October Baseball 10/1

The Brewers will soon take the field for their first official October baseball game in over a quarter of a decade. After years of near misses and many more "rebuilding" years, the Brewers have finally seen a gain from their investment. Milwaukee's core of players has stepped up to take the team, and the city to a place never seen by Miller Park.

A rocky September kept the Brewers in a heated playoff race until the last day of the regular season. A historic New York Mets collapse and an even more impressive 5 wins in the last 6 games earned the Brewers and their fans a much deserved trip to the postseason. The city has been buzzing about the team since mid June and the excitement has grown every month. From the aquisition of CC Sabathia in July and a hot September to the final games of the season, the city has been behind their Brewers 100%. 

Now the postseason is upon the team and it is an uncertain territory for many of the young Brewers. The veteran presence of players like Craig Counsell,  Ray Durham, Jeff Suppan and Gape Kapler certainly can put the young players in a playoff state of mind. While younger players like Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, JJ Hardy and Corey Hart may not have any playoff experience in their short pasts, they have still played in a number of meaningful games. Fielder and Braun carried the team into October with their bats, Fielder had a 17 game hit streak in October including a number of late hits, and Braun gave the Brewers two final at-bat wins in the last 4 games of the season. The energy on the field and in the stands was only a preview of what is to come in the playoffs for the Brewers as they look to satisfy themselves with much more than a quick appearance in the first week of October.

Player to watch this week: Jason Kendall

 Jason Kendall has been arguably the most important part of the Brewers success this year. He has appeared in over 150 games this year as a perfect battery mate for the Brewers pitching staff. Forget the acquisition of Sabathia for a second and look at what Kendall has done for the pitching staff after a year of sluggish and selfish play from Jhonny Estrada. The 2008 Brewers are 2nd in the NL in ERA (3.87) and 3rd in wins (90), compared to 2007 when they were 9th (4.41 ERA) and 8th (83) respectively. The entire rotation has stepped up from 2007, and while Sabathia's performance has been one for the ages, many of the pitchers on the team will point to Kendall as a source of inspiration for 2008. 151 apperances behind the plate is a startling number for a catcher, but when you're Jason Kendall you're just doing your job. Kendall's amazing athletic ability and worth ethic has allowed the catcher to be behind the plate in crucial game situations. His knowledge of the game and his respect for his pitcher have given the Brewers more confidence when the game is on the line. Gone are the days of Estrada and his lack of ability to control the game and keep his pitchers under control. Kendall doesn't sit behind the plate wondering which way he's going to swing during his next at-bat, or if anybody has crossed him in the clubhouse. Kendall cares about winning, and work ethic, two things the 2008 Brewers have employed to reach their goal.

The Brewers have many members of their organization that value the catcher position, from in the dugout with Ted Simmons and former manager Ned Yost, to broadcasters Bob Uecker and Bill Schroeder. Every one of these people can tell you the most important part of the team is squatting behind the plate for half the game. And they can all tell you the right man is there for the Brewers.