Dwight Bernard

Brewers Start with Bang, End with Whimper

Angels 6, Brewers 5
Brewers now 21-22 (4th)
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ANAHEIM — Through 6 1/2 innings today, it had appeared that the Brewers we’ve all been waiting for had finally arrived.

Tied 2-2 in the top of the sixth, Cecil Cooper, Don Money and Gorman Thomas led off the inning with back-to-back-to-back home runs, a franchise record. Through six innings, Mike Caldwell had allowed two runs on five hits and no walks. And the defense behind him sparkled. Gorman Thomas made a diving catch on a line drive by Bob Boone in the third, then jumped up and doubled off Rod Carew at first.

It was all going so well. Maybe too well.

Then the Angels scored three runs off of Caldwell and Dwight Bernard in the seventh to tie up the game. Don Baylor would add the clincher in the eighth on a solo home run off of Bernard.

It was a loss. It was a painful loss. The Brewers have now dropped 12 of 17 to fall to 21-22 and 7 1/2 games back of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. There were signs of hope, but we need more than signs right now.

The Brewers need results.

Game Notes: Charlie Moore will miss a couple of games with a jammed thumb, suffered in the first inning of yesterday’s game … Ted Simmons has hit safely in six straight games, his longest streak as a Brewer … Minor league pitching instructor Pat Dobson will replace Cal McLish as the team’s pitching coach until he’s healthy enough to return.

Bad Luck, Execution Lead to Another Loss

May 23 Leave a Comment

Mariners 6, Brewers 5 (11)
Brewers now 20-19 (3rd)
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MILWAUKEE — A couple of wins may have quieted the storm in the Brewers’ clubhouse, but two losses later and the winds are howling once again.

Prior to the game, Roy Howell spouted off about his lack of playing time. He hadn’t played in 12 days and it is evident that he no longer wants to be part of the team. Problem is, no one wants him to be part of any other team.

“What the hell is going on here?” Howell asked anyone willing to listen. “At this point, it looks like I shouldn’t have even bothered going to spring training.”

That’s an interesting suggestion since most Brewers fans would agree. Howell has been a negative force on this team. He rarely plays, and he isn’t willing to accept his role. Yet, with a .176 batting average, how can he demand more?

Howell came up in the 11th with an opportunity to be the hero. Runner on first, one down. Gorman Thomas had just walked, so it would appear to be a time to test whether Bill Caudill could throw strikes. Instead, Howell swung at the first pitch and popped out to the mound.

Sheesh. Just let the guy go. Put him, the team and the fans out of their collective misery.

Speaking of misery, the fact that this game had to come down to Roy Howell in the first place is enough to make a person miserable. The Brewers led 5-2 through five innings. In the sixth, starter Mike Caldwell allowed a Dave Henderson ground ball single that scored Al Cowens. With runners on first and second and one out in a 5-3 game, manager Buck Rodgers made a call to the bullpen.

A bit premature? Probably. Rodgers is fighting for his job at this point, so excuse him if he’s a bit jumpy. He saw Caldwell losing his grip on the game so he made the call for Dwight Bernard. Bernard promptly allowed his inherited runners to score on a ground ball double and a groundout, and the game was tied.

Caldwell joined Howell among the disenchanted, frustrated about being pulled so early. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just a player. I’m just trying to do my job. I don’t know if I’m getting a chance to do it.”

Neither team scored from that point until the 11th. And given Rollie Fingers’ history when entering tied games this season (one win and five losses), it should be no surprise that the Mariners scored on his watch.

That said, this loss can’t be pinned on Rollie. The run scored was more due to luck than skill.

Dave Henderson led off the inning with a broken bat single to left field off of the handle. He moved to second on a Jim Maler bunt, bringing up pinch hitter Manny Castillo. Fingers threw a good pitch on 0-2 and again jammed the hitter, Castillo’s bat broke, and his bloop hit went over Robin Yount’s head for the eventual game winning run.

The Brewers certainly suffered from a bout of bad luck in this game. Not only in the 11th, but in the sixth when all of the Mariners’ three runs scored that inning came on ground balls that found holes.

But the Brewers also failed to produce in key situations. With runners at first and third in the second, Mark Brouhard broke for second on a delayed steal and what should have been the front end of a double steal. Catcher Bud Bulling made a high throw to second, but Brouhard pulled up standing and did not slide. Had he slid, Brouhard would have been safe and Ben Oglivie would have scored from third. Instead, Brouhard walked into the tag for the final out of the inning.

Jim Gantner led off the Brewers’ seventh with a double and Paul Molitor reached on a bunt single. With runners on first and third and no one out, Robin Yount struck out and Cecil Cooper hit a fly ball to center. Henderson caught it, Gantner tagged and was thrown out at the plate.

Today’s run total was the team’s highest in nine days. Not sure that five runs is much to be proud of. The Brewers have now lost nine of 13 games to fall to 20-19 and into a tie with the New York Yankees for third place. They now trail the Red Sox by seven games, their largest deficit since 1980.

The winds are blowing. The egos are fragile. The slightest turbulence puts the team on edge. Time has come for change.

Game Notes: Paul Molitor’s strained shoulder is now well enough for him to play in the field, but he was the designated hitter today.

Brewers Strand Win in Scoring Position

May 16 Leave a Comment

White Sox 6, Brewers 1
Brewers now 18-15 (3rd)
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Pete Vuckovich — Vuke did not drop a video game on his foot. If you think so, you're a liar and will be hearing from his lawyers.

CHICAGO — Paul Molitor scored on a Robin Yount single in the first inning. And that… Well, that was it for the Brewers today in Chicago.

Sure, they had 11 hits. Molitor and Jim Gantner each had three hits. But they were awful when it counted. The Brewers left 10 men on base and went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Awful.

I guess another positive was that Randy Lerch was reasonably effective. He didn’t allow a run until the sixth inning, when the White Sox scored two. But as we know, the offense failed miserably. When Randy Lerch is on the mound, you know you need to score runs.

Sure, Lerch was pretty good today. But he’s not the kind of guy who goes deep into games. And when that happens, the Brewers’ shaky bullpen is often exposed. It was again today.

Dwight Bernard allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in one miserable inning. Jamie Easterly faced two batters and couldn’t get either out.

At least Jerry Augustine pitched a scoreless ninth to get his ERA down to 7.47. That thing is going to be inflated for a while after his surprise start against the Royals.

It was a disappointing game. Not a heartbreaker. You looked at this one on the schedule and figured it would be tough to win. But when Lerch pitches well and your offense collects 11 hits, you’d think you would have a chance.

Not on this day.

The Brewers have a day off tomorrow before opening an eight game homestand against the Angels.

Game Notes: Ted Simmons is now hitting just .208 on the season … Cecil Cooper had his first game off of the season … A rumor is swirling that Pete Vuckovich‘s ankle was not injured in a fall behind Royals Stadium, but instead due to a video game mishap. He is not happy. “I’m having my lawyer look at it. I don’t appreciate being called a liar.” Vuckovich has missed two scheduled starts and will likely miss a third.

Cooper is Super in 8-3 Win

May 15 Leave a Comment

Brewers 8, White Sox 3
Brewers now 18-14 (3rd)
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Cecil Cooper drove in four runs to power the Brewers to an 8-3 win.

CHICAGO — Down 1-0 in the third with two outs to 22-year-old All-Star lefty Britt Burns, the Brewers needed a hero. Cecil Cooper, the Crew’s most consistent offensive contributor and an early MVP favorite, stepped to the plate with the bases loaded.

Cooper promptly doubled home Jim Gantner, Paul Molitor, and Robin Yount to give the Brewers the lead. Dependable Cooper comes through again.

The White Sox would tie the game in the 8th when Ron LeFlore doubled in two runs off of Dwight Bernard, who had come in to relieve starter Moose Haas. The lead was temporary.

Cooper walked to lead off the bottom of the 8th, and would then score along with Gorman Thomas on a Don Money double to left to take the lead and knock Burns from the game. A perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Jim Gantner off of reliever Jerry Koosman would bring in the third run of the inning to make it 6-3.

The Brewers would pad their lead in the ninth when Cooper singled home Yount and a run scored on a bases loaded, Charlie Moore groundout.

Cooper would finish the day with two hits, a walk, two runs scored and four driven in. He’s now hitting a robust .354 with 21 RBI on the season. Cooper was super, and his contributions are becoming commonplace.

Moose Haas started on the mound for the Brewers, allowing three runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. Two of those runs scored with Dwight Bernard, who relieved him in the seventh, on the mound.

It was a solid win against a young star in Burns and the now 20-12 White Sox. The Brewers go for the sweep tomorrow with Randy Lerch on the mound.

Game Notes: Don Money collected three hits, all doubles … Unsubstantiated reports that Pete Vuckovich actually hurt his ankle when a video game fell on it, not slipping on a hill … Jim Gantner and Ned Yost collected two hits apiece.

Brewers Resilient, Sweep Twins

May 9 Leave a Comment

Brewers 6, Twins 2
Brewers now 16-10 (2nd)
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MILWAUKEE — When things are going well, it seems even the worst predicaments can be overcome. Today’s predicament qualifies.

Brewers starting pitcher Bob McClure threw one pitch today. That one pitch immediately came back to him. Ron Washington lined it off of McClure’s pitching elbow.

Luckily, it hit the fleshy part of McClure’s elbow. But it still left a mark, and he wasn’t able to continue. Jim Slaton took over on the mound.

This is only a guess, but I pictured Slaton lounging in the bullpen with a candy bar in one hand and binoculars in the other, checking out female fans in the stands. It was the first pitch of the first inning. No reason to think he’d be in the game any time soon.

But just like that, Jim was summoned. It would have been perfectly understandable if he wasn’t mentally prepared to pitch at that point. You just don’t go in to start a game on the mound (for all intents and purposes, that’s what he did) at a moment’s notice. As a result, Slaton allowed a couple of hits and the only two Twins runs of the game.

But Slaton was typically fantastic from that point forward. He allowed three more hits through the fifth before Dwight Bernard took over. Even Bernard was fantastic, allowing only a hit in three innings. And Rollie Fingers finished off the relief pitcher’s dream with a perfect inning of his own.

This is what happens when things are going well. Despite losing your starting pitcher on the first pitch, and despite falling into a first inning 2-0 hole, you never lose confidence. The relief pitchers did their job, and the offense did theirs.

The Brewers tied it up in the fourth on a two-run, two-out triple by Jim Gantner. Then took the lead for good in the fifth on a two run homer by Ben Oglivie (his seventh). Gantner would come a double away from hitting for the cycle. The Brewers swept the four game series from the Twins, an impressive feat even when your opponent is the Twins.

You can’t phase this team. The Crew’s unheralded relievers are ready to step up. And the offense is always capable of digging out of a hole. That’s what happens when you’re in the midst of a four-game winning streak. You are never out of a game.

Game Notes: Jim Gantner, needing a double to complete the cycle, accidentally wore Cecil Cooper‘s batting helmet in his eighth inning at bat. He flied out … The Brewers are 16-10 and have won 13 of their last 17. They now trail the Boston Red Sox by 2 1/2 games … X-rays on Bob McClure’s elbow were negative, and he may not miss a start.

Brewers Power to 11-6 Win

April 25 Leave a Comment

Brewers 11, Rangers 6
Brewers now 8-6 (3rd)
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ARLINGTON, Tex. — On April 18, the Brewers were 3-6 and had lost their fifth game in a row. Two of the three wins were against the hapless Toronto Blue Jays. Needless to say, it was a jarring start to the season.