[Editor's Note: Only just now, preparing to report on week 6, do I realize that I mis-identified the month in this post. It is, obviously, not April 4-10 but rather May 4-10. Apologies for any confusion. Again.)
Denver Brewers Week 5 results:
Summary:
Following a day off on Monday, May 4th, the rested Brewers swept a 3-game home series against the MGL East first place Charlotte Sting.
The first game saw the Brewers nearly blow a 5-0 lead, giving up 3 runs in the 7th inning, with all of the runs charged to starter
Eric Maisch (2-1, 4.54), who was having his best start of 1987 up to that point. Fortunately, the bullpen, one of the strengths of the team, was able to calm things down and preserve the win for
Maisch. POTG was rookie third baseman
Jeremy Beeson (.337/.356/.469), on a tear of late after a slow start to the season, who went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 1 walk, and hit his 6th double and 2nd triple.
The Brewers took game 2 easily, with veteran starter
Jim Atwell (4-1, 5.67) going the distance, scattering 9 hits and allowing 2 runs. The distance, in this case, was shortened by rain, so
Atwell threw 7 innings for his 4th victory.
Kenny Brown (.319/.375/.440), hitting in the leadoff slot, led the way offensively, going 4 for 4, scoring twice and hitting his 2nd triple. He also stole his league-leading 12th base but was also caught trying for the 8th time. And
Willie Romero (.343/.391/.520) hit 2 homers to get to 3 on the season.
The Brewers got the sweep in walk-off fashion on Thursday night, having allowed 2 runs to the visitors in the top of the 9th (veteran lefty reliever
Scott Evans (3-2, 2.57) suffering the blown save but also picking up the win), they scored 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, capped off by an RBI walk-off single from
Jerry Lillie (.280/.358/.607).
Kenny Brown (.342/.394/.492), again leading off, again went 4 for 4, hitting a pair of doubles (6) and a triple (3) and getting his 13th stolen base.
The team then took a flight to the Bay Area to face the San Francisco Velocity.
Starting pitcher
Eric Fehrenbacher (1-3, 4.31) gave up 5 runs in the 4th inning and the Brewers attempt to rally from behind fell just short in game 1.
Jeremy Beeson (.333/.351/.467) was 2 for 4 in the loss and hit his 7th double.
The visiting Brewers bounced back to win game 2 on the strength of a 7-run 7th inning and another big game for rookie second baseman
Nick Mull (.360/.429/.620), who had been slumping a bit but went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI in this one, hitting his 6th home run of the season.
Bernie Lopez (4-1, 4.12), the Brewers 5th starter but most reliable in the early going, didn’t have his best outing, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits over 6 innings, but kept his team in it and got the win. More great work out of the ‘pen for young
Cesar Perez, who worked 3 innings, giving up 1 run on just 1 hit (a solo shot by Bobby Olsen), striking out 3 batters and walking 1.
And the Brewers cap off a good week with a come-from-behind win in the rubber match.
Austin Bond started but only lasted 4 innings this time, giving up 5 runs (4 ER) on 8 hits. But the bullpen was brilliant again, with
Paul Johnson (2-1, 1.65) and
Willie Ramirez (4th save, 2.19) combining for 5 nearly flawless innings, giving up just 1 hit between them. For the 3rd time in the week,
Kenny Brown (.356/.407/.508) was 4 for 4, scoring 2 runs, hitting his 8th double, and stealing his 14th base. (On the other hand, he was also caught stealing for the 9th time.)
Brewers Game of the Week:
It was a good week with quite a few dramatic victories, but we’ll go with the come-from-behind victory that clinched the sweep of Charlotte, the first game of the three during the week where veteran DH
Kenny Brown went 4 for 4.
Notes from Around the WPK:
Amazingly, the Seattle Alligators have chomped their way to the top of the SJL West standings, with a record now of 19-14. Houston has been scuffling and are in second place, a game and a half out, at 17-15. And El Paso has been surging, winners of 6 straight, and now sit in 3rd, tied with Milwaukee, each of them at 15-16. The recently mighty San Antonio Keys take up the rear with a 13-18 mark.
Washington still leads the SJL East, now with a WPK-best 20-12 record. Columbus is the only other team in the division over .500, and they are just above that mark at 17-16. Pittsburgh has dropped to last place and are 14-17.
For the first time in the 1987 season, the Denver Brewers are in first place in the MGL West. San Francisco is just a half game back with an 18-12 record. And the reigning division champs, Phoenix, have been on the rise again (pun at least slightly intended), and are now in 3rd place at 18-14. L.A., with their huge payroll, massive market, and unlimited resources, are in last place (where they belong, say Brewer fans), at 13-18.
And despite recent setbacks, the Charlotte Sting (16-14) remain in 1st place in the MGL East. Because, well, this is the MGL East after all. Brooklyn has been playing a bit better and are breathing down the Stings neck (1/2 game back), now with a 17-16 record. Baltimore slips to last place, their 12-18 record the worst in the WPK. Which does speak to the relative parity in the WPK thus far in 1987.
Players of the Week:
Another surprise winner in the SJL, although 25-year-old first baseman Dusty Barrett does have a very good power bat and a plus plus eye at the plate. (He also has a high baseball IQ, by all reports.)
After showing signs of a sophomore slump in the early going, last year’s phenom Hyeong-uk Chun is starting to heat up, as evidenced by this honor.