Slaton spent 10 seasons with the Brewers prior to 1982, taking a one-year hiatus with the Tigers in 1978. You’ve gotta love this card for the great pose and mustache if nothing else.
Jim Slaton
Blue Jays Help Brewers Recover
Brewers 3, Blue Jays 1
Brewers now 4-6 (5th)
Box Score | Season Schedule
MILWAUKEE — Want to cure your early season woes? Play the Toronto Blue Jays.
That’s been the story here in April so far. The Brewers roughed up the Blue Jays in two of three games to open the season and won only one game in the Indians and Rangers series combined before getting the Blue Jays again today.
While the Brewers’ offense may not have scored 14 or 15 runs like it did in two of the three games in the opening series, the pitching got a much needed boost to morale. Today, it was from an unexpected source: Randy Lerch.
Early Overreaction
The 3-6 Brewers have a day off today, and depending on how you look at it that’s either a good thing or a bad thing. They’re in the midst of a five-game losing streak, and everything possible is going wrong. Starting pitching is struggling. Relief pitching, including Rollie Fingers, has been awful. The offense, until the final game of the Rangers’ series, has done nothing of late.
On one hand, it’s good to get a day off to shift focus. It also helps guys like Robin Yount, Larry Hisle, Charlie Moore and Jim Slaton get healthy.
On the other, it just gives you another day to think about how badly things are going. Many players will tell you that when in the middle of a losing streak, they want to get back out there as soon as they can to end it. Too much downtime can just make it worse.
Brewers Lose Home Opener
Rangers 4, Brewers 1 (10)
Brewers now 3-4 (4th)
Box Score | Season Schedule
It took 10 extra days, but the city of Milwaukee was finally able to welcome home their Brewers. Winter weather postponed the opening series in Milwaukee, so the Brewers instead hit the road.
After the tailgating, after the Marquette marching band performance, after the pre-game introductions and after six-year-old Jim Dean threw out the first pitch, the Brewers had a game to play.