First series of the season

RIP Nick Adenhart. You know something’s awful when Scott Boras is breaking down crying during an interview with the press. This is one of the few times where it’s appropriate that Boras beefs up a client. Drunk driving is the worst.

*****

Milwaukee went 1-2 on the first three games of the season on the road at the San Fransisco Giants, which isn’t too big of a deal considering it’s the first three games of the season and they had to go through San Fran’s meaty rotation, consisting of Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson, and Matt Cain. Each pitcher is incredibly efficient, posting career FIPs of 3.02, 3.15, and 3.9, respectively. There’s nothing wrong with 1-2 on the road against two #1 starters and a solid #2/#3 guy when Jeff Suppan is the guy you tag for Opening Day. The only win came against the aptly-named Big Unit, whose Johnson was not so Randy when Yovani Gallardo blasted a three-run shot into the stands to give the Brewers all the runs they would need Wednesday night. (I apologize for that last sentence)

Cain pitched brilliantly the next day, mixing his pitches very well and locating everything perfectly on command. His FIP tends to be a bit high due to some higher walk totals over his career, however, it’s difficult to walk people when you’re (a) getting ahead 0-1, 0-2, and 1-2 in most of the hitters you face, and (b) facing the free-swinging Milwaukee Brewers. There were numerous instances where Cain’s 96-mph fastball painted the outside corner in a pitch that’s just plain impossible to hit.

The Brewers now head home, where the opposing pitching doesn’t get much easier. Perhaps the best pitcher in the majors when healthy, Rich Harden starts game 1 tomorrow night against the half-injured Braden Looper who hasn’t yet proven that he can throw at the velocity he did last year after suffering a couple minor injuries during spring training that held him only to two mediocre at best starts. Harden sports a career 3.23 ERA and Looper’s is on the wrong side of 4.5. Afterwards, it’s Carlos Zambrano’s second start against Dave Bush, which is another terrible mismatch, and Sunday’s finale pens Suppan as the starter, so it doesn’t even matter who the Cubs are trotting out (hint: he’s really good too). Could this perhaps be the toughest opposing pitching opening stretch? Lincecum-Johnson-Cain-Harden-Zambrano-Ryan Dempster. That’s an All-Star lineup right there. I’d be happy to be 2-4 once the Reds come to town.

Also note Edinson Volquez starts Game 1 in that Reds series. He struggled his last time out, but that doesn’t mean he’s not on fire when he’s on. If Milwaukee starts out slow this year, I won’t be too concerned.

Of course, they could just not start off slowly and exceed my expectations by taking 2 of 3 against the sCrUBS.