Just some random thoughts today on the heels of Ben Sheets getting unexpectedly shelled last night...
- I'm pretty worried about Ben, actually. Maybe I'm just overreacting, but he just flat-out wasn't throwing that hard last night, enough so that it immediately conjures up injury concerns. Sheets has already established his fastball over the last couple of years as a 95+ mph pitch. When that drops down to 90 and below, something's definitely up. Sheets said after the game, "you can't throw hard every day". Actually Ben, you have thrown hard every day for about 2 1/2 years now, and every time your velocity has dropped, an injury soon followed. You've got to respect his toughness and his desire to stay out there even when he's not right, but he's also got to realize that the Brewers have a lot of money invested in him, and he's got to tell them if something's wrong. Even if nothing felt wrong physically, his fastball dropping 5 mph has to show some alteration in mechanics, which can very quickly lead to more serious physical problems. Hopefully I'm proven wrong and this was just a fluke, but the Brewers need to take this seriously and find out exactly what caused it.
- Ben Hendrickson looked good, a small positive to be taken from last night's loss. With Ohka having an MRI today and Sheets' problems last night, it may just be a matter of time until Hendrickson gets another shot in the rotation. Again, it's just awesome to have the depth that we do. Many teams would be devastated at the prospect of losing two rotation members at once, but the Brewers have serviceable starters to plug in very quickly- Hendrickson, Eveland, Jackson, Helling (close to rehabbing), Fernandez. Here's hoping Ben H. keeps up the good work.
- A little Brewers recognition from around the web: baseballprospectus.com has the Brewers ranked #6 in baseball in this weeks' Prospectus Hit List, with a nice green "upward trend" arrow. Not that it shows up in the standings, but I always love when national media gives my hometown team props.
- The Brewers fell from 4th in the majors to 7th in defensive efficiency in the matter of a day, showing how quickly that ranking can change. And yes, I know who to blame it on.
- John and I are headed to the ballpark tonight to watch the Crew take on Barry Bonds and the Giants. With the way balls have been flying out of Miller Park, I suppose we've got a small chance to see history be made. We'll post some observations tomorrow.
Tags: Milwaukee Brewers, Miller Park, Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants