His jersey number, RBI total, and age are all the same. He sits behind the plate without a mask. Ramon Hernandez is...the Most Interesting Catcher in the World.
Now that the blood has settled and morale is high-enough to get past this hangover, sit at my desk, and start reading this information left to right and making sure to take breaks at the little dots…
Bangarang Brewer: MVP of the day goes to Ryan Braun, who is clearly in mid-season form. After watching the Brewers defeat, I took great solace in watching the Cardinals fall in a similarly comical fashion. During the second game, I noticed that Matt Holliday also looks in great form. It’s going to be a great season of watching these two go head to head for the title of top outfielder in baseball.
The Good: Carlos Gomez is going to have a monster season, and he showed why yesterday. His power is getting there, but he’s running smart while on base. With the count 1-2 to Braun in the ninth, Gomez knew that Logan Ondrusek was going to waste a breaking ball. He took off and easily stole second. If they can get him to be patient at the plate, take some walks, and then time the pitcher…look out.
The Bad: Casey McGahee was more Hyde than Jekyll before the ninth inning started. But even though he clearly made the tag, should have gone to first immediately with the throw. This is spring fundamentals and it needs to be mixed with Hamburger Helper and jammed into his earhole.
The Ugly: John Axford. Is it too soon to make melt down jokes? I am more worried about Axford’s psyche than I am his abilities. Yesterday, there was something in the air, literally, and it was the baseball. He never looked settled, and the curse of the Brewer closer seems to be rumbling in its slumber.
The Takeaway: Yesterday’s game might have been more about weather than it was about skill. When I look back on that first inning, I recall that it was Weeks and Carlos Gomez who hit two home runs. Then Drew Stubbs hits a home run…then Braun…then Votto…and then Ramon Hernandez? Ramon Hernandez barely charged that ball, and it was clear that this 0-2 pitch drifted right in to the top right of the zone, the only place that a guy like Ramon Hernandez can get enough power on a cold day to jack one out.
As I sit here on the eve of my birthday, I am anxious to see how the Brewers respond tomorrow. It’s going to be a long season, and one loss means nothing. But it really would have been nice to have started the season on a high note, and not a glucose-level crashing bomb. Today, it’s all about preparing to ruin Dusty Baker’s Saturday. Shaun Marcum versus some idiot with the last name Wood.
Just think how awesome Holliday will be once he doesn’t have that appendix to slow him down. He will go from mid-season to MVP form, and it won’t even be a competition between him and Braun then.