If you’re not one of those baseball nerds who follows every single thing going on in the Milwaukee Brewers Organization, don’t worry, because The Sports Bank’s Nick Grays has you covered with what happened in the past week and what’s going on in the future.
And if you are one of those nerds, feel free to join in on some good old analysis of America’s pastime in the Brew City.
This week we talk about the Brewers not being ready for first place, Shaun Marcum’s mysterious injury and more inter-league play!
By: Nick Grays
Standings:
Milwaukee Brewers (40-33) (12-10-2 in series)
– Tied for first in the NL Central with the St. Louis Cardinals
– Two games ahead of third place Cincinnati Reds
– Run differential at +15 (down 16 from last week)
– Both the Cardinals (+27) and Reds (+30) own better run differentials
Last Week’s Headlines:
Milwaukee Struggles Atop the NL Central
Who knew a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs was going to be a bad thing for the Brewers? At Wrigley Field, the Brewers were only able to win one game.
Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly how the team wanted to enter Boston.
If the Brewers played bad in Chicago, they were straight embarrassed in Bean Town. Just like the last time they visited Fenway, most of the Brewers pitchers had no chance in the historic ballpark. Randy Wolf was the lone pitcher to shine this weekend when he tossed seven innings of two run baseball to win on Saturday.
The worst lick of the weekend occurred on Friday when starting pitcher Shaun Marcum was forced to leave the game in the first inning due to hip pain. More on the injury in the next section.
With all that said, the Brewers are somehow still tied atop the division standings. They really blew a chance to establish a lead over the Cardinals and Reds, but will get another chance this week when they return home.
Marcum Appears to be OK
According to Tom Haurdricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, Marcum had an MRI and there appears to be no structural damage. He will have more testing in Milwaukee on Monday and if everything goes according to plan he will throw a bullpen session later that night. If and only then will it be decided whether he will make his scheduled start on Wednesday versus the Tampa Bay Rays.
The loss of Marcum could be a big blow to the Brewers who have benefited tremendously from his consistency. He’s also been the team’s best pitcher on the road, a huge necessity for the team with their recent woes on the road.
If Marcum can’t go Wednesday, Marco Estrada would be the most likely replacement.
In Case You Missed It:
(6/19) Mention of former Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets as overrated in “The Irrationally Overrated Players: White Sox Mark Buehrle and Company” (Don’t worry, I stood up for the guy in the comment section)
(6/19) Do you know which Brewers are Notre Dame alum? Find out in TSB’s “Update on Notre Dame Fighting Irish in MLB, MiLB”
Looking Ahead:
Inter-League Play Continues 
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Brewers who welcome in two very formidable American Leagueopponents into Miller Park this upcoming week.
It starts on Monday with the Tampa Bay Rays (39-33) who are fresh off a sweep of the ailing Florida Marlins. The Rays still believe they can catch the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East and to do so, they need to take care of business in Milwaukee. If Marcum does indeed come back on Wednesday, his match-up with Tampa Bay’s David Price will be a must-watch game.
On Friday, the Twins come to town for series one of their annual home-and-away sequence with the Brewers. The Twins (31-39) have been one of the hottest teams in all of baseball of late while winning seven straight and nine of their last ten. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun better bring the bats because the Twinkies arms have been dealing.
Monday, June 20th 7:10 PM (vs. Tampa Bay)
Probable Pitchers: LHP Chris Narveson (4-4) vs. RHP Jeff Niemann (1-4)
Tuesday, June 21st 7:10 PM (vs. Tampa Bay)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Zack Greinke (6-2) vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (7-5)
Wednesday, June 22nd 1:10 PM (vs. Tampa Bay)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Shaun Marcum (7-2) vs. LHP David Price (7-6)
Thursday, June 23rd (OFF)
Friday, June 24th 7:10 PM (vs. Minnesota)
Probable Pitchers: LHP Randy Wolf (5-4) vs. RHP Scott Baker (5-4)
Saturday, June 25th 6:10 PM (vs. Minnesota)
Probable Pitchers: RHP Yovani Gallardo (8-4) vs. LHP Francisco Liriano (4-6)
Sunday, June 26th 1:10 PM (vs. Minnesota)
Probable Pitchers: LHP Chris Narveson (4-4) vs. RHP Carl Pavano (4-5)
Are the Brewers still a bad road team? Can they sustain their first place standing? 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.
The post Milwaukee Brewers Weekly Check-In (6-20-11) appeared first on The Sports Bank.