Live look at what watching a Brewer playoff baseball game does to me:
I have a question. If we’re going to lose a playoff game, can we just lose it 10-1? Can we just give up 6 runs in the 1st inning so we all know it’s a wrap right out of the gate? Because games like last night, and like the games against the Braves in 2021 and Dodgers in 2020 and the Nationals in 2019 are taking years off of my life.
Now this series is NOT over, we’ll get to that in a second. But first I need to vent on a few things:
- I love Craig Counsell, I know some people don’t, in my opinion he’s the best manager the franchise has ever had and it’s not particularly close. That said, what, IN THE NAME OF ZEUS’ BUTTHOLE, is Jesse Winker doing on this playoff roster? It is INEXPLICABLE. I gasped when the playoff rosters came out and Winker was on it and guys like Garrett Mitchell were not. The man hasn’t had a plate appearance at the major league level since before the All Star break. And at that time he was hitting .197 with 1 home run, and an OPS so low that it made you wish they’d hit a pitcher in his spot. Then, in a 1-run game in the 8th inning, they give him a pinch-hit appearance last night. What does he do? Exactly what he’s done all season! Swung at three balls outside of the zone, striking out while simultaneously injuring himself. Poetry.
- ^Related: Andrew Monasterio, a guy who hit .260 this year, a guy had regular at bats all season, and a guy you put in as Winker’s defensive replacement in the bottom of the 8th anyway, was the no-brainer decision there.
- Brice Turang, my man, you need to work on your sell job when it looks like you got hit by a pitch. I am convinced that if he sells it and immediately runs to 1st base, they somehow get that run and replay doesn’t overturn it.
- A day after losing your co-ace to a random injury, Corbin Burnes simply has to be better than he was last night. Awful. He was spotted a 3-0 lead and went on to give up 4 runs on three home runs, walk a few guys, and only last 4 innings. Which forced the Brewers to burn up their entire bullpen because it was still a close game. And all of that as he was going head-to-head with a rookie pitcher who was sporting a 5.72 ERA going into last night. That’s a game where you NEED your ace to give you an ace performance, and he wasn’t even in the same zip code.
- Hitting with runners in scoring position has been kryptonite for this team for 80% of the year, and it cropped up again in Game 1. 12 hits, 4 walks, and they only turned that into 3 runs. It was enough to want to take a melon-baller to your eyes. The 5th inning was the most gutting of the night. Bases loaded, no one out. Turang strikes out after the hit-by-pitch was overturned, and then Tyrone Taylor hits a rope that gets snared by Evan Longoria. Longoria played defense like it was 2008 last night. As maddening as that inning was, you just have to tip your cap to an elite defensive play. Off of Taylor’s bat that looked like it was going to score 2 runs minimum. Buzzard’s luck.
Overall, you’ve unfortunately got to tip your cap to Arizona. They played clean, they didn’t make mistakes, they hit pitches in the zone with authority, and they had a few things break their way. That’s baseball. After the 2nd inning, it was a disaster for the Crew.
Now, the beauty of this game is that you can turn it all around 21 hours later. It isn’t going to be easy. The D-Backs got a win in a game where NEITHER of their two aces pitched. Now you’ve got to deal with Zac Gallen tonight, and if you get past him, Merrill Kelly waits on Thursday. But one game at a time. Freddy Peralta will start in Woody’s spot, and he’s certainly capable of an ace-like performance. We need him to dial up one of those 6 inning, 0 run, 12 strikeout games that we’ve seen from him so many times.
Last night it felt like everything went Arizona’s way, that can change very quickly, let’s hope the Brewers can flush a heartbreaker and get on track in Game 2.
PS: T-Plush throwing out the first pitch tonight. Feels like that’s going to change the juju.
