Ruben "Streak" Souffront and the Denver Brewers

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers end April and head into May on the road once again, starting in Los Angeles against the Spinners.

Cheol-han Lee had a bounce-back start in the first game, giving up just 2 runs on 9 hits while striking out 3 and walking 2 in 7 innings pitched. The Brewers were losing 2-1 when he left the game but came back to tie it in the top of the 9th on an Antonio Puente RBI double. Denver then staged a 2-out rally in the top of the 11th, including a Jamison Bash double, followed by a pair of bases on balls drawn by Antonio Puente and Andrew Kennedy, and capped off when Chad Brown reached base on an error by the Spinners shortstop which scored Bash and gave the Brewers a 3-2 lead. Which ended up being the final score, Eric Singer getting the win (2-0, 0.00.)

Harry Lyerly improves to 3-1 with a win in game 2 as he gets plenty of run support, and while he doesn't hurl a gem he does pitch well enough to get the complete game victory. Lyerly allows 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 7 and walking 3. His ERA is now 3.56. The Brewers win 9-3 as they bang out 14 hits, including 2 doubles by Tanner Yurek (.143/.259/.245) who is off to a horrible start at the plate, and HR's by Jamison Bash (.321/.419/.585), his 3rd, and Ruben Souffront (.226/.219/.323), his 1st.

The Brewers lose the third and final game of the series as Daniel Torres has his first bad start of the season- 4 2/3rds IP, 6 RA, 3 ER, 1 K, 5 BB- and the Brewers lose 6-3. Torres falls to 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA. Jamison Bash did hit his 4th HR of the season in the loss.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers return home to Denver to face the first place Phoenix Speed Devils for the first time this season in a 3-game series.

Young starter Steve Green, the Brewers top prospect who entered the season rated as the 7th best prospect in the WPK, showed why he is so highly thought of in the first game of the series. Green worked 8 scoreless innings, giving up just 2 hits while striking out 5 and walking 3 as the Brewers won 5-1. Green improves to 1-1 with a 2.49 ERA. Bobby Erbakan, who started the season on the DL with a strained back, hits a pair of doubles in his second game back and Jamison Bash (.333/.429/.717) continues his hot start with his new team and hits 2 HR's to tie Antonio Puente with the team best 6 in the early going.

Game 2 is a back-and-forth affair which the Brewers drop in 10 innings, 8-7. Abel Pennington continues his tough start to the season, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits in 6 1/3rd innings pitched and now has an ERA of 6.39. Ryan Rodgers (.319/.388/.403) hits his 2nd HR of the year and goes 3 for 5 in the loss and Andrew Kennedy (.288/.300/.441) also goes 3 for 5 with a HR, his 3rd of the season as he once again shows some surprising power. Kennedy also hits a big 2-out single in the bottom of the 10th that puts the Brewers within 1 run of once again tying the game, but with the bases loaded, Tanner Yurek (.143/.246/.232) strikes out swinging to end the game.

But the Brewers bounce back well in the rubber match to take the series behind the strong pitching of Cheol-han Lee. Lee gets his first shutout of the 1971 season, giving up just 4 hits in his 9 innings pitched while striking out 8 and walking 4. Lee improves to 2-2 with a 3.29 ERA. Bobby Erbakan again sparks the offense with a 3 for 5 game in the lead-off slot, including hitting a big 2-out, 2-run triple in the 2nd inning.

[BirdWatcher]

The 1971 draft pool doesn't look to have many potential superstars but the Brewers believe that the top portion of the draft should run deep enough that they have a chance to get a valuable future member of the team with their 1st round pick (#19 overall). The Brewers did not have a pick in the first round the previous two drafts, so this feels a bit like a luxury, even coming next to last in the round.

The OSA and the Brewers scouting staff are pretty much in agreement that the top position player prospect in the draft is 21-year old shortstop Rich White out of Madison College. White will likely be a decent contact hitter with great plate discipline but his real strength is his gold glove caliber defense. The main knock on Rich White is that there is some doubt about his baseball smarts.
The top pitching prospect appears to be reliever Ratib Jaleel, a 21-year old side-arming righty out of St. Louis College. Jaleel is a groundball pitcher who is expected to be able to get strikeouts while being at least a bit above average in control and HR suppression.

The Brewers have their eyes on several players who they hope might drop to the end of the first round. One of their top targets is 18-year old second baseman Steve Honeycutt. Honeycutt looks like he could be a great contact hitter with plus gap power and decent HR power (similar to Andrew Kennedy, but with even greater HR power potential) who should also be a solid, if not premium, defender. Honeycutt is thought to have at best an average eye but is expected to be a tough guy to strike out once he reaches his full potential (if he reaches his full potential.) And unlike top prospect White, Honeycutt has a reputation of great smarts and baseball savvy.

The team also likes the skills package of centerfielder Eddie Evans, who combines good power potential with speed and defensive range. He isn't expected to be a great contact hitter with some questions about his approach at the plate but he is only 18 and reportedly a very hard worker so the hope is that he might develop into a better hitter than he currently projects as.

A third position player at an all-important middle of the diamond position that the Brewers are targeting is shortstop Kevin Flieder, a 21-year old out of Brooklyn College. Flieder doesn't project to be a great hitter but he should have a pretty good approach at the plate and be a defensive marvel in the field as well as an accomplished runner, even if not among the speediest in the game. Like Honeycutt, Flieder is highly rated for his intelligence.

With the draft just a little less than a month away the team leadership will be analyzing and debating the merits of the players in the pool trying to find those hidden gems who might be had in later rounds.

[BirdWatcher]

The Diamond Kings come to Denver for a 4-game set, including a Sunday doubleheader.
And the suddenly red-hot Brewers sweep them and now have a 5-game winning streak and have won 7 of the 9 game they have played in May.

In game 1 the Brewers give Harry Lyerly plenty of run support while he pitches his best game of the season thus far, going the distance while giving up 1 run (on a 2nd inning solo HR) while striking out 10, walking 3, and giving up just 4 hits. The Brewers score 4 times in the 1st and another 4 in the 3rd and easily win 9-1. Lyerly improves to 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA in his first 5 starts of 1971. Ryan Rodgers (.338/.411/.438) is starting to heat up and goes 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and his first triple of 1971. Rookie utility infielder Danny Roman (.278/.350/.500) hits the lone HR for the Brewers, his first WPK round-tripper.

Daniel Torres gets the win in game 2 as he improves to 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA. Torres works 8 1/3rd, allowing 2 runs on 10 hits, striking out 5 and walking just 2. Andrew Kennedy (.318/.338/.500) has another great game at the plate, going 3 for 3, hitting both his first double and first triple of the season. Antonio Puente (.303/.378/.697) goes 3 for 4 with 4 RBI, hitting his 7th HR of the season. The Brewers win 6-3.

Puente stays hot in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader, going 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and hitting HR #8, an 8th inning blast that erased a 3-2 deficit and gave the Brewers a 5-3 victory. Adam Getchell got the start for Denver and pitched 7 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, striking out 7 and walking 4.

Top Brewers prospect, Steve Green, shines in the final game of the series, tossing 7 scoreless innings, giving up 7 hits while striking out 11 and walking not one Oklahoma City batter. The Brewers win 4-0 and Green improves to 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA. Andrew Kennedy and Danny Roman once again shine- Kennedy going 2 for 4 in the game and Roman collecting a 2-run pinch-hit triple in the 8th inning.

With the sweep the Brewers are now 14-9, tied with Phoenix for 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the San Francisco Velocity.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers head out on the road again, first to Portland to face the Wild Things for 3 games.

The Brewers keep their winning streak alive in the first game by easily defeating the Wild Things, 9-2. Abel Pennington wasn't exactly sharp, but he was a bit better than he has been thus far in 1971, lasting 6 1/3rd innings while giving up 2 runs on 10 hits. He improves to 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA. Once again Andrew Kennedy (.355/.372/.526) provides a great lift with the bat as he goes 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and hits his second double of the season. Pennington himself collects 2 hits in 3 at-bats and drives in 3 runs. Tanner Yurek (.200/.287/.314), off to a very bad start in 1971, does hit his first HR of the year while going 3 for 5.

The Brewers winning streak stops at 6 games as they drop the middle game of the series, 4-3. Cheol-han Lee (2-2, 3.13) worked 7 2/3rds innings, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 8 hits but did not figure in the decision. The game was tied 3-3 after 9 innings and the Brewers stranded multiple runners in both the 10th and 11th innings before the Wild Things combined a double, walk, and 1-out run scoring single in the bottom of the 11th to walk off with a narrow win. Jamison Bash (.284/.376/.602), who has been slumping a bit lately, did hit his 7th HR of the season in the loss.

Game 3 saw the Brewers bounce back to win the series behind the strong pitching of Harry Lyerly and 3 relievers. Lyerly improves to 5-1 with a 2.91 ERA on the season. He worked 7 innings in this one- giving up 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 8 and walking just 1. Lyerly also went 2 for 2 with a run-scoring double and a walk. Veteran lefty David Brown (1.42 ERA) gets his 2nd save on 1971. Jamison Bash (.301/.387/.634) was 3 for 5 in the game and hit his 8th HR of the season.

The Brewers are now 16-10 and are in second place, trailing the San Francisco Velocity by 1 1/2 games.

[BirdWatcher]

The Oklahoma City Diamond Kings are off to a very bad start in 1971- they have lost 7 straight and are sitting in last place with an 8-20 record.
And while a last place finish was predicted for them this year, team ownership decided it was time to make some big changes in leadership and fired long-time GM Chris Benton and long-time on-field manager Nick Weisenberg. Weisenberg has been replaced by former WPK pitcher Orlando Tobar who retired in 1967. The GM position remains unfilled at this time.

The Diamond Kings are the Brewers next opponents and it is possible this isn't the best time to be taking them on as they might be a bit of performance bump from the change in manager.

[BirdWatcher]

And sure enough, the Brewers drop 3 of 4 to the lowly Diamond Kings who start to play a bit better under new skipper, Orlando Tobar.

The Brewers lose the first game by a score of 6-5. The Brewers jump out to an early 5-0 lead, scoring all of their runs in the 2nd inning, but young top prospect Steve Green, who pitched a gem his last time out, could not hold onto the lead. Green gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in just 5 innings pitched, striking out 3, walking 1, and giving up 2 HR's. Green falls to 2-2 with a 2.94 ERA.) Antonio Puente (.307/.390/.648) went 2 for 4 and hit his 4th double of the season in the loss.

Daniel Torres continued his great start to the 1971 season by leading the team to a 7-2 victory in game 2. Torres gave up 2 runs on just 3 hits in 7 innings pitched (5 K, 5 BB) and improves to 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA. Bobby Erbakan (.278/.291/.463) led the way offensively by going 2 for 5, both of his hits HR's- his first 2 for the season- and driving in 4 runs. Antonio Puente (.315/.400/.675) went 2 for 4 and hit HR #9 for the season.

The Brewers then have their top 2 pitchers- Cheol-han Lee and Harry Lyerly- on the mound to start the Sunday doubleheader games. It seemed likely they would at least be able to salvage a series split.
But no, that didn't happen.
Lee was pretty horrible in the early contest- allowing 6 runs on 10 hits in 7 1/3rd innings pitched as the Brewers lost 6-4. Lee drops to 2-3 with a 3.71 ERA for the season. Jamison Bash (.302/.383/.623) did hit his 9th homer of the season (to tie Puente for the team lead) in the loss.
Harry Lyerly also had a bad game in the night-cap, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits in just 5 1/3rd innings pitched. Lyerly struck out 4 while walking 5 and giving up his 8th HR of the season. The Brewers lose 5-1 and Lyerly drops to 5-2 with a 3.48 ERA. Backup catcher Jeff Darden (.208/.259/.208) was the bright spot on offense as he went 2 for 3 in the game.

The Brewers drop to 17-13 and are now in a virtual tie for 3rd place with the Charlotte Sting, behind Phoenix and San Francisco who each have a 19-11 record.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers return home to face the Los Angeles Spinners, a team off to a disappointing start, and the Brewers sweep the 3 game series.

Captain Abel Pennington gives the Brewers one of his better pitching performances of the year, as he allows just 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits in 5 1/3rd innings pitched. Facing the ever tough veteran ace Jaime Schardein (2-3, 2.31) the Brewers just barely came out victorious and the big blow was a 2-out RBI double off the bat of light-hitting catcher Kevin Curtis (.214/.309/.333) which broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Brewers the 3-2 lead which the bullpen was able to hold. It was Curtis 7th double of the season. Will Smart got the win in relief and is now 1-0 with an 0.00 ERA. Miguel Solis picked up save #3 (0.93 ERA.)

Game 2 was another 1-run victory for the Brewers, this time requiring extra innings. Steve Green wasn't at his sharpest, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings pitched (3.32 ERA), but he was bailed out by some excellent bullpen work (Miguel Solis and Eric Singer each tossing 2 scoreless innings) and a timely run-scoring wild pitch by Spinners veteran reliever Rico Batista in the bottom of the 11th inning. Jamison Bash (.325/.403/.667), once again getting hot at the plate, singled to start the inning (he went 3 for 5 in the game), Antonio Puente (.296/.377/.620) followed with another single, moving the very slow Bash to second. After an unproductive fly out from Bobby Erbakan, Danny Roman hit into a fielder's choice (the speedy Roman barely avoiding being doubled up), sending Bash to third. With 2 outs and backup catcher Jeff Darden at the plate, Batista uncorked a pitch wild enough to even score the lumbering Bash from third and the Brewers won 5-4.

The final game of the series was much easier as Daniel Torres, who continues to be the most consistently good Brewers starting pitcher, allowed just 1 run on 5 hits in 7 2/3rds innings and got plenty of run support in an 8-3 victory. Torres improves to 5-1 with a 1.80 ERA. Jamison Bash and Antonio Puente continue their friendly rivalry for best HR total on the team as Bash hits HR #11 and Puente #10. Andrew Kennedy (.320/.352/.485) continues his great start with a 2 for 4 day, hitting his 3rd triple of the season.

Interesting note about Daniel Torres: although his velocity and stuff are thought to be diminished this season at age 36, and although he has long had poor control, he is off to this great start in spite of having a higher BABIP than he ever has in his career. Although it would make sense to question his ability to maintain his present level of success, it does not appear that he has been particularly lucky thus far. (Another note: he has expressed an interest in discussing a contract extension, as he will be a free agent at the end of the season, and I am not ruling it out, in spite of his age.)

[BirdWatcher]

Next up for the Brewers at home- a 4-game series against Charlotte (including another Sunday doubleheader.)

The result was a series split.

Nominal ace Cheol-han Lee had another disappointing start in game 1, as he allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits in 7 2/3rds innings pitched. He left the game with the Brewers trailing 5-2. The offense took him off the hook with a 4 run 8th inning. After loading the bases with a pair of singles and a walk, Jamison Bash, who was given a rare day off from starting at third base, walked up to the plate as a pinch-hitter with 2 outs and the bases juiced. Bash worked the first 7 pitches to a 3-2 count, then banged the 8th pitch of the at-bat for a towering opposite field homer down the rightfield line to give the Brewers the 6-5 lead that would prove to be the final score.

The Brewers were shut-out, 4-0, in game 2 by lefty Erik Sloan (4-4, 3.74). Harry Lyerly took the loss for the Brewers, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits while striking out 8 and walking 2 in 8 innings pitched. Lyerly falls to 5-3 with a 3.62 ERA. The Brewers offense only manages 3 singles and a pair of walks against Sloan and 2 Sting relievers.

The Brewers picked up a 5-3 win in the first game of the Sunday double-header. Adam Getchell got the start and lasted just 4 2/3rds innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits. But veteran Will Smart came out of the bullpen to pitch 2 scoreless innings (Smart is making a good case for a return to the rotation) and gets the win to go to 2-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA. Ruben Souffront (yes, I know it's been awhile since I've mentioned him) has seen limited play this year but of late is starting to get a bit hot at the plate and went 3 for 4 in the game to lift his batting average to .295. Miguel Solis got his 4th save and now has an ERA of 0.77.

The Brewers had good chances to win the night-cap and take the series, but they couldn't capitalize and ended up losing in 10 innings, 4-3. On the plus side, Ruben Souffront (.308/.324/.415) was 2 for 4 in the game, hit his 2nd double of the season and picked up his 3rd stolen base. With Pat Rondeau (.200/.200/.280) suffering through an extended slump thus far in 1971, Ruben may likely be getting more playing time going forward.

[BirdWatcher]

Checking in on some of the Brewers minor league prospects, let's start with top prospect (not counting pitcher Steve Green, who is already a member of the Brewers rotation this season), centerfielder Joe McPhillips.
McPhillips turned 22 in January and is very nearly WPK ready. He has put up great numbers the past few years at class A Bainbridge and AA Nashville. He got off to a bit of a slow start this year at AAA Chester, but he seems to have adjusted now and is actually on target for his best WAR season yet (projected at 8.6).

The big question with McPhillips remains his propensity to strike out too often although his K rate in the minors hasn't been all that alarming. He is improving his plate discipline in terms of earning bases on balls. But if he doesn't cut down on his strikeouts a bit he might end up with poor to average contact skills at the big league level. On the other hand, he has great gap power and has been a doubles machine in his minor league career. He also continues to show some potential for above average HR power. In addition, McPhillips is a premier defender and easily could win some Gold Gloves as a big league centerfielder. While he isn't a top-level base-stealer or base-runner he does have top of the line speed which could help him leg out a good number of infield hits as well as triples.

At this point it would appear that McPhillips ceiling is that of a well-above average WPK centerfielder who earns some All-Star appearances as well as Gold Gloves. With his raw skills and great work ethic (which has made him a fan favorite), McPhillips likely has a floor of average WPK outfielder who has a long, mostly productive career.

The projection at this point is that McPhillips will join the Brewers at the September 1st roster expansion, if not before, and that he will be given every opportunity to earn the starting centerfield job in 1972. This would let Ryan Rodgers play almost exclusively in left, and shift Antonio Puente over to rightfield for the majority of the time. It does mean that for 1972 either Pat Rondeau or Ruben Souffront (and possibly both) will be out in the cold and likely traded. Andrew Kennedy has surely earned a spot on the roster as the back-up leftielder/firstbaseman.

[BirdWatcher]

Another Brewers outfield prospect currently at AAA Chester who could be in a Brewers uniform soon is rightfielder Josh Schaeffer.

Schaeffer has put up pretty consistently solid offensive numbers that past 3 seasons in the minors. He is a decent contact hitter with good plate discipline and he projects to possibly earn a well-above average number of walks in the future. He has the speed and base-stealing savvy to take advantage of the opposition once on base. As a defender his strength is his arm but he mostly won't hurt you in the field.

The Brewers scouting staff sees Schaeffer's ceiling as that of a second-division starter in the WPK. Given his questionable work habits, mediocre gap power and poor HR power, Schaeffer's floor is likely that of a bench player for a few seasons at the WPK level.

He might earn the 5th outfielder/25th man job on the Brewers in 1972 but much will depend upon how the rest of 1971 goes for Pat Rondeau and/or Ruben Souffront.

[BirdWatcher]

Another decent position player prospect at AAA Chester is firstbaseman Steve Hobza.
Hobza started the 1971 season in a Brewers uniform when Bobby Erbakan went down with an injury at the end of Spring Training. Hobza looked over-matched in his sparse appearances, but has performed quite well at Chester since being sent back upon Erbakan's return.

Although Erbakan continues to perform below expectations offensively this season, the thought is that the 2-time Gold Glove winner still has room for growth at age 24 and could still be a star in the league. Therefore, Hobza really doesn't have a place on the big league club, especially with Andrew Kennedy performing great back-up for Erbakan at first.

Hobza could be very useful for some WPK team though and will likely be used as trade bait by the Brewers in the near future. Hobza has solid contact skills with great gap power and has a very mature approach at the plate. He should collect a lot of walks and strikeout infrequently. And while he doesn't have Erbakan's defensive skills at first, he should be able to man the position quite adequately.

Hobza's ceiling is likely that of solid, starting contributor at the WPK level, even a possible All-Star at some point. His floor is thought to be that of an average or slightly below average starting firstbaseman on a second-division ball club.

[BirdWatcher]

In game 1 of a 2 game series at home versus the Baltimore Lords, rookie starter Steve Green hurled a complete game, allowing 3 runs on just 5 hits, while striking out 8 and walking 3 batters. He also got plenty of run support, led by Antonio Puente (.317/.394/.667), who is on target for his best season yet as a big leaguer. Puente went 3 for 4 in the game, hitting his 7th double and 11th HR of the season. Ruben Souffront (.314/.329/.457) hit HR #2 and went 2 for 5. Tanner Yurek (.204/.288/.327), off to a horrible start after having one of the best seasons of his career in 1970, was 2 for 4 and hit his 2nd HR of the season. The Brewers won 8-3. Steve Green improved to 3-2 with a 3.26 ERA and is now second only to teammate Harry Lyerly in K/9IP in the MGL (7.6 to Lyerly's 8.1).

The Brewers drop the second game of the series in a back-and-forth game that required 10 innings for resolution. Daniel Torres (5-1, 2.04) hurled 7 1/3rd innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits, earning a no decision. Ryan Rodgers (.296/.359/.388) went 3 for 5 in the loss.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers then travel south to Phoenix for two games against the first place Speed Devils. And while the games were close and low scoring, the Brewers lose both.

In game 1, Cheol-han Lee continued his uneven start to the 1971 season, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits (7K, 3BB) over 8 innings pitched in a 4-1 loss. Lee drops to 2-4 with a 3.78 ERA. The Brewers manage only 4 hits in the game against veteran lefty Dave Iskra. (As has been their pattern for several years, the Brewers have a much worse record against lefthanded starters this season than against righthanders, .400 to .667 in terms of winning percentage.) The lone Brewers run was scored on a Bobby Erbakan (.239/.271/.391) solo HR, his 3rd of the season.

Reigning MGL Pitcher of the Year Harry Lyerly (5-3, 3.49) gave the Brewers a solid 7 1/3rd innings in game 2- allowing 2 runs on just 3 hits, while striking out 5 and walking 4- but the Brewers drop a narrow 3-2 decision when the Speed Devils get a walk-off win in the bottom of the 9th against Brewers closer Miguel Solis (1-1, 1.09). Jamison Bash (.299/.384/.632) hit his 13th homerun of the season in the loss.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers wrapped up the month of May by travelling to Charlotte for a 4-game series against the 5th place Sting.

The Brewers got another big game from veteran thirdbaseman Jamison Bash (.309/.391/.658), who appears to be having a bit of a career renaissance at the age of 35 in Brewers purple. Bash went 3 for 5 in the game, hitting his 8th double of the season and 14th HR, and leading the Brewers to a narrow 6-5 victory. Will Smart got his first start of the season, lasting 6 2/3rds innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits and he did not get a decision. Miguel Solis (2-1, 1.38) got the win in relief and Eric Singer (3-2, 1.59) picked up his second save of the season as the Brewers won 5-4. Defensive specialist Oscar Vargas (.154/.220/.231), off to a very poor start at the plate, hit his 1st HR of the season.

Saturday's game 2 of the series was postponed due to inclement weather.

In the Sunday doubleheader, the Brewers offense scored early and often in the opener, on the way to an 8-3 victory. Jamison Bash (.312/.395/.669) extended his consecutive games with a HR streak to 3, as he hit his 15th HR of the season, a 3-run shot in the 3rd inning. Bash was officially 1 for 1 as he also drew a pair of walks in the game. Impressively, the Brewers scored their 8 runs on only 5 hits, largely due to drawing 9 walks in the game and collecting 2 doubles (Steve Green, Andrew Kennedy), 1 triple (Ryan Rodgers) and the Bash HR among their 5 hits. Rookie pitcher Steve Green worked 8 innings, giving up 3 runs (late in the game) on 9 hits while striking out 3 and walking 2. Green improves to 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA.

Charlotte avoided getting swept in the series with a 9th inning walk-off win in the night-cap. Daniel Torres (5-1, 1.94) was sharp again for the Brewers, allowing just 1 run on 6 hits in 7 2/3rds innings pitched but did not get much run support as the Brewers managed only 1 run on 4 hits and they lost 2-1. Brewers closer Miguel Solis suffered the loss and falls to 2-2 with a 1.67 ERA.

The Brewers end May with a 25-19 record and are in third place, 5 1/2 games behind the Phoenix Speed Devils and 3 1/2 behind the second place San Francisco Velocity.

[BirdWatcher]

Ian Dube had a great month of May playing second base for the class A Bainbridge Brawlers, winning Player of the Month honors.
Dube is not a premium prospect and probably benefited from being a more experienced player in his league but since has earned a promotion to AA Nashville where the club will closely monitor his progress.

Dube is considered a solid defensive second sacker who is strong on the pivot with an average hit tool but an above average understanding of the strike zone, and modest speed but with above average base stealing technique. He profiles as a durable player and what really sets him apart and keeps him from being an after-thought is his great character, work habits, and baseball smarts.

Dube's ceiling is probably that of an average big league second baseman for a few years at his peak. His floor is likely that of a bench-player/utility infielder for anything from a cup-of-coffee to several years in a WPK uniform.

[BirdWatcher]

Ian Dube's main competitor as future Brewers second baseman is Jonathan Koch, who moved up to AAA Chester recently when Dube took his place at AA Nashville.

Koch is a 22-year old with the potential for a plus hitting tool and who already possesses great defensive skills. Koch likely won't draw many walks at the big league level but it is projected that he will also be very tough to strike out, adding to his well above average contact potential. Koch already shows strong gap power skills and projects to develop average homerun power.
While Koch possesses good raw speed, his running game is unpolished and he could be a detriment on the base paths.

Koch's ceiling is that of an above average WPK starting second baseman, one who might earn a few All-Star appearances and possibly a gold glove or two along the way. His floor is probably that of an average big league second baseman for at least a few years at his peak.

Depending upon the development of Danny Roman in a Brewers uniform, and the performance of starter Tanner Yurek as he moves into his mid-30's, Koch may find himself the Brewers starting second baseman in the next few seasons or might be used as trade bait.

[BirdWatcher]

Eric Johnson, who won a Pitcher of the Year award in class A in 1969 and finished second for the same award at AA in 1970, once again garners honors, this time as May's Pitcher of the Month pitching for AAA Chester. (This is his 3rd Pitcher of the Month award in his minor league career.)

Johnson is one of those mystifying prospects who doesn't look to have a very high ceiling but just keeps winning in the minors. His peripherals aren't great, but his success up to this point is undeniable. Johnson is currently ranked as the 142nd best prospect in the WPK.

A four-pitch pitcher, Johnson's best offering is an above average curveball. His fringy changeup could still develop into something useful and he has an average slider with a little room for growth. His fastball doesn't profile as ever being anything but average and stays in the low-90's. His propensity to get groundballs does play well in the Brewers philosophy and would give pitching coach, Blake Martin, who specializes in working with groundballers, something to work with. The belief is that Johnson could develop above average control to go along with his pretty average stuff and below average ability to suppress homeruns.

With his multi-pitch repertoire, good intelligence, and durability, Johnson's ceiling is likely that of an adequate back-end of the rotation pitcher. His floor is that of a career minor leaguer who possibly has a few cups of coffee at the big league level as an injury replacement starter/long reliever. While his baseball smarts are unquestioned, there remain doubts about his commitment to the hard work it would take to be a legitimate big league pitcher.

[BirdWatcher]

San Francisco's star thirdbaseman, Jesse Cibula, the pride of Cortez, Colorado, suffered a broken rib in a base path collision on the last day of May.

Cibula, only 24 years old and already a 6-time All-Star and the reigning MGL MVP, is off to a tremendous start in 1971, leading most offensive categories.
His absence will be a challenge for the second place Velocity.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers continue their uneven play by dropping 2 of 3 to the 7th place Baltimore Lords in Baltimore.

Game 1 was a pitcher's duel as Cheol-han Lee and Ricky Diaz (2-6, 3.46) were unscored upon for the first six innings. Lee gave way to Miguel Solis in the 7th, who allowed a hit but no runs, and then Eric Singer came in to work the last 2 innings. Diaz went the full 9 and finally allowed a run in the top of the 9th. It would be the only run scored in the game as Denver won 1-0. With the win Singer improves to 4-2 (1.46 ERA).

The bats remained quiet in the first game of a rare Thursday double-header as the Brewers lost 2-1. Harry Lyerly deserved better, as he gave up just 1 run on 7 hits with 7 strikeouts and 1 walk in 7 2/3rds innings. The lone run allowed by Lyerly was a 7th inning solo HR that tied the game at 1-1. Baltimore's veteran captain, Jose Santos, allowed just 1 run on 5 hits in 7 innings. Miguel Solis was uncharacteristically wild, allowing 3 walks and 1 hit in the bottom of the 9th, including issuing a bases-loaded walk to give the Lords the walk-off (literally) victory.

While the Lords offense came alive in the night-cap, the Brewers bats remained silent, as the Lords won 6-0. Brewers captain Abel Pennington took the loss and is now 1-2 with a 4.11 ERA for the season. Only 1 of the 5 runs allowed by Pennington was earned as back-up shortstop Danny Roman committed 2 very costly errors in the game. Of the 4 hits collected in the game by the Brewers, 2 of them came off the bat of Andrew Kennedy (.316/.345/.456), who remains a bright spot.