Charlie Moore

Brewers Complete 5-Game Sweep of White Sox

July 18

Brewers 9, White Sox 3
Brewers now 53-35 (1st)
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Jim Gantner managed 11 hits in the five-game series.

MILWAUKEE — Today was Helmet Day at Milwaukee County Stadium, and the White Sox could have used those spare helmets to protect their heads from flying baseballs.

The White Sox took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning, but it could have been worse. Through those two innings, they had left three runners on base. Two runs is not enough to hold back the high-scoring Brewers.

“Sure it runs across your mind that today may not be your day,” Ben Oglivie told the Milwaukee Sentinel, “but we were only down two runs. The score doesn’t matter to this team. It doesn’t mean anything.”

In the bottom of the second, the Crew pounced on rookie Rich Barnes, who was making his major league debut. Just not fair, really. The first five batters he faced that inning reached base, and with two down in the inning the Brewers held a 6-2 lead. Barnes’ day was already over, and the White Sox had a big hole to climb out of.

While the Brewers hit .336 with 12 homers, 26 doubles and two triples on the home stand, the story of this five-game sweep was the bottom of the order. Don Money, Charlie Moore and Jim Gantner combined to go 8-for-12 with four RBI and three runs scored today, and of the Brewers’ 56 hits in the series 26 came from the bottom of the order.

Jim Gantner is a big part of that. The White Sox killer went 11-for-15 in the series and has gone 21-for-38 against Chicago this season.

“I betcha Jim Gantner couldn’t tell ya how to get Gantner out,” White Sox starting pitcher Britt Burns moaned.

A three-game sweep isn’t an easy thing to do. A four-game sweep is almost unheard of. And a five-game sweep? Thanks to a make-up game of a contest previously rained out in Chicago, the Brewers pulled off that unthinkable task.

“It’s just one of those streaks,” Gantner said of the eight straight games and overall success against the White Sox. “Chicago’s unfortunate enough to play us right now. They had the lead in four of the five games but we just kept coming back.”

The biggest surprise is that the Brewers kept scoring runs without the home run ball. Coming into the series at a pace to challenge the 1961 New York Yankees for the team record of most home runs in a season, the Brewers’ only homer was by Don Money on July 16.

“We finessed them,” manager Harvey Kuenn laughed. “Seriously, we not only hit for power, we can hit for average too.”

They can. And they can pitch. The bullpen now has a 2.15 ERA under Kuenn. The team is 30-11 under his leadership and now has the second best record in all of baseball, one win behind the Atlanta Braves who are 54-35.

The Boston Red Sox, by the way, lost to the Royals 9-0 today and fell 1 1/2 games behind the Brewers for the AL East lead.

Game Notes: Brewers starter Randy Lerch lasted 6 2/3 innings before handing the ball to Dwight Bernard for his fourth save. The White Sox managed only an Aurelio Rodriguez solo home run off of Lerch after the second inning.

Brewers Win Seventh Straight

July 17

Brewers 5, White Sox 2
Brewers now 52-35 (1st)
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Gorman Thomas — Gorman's two-run double gave the Brewers the lead for good.

MILWAUKEE — It was only a matter of time.

Through six innings, White Sox starter Britt Burns had the vaunted Brewers offense figured out. No runs on three hits, including three 1-2-3 innings. After six and one half innings of play, the White Sox led the Brewers 2-0.

Of course, you can’t keep this team down forever. When you have the chance, you’d better create a larger cushion than a measly two runs. That ain’t gonna hold up. It didn’t tonight.

With two down and Don Money standing on second, Jim Gantner and Paul Molitor struck with back-to-back singles (aided by an error on Ron LeFlore) to quickly tie the game at two and knock Burns from the game. Salome Barojas temporarily calmed the flames by getting Robin Yount to ground out to end the seventh, but the fire grew to a roar in the eighth.

Salome faced three batters that frame and couldn’t retire one. Cecil Cooper singled to center, Ted Simmons singled on a shot off of Salome and Gorman Thomas doubled to left to bring home both of them after a Salome balk moved both runners up a base. Kevin Hickey then took his turn on the mound, but the Brewers would add one more with a Charlie Moore sacrifice fly.

This is the problem if you’re the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox or anyone else in the American League. Even when you slow down this record-setting offense, a sub-par game may be good enough to beat you. And the pitching always seems to step up when they need it most.

Today, Bob McClure did just enough, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks through 6 1/3 innings. Newcomer Pete Ladd made his Brewers debut by pitching 1 2/3 innings of scoreless, hitless baseball, and Rollie Fingers finished it off in typical Rollie Fingers-fashion — with a perfect ninth.

No, the Brewers didn’t hit four home runs today. They didn’t hit any. They “only” scored five runs. But they aren’t a one-dimensional team. They will always, it seems, find a way to win.

This was their seventh straight win and the fourth in a row against the White Sox. The Brewers go for the rare five-game sweep tomorrow. The Red Sox kept pace by beating the Royals 8-4 and remain a half game out.

Brewers Sweep into First at Break

July 11

Brewers 8, Royals 5
Brewers now 48-35 (1st)
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1982 Topps Paul Molitor — Paul Molitor goes into the break with 10 home runs, already a career high.

MILWAUKEE — Prior to their game with the Mariners in Seattle on June 2, the Milwaukee Brewers were scuffling in fifth place with a 23-24 record, seven games back in the AL East. That was the day that Buck Rodgers was fired and Harvey Kuenn took over on an “interim” basis.

Today, the Brewers wrapped up the first half of the season with a sweep of the Kansas City Royals, a team that was in first place in the AL West before the series began. In 36 games after Kuenn took over, the Brewers go into the All-Star break as the AL East leaders, up by percentage points over the Boston Red Sox after they fell to the Twins today.

How did the Brewers do it? Much in the way they won today’s game: The long ball. Today, “Harvey’s Wallbangers” launched four more home runs, one each by Paul Molitor (10), Charlie Moore (4), Ted Simmons (14) and Gorman Thomas (22). Molitor has already eclipsed his career high of nine, done twice before.

Before Rodgers was let go, the Brewers had hit 58 home runs in 47 games for 1.2 per game. Since Kuenn took the helm, they’e hit 67 in 36 games, or 1.9 per game. That’s downright silly. The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers, on pace to hit 244 home runs, are now being mentioned in the same breath as the 1961 New York Yankees, who set the team record with 241.

It hasn’t just been the home runs, though they’ve helped. The Brewers have also gotten much more consistent pitching, both from the bullpen and the starting rotation. The team that was a game under .500 36 games ago has been 25-11 ever since.

Is it all the manager? Maybe not. But the roster has remained the same. Kuenn’s approach has a relaxing influence on the team. They play looser and have more fun. Do they have more fun because they’re winning or the other way around? Who knows. But it’s working.

Game Notes: Rod Carew announced he would miss the All-Star Game due to tendinitis in his right hand. Cecil Cooper is a back-up, but Carew’s starting replacement has not been named. … The Brewers had 10 hits, the 13th time in the past 16 games that they’ve reached double digits.

Improbable 2-out Rally Carries Crew

July 9

Brewers 9, Royals 6
Brewers now 46-35 (2nd)
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MILWAUKEE — Bottom of the fourth inning. Two outs. Two strikes. Bases empty. Paul Splittorff on the mound for the Royals. Ben Oglivie at the plate for the Brewers.

There is no reason to write about anything that happened in this 9-6 Brewers win over the Kansas City Royals other than that one-third of an inning. It was incredible. Glorious. Improbable. Breath-taking. Baffling.

All the Royals needed was one strike or one out, whatever came first. But Ben Oglivie singled to center. Don Money walked. Ed Romero singled to left to bring in a run. Charlie Moore singled to right to bring in another run. Paul Molitor walked to load the bases. Robin Yount hustled out an infield single to score another run. Cecil Cooper drove in two with a double to center.

Seven straight baserunners? With two outs and the bases empty? You’re kidding?

Well, that wasn’t all. It was all for Splittorff, but the Brewers weren’t quite done. Former Brewer Bill Castro came on to intentionally walk Ted Simmons to load the bases and face Gorman Thomas. Gorman then doubled in Yount and Cooper. Ben Oglivie then came up again and was also intentionally walked. Don Money then struck out to finally end the inning.

Ten batters. Seven runs. Six hits. Four walks. All with the bases empty and two outs.

“With two out,” Gorman Thomas reflected, “you more or less resign yourself to thinking the inning is over.”

Well, that “you” Gorman referred to is apparently anyone other than these Brewers.

“You never figure to score that many,” Gorman continued, “much less with two outs, much less with two outs and nobody on, much less with two outs and two strikes on the hitter.”

Gorman the philosopher is correct. “You” never figure that. But again. These are the Brewers.

Harvey Kuenn has only led this team for a shade over a month, and even he is bright-eyed regularly by the offensive production from this team. “I can’t remember ever seeing an inning like that one,” he said. “It just goes to show you how these guys are capable of battling, especially against a club as good as the Royals.”

Harvey Kuenn was a .303 career hitter who has seen a lot of baseball. This is not the first time this month when he has said that his team did something he had never seen before.

So the Brewers took a 7-1 lead that inning, the Royals battled back to make it somewhat interesting, Mike Caldwell pitched just well enough to hold on, and Rollie Fingers threw 10 of 11 pitches for strikes to get all three batters he faced. That was pretty much the story of the game other than that one-third of an inning.

Oh, and the Twins beat the Red Sox 4-1 in Boston today, meaning the Brewers are back to within a game of first place.

Game Notes: Jim Gantner received a cortisone shot in his ailing throwing shoulder and will not return until after the All-Star Break. … The Brewers and Chicago White Sox will make up their July 6 rainout on July 15 as part of a double header in Milwaukee. Although the originally scheduled game was played in Chicago, there are not any remaining games scheduled between the two teams there.

Twins Blast McClure

July 7

Twins 11, Brewers 8
Brewers now 45-34 (2nd)
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MILWAUKEE — It’s pretty easy to boil today’s 11-8 loss to the Minnesota Twins down to one inning and one player: The second inning and Bob McClure.

After neither team had a hit in the first, the Twins came out swinging in the second. After retiring rookie Kent Hrbek for his fourth consecutive out, McClure endured the following:

Engle (walk)
Laudner (walk)
Ward (single)
Gaetti (home run)
Castino (single)
Mitchell (single)

Dwight Bernard then relieved McClure and got the final two outs, but not until his inherited runners scored.

Down 6-0 in the second inning, the Brewers offense didn’t give up. They never do. They played up to Harvey’s Wallbangers standards, scoring eight runs on 13 hits, including home runs by Ed Romero (1), Robin Yount (14) and Ted Simmons (12).

Of course, even if your offense scores eight runs, when you spot the opposition six you have to expect your bullpen to allow fewer than two runs over 7 2/3 innings. That didn’t happen.

And not to bag on the bullpen, but other than Bernard they didn’t do their job. After Bernard held things together with only one earned run over 4 2/3 innings, Jamie Easterly allowed two runs in two innings and Rollie Fingers allowed two more in one inning. So, if you want to get technical… Really, all the Brewers needed was for Easterly and Fingers to shut out the Twins over the final three innings. If you want to assign some blame there, feel free.

The loss was the Brewers’ second in three games and their third in six. Not awful. But the Red Sox beat the Rangers 8-5, so the Brewers now trail by a full game.

Game Notes: Robin Yount, Ted Simmons and Charlie Moore each had three hits.

Brewers Pound Yankees, Guidry

June 29

Brewers 11, Yankees 4
Brewers now 41-31 (2nd)
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Cecil Cooper smacked two more homers to pace the Crew.

NEW YORK — After the Yankees jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the third inning with ace Ron Guidry on the mound, things wouldn’t have looked good for most teams.

You know Ron Guidry. Since the start of the 1977 season, he came into today’s game with a 95-35 record and a downright silly 2.71 ERA. So it would be understandable if most teams would pack it in at that point.

But the Brewers aren’t most teams. They are Harvey’s Wallbangers. No lead is safe.

The Crew chipped away with a run on an RBI double by Don Money in the fourth, but that was just the opening act. In the fifth, the Brewers opened the flood gates on the Yankees ace and brought wrath he is not accustomed to experiencing.

The Brewers opened with consecutive singles by Paul Molitor, Robin Yount and Cecil Cooper to score the first run. After Ted Simmons grounded out, Gorman Thomas drew a walk to load the bases and Ben Oglivie singled home Yount and Simmons.

Four singles, three runs. That was all for Ron Guidry. But the Brewers weren’t done.

Don Money then singled home Gorman, and with runners at first and third Ed Romero dropped down a squeeze bunt that resulted in the sixth single of the inning that scored one more run. Charlie Moore then grounded out to drive in the sixth run of the inning to give the Brewers a 9-4 lead.

Wait, what happened to Harvey’s Wallbangers? Six singles including a squeeze bunt? Who are these guys?

Well, Cecil Cooper also hit two homers on the day, including a 420-foot shot to center in the sixth. Is that good enough?

There is no proper superlative to describe this offense right now. The Brewers have scored 45 runs on the five-game road trip against the Red Sox and Yankees, batting a ridiculous .337.

Mike Caldwell also deserves recognition for recovering from a slow start. He allowed four runs on five hits and three walks through the first three innings. From the fourth through seventh innings, he allowed no runs on five hits. Jerry Augustine then came on to pitch two innings of no-hit ball.

Ron Guidry stepped on the mound with an 8-2 record and 3.04 ERA today. The Brewers didn’t blink. After giving up eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, Guidry left with a 3.57 ERA.

“Did George call and send Guidry down yet?” Rollie Fingers joked, referring to the impatient Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner. It was funny, only because such a reaction wouldn’t have been out of character. Last year’s AL Rookie of the Year Award winner, Dave Righetti, was recently sent to the minors after starting the season 5-5 with a typically acceptable 4.23 ERA.

By the time this series is over, George may send his entire pitching staff to the minors.

Game Notes: Pete Vuckovich was ejected from the dugout after arguing balls and strikes … The Brewers are now 18-7 under Harvey Kuenn and remain three games back of the Boston Red Sox … Jim Gantner, recovering from an injured shoulder, has been hitting well in batting practice and may be used as a pinch hitter if he isn’t put on the DL … Charlie Moore has started every game in right field on the current road trip … A Brewers fan who said he was assaulted by a security worker at County Stadium two years ago filed a suit of $125,000 against the team.