Some things to read while putting an end to it. (h/t Big League Stew)
It was another tough loss for the Brewers last night, but none of the blame belongs to Chris Capuano: He allowed two runs on four hits over six innings last night, setting new season highs for strikeouts (seven) and pitches thrown (105). Capuano has a 2.95 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .195/.263/.345 line in four September starts. Bernie's Crew took a minute to appreciate Capuano's reemergence this morning.
Carlos Gomez was back in the lineup last night, going 1-for-4 and picking up a hit in his fourth consecutive game for just the third time this season. Gomez is hitting .375/.375/.458 since returning to the lineup on September 13, but Jaymes Langrehr of the Brewers Bar says he won't be fooled again.
Ryan Braun went 1-for-4 with a double last night, driving in both Brewer runs. He now needs 22 hits in 13 games to reach 200 for the second straight season. Jaymes Langrehr of The Brewers Bar looked back at Braun's highlight reel catch from Sunday, and says that Braun's ability to make plays like that but his inability to do so consistently are what make him a maddening player defensively.
Other notes from the field:
- Rickie Weeks went 2-for-3 last night with a walk and scored twice, pushing him above 100 runs for the first time in his career. He's only the second Brewer second baseman ever to reach that mark, and needs just one more to tie Fernando Vina's franchise record.
- With the loss the Brewers are now just a game ahead of the fifth place Cubs and need to win five of their last six to finish above .500 at home.
- Aroldis Chapman pitched in relief last night for the Reds, retiring Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee. Mike Bauman of MLB.com has a look at Chapman's reaction to the pressure of being a 22 year old in the spotlight while making his major league debut in a pennant race.
- Mark Rogers was unavailable out of the bullpen last night and will be for the rest of the week as he prepares for his first major league start on Friday.
- Joey Votto, Kameron Loe and Rickie Weeks are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game voting.
- Here are the MLB.com video highlights.
The Brewers and Reds play again tonight, and Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs gives the Dave Bush/Edinson Volquez matchup a six out of ten on his NERD scale as part of tonight's "One Night Only."
The Brewers still have 13 games to play so it's a little early for post mortems, but Jack Moore of Disciples of Uecker is ahead of the curve.
Meanwhile, Ken Macha likely has 13 games left in his Brewer managerial career. Yesterday Tom Haudricourt reiterated what Rubie mentioned in Friday's Mug: It's unlikely that Willie Randolph (or any other internal candidate) will get the job, but there's a good chance former Brewer coach and Mariners and Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin will be considered.
It remains to be seen if Rick Peterson will remain with the team next season. Just in case it's their last chance, Hang with 'em Brewers! has a post on his ridiculously tight pants.
In the minors: It's long overdue and might be too little, too late, but the Brewer organization does seem to be reaching a transition. After years of developing position players but little pitching, Jeff Moore of The Hardball Times says the farm system "now is barren of impact bats but has depth in its stock of solid arms."
On power rankings:
- WhatifSports moved the Brewers up four spots to 15.
- Craig Calcaterra has the Brewers holding steady at 22.
- ESPN dropped the Brewers one spot to 23.
- MLB FanHouse bumped the Brewers down two spots to 23.
If you haven't yet, please take a moment to vote in this week's BCB Tracking Poll, which focuses primarily on September callups. Voting will remain open until sometime this afternoon and results will be posted tomorrow.
No transactions today. Rework your schedule accordingly.
As one might expect, the Tyler Colvin incident over the weekend was all over the web yesterday, including an extended conversation in the comments of yesterday's Mug. Here are some of the more interesting posts on the subject:
- IIATMS has an interview with BatGlove founders Phil and Steve Russo. If maple bats are a necessity (and this account would suggest they are), then the BatGlove seems like the simplest and easiest action that could be taken to prevent future injuries.
- Meanwhile, Ken Macha thinks baseball should ban maple bats.
- Rob Neyer has a look at the MLBPA's role in this, and says a solution will be found as soon as the players request it.
- Tyler Colvin told reporters he's "disappointed" to see his season end this way. Craig Calcaterra noted that disappointment isn't usually a sentiment expressed by impaling victims.
There's no accusation of wrongdoing here, but it's certainly possible something could be going on in Colorado. As the Rockies are once again finishing the season strong, The Book Blog has a look at the procedures involving the humidor used to store baseballs at Coors Field, and the possibility that non-humidor baseballs could be snuck into play in key situations.
As a player who began and ended his major league career in Milwaukee, Hank Aaron was a no-brainer for Chris Jaffe's Boomerang All-Star Team.
The Brewers are down to their final two weeks, so a lot of us are about to have a lot of extra time on our hands. If you're looking for something to fill the time this offseason, you could check this list of things Seth McClung has been doing.
Last week longtime friend of the site Admiral Ackbar stopped by to fill in on the Mug for a day while I was off chasing bears around. You might or might not know that the Admiral also writes the Morning Coffee at Anonymous Eagle, which is another great Monday morning timekiller.
Happy birthday today to:
- Jeremy Jeffress, who turns 23.
- Doug Davis, who turns 35.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to fix a toilet.
Drink up.