Milwaukee Brewers vs. Houston Astros: MLB Post Game Analysis
The Milwaukee Brewers finally showed some good batting form to compliment Shaun Marcum’s brilliance from the mound as they went a step ahead in cementing their place as leaders in the National League Central division and subsequently increasing their chances
of making it to the postseason in the third game of the three-game series on Sunday, September 4.
Marcum has had an outstanding season for the Brewers thus far and this outing was no different. He threw seven immaculate innings and struck-out eight batters in the process. He showed immense arm strength and variety over this stretch, throwing 99 pitches
in his spell and managing 65 strikes to bring his earned-run average down to 3.11.
Marcum’s performance earned him his 12th win for the season and gave the bull-pen a confidence booster for their playoffs. The Brewers also took advantage from his showing and completed their 13th shutout of the season, inching closer
to the franchise’s record of 14 shutouts in a single season which came back in 1992.
Francisco Rodriguez and Takashi Saito followed Marcum’s suit and pitched a one-hit inning each to complete the shutout for the Brewers and complete a three-game series sweep. Saito proved his mettle as a quality-closer yet again as he threw 14 pitches and
managed ten strikes to bring his ERA down to 2.11. However, he was unlucky not to get a decision for his tidy performance. The Brewers have nonetheless found an efficient closer to perform this duty for the larger part of their postseason campaign and he surely
will be a central part of their planning for the next season.
Brewers’ manager Ron Roenicke appreciated Marcum’s effort and said that his performance was a blessing for the bull-pen especially with the playoffs just four weeks away. Roenicke said that Marcum has been performing brilliantly right through his career
but batting lapses have never allowed him to accumulate a substantial number of wins. This game was, however, different and the batters did well to compliment Marcum’s hard work.
Marcum remained humble after the game and said that he would rather prefer pitching in tight situations where the game is intense. He said that he has had run support from the batters in the past but it was good that he remained focused on his job this time
around.
The Brewers did well not to let the hits dry up, producing nine hits in the game to keep the pressure on the Astros. Ryan Braun has been by far the best batter in the line-up and he showed exactly why when he produced three RBIs in the game and a gigantic
home-run in the first inning. Braun is batting at an average of .335 and has a slugging percentage of .590 for the season, indicating his importance in the line-up for the postseason.
Prince Fielder failed to connect in his three at-bats but the All-Star home-run derby captain needs a moment of brilliance to get back to his hitting ways. It will be vital for the hard-hitting batter to return to form before the end of regular season.
The Astros, on the contrary, continued to fail on their home ground. Minute Maid Park has not been a favoured ballpark for the Astros this season and this loss brought them just three shy of completing 50 losses at home this season. Wandy Rodriguez failed
to halt the opposition batters but blaming him alone will not do justice. It was Milwaukee’s pitching more than Rodriguez’s failure which caused the damage.
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