BREWERS LOSE IN MOST FRUSTRATING FASHION
The silver lining on the black cloud that was Sunday's game was that the Brewers did win the series against one of the best teams in baseball. Still, that doesn't mean that Sunday's game wasn't incredibly frustrating.

The Brewers left 13 runners on base, including 10 in scoring position. With runners on base the Brewers struckout in seven of fourteen opportunities.

In the Seventh the Brewers had the bases loaded with nobody out and failed to put a ball in play. KEITH GINTER, who had a particularly awful night (0-4, 2 K, error, 9 runners LOB), BEN GRIEVE, and CHAD MOELLER each struckout, failing to score any runners.

BEN GRIEVE took a fastball right down the middle for strike three. He and Ginter both do this a lot. I'm all about being patient at the plate, working the count and whatnot, but how can you ever take a fastball down the middle for strike three with runners in scoring position? How can you allow yourself to be fooled by a fastball down the middle with runners in scoring position and less than two out? I know NED YOST and BUTCH WYNEGAR mentioned that the have been talking about approach to all of their hitters, but it doesn't really seem like anything is getting through.

The shadows at Miller Park are really bad, and from personal experience, hitting when shadows are in play is really difficult. It makes the ball appear faster or slower (depending on whether or not it goes from light to dark or dark to light) and it makes it difficult to pick up the seams and thus determine the pitch. With that said, however, I'm sick of the Brewers using it as an excuse for offensive futility. There is another team that plays against them and they have to deal with the same circumstances. This is from Butch Wynegar...

"You try swinging against Lidge and Dotel with those shadows. You can't see the ball. I'd almost rather they shut the roof."

At least GEOFF JENKINS sacked up and took some responsibility...
"Any time you're hitting in the shadows it's tougher, but no excuses...(The Astros) are hitting under the same circumstances.

"A lot of times today all we needed was a hit, not a home run, and we didn't put the ball in play."