Overbay Traded to Toronto!
Brewers host the Dodgers
SERIES PREVIEW
Dennis Jenders
April 18, 2005 - The Milwaukee Brewers will host the scorching hot Los Angeles Dodgers for a two-game series at Miller Park. With a season-high five game winning streak the Dodgers will look to extend their hot-streak against the struggling Brewer bats.
Odalis Perez (2-0) will face Chris Capuano (0-0) tonight with Elmer Dessens (0-0) facing Gary Glover (0-1) for an afternoon game on Tuesday. Perez has pitched remarkably well for the Dodgers and has benefited from the 14 runs his teammates have given him in two wins.
The Brewers will need to make a statement this week as they have lost six of their last eight games. "We're really not swinging the bats right now," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. The Brewers have a .189 team average with runners in scoring position and have not supported their pitching staff at all.
It is a problem that plagued the 2004 Brewers as well, the acquisitions of Damian Miller and Carlos Lee should help the problem, but Lee was hitless in 12 at-bats in the weekend series against the Cardinals.
Miscues have also contributed to the recent losses. Pitcher Ben Sheets committed two errors after receiving a four-year, $38.5 million contract extension on Friday. Catcher Damian Miller had a poor throw on Saturday when attempting to pick Hector Luna off third base and centerfielder Brady Clark made an ill-advised diving catch on Sunday that resulted in a poor throw that Lyle Overbay cut-off resulting in Albert Pujols sneaking home.
Those mistakes are critical for a team that can't afford to have miscues against better teams. The results are an ugly 0-3 sweep against a Central division foe that has had cold bats as well. The Brewers will need to nip those errors tonight and find a way to produce some offense as well.