If youโre not one of those baseball nerds who follows every single thing going on in the Milwaukee Brewers Organization, donโt worry, because The Sports Bankโs Nick Grays has you covered with what happened in the past week and whatโs going on in the future.
And if you are one of those nerds, feel free to join in on some good old analysis of Americaโs pastime in the Brew City.
This week we talk about the smoke coming off Prince Fielder’s bat, being in first place and upcoming series with the Cubs and Red Sox!
By: Nick Grays
Standings:
Milwaukee Brewers (38-28) (12-8-2 in series)
– FIRST in the NL Central
– Lead the St. Louis Cardinals by 0.5 games
– Brewers are a league-best 25-9 at home
– Run differential at +31 (up 13 from last week)
Last Week’s Headlines:
First Baseman Prince Fielder is on Fire
I have no idea why Fielder was even pitched to this last week because the man is on fire. He has a ridiculous eight home-runs in his last ten games, most of them coming in the clutch.
Whoever says this guy doesn’t deserve Ryan Howard money is just absurd. In fact, the Prince has 181 HR since the beginning of 2007 season, good for second in the league behind only Mr. Howard himself (184).
With a league-leading 19 HR and 58 RBI, Fielder is on pace for an ever better year than he posted in 2009 when he drove in 141 runs and blasted 46 long-balls.
Don’t expect the big man to slow down anytime soon as the Brewers travel to Wrigley Field where Fielder always plays very well.
Brewers Become NL Central Leaders
With a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Brewers did two things they haven’t done since the 2009 season. They claimed first place in the NL Central (not done since 7/4/09) and moved ten games over .500 (not done since 6/6/09).
It won’t be easy for Milwaukee to hold on to first place as they play their next seven on the road. The Brewers have improved their play on the road as of late (8-5 in last 13), but are still 13-19 away from Miller Park.
Looking Ahead:
Brewers Battle Cubs and Start Inter-League Play
The Chicago Cubs (25-39) are fresh off a road-trip where they went a pitiful 2-8. Nevertheless, records will mean nothing when the four game series starts with Ryan Dempster’s 500th career game pitched. The Brewers lead the season series 2-1.
Starting Friday, the Brewers pack their bags for Boston to begin a stretch where they play four straight series with American League foes. The Red Sox (39-26) are by far the hottest team in all of baseball. Not only have they won their last nine games, they scored a combined 30 runs in their last two games. The last time the Brewers played in Boston, they were swept by the Red Sox.
Monday, June 13th 7:05 PM (@ Chi Cubs)
Probable Pitchers: LHP Randy Wolf (4-4) vs. RHP Ryan Dempster (5-5)
Tuesday, June 14th 7:05 PM (@ Chi Cubs)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Yovani Gallardo (8-3) vs. RHP Randy Wells (1-1)
Wednesday, June 15th 7:05 PM (@ Chi Cubs)
Probable Pitchers: LHP Chris Narveson (3-4) vs. RHP Carlos Zambrano (5-3)
Thursday, June 16th 1:20 PM (@ Chi Cubs)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Zack Greinke (6-1) vs. RHP Matt Garza (2-6)
Friday, June 17th 6:10 PM (@ Boston)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Shaun Marcum (7-2) vs. RHP John Lackey (4-5)
Saturday, June 18th 12:10 PM (@ Boston)
Probable Pitchers: LHP Randy Wolf (4-4) vs. LHP Jon Lester (9-2)
Sunday, June 19th 12:35 PM (@ Boston)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Yovani Gallardo (8-3) vs. RHP Tim Wakefield (3-1)
What are your thoughts on the first-place Brewers? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.
