Braun had two hits today to keep his average at .335.

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Comments

This team is CRRRRRRAZY good

by kotsaythebuzzkill on Sep 5, 2011 5:49 PM CDT reply actions

Corey: "Some of the Cardinals are handing out their jerseys to kids in the stands."

Ueck: “They won’t be needing them much longer.”

by no preference on Sep 5, 2011 5:54 PM CDT reply actions 18 recs

Tremendous.

by brewbaybucks on Sep 5, 2011 5:56 PM CDT up reply actions

this is classic Ueck hahah

I am too drunk to taste this chicken.

by ThroughBeingCool on Sep 5, 2011 11:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Tony Gumbo giving the shout out

to Randy a-wooooooooooooooooo Wolf

One Player at a Time

by nullacct on Sep 5, 2011 5:57 PM CDT reply actions

Can't have fun. Srs bsns!

That dog just won't hunt.

by Bush League All Star on Sep 5, 2011 5:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Hearing Davey talk about "Plushdamentals..."

Davey >.<

That dog just won't hunt.

by Bush League All Star on Sep 5, 2011 5:57 PM CDT reply actions

Cards TV people are obsessed with Tony Plush

You can tell that act really bugs them lol

"It's a joke. It's all a joke.

by WSB Chris on Sep 5, 2011 6:11 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

I'm glad it does

by airfigaro on Sep 5, 2011 6:23 PM CDT up reply actions

So am I

Whatever you can do to try to deflect attention from how bad your team’s playing, I guess.

by Cheeseandcorn on Sep 5, 2011 6:26 PM CDT up reply actions

What's the Brewers' Record

Since this post?

REWIND YOURSELF!

by drezdn on Sep 5, 2011 6:12 PM CDT reply actions

36-14

48-43 prior to that

One Player at a Time

by nullacct on Sep 5, 2011 6:28 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

If I read the post right

Kyle burnt the jersey when the Brewers were 46-42 on the Wednesday night so: 39-15

by Saltire on Sep 5, 2011 6:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Off topic question

Would you rather head into playoffs with top three starters from 2008 staff: Sabbathia-Gallardo-Sheets (pretend that Sheets was healthy)?
or 2011 staff of Greinke-Marcum-Gallardo?

by Rob Deer For President on Sep 5, 2011 6:14 PM CDT reply actions

I'd go with the 2008 staff

Sabathia>Greinke
Gallardo=Gallardo
Sheets> Marcum

by ilikeburritos on Sep 5, 2011 6:19 PM CDT up reply actions

Nobody > Greinke

"We’re here to win, man. All that fighting stuff, that’s for the birds." - Prince Fielder

by SRB on Sep 5, 2011 6:37 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Gallardo now > Gallardo then by a little bit

"I agree but dont agree"

by juggernaut400 on Sep 5, 2011 7:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Dude.

Are you kidding me? Sheets was worthless at the end of last season. We had to rely on Jeff Suppan for a start in a playoff series. That isn’t happening now. I can’t believe how much people under value marcum.

by kdfan16 on Sep 5, 2011 8:33 PM CDT up reply actions

Sorry

not LAST season 2008 season. I guess it’ll eternally be “last season” in my mind

by kdfan16 on Sep 5, 2011 8:34 PM CDT up reply actions

Same here.

2009 and 2010 were like…the intermission.

fka "warwick5s"

by DEUCE SLUICE on Sep 5, 2011 8:35 PM CDT up reply actions

IIRC

Didn’t sheets already have like 8 wins at the All Star Break and only record another 3-4 winning decisions after we got Sabathia that year?

by pharom on Sep 5, 2011 8:37 PM CDT up reply actions

He hit the DL, per usual

One Player at a Time

by nullacct on Sep 5, 2011 9:47 PM CDT up reply actions

He also pitched in a game after doctors told him he risked long-term damage to his elbow

if he continued to throw. He threw that 1-0 shutout against the Padres in that situation. I think I’m going to write up a Sheets post, actually. Something to write about.

E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).

by Jordan M on Sep 5, 2011 9:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Please do.

He was a very bright star in a very dim time.

One Player at a Time

by nullacct on Sep 5, 2011 9:54 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah I'm definitely going to do that. Hopefully put it up tomorrow.

E: George 4 (5, throw, throw, throw, throw).

by Jordan M on Sep 5, 2011 9:55 PM CDT up reply actions

I was at that game

He was on. It was the greatest thing. I am looking forward to that post. I miss Sheets a lot.

by morineko on Sep 5, 2011 9:58 PM CDT up reply actions

Me too

I was disappointed with the lack of hookers but the pancakes were delightful

by Michael M on Sep 5, 2011 10:39 PM CDT up reply actions

2011.

The 2008 Gallardo had pitched 134 ML innings in his career before the postseason, and was coming off injury. Add to this the fact that Sabbathia had pitched on three days’ rest the last two weeks of the season, and there’s no comparison, really.

Regular rest Greinke > 3-day rest Sabbathia
Marcum = Sheets
2011 Gallardo > 2008 Gallardo (by a lot)

by Vee Sanford's Next-door Neighbor on Sep 5, 2011 6:21 PM CDT up reply actions

agree

by airfigaro on Sep 5, 2011 6:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Phillies and Braves

How do both of these teams match up against a pitcher with Marcum’s style? as comparred to someone like Sheets who was more overpowering, but also more predictable?
I guess what I’m wondering is who should be in line to start as many games as possible if a series goes the distance against either one of these teams?

by Rob Deer For President on Sep 5, 2011 6:29 PM CDT up reply actions

Considering the way that both teams are much better hitting against RHP

Maybe Wolf or Narverson.
Gallardo and Marcum are actually fairly even in their careers against LH & RH hitters (especially Marcum however when you look at Greinke’s numbers he turns RH hitters into Yuni but LH hitters into somebody like say Brandon Phillips.
I know his platoon split is not as extreme this year but even so it something to bear in mind when he is facing the 5+ LH hitters that both the Braves and Phillies usually have in their starting line-ups

by Saltire on Sep 5, 2011 6:45 PM CDT up reply actions

I'l take the 2011 group

Marcum is pitching as good as anyone right now except maybe Verlander, and am completely intrigued by the idea of Greinke pitching in the playoffs. He steps up under pressure and loves a challenge, and whoever he matches up against for the Phils will be a challenge; if I had to bet on a time for him to throw his best game of the season, it would be in the Phils series. He doesn’t want the attention, but you know he wants to win bad.

One Player at a Time

by nullacct on Sep 5, 2011 6:31 PM CDT up reply actions

Sounds like a win win situation; Greinke or Marcum

Maybe the deciding factor of who will pitch game 1 and possibly 4 and 7 in a potential Phillies series will be matchups. Any ideas on whether Greinke or Marcum ofrecasts better? I think Marcum has dominated mediocre teams and struggled (or done less than awesome) against teams with winning records.
I don’t know how Greinke has done in terms of effectiveness against bad teams/good teams, but as you say, that wanting to win bad and the fact that he can go deep into games maybe makes him the logical choice to pitch games 1, 4, and 7.

by Rob Deer For President on Sep 5, 2011 6:38 PM CDT up reply actions

I am guessing they would go with a 4-man rotation and have Wolf pitch Game 4 and "The Big 3" pitch again in Games 5-6-7 if necessary.

I hope they would slot Greinke wherever he would pitch at Miller Park, since he seems unbeatable there this year.

by oconnobe on Sep 5, 2011 7:02 PM CDT up reply actions

Would you pitch Wolf in game 2

To throw righty-lefty-righty at them?

One Player at a Time

by nullacct on Sep 5, 2011 7:17 PM CDT up reply actions

Good idea, but I would still want the ability to pitch Greinke/Marcum/Gallardo twice in a 7 game series.

I suppose a lot would depend on how the Division Series goes to see who would be rested to pitch the first games of the next series.

by oconnobe on Sep 5, 2011 7:21 PM CDT up reply actions

I think handedness is secondary to quality of pitcher in a playoff series

If they only need three pitchers and they don’t use Greinke, Gallardo, and Marcum, then someone doesn’t know how to do their job.

"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."

~Doug Melvin

by Charlie Marlow on Sep 5, 2011 9:11 PM CDT up reply actions

I figured as much

And I think that’s the conventional wisdom. I get this sense of dissatisfaction from Wolf at suddenly becoming the #4 pitcher on the team; he’s pitching extremely well lately but still isn’t as good as the other three. Is he going to keep his spirits up and be an eager lefty contributor out of the bullpen?

One Player at a Time

by nullacct on Sep 5, 2011 9:50 PM CDT up reply actions

I think the Brewers will go with a four-man rotation

I highly doubt he’ll be in the bullpen.

by Cheeseandcorn on Sep 6, 2011 8:07 AM CDT up reply actions

Marcum against 2011 playoff teams

31 IP, 31 H, 13 ER, 9 BB, 29 K, 3.77 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, ~4.20 FIP

by Cheeseandcorn on Sep 5, 2011 7:34 PM CDT up reply actions

Fantastic Game

I love when Wolf and Narv give us these great starts. Keep ’em coming.

by airfigaro on Sep 5, 2011 6:24 PM CDT reply actions

Agreed, anytime you're 4th and 5th starters go that deep into a game

You just gotta smile.

"I guess I'm just a strange individual." - Mr. Nyjer Morgan

by Greggers on Sep 5, 2011 6:47 PM CDT up reply actions

The Packers took Wisconsin sports fans on quite the magical ride last season

Can the Brewers do the same? Starting to feel like it…

"Coach Gundy, why was Oklahoma able to march right down the field against you?" --Erin Andrews

by dishingoutdimes on Sep 5, 2011 6:37 PM CDT reply actions

The Pirates are 19.5 games back

Yeesh.

Lurking in the waters of BCB since May 21, 2010
-Talk more baseball at @MarcumsChangeup on Twitter

by schmita91 on Sep 5, 2011 6:40 PM CDT reply actions

The very second they're eliminated

I’ll start to root for them to have a winning season

by PackofBrews on Sep 5, 2011 8:07 PM CDT up reply actions

It seems that if the Brewers went .500 the rest of the way

The Cardinals would have to win out just to force a playoff.

by jkoper on Sep 5, 2011 7:46 PM CDT reply actions 3 recs

Wasn't 85 wins btc's prediction for the end of the year?

Yuniesky Betancourt is bad at baseball.

by Zorakathura on Sep 5, 2011 8:33 PM CDT reply actions

88 was his final projection.

by Cheeseandcorn on Sep 5, 2011 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions

15-5

Think they can do it?

"We’re here to win, man. All that fighting stuff, that’s for the birds." - Prince Fielder

by SRB on Sep 5, 2011 8:44 PM CDT reply actions

by WarWolf on Sep 5, 2011 10:35 PM CDT reply actions

Very clearly, that makes him worthy of starting every game.

by cwolf20 on Sep 6, 2011 2:00 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

One could even say that was a rare day for Yuni

He’s still half-baked as a major-leaguer, and most of us would love to see him sit more than he plays in the next three weeks

"Why do I slam Yuni so much? It's nothing personal. It's strictly business." -- Michael Corleone

by PlusorMinusThree on Sep 6, 2011 8:31 AM CDT up reply actions

Maybe he is totally baked

Might explain him sucking so much.

by BrewCrewBrian on Sep 6, 2011 12:44 PM CDT up reply actions

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NL Central Standings

	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Cincinnati Red Reporter	26	20	.565	0	Won 1
St. Louis Viva El Birdos	25	22	.531	1.5	Lost 3
Houston The Crawfish Boxes	22	24	.478	4	Lost 1
Pittsburgh Bucs Dugout	22	24	.478	4	Won 2
Milwaukee Brew Crew Ball	19	27	.413	7	Lost 1
Chicago Bleed Cubbie Blue	15	31	.326	11	Lost 11