Site Status
Well, I have taken over the Daily Brew at BrewerFan.net and am still trying to figure out what the purpose of this site will be. I was considering mirroring the new content to Do The Brew, but I'm not sure if that is a good idea. Anyway, please keep an eye on the RSS feed for updates and hopefully I'll get everything squared away soon. And if you're looking for daily Brewers' analysis, don't miss the Daily Brew.
Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2003 | Permanent Link
Sheets, Brewers Salvage Game Three
As is becoming the norm, Ben Sheets put together another quality start to help the Brewers rebound after poor outings from the bottom of their rotation. The 24-year old has been solid all season but he has been pressured to overachieve because of the ineptitude of the Crew's #4 and #5 starters. In fact, the Brewers have come into 12 of his 20 starts this year with a 2-game (or more) losing streak:
Date IP ER W/L ----------------------------- 04/05 7.0 5 L 04/15 8.0 1 W 04/25 7.0 5 W 04/30 6.0 6 L 05/10 6.0 2 W 05/15 8.0 1 L 05/25 8.0 4 L 06/10 7.0 2 L 06/20 8.0 0 W 06/25 6.0 4 W 07/01 6.0 2 L
In those situations, Sheets had racked up 6 quality starts but the team's record was only 5-6. Make that 7 quality starts and a 6-6 record, thanks to a fantastic outing on Sunday.
In the final game of a weekend series against the Rockies, Sheets went 7 strong innings and allowed only 1 run on 4 hits and a walk. The win improves his record to 7-6 and drops his ERA to a team-best 4.08. The only blemish on the right-hander's record came in the first when Juan Uribe and Todd Helton hit back-to-back doubles. Sheets struck out 6 and got 9 ground-ball outs compared to only 6 in the air, a significant achievement for the homer-prone ace.
The Brewers got on the board in the third when Scott Podsednik and Keith Ginter hit consecutive singles. With runners at first and third and one out, Geoff Jenkins lifted a 3-2 offering from Denny Stark to the warning track in left, scoring Podsednik from third. Richie Sexson followed with a grounder to third but Greg Norton threw it into right field, allowing Ginter to move to third. Stark got out of it, however, when John Vander Wal grounded out to first.
When Sheets was removed for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh, the game was still tied at one. Wanting to make sure their ace got a chance for the victory, the Crew put together a one out rally against former-closer Jose Jimenez. Scott Podsednik singled to left and stole second before Keith Ginter struck out swinging. Geoff Jenkins was walked intentionally to setup first and third and two outs for Richie Sexson. The big man came through on a 3-2 count and both runners moving with a double off the wall in right. John Vander Wal followed with a walk but Wes Helms grounded out to end the inning. Nonetheless, the Brewers were up 3-1 and Sheets had a chance to pick up his sixth win.
Dan Kolb made his first appearance since suffering a minor hamstring injury and was dominant. He got Mark Bellhorn to ground-out to first but limped back to the mound. After a brief visit from a trainer and Manager Ned Yost to make sure he was alright, Kolb struck out Juan Uribe and Todd Helton to end the inning.
The Rockies' brought in Joe Roa for the eighth and the former-Brewers-farmhand set down the side in order. Roa was 2-2 with a 4.83 ERA in 5 games with Triple-A Indianapolis but was signed to a Major League contract by Colorado on July 4th.
Coming off two blown saves in a row, Mike DeJean showed no signs of the struggles he has been enduring. The sinker-baller struck-out Preston Wilson and Greg Norton before retiring Jay Payton on a flyball to left. The save was DeJean's 17th in 23 tries.
Scott Podsednik's consecutive games reached streak was extended to 36 games after the centerfielder went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base. Keith Osik also had two hits for the Crew, who improve their record to 35-51. The loss drops Colorado to 46-44 but they have now won 4 of their last 5 series. They head to Arizona for a two-game series while the Brewers stay at home for a four-game series with Pittsburgh.
More Coverage:
Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2003 | Permanent Link
Late Inning Rally Comes Up Short
In another high-scoring slugfest, Colorado outlasted the Brewers Saturday to win game two of the series, 9-8. Rule 5 selection Matt Ford made his second start for Milwaukee and was roughed up by the high-scoring Rockies. He went 4 and two-thirds innings and surrendered 6 runs, 5 earned, on 8 hits and 2 walks. The 22-year old was put on an expanded pitch count and threw 82 pitches, his highest tally of the season.
The Rockies got things going right away on fireworks night at Miller Park when Ronnie Belliard and Chris Stynes led off the first with consecutive walks. Todd Helton made the most of an RBI opportunity by lacing a triple to left that got by the outstretched glove of Geoff Jenkins and rolled all the way to the wall. The young left-hander bounced back with a strikeout of dangerous Preston Wilson and got out of the inning unscathed after Larry Walker grounded out and Jay Payton popped to first.
After Darren Oliver set down the Brewers in order in the first, Mark Bellhorn greeted Ford with a double to left. Already down 2-0, Ford fought back and retired the next three hitters, stranding Bellhorn at second.
Richie Sexson and Brady Clark started off the bottom-half of the second with back-to-back singles. Wes Helms then hit the first pitch he saw from Oliver for a single to right. Not wanting to test the arm of Larry Walker or the knees of Sexson, third-base coach Rich Donnelly held the big man at third to load the bases. After taking a strike, catcher Keith Osik watched four pitches go by for balls and trotted to first for an RBI walk. Royce Clayton lined out to the pitcher and Brady Clark dove back to third, narrowly beating the throw from Oliver. With the bases loaded and one out, the Rockie pitcher walked Matt Ford on five pitches. It was Ford's first career RBI and it tied the score at two. After watching two bases-loaded-walks, Eric Young proceeded to swing at the first pitch he saw, grounding into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double-play.
With his first-inning troubles erased by the Brewers' rally, Ford pitched well in the third, allowing only a single to Todd Helton. The southpaw, who had an impressive 2.23 ERA in 22 appearances coming into the contest, struck out Larry Walker with a nasty slider to end the inning.
After Milwaukee failed to score in the bottom of the inning, Ford got Jay Payton to foul out to Sexson on the first pitch he threw in the fourth. Mark Bellhorn followed with a routine grounder to shortstop but Royce Clayton booted it for his seventh error of the year. The mistake proved costly as Charles Johnson launched a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left for a two-run homer. Ford got out of the inning without further damage but the Rockies had regained the lead, 4-2.
Wes Helms started things off in the home-half of the fourth with a scorching double to left center. Keith Osik moved him to third on a ground-out to second but Royce Clayton lined out to first and Matt Ford grounded out to shortstop, stranding Helms at third.
With his pitch count climbing, Ford got Todd Helton to fly out for the first out in the fifth. Preston Wilson followed with a single and Larry Walker did the same, taking an 0-1 pitch the other way. Needing a double-play ball to get out of the jam, Ford grooved one to Jay Payton and "Pocket Hercules" laced it to right center for a double that scored Wilson and Walker. With Payton in scoring position, Ford struck out Mark Bellhorn for the second out of the inning. Manager Ned Yost had gotten as much as he could out of his young pitcher and, not wanting to push his luck, brought in Luis Vizcaino. The right-hander did not disappoint, getting Charles Johnson to ground out to third.
Darren Oliver continued his dominance of the Brewers in the fifth and John Foster came on to face the Rockies in the sixth. The left-hander had not pitched since the first game of the recently-completed road trip, throwing a scoreless inning in the 9-1 meltdown on June 24th at Wrigley Field. Needing to put a zero on the board to keep his team in the game, Foster gave up a leadoff single to Darren Oliver. Ronnie Belliard then grounded to third where Wes Helms fielded it and threw to second to retire Oliver. Eric Young attempted to double-up Belliard but his throw ended up in the camera well and Belliard moved to second. With a runner in scoring position and one out, Foster got Chris Stynes to strikeout looking. Despite the rocky start, Foster had a chance to get out of it... but red-hot Todd Helton stood in his way. On the second pitch he saw, the All-Star first-baseman lined Foster's offering over the wall in right to give the Rockies an 8-2 lead. Preston Wilson followed with an infield single to third but Foster got Larry Walker swinging to end the inning.
After two quick outs, Wes Helms showed excellent patience in an eight-pitch at-bat and was rewarded with his 14th homer. Keith Osik grounded the first pitch he saw to second and just like that, the inning was over.
Needing to eat up some innings, Ned Yost brought in Brooks Kieschnick to try and quiet the Rockies' storm. The two-way workhorse had thrown 3 innings over the last two days and made short work of Jay Payton, Mark Bellhorn, and Charles Johnson. That's when the Brewers' hitters decided that enough was enough.
With Oliver finally through after six innings of 5-hit, 3-run baseball, Royce Clayton led off the seventh with a single to left against reliever Javier Lopez. Keith Ginter flied out to center but Lopez, who was drafted by the Red Sox in this winter's Rule 5 draft and later traded to the Rockies, then walked Eric Young and Scott Podsednik to load the bases. Colorado Manager Clint Hurdle removed the left-handed Lopez for Nelson Cruz, a 30-year old right-hander who came into the game with a 6.19 ERA. Bad decision. Geoff Jenkins hit a one-two breaking ball into the upper deck in right for a grand slam. Cruz struck out Richie Sexson and Brady Clark but the damage was done and the Crew was within one.
Coming off a terrible 3-hit, one-third-of-an-inning appearance a day earlier, left-hander Shane Nance struck out the side. In his second outing since being called back up to the big leagues, Nance did allow a walk to Chris Stynes but followed it up with a three-pitch strikeout of Todd Helton.
The bottom of the order couldn't do much against sometimes-closer Justin Speier. After Wes Helms struck out, Keith Osik and Royce Clayton both swung at the first pitch they saw, fouling out and flying out respectively.
Shane Nance came back out for the ninth looking to keep his team within one. After retiring Preston Wilson and Larry Walker, the 25-year old Texan left one up in the zone and Jay Payton made him pay with a solo shot to left. Nance rebounded to get Greg Norton looking but the mistake proved costly.
Needing two runs to tie the game, pinch-hitter Eddie Perez struck out against Brian Fuentes, a 27-year old left-hander getting his fourth save opportunity of the season. With one out and nobody on, Eric Young crushed a 2-1 pitch into deep left-field that narrowly cleared the wall and the outstretched glove of Jay Payton. With the lead cut in half, Fuentes hunkered down and struck out Scott Podsednik and Geoff Jenkins on 6 pitches.
Darren Oliver improved his record to 6-5 with the win and the save was Fuentes' second. Matt Ford got the loss, his first as a Brewer. Wes Helms broke out of an extended slump with a 3-for-4 night and Scott Podsednik extended his consecutive games reached streak to 35 with a walk in the seventh. Despite the loss, the Rockies' skipper had high praise for the Crew. "That's a different team than Brewers teams we've seen in the past," Hurdle said. "I don't care what their record is. They play hard." Unfortunately, this late inning rally came up a run short.
30,731 took in the action at Miller Park and most stayed till its completion on Fireworks Night. The loss drops the Brewers to 34-51 and the win moves the Rockies to 46-43.
More Coverage:
Posted on Sunday, July 06, 2003 | Permanent Link