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Brewers 1982

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Covering the Milwaukee Brewers throughout the 1982 season, in real-time, as it would have happpened.

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Angels

Quotes from the American League Champs

October 10 Leave a Comment

The following quotes were taken by the Milwaukee Sentinel on the field and in the clubhouse following the Milwaukee Brewers’ 4-3 win over the California Angels today to advance to the World Series. Recap of the game can be found here.

Cecil Cooper
Cecil Cooper's seventh inning hit was the focus of conversation, but there were multiple heros on this day.

Cecil Cooper on seventh inning hit: “When I walked up there all I could think about was getting another chance. You have to go up there thinking about staying under control, going the other way. I thought I might see (left hander Andy) Hassler in that situation.”

Cecil Cooper: “I’m just so excited I got a base hit and we won. It took me away from being a goat.”

Cecil Cooper: “For a minute I thought it would be caught because when you hit line drives they have a tendency to hang, especially with the wind blowing in like it was. I was motioning for it to go down. It got down.”

Jim Gantner on scoring go-ahead run: “I think I flew most of the way home. When Cecil walked up there, I had a feeling he was going to get a hit and I knew I was going to score from second. I had already made up my mind that I was going to score.”

Bob McClure on Marshall Edwards’ eighth inning catch of Don Baylor fly ball: “I thought it was out when he hit it. I just stood on the mound and said stay in, stay in and then I saw it go in his glove.”

Marshall Edwards: “I knew I had to jump. You know how tall I am.”

Harvey Kuenn: “We haven’t done things easy all year and that was just another example of it.”

Pete Ladd, who saved the game: “Pure ecstasy. I don’t ever think I’ve ever jumped for joy like that when I saw the ball hit Cecil’s glove. I didn’t care who was up in that situation. I wanted the ball in that kind of an opportunity. I’ve faced (Carew) three times now, and I’ve gotten him out three times. I’m sure in the future he’ll get his hits off me, and that’s fine – as long as he didn’t get one in that situation.”

Charlie Moore on his throw to nail Reggie Jackson at third in the fifth inning: “It turned out to be a big play because it kept them from scoring another run. Inside I was cheering myself on.”

Bob McClure on throwing one pitch to Reggie Jackson in the eighth: “I wasn’t even trying to get him to hit into a double play. I was trying to get a strikeout and see what would happen to the next hitter (Lynn). But it worked out.”

Paul Molitor: “I think what happened today typifies t he character of this team. Today was a great example. We were down, but not out. We came back.”

Pete Vuckovich, on if the Brewers are invincible: “That’s a heavy word. There are too many good teams and good players for anyone to be invincible. But we’re a very confident team. I’m so proud to be a part of this unit.”

Cecil Cooper on tagging Bob Grich with an empty glove: “I didn’t argue. I knew I had made a bone headed play. I simply panicked. Realized I couldn’t reach him with the ball in my bare hand, so I tried to do it that way. I turned to Bobby at first base and told him I screwed up. And I told the guys when I got to the dugout, ‘Just give me another chance to redeem myself.'”

Bud Selig, on comparing this win to final day win against Orioles: “I don’t know. Last weekend was gut wrenching. I’ve never been filled with such anxiety. I called it an ordeal. That’s what it was.”

Bud Selig, pointing to swarming fans on the field: “Look at that scene. That makes it worth it. It’s like living a dream.”

Paul Molitor: “One of the more gratifying things has been playing for Mr. Selig. Some of it goes back to Baltimore last week when he told us ‘win or lose’ he was proud of us. That’s why it was so great to go full cycle and win it for him.”

Harvey Kuenn, on his pick for ALCS MVP (Fred Lynn won it): “Why, I would have to pick Pete Ladd. And why would you have to say why?”

Pitching coach Pat Dobson on Ladd: “When he came here (July 15) he was a one pitch pitcher. He had no slider. But he’s very easy to instruct. He learned the slider and it’s helped him 100%. It’s a pitch he needed for his career.”

Rollie Fingers on Ladd: “What he did was no surprise to me. If he has his control you know he’ll be ok. This just goes to show you that one guy doesn’t win it for you.”

Don Sutton on Harvey Kuenn: “The man is like a conductor of an orchestra. He can’t play a single instrument but he sure blends everyone else together. He’s much like Walter Alston. He doesn’t believe people come to watch manager’s manage. He believes they come to see the players play.”

Harvey Kuenn: “Words can’t express how I feel. I’ve had a lot of thrills in this game, and this is the biggest of my whole life. This is a club molded of 25 guys and coaches. Everybody loves everybody else. They don’t care who gets the winning hit or who’s the winning pitcher as long as we win.”

Ben Oglivie: “We knew we couldn’t give up. We knew we had to be stalwart. We’ve had to fight a continuing battle all year. This club always battles.”

Gorman Thomas: “I could care less about my knee right now. I’m going to go out and get smoked tonight.”

Charlie Moore on his dance in right field: “I couldn’t stand still. I guess when you’ve never been there before, you don’t know how to react. I guess I kind of reacted stupidly. But there are no regrets. Not one regret.”

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Angels, Ben Oglivie, Bob Grich, Bob McClure, Cecil Cooper, Charlie Moore, Fred Lynn, Gorman Thomas, Harvey Kuenn, Jim Gantner, Marshall Edwards, Paul Molitor, Pete Ladd, Pete Vuckovich, Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers

Brewers are World Series Bound!

October 10 2 Comments

Brewers 4, Angels 3
Brewers win ALCS 3-2
Box Score | Season Schedule

Brewers fans storm the field
Brewers fans storm the field after Game 5 win

MILWAUKEE — Down two games to none just a few days ago, the Brewers had little hope of a World Series. Today, as I stand on the County Stadium infield with Pete Ladd‘s cap in my hand, the fans finally trickling back into the stands, we can say it: The Milwaukee Brewers are American League Champions.

Yes, after yet another heart-stopping, come-from-behind performance on Sunday, the Brewers beat the Angels 4-3 to advance to the World Series against either the Atlanta Braves or St. Louis Cardinals (the Cardinals lead two games to none and play tonight in Atlanta).

Declaring that baseball is a “game of inches” may be cliche, but today’s pennant deciding game was a prime example. There were several plays and non-plays, bounces of chance and clutch displays of amazing skill that led us to this celebratory stage. The game may have lasted three hours and one minute, but it was boiling over with memorable moments to last a lifetime. Let’s break it down…

Defense Early
Poor defense could have played the Brewers out of the game early, committing four errors in the first four innings.

With one out in the first and a runner on second, Reggie Jackson hit a liner at Molitor, who made a nice diving catch. However, Molitor then tried to make a quick throw to second to double up Downing, but no one was covering and the throw hit Downing on the helmet. The errant throw allowed Downing to move to third. The next batter, Fred Lynn, continued to destroy Brewers pitching by hitting a line drive base hit into left field that Oglivie misplayed. His error allowed Lynn to move to second. While allowing Lynn to move up wasn’t damaging (he would not score), Oglivie may have had a shot at Downing at home if not for the combination of the two errors. Frankly, the Brewers were lucky to allow only one run in the first.

With a runner on second and no one out in the fourth, Bobby Grich laid down a bunt towards first. Cecil Cooper picked it up, pulled the ball out of his glove and tagged Grich, who was moving into foul territory to avoid the tag. The problem was that Cooper was holding the ball in his bare hand and tagged Grich with an empty glove. Grich was initially called out, but after the Angels complained, home plate umpire Don Denkinger reversed the call and California had runners at the corners with no one out. Cooper did not tag Grich, this is true. The actual question is whether Grich ran outside of the baseline to avoid the tag. Regardless, it was ruled a sacrifice and an error on Cooper.

It would be a costly error. After Foli popped out to Cooper for the first out, Bob Boone executed his second squeeze bunt of the series to score DeCinces from third. While Boone would be safe on the play, it’s unlikely the Angels attempt a squeeze bunt had Grich been tagged out, making it two outs with Boone at the plate and a runner on third.

That said, it again could have been worse. Brian Downing grounded into an inning ending double play to keep the score at 3-1 Angels.

Defense Later
That double play in the fourth was the start of a new Brewers defense in this game. Up until that point, Milwaukee’s glovemen appeared content to throw the game away. From that poing forward, they did all thew could to save it.

The next big, game saving play came in the fifth. With one down and Reggie Jackson at first, Fred Lynn hit a bouncing ball over Cecil Cooper for a hit. Charlie Moore charged it down the first base line, and made a perfect throw on a line straight into Molitor’s glove without a bounce to nail Jackson. It was an unbelievable throw for the second out of the inning. Don Baylor, the next batter, would get another base hit that would have scored Jackson to make it a 4-2 game. Instead, the Angels did not score, and it remained 3-2. The Angels would have other opportunities to test Moore’s arm throughout the game, and each time they would pass.

The biggest play of the game was made by the most unlikely of heroes. Gorman Thomas is noticeably hobbled by a sore right knee, and it is affecting his play at the plate and in the field. With the Brewers up 4-3 in the eighth, Harvey Kuenn decided to lift Gorman from the game in favor of the speedy Marshall Edwards. The move would pay off almost immediately.

With one down, Don Baylor tested the new fielder with a rocket into the gap in left center. Edwards raced back to the track, leaping and crashing into the wall. The ball would have hit the top of the wall, but instead rested comfortably in the young center fielder’s glove. Doug DeCinces would then connect on a base hit into right that undoubtedly would have scored Baylor. Edwards saved a run.

Between these two plays, the Brewers defense saved at least two runs in spectacular fashion. Without either play, it would likely have been a different conclusion.

Molitor’s Baserunning
Paul Molitor led off the first inning with a line drive base hit into left field. Off the bat of any other hitter, it’s an automatic single. The ball was not in the gap, but was one that Downing charged head on. Molitor, though, was thinking two bases as soon as he hit it. The grass wet from rain, the ball slowed on its way to Downing and Molitor took second easily. Robin Yount then moved Molitor over to third on a ground out.

With one down, Cecil Cooper hit a ground ball to Doug DeCinces at third. DeCinces was distracted by Molitor at third and faked him back to the base before throwing a ball in the dirt to first. Molitor’s presence on third caused the throwing error, and there were runners on the corners and one out. If Molitor had been on second, he would have stayed there with the grounder to the left side, and Cooper is undoubtedly thrown out for the second of the inning.

Then, with one down instead of two, Ted Simmons hit a sacrifice fly that scored Molitor. Molitor’s single that turned into a double not only kept the number of outs to one instead of two, but it allowed him to get to third sooner to be in position for the sacrifice fly. That run was entirely thanks to Molitor.

Missed Opportunities
While the defense began turning things around in the fourth, the offense would not cooperate when given the opportunities in the middle innings. Missed opportunities at the plate — and an unfortunately placed grounder — nearly cost this team the game.

With Molitor and Gantner on 1st and 2nd and no outs in the 3rd, Robin Yount hit a smash right at Doug DeCinces at third, who was a step away from the bag. DeCinces quickly stepped on third and fired to second for a double play. Grich was taken out on a slide by Molitor, but otherwise it was very close to a triple play. It was a well hit ball, but it resulted in two outs and a runner on first. The Brewers would not be able to score in the third, and remained down 2-1.

In the fifth inning and the Angels leading 3-2, Cecil Cooper came up in his first clutch opportunity with two down and runners at first and second. Cooper struck out, and the Angels remained in the lead.

Oglivie Homer
Ben Oglivie didn’t play in Saturday’s game. The decision was likely two fold: Oglivie had gone 1-for-11 in the ALCS, and he injured his ribs in a collision with the wall on a Fred Lynn double in Game 3. The switch to Mark Brouhard for Game 4 proved to be one of the most ingenious moves of the series, as the back-up outfielder would key the Brewers win.

Oglivie returned to the lineup today, and he took several awkward swings that would lead observers to believe that his sore ribs were affecting his play. However, with one down in the bottom of the fourth, Oglivie hit a Bruce Kison changeup over the right field wall to make it a 3-2 game.

The run was crucial for an offense having trouble scoring. It kept the Brewers close and made the eventual win possible.

Relief Pitching
In a series with an unending list of story lines, the emergence of the Brewers bullpen is near the top. It was this group that struggled so mightily during the past couple of months, giving away several leads and wins along the way. But relief pitching was this team’s shining star in the ALCS.

With one down in the seventh, Brewers starter Pete Vuckovich walked Rod Carew. Harvey Kuenn summoned lefty Bob McClure, who induced a Reggie Jackson inning-ending double play on his first pitch. McClure would then cruise through the eighth, aided significantly by Edwards’ play in the outfield.

McClure would give up a lead-off single to Ron Jackson in the top of the ninth with a one run lead. Pete Ladd then came on to replace McClure. Bob Boone bunted over the runner for the first out, and Ladd got the final two batters to ground out to end the game.

The Brewers bullpen allowed one earned run on only five hits in 10 2/3 innings in this series. Pete Ladd was the poster boy of relief success, retiring all 10 batters he faced and striking out five. The impressive performance of the bullpen was a big reason this team is advancing to the World Series.

Clutch Hitting and Lucky Bounces
With one down in the seventh, Charlie Moore hit a jam shot that was falling into no-man’s land behind the pitcher’s mound. Bobby Grich dove and caught it on the bounce. The attempt was correctly called a trap, to Grich’s dismay, and Moore was safe on an infield single. But had Grich caught the ball, there would have been two down.

Gantner then hit a single and Molitor popped out into foul territory. Again, had Grich made the catch, the inning would have been over. Instead, Robin Yount was up with a man on first and two down. Yount took a very close pitch for ball four that could have conceivably been called either way, and Cecil Cooper was then up with two down and the bases loaded.

Had Grich made that catch or a ball been instead called a strike, this inning was over. Instead, Cooper came up and laced a two-RBI single into left to take a 4-3 lead. It was the biggest hit in the history of this franchise. But a hit that needed assistance to be possible.

Destiny
Is baseball a game of inches? Damn right it is. I recognize that had several bounces gone a different way, the Brewers’ season would be over. I also recognize that the incredible skill displayed by the defense (after a bad start) and bullpen as well as some very clutch baserunning and hitting led to this win. The Brewers earned every bit of the American League Championship.

But with each big play that leads to another jaw-dropping win, it’s becoming clear that the Brewers aren’t just a good team. They are a great team. And a team of destiny.

Your American League Champion Brewers will face either the Braves or Cardinals in the World Series on October 12, though it may start later depending on the completion date of the NLCS.

Filed Under: Game Recap Tagged With: Angels, Ben Oglivie, Bob Boone, Bob McClure, Bobby Grich, Brian Downing, Bruce Kison, Cecil Cooper, Charlie Moore, Don Baylor, Doug DeCinces, Fred Lynn, Gorman Thomas, Harvey Kuenn, Mark Brouhard, Marshall Edwards, Paul Molitor, Pete Ladd, Pete Vuckovich, Reggie Jackson, Robin Yount, Rod Carew, Ron Jackson, Ted Simmons

Brouhard Leads Crew to Win

October 9 1 Comment

Brewers 9, Angels 5
ALCS is now tied 2-2
Box Score | Season Schedule

Mark Brouhard was today’s hero

MILWAUKEE — Down two games to one, the Brewers needed a win to stay alive in the American League Championship Series. Thanks to an explosive offense and some solid pitching from starter Moose Haas, the Brewers beat the Angels 9-5 today and will live to see another day.

The story in this one centered on the unexpected wildness of Angels starter Tommy John. John had walked only 39 batters in 221 2/3 innings between the Yankees and Angels this season (a 1.6 per nine innings average), including only two wild pitches in seven starts with the Angels. John walked five in only 3 1/3 disastrous innings on today, throwing more wild pitches (three) than he had previously in an Angels uniform.

The subplot of the game was the offensive performance by back-up outfielder Mark Brouhard. Ben Oglivie bruised his ribs crashing into the wall on a Fred Lynn double yesterday and was unavailable.

“When Benji came in today,” said manager Harvey Kuenn, “he said his ribs were very sore. When he tells me that, I know he’s hurting.” So Kuenn inserted Brouhard, who hadn’t played since September 11.

Well, the move paid off. Brouhard would connect on three hits, driving in three and tying an ALCS record with four runs scored.

With one down and two on in a scoreless game in the second, Brouhard laced a single to center that drove in two. He also scored on the play, thanks to two Angels errors that aided his gallop around the bases. The Brewers led 3-0, but Brouhard’s biggest contribution would come later on.

The Brewers had what appeared to be an insurmountable 7-1 lead heading into the eighth inning, but the Angels finally solved Moose Haas, who had cruised to that point. A Don Baylor grand slam made it a two-run game, and the raucous Milwaukee crowd was silenced.

But with Marshall Edwards on second in the bottom of the eighth, Brouhard calmed the nerves of local fans by delivering a two-run homer to give the Brewers a comfortable four-run lead.

Was Brouhard nervous? “Before the game, we had a flip game in the clubhouse, using a plastic ball. I got in that and just tried to relax.”

Brouhard’s home run gave the Brewers the cushion they needed. Jim Slaton continued the Brewers’ uncharacteristic relief success by not allowing a baserunner in 1 2/3 innings pitched. The bullpen, which struggled through much of the second half this season, has now allowed only one earned run on three hits through eight innings in the ALCS.

Brewers fans had plenty to be happy about in this game. Moose Haas outpitched Tommy John, and looked like a staff ace until his eighth inning collapse. The Brewers’ offense finally put up three runs or more twice in one game, and the bullpen remains rock solid.

What is there to be concerned about if you’re a Brewers fan? Well, Cecil Cooper and Gorman Thomas continued to struggle in the postseason, both going hitless in this game. Cooper is hitting .125 in the ALCS and Thomas .083. Both are critical to this team’s success, and their lack of offense has a lot to do with the Brewers’ recent inability to score runs.

But here we are, facing a Game 5 at home on Sunday. The winner goes to the World Series. The Brewers have Pete Vuckovich on the mound against the Angels’ Bruce Kison. Kison held the Brewers to two runs in Game 2, and Vuke hasn’t been at his best since an inspirational 11-inning win against the Red Sox on September 20.

It’s the most important baseball game in Milwaukee since Game 7 of the 1958 World Series between the Milwaukee Braves and New York Yankees. Will the Crew come through?

Filed Under: Game Recap Tagged With: Angels, Ben Oglivie, Bruce Kison, Cecil Cooper, Don Baylor, Fred Lynn, Gorman Thomas, Harvey Kuenn, Jim Slaton, Mark Brouhard, Marshall Edwards, Moose Haas, Pete Vuckovich, Tommy John

ALCS Game 4 Preview

October 9 1 Comment

MILWAUKEE — Phew. And what the hell?

For Brewers fans, winning Game 3 5-3 was a huge relief and made possible a Game 4.

The what the hell was for the Brewers “fan” who reached over the railing in the eighth inning to give Bob Boone of all people a home run. Word to the wise, or in this case, not-so-wise: keep your f#cking hands to yourself. Don’t you know what’s at stake?

Good lord, if you see Ben Oglivie with a beat on the ball, let him catch it. Either get to the yard early to get a batting practice ball or buy a souvenir at a stand. Don’t steal it from the field of play.

Now that’s out of the way, the Crew has another chance to extend the series against nemesis Tommy John, who completely befuddled them in Game 1. Still, it’s news that John is pitching in Game 4 at all. Angels manager Gene Mauch, who piloted the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies to an epic collapse, has opened the door to another by shelving the man who would have normally started, Ken Forsch.

“He didn’t have to give me an explanation,” Forsch said of Mauch, The New York Times reported. “I didn’t need one. …I’m not mad, or angry, or anything. I’m just disappointed.”

The Brewers must be disappointed to see John again, who baffled the Brewers in Game 1. Or maybe they’re relieved that John’s going on three days rest and they won’t need to face Forsch. Either way, it shouldn’t matter. The Crew needs to win to force a winner-takes-all Game 5.

While the Angels have messed with their rotation, the Crew has altered its rotation as well as Moose — MOOSE! – Haas takes the hill. Normally, it would be Mike Caldwell, but Kuenn must be saving the lefty. Either that or he has guts. Or he’s a fool.

Haas made way for Don Sutton in the rotation and hasn’t started since Labor Day. Instead of preventing coronaries, he’s induced them. Kuenn is making the right move by giving the pill to Moose, who last pitched on Oct. 2 in Baltimore, where he pitched four innings and gave up a run in relief. It was a good outing considering the rest of the staff surrendered 10 runs in that debacle.

As Brewers fans know, the Crew can ill afford another debacle. They need to make it to tomorrow. Game time is 12:00 p.m. CT.

Then, anything can happen.

[Editor’s note: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Mark Brouhard? Yep. Ben Oglivie bruised his ribs crashing into the wall on a Fred Lynn double yesterday, so Harvey Kuenn is going with the rarely used outfielder. Brouhard last played on September 11.]

# Brewers POS # Angels POS
1 Molitor 3B 1 Downing LF
2 Yount SS 2 Carew 1B
3 Cooper 1B 3 Jackson RF
4 Simmons C 4 Lynn CF
5 Thomas CF 5 Baylor DH
6 Money DH 6 DeCinces 3B
7 Brouhard LF 7 Grich 2B
8 Moore RF 8 Foli SS
9 Gantner 2B 9 Boone C
Haas SP John SP

Filed Under: ALCS Preview Tagged With: Angels, Ben Oglivie, Bob Boone, Don Sutton, Gene Mauch, Ken Forsch, Mark Brouhard, Mike Caldwell, Tommy John

Brewers Take Game 3

October 8 1 Comment

Brewers 5, Angels 3
Angels now lead ALCS 2-1
Box Score | Season Schedule

Don Sutton dominated the Angels

MILWAUKEE — The Brewers came into Game 3 of the ALCS in do-or-die mode. Win, and there’s another day. Lose, and you’re dead. Figuratively speaking, at least.

Don Sutton and The Crew were up to the challenge, as they were in full control of the game from start to finish. Sure, it finished as only a two run margin, a 5-3 Brewers win. Yeah, the Brewers only managed six hits. But there was a positive feel in this one.

Yes, it’s a feel we haven’t had in some time. Control. Most importantly, they had a pitcher on the mound who wasn’t giving an inch, at least until a charitable fan decided to give that inch late.

Up until Friday, Brewers pitchers had repeatedly given up early runs, putting their offense in an immediate hole. An offense that has looked nothing like the Harvey’s Wallbangers of most of the regular season.

But you can’t always count on your offense to score bunches of runs. That is what makes solid starting pitching so important. And that is why Harry Dalton went out and traded for Don Sutton. For games just like the one on the final day of the regular season against the Orioles. And like this one.

Backs against the wall.

Don Sutton is the man, people. He allowed a hit and a walk in the first inning, but not another baserunner until a DeCinces single in the fifth. Prior to the eighth inning, Sutton had only allowed more than one baserunner in an inning once, that opening frame. Yes, Sutton was in supreme control.

The Brewers offense didn’t collect a hit until the fourth inning, but they did so in style. The Brewers hadn’t scored three runs in an inning since that last time Sutton was on the mound. The Crew collected three runs on three hits and a walk in the fourth, breaking through a massive funk at the plate.

Paul Molitor then added the exclamation point, hitting a much-needed two-run homer in the seventh making it 5-0. At the time, it seemed just like piling on. But it turned out to be crucial run production.

The Angels finally figured out Sutton in the bottom of the eighth, with a jump start from the aforementioned fan. Bob Boone led off the inning with a deep fly ball to left. Ben Oglivie headed to the track, leaped, and as the ball was about to enter his glove…

A fan reached over the wall and snagged it. Replays showed it clearly to be the case. It shouldn’t have been a home run, and it was probably going to be an out. Left field umpire Larry Barnett disagreed, however, and that’s all that mattered.

The Angels would score three runs on four hits in the inning, including the leadoff snafu. But by then, it was too late. They weren’t coming back.

Sutton allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out nine in 7 2/3 innings of mound work. He was the stopper the Brewers needed.

“We were shut down for seven innings by one of the best pitchers in baseball in the last 15 years,” said Angels manager Gene Mauch. “He’s very clever… very clever.”

The clever Sutton was relieved by Pete Ladd, who provided a much needed spark from the bullpen. Ladd went the final 1 1/3 innings without allowing a hit, striking out two. Ladd, who blew two late season games with big home runs, has struck out five of the seven batters he’s faced in this series.

“Relief is something that you already better be equipped to handle the pressure and go out there,” said Ladd, “or you might as well stay in the bullpen.”

How things can change for Ladd and this Brewers bullpen. The one thing you can say about this ALCS so far is that the bullpen has not been the problem. While they may not have been dependable as a group ever since Rollie Fingers went down, the bullpen has allowed only one earned run and three hits through 6 1/3 innings pitched.

Are the Brewers back? I think so. I hope so. They have a significant test on Saturday, skipping the struggling Mike Caldwell in the rotation in favor of Moose Haas. He’ll be up against veteran Tommy John, who dominated the Brewers in Game 1.

But the game is at home, and if they tie up the series at two apiece, the Brewers suddenly become favorites in Game 5, in Brew Town as well.

Am I confident? That may be a stretch. But I’ve perked up a bit. Don Sutton and the Brewers gave us a playoff victory, which is somewhat satisfying. And being down 2-1 feels nowhere near as hopeless as 2-0. It also means the Brewers are two home victories from the World Series.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One win at a time. It starts with Moose Haas on Saturday at 3:45 CDT.

What do you think? Do the Brewers have a realistic chance of winning with Moose Haas on the mound?

Filed Under: Game Recap Tagged With: Angels, Ben Oglivie, Bob Boone, Don Sutton, Gene Mauch, Mike Caldwell, Moose Haas, Paul Molitor, Pete Ladd, Rollie Fingers, Tommy John

ALCS Game 3 Preview

October 8 1 Comment

MILWAUKEE — He saved the Brewers when the season was on the line in Baltimore. He’ll need to do the same against the Angels today in Milwaukee.

Don Sutton
Help us Obi-Don Kenobi. You’re our only hope.

When Harry Dalton acquired Don Sutton on Aug. 31, he envisioned Sutton helping the Crew to make the postseason. On Friday, Sutton will need to prevent the Crew from being swept out of it. The wily vet and his magic perm takes the hill at 2:15 p.m. CT against Geoff Zahn to save the season once again.

Sutton may need to be close to perfect, though, with the way the Brewers have been swinging the bats: feebly, meekly, weakly. In the first two games in Anaheim, the Crew hit .182 or about 100 points lower than their team batting average over the ’82 season.

In his afternoon press conference on Thursday, Brewers manager Harvey Kuenn was at a loss as how to kick start the Crew offense.

“Maybe I should have Cooper lead off,” Kuenn said, according to The New York Times, “Gorman hitting second, and then Yount and Molitor hitting third and fourth. What good would it do? There wouldn’t be anybody on base for Yount and Molitor, anyway.”

Whoa, that’s pretty cynical even for a guy with a wooden leg. But can you blame him? His Brewers have been bums in six of their last seven games.

Think about that. The Brewers have lost six of their last seven games. It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that they can reel off three in a row. The wonderful thing though is that they’re not playing a tripleheader. They just need to win one. Without that, there isn’t the question of winning the other two. Win today. That’s the key.

Having Harpo Sutton on the mound helps. Sutton has been nothing short of awesome for the Crew since coming from Houston. He pitched a gem to help the Brewers clinch the AL East on the last day of the season.

He’ll be an asset today as well as the Angels have never seen him. So, not only do the Angels need to deal with Sutton’s veteran savvy and nasty stuff, but they’ve got to try to figure him out for the very first time.

When Game 3 is put into those terms, there may be a flicker of hope for the Crew.

Let’s just hope he can stop that bastard Fred Lynn, who went 2-for-4 in Game 2 and his average dropped to .625. May be time for a little chin music.

Facing the Crew will be Geoff Zahn, who won 18 games but got his brains beat in by the Crew in his two starts. Zahn, a tall, lanky lefty who doesn’t throw hard enough to break an egg, gave up five runs to the Crew in each of his two starts this season.

Let’s hope the Crew follows that precedent in Game 3 because it’s a better one than what the Crew has set in the past week.

# Brewers POS
1 Molitor 3B
2 Yount SS
3 Cooper 1B
4 Simmons C
5 Thomas CF
6 Oglive LF
7 Money DH
8 Moore RF
9 Gantner 2B
Sutton SP
# Angels POS
1 Downing LF
2 Carew 1B
3 Jackson LF
4 Lynn CF
5 Baylor DH
6 DeCinces 3B
7 Grich 2B
8 Foli SS
9 Boone C
Zahn SP

Filed Under: ALCS Preview Tagged With: Angels, Don Sutton, Fred Lynn, Geoff Zahn, Harvey Kuenn

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