Harry Lyerly and the Denver Brewers of the WPK

[BirdWatcher]

The last series before the All-Star break sees the Brewers hosting the Baltimore Lords for 4 games.

In the first game the Brewers get a walk-off win in the bottom of the 10th when Pat Rondeau led off the inning with a walk, went to second on an infield single by the speedy Chad Brown, moved to third on a fielders choice off the bat of Josh Schaeffer, and then scored on a sac fly to center field by Ryan Rodgers. The Brewers had held a 3-1 advantage going into the 8th inning when starter Erik Sloan gave up a 2-run HR to Lords first baseman Drew Johnson. Other than that mistake, Sloan pitched quite well, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits in 8 innings pitched, striking out 5 and walking 2. Jaden Francis worked the last 2 innings, flawlessly, to get the win and improve to 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA. Bobby Erbakan (.362/.422/.511) was 1 for 3 with 2 RBI in the game, hitting his 13th double and collecting his 6th stolen base.



The second game of the series was another walk-off win for the Brewers. Having received an excellent start from ace Cheol-han Lee, who went the distance, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 8 and walking 2, they still found themselves trailing 2-1 going into the bottom of the 9th. Billy Turner got the inning started with a 6-3 ground out. Then youngster Josh Schaeffer, pinch hitting for catcher Kevin Curtis, worked a full count and finally drove a ground ball through the middle for a single. Next up was the pitcher's spot in the order. The Brewers manager went to the bench and brought up reliever and sometime third baseman Jordan Stephens to pinch-hit. Jordan is one of the best power hitters off the bench but the feeling also was that should the Brewers plate just a single run he would then be on the mound for the 10th. But such contingencies were not necessary. On the second pitch he saw (the first in the strike zone) he hammered the ball deep into the left center stands, 421 feet from home plate. Brewers win 3-2. Cheol-han gets credit for the win and improves to 10-5 with a 3.00 ERA. Pat Rondeau (.382/.401/.489) was 3 for 4 in the game and hit his 17th double of the season. Jonathan Koch (.331/.351/.469) also hit his 17th double, though that was his lone hit in 4 at-bats.



The series concluded with a Sunday double-header.
As had earlier been speculated upon, the Brewers do waive for the purposes of designating for assignment Eric Johnson and recall Justin Peacock from AAA Chester to take his spot on the staff.
The opening game sees Matt Helm on the mound and the Brewers batters continuing to be pretty cold. Helm wasn't brilliant- he gave up 5 runs on 9 hits in 6 2/3rds innings, but he did have his good stuff, striking out 9 while walking only 1. But he got little run support and the Brewers drop the game, 5-3. Helm falls to 5-4 with a 3.28 ERA. The Brewers did get back-to-back HR's in the 5th inning off the bats of Mike Foster (.266/.305/.384), who went 2 for 4 and also hit his 7th double to go with his 6th HR, and catcher Kevin Curtis (.216/.329/.335), who is having one of his worst year at the plate in a season when offense is healthy league wide, hits his 5th HR of the season. Pat Rondeau (.383/.401/.490), surprise, surprise, went 2 for 5 in the game and hit his 18th double.



In the nightcap Peacock got the call for the start. He wasn't great. Peacock allowed 3 runs on 6 hits while walking 2 and striking out 1 in 5 innings pitched. Still, he left with a lead, which reliever Liann-wei Hua quickly relinquished. Hua gave up 2 runs on 3 hits while only recording a single out and takes the loss, dropping to 1-3 with a 3.55 ERA. The bullpen was good after that, with Jaden Francis proving once again to be the best option in the 'pen as he worked 2 clean innings, striking out 3 batters. Andrew Kennedy (.337/.383/.444) was 2 for 4 in the loss. Pat Rondeau (.384/.402/.491) got another 2 hits in 4 at-bats.



With the series split the Brewers remain in 1st place in the MGL going into the All-Star break, but with only a 2 game lead on Phoenix and 2 1/2 ahead of Brooklyn.

[BirdWatcher]

As the BNN reports:

[BirdWatcher]

The MGL jumped out to an early lead in today's All-Star game held in El Paso's Arsenal Park, and then held on to win 8-3.



Several Brewers players were instrumental in the win, but the MVP of the game was Charlotte's Cody Kane. The MGL got on the board first in the top of the 1st inning when Pat Rondeau reached first on a fielder's choice, stole second base, advanced to third on a Ryan Rodgers ground ball out, and scored when Cody Kane followed with a single.

The MGL scored again in the 3rd inning when Pat Rondeau once again reached on a fielder's choice, went to third on a Ryan Rodgers single, and then scored on a wild pitch. A bit later, with the bases loaded and 2 outs, Jonathan Koch, who had doubled his first time up but was left stranded at 2nd, did not return the favor as he singled home Ryan Rodgers and Chris Tobin to give the MGL a 4-0 lead.

An inning later the MGL extended their lead. Pat Rondeau reached first by, yup, you guessed it, hitting into a fielder's choice. Ryan Rodgers then hit a 2-out single to send Rondeau to third. Then Cody Kane hit his big 3-run HR to send them all home and make the lead 7-0 in favor of the MGL.

Although the MGL gave back 3 runs in the bottom of the same inning, that was the last of the scoring for the SJL in front of the partisan El Paso crowd. The MGL got 1 more insurance run in the 8th inning when former Brewer farmhand Jordan Gallardo walked, stole second, and scored on a Bobby Hunter single. (Prior to Gallardo's march around the bases, Ruben Souffront had hit a 1-out single but then had been cut down trying to steal second base.)

So although he didn't collect a single hit in 3 at-bats, Pat Rondeau scored 3 runs and stole a base. Jonathan Koch, in his first All-Star game, as a starter, at age 24, didn't seem terribly nervous, going 2 for 3 with 2 RBI and playing his usual excellent defense at second base. Veteran outfielder Ryan Rodgers went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored. Bobby Erbakan was hitless in his 3 at-bats but made some fine defensive plays late in the game. And Cheol-han Lee did not make an appearance.
So Brewers players scored 5 of the 8 runs for the MGL, and collected 4 of the 11 hits.

The lone member of the SJL squad who plays for the hometown El Paso Dawgs, shortstop Matsuichi Miyamoto, went 1 for 2 in the game, giving the crowd at least a small consolation.

[BirdWatcher]

This is a fascinating trade to me.
Neither of these players is a star by any means but they both have some useful talents.



Black, for instance, looks like he could mash the ball as a flyball hitter with great gap and over the fence power. He won't give you much defensively at first base but he will draw some walks and has about average contact abilities and a good head on his shoulders. He turned 27 a day ago and just hasn't been given much of a chance to prove himself in Milwaukee. It certainly didn't help that his path was blocked by 3-time All-Star and 1971 SJL Rookie of the Year, Josh Schultz, who is 2 years his junior. The Boston Berserkers, his new team, had a big need at first so hopefully this will finally mean Black gets a chance to prove his value as a starter.



Then there is Nate Harper, who at nearly 26 years old is considered a plus fielder with top of the line speed and base-stealing/base-running abilities. Harper doesn't profile as a great hitter, but he is solidly average or slightly above average all around at the plate and with his speed and defensive skills he could certainly provide a team value at the least in a platoon role if not as a starter. Although there are some questions about Harper's baseball smarts, he is considered a hard-worker and a very likable teammate. Although he produced 1.4 WAR in 100 games- only 27 in a starting role- in 1972, he remained a peripheral member of the Berserkers team. The Milwaukee Cadets have a deep stable of outfielders on their active roster but really none that profile much above league average so Harper has a chance to make an impact on his new team.

[BirdWatcher]

Well, no need to debate anymore whether to try to trade Pat Rondeau to Oklahoma City for Reece Vaughan as the Jacksonville Wolf Pack beat me to it, trading a pair of decent, but unspectacular, prospects for the veteran ace.


It is certainly possible that the Diamond Kings wouldn't have gone for the veteran soon-to-be free agent Rondeau but I was prepared to sweeten the pot with at least one decent minor league prospect, particularly an outfielder from our overflow at that position. And interestingly, it was two outfielders that the Diamond Kings got from Jacksonville so that might have worked.

The other interesting thing about this is that, should the Brewers manage to hold on and win the MGL, Jacksonville is looking like the most likely World Series opponent. And certainly part of the motivation in considering trying to trade for Vaughan was that it would have basically given us 3 aces for the post-season. Instead, Jacksonville adds a valuable arm to their somewhat more tenuous rotation. (Their top two starters this year, both of whom were named to the All-Star team, are considered injury risks.)

[BirdWatcher]

Josh Ackland, a 5-time All-Star and one of the most prodigious home run hitters of the early days of the WPK, has announced that this will be his last season. At age 39, it has been a rough patch since the beginning of the 1972 season. After having a productive 1971, hitting 29 HR's and posting a 3.0 WAR, Ackland saw very little playing time between two teams last season- the Philadelphia Mud Hens and the Milwaukee Cadets. He was signed to a minor league contract this April by the Portland Wild Things, but has only appeared in 3 games at the WPK level.



Ackland has long had the reputation of being a smart, hard-working player who is well-like by his teammates. He currently sits at 3rd in the history of the WPK in career home runs.




There is some talk already that Ackland may prove to be a fine hitting coach after his playing days, but no word yet on whether he wishes to pursue such a position or if he would rather settle down to a quiet life in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers head to Community Stadium in Baltimore for 3 games in 2 days against the 4th place Lords.

In the opening game of the Sunday double-header, Harry Lyerly gets the start and the win. Lyerly may not be the strikeout machine he was in his earlier days, but at age 25 he continues to be a solid producer in the middle of the Brewers rotation. In this game he worked 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. He got plenty of run support in the 8-3 win and improves now to 7-4 on the season with a 3.30 ERA. The normally power impaired Brewers slugged 3 HR's in the game. Bobby Erbakan (.360/.424/.508) hit his 7th HR of the year in the 9th inning to break things open for the Brewers. Rookie Josh Schaeffer, continuing his impressive season, hit his 4th HR and went 2 for 5 in the game. And Pat Rondeau (.379/.398/.497), not known for his over the wall power, picked up his 1st HR of the season and went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored in the game, also stealing his 16th base.



In the nightcap, starting pitcher Steve Green displayed again why he is the weakest link in the Brewers rotation. Green allowed 6 runs on 7 hits- walking 3 and striking out 2- in just 4 2/3rds innings pitched. He also gave up his team worst 14th HR of the season. The Brewers lost 7-3 and Green's record falls to 6-7 with 4.63 ERA. But nobody can accuse Josh Schaeffer (.331/.416/.528) of not doing his part to try to get a W- he went 1 for 3, hitting his 5th HR, scoring twice and driving in 2 runs, and drawing one walk.



Behind another good start from team captain Matt Helm, some excellent relief work by Jordan Stephens, and the ever-potent bat of Pat Rondeau, the Brewers won the rubber match 5-2 and take the series. Helm worked 7 innings and although he had to work out of trouble often, giving up 10 hits and walking 2 batters, he held the Lords to just 2 runs. With the win Helm improves to 6-4 with a 3.23 ERA. Helm also hit his 1st HR of the season, a 2-run shot following a Kevin Curtis double in the 2nd inning. Jordan Stephens pitched the last 2 innings to get his 6th save in as many tries, striking out 3, and his ERA improves to 2.40. Pat Rondeau (.381/.401/.497) went 2 for 4 in the game and drove in 3 runs. Jonathan Koch (.319/.339/.457) was 2 for 5 and hit his 20th double of the season.



With the series win the Brewers are now leading the 2nd place Brooklyn Aces by 2 1/2 games and the 3rd place Phoenix Speed Devils, who the Brewers now host for a 2-game series, by 4 games.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers come back to Denver for a very brief 2-game home stand against the Phoenix Speed Devils.

In game 1 Cheol-han Lee isn't particularly sharp but the offense comes alive and the Brewers get an 8-5 victory. Lee gave up 5 runs on 11 hits in 6 innings pitched but still got the win to go to 12-5 with a 3.00 ERA for the season. Liann-wei Hua pitched the final 3 innings in one of his best appearances of the year, not allowing any base runners and striking out 3. He gets his 5th save and sees his ERA improve to 2.97. Oh, and Jonathan Koch. Surely he's got to come back to earth sometime, right? Well, if so, this wasn't the day for that. All the slick fielding second baseman did was bang out 2 HR's (9 now on the season) in a 3 for 4, 3 run, 4 RBI, 1 walk day. What about Pat Rondeau? Any signs of a lull in his game? Nah. Rondeau (.381/.401/.498) went 2 for 5, hit his 21st double, scored a run and drove in a pair.



And then the Brewers hitters just kept hitting in the second game. Mike Foster (.277/.317/.386), the hero of the 1972 season, led the way with a 3 for 4, 2 run, 3 RBI game. Josh Schaeffer (.333/.419/.523), getting more playing time since Ryan Rodgers recently had to go on the 10-day IL with a herniated disc, went 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 1 walk. Jonathan Koch (.327/.347/.480)? Oh, just 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, and his 4th stolen base of the year. That's not even to mention 3-hit games from Andrew Kennedy and Bobby Erbakan but there were just too many great performances to detail them all here. I will say this though- Jordan Stephens, who was the 3rd and final reliever of the game after Erik Sloan pitched a serviceable 5 innings, first entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 7th inning. And facing one of the toughest relievers in the game- Kee Han- Stephens once again hit the second pitch he saw into the left field seats in a hurry. His second homer of the season, like his first, was a no-doubter as soon as it left the bat. Neither were particularly mammoth, but both were screamers that got out in a hurry. And although he would also give up a home run in the top of the next inning, Stephens was again solid for 2 innings to close out the game. Sloan gets the win and improves to 9-5 with a 3.44 ERA.



With the short series sweep the Brewers now have a 3 1/2 game lead over Brooklyn, are 5 up over Los Angeles, with Baltimore and Phoenix now tied at 6 games behind the leader.

[pauwoo]

Mini-sweep! Doubled them up on runs too - the Brew Crew are in fine form - setting the pace.

[BirdWatcher]

Originally Posted by pauwoo

Mini-sweep! Doubled them up on runs too - the Brew Crew are in fine form - setting the pace.

Looks that way, doesn't it.
Spoiler alert: some trouble up ahead.
Still, for now we remain in first place but with a whole lotta season left.
Some good news: Joe McPhillips has recovered from his earlier injury and is now on a rehab assignment at AAA Chester. And Ryan Rodgers is expected to be able to return to action in less than a week. It does mean our crowded outfield situation gets even more crowded again (John Flores will go down to AAA but no idea yet how we will open a second roster spot.)
But given that Rodgers and McPhillips are considered our two best players by the Brewers scouting staff- and McPhillips is a sparkplug- this can only help.

I anticipate a tightly contested race down to the wire. Brooklyn is right on our tail and I have to believe that Los Angeles is going to mount a run as well with the level of talent on that team. And with Phoenix's great power hitting lineup you can never count them out.

[BirdWatcher]

So far it looks like the recent trade has worked out well for Joe Black and the Boston Berserkers.



Thus far it hasn't gone as well for the Milwaukee Cadets and their acquisition, Nate Harper.

[BirdWatcher]

Next up for the 1st place Brewers is a 3-game series in Detroit against the 6th place Falcons.

Game 1 sees the Brewers fail to capitalize on a number of good scoring opportunities and let the Falcons over-take them in the 7th inning for a 3-2 win. Harry Lyerly deserved better, as he worked 6 1/3rd innings, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 and walking 3. Liann-wei Hua, continuing his inconsistent season, allowed one of the runners he inherited from Lyerly to score and gave up another run of his own in just 2/3rds of an inning pitched, blowing the save and earning the loss, as he drops to 1-4 with a 3.19 ERA. Rookie first baseman Greg Tietz (.364/.447/.455), recently called up from AAA when Ryan Rodgers went on the 10-day IL, got a rare start and went 3 for 4 with 1 RBI. Veteran (43 years old!) third baseman Billy Turner (.279/.333/.468) was 2 for 3 with a walk and hit his 4th HR of the season in the loss.


The Brewers offense did a better job of cashing in on scoring opportunities in the second game (well, after stranding 3 runners in the 1st inning), as they plated 5 runs in the 2nd inning and went on to win 10-4 (good buddy.) Bobby Erbakan (.373/.435/.511), who is starting to give teammate Pat Rondeau some good competition for the MGL batting title, had a little something to do with the offensive explosion. Erbakan just went 4 for 5 with 1 run, 2 RBI, and a walk in the game. Speaking of Rondeau (.379/.402/.494), he was 2 for 6 in the game with 2 runs scored, 2 driven in, and he hit his 22nd double (just 2 behind teammate Andrew Kennedy for the league lead.) As for the pitching, well, Justin Peacock wasn't great in his 2nd start since being called up from AAA. He worked 6 innings, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits. But with the offense providing him with plenty of support he got the win and is now 1-0 with a 5.73 ERA. Jaden Francis and Jordan Stephens were once again excellent in relief and are by far the best and most consistent members of the Brewers bullpen at this stage.


But the Brewers couldn't get anything going against lefty Nick Swenson in the rubber match, saw the Falcons score 6 runs in the 7th and 8th inning combined and run away with an 8-1 victory. Guess who started the game for the Brewers? Yup, that's right, Steve Green. Though to be fair, Green kept the Brewers in the game pretty well in his 6 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits. He did, however, take the loss, falling to 6-8 with a 4.53 ERA. But it was the bullpen that gave up most of the runs, starting with Jose de los Santos, who allowed 1 run in his inning pitched, and then Sam Pruiett, who was roughed up for 4 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits in his inning pitched. If there was a bright spot it was Mike Foster (.279/.318/.388) who went 2 for 4 and hit his 8th double in the loss. After struggling earlier in the season, Foster has been slowly pulling himself up towards respectability for awhile and is likely going to be seeing more starts at third base.



With the series loss the Brewers now have a very narrow 1 1/2 game lead on Brooklyn, while they lead L.A. by 5 1/2 and are 6 games ahead of Phoenix and Baltimore.
But next up is a 4-game series against the Aces in Brooklyn which will be a real test of the Brewers mettle.

[BirdWatcher]

Well, let's get this out of the way and move forward, shall we.

The Brewers 4-game series in Brooklyn didn't go well. After sitting in 1st place since June 15th, the Brewers are overtaken by Brooklyn again and fall into 2nd place.

Game 1 saw the Brewers outhit the Aces 9-4 and yet lose 4-1. Matt Helm, in spite of giving up only 3 hits in his 6 1/3rd innings pitched, was nevertheless touched for 4 runs (2 of the hits allowed were HR's), and walked 3 batters while striking out 6. Mike Foster (.282/.320/.397) went 2 for 4 in the game and hit his 2nd triple of the season. Jonathan Koch (.320/.341/.464) also collected 2 hits in 4 at-bats.



It took 13 innings but the Aces win game 2 also, 4-3. Cheol-han Lee was solid for 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits. The normally steady Jaden Francis blew a save opportunity though as he allowed a bottom of the 9th run which tied the game 3-3. Unsurprisingly, it was eventually Jose de los Santos who allowed the winning run in the bottom of the 13th. de los Santos dropped to 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA. Greg Tietz (.405/.476/.486), getting another start at first base, is doing his best to make a case for his inclusion on the roster going forward, getting 3 hits in 4 at-bats. And Jonathan Koch (.321/.341/.466) went 2 for 5 and hit his 21st double.



If the first two games in the series were frustrating for the Brewers, game 3 was simply embarrassing. The Brewers lost 8-1. Erik Sloan, the 1972 MGL Pitcher of the Year, gave up 6 runs on 10 hits (2 HR's) in 6 innings pitched. He falls to 9-6 with a 3.69 ERA. Jonathan Koch was once again a bright spot, going 2 for 4 and hitting double #22.



With the very real threat of a series sweep at the hands of the now 1st place Aces, Harry Lyerly did what he has done so often in his career with the Brewers- give a gutty performance to break a losing streak. Lyerly wasn't flawless- he gave up 8 hits in his complete game victory- but while he bent, he never broke, getting the shutout, striking out 7 and walking none. The Brewers won 5-0 and other than Lyerly's complete game shutout the biggest contribution came from Greg Tietz once again. Tietz (.415/.478/.634) went 2 for 4 in the game, but more importantly both of his hits were 2-run HR's and he drove in 4 of the 5 runs in the game. Another young player building a case for a big future role on the team, right fielder Josh Schaeffer, also had a good game. Schaeffer (.327/.413/.503) went 1 for 2, with 2 runs scored, 2 walks, and 1 RBI.



Having dropped 3 of 4 to the Aces, the Brewers now sit in 2nd place, 1/2 game behind Brooklyn, and 2 1/2 ahead of the recently hot Los Angeles Spinners. So, naturally, the Brewers now head to L.A. to face the Spinners, who have won 5 straight.
Wish us luck.

[BirdWatcher]

As previously mentioned, the third place Los Angeles Spinners come in to Denver on a 5-game winning streak.

In game 1 of the 3 game series they extend that to 6 with a narrow 3-2 victory. The Brewers got an acceptable start from Steve Green, who worked 6 1/3rd innings, giving up the 3 runs on 10 hits, striking out 7 and walking just 1. But the Spinners Jason Wilson, the 1969 MGL Pitcher of the Year award winner, was even better and the Brewers failed to score in this game until the bottom of the 9th when their rally fell just short. With the loss Green falls to 6-9 with a 4.51 ERA. The Brewers late rally included a solo HR off the bat of Jonathan Koch (.318/.339/.470), his team-leading 10th. It also saw Josh Schaeffer (.325/.409/.503) hit his 6th double. Pat Rondeau (.370/.395/.477) went 2 for 4 in the loss.



The Spinners kept their winning streak alive in game 2 with an easy 7-2 victory. Matty Helm lasted just 4 1/3rd innings in this one, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits. Helm drops to 6-6 with a 3.68 ERA for the season. Andrew Kennedy (.320/.366/.420) went 2 for 4 and hit his team-leading 25th double (2nd in the MGL now). Greg Tietz (.400/.460/.667) only managed to get 1 hit in this game, but that one was his 3rd HR in his last 2 games played. This gives him 4 HR's in just 50 plate appearances for the Brewers this year.



The Brewers once again get a fine start- this time from staff ace Cheol-han Lee- to avoid getting swept as they get a 5-2 win. Cheol-han gave up 2 runs on 9 hits in 8 innings pitched, striking out 5 and walking none. He improves to 13-5 with a 2.94 ERA. Jose de los Santos did walk one batter in the 9th but also got 2 strikeouts and held on to get his 10th save (3.97 ERA.) Among the pleasant surprises for the Brewers this year 24-year old right fielder Josh Schaeffer certainly is near the top of the list. Schaeffer (.329/.416/.513) went 2 for 4, scored 2 runs, hit his 8th double, and walked once. He also continues to play well-above average defense in right. Andrew Kennedy (.323/.367/.422) has been getting hot of late and went 2 for 3 with 1 run and 2 RBI in the win.



Having lost 2 of 3 to L.A. the Brewers now trail Brooklyn by 2 1/2 games but still have a 1 1/2 game lead over the 3rd place Spinners.

[BirdWatcher]

With the non-waiver trade deadline nearly upon us, the Brewers have finally pulled off a deal, trading reliever Dave Duncan, who was demoted to AAA earlier in the summer, along with right fielder Troy bin Nadeem to Oklahoma City for left handed reliever Eric Marino.


The Brewers scouting staff sees Marino as having the potential to be a dominant closer in the WPK. He's a sinker/slider ground ball pitcher, which fits well in the Brewers philosophy. Lack of control could be an issue but he projects to develop elite or at least near elite stuff along with plus movement. Being a lefty he is unsurprisingly good at holding runners on and has the stamina for multi-inning appearances.


Duncan is a more fully developed pitcher than Marino and it seems the Diamond Kings were willing to trade away potential for a more established bullpen arm, even if Duncan's performance for the Brewers this year was pretty abysmal (after a very strong 1972.) In Troy bin Nadeem the Diamond Kings get an outfielder with a limited ceiling but one who has consistently over-achieved in the minors for the Brewers (although it was not reported here, bin Nadeem had a 23 game hitting streak at AAA Chester earlier this summer) and who is a decent defensive right fielder with a very fine arm.




(I wasn't really looking to trade for another reliever, but this guy was too tempting not to take. I felt a little concerned that I was cheating the Diamond Kings/AI, though Duncan is currently a better big league reliever, so even though the deal was considered acceptable by the opposing GM and my assistant GM as a straight up Duncan for Marino trade, I threw in bin Nadeem so that I wouldn't feel as guilty about it. Plus, bin Nadeem has no path to the bigs in the Brewers organization but deserves a chance to show if he deserve a role in the WPK, given his minor league success.)

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers finish up the month of July with a 2-day, 3-game series versus the Detroit Falcons in Denver.

In the first game of a rare Monday double header the Brewers relinquish an early 3-1 lead and were trailing 6-3 going into the bottom of the 7th and the Denver faithful were starting to express their frustration with the way things have been going lately for their team. And then all of that frustration just melted into elation as the Brewers sent 16 men to the plate in the bottom of the 7th, scoring 11 times and end of winning 14-6. Andrew Kennedy (.332/.376/.442), who entered the game as a pinch-hitter for pitcher Justin Bismark with 1 out and runners on 2nd and 3rd, tripled home two runs and the inning was still going when his spot in the lineup came around again the same inning and he drove in 2 more with a single his second time up. In spite of not starting the game and not appearing in the field at all during the game, Kennedy still won the Player of the Game honors for his 2 for 2, 4 RBI performance. It would require taking a good deal more space here than I wish to in order to highlight every great performance in this game, but suffice it to say that Jonathan Koch (.317/.338/.470) continued his brilliance with a 2 for 5, 3 run, 1 RBI, 1 HR (11) game. And although he only went 1 for 3, Greg Tietz (.388/.444/.694) lone hit was his 5th HR of the season (in just 53 plate appearances.) Justin Peacock got the start for the Brewers and was not bad at all- giving up just 2 runs on 6 hits in 5 2/3rds innings pitched. He did not get credit for a win as Liann-wei Hua gave up the lead by allowing 3 runs while only recording 1 out. Justin Bismark, who has pitched very well since being called up from AAA earlier this summer, was awarded the win, his 1st and now has an ERA of 1.08.



The Brewers didn't score as many runs in the nightcap, but not by much. More importantly, their pitching allowed only a pair of runs to the Falcons, and the Brewers won 12-2. Lefty Erik Sloan pitched a solid game for the home team, working 7 innings and allowing 2 runs on 9 hits. With the win he improves to 10-6 with a 3.63 ERA. This time Andrew Kennedy got the start in left field. And was once again named Player of the Game, going 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 5 driven in and hitting his 4th HR of the season. Mike Foster (.285/.320/.394) also had a good game, collecting 3 hits in 5 at-bats. And light hitting defensive specialist Oscar Vargas (.226/.323/.304), getting a start at shortstop, went 3 for 4 and drove in a pair of runs.



Although it was a much closer, low-scoring affair, the Brewers got the sweep by winning game 3, 3-2, behind another strong start for Harry Lyerly. Lyerly really only made one mistake in the game, serving up a fat pitch to Detroit first baseman Jason Drum in the 3rd inning which he crushed for a 2-run HR. But Lyerly was strong after that and allowed just the 2 runs on only 4 hits in 8 innings pitched, striking out 5 and walking 3. With the victory, Lyerly improves to 9-4 with a 2.98 ERA. Jose de los Santos nearly blew the lead in the top of the 9th but Liann-wei Hua came in to strike out the one batter he faced, with the bases loaded and 2 outs, to get his 6th save (3.90 ERA.) Chad Brown (.291/.314/.358) who has been slumping for some time now, went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, 1 walk, and hit his 16th double. Andrew Kennedy (.332/.377/.447) only had 1 hit in 3 at-bats but that 1 was his 3rd triple of 1973 and he drew a walk. Also, for the second time in the series Chad Brown and Pat Rondeau successfully executed a double steal and this gets Brown to 18 for the season and Rondeau to an even 20.



With the series sweep the Brewers are now 1 game behind Brooklyn- who they next host for a short 2-game series, and lead the currently red-hot L.A. Spinners by a game and a half.

[BirdWatcher]

This seems like a good time to take a closer look at Harry Lyerly at this stage of the season and of his career.



If there was ever a season where it might be expected that Lyerly's poor movement might finally catch up to him and lead to very bad results this would seem to be that season. Offense is up around the WPK, but even more so in the MGL than the SJL, and power hitting is a big factor in that upswing. Balls are flying out of yards around the league. Brewers starters like Steve Green and Erik Sloan, who have much better movement than Lyerly and ostensibly should give up fewer homers than Lyerly, have HR/9's of 1.3 and 1.1 respectively. Lefty reliever Liann-wei Hua has been even worse at 1.7 and veteran closer Jose de los Santos, with supposedly some of the best movement on the staff, is at 1.2.

So surely this is the year that Lyerly must be giving up a ton of homers and seeing a precipitous drop in effectiveness as a result. But here we are, at the beginning of August, and with 19 starts Lyerly has a HR/9 of 0.8. Not amazingly good, but just a bit under his career average. Sure, there is plenty of season left and it could just be a matter of time before that HR/9 jumps up and his season deteriorates. But then again, that has been the thought his entire career. And it never materializes.

Lyerly is among the league leaders once again in ERA (8th, just behind teammate Cheol-han Lee), shutouts (tied for 6th with Lee and Baltimore's Pablo Bernal), strikeouts (5th, just behind Lee again, with 101), ERA+ (7th at 140, Lee is 5th at 142), opponents average (7th at .241), win percentage (4th at .692, again just behind Lee), and, as nearly always, he leads the league in K/9, though his 7.0 is well below his career average of 8.8.
His BABIP of .279 is quite a bit higher than his career average and does not seem to indicate that he has been particularly lucky this season, at least in terms of balls falling in for hits. His FIP is 3.66 but his his FIP- of 87 is right in line with his career numbers.



At age 25, it is seeming less and less likely that his third pitch, his knuckle curve, will ever develop into anything more than a sub-par offering. (Though it is still believed to have above average potential and some development is still possible.) But he continues to have an elite fastball and an above average sinker. His control, which at one point was thought to have above average potential, looks like it has plateaued at average. And as an extreme flyball pitcher with poor movement whose home park is a good hitters park which should yield an above average number of homers, disaster always seems potentially just around the corner.
But the reality is that Lyerly has shown the knack for getting poorly struck flyballs, which with the Brewers fine outfield defense more often than not land in someones glove. He can have some problem with control but seldom to the point where things get completely out of hand. And he nearly always holds opponents to a low batting average.

While Lyerly does not profile as necessarily durable, thus far in his career injuries have not been much of a problem, with quite a few of the injuries he has sustained being unrelated to his pitching arm. He has shown some tendencies towards developing finger blisters, but none that have ever caused him to miss a start (merely seeing him having to leave one early.) And he has very good stamina, which recent scouting reports indicate has improved again after a brief small drop off (possibly as a result of being over-worked a bit in his early 20's.)

It won't be too surprising if Lyerly never repeats his 1970 Pitcher of the Year campaign, but at this stage of things he increasingly looks like one of the most consistently reliable starters in the rotation. And the just released development update from the Brewers scouting staff indicates that they remain very high on Lyerly and consider him a good number 2 guy who could even be the ace of some staffs.


My personal feeling is that when the time comes that Lyerly starts to see his stuff diminish his career could go sideways pretty quickly. But there is no reason to think that this will happen anytime soon, and he likely has at least five more good seasons ahead of him.

Will Lyerly end up in the Hall of Fame? Likely not. But if he keeps producing at the consistent high level he has up to now he should retire as one of the best power pitchers of his generation and even possibly a borderline candidate for the Hall.

[BirdWatcher]

In game 1 of a little 2-game series at home against the 1st place Brooklyn Aces to start August, the Brewers once again snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. Having led 4-1 through 7 innings, the Brewers allowed 2 runs to the Aces in the 8th to make things uncomfortable and then 3 more in the 9th to make things just downright depressing. Steve Green for once deserved better than he got as he allowed just 1 run on 9 hits over 7 innings pitched. The two Brewers relievers who have been most consistently good this year- and the Brewers bullpen was ranked 1st in the league in ERA coming into this series- Jordan Stephens and Jaden Francis combined to allow 5 runs on 7 hits in 2 innings. Francis took the loss and falls to 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA. Josh Schaeffer (.329/.423/.506) went 2 for 4 in the game and drew another walk but also committed his 4th error of the season.



In the second game the Brewers gave up 3 runs in the 1st to the Aces and it was beginning to look like the Brewers were simply outmatched by the Brooklyn club. But then they scored 4 in the bottom of the inning and made a game of it. Although the Aces would manage to tie it at 6 apiece in the top of the 7th the Brewers bounced back with 2 of their own in the bottom of the frame and somehow, though not without some white knuckle moments, held on to claim an 8-6 victory and a series split. Basically Andrew Kennedy and Justin Bismark saved the Brewers bacon in this one. Kennedy (.336/.381/.460) went 3 for 4 in the game, hitting his 5th HR in the 1st inning but it was his 26th double of the season in the 7th inning that finally gave the Brewers the lead for good. And after Sam Pruiett blew the lead by giving up 2 runs on 3 hits in his inning pitched (in relief of starter Matt Helm) and Liann-wei Hua put the lead in jeopardy in the 8th inning when he gave up a pair of 1-out singles, Bismark entered the game and got a big strikeout followed by a harmless fly ball out to end the inning and the threat. He then also worked the 9th inning, giving up a single and throwing a wild pitch, but getting a huge strikeout of the most dangerous Brooklyn power hitter, Danny Salvador and then another harmless fly ball out off the bat of also dangerous Adam Pester to end the game and preserve the victory. Bismark gets his 1st save of the season and now has an ERA of 0.98. Jonathan Koch (.318/.339/.476) hit his team-leading 12th home run, a 3-run shot in the 1st inning.



With the split the Brewers remain 1 game behind Brooklyn with the L.A. Spinners in 3rd place at 2 1/2 games out.

[BirdWatcher]

Joe McPhillips, the Brewers promising young center fielder, has finally returned to the club after being out with a torn ligament in this thumb suffered back in early May. He has spent the last 9 days on a rehab assignment with the AAA Chester Big Stick where he predictably put up tremendous numbers.



With McPhillips return first baseman Greg Tietz finds himself heading back down to Chester. It was the only move that made sense but of course management felt bad about having to demote the kid who had provided some great at-bats to the team of late and especially gave them a lift with his power hitting. But surely Tietz will be back in September to get an opportunity to be part of the stretch run.



McPhillips should make an already potent lineup even more scary and really helps solidify the up the middle defense for the club. (Although both Pat Rondeau and Ryan Rodgers did a fine job manning center field in his absence, both of them at this stage of their careers are far better on the corners.)

[BirdWatcher]

It was a very good week, to say the least, for Andrew Kennedy.



Kennedy has always been a fine hitter and in fact currently sits at #13 in WPK history (brief as that is) in career batting average at .303 (11th among active players). But one trend that we have seen this year is his increasing ability to draw a walk while remaining one of the tougher batters to strike out in the league.