BrewCap: The Seventh Inning Surrender

Milwaukee Brewers screwed up yesterday. It happens. We can forgive a baseball team for not being perfect. Craig Counsell trotted Brent Suter out for the seventh inning. No problem in that considering Mike Moustakas is a left-handed hitter and hits .238 with an OPS of .675 against lefties. The thought would be for Suter to get him out then pave the way for Jeremy Jeffress. Instead, Counsell let Suter stay out there after Moose hit a home run and filled the basepaths. He would then bring in Josh Hader who looked normal facing the Royals. The manager overthought the inning, and it cost the Brewers the game. Good news is St. Louis and Chicago also lost on Wednesday, so, the day is a wash. Still, it’s a disappointing outcome.
Player of the Game: Adalberto Mondesi – I have to give Raul’s kid some credit. He had two very good games at Miller Park. Mondesi drove in the game-winning runs in the seventh with a two RBI double to wall jumping over the first pitch Hader threw in the seventh inning. He’s not been a strong hitter for Kansas City this season, but you would not believe that looking at these last two games.
Silver Star: Brad Miller – To the surprise of very few, Brad Miller fits in at Miller Park. He displayed some of that power with a three-run blast in the ninth inning to pull Milwaukee within one of the lead. Miller had a good day at the plate with an additional hit. He should be able to have a field day at Great American Ballpark this weekend. He’ll be a fixture in the lineup.
Honorable Mention: Brent Suter – Save for the seventh inning, and Suter pitched great. He only allowed three hits and no runs striking out five until the disastrous seventh inning. He continues to be a stalwart in the rotation. I don’t think you can pull him out of there unless Counsell knows something that I do not. He’s been terrific for the team.
Next up: Milwaukee faces a RED HOT Cincinnati team. They swept the Cubs last week and beat the Braves two of out three on the road. Cincinnati will send Anthony DeScalafani to the mound to face Junior Guerra. DeScalafani has been decent this year, and the Brewers have limited exposure to him. Guerra is having a great bounceback year even if lefties are a bit troublesome. He’ll have to avoid the likes of Joey Votto and Scooter Gennett in this lineup.
Charlie.