It's difficult to say what exactly qualifies as a rough patch for a baseball team. But if the Milwaukee Brewers haven't hit one over the past two, or even three, days, they have come close to it.
After winning their season-opening series against Chicago and sweeping execrable San Francisco out of Milwaukee, the Brewers were less than impressive over the past few days against Cincinnati, losing their last two games and, consequently, the series to the Reds at Miller Park.
It could have been worse for the Brewers, really. They escaped only by a hairsbreadth in an extra-inning win Tuesday. But their loss by eight runs in the middle game and a one-run offensive showing in the finale puts the Brewers in a precarious position before they head out on a 10-day road trip.
Overall, Milwaukee crossed the plate only eight times against the Reds. Against a powerful offensive team like Cincinnati, that right there tells you all you need to know to predict a rough outcome.
But the Brewers' first home series against a Central Division rival pointed up the possibility that it won't just be the Brewers and Cubs gaming for a playoff spot this season; with their improved pitching, the Reds could be the Central's dark horse.
Here are some of the other surprises surrounding the Brewers, in the eyes of one attentive observer:
It looks like Doug Melvin made off with highway robbery in signing Jason Kendall. After a couple of off-years at the plate, Kendall is batting .538, which leads both leagues by plenty. He also has 5 RBI from the ninth spot in the lineup. In his 13th year in the big leagues, Kendall is handling the pitching staff just as well as he's handling the bat.
Meanwhile, Prince Fielder - the National League's leader in home runs last season and the youngest player ever to hit 50 - has yet to hit one this year.
Conflate that with the fact that Prince has gone vegetarian and there's one meaty topic for discussion. Seriously, though, Prince will beef up his statistics before too long.
In the outfield, the Brewers have shown they have two, if not three, perfectly competent backups to fill in when needed. Tony Gwynn Jr. was instrumental against the Cubs, and Gabe Kapler can be counted as another of Doug Melvin's apparently fruitful reclamation projects.
The Brewers' general manager also took a step forward in the bullpen, trading tired names with experience. So far, that has worked to the team's advantage - even though Derrick Turnbow has shown himself to be irreparable. And the one-year, $10 million investment in Eric Gagné would still be under review even if he had saves in all three of his opportunities, not just one.
A 6-3 start, on the flip side, is not surprising. The Brewers are traditionally fast starters before they hit a snag. Last year, it was a 24-10 record. This year, it's off to six wins out of nine games before Milwaukee runs into the first test of the season: nine away games against New York, St. Louis and Cincinnati again. The Brewers, committed to playing consistent baseball throughout an entire season, will get their first opportunity to avoid the slide and show that commitment.
If you think that Johnny Cueto should have been on Jon's list, e-mail him at bortin@wisc.edu.
