3-8 ROADTRIP BRINGS BREWERS BELOW .500
 
The Brewers had an awful roadtrip, winning just three games of eleven. It's going to be difficult for the Brewers to have a lot of success if they continue to
1) not get on base
2) not hit homeruns
3) not hit with runners in scoring position.
 
...especially if the pitching staff stops holding opponents to under three runs like they had so many times in the first half of the year.
 
I know the idea of "clutch" hitting has been debated by many people, especially in the blogosphere. I've read some really great things read by Rob Neyer, Bill James and others about whether or not it exists. I still believe that in general there aren't many players that dramatically increase their performance, or dramatically decrease their performance in "clutch" situations. With that said, the Milwaukee Brewers have to have the greatest amount of statistically anomalies known to man in each batting order they put forth.
 
The problem is, as many of the coaches and players have said, is that with so much being made of their struggles with runners in scoring position they have begun to "press". You can't overthink an at-bat, and that is why I think you'll see a lot of guys chase breaking balls out of the zone and then take fastballs down the middle. Sometimes you can "try" too hard, and I think a lot of the Brewers hitters are experiencing that right now. How do you get over it? I'm not really sure. Either you find a way to get out of your head and just react or you get a few hits and then you start to relax.
 
Part of the Brewers problems with runners in scoring position could be the fact that they don't have that great of an offense to begin with, so why would they be any different with RISP? I think that the big thing is that they struggle a lot with moving runners over in situations that warrant it or in situations that they just need to make contact to bring a run in.