Brewers Shock & Quiet Cardinals in Rare Road Series Win

It had been a week since I'd touched the dice. I spent a long weekend in Ocean City Maryland with the family, feasting on fried haddock, pit beef and some of the best italian food on the planet. It was good to clear my head, take a breather from everything. Then on the way back I traded a bunch of relievers, cut ties with a guy I drafted first overall, and resigned myself to a losing season. 

I had a series planned for Friday night, and was just doing early prep when I got a text from my dad. 'D'you wanna just get our series in tonight?' As far as sudden transitions go it was a smooth one. I wouldn't have to drive anywhere and I didn't need to overanalyze the opponent. So I switched things over and set up for a quick road series in St. Louis.

Going into this series, and going into the last eight series' of my inaugural season in the KPSL, I had a strategy of, given that I'd just diluted my pitching staff, putting it on the lineup and just outhitting people even if I'd give up more runs. Suffice to say, that is not how this series went at all. These were games won on the strength of good pitching, and three of them were very tight [the three I won]. Every game came down to a last roll that could go the other way, and it was never a done deal til the win was awarded. 

Here now the details,

Game 1: Cardinals 9, Brewers 1

W: Jake Irvin

L: Andrew Heaney

SV: Ryne Nelson

Part of me was glad this was an away game. The Milwaukee massive are probably pissed that Sale got traded, and the guy they traded him for gets absolutely murdered in his first start for the Brewers. Greg Cadaret shudders distantly.

After three shutout innings, between Irvin and Heaney, the Cardinals' lineup let loose on the new lefty for Milwaukee. Small ball brought in 5 runs in the fourth, including RBIs from Winn, Bader and Iglesias and too many walks. You'd think John King would have helped after that but he really didn't, giving up 3 more runs on a Freddie Freeman home run. With one more run in the ninth thanks to some cheeky maneuvering after a Jorge Mateo triple, that brought the Cardinals' run total to nine.

As for the Brewers...it was the usual song and dance. Maybe a runner would get on, a single or something would happen, but nobody would get home. Only one run scored, on a Blake Perkins homer off Irvin in the sixth. Irvin only gave up 4 hits, and quieted the Brewers for 6 innings, then Ryne Nelson had no trouble with the other 3. One guy got injured, thankfully the DH, and another guy [the one who hit the homer] struck out thrice. Clearly not a great offensive day for this team, and right when I put my money on the lineup going forward. This was not a good sign for me.

Game 2: Brewers 3, Cardinals 2

W: Valente Bellozo

L: Matt Waldron

SV: Victor Vodnik

A squeaker of a one-run game held down by the pitching? I didn't even think I could do those anymore.

Any thought the Brewers' offense would be sitting this one out was quieted immediately, when Jackson Chourio launched a leadoff homer off of Matt Waldron. Christian Yelich responded with a one-run bomb off Valente Bellozo. Then both pitchers kind of settled in. Waldron struck out 3 straight after the homer, and looked sharp for a bit, but would bring a second run home on an RBI single from Carlos Santana. The Brewers would also have their defense compromised thanks to yet another injury to J.P. Crawford, meaning the much worse defensive shortstop Xander Bogaerts would need to start the rest of the series, and ensure that additionally embarrassing defensive 2nd baseman Gavin Lux would need to start against lefties. To make matters worse, the Cardinals would ensure that Santana's RBI would be a game-tying one thanks to some contact work from the back third of the lineup. 

Here, though, was where it became clear who was getting the rolls this series. In inning 4, Todd hit a 'double 1-2, out the rest' for Alec Burleson, and rolled a 3. Then in the eighth, with Nick Fortes at bat, I rolled a 'homer 1 to 7, out the rest' and managed a 4. That homer off Tyson Miller was the difference maker, though some big hero moments in the ninth to bring the score up were averted on the away side. 

This meant I needed to rely on my bullpen to win this one. Now, when I had A.J. Puk, Sam Moll, Michael Kopech and Bryan Hudson, my bullpen found these ways to blow games. Especially against Todd. Well, between Victor Vodnik, Pierce Johnson and Kyle Finnegan, no runs were scored. Only one hit between them. The Cardinals just could not rally, and Finnegan shut it down in the ninth. 

This was my 'check, please'. I won a close game against a great team. Everything else would be frosting. Well...I hadn't even faced either of the lefties yet.

Game 3- Brewers 4, Cardinals 2

W: Ben Lively

L: D.J. Herz

SV: Kyle Finnegan

Let's see, the Brewers against a lefty starter. How'd that go? Well, Travis d'Arnaud homered in the 2nd, Heliot Ramos homered in the third, and Carlos Santana sac fly'd Isaac Paredes home right after. Business as usual, really. It was limited to that for Herz but that was all the damage we needed.

Ben Lively, on the other hand, only allowed 1 run, and 5 hits, in 6 innings. It was a second consecutive very good start from the veteran hurler, K'ing 5 and limiting the Cardinals' efforts to a Freeman RBI single. Masyn Winn would bring another run in during the 7th, when Ryan Fernandez was on. But because the Brewers went so hard on Herz, and because they added another run thanks to an sac RBI from Blake Perkins, it wasn't dangerous. Once again, Kyle Finnegan was reliable for the save.

Two notes on the continuation of Todd's rotten luck with split rolls, and they both boil down to the weather roll. In the eighth, Todd pinch-hit Jose Iglesias, and he rolled a ballpark single, which this game was 1-10. The d20 landed on 11. Then the game came down to Marcell Ozuna, who had no luck against me all series. There were two men on, and with the right swing Ozuna could have walked off. The roll was a diamond, which this game was 1-7. Todd rolled an 18. Just wasn't happening today.

Game 4- Brewers 6, Cardinals 4

W: Jameson Taillon

L: Ryan Weathers

SV: Kyle Finnegan

Game 3 had, within the first few innings, a Heliot Ramos homer and a Travis d'Arnaud homer, all off a lefty pitcher. Second verse, same as the first. Ramos hit one out off Ryan Weathers in the first, then in the second D'Arnaud hit a two-run bomb. One inning later it was Carlos Santana's turn. Even if we finish last this season, it's gonna still be acknowledged just how lethal this team was against lefties, and this series it was the difference between a split and a win. How else do you explain how Heliot Ramos has a two-homer day in an away game? 

I must acknowledge the third straight win from Jameson Taillon, by far the best starter on the staff, and very much earning the distinction. Through 6 and a third, he gave up 2 runs, one on a Nolan Arenado homer and another on a sac from William Contreras, getting out of scrape after scrape while striking out only 3. This was a game where I was forced to start Norby and Bogaerts and their 4 defensive ratings down the middle and they all worked without much incident. 

The Cardinals scored 3 runs late off my bullpen, all on a host of singles and maneuvering. In a series featuring Marcell Ozuna, the contact hitting was most prevalent, and Ozuna once again had a hard time at the plate against this team. In the ninth, with the potential to tie the game, he flied to left. And then with the game, and the series on the line, Alec Burleson got up. Man on first, two outs, bottom nine. Todd rolls into a 'single 1 to 5' split roll. I swear to you, he rolled a six. Once again, the dice were just not gonna let this happen. 

Kyle Finnegan got his third straight save after I was afraid to use him in save situations all year. Trading away Puk and Kopech made him the last proven closer standing, and of course that's the moment he becomes great at his job. Perhaps he's aware of how much better his 2026 card is looking..

Taking 3 from my dad wasn't in the realm of possibility for me, but the lefty games, as well as some surprisingly good pitching and some painfully rotten luck on his part, left me with a 3 of 4 series win. I'm now 25-35, 10 games under .500, and 3 wins away from my blanket goal of topping the previous administration's win total. At this point, I'm just hoping to finish somewhat strongly even if the playoffs aren't an option this year. A series like this one reassures me a little, and proves that the rest of this season won't be a complete wash. 

Thanks to my dad for a hard-fought, very close series. No wins were gimmes, and so much was up to fate. Some of those Heliot bombs off lefty pitchers made the difference though. Let that be a lesson to you all. 

The Brewers head back home for a series against the Dodgers tomorrow night. I was able to stymie one of the best DHs in the NL in this series, but how will I do against Ohtani? You'll have to tune in tomorrow. Same tall time, same tall channel.

Kyle Finnegan records three saves in a series win for the Brewers.