Albert Pujols was a machine Monday night, going 4-for-5 at the plate with 5 RBIs and a homer.
In two games at home against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Milwaukee Brewers have been outscored 18-12, which makes them lucky to be tied heading to St. Louis for games three, four and five on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
After typically-solid Shaun Marcum continued his late-season decline Monday night, Brewers fans are peeking through their hands at game six, when the series might/could return to Milwaukee and Marcum would come up once again in the rotation. But with an ugly 12.46 postseason earned-run average and opponents batting nearly .150 higher against him in October than the rest of the season, manager Ron Roenicke might be forced to try something different if the championship series is on the line.
Positive outlook: The Brewers return to Milwaukee on Friday down three games to two and Marcum pitches convincingly to force a game seven.
Unrealistically positive outlook: Milwaukee sweeps the Cards on the road behind lights-out pitching from Yovani Gallardo, Randy Wolf and Zack Greinke and get a jump on the American League champs (my prediction: Texas).
Roundup!
Some arereferring to a bad call in the fifth inning as "pivotal," and maybe they're right. You never know what might turn the momentum in any game. But the way the Cards, and Albert Pujols in particular, were hitting, it seems unlikely.
Where have you gone, Tony Plush?
Milwaukee's WTMJ reports on Miller Park's "Front-Row Amy," although much later, and significantly less, um, accurately than Deadspin did last week.
The reporting in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is as arrogant as the rest of Cardinals Nation, as evidenced by this report on how the Brewers have padded their impressive home record against "also-rans."
And it's nice to see The New York Times in Milwaukee, reporting on the energy of the fans and placing a groaner of a headline on a story about the sausage races.