WHAT HAPPENED Ryan Braun and Taylor Jungmann happened. Braun kicked off the scoring in the first, scoring Jonathan Lucroy on a groundout to shortstop. Lucroy had previously tripled to to right. On that triple, he busted out of the box and had three on his mind the whole way; his path was made easier by the Phillies mishandling the […]
Tag: Ryan Braun
The Legacy of Doug Melvin
As Doug Melvin steps down to an advisory role with the Milwaukee Brewers, it’s clear that an era is in its twilight. But what does that mean for the fans who look retrospectively and forward? Let’s start first with some fair analysis. During Melvin’s tenure, the Brewers had a win-loss record of 1004-1052. Considering the team […]
Game One-Hundred Three Recap: Cubs 4, Brewers 2
TOP PLAY (WPA) Having already thrown 19 pitches in the top of the 3rd inning on Saturday, Matt Garza served up a fastball at the top of the zone to Anthony Rizzo, who promptly deposited it in the right field seats (+.298 WPA). The inning started pretty easily for Garza, who seemed to be settling into […]
Ryan Braun & The Return of Power
This year baseball has seen the re-emergence of three outstanding power hitters: Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Mark Texeira. Each player can reasonably claim that he’s one of the best stories in baseball. All three were counted out by just about everyone before the season started — and with reason. All three are old, stuck in long-term contracts, […]
Ryan Braun’s All-Star Appearance and Baseball’s Big Chill
It was refreshing to see four icons of baseball in the 1990s enter the Hall of Fame this weekend. Seven players have been inducted by the Baseball Writer’s Association of America over the past two years, as many as were voted in between 2008 and 2013. Especially after 2013, when players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Craig […]
Game 97 Recap: Brewers 2, Diamondbacks 1
TOP PLAY (WPA): In the top of the sixth inning with nobody out, Ryan Braun broke the scoreless tie by going opposite field on the first pitch for his 18th home run of the season (+.162 WPA). Unlike last night, there was nobody on base for Braun, but a solo shot proved devastating enough as […]
Five Things To Watch In The Second Half
(1) Who stays? Who goes? The trade deadline and whether the Brewers will sell in a meaningful way will be an omnipresent and, likely, irritating discussion over the next two-and-a-half weeks. Twitter will be aflutter with tweets about players increasing or decreasing their trade value based on 25 plate appearances, a trio of relief appearances, or a […]
Brewers In The All-Star Game: A Retrospective
As we enter the All-Star break, I thought it would be fun to review past Brewer performances in the All-Star Game and rank them by WPA. Unfortunately, and I’m sure this comes as a surprise to you all, but even though This Time It Counts, there is not a meticulous database of every All-Star game […]
The Joy Of Watching Ryan Braun
There has been some discussion over the past calendar year about the Brewers trading Ryan Braun. For some, like Gery Woelfel, the impetus is Braun’s PED taint and moral faults, an argument I think is naive at best (given the myriad issues with MLB’s drug program) and overwarmed self-righteous dreck at worst. For others, it is […]
Injury Data On Brewers (Part 1): Position Players
Injuries suck! They’re no fun, they hurt physically, and they can linger mentally. They obviously affect one’s play on the field. They can make a player miss a substantial number of baseball games, while lingering afterwards. They can even end careers. The Brewers have not been immune to injuries this season (nor has any other team). They’ve seen […]