1-0

After one game, the Brewers are off to a sloppy, but winning, start. It took ten innings, but they put away the Cubs in a rainy afternoon battle. Starting pitching was outstanding for both clubs, as Ben Sheets pitched yet another early season masterpiece. The ace went 6.1 innings, striking out 7 and surrendering nothing. Ned Yost showed no hesitation in pulling Sheets in the 7th, however, after giving up a base hit. As good as the starting pitching was, the relief pitching was just as horrid. Eric Gagne blew a save in his first Brewers outing, while the Cubs' new closer Kerry Wood has his own 9th inning struggles. MVP of the game? Tony Gwynn Jr. Gwynn not only knocked in the winning run in the top of the tenth, he had two hits and a few nice plays out in center. If he can keep up this solid play, Brewers fans will be disappointed to see Mike Cameron manning center field.

New Season

A sparkling new season and sparkling new hopes start this Monday afternoon when the Brewers take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field. This series could very well set the tone for much of the Chicago-Milwaukee season series. Question marks loom for the Cubbies as it is yet to be seen if there bullpen will hold up. The back end of the Brewers starting rotation also has to prove themselves, though they will not be a factor until the second series, of course.

Injuries

A couple of Brewers suffered injuries this week. Chris Capuano experienced soreness in his throwing elbow while Rickie Weeks will also be out, probably to his benefit. This may give Weeks time to rest up and start his spring over in a way. He needs to take this time to forget his first games this spring. Other pitchers, such as Carlos Villanueva and Claudio Vargas will benefit from Capuanos absence. This is especially true in Villanueva's case. He will be given a significant chance to fight for a spot in the starting rotation while Capuano is out. Ned Yost has already expressed that if Villanueva isn't starting on the Brewers, he'll be starting for AAA Nashville. Vargas will also have a great oppurtunity to be back in the rotation, though it is l ikely he will be in long relief to start the season.

Slow Starts

With Spring Training well underway and Opening Day right around the corner, a few Brewers are struggling at the plate. Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks are the most notable of the struggling sluggers. Through the first 17 games of Spring Training, Fielder is batting .256 with one home run in 39 at bats. While Prince will probably shake these troubles, one can't be too sure about Weeks. So far this spring, Weeks is batting a gawdy .125 with a whopping 20 strikeouts in only 40 at bats. Many see this as the year the Weeks breaks into possible MLB stardom. With the stats he is putting up this spring, the Brewers will be lucky if he ever reaches mediocrity. Weeks has shown flashes of what he can do, do not get my wrong, but this is the season he is supposed to show it on a consistent basis. Only time will show if Rickie will shake these early struggles and help the Brewers to the top of the NL Central.

Trade Possibilities

The main question floating around Brewers camp lately is whether or not they will make a trade prior to opening day. Doug Melvin is appearantly in the market for a trade but, do they need it? The Brew Crew could do away with some of their "fringe" hurlers such as Carlos Villanueva or even Chris Capuano. Do the Brewers want to get rid of players that have showed great promise in the past? Many Brewers fans remember the dominance Villanueva showed last season after moving into a starting role. Even more supporters are hoping Capuano can return to his all-star form of two seasons ago. As shocking as it may seem, i think that they could do without ace Ben Sheets. Sheets has never won more than 12 games in a single season since entering the majors, and his bizarre injury problems have been well documented.

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