[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

April 2008 - Review

American League Batter of the Month:
Paul Konerko (Chicago White Sox): .323, 23 R, 10 HR, 20 RBI

National League Batter of the Month:
Albert Pujols (St. Louis): .379, 24 R, 9 HR, 23 RBI

American League Pitcher of the Month:
Lenny DiNardo (Oakland): 5-0, 31.2 IP, 1.71 ERA, 24 H, 9 BB, 12 K, .212

National League Pitcher of the Month:
Angel Guzman (Chicago Cubs): 4-0, 35.1 IP, 1.02 ERA, 24 H, 8 BB, 29 K, .188

American League Rookie of the Month:
Michael Aubrey (Detroit): .344, 19 R, 4 HR, 16 RBI
National League Rookie of the Month:
Nicholas Crosta (San Diego): .356, 16 R, 3 HR, 16 RBI

American League Standings
Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Boston Red Sox	16	8	.667	-
Tampa Bay Devil Rays	16	8	.667	-
New York (A) Yankees	13	11	.542	3.0
Baltimore Orioles	11	13	.458	5.0
Washington Nationals	10	14	.417	6.0
Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago (A) White Sox	14	10	.583	-
Detroit Tigers	13	11	.542	1.0
Cleveland Indians	12	12	.500	2.0
Toronto Blue Jays	11	13	.458	3.0
Kansas City Royals	10	14	.417	4.0
Minnesota Twins	8	16	.333	6.0
Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Los Angeles (A) Angels	15	9	.625	-
Oakland Athletics	14	10	.583	1.0
Vancouver Marmots	11	13	.458	4.0
Texas Rangers	10	14	.417	5.0
Seattle Mariners	8	16	.333	7.0

National League Standings
Eastern Division	W	L	PCT	GB
New York (N) Mets	13	11	.542	-
Florida Marlins	12	12	.500	1.0
Philadelphia Phillies	11	13	.458	2.0
Atlanta Braves	10	14	.417	3.0
Pittsburgh Pirates	9	15	.375	4.0
Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Houston Astros	15	9	.625	-
Chicago (N) Cubs	14	10	.583	1.0
Buffalo Blizzards	13	11	.542	2.0
Cincinnati Reds	13	11	.542	2.0
Milwaukee Brewers	12	12	.500	3.0
St. Louis Cardinals	10	14	.417	5.0
Western Division	W	L	PCT	GB
San Diego Padres	17	7	.708	-
Arizona Diamondbacks	12	12	.500	5.0
Los Angeles (N) Dodgers	11	13	.458	6.0
Colorado Rockies	10	14	.417	7.0
San Francisco Giants	10	14	.417	7.0

Milwaukee Brewers Stats April 2008:

Name	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Prince Fielder 1B	24	101	15	27	9	0	2	16	42	10	22	6	2	.267	.336	.416	.752
Ryan Braun LF	24	90	14	34	5	1	3	15	50	12	17	3	0	.378	.448	.556	1.003
Shane Victorino CF	23	89	17	24	6	0	1	8	33	12	14	6	3	.270	.356	.371	.727
Cesar Izturis SS	24	85	11	31	3	0	0	9	34	9	6	7	1	.365	.417	.400	.817
Rickie Weeks 2B	24	85	17	25	5	1	2	17	38	14	17	4	1	.294	.408	.447	.855
Bill Hall 3B	24	78	14	23	7	0	2	14	36	8	15	5	1	.295	.356	.462	.818
Gabe Gross RF	23	58	11	17	3	1	3	8	31	16	11	1	0	.293	.446	.534	.980
Johnny Estrada C	21	52	7	13	0	0	2	10	19	4	6	0	0	.250	.298	.365	.664
Henry Blanco C	16	38	5	12	2	1	1	6	19	6	5	0	0	.316	.400	.500	.900
Tony Gwynn Jr. CF	18	36	5	11	0	0	0	4	11	3	3	3	1	.306	.359	.306	.665
Mat Gamel 3B	19	24	3	4	1	0	0	4	5	5	8	0	0	.167	.300	.208	.508
Luis Rivas 2B	17	23	1	1	1	0	0	2	2	2	5	0	0	.043	.115	.087	.202
Franklin Gutierrez LF	13	20	2	4	1	0	0	1	5	3	6	1	0	.200	.333	.250	.583
Chris Capuano SP	5	12	0	4	2	0	0	1	6	1	3	0	0	.333	.385	.500	.885
Ben Sheets SP	5	12	4	5	3	0	2	5	14	1	3	0	0	.417	.429	1.167	1.595
Yovani Gallardo SP	5	11	1	3	0	0	0	0	3	0	4	0	0	.273	.273	.273	.545
David Bush SP	6	10	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	0	0	.200	.333	.200	.533

Name	W	L	SV	ERA	G	GS	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	WHIP	OAVG	BABIP
Brian Shouse MR	0	0	1	0.00	2	0	1.1	2	0	0	0	0	2	1.50	.333	.500
Akinori Otsuka MR	0	0	1	0.00	3	0	2.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	.000	.000
Chris Capuano SP	3	0	0	2.25	5	4	28.0	29	11	7	2	9	23	1.36	.261	.314
Ben Sheets SP	3	2	0	3.13	5	5	37.1	39	17	13	4	5	31	1.18	.271	.321
David Bush SP	3	2	0	3.51	5	5	33.1	32	15	13	4	9	30	1.23	.248	.295
Soichi Fujita CL	0	2	3	3.52	9	0	7.2	7	4	3	0	2	5	1.17	.259	.318
Carlos Villanueva SP	0	0	0	4.09	3	1	11.0	13	6	5	2	2	7	1.36	.289	.306
Yovani Gallardo SP	1	2	0	4.50	5	5	30.0	35	16	15	3	13	26	1.60	.297	.360
Manny Parra SP	2	1	0	4.64	4	4	21.1	24	16	11	1	8	17	1.50	.276	.333
Elmer Dessens MR	0	0	0	4.97	8	0	12.2	19	8	7	1	7	10	2.05	.339	.400
Juan Cruz MR	0	0	0	6.10	10	0	10.1	6	7	7	1	6	9	1.16	.167	.192
Jose Capellan MR	0	1	0	6.75	5	0	5.1	9	6	4	1	2	3	2.06	.375	.400
Freddy Garcia SP	0	0	0	7.36	3	0	3.2	5	3	3	1	0	6	1.36	.333	.500
Alan Embree MR	0	0	0	7.72	9	0	4.2	8	4	4	0	1	3	1.93	.381	.444
Francisco Cordero MR	0	2	1	12.46	6	0	4.1	7	6	6	2	3	2	2.31	.412	.385

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

2nd May 2008

May starts off against the Phillies a team with whom we had three trades recently.
The ex-Brewers perform like this so far:
RF Kevin Mench: .167, 2 HR, 5 RBI - He started 20 games, showed decent defense, but struggles badly at the plate.
SP Claudio Vargas: 3-0, 2.29 ERA, 19.2 IP, 22 H, 8 BB, 18 K - He had a quite spectacular start in Philly. He won only six times in 23 starts for us last season.
MR Francisco Cordero: 1-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 K - After two rocky appearances Cordero is showing signs of feeling comfortable in the red uniform.
This series could become a nasty affair. The Phillies hit more than twice as many homers as we, but we have better pitching and much more speed.


Game #25 – Philadelphia [11-13] (C. Hamels 1-4, 4.15 ERA) at Milwaukee [12-12] (M. Parra 2-1, 4.64 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - 3B R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - CF B. Hall - LF S. Victorino - RF F. Gutierrez - C H. Blanco

The game was a rather boring pitchers duel until the bullpen's took over. Everything look fine until former Philly Otsuka delivered a two out full count 3-run homer to Wes Helms giving them a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the inning a very motivated Francisco Cordero didn't allow any chances. The ninth was a copy of the eight, but this time it was Elmer Dessens giving up a two out three run homer to Pat Burrell.

Philadelphia at Milwaukee: 7-3

W: C. Condrey (1-0), L: A. Otsuka (0-1)
H: F. Cordero (1) - J. Cruz (5), B. Shouse (2)
BS: A. Otsuka (1)
S: T. Gordon (6)
HR - W. Helms (3), P. Burrell (5) / R. Braun (4)
MoM: P. Burrell - 1/4, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Elsewhere:

Clayton Kershaw (4-1, 2.52 ERA) of the Dodgers pitched a two hitter (1 walk, 12 K's) against the Rockies.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

3rd May 2008

Hopefully we can rebound from the disappointing loss under the guidance of ace Ben Sheets. There are still rumours if he will sign a new multi year contract with us, or getting traded in case we are out of contention. So far he looks much better than last season. He will face our Nr. 5 starter from last season Claudio Vargas.

Game #26 – Philadelphia [12-13] (C. Vargas 3-0, 2.29 ERA) at Milwaukee [12-13] (B. Sheets 3-2, 3.13 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - 1B P. Fielder - LF R. Braun - RF G. Gross - C J. Estrada - 3B M. Gamel - CF T. Gwynn Jr.

Never praise your ace before the sun has actually set. Sheets gave up three homers today, despite the wind was blowing in from center at 20 mph. On the other hand the mediocre outfield of the Phillies caught everything off the wall. Looks like the Garcia for Vargas trade was a bust?

Philadelphia at Milwaukee: 6-3

W: C. Vargas (4-0), L: B. Sheets (3-3)
H: C. Condrey (1), F. Cordero (2)
S: T. Gordon (7)
HR - R. Howard (7), P. Burrell (6), J. Werth 2 (5)
MoM: J. Werth - 2/4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Elsewhere:

3B Alex Rodriguez (.313, 5 HR, 19 RBI) hit his 500th career home run in 14-11 loss to the Washington Nationals. A-Rod's seven RBI's were not enough to give the Yankees the win.
MR/CL John Grabow (0-0-2, 1.93 ERA) signed a three year 8.000.000 $ contract extension with the Detroit Tigers.

[Dauis]

Ouch. Three homers into a 20 mph wind? I can only imagine how far those would've gone otherwise. It's too early to call the trade a bust. It's a month into the season. Sheets should bounce back and lead your run to the playoffs. Good luck!

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

4th May 2008

Today we have to avoid the sweep at all costs. Our hopes are that Brett Myers continue to struggle and that the Phillies power bats are asleep today.

Game #27 – Philadelphia [13-13] (B. Myers 1-3, 9.13 ERA) at Milwaukee [12-14] (Y. Gallardo 1-2, 4.50 ERA)

CF S. Victorino - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - RF G. Gross - C H. Blanco - SS L. Rivas

The game started with a disaster. Victorino fumbled two fly balls in a row with two outs to allow the Phillies to take a 3-0 lead. Thankfully Myers was hittable as all season long and we had the game tied after five innings. Henry Blanco hit a solo homer to give us the advantage. We made a mistake in warming up the wrong guy, but Alan Embree got some double play help to close the game home.

Philadelphia at Milwaukee: 4-5

W: Y. Gallardo (2-2), B. Myers (1-4)
H: A. Otsuka (3)
S: A. Embree (1)
HR - R. Howard (8) / S. Victorino (2), H. Blanco (2)
MoM: S. Victorino - 1/4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 errors

Elsewhere:

SP Philip Humber (2-3, 5.63 ERA) of the Mets will miss six weeks with a damaged meniscus.
Tampa Bay's closer Al Reyes (1-0-7, 1.74 ERA) is out for the season with a fractured elbow.

SP Jose Garcia (2-2, 2.33 ERA) of our Single A team West Virginia Power pitched a four hitter against the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Scouts don't consider Garcia ever reaching the big leagues.


American League Player of the Week:
Chris Denorfia (Oakland): .522, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R

National League Player of the Week:
Albert Pujols (St. Louis): .714, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 12 R

[Terpripken]

Nice job Loeffle.

I really like your format alot.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

5th May 2008

Ben Sheets - Future or fiasko?

Discussion about Ben Sheets who might be a high profile free agent at season's end is running high recently. While Sheets gave up a whopping 53 HR's last season Washington Post editor Dauis is sure Sheets "can bounce back" finding his World Series shape and "lead the Brewers run into the playoff". Jeff Hassan of Hooya Sports advises the Brewers to get rid of Sheets and get more pitching talent for him. Names like Liriano, Hochevar, Felix Hernandez, Santana, Oswalt or Cain might be potential aces for the Brewers according to Hassan.It has to be seen if GM Fritsche makes the decision to trade local hero Sheets, if he lets him becoming a free agent or if he will reward him with a new monster deal? He leads the NL in innings and is third in strikeouts so far this season.

Today we kick off a crucial series at Wrigley Field. If we win it we are back in contention, if not it will be a long way back to the top of the NL Central.

Game #28 – Milwaukee [13-14] (C. Capuano 3-0, 2.25 ERA) at Chicago [15-12] (S. Gallagher 1-2, 6.04 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - RF G. Gross - CF S. Victorino - C J. Estrada

Poor Cubbies: They used eight pitchers to allow a total of 27 baserunners. Enough for us to win this match-up. Capuano was awful as well (7 earned runs), but lasted 6.2 innings. The Cubs hope their next starter will last a bit longer than Gallagher (2.0 IP, 5 ER) to save their bullpen.

Milwaukee at Chicago: 16-9

W: C. Capuano (4-0), L: S. Gallagher (1-3)
HR - R. Braun 2 (6), R. Weeks (3) / S. Moore 2 (9)
MoM: R. Braun - 2/2, 4 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB

The victory brings us back to .500. NL Central seems to become a very tight affair. Only three games seperate the top team Houston (16-12) from last placed St. Louis (13-15).

[Loeffle]

Originally Posted by Terpripken

Nice job Loeffle.

I really like your format alot.

Thanks a lot ... For some it might be too formal, but for me it fits well this way. Hope my English is understandable enough?

Tonight only one game though as my local team plays in "Monday Night Football (= Soccer) ...

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

6th May 2008

Will be interesting to see how both teams dealt with yesterday's slugfest. The Cubs bullpen is exhausted and they will most likely give the start to a guy with an ERA of almost 10.00. Surprisingly enough all of our starters have an ERA below 4.00, while we have the worst bullpen in the National League. We also try to climb above .500 for the first time since Game #1.

Game #29 – Milwaukee [14-14] (D. Bush 3-2, 3.51 ERA) at Chicago [15-13] (L. Broadway 1-3, 9.87 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - RF G. Gross - CF S. Victorino - C H. Blanco

We made the mistake to underestimate Broadway and he paid back delivering a very good performance. Back to back homers by Snyder and red hot Moore were enough to decide this game for the Cubs. Our setup man Akinori Otsuka had to leave the game with back spasms. He's day-to-day, but not expected being 100 % for one to two weeks.

Milwaukee at Chicago: 1-4

W: L. Broadway (2-3), D. Bush (3-3)
H: R. Dempster (1)
S: J. Crain (2)
HR - / C. Snyder (3), S. Moore (10)
MoM: L. Broadway - 6.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Roster moves:

We decided to place Otsuka on the DL. Instead of him Jose Cappellan (1-0, 7.1 IP, 5 H, 6 BB, 5 K - AAA) will get another shot as set up man.
2B Luis Rivas (.040, 0 HR, 2 RBI - 1 from 25) is demoted to AAA Nashville. His replacement is SS Alcides Escobar (.250, 2 HR, 8 RBI - AAA) who already appeared in 48 big league games last season.

MR Juan Cruz is reportedly unhappy because he is not part of the starting rotation. He was signed as reliever and was never planned to become a starter. Despite his horrible ERA (6.35) he has a respectable WHIP (1.15).

Elsewhere:

The Marlins outfielder Barry Bonds (.286, 2 HR, 17 RBI) collected his 3000th hit of his career in a 5-2 victory against the Reds.

CF Antoan Richardson, Giants (.311, 2 HR, 7 RBI) collected 5 hits in a 8-6 victory over the Blizzards.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

7th May 2008

I consider the final game of this series as a turning point for the season. As mentioned before the Cubs series is crucial. Game 1 was an offensive explosion, game 2 a complete failure. I want the team to show its real face in game 3. Maybe some moves will be made depending on the outcome. Today we will face Carlos Zambrano who almost signed for the Brewers in off-season.

Game #30 – Milwaukee [14-15] (M. Parra 2-1, 3.86 ERA) at Chicago [16-13] (C. Zambrano 5-0, 4.62 ERA)

CF S. Victorino - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - RF G. Gross - SS A. Escobar - C J. Estrada

Milwaukee at Chicago: 5-8

We took the lead in the top of the 4th, 7th and 8th inning. The Cubs tied the tame the bottom of the 4th and 7th - in the 8th they took the game for good. Maybe that bottom of the 8th was a symbol for our season so far. Forgotten the dominant performance by Manny Parra and the impressive season debut by Alcides Escobar. Our bullpen is virtually always a liability to blow games. This time Alan Embree was the villain. Last season his season ERA was 1.57, now he stands at 10.29. Depressing!

W: T. Lilly (2-0), L: A. Embree (0-1)
BS: A. Embree (1)
S: M. Wuertz (6)
HR - B. Hall (3) / E. Patterson (2), D. Rundle (1)
MoM: E. Patterson - 3/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR

Our talented 2B Taylor Green (.314, 1 HR, 3 RBI) went 5 from 5 for the West Virginia Power in a 6-8 loss to the Lexington Legends.

With the win the Cubs(17-13) shares the NL Central lead with the Houston Astros. Next up a home series again the 16-14 Florida Marlins.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

8th May 2008

The Cubs series ended on a sad note and we still weren't above .500 for a single day this season. Many parts of our team look much better than last year, but offensive failures and a horrible bullpen cost us many games. For both problems I see no short term solution. While I'm sure that Fielder & Co. start homering again, the bullpen looks bleak. Next up a series against Barry Bonds' Fish at Miller Park. They are 2nd in the NL East at the moment.

Game #31 – Florida [16-14] (J. Johnson 6-1, 2.82 ERA) at Milwaukee [14-16] (B. Sheets 3-3, 3.65 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - RF G. Gross - C J. Estrada - CF T. Gwynn Jr.

This game was not good for my health. Once agian we suffered a shocking "20 mph blowing in wind" home run by Florida starter Johnson. Thanks to control problems of their bullpen we managed to tie the game in the 7th. In the bottom of the ninth we had the bases loaded with two outs and there was a 3-0 count for Gwynn Jr. but he flied out to center. The bottom of the tenth looked like a copy of the ninth as we loaded the bases quickly. Prince Fielder seemed to strike out once again as the count was 1-2. But he surprised us tonight and let three balls pass to receive the walk off base on balls. Our bullpen was the key to victory today. They allowed only two hits and no walks in three innings. Ben Sheets was mediocre.

Florida at Milwaukee: 4-5 (10)

W: S. Fujita (1-2), L: T. Tankersley (2-2)
H: M. Lindstrom (1)
BS: J. Rincon (1) - 75 pitches thrown!
HR - J. Johnson (1) / -
MoM: C. Izturis - 3/6, 2 R, SB - scored the winning run

Fan favorite Cesar Izturis rose his average to .360, which gives him the lead of all Milwaukee starters.

Elsewhere:

Oakland's Danny Haren (3-3, 4.86 ERA) pitched a three hitter against the Baltimore Orioles.

Trade:

The Vancouver Marmots traded utility man Mike Cuddyer (.273, 3 HR, 17 RBI) to the Toronto Blue Jays for starting pitcher A.J. Burnett (2-4, 6.37 ERA). Burnett will be the new ace of a struggling Marmot rotation, while Cuddyer will offer some protection for the Blue Jays lineup batting 7th.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

9th May 2008

After all the uncertainty concerning Ben Sheets future, we take a look at the games Top 20 Starters according to SISA:

1 Francisco Liriano Minnesota 3-0, 0.90 ERA, 6 BB, 24 K
2 Jake Peavy San Diego 5-2, 2.62 ERA, 11 BB, 45 K
3 Felix Hernandez Seattle 4-2, 1,85 ERA, 14 BB, 38 K
4 Johan Santana Minnesota 1-4, 6.20 ERA, 9 BB, 29 K
5 Matt Cain San Francisco 1-4, 9.08 ERA, 9 BB, 27 K
6 Cole Hamels Philadelphia 2-4, 4.20 ERA, 21 BB, 34 K
7 Philip Hughes New York (A) 1-4, 4.87 ERA, 13 BB, 33 K
8 Rich Harden Oakland 3-3, 4.34 ERA, 20 BB, 45 K
9 Ben Sheets Milwaukee 3-3, 3.86 ERA, 8 BB, 41 K
10 Scott Kazmir Tampa Bay 4-0, 2.13 ERA, 11 BB, 35 K
11 Luke Hochevar Cincinnati 2-2, 3.23 ERA, 8 BB, 40 K
12 Daisuke Matsuzaka Boston 3-1, 4.09 ERA, 9 BB, 39 K
13 Carlos Zambrano Chicago (N) 5-0, 4.57 ERA, 19 BB, 47 K
14 Roy Halladay Toronto 2-4, 5.04 ERA, 19 BB, 26 K
15 C.C. Sabathia Cleveland 1-5, 4.24 ERA, 8 BB, 49 K
16 Collin Balester Washington 3-2, 4.70 ERA, 11 B, 36 K
17 Fausto Carmona Cleveland 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 B, 0 K
18 Brandon Webb Arizona 3-2, 2.96 ERA, 10 BB, 28 K
19 Josh Johnson Florida 6-1, 2.79 ERA, 11 BB, 37 K
20 Adam Miller Cleveland 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 9 BB, 12 K

The Indians seem to have most talent, but won't see Carmona in action this season. There are still some interesting players on the list, who might fit well in a Brewer uniform.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

9th May 2008

Today our big hope is that we can keep the momentum from yesterday's game. The Marlins are (on the paper) a team that finish this season at least ten to fifteen games behind us. But theory and reality are rarely the same, ask Mr. Bush and the CIA ... Florida is sending Anibal Sanchez to the mound even if he is listed day to day. Their pitching staff looks very exhausted.

Game #32 – Florida [16-15] (A. Sanchez 1-3, 5.52 ERA) at Milwaukee [15-16] (Y. Gallardo 2-2, 3.89 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - RF G. Gross - CF S. Victorino - 3B M. Gamel - C H. Blanco

Before this series I pointed out the bullpen and offense as our main weaknesses. While the bullpen showed signs of hope yesterday, the offense was a complete disaster today. Injured Florida starter Anibal Sanchez had a no hitter through six innings. The game was not completely lost until our reliever Alan Embree took the mound giving up four runs in the eighth.

Florida at Milwaukee: 6-0

W: A. Sanchez (2-3), L: Y. Gallardo (2-3)
HR - /
MoM: A. Sanchez - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

10th May 2008

Again the final game of a series which is tied so far. But after what I saw yesterday, I'm not really optimistic. Also Chris Capuano is not yet rested, therefore Freddy Garcia gets the start.

Game #33 – Florida [17-15] (C. Volstad 3-1, 4.05 ERA) at Milwaukee [15-17] (F. Garcia 0-0, 5.79 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - CF S. Victorino - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - C J. Estrada - RF F. Gutierrez - SS A. Escobar

This game was a copy of the last one, but this time Freddy Garcia was the unlikely hero delivering the best pitching performance for us this season so far. He almost went the distance allowing only five baserunners (three hits and two batters hit by the pitch). Like our bullpen the Marlins bullpen had one horrible inning to put the game out of reach.

Florida at Milwaukee: 1-8

W: F. Garcia (1-0), L: C. Volstad (3-2)
HR - /
MoM: F. Garcia - 8.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K

After this superiour performance by Garcia I have a luxury problem in the rotation. All five regular starters have an ERA below 4 and the spot starter Garcia pitches like CY Young in person. Should we start a six man rotation or should we look to trade one of the starters?

Garcia didn't walk a batter in 13.1 innings so far this season. He allowed only 8 hits and struck out 16.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

11th May 2008

Next up a series against National League's second best team: The New York Mets. The Mets have a very strong one-two-three punch: Reyes (already 20 stolen bases), Milledge (.400) and Wright (9 HR, 26 RBI). We try to counter them with our best possible infield defense: Fielder, Weeks, Escobar and Izturis. Fatigue is again a factor and therefore we have to rest some regulars this series.

Game #34 – Milwaukee [16-17] (D. Bush 3-3, 3.89 ERA) at New York [21-12] (T. Glavine 0-4, 11.66 ERA)

SS A. Escobar - 3B C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - 1B P. Fielder - CF B. Hall - RF F. Gutierrez - LF S. Victorino - C H Blanco

Good old Tom did his best not to lose another one, but today he found his master in David Bush who pitched our first shutout of the season. Bush ran only into trouble in the bottom of the ninth allowing runners on 1st and 2nd. But before we wanted to bring on our closer, Franklin Gutierrez made the game ending catch. Yet our homerun drought continues. Albert Pujol's 16 homers equal the total of the whole Milwaukee squad. Next to last are the Vancouver Marmots with 19.

Milwaukee at New York: 4-0

W: D. Bush (4-3), L: T. Glavine (0-5)
HR - /
MoM: D. Bush - 9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Elsewhere:

Marmots reliever Noah Lowry (0-0-1, 2.70 ERA) will miss the next 4 weeks with a strained bicep muscle. Lowry is the most reliable Vancouver (15-19) so far this season.

Minor league free agent SS Marcos Yepez (.284, 3 HR, 14 RBI) collected five hits for our farm team Brevard County Manatees in a 17-7 victory over the Tampa Yankees.

1B/3B Chris Errecart (.374, 5 HR, 26 RBI)of our AAA team Nashville Sounds was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week. He hit .429 with 2 homers, 4 runs and 9 RBIs.

Also AA Huntsville LF Ron Davenport (.236, 4 HR, 16 RBI) had a great week. After hitting .529 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs he was named Southern League Player of the Week.

American League Player of the Week:
Coco Crisp (Boston): .471, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 9 R

National League Player of the Week:
Pat Burrell (Philadelphia): .429, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

12th May 2008

For the fourth time this season we try to jump above .500. But 19 year old Mets starter Deolis Guerra did very well in his first big league start last week. We counter with Chris Capuano who is 3-0 on the road this season.

Game #35 – Milwaukee [17-17] (C. Capuano 4-0, 3.63 ERA) at New York [21-13] (D. Guerra 1-0, 2.25 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - RF G. Gross - CF T. Gwynn Jr. - C H Blanco

A game with two very sharp starters and two very lame offensive performances. But the rookie got help by a two-run Valentin home, while our offense once again refused to hit any balls over the wall. The Mets used half a dozen relievers to sail the boat home.

Milwaukee at New York: 1-3

W: D. Guerra (2-0), L: C. Capuano (4-1)
H: S. Schoeneweis (1), R. Mahay (6), D. Sanchez (5), P. Feliciano (4), J. Smith (6)
S: B. Wagner (10)
HR - / J. Valentin (3)
MoM: J. Valentin - 2/3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

13th May 2008

The last game before we (and the rest of MLB) have a day off. After two strong starter performances our bullpen is well rested, but some other every day regulars need rest.

Game #36 – Milwaukee [17-18] (M. Parra 2-1, 3.89 ERA) at New York [22-13] (K. Mulvey 4-0, 2.82 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - RF G. Gross - CF S. Victorino - C H Blanco

Slowly our starters become scary as also Manny Parra had a very good start today. He allowed only four hits in seven innings and was in complete control after we collected a 2-1 lead in the 1st. An awful performance by star reliever Joe Smith allowed us to put the game out of reach for the Mets. It was nice seeing that we won this series on the road against one of the best teams in baseball.

Milwaukee at New York: 6-1

W: M. Parra (3-1), K. Mulvey (4-1)
HR - /
MoM: M. Parra - 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Elsewhere:

Philadelphia's 2B Adrian Cardenas (.277, 3 HR, 19 RBI) will miss up to nine weeks with a fractured jaw.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

15th May 2008

Even if Gutierrez and Gamel struggle badly at the plate we opted against making roster moves. Gutierrez is the 2nd best outfielder defensively, while our young outfielders at Nashville have weak arms (like Braun, Victorino and Gwynn Jr.). Gamel wouldn't get many at bats at Nashville so we think for now he is better suited to be a defensive replacement in the big leagues.

Next up a series against the Houston Astros. As you can see in the standings a rather important match-up:

Central Division	W	L	PCT	GB
Chicago (N) Cubs	20	16	.556	-
Buffalo Blizzards	19	17	.528	1.0
Houston Astros	19	17	.528	1.0
Cincinnati Reds	18	18	.500	2.0
Milwaukee Brewers	18	18	.500	2.0
St. Louis Cardinals	16	20	.444	4.0

While we stole 51 bases and hit 16 homers, the Astros stole only 10 bases but hit 46 homers.


Game #37 – Houston [19-17] (C. Reineke 1-1, 10.57 ERA) at Milwaukee [18-18] (B. Sheets 3-3, 3.86 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - RF G. Gross - CF S. Victorino - C J. Estrada

After all those great pitching performances recently, Ben Sheets put on a sunny display as well today. Our offense performed ok, but all Sheets needed were runs in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. As a solo Houston homer broke Sheets shutout we decided to pull him in the 9th where we suffered the second run. This victory means that we are over .500 for the first time this season.

Houston at Milwaukee: 2-5

W: B. Sheets (4-3), L: C. Reineke (1-2)
HR - F. Lopez (6) / S. Victorino (3)
MoM: B. Sheets - 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K

For the third time in four games our starter takes the MoM award.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

16th May 2008

Today the pool for the upcoming draft was published. An opportunity to check what happened with our 2007 draftees:

1st CL Angel Tapia: 0-2-7, 6.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 10 H, 5 BB, 9 K - AA
2nd SP Alejandro Mendoza: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
3rd SS Nick Haynes: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
4th MR Alfonso Mendoza: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
5th 3B Sukenobu Matsu****a: .170, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 10 K - A (lower level)
6th MR Nelson Salazar: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
7th CL Michel Marcil: 1-3-4, 6.23 ERA, 13.0 IP, 27 H, 8 BB, 6 K - A (lower level)
8th 1B Bob Bannatyne: .311, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 8 BB, 20 K - A (higher level)
9th 2B Sean Stone: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
10th 3B Andy Walker: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
11th SP Todd Craig: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
12th SP Marcos Torres: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
13th MR Mike Currence: 0-0-0, 2.25 ERA, 8.0 IP, 11 H, 1 BB, 5 K - A (lower level)
14th MR Steffen Thomas: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
15th 1B Marlon Nelson: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
16th C Dan Tsamis: .378, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 9 K - A (lower level)
17th 1B Jack Cock: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
18th 3B Yoshiyuki Ishida: .301, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 15 K - AA
19th RF Adrian Evans: .254, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 14 BB, 21 K - AA
20th 3B César Martínez: .221, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 12 K - A (lower level)
21st SP Armando Romero: 1-3, 11.08 ERA, 26.0 IP, 37 H, 23 BB, 19 K - A Southmont Yadkins (Vancouver Marmots)
22nd MR Peter Coffey: 0-0, 4.0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 1 K - A (lower level)
23rd 2B Garland Peterson: season didn't start yet - R (upper level)
24th C Kevin Sherling: season didn't start yet - R Jamestown Jammers (Florida Marlins)
25th LF Zagwe Azagba: .281, 0 HR, 13 RBI, 7 BB, 19 K - A (lower level)
26th RF Bill Carter: .438, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K - A (lower level)
27th 1B Paul Jefferson: .284, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 3 BB, 11 K - A (lower level)
28th LF Joe Hall: .159, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K - A Southmont Yadkins (Vancouver Marmots)

Interesting to see that besides our Nr. 1 pick, also Nr. 18 and 19 are performing well at AA Huntsville. Many high picks are a very long way from making even the A level.

[Loeffle]

May 2008 - Milwaukee Brewers
Manager and GM Fritsche

16th May 2008

The only goal we have today is carry on our great streak, beating the Astros once more and pass them in the standings.

Game #38 – Houston [19-18] (J. Jennings 3-0, 3.49 ERA) at Milwaukee [19-18] (Y. Gallardo 2-3, 3.48 ERA)

SS C. Izturis - 2B R. Weeks - LF R. Braun - 1B P. Fielder - 3B B. Hall - RF G. Gross - C J. Estrada - CF T. Gwynn Jr.

Neither Jennings nor Gallardo had their stuff. But Jennings suffered from the power bats of Naughty Chow Fielder and Calamity Braun, two double plays with the bases loaded helped our young Mexican starter. But the game was despite a 5-3 lead not won yet. Closer Fujita allowed the potential tying run to reach third with two outs and a hitters count, before madman Lopez tried to steal home.

Houston at Milwaukee: 3-5

W: Y. Gallardo (3-3), L: J. Jennings (3-1)
H: A. Embree (5), J. Cappellan (2), B. Shouse (3), J. Cruz (6)
S: S. Fujita (4)
HR - / R. Braun 2 (8), P. Fielder (4)
MoM: R. Braun - 2/3, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB

Elsewhere:

1B David Ortiz (.269, 9 HR, 27 RBI) hit for the cycle. His Red Sox devastated Oakland's pitching in a 18-2 victory.

C Michael Collins (.366, 4 HR, 20 RBI) of the Angels went five from six in 6-5 extra inning thriller against the Rangers.

Our lower level A team West Virginia Power lost its seventh game in a row. The Power dropped to a league worst of 10-25, while the Lake County Captains keep on hammering everybody, improoving to 32-3.