Brewers Add Bat; New Lead-Off Man – Still Need Pitching

After 2 games with the Milwaukee Brewers, Felipe Lopez has left his mark and is looking like a great addition to the top of the Brewers’ order. He went 4-4 with a walk in his first game with Milwaukee, a game he only played in because of a rain delay of over 2 hours. After missing his scheduled flight from St. Louis, Lopez arrived for the Brewers game in Pittsburgh during what would have been Brewers batting practice. Instead the rain cancelled batting practice and postponed the game long enough for Lopez to get his uniform and get into the starting line-up. That move paid immediate dividends when Lopez singled to lead off the game. He was picked off first almost immediately by Pirates pitcher Ross Ohlendorf but made amends by adding two more singles and a triple in his three other official at bats. He also walked in the 7 th inning. Lopez is by no means a blockbuster addition to the Brewers line-up but he should be the spark they have needed at the top of their batting order. Lopez was forced to sit out the series finale on Wednesday with a tight hamstring but assuming the injury is not major and he and Craig Counsell can continue to be the table setters for Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder the Brewers should make some significant noise in the race for the NL Central. Road trips like the one they just finished however need to be avoided.

The Brewers finished the latest road trip 2-4 against the two worst teams in their division, including dropping 2 of 3 to the Pirates whom they’d beaten 17 times in a row dating back to early last season. Lack of pitching can be seen as the most detrimental factor in their poor road trip. The Brewers offense didn’t come up with many big hits when they needed them but since they needed those big hits starting in the first innings of most games it’s the pitching staff that should really be ashamed of themselves. A lone bright spot was Braden Looper who had a phenomenal start in the second game of the Pirates series, pitching 7 scoreless innings. Mike Burns and Jeff Suppan made starts against the Pirates however that would have gotten them thrown off many company softball teams, Suppan especially. For a former NLCS MVP, Suppan spotted the Pirates a 5-2 lead before the third inning was over, including giving up 4 home runs. The Brewers play fairly solid defense but Suppan doesn’t keep the ball in the ballpark much these days so we never get to see them play that defense when he’s on the mound. The trade the Brewers made for Felipe Lopez added the needed offense to their line-up to make some noise but unless they add some pitching as well, they’re still going to find themselves on the outside looking in come October. The desired solution to that problem: Roy Halladay.

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Will the Brewers pull the strings on a Halladay deal? After going after C.C. Sabathia last year I don’t see why not. Halladay’s a better pitcher than anyone on the Brewers staff right now. Heck, he’s better than Sabathia. And ask any Brewers fan how they feel about C.C.’s performance last season. When it comes right down to it, the rotation the Brewers have now will not get them into the playoffs. If by some miracle they prove me wrong (which is bound to happen someday) and their rotation does get them into the NLDS, there is no way it will carry them through. The Pittsburgh Pirates scored 16 runs on the Brewers in two games. The Pirates? I can hear the Dodgers hitters chomping at the bit to get a crack at the Brewers rotation from where I sit here in Wisconsin, and the last I checked the Dodgers were at home in California. As a matter of fact, they’re currently beating up on the Cincinnati Reds, who before traveling to La-La Land took 2 of 3 from . . . you guessed it, the Brewers. The trade for Lopez was a great start but let’s see the Brewers finish as well and add the pitching they need before the trade deadline.

By Douglas Berdan
MLBcenter.com Milwaukee Brewers Correspondent

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