I know that Brewers fans might be a little nervous right now. Nervous because of the news that came late yesterday afternoon. Rickie Weeks, who was off to the best start of his big league career, is done for the season because of a wrist injury that he suffered Sunday against St. Louis. But, I'm here to tell you it isn't time to panic.
Yes, Weeks was one of the reasons the Brewers were playing as well as they were playing. But he wasn't the reason. The Brewers were playing well because a lot of things were going right. The starting pitching is racking up quality start after qulity start. The bullpen has been more than solid since Trevor Hoffman got back fron his oblique injury. And the Brewers have been getting timely hits from a number of different players.
Yes, losing Weeks hurts, but there is no reason to think the Brewers can't win without him. They've done it before. they can do it again. And, if the in house replacements aren't up to the task, the Brewers could go out and get someone. Owner Mark Attanasio said right before the season started that the team had the flexibility in their budget to add a player if they needed to. The organization may have to do just that before it's all said and done.
Again, there is no reason to lose your swagger just yet.
That being said, let's rewind back to February 17th. The NBA was fresh off their All-Star Break. Matt Kenseth had just won a rain shortened Daytona 500, and I wrote that I had a lot of questions about the 2009 Brewers. To say that Brewer Nation wasn't appreciative of what I wrote would be an understatement. I still have the emails. The subject lines I saw were along the lines of 'Terrible Article,' and those were only the ones I could talk about in mixed company if you get my drift.
Well, as it turns out, I have to eat a little bit of crow. The Brewers are 24-14 and in first place in the NL Central (leading the Cubs by two games and the Cardinals by three). This, after starting out 4-9. This after fans were ready to jump off the bandwagon less than two weeks into the season.
So, I come to you today with my tail between my legs. I was wr... I was wro... I was wron.. I was wrong. Wrong about a lot of things. Maybe I should just stop, say I was wrong, and then move on. But I know that wouldn't fly. So let's see what I was wrong about, and how off I was.
* First of all I questioned the starting pitching. I wondered if the Brewers had enough of it. Well, it turns out that the Brewers do.
In February, I wasn't ready to say Yovani Gallardo was a Cy Young candidate because he had yet to pitch a full season in the big leagues. He's 4-1 with an ERA of 3.09. He looks every bit the ace a lot of people thought he was going to be.
Jeff Suppan was downright awful in his first few starts, but ever since Ken Macha pushed him back a day in New York, he has been pretty good. His last start (against the Cardinals on Saturday) was the best he's pitched all season (it might have been his best outing as a Brewer). Suppan won't blow anyone away. But up to this point, he's proven to be reliable.
Manny Parra has battled back from an 0-4 start to win his last three starts. Dave Bush has pitched better than his 2-0 record. Braden Looper has been solid if not spectacular.
* I also wondered whether or not holding on to Weeks was the right thing to do, as opposed to going in a different direction. Despite going down with that season ending wrist surgery Sunday, it looks like I have egg on my face over that one, too. yes, I know he's injured, but I certainly didn't think Weeks would have the kind of start that he got off to (.272, 9 HR's, 24 RBI's, 28 Runs). Not only did his offensive game improve, but his defense wasn't too shabby, either. Yes, he still made errors, but he also made plays this year that he hadn't made in the past. Credit Willie Randolph with the turnaround, but also credit Weeks for maturing into a pretty good player. Based on what I saw in the early part of the season, Weeks still has a chance to develop into what the organization thought he would be when they drafted him. I know this. The Brewers will miss having Weeks out there, though they might have enough depth with Craig Counsell and prospects Hernan Iribarren and Alcides Escobar (who will see some action at second base according to Doug Melvin) to get by.
* There also might have been someone (okay, me) who questioned the makeup of the bullpen (outside of Trevor Hoffman). That was before Mark DiFelice made the most of his opportunity. That was before Mitch Stetter made my mancrush on Brian Shouse as the situational lefty out of the 'pen look foolish. I didn't see Todd Coffey becoming the important piece he has become. Carlos Villanueva had been up and down to start the season, but he has settled down quite nicely. The only reliever I turned out to be right about was Jorge Julio.
* I also wondered how strong the Brewers were at third base. Maybe I shouldn't have worried. Bill Hall may not be hitting for average (and he still struggles against righties), but he doesn't look as bad as he did a year ago. Craig Counsell has also played very well when he has gotten into the lineup, and up until Weeks' injury, was making Macha's decision as to who to start at the hot corner fairly difficult. And now, Matt Gamel is up. He hit his first big league homer in last night's 8-4 win to finish the sweep in St. Louis. Sure, he made an error, but with Weeks out and Counsell shifting over to play second, Gamel could get a chance at some meaningful playing time.
* Ultimately, I questioned whether or not it was appropriate to look at the 2009 Brewers and call them a contender. I thought the Cubs (on paper) had a stronger team. But, as I've said many times before they don't play the games on paper. The Cubs are a good team, but they don't seem to be as strong as I'd thought they would be. The Cardinals had a terrific start, but if the series that they just played against the Brewers is any indication, they are going to have a lot of trouble because of the injuries they are fighting through. Cincinnati got off to a nice start, but I am not sure if they can keep it up. They might be a year away.
Bottom line, to me the NL Central looks (as of now) to be another fight between the Brewers and Cubs. So, yes, the Brewers are contenders.
Of course, the love we're all giving this team could change if the Brewers cool off. But Ned Yost isn't managing this team. Ken Macha is. Macha is the calm influence the team lacked for the last two seasons with Yost in the manager's office.
The Brewers won't be able to play .800 ball for the rest of the season. But I don't see them playing as poorly as they did in early April as well.
I'm riding the wave. And admitting that I was wrong when I questioned this team on February 17th.
Very wrong.
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