[BirdWatcher]

Week-in-Review: June 20th- June 26th, 1966. And the roller-coaster ride continues. The Brewers return home to Brewers Grounds and drop the first four games this week with very bad pitching, a plethora of defensive miscues, and some bad base running. The first three were against one of the weakest squads in the league- the Detroit Falcons. They then dropped the first of four against the San Francisco Velocity. Fortunately, they salvaged the week somewhat by winning the last 3 of the 4 game series against the Velocity.

Who's Hoppy? The Brewers offense, even when losing, remains pretty hot. The same big 3 are particularly leading the way: A.J. White (.321/.452/.402, 2.5 WAR), Antonio Puente, and Chad Brown. Puente (.295/.377/.507, 3.0 WAR) was 7 for 18 on the week, with 7 RBI (41), 3 runs scored (36), 1 double (12) and 2 HR (10). Puente also picked up his 9th stolen base of the year and has been caught only once for the best net SB total on the team. Brown (.268/.295/.362, 0.5 WAR), went 12 for 29 with 5 runs scored (36), 2 doubles (17), 2 RBI (18), and 1 stolen base (8). Another Brown is also on fire right now: starting pitcher Joey Brown. Since his massive struggles in his second start after being picked up in the trade which sent veteran first baseman Pablo Gonzales to Philadelphia, Brown has now had three great performances in a row, including a 4-hit complete game shutout of San Francisco which turned the tide on the week. (Brown's numbers since joining Denver: 4-1, 2.79 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 1.3 HR/9, 1.9 BB/9, 4.5 K/9.)

Who's Hungover? Bill Roache, who had been arguably the most consistent arm out of the bullpen in 1965, has struggled with increasing responsibility as erstwhile closer Ron Poblano slips into mediocrity. Roache made 3 appearances this week, pitching 3 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs (all earned) on 6 hits while walking 2 batters and striking out 3. Team leadership is hoping that by easing back on the high pressure situations for Roache and giving him more low leverage middle relief innings he might regain his form. And then there is Ruben Souffront. But for more on that see the Streak Souffront Saga below.

What's Brewing Around the League? Columbus retains first place in the SJL with a record of 45-28. Reigning champions Jacksonville are now in second at 41-32. Pittsburgh holds third place at 40-32. The MGL continues to see the dominance of Los Angeles (46-25) and Portland (43-30) with Baltimore hanging on to third place at 40-34.

The Streak Souffront Saga: Ruben Souffront continues his struggles, particularly at the plate, and with his playing time being severely reduced and his presence on the field generally a liability, the difficult decision was made by management to send Ruben down to the AAA Chester Big Stick club for some seasoning and to get his confidence back. We will monitor his progress there and hope for his successful return to the Brewers in the not too distant future.

Brewers Power Ranking: #7 (#1 L.A., #2 COL, #3 POR, #4 JAC, #5 BAL.)
Brewers Record: 37-35, .514, 4th place MGL, 9 1/2 gb L.A.