There's something brewing - A Badenian going America

[Loeffle]

August 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


26th August 2008

The upcoming Reds series was played during a business trip to Western Norway (Norway March/February 2008 - a photoset on Flickr )

Game #130 –Milwaukee [71-58] (C. Villanueva 3-4, 4.13 ERA) at Cincinnati [55-74] (A. Harang 9-9, 5.32 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - RF G. Gross - 3B M. Reynolds - C H. Blanco - 2B A. Escobar


Milwaukee at Cincinnati: 1-3

W: A. Harang (10-9), L: C. Villanueva (3-5)
H: K. Lohse (6), S. LeCure (1), C. Vasquez (2)
SV: T. Shearn (1)
HR: M. Reynolds (11) / K. Griffey Jr. (2)
SB: - / -
CS: - / -
E: - / J. Keppinger (2)
MoM: M. Reynolds - 2/4, 1 R, HR, 1 RBI, BB


Elsewhere:

Arizona's Kevin Slowey (6-11, 4.90 ERA) pitched a 4 hit shuout against the Blizzards.

[Loeffle]

August 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


27th August 2008

Game #131 –Milwaukee [71-59] (A. Cook 1-1, 3.52 ERA) at Cincinnati [56-74] (B. Arroyo 9-14, 6.05 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - CF S. Victorino - LF R. Braun - C J. Estrada - RF G. Gross - 3B M. Reynolds - 1B B. Nelson - 2B O. Infante


Milwaukee at Cincinnati: 3-13

W: B. Arroyo (10-14), L: A. Cook (1-2)
HR: - / C. Valaika 3 (14), P. Janish (7), J. Hamilton (24), S. Hatteberg (7)
SB: C. Izturis (25) / -
CS: - / -
E: O. Infante (3) / -
MoM: C. Valaika - 4/5, 4 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, BB


Elsewhere:

Arizona's Kevin Slowey (6-11, 4.90 ERA) pitched a 4 hit shuout against the Blizzards.

[Loeffle]

August 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


28th August 2008

Game #132 –Milwaukee [71-60] (B. Webb 12-9, 3.32 ERA) at Cincinnati [57-74] (C. Fisher 2-5, 4.99 ERA)

2B C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - 1B P. Fielder - LF R. Braun - C J. Estrada - 3B M. Reynolds - RF S. Victorino - SS A. Escobar


Milwaukee at Cincinnati: 1-3

W: C. Fisher (3-5), L: B. Webb (12-10)
H: K. Lohse (7), J. Johnson (15)
SV: T. Coffey (24)
HR: J. Upton (9) / B. Giles (17), J. Gil (8)
SB: A. Escobar (22) / -
CS: - / -
E: B. Webb (3), A. Escobar (5) / -
MoM: C. Fisher - 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K

Two teams out of the race in our division swept us. When starting pitching did ok, our offense faltered. And when starting pitching failed, our offense sucked, too. The bullen's ERA rose to 5.32 and it's very likely there will be some new faces next season. Nevertheless I have a feeling there is a homerun bug in OOTP 8. We now tie the Cardinals for the Wild Card, 1.0 game behind the Cubs.

[Loeffle]

August 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


29th August 2008

Back home! Hopefully that losing streak was related to airplanes and Norwegian potatoes? A winning series against the Diamondbacks is a must. Ben Sheets hasn't been a hit at Arizona so far and rumour has it that he will fill for free agency after the season.

Game #133 –Milwaukee [71-61] (D. Bush 14-7, 3.11 ERA) at Arizona [69-63] (B. Sheets 5-5, 4.65 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - 1B P. Fielder - LF R. Braun - 2B M. Reynolds - RF G. Gross - C J. Estrada - 3B M. Gamel

As usual we saw the opponent taking the lead, but at least we showed some fighting spirit today. We managed to tie the game in the top of the 7th and 9th. But then the Diamondbacks scored the winning run with full count and two outs in the bottom of the ninth. With loss Nr. 7 we tied our losing streak from the beginning of the season.

Milwaukee at Arizona: 4-5

W: J. Valverde (3-6), L. S. Fujita (1-3)
H: C. Robertson (12), D. Davis (5)
BS: B. Medders (3), J. Valverde (5)
HR: - / -
SB: J. Upton (13) / E. Bonifacio (19), C. Young (15)
CS: - / -
E: D. Bush (3) - /
MoM: B. Sheets - 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K


Elsewhere:

The Yankees CF Johnny Damon (.287, 19 HR, 64 RBI) went 5 from 5 in a 6-2 victory over Oakland.

[Loeffle]

August 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


30th August 2008

We have to break this losing streak! Otherwise we won't make the playoffs as the defending World Series champion. Chris Capuano will once again try to pick up win Nr. 15.

Game #134 –Milwaukee [71-62] (C. Capuano 14-6, 4.22 ERA) at Arizona [70-63] (J. Cruz 2-4, 4.31 ERA)

2B C. Izturis - RF S. Victorino - CF J. Upton - 1B P. Fielder - LF R. Braun - C J. Estrada - 3B M. Gamel - SS A. Escobar

Guess who was the key to break the streak for us? Cesar Izturis! His triple off former Brewer Cruz with the bases loaded in the fifth was all Capuano needed to collect his 15th victory. Believe it or not, but Izturis also leads the National League in batting (.347). Capuano helped his case by collecting a hit in the 5th and allowing only two hits in eight innings. Fujita pitched a perfect ninth.

Milwaukee at Arizona: 4-0

W: C. Capuano (15-6), L: J. Cruz (2-6)
HR: - / -
SB: R. Braun (20), P. Fielder (24) / C. Young (16)
CS: S. Victorino (11), O. Infante (1) / -
E: D. Bush (3) - /
MoM: C. Capuano - 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 K - 1/3, R

[Loeffle]

August 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


31st August 2008

Unless last season it's very likely that we take advantage of the roster expansion. This should help especially the bullpen which was rarely rested during the last months.
On the other hand we can just hope the other starters will follow Capuano's example to return to their May to July form.

Game #135 –Milwaukee [72-62] (Y. Gallardo 7-9, 4.41 ERA) at Arizona [70-64] (K. Slowey 3-3, 5.22 ERA)

2B C. Izturis - LF S. Victorino - CF J. Upton - 1B P. Fielder - C J. Estrada - RF G. Gross - 3B M. Reynolds - SS A. Escobar

A game that showed the team is wanting to fight for the playoffs. Despite outhitting the Diamondbacks 14-5 and a strong start by Gallardo the game was up for grabs until the end. We scored one run in the fourth to eighth inning, but the Diamondbacks threatened in the bottom of the ninth. Thankfully we were able to use four rested relievers to create some mismatches and to win the series for us.

Milwaukee at Arizona: 6-2

W: Y. Gallardo (8-9); L: K. Slowey (6-12)
HR: M. Reynolds (12), P. Fielder (19) / -
SB: A. Escobar (23) / E. Bonifacio (20)
CS: S. Victorino (12), C. Izturis (8) / -
E: J. Upton (6)
MoM: P. Fielder - 4/5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, 3 2B

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

August 2008 - Review

American League Standings

Eastern Division
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	84	51	.622	-	82-53	2	44-22	40-29	11-2	21-16	26	W7	8-2
Boston Red Sox	82	53	.607	2.0	79-56	3	45-21	37-32	14-8	30-16		W2	4-6
Washington Nationals	68	67	.504	16.0	68-67	0	40-26	28-41	3-11	15-17		L3	4-6
New York (A) Yankees	67	68	.496	17.0	68-67	-1	35-31	32-37	8-5	16-23		L2	4-6
Baltimore Orioles	65	70	.481	19.0	65-70	0	32-37	33-33	4-5	13-17		L1	3-7

Central Division
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Cleveland Indians	72	63	.533	-	73-62	-1	38-31	34-32	6-7	21-18	25	L1	8-2
Minnesota Twins	69	66	.511	3.0	71-64	-2	35-34	34-32	4-8	13-22		W1	4-6
Chicago (A) White Sox	63	72	.467	9.0	64-71	-1	37-29	26-43	4-6	16-14		L1	3-7
Detroit Tigers	62	73	.459	10.0	62-73	0	34-35	28-38	9-7	18-20		W4	5-5
Toronto Blue Jays	59	76	.437	13.0	65-70	-6	29-40	30-36	3-8	8-14		L3	5-5
Kansas City Royals	50	85	.370	22.0	52-83	-2	25-44	25-41	6-7	17-19		L2	4-6

Western Division
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Los Angeles (A) Angels	88	47	.652	-	80-55	8	45-18	43-29	8-6	30-15	16	L2	5-5
Oakland Athletics	76	59	.563	12.0	72-63	4	43-26	33-33	7-6	21-21		W2	6-4
Seattle Mariners	67	68	.496	21.0	62-73	5	31-38	36-30	6-4	22-13		W2	8-2
Vancouver Marmots	60	75	.444	28.0	66-69	-6	33-33	27-42	6-7	16-25		W1	4-6
Texas Rangers	48	87	.356	40.0	51-84	-3	27-42	21-45	4-6	15-22		W1	5-5

National League Standings

Eastern Division
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
New York (N) Mets	77	58	.570	-	79-56	-2	40-23	37-35	3-4	17-23	23	W1	6-4
Atlanta Braves	72	63	.533	5.0	67-68	5	40-29	32-34	6-6	23-14		L1	6-4
Florida Marlins	70	65	.519	7.0	73-62	-3	36-30	34-35	10-10	16-23		W1	4-6
Philadelphia Phillies	66	69	.489	11.0	65-70	1	32-34	34-35	8-4	16-16		W2	6-4
Pittsburgh Pirates	65	70	.481	12.0	65-70	0	35-34	30-36	4-6	18-21		W1	5-5

Central Division
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Chicago (N) Cubs	74	61	.548	-	71-64	3	38-28	36-33	11-3	20-18	27	L1	5-5
Milwaukee Brewers	73	62	.541	1.0	77-58	-4	37-29	36-33	6-7	15-19		W2	3-7
St. Louis Cardinals	72	63	.533	2.0	73-62	-1	42-27	30-36	5-3	25-15		L2	5-5
Houston Astros	62	73	.459	12.0	67-68	-5	28-38	34-35	3-7	11-20		L1	7-3
Cincinnati Reds	60	75	.444	14.0	59-76	1	34-32	26-43	6-5	16-16		W2	7-3
Buffalo Blizzards	54	81	.400	20.0	52-83	2	27-42	27-39	2-6	16-17		W1	4-6

Western Division
Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Los Angeles (N) Dodgers	71	64	.526	-	67-68	4	35-34	36-30	9-9	20-17	27	L2	4-6
Arizona Diamondbacks	70	65	.519	1.0	71-64	-1	35-34	35-31	5-6	20-17		L2	5-5
San Diego Padres	69	66	.511	2.0	69-66	0	37-32	32-34	7-6	27-17		W1	5-5
San Francisco Giants	65	70	.481	6.0	65-70	0	35-34	30-36	8-10	17-21		L1	4-6
Colorado Rockies	60	75	.444	11.0	60-75	0	28-41	32-34	8-9	18-21		L1	4-6

Milwaukee Brewers Stats after August 2008

Name	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Ryan Braun LF	132	517	99	169	30	4	33	108	306	53	98	20	1	.327	.389	.592	.981
Prince Fielder 1B	135	516	89	150	28	2	19	86	239	79	97	24	5	.291	.386	.463	.849
Shane Victorino CF	131	440	74	117	22	2	10	55	173	46	69	22	12	.266	.335	.393	.729
Cesar Izturis SS	107	414	65	144	19	4	1	37	174	32	40	25	8	.348	.392	.420	.812
Gabe Gross RF	132	388	59	98	13	2	13	57	154	80	85	4	0	.253	.378	.397	.775
Johnny Estrada C	122	361	43	116	19	1	10	64	167	24	47	1	0	.321	.363	.463	.826
Alcides Escobar SS	94	223	43	62	15	5	0	21	87	22	46	23	6	.278	.339	.390	.729
Omar Infante 2B	79	207	33	54	16	0	4	28	82	17	31	3	1	.261	.322	.396	.718
Mark Reynolds 3B	57	194	16	46	11	0	6	30	75	15	60	0	0	.237	.290	.387	.676
Henry Blanco C	87	180	16	38	10	3	4	24	66	16	32	0	0	.211	.270	.367	.637
Mat Gamel 3B	103	179	18	44	12	1	0	22	58	22	39	0	1	.246	.324	.324	.648
Billy Hall 3B	54	178	22	42	9	1	3	24	62	12	41	6	1	.236	.280	.348	.628
Justin Upton CF	40	156	30	45	10	4	4	22	75	26	34	8	3	.288	.393	.481	.874
Rickie Weeks 2B	40	146	32	44	10	3	5	25	75	25	26	8	1	.301	.412	.514	.926
Chris Capuano SP	28	77	17	22	8	0	3	8	39	8	17	0	0	.286	.353	.506	.859
David Bush SP	28	66	4	16	2	0	1	5	21	6	14	0	0	.242	.306	.318	.624
Tony Gwynn Jr. LF	41	63	8	17	1	0	0	6	18	7	9	4	1	.270	.338	.286	.624
Franklin Gutierrez RF	36	58	6	13	2	0	1	6	18	10	17	1	0	.224	.348	.310	.658
Yovani Gallardo SP	23	51	4	10	0	0	0	1	10	0	23	0	0	.196	.196	.196	.392
Lorenzo Cain RF	37	42	9	9	2	1	0	2	13	7	10	3	0	.214	.327	.310	.636
Luis Rivas 2B	30	37	2	2	2	0	0	2	4	4	8	0	1	.054	.143	.108	.251
Brandon Webb SP	14	36	2	6	1	0	1	3	10	2	12	0	0	.167	.211	.278	.488
Carlos Villanueva SP	14	31	5	7	1	0	0	3	8	4	1	0	0	.226	.314	.258	.572
Ben Sheets SP	12	30	4	8	4	0	2	7	18	1	8	0	0	.267	.281	.600	.881
Manny Parra SP	14	29	1	4	2	0	0	1	6	1	5	0	0	.138	.167	.207	.374
Charlie Fermaint CF	30	26	2	4	0	1	0	2	6	5	4	1	0	.154	.290	.231	.521
Brad Nelson LF	25	26	0	7	3	0	0	6	10	6	3	0	0	.269	.406	.385	.791

Name	W	L	SV	ERA	G	GS	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	WHIP	OAVG	BABIP
Soichi Fujita CL	1	3	18	2.03	41	0	31.0	27	8	7	1	8	26	1.13	.245	.313
Manny Parra SP	6	2	0	2.84	14	14	82.1	74	34	26	1	27	66	1.23	.236	.297
David Bush SP	14	7	0	3.05	26	26	194.2	172	74	66	21	44	127	1.11	.234	.258
Ben Sheets SP	5	4	0	3.45	12	12	88.2	84	38	34	13	12	63	1.08	.247	.269
Brandon Webb SP	5	6	0	3.58	14	14	103.0	105	43	41	4	29	77	1.30	.260	.313
Chris Capuano SP	15	6	0	4.04	27	26	187.0	175	97	84	33	57	126	1.24	.242	.252
Carlos Villanueva SP	3	5	0	4.05	14	12	86.2	82	42	39	7	24	62	1.22	.251	.291
Yovani Gallardo SP	8	9	0	4.30	23	22	144.1	151	75	69	12	57	105	1.44	.270	.314
Jose Capellan MR	1	1	1	4.50	24	0	24.0	26	15	12	3	8	18	1.42	.268	.303
Brian Shouse MR	3	1	1	4.56	41	0	23.2	26	12	12	4	5	13	1.31	.283	.293
Freddy Garcia SP	5	4	0	5.05	17	5	57.0	65	37	32	6	8	49	1.28	.285	.341
Elmer Dessens MR	3	1	1	5.14	44	0	54.1	64	35	31	9	21	42	1.56	.291	.325
Aaron Cook SP	1	2	0	5.28	4	4	29.0	31	20	17	7	12	13	1.48	.274	.258
Jeremy Accardo MR	1	2	1	5.96	29	0	22.2	31	17	15	6	8	18	1.72	.333	.362
Mitch Stetter MR	0	1	0	6.06	27	0	16.1	17	11	11	3	8	9	1.53	.279	.286
Juan Cruz MR	0	1	0	6.15	24	0	26.1	25	18	18	3	16	15	1.56	.258	.278
Akinori Otsuka CL	2	4	1	6.27	29	0	18.2	25	15	13	4	11	10	1.93	.305	.309
Alan Embree MR	0	1	1	8.79	21	0	14.1	23	16	14	3	4	8	1.88	.377	.400
Francisco Cordero MR	0	2	1	12.46	6	0	4.1	7	6	6	2	3	2	2.31	.412	.385

American League Player of the Week:
Troy Glaus (.260, 47 HR, 95 RBI - Toronto): .400, 4 HR, 8 RBI

National League Player of the Week:
Eddy Martinez-Esteve (.312, 19 HR, 80 RBI - San Francisco): .462, 10 RBI, 8 R


American League Batter of the Month:
Grady Sizemore (.291, 18 HR, 87 RBI - Cleveland): .376, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 31 R

National League Batter of the Month:
Eddy Martinez-Esteve (.312, 19 HR, 80 RBI - San Francisco): .375, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 22 R

American League Pitcher of the Month:
Felix Hernandez (14-5, 2.40 ERA - Seattle): 5-0, 43.0 IP, 1.67 ERA, 31 H, 12 BB, 31 K, .195

National League Pitcher of the Month:
Jake Peavy (18-5, 3.19 ERA - San Diego): 5-1, 43.2 IP, 1.65 ERA, 39 H, 7 BB, 54 K, .188

American League Rookie of the Month:
Robinzon Diaz (.341, 1 HR, 36 RBI - Toronto): .339, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 12 R

National League Rookie of the Month:
Eddy Martinez-Esteve (.312, 19 HR, 80 RBI - San Francisco): .375, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 22 R

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


1st September 2008

The following ten players were called up due to roster expansion:

SP Freddy Garcia: 0-1, 3.18 ERA, 22.2 IP, 1.10 WHIP at AAA; 5-4, 5.05 ERA, 57.0 IP, 1.28 WHIP at Milwaukee
MR Wade LeBlanc: 1-0-4, 1.71 ERA, 42.0 IP; 1.12 WHIP at AAA
MR Matt Wise: 6-1-5, 1.04 ERA, 57.0 IP, 1.40 WHIP at AAA
MR/CL Akinori Otsuka: 0-2-7, 3.75 ERA, 12.0 IP, 1.83 WHIP at AAA; 2-4-1, 5.18 ERA, 24.1 IP, 1.64 WHIP at Milwaukee and Philadelphia
C Mike Rivera: .226, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 1 SB at AAA
IF Vinny Rottino: .284, 3 HR, 27 RBI; 3 SB at AAA
IF Hernan Iribarren: .299, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 12 SB at AAA; .158, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 SB at Milwaukee
OF Tony Gwynn Jr.: .319, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 7 SB at AA; .196, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 SB at AAA; .270, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 4 SB at Milwaukee
OF Charlie Fermaint: .311, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 9 SB at AAA; .154, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB at Milwaukee
OF Lorenzo Cain: .311, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 13 SB at AAA; .214, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 SB at Milwaukee
OF Jordan Parraz: .263, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 SB at AA; .297, 11 HR, 45 RBI, 17 SB at AAA

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


2nd September 2008

We welcome the NL West leading Dodgers to Miller Park. From now on every series counts, but the last two games when both Capuano and Gallardo ended their slumps give us hope for the last month of the season.

Game #136 – Los Angeles [71-64] (S. Elbert 3-6, 4.98 ERA) at Milwaukee [73-62] (C. Villanueva 3-5, 4.05 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B M. Reynolds - RF L. Cain - 2B O. Infante - C H. Blanco

Earlier in the season we had two games I called as "Chainsaw Massacre". This one certainly should also be in the list even if it was more open than the two other ones. We took the lead three times and things looked good until two outs in the top of the eighth when the Dodgers finally took advantage of their 20 hit attack. We used a record 24 players in this one, but they were not enough to stop the West Coast avalanche. LeBlanc was quite unhappy in his bigleague debut giving up a key double, but setup man Capellan was without doubt the bad guy giving up a three run homer to Ethier. We tried to rally against Broxton, but there is not much realistic hope when you have men on 1st and 2nd, but Iribarren and Rivera due up

Los Angeles at Milwaukee: 9-7

W: J. Schmidt (4-4); L: J. Capellan (1-2)
H: J. Meloan (17), T. Sipp (11), D. Lowe (3) / W. LeBlanc (1)
BS: - / J. Capellan (2)
SV: J. Broxton (34)
HR: D. Lee (21), A. Ethier 2 (21) / H. Blanco (5), M. Reynolds (13)
SB: M. Kemp (22), C. Freeman (6) / -
CS: - / P. Fielder (6)
E: - / -
MoM: A. Ethier - 4/5, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI


Elsewhere:

C Robinzon Diaz (.350, 2 HR, 40 RBI) of the Blue Jays went 5 from 6 when his team beat the Twins 10-1.

Also the Red Sox SS Dustin Pedroia (.322, 2 HR, 24 RBI) collected five hits in a 13-0 victory over Baltimore.

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


3rd September 2008


Game #137 – Los Angeles [72-64] (J. McDonald 12-10, 3.73 ERA) at Milwaukee [73-63] (B. Webb 5-6, 3.58 ERA)

2B C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - C J. Estrada - 3B M. Reynolds - RF G. Gross - SS A. Escobar

We got Webb the best possible support by loading the bases with no outs in the first, but as usually we struggled with runners in scoring position taking only a two run lead. The Dodgers tied the game in the second, but we broke free the two following innings scoring combined nine runs. Webb wasn't impressive but went seven innings to collect the W. As we used spot starter Cook for the two final innings, our bullpen will be completely rested tomorrow.

Los Angeles at Milwaukee: 5-11

W: B. Webb (13-10); L: J. McDonald (12-11)
HR: - / M. Reynolds (14), G. Gross (14)
SB: - / -
CS: R. Furcal (21) / C. Upton (13)
E: - / -
MoM: M. Reynolds - 1/4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI


Elsewhere:

The Royals Erik Bedard (9-11, 4.40 ERA) pitched a three hit shutout against the Vancouver Marmots.

Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins (.326, 17 HR, 47 RBI) went 5 from 5 in a 9-6 victory over the Buffalo Blizzards.

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


4th September 2008


The Yankees placed in a moment of madness one of this season best pitchers Chris Volstad (9-10, 3.91 ERA) on waivers. We were thankful for that and claimed him. He'll be our spotstarter for september, while Aaron Cook will be used in long relief like yesterday.

The playoffrace heatens up. At least six teams besides us (74-63) have a realistic chance to clinch the wild card:
Atlanta (73-64), St. Louis (73-64), Arizona (72-65), Florida (72-65) and San Diego (71-66). The only almost sure bet so far are the Mets (78-59).

Game #138 – Los Angeles [72-65) (A. Reyes 8-15, 4.90 ERA) at Milwaukee [74-63] (D. Bush 14-7, 3.05 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - C J. Estrada - 3B M. Reynolds - RF S. Victorino - 2B O. Infante

Bush became the first National League pitcher to pass the 200 innings plateau today. His performance was rather worthy as he went eight innings. A two run homer by Prince Fielder gave us a 2-1 advantage. After that we never gave the lead away. Closer Fujita needed only seven pitches to end the game in the ninth.

Los Angeles at Milwaukee: 4-7

W: D. Bush (15-7); L: A. Reyes (8-16)
HR: R. Furcal (4) / P. Fielder (20)
SB: - / O. Infante (4)
CS: A. LaRoche (2) / S. Victorino (13)
E: A. Reyes (4), A. LaRoche (10) / D. Bush (4), R. Braun (9)
MoM: P. Fielder - 2/4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, BB


Elsewhere:

Danny Haren (13-11, 4.80 ERA) allowed only six hits when his Athletics beat the Angels 2-0.

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


5th September 2008


Trade:

The Buffalo Blizzards sent starter Joe Sanders (5-12, 5.57 ERA) to the Houston Astros for minor league starter Corey Bass (4-8, 3.59 ERA - A) and 3B Kerry Parker (.184, 1 HR, 13 RBI - S A).

Game #139 –Milwaukee [75-63] (C. Capuano 15-6, 4.04 ERA) at San Diego [72-66] (Z. Miner 4-11, 6.17 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B M. Reynolds - RF G. Gross - C J. Estrada - 2B H. Iribarren

Capuano seemed to cruise easily to his 16th victory, until he began to struggle badly in the sixth when the Padres hit three homers and turned a 4-1 deficit into a 5-4 lead. One inning later he was bailed out by Shane Victorino who delivered a pinch hit grandslam. Jeremy Accordo pitched three solid innings to collect his third save of the season.

Milwaukee at San Diego: 10-5

W: C. Capuano (16-6); L: M. Adams (3-2)
BS: M. Adams (4)
HR: S. Victorino (11) / N. Hundley (18), A. Gonzalez (24), K. Kouzmanoff (19)
SB: - / -
CS: - / -
E: - / M. Bradley (5)
MoM: S. Victorino - 1/1, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


6th September 2008

After our victory in California we moved back into a tie with the Cubs. With them we also shared the lead in NL Wild Card Race. So far I'm mostly happy with the way the 1st september call ups perform. Especially as defensive replacements late in the games and also giving us many options in the bullpen. Today we faced our lost son Dennis Sarfate whom we lost in Rule V Draft last year. He's doing very well for the Padres this season. He will face Yovani Gallardo who is fighting for his future, especially after we signed Volstad. The Padres have only one natural SS on their roster; last years 2nd round pick Kiyonaga Fujita, who was rushed to big leagues after going .288, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 55 SB at A-level. Kiyonaga is rumoured to be related to our closer Soichi Fujita.

Game #140 –Milwaukee [76-63] (Y. Gallardo 8-9, 4.30 ERA) at San Diego [72-67] (D. Sarfate 8-7, 3.94 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - CF S. Victorino - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - C J. Estrada - RF G. Gross - 2B O. Infante - 3B M. Gamel

This game was pretty much dominated by the Padres, but were nevertheless able to score four runs the fourth thanks to homers by Braun and Infante. San Diego came withing one run to tie the game in the seventh, but thanks to some brilliant pinch running in the ninth we scored three more to put the game out of reach.

Milwaukee at San Diego: 7-3

W: Y. Gallardo (9-9); L: D. Sarfate (8-8)
H: W. LeBlanc (2), J. Capellan (6)
HR: R. Braun (34), O. Infante (5) / C. Hunter (5)
SB: A. Escobar (24), J. Parraz (1) / C. Hunter (29)
CS: - / -
E: C. Izturis (10), O. Infante (4), G. Gross (7) / K. Kouzmanoff (16), L. Cruz (4)
MoM: C. Hunter - 3/5, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI


Elsewhere:

The Blizzards RF Travis Snider (.289, 17 HR, 48 RBI) went 5 from 5 in 8-3 victory over the Cubs at Pilot Field. Buffalo's victory means we are back at the top of NL Central.

Tyler Clippard (1-0, 0.00 ERA) of the Yankees pitched a four hit shutout in his season debut against the Royals.


Trade:

The Phillies traded RF Jayson Werth (.266, 20 HR, 58 RBI) and minor league starter Don Archer (3-0, 2.48 ERA - A) to the Blue Jays for 3B Anthony Hatch (.288, 2 HR, 11 RBI) and minor league LF Freddie Retallack (.278, 2 HR, 48 RBI, 32 SB).

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


7th September 2008

Sadly the old OOTP 8 scouting/coaching bug is back:
http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...all-teams.html
Dont want my game to die that way
And dont want put off scouting and coaching as well.

Game #141 –Milwaukee [77-63] (C. Villanueva 3-5, 4.18 ERA) at San Diego [72-68] (J. Peavy 18-5, 3.28 ERA)

2B C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - C J. Estrada - 3B M Reynolds - RF G. Gross - SS A. Escobar

We took an early 2-0 in the first as Peavy had a cold start. The Padres ruined Villanueva's solid outing with a three run homer in the fourth. But we were able to strike back two runs in the fifth and seven innings. San Diego started a rally in the ninth and closer Fujita needed an game ending double play to escape from trouble.

Milwaukee at San Diego: 6-5

W: C. Villanueva (4-5); L: J. Peavy (18-6)
H: W. LeBlanc (3), M. Wise (1), A. Otsuka (10)
SV: S. Fujita (20)
HR: - / C. Hunter (6)
SB: P. Fielder (25), J. Upton (14) / -
CS: - / N. Crosta (2)
E: - / K. Kouzmanoff (17)
MoM: C. Hunter - 3/5, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI


American League Player of the Week:
Evan Longoria (.340, 35 HR, 108 RBI - Tampa Bay): .600, 2 HR, 8 RBI

National League Player of the Week:
Andre Ethier (.314, 23 HR, 61 RBI - Los Angeles): .545, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 6 R

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


8th September 2008


Game #142 –San Francisco [69-72] (O. Matos 10-9, 3.68 ERA) at Milwaukee [78-63] (B. Webb 6-6, 3.68 ERA)

2B C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - C J. Estrada - 3B M Reynolds - RF G. Gross - SS A. Escobar

The game didn't start for good until light hitting Cesar Izturis hit a three run shot in the fifth making it a 5-1 game. The Giants scored three runs in the sixth and chased Webb in the eighth. Surprisingly enough our bullpen retired all inherited runners, while Fujita had no problems collecting another save.

San Francisco at Milwaukee: 4-6

W: B. Webb (14-10); L: O. Matos (10-10)
H: B. Shouse (9), J. Accardo (9)
SV: S. Fujita (21)
HR: R. Durham (19), J. Gomes (26) / P. Fielder (21), C. Izturis (2)
SB: J. Gomes (4) / -
CS: - / -
E: - / -
MoM: J. Gomes - 3/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, SB

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


9th September 2008

Things going well for the moment. The starters rebounded from an awful august and also the bullpen does what it is supposed to do.

Game #143 –San Francisco [69-73] (J. Sanchez 11-8, 5.06 ERA) at Milwaukee [79-63] (D. Bush 15-7, 3.06 ERA)

SS A. Escobar - CF J. Upton - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B M Reynolds - RF J. Parraz - C H. Blanco - 2B V. Rottino

David Bush carried a no hitter into the seventh until Richardson's two out double made it a 2-2 game. Thankfully the Giants sent the wrong reliever to the mount in the bottom of the inning so we were able to score seven runs. Bush struggled in the eighth, but Stetter and Capellan had few problems to close the door.

San Francisco at Milwaukee: 6-9

W: D. Bush (16-7); L: J. Sanchze (11-19)
SV: J. Capellan (2)
HR: E. Alfonzo (2) / -
SB: - / -
CS: - / -
E: E. Burriss (6) / -
MoM: P. Fielder - 2/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB

After winning seven in a row we have a two game lead over the Cubs in NL Central.


Elsewhere:

2B Adrian Cardenas (.273, 7 HR, 43 RBI) will be out of the Phillies lineup for three to four weeks after he suffered a dislocated elbow.

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


9th September 2008

Our lower level A team, the West Virginia Power finished their season with a 57-83. They finished 6th, a whopping 50 games behind the Lake County Captains. It's unsure if skipper Terry MacPatrick will come back next season.

Top perfomers were:
C Dan Tsamis (.307, 1 HR, 33 RBI; 60,2 % CS) - 16th round pick in 2007
2B Taylor Green (.295, 9 HR, 40 RBI, 1 SB)
SP Sam Narron (6-8, 3.70 ERA, 160.2 IP, 1.26 WHIP
MR Travis Wendte (1-1, 3.71 ERA, 34.0 IP, 1.32 WHIP) - 3rd round pick in 2008

In the playoffs the Kannapolis Intimidators face the Lake County Captains and Rome Braves the Greenville Drive.

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


10th September 2008

Only three weeks to go this season and I'm thrilled. Sadly much work next week, so no baseball at all from Tuesday to Friday? But now we are aiming to sweep the Giants. Looks like they'll give four september call ups a start tonight.

Game #144 –San Francisco [69-74] (B. Hennessey 2-2, 4.30 ERA) at Milwaukee [80-63] (C. Capuano 16-6, 4.15 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - C J. Estrada - 3B M Reynolds - RF S. Victorino - 2B O. Infante

A strange game in which the Giants pitcher Hennessey hit a decisive three run homer. We were never able to close the gap and our winning streak came to a deserved end. Omar Infante gashed his cheek in the first inning and is listed day-to-day.

San Francisco at Milwaukee: 2-6

W: B. Hennessey (3-2); L: C. Capuano (16-7)
H: S. Linebrink (10)
HR: B. Hennessey (1), L. Niekro (1) / -
SB: M. Sanders (6), A. Richardson (12) / -
CS: - / J. Upton (14)
E: J. Leone (1) / M. Reynolds (11)
MoM: L. Niekro - 2/5, 1 R, HR, RBI

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


11th September 2008

We travel to Atlanta for a key series. They have the same record as us, but are on a seven game winning streak.

Game #145 –Milwaukee [80-64] (Y. Gallardo 9-9, 4.19 ERA) at Atlanta [80-64] (T. Hudson 6-3, 3.04 ERA)

2B C. Izturis - CF J. Upton - 1B P. Fielder - C J. Estrada - RF G. Gross - LF S. Victorino - 3B M. Gamel - SS A. Escobar

A game worthy a playoff battle. Both teams combined for only nine hits and the pitching crews were in complete control. The only run came through a Victorino sacrifice fly. Gallardo was done after six innings, but once again our bullpen pitched three very impressive innings.

Milwaukee at Atlanta: 1-0

W: Y. Gallardo (10-9); L: T. Hudson (6-4)
H: W. LeBlanc (4), J. Accardo (10), B. Shouse (10), J. Capellan (7)
SV: S. Fujita (22)
HR:- / -
SB: - / -
CS: - / A. Dunn (2)
E: -/ -
MoM: Y. Gallardo - 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K

[Loeffle]

September 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche


12th September 2008

Our higher level A team, the Brevard County Manatees finished their season with a 86-54. That's the best record in the Florida State League, 8 games better than the Clearwater Threshers.

Top perfomers were:
3B Adam Heether (.376, 1 HR, 30 RBI)
RF Michael Brantley (.308, 1 HR, 40 RBI)
1B Bob Bannatyne (.288, 7 HR, 36 RBI - 8th round pick in 2007)
SP Derek Miller (8-5, 2.52 ERA, 114.1 IP, 1.24 WHIP)
MR Jeremy Lewis (4-2-1, 1.88 ERA, 62.1 IP, 1.17 WHIP)
CL Patrick Ryan (6-3-29, 1.46 ERA, 49.1 IP, 1.09 WHIP, 90,6 SV%)

In the playoffs the Manatees face the Dunedin Blue Jays and Clearwater Threshers the Palm Beach Cardinals.