The Cain Mutiny (but this time it's in Milwaukee)

A year after becoming the sleeper playoff favorites, the Milwaukee Brewers don't seem like they'll be repeating their 2018 postseason success. Or...really any of their 2018 success.

The only Milwaukee Brewer who's shone any sign of improvement aside from Christian Yelich is Mike Moustakas, who's had more well-rounded numbers this year in Milwaukee than in his half-year stint last year. Brandon Woodruff was improving, but he's injured. Gio Gonzalez was improving, but he's been on-and-off the DL. Eric Thames is an improvement, but I think the Brewers would prefer Jesus Aguilar knowing how he's doing in Tampa. Even 2018-era Jordan Lyles is better than this year's version.

Yes, this team is still over .500, and is third place in the NL Central, but in a year where the division has seemed open enough for the Cardinals to sneak through, the same concept somehow doesn't apply to the Brewers. And that's because the pitching inefficiency that only occasionally mattered in 2018 is hitting them hard this year, with them having to call on people like Adrian Houser, Jimmy Nelson and a less-than-stellar Chase Anderson in lieu of feasible, impressive options. Yes, Davies, Gio and Lyles are great, but there's no depth. It's not like Woodruff can come in from the bullpen and shock everyone like last year. They're out of pitching surprises, and even Josh Hader is feeling kinda pedestrian this year, which says something.

And even you still have guys like Lorenzo Cain, Yasmani Grandal and Keston Hiura, who are playing beautifully, there's still a lack of shock value, a lack of oomph that was present in last year's unstoppable playoff force. Even if Ryan Braun is having his best season in years, even if Christian Yelich could win another MVP, and even if Keston Hiura could very well be the NL Rookie of the Year...this Brewers team may come short of playoff expectations, as the Phillies, Cubs, Diamondbacks and Nats all have better wild-card cases than they do. Yes, the D-Backs are in it more than the Brewers.

It's incredibly sad that the Brewers have become this irrelevant this year. I don't think it'll stay like this, especially if the pitching regroups, but...it's still sad to watch.

Coming Tomorrow- I was talking with my Met-fan cousin this summer, and he's still pissed they gave this guy up. Angels fans have to be thrilled, though.

Nova Prime

What a weird little player Ivan Nova has become.

I mean, he was fine with the Yankees for a while, and he was fine with the Pirates for a while, but...Nova might be the streakiest, most inconsistent pitcher working today. Because when he's on, like in 2011, or during the last half of 2016 with Pittsburgh, he can be deadly, and unhittable. But a lot of the time, he hovers around a 5 ERA, he gives up like 27 home runs a year, and he just sort of...gives you innings in lieu of production. Right now he's leading the league in hits allowed.

But in his first season in Chicago, Nova has been...relatively alright. I mean, he had a slow enough start, but since July he's been red-hot, bringing his ERA down to a 4.50, and in the last month he's got a 1.97 ERA with a 3-2 record. Granted, the consistency that shone through July and most of August is beginning to die down in the last two starts, but on a roster that's without Carlos Rodon, and that can't solely rely on Lucas Giolito, he's been a fine 2nd-starter.

Still, Nova and Gio seem to be the only starters who haven't been shellacked by this team's utter lack of run support- even rookie Dylan Cease is struggling, along with names like Ross Detwiler, Manny Banuelos and Dylan Covey. Yes, the bullpen duo of Aaron Bummer and Alex Colome is still sharp-as-ever, but until they come on, you're kinda screwed.

At the very least, the Sox seemed to have hammered down a solid lineup that could surpass this losing year, with guys like Tim Anderson, Yolmer Sanchez, Yoan Moncada and James McCann feeling like perennial guys. It looks like Jose Abreu may leave next year, and they may call upon a hastily-prepared replacement at 1st, but...I honestly think the 2020 team might be a little better than this one. They start at 0, and get this unit to work together...we could be in for better numbers, finally.

Coming Tonight: He's a perennial All-Star, an outfield asset, and...his team won't be making the playoffs.

Regular Jean

The Phillies...just...won't...die!

First they're leading the division, then they're in fourth behind the Mets, and now they're gunning for the last NL Wild Card spot, 2.5 games behind the Cubs. I'd like to think the Cubs have more of a show to defend themselves, but they're playing the Brewers all week, while the Cardinals play the Pirates and Giants. Unless there's a serious inversion, as much as I want there to be one, this may be the Phils gunning for the Cubs' spot.

The Phils, however, have picked the right time to get hot. They've taken one from the Mets, and one from the Reds, and are only gonna build momentum as they play 3 more Reds games, and a few more Mets games. I want them to get to the point where by the time they play the Braves in a week, they're strong enough that they can be a match for them.

And it's a communal thing. Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper are hitting. Eflin and Velasquez have had some nice starts. Blake Parker and Mike Morin have been sharp pickups from Minnesota. Corey Dickerson and Logan Morrison are partying like it's 2017 in Tampa again. Jay Bruce is healthy and getting hotter. Realmuto and Nola are still league standouts. Even if Jean Segura's away for a few days, he's still rocking it whenever he's at the plate.

There's a surprising amount of depth and nuance to this team, and I'm glad we're still talking about them in September. They keep this up, they could sneak right into the Wild Card game. I sincerely hope they do.

Coming Tomorrow- His slow start scared me, and his team, but since July he's been hot as hell on the mound.

Eddie and the Confusers

Eduardo Rodriguez has a 16-5 record. This is among the top 10 W/L percentages in baseball right now. #1 is Domingo German. #s 4 and 5 are Astros. Eddie is #6.

To be honest, Rodriguez' come-up was inevitable. During last season's ultimate uprising in Boston, Eddie was one of the forgotten figures, with a 13-5 record and 146 strikeouts. Unfortunately, in a year with David Price, Chris Sale and Nate Eovaldi in that same rotation, his stats were dwarfed, and only one of his 2018 postseason appearances was a start.

If for some reason the Red Sox make it to October this year...I feel like they'd want Rodriguez to start a game. I think he's finally proved himself, not by being better than usual, because I don't think he is...but being good in a year when Price and Sale are not. Sale's season will go down as his weakest to date, even with the injury, and Price's, while also injury-marred, is also marked by the man's highest ERA since 2009. And in a year where it seems like no other starting pitchers seem to be complying, including Eovaldi, Andrew Cashner, Hector Velazquez, Rick Porcello or Brian Johnson, having Rodriguez not only having a uniformly solid year, but a league-standard kind of year, is a good sign.

This is clearly not the Red Sox' year. Banking too hard on its 2018 squad by resigning Steve Pearce and Nate Eovaldi instead of picking up free agents doomed them to a mediocre season where the best parts of its 2018 squad seemed to be held back by the shortcomings of keeping the same people and letting them all turn one year older. Even if Bogaerts, Devers, Betts and Martinez are awesome this year, they're only a small part of the lineup, and if the rest of the lineup is only doing alright, and if your savior 2nd baseman prospect gets injured as things begin to pick up (which seems to be a theme in the AL East), then it nullifies everything else.

The Boston Red Sox have a chance to squeak into the postseason, but they'll have to outdo Oakland, Cleveland and Tampa. So good luck.

Coming Tonight: A man who has been traded for Zack Greinke, Chase Anderson, Isan Diaz, Aaron Hill, Ketel Marte, Taijuan Walker,  J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana. And he's still one of the best players to watch work.

Yaz, Part II

The reason why September is such a fun month is that the rosters open up a little and you get to see all these minor-league lifers finally given a chance to join the show, take some reps, and audition for next year. And you're seeing that all over- big time prospects like LA's Gavin Lux and Toronto's Michael Kay are getting their shot at the bigs, because they've got nothing else to lose.

The most interesting AAA-lifer to make it this year debuted back in May. Mike Yastrzemski, a guy I saw play for Norfolk against the Toledo Mud Hens, finally got called up to the majors at age 28. Apparently it wasn't enough for some people that Mike was Carl Yastrzemski's grandson- he had to walk the walk too, and with 83 games in the majors, he's batting .265 with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs, which isn't too bad.

The reason why Yaz is making such a splash in San Fran is...with the exception of the mainstays from the early part of the decade, like Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt and Madison Bumgarner, a lot of the team isn't set in stone, and a lot of the roster is subject to trying shit. Like, Alex Dickerson was thrown into a outfield spot after a few years of kicking around San Diego, and now he's hitting .325 in 44 games with a 1.004 OPS. With Buster Posey injured, the Giants brought on Stephen Vogt to see if he had anything left in the tank, and Vogt brought his lovable everyman qualities back to the bay area, with 8 home runs and a .272 average as backup. After deciding that neither Scooter Gennett nor Joe Panik was good enough for 2nd base in San Fran, the Giants settled on former Miami backup infielder Donovan Solano, and he's hitting .339 in 61 games.

A lot of this team doesn't occupy normal logic. Did you honestly expect it to?

I mean, you do get some call-ups, like Logan Webb and Connor Menez, who subscribe to normal rookie customs, but...other than that, this is a weird-ass team. They're not making the playoffs, and they're barely below .500, but...there's still some compelling, weird bits of this team that are refusing to stay quiet, which is kinda nice.

I kinda wanna know how this breakneck philosophy will translate to 2020. What Giants team will be left then? And will it be as weird as this one?

Coming Tomorrow- A guy named Eddie who's been more consistent than either David Price or Chris Sale this year.

Elvis has Reentered the Building

Today, the Yankees play the only AL team they've yet to face...and thankfully it's the Rangers, so they might be able to sneak out some wins.

This Rangers team is a very...forgettably okay one. They're a little under .500, and they're in 3rd, and they have no chance of making the postseason, but they weren't nicked at the deadline, and they still have enough of their core to be competent in matchups. So...they still win games.

Look, I don't think the Rangers have recovered from losing Joey Gallo to the IL, as even with Elvis Andrus back to his consistent, likable self, this is still an underwhelming team at times. You're relying on offensive standouts like Danny Santana, Delino DeShields, and a pair of 35-year-old outfielders. What'd you expect. Hell, you were too good for Asdrubal Cabrera, even!

The best thing I can say is at least they have a concrete starting rotation, something they've struggled with all year, behind Mike Minor and Lance Lynn. As much as Ariel Jurado can be shaky at times, you have Brock Burke, who has a 1.50 ERA in 3 starts, and you have Kolby Allard, who has 3 wins and 27 strikeouts in 5 starts. Burke and Allard could definitely head up this rotation in a short time, and given that Minor and Lynn are signed for 1 and 2 more years respectively, this rotation could be pretty kickass in the future.

But for now...we have Willie Calhoun and Nick Solak gasping for playing time, Jeff Mathis starting at catcher while hitting under the mendoza line, and Rougned Odor continuing to be a face of the team despite hitting .194 with 154 strikeouts. This team needs a lot more work before they can compete again.

Coming Tonight: Last year, at a minor league game, I saw a kid playing for Norfolk that was the grandson of a Hall of Famer, and I kinda figured that if he was toiling in the minors, he'd never break the majors. I was wrong.

The Stars Are Out: July & August 2019

It's getting harder and harder to plan these Stars are Out posts at the end of every month. Lots of work goes into, uh, doing a whole bunch of them and not forgetting they're in the file.

I'm doing two months worth today, because it's Labor Day weekend and y'all deserve a treat.

Let's start with this guy, because football season's on its way- Will Shields is Kansas City Royalty, Nebraska Royalty (hence the colors), and, according to my dad, an insanely nice person to work with. It was Nebraska day at Kauffman, and they figured they'd get some guaranteed applause up in there, so Will Shields threw out a pitch. All class.

[For the record, Will Shields has seen this custom. Folks, it is incredibly scary when people who have accomplished things are looking down on your amateur work, but, since he approved, perhaps it'll be less scary in the future]

 Let's throw in some other sports stars. Anthony Davis is happy he didn't wait til New Orleans got a baseball team in order to do one of these. I'm sure he'll be fantastic as a Laker, but...knowing their luck with LeBron, I'd be slightly skeptical.

 This wasn't even a cross-town kind of thing- Giannis Antetokounmpo just showed up at Yankee Stadium because he's awesome, and they just let him do his thing. I don't blame them.

 This isn't cross-town either, as Landry would have to be pitching in LA. No, former 76er Landry Shamet is from Kansas City, so he's a hometown hero in a way, if you define 'hero' as 'guy who was traded for Tobias Harris'.

You want a hero? Here's Carli Lloyd. She's won two Women's World Cup Championships by now, she's the face of the sport, and she's from Philly. And she can rock some 80s blues. Gotta love all of that.

One last non-baseball sports guy: Ric Goddamned Flair. The Naitch. In the flesh. Throwing one out in Houston. I imagine there was a lot of 'WOOOOOOO'ing that night.

 Now onto some MLB team legends. For 90s Weekend in Miami, Antonio Alfonseca, one of the stars of the 2003 World Series squad, showed up to give a six-fingered wave to his adoring fans (which, in Miami, he's got some of), and threw one out. I do love those old-school Marlins vests.

Luis Castillo also threw one out, but...since his implication in a drug ring, I didn't think it'd be a good idea to post his.

 Now we're talking. One of the more likable outfield bats of his era, Dusty Baker, who wowed in San Francisco, Atlanta and Los Angeles, before becoming a pennant winner and 3-time manager of the year with the Giants, Cubs, Reds and Nationals. Glad they still love him in SF.

 And then there's David Cone. I dunno, man, you pitch a perfect game in New York and we love you for life. This was the 20th anniversary of said perfect game, and he showed up to commemorate. Good stuff.

And I can't not mention a worthy appearance from former Cubs whiz-kid fireballer Henry Rowengartner. Good to see he's still got his velocity. And all I could say is thank god Chet Steadman wasn't in attendance.

 Yes, some Hall of Famers did show up around induction weekend to thank the fans. Harold Baines, a guy I never thought would be inducted in, showed up with his kid, threw one out at Comiskey, and was all class.

And of course...Edgar Martinez, who's pretty much a deity in Seattle, albeit a humble one, got to come back to T-Mobile park and throw one out as well. He's gotta be loving this.

Now, let's get to some fringy pop-culture ones. James Holzhauer had a record-breaking run on Jeopardy, and captured the minds of a nation. Of course he's a Cubs fan. Of course he is. They've got to love him at Wrigley, though.

Also, while it's not rare for a Murray brother to throw out a first pitch at Wrigley, it's not everyday you see Joel Murray do one, one of the under appreciated greats. Joel's been making the rounds with Whose Live Anyway, with Greg Proops, Ryan Stiles and Jeff Davis, so he's clearly gotten some improv genes from the rest of his family.

Another Cubs first pitch came from Mexican movie star and recent US crossover favorite Eugenio Derbez, who's been in a few US movies like Overboard and the new Dora movie, but...I mean, like any of this is gonna top Instructions Not Included? I mean, come on.

And for one last Cubs one, here's music legend Mavis Staples. You may have heard her collab with Arcade Fire or Hozier, or...know about her fantastic career of singing soul and blues and such, which is even better. Another person that it's nice to know is a Cubs fan.

 A few more pop culture ones to round this post out. Rian Johnson's a fantastic director- he did Looper, and the less-beloved Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but he's a genuinely likable guy, and a Dodgers lifer. According to this photo, his first pitch may have missed a little.

 Tea Leoni's baseball bias may not be a factor here, but her character on Madam Secretary is, in fact, a Mets fan, and they got to shoot a scene from the show at CitiField, with her in character, which was nice.

And we end on Seinfeld. How the hell can I NOT end on Seinfeld?

Jerry Seinfeld is a huge Mets fan. I remember his excitement in 2015, for the 'Cespedes for the rest of us' stretch run. And here he is loving it all with Conforto. Gotta love him.

Hopefully the September ones of these won't come too far into October.