Taking the Last Series at Shea
After more than 3 years of losing series at Shea to the Mets, it was great to close out the Brewers short history there with a win. The final game saw some pitching that was pretty awful, but the defense and stellar hitting from the bottom of the order allowed the Brewers to continue their hot start to the season. It is somewhat alarming that so many of Milwaukee’s runs are coming off the long ball. During the three game losing streak that encompassed the end of the Reds series and the first game in New York, the Brewers got only 7 runs, 2 of which came on solo home runs. Relying on the HR in baseball is somewhat like relying on the 3 pointer in basketball. If you aren’t getting the ball to fly out of the park, you cannot survive without manufacturing runs. The Brewers showed a bit more of that ability on Sunday, getting several clutch 2 out hits as well. When you can make the most of your offensive opportunities, you can even withstand that aforementioned poor pitching as they did on Sunday. I found it ironic that the first 1-2-3 inning came in the 9th, with Gagne shutting the door for his 3rd save.
All in all, a good two weeks to begin 2008. If you recall, the 24-10 start to 2007 was somewhat derided as the Brewers played some of the softer teams in the league. This year, they have already won series against three of the upper level teams, and look to do so again against the surprising Cardinals this week.