Disciples of Uecker

Probable Pitchers Friday: Jimmy Nelson (3.39 ERA, 5.16 DRA, 108 cFIP, 6.6 K/9) v. Jason Hammel (3.34 ERA, 4.35 DRA, 106 cFIP, 7.6 K/9) Jimmy Nelson had a strong outing in his first start of the second half, dominating the Reds with seven shutout innings in… [More]

Morry Gash/AP Probable Pitchers: Tuesday: Jimmy Nelson (3.46 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 3.5 BB/9) v. Kyle Hendricks (4.00 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 1.5 BB/9) The series opener with the Cubs on Tuesday probably represents Milwaukee’s best chance to put a couple of crooked numbers up on the scoreboard as they face Chicago’s… [More]

I have a list of outcomes that I hope for from each Brewer game. This season, “winning the game” is further down the list than you might think. It’s behind things like “young players playing well” and “Martin Maldonado gunning someone down on the bases.” That’s the… [More]

As pitchers rise through the minor leagues, fans are bombarded with projections of their supposed ceilings: “future ace”; “mid-rotation guy”; “back-end at best.” These are just that: projections. The projections tell us about the pitcher’s potential, but not usually where the pitcher is now.  That’s… [More]

The 2013 Detroit Tigers featured the most productive starting rotation since the 1997 Atlanta Braves, generating 25.5 Wins Above Replacement (Fangraphs fWAR). One reason is that the Tigers had five very talented pitchers. But another is that the Tigers enjoyed terrific health, and had only… [More]

Earlier this week, Baseball Prospectus published my calculations and rankings of the “core” roster quality of all 30 teams. Having a strong “core” means not only having players who produce, but who also produce while they are under long-term control and preferably while at or… [More]

I don’t need to tell you that it’s bad for the Brewers, right now. Their team ERA is 4.55, worst in the National League. Prior to Thursday’s game, the Brewers’ high-powered offense was only hitting .243 with runners in scoring position, which is lower than… [More]

Earlier this week, the folks at the LA Times put together a pretty sweet, interactive tool that can compare where each MLB team has spent its payroll for the 2013 season. I highly, highly recommend that you check it out. I find the disparity of… [More]

No matter how much the Brewers’ management team and Shaun Marcum explained away his spring shoulder pain, I gather that most Brewers fans held their breath until they could see him in real game action. Behind the shoulder pain and the talk of a mechanical… [More]

This is the second in an ongoing series on the teams of the NL Central. You can find part 1 on the Houston Astros [here]. 1) Will Starlin Castro take the step forward to true stardom? In May 2010, the young shortstop was busy posting… [More]