Earlier this week, I examined the surplus added by Brewers GM David Stearns, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons the club is performing quite well. Stearns, in stark contrast to recently famous rebuilds in Chicago and his previous front office (Houston), is building competitive clubs at the MLB level by cashing in on short-term […]
Tag: Tyler Thornburg
Assessing Roster Moves II: Trending Sideways
It was difficult to discern a roster building plan during the Brewers’ two week stretch of Rule 5 roster protection and waiver-and-designate, but that sense has disappeared completely this week. First, GM David Stearns effectively closed his waiver spree by signing Korean Baseball Organization superstar Eric Thames, adding a well-priced value play to the MLB […]
Does Tyler Thornburg Have A Reverse Platoon Split?
The Brewers have quite a bit of familiarity with platoon splits, especially when it comes to relievers. During his two-ish years in Milwaukee, Jeremy Jeffress fared far better against right-handed batters (.242 wOBA against) than he did against lefties (.351 wOBA). A host of other faceless bullpen arms — Burke Badenhop, Neal Cotts, and Jonathan Broxton, […]
The Next Brewers Reliever to be Traded
Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith were closely linked at the back end of the Brewers’ bullpen once Francisco Rodriguez [was traded] after last season. They were tapped to enter the season as co-closers, they were used as a tandem to lock down the end of games once Smith returned from his knee injury, and they […]
Good for 80 Games
The Brewers are in the midst of a stunning September surge, one that could potentially find them playing themselves out of a 2017 Top 10 draft pick and — better yet — finding another MLB role from their pile of future values. This surge is stunning because thus far it’s come against the World Champion […]
Game 123 Recap: Brewers 7, Mariners 6
Against an inexperienced starter and a couple of solid bullpen arms, the Brewers offense couldn’t accomplish much. Against one of the worst relievers in baseball, the hitters finally broke through. Losing streak: OVER! Record: STILL BAD! Best Play: Matt Garza struggled, Ariel Miranda did pretty well, yada yada yada, Tom Wilhelmsen came on in the ninth. The score […]
Game 105 Recap: Brewers 3 Padres 2
Tl;dr: The Brewers won 3-2 as Ryan Braun’s home run and Chris Carter’s double plated two runs in the sixth inning, and Zack Davies pitched effectively enough through 5.2 innings. Top Play: Ryan Braun’s solo home run to lead off the sixth inning, and put the Brewers in the lead 2-1, was the top play of the game (.182). […]
Jeffress Isn’t as Good as You Think, Thornburg Is
When Will Smith went down with an injury, the closer’s role went to Jeremy Jeffress. On the outskirts, this made a lot of sense. Jeffress was linked in a number of trade rumors during the offseason, and giving him the primary closer role might increase his trade value. He also throws harder than most Brewers, […]
Game 70 Recap: Dodgers 2, Brewers 1
Best Play: Making his second start of the season for the Brewers, Matt Garza ran into some trouble right off the bat. Chase Utley led off the game with a single, then Kyle Seager clubbed a double to center field, giving the Dodgers runners two runners in scoring position with no one out. Garza managed to escape, […]
Game 58 Recap: Brewers 5 Athletics 4
Tl;dr: Zach Davies took a no hitter into the seventh inning, but Chris Carter’s two home runs were enough to overcome a shaky appearance by Jeremy Jeffress to beat Oakland 5-4. Top Play (WPA): Chris Carter home runs accounted for all of the Brewers scoring. His first mammoth home run of the game occurred in […]