Brewers Win Opener 4-3

The Brewers defeated the Cubs 4-3 at Wrigley Field to open the season 1-0. It was a pitchers duel as both Ben Sheets and Carlos Zambrano had scoreless outings. Sheets went 6.2 innings with 7 K's. He was really sharp out there and it was great to see.

The Brewers took a 3-0 lead in the 9th inning and looked like they were going to win and then new closer Eric Gagne gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the inning to send the game into extra innings. The Brewers then scored on a Tony Gwynn sac fly in the 9th to get the lead and the victory. David Riske got the save.

With the exception of Gagne the new look bullpen did very well. Torres, Mota, and Riske all pitched scoreless innings. Hopefully Gagne gets his act together in his next outing.

Next up for the Brewers will be the Cubs again on Wednesday at Wrigley. Jeff Suppan gets the call for the crew while Ted Lilly will go for the Cubs.

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Opening Day is Here

Opening Day has arrived. Brewers versus the Cubs at Wrigley Field we hope. The weather is bad at Wrigley in April. Who would have thought that? Perhaps the MLB should have done the logical thing and scheduled the game at Miller Park where there is a roof?

Anyways Ben Sheets takes the mound for the crew. Carlos Zambrano will pitch for the Cubs. Here's the Brewers Opening Day lineup.

1. Rickie Weeks
2. Tony Gwynn
3. Prince Fielder
4. Ryan Braun
5. Corey Hart
6. Bill Hall
7. J.J. Hardy
8. Ben Sheets
9. Jason Kendall
   

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Week in Review

The first week of Spring Training is complete and so here is the week in review. Every Monday I will review the week. The Brewers have played five games so far in Spring Training and are 2-3.

Feb 28 vs. A's W 7-1
Feb 29 @ A's L 4-11
March 1 @ Rockies L 3-6
March 2 vs. Angels W 4-2
March 3 vs. Padres L 4-12

Positives: Ben Sheets pitched two scoreless innings in his first outing, Matt Laporta has 4 hits in 7 at bats and Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun have already homered.

Negatives: Eric Gagne and and Derrick Turnbow both got rocked in their first outing as well as starting rotation candidates, Chris Capuano and Dave Bush. Rickie Weeks is 2-11.

Conclusion: Spring Training numbers don't mean much so there isn't anything to be concerned about right now. The spring is a good time to see the prospects and newcomers. Matt Laporta, arguably the best prospect the Brewers have is off to a good start with the bat which is good to see. It will be interesting to see how the pitchers battling for the spot in the rotation do this week.

Other News: Prince Fielder is not happy. His contract was renewed for the second straight year and Prince made it known he wasn't pleased.

"I'm not happy about it at all, the fact that they've renewed me two years in a row," he said.

"There are a lot of guys with the same amount of time I have who have done a lot less than me and are getting paid a lot more. But my time is going to come and it's coming quick, too."

Fielder is getting paid 670k this season. Players in their first three seasons don't get paid jack, that's how small market teams like the Brewers can compete, by having homegrown talent. Prince wants to be paid now because he's seen other young players like Troy Tulowitzki get paid big right after their first season. I'm glad the Brewers are sticking by their system because if they paid Prince what would Braun, Hart, and Gallardo think? They'd want to be treated the same. Prince is going to get a huge payday next season so hopefully he can use this as motivation to perform well this year.

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Fact or Fiction: Spring Training Edition

The Brewers are better off with Eric Gagne closing than Francisco Cordero?

Fiction: This is very tough call but it's fiction. Gagne and Cordero are very comparable. Both are 32 years old and both were at times lights out (0.00 ERA in April) last season while at other times not so hot (Gagne 9.00 ERA in August, Cordero 7.50 ERA in June).

Gagne was dominant in his time with the Rangers (2.16 ERA,) but that number rose to 3.81 by seasons end with the Red Sox.

Cordero started the season on fire, started getting beat up in the middle of the season, and the ended the year pitching extremely well.

When it comes down to it I have to go with Cordero because of the durability factor. Gagne has only pitched 67 innings since 2005 while Cordero has pitched 207 since then. I am confident Gagne will have good season though. After this season Gagne will be a free agent again so he should be motivated to perform well.

Jason Kendall is an upgrade over Johnny Estrada?

Fact: This is 100% fact. Johnny Estrada was a cancer. He never drew any walks, always swung at the first pitch, and didn't exactly call a great game. Kendall posted a .362 on base percentage with the Cubs last season and has a .375 career on base percentage. He's known to call a good game behind the plate and should get on a base a lot.

Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun will combine for 100 Home Runs?

Fact: Last season the duo combined for 84 home runs. Prince hit 50 while Braun hit 34 and Braun didn't even get called up until May 24. The numbers these two are going to put up this season are just downright scary. Prince is entering his third full season with the Brewers while Braun is beginning his first full season although he did win the Rookie of the Year award last season despite the late start. I'm projecting 55 homers for Prince and 45 for Braun.

Ben Sheets has a shot at the Cy Young Award?

Fact: This is a fact but only if he can stay healthy which he has not been able to do for the last three years. Sheets was finally able to get some run support last season and made his third all-star team. He went 12-5. Sheets has had some really bad luck when it comes to injuries which has caused some people to question his conditioning. His talent however is undeniable. If he can stay healthy he has a great shot at being the NL Cy Young because this team is going to give him a heck of a lot of run support.

This will be the year Rickie Weeks breaks out?

Fact: Weeks is finally healthy and really started to turn it on the second half last season. In August Weeks had an on base percentage of .500 and a 1.019 OPS. In September his OBP was .409 and he posted a .980 OPS. This will be the year it all comes together for Weeks. He's going to hit for average, draw walks, hit for power and steal bases. Weeks is going to be fun to watch.

The Brewers will trade one of their starting pitchers before the season begins?

Fact: The Brewers are loaded with starting pitching. Ben Sheets, Yovani Gallardo, Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, Carlos Villanueva, Chris Capuano, Claudio Vargas, Manny Parra. Eight guys are vying for five spots and Sheets, Gallardo, and Suppan pretty much had their spots locked up before Spring Training even started. This is a big spring for Bush, Vargas, and Capuano especially. I believe Vargas will end up the odd man out and be traded. Parra will start the season in Triple-A and either Capuano, Bush, or Villanueva will be in the bullpen.

The Brewers will win the NL Central?

Fact: This team is absolutely loaded. They led the division much of last season only to squander their lead late in the year. The lineup is stacked. They have a chance to have seven guys hit 20+ home runs, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall, Corey Hart, and Mike Cameron.

The pitching is much improved over last season. The rotation is very deep and the bullpen looks to be in much better shape with the additions of Eric Gagne, David Riske, Guillermo Mota, and Solomon Torres.

The Cubs look improved as well but I believe the Brewers lineup is the best in the National League and and if they can avoid injuries to the starting rotation it's the Brewers division to lose.

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