Notes: Offense has scored early but not late
The inning you want to be leading after is the final inning.
That might qualify as a big “duh” but it does put into perspective one statistic that seemed to favor the Brewers entering play Monday night. They have led at some point in 19 of their 21 games, including each of the last 14 games.
Yet, the Brewers took a 9-11 record into the series opener against Cincinnati at Miller Park, so it was obvious they had trouble holding some of those leads.
Asked what he made of that, manager Craig Counsell said, “I think that’s fun with numbers. That’s what that stat is. I would put a lot of meaning in it if was the ninth inning, or the eighth inning.
“We’ve scored a lot in the first inning, and that’s a good thing. That’s never a bad thing.”
The first inning had been good for the Brewers, indeed. With a four-run outburst against the Reds, they have outscored opponents, 22-7, in that opening frame. By comparison, they had a total of 17 runs in innings seven through nine.
BOX SCORE: Brewers 11, Reds 7
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BREWERS CHAT: Tom Haudricourt, 11 a.m. Tuesday
In other words, the Brewers had not been productive in the late stages of games, a reason why so many early leads evaporated. A byproduct of the dearth of late runs was a 1-7 record by the relief corps despite posting a 3.51 earned run average, sixth in the National League.
“The only thing I would say is that as a bullpen, we’re walking too many hitters (42, most in the NL),” Counsell said. “If there’s one thing we need to get under control, it’s the number of walks by our bullpen.
“Other than that, I think our bullpen is pitching well.”
A crowded outfield: Outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, designated for assignment Friday, accepted his outright assignment to Class AAA Colorado Springs. Nieuwenhuis had the right to refuse and become a free agent but would have forfeited his $257,000 minor-league salary (he had a $900,000 major-league salary).
The big question is how much playing time Nieuwenhuis will get with the Sky Sox. The starting outfield there consists of three of the top prospects in the organization – No. 1 Lewis Brinson, Brett Phillips and Ryan Cordell.
And all three are playing well. Entering Monday, Brinson was batting .370 with three homers, eight RBI and 1.052 OPS; Cordell was at .303 with four homers, 12 RBI and .991 OPS; and Phillips was hitting .283 with four homers, 13 RBI and .892 OPS.
“That’s a good problem to have,” general manager David Stearns said. “In Triple-A, you can be creative with these things. We do have the DH in about half the games we play in Triple-A. You can move people around.
“It’s a challenge. We’ve got a lot of outfielders there that we like, and we want to get playing time. There is going to have to be some flexibility on all parties. Rick Sweet is a veteran manager and will do a good job managing it.
“Brinson, Phillips and Cordell have gotten off to really nice starts. That’s great. They’re going to continue to push each other, and we’ll continue to monitor them. The good news is that all three of those guys recognize there is still steps to take in their development. They all understand there is work to be done.”
Scooting on by: For the first time in his major-league career, Scooter Gennett walked past the home clubhouse at Miller Park to go to work. After three-plus seasons with the Brewers, he was claimed off waivers by Cincinnati near the end of spring training and now plays for the Reds.
“Going past the home clubhouse was a little different but it was nice to see all the workers,” Gennett said. “It was cool to see them and catch up with them a little bit. But it was a little different.”
Gennett said the only time he had been in the visiting clubhouse was 2010 when he played for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and they played a Midwest League game at Miller Park. Playing both the infield and outfield for the Reds, he was batting .293 with three homers, 10 RBI and .895 OPS in 41 at-bats.
Asked what kind of reception he expected when he got his first at-bat in the series, Gennett smiled and said, “I hope not any boos. I think it will be fun. I’m pretty excited about it. Wisconsin fans are really good fans. They not only know how to tailgate but know how to support their team.”