La Marr Hoyt

Brewers Benefit from Seven Chicago Errors

July 5

Brewers 10, White Sox 4
Brewers now 45-33 (2nd)
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It was Jim Slaton, not LaMarr Hoyt, who looked like the early Cy Young candidate.

CHICAGO — You know those games when everything possible seems to go wrong? Have no fear, Brewers fans, this wasn’t one of those games for your team on a nationally televised scale. But it was for the White Sox.

Chicago had early Cy Young candidate LaMarr Hoyt on the mound. Coming in with a 10-6 record and 2.34 ERA, there was certainly an expectation that the Brewers would have a challenge scoring runs.

But these are Harvey’s Wallbangers. What Hoyt faced today was a level of competition he hadn’t seen all season. Formerly a reliever, he made his first start of the season against the Brewers on April 27 and allowed one earned run over eight innings for an 11-2 White Sox win. From that point forward, he had lasted eight innings or more in 10 of 13 starts. Only once had he not lasted at least 6 2/3 innings.

Today? Well, today was different. Hoyt would face 11 batters and retire only four of them, though one would be via the sacrifice. By the time he left in the second, he was shellshocked. The Brewers were already up 5-0.

Though the White Sox would come back and make it a 6-4 game, their defense would put this game out of reach. Or I should say, their lack of defense.

Seven errors. Seven. Have you ever seen a big league game where players committed seven errors? I haven’t. I’ve seen Little League games. Maybe some school games. Don’t think I’ve ever seen it on the college level, and certainly not in the big leagues.

Seven errors led to four unearned runs. Shortstop Bill Almon would get the hat trick, flubbing three plays. It got so bad that in the ninth inning Comiskey Park fans were chanting, “We want an error! We want an error!”

“It was an embarrassing loss in front of a national audience,” said White Sox manager Tony Larussa, “or even if there was no audience at all.”

It was embarrassing. For you.

White Sox fans will see this game as one that was lost due to a lack of defense. In reality, there was also some outstanding pitching coming from Milwaukee. While starter Randy Lerch nearly let a big lead get away by giving up four runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings, Jim Slaton was his usual dominant self in relief. He threw 6 1/3 easy, shutout innings, allowing only three hits.

Slaton’s ERA overall is 3.12, but just as a reliever it’s 1.72 in 47 relief innings. Manager Harvey Kuenn is strongly considering keeping Slaton in the relief role only, even though he’s often used as a spot starter.

Want some bad news? No? Well, I’m going to give it to you anyway. Robin Yount was removed in the fourth after pulling his hamstring while, you guessed it, running out Bill Almon error.

“He said he felt a slight pull after rounding first base and that if we wrapped up he’d be Ok,” Harvey said. “I figured he’d be at 85% and there’s no way Robin goes 85%, it would have been 110% and I was afraid he would pull it more.”

Yount is not expected to play tomorrow.

Game Notes: Of the last 11 games, the Brewers have reached double digits in hits nine times. … Dwight Bernard‘s wife Barbara had a baby girl this morning. Kelly Dawn weighed in at 7 lbs. 14 oz., and both baby and mother are resting comfortably. … Division leading Boston did not play today, so the Brewers are now back to a half game back. … Jim Gantner took infield practice prior to the game without trouble, but Kuenn didn’t think he was ready to return from a shoulder injury.

Short-Armed Brewers Embarrassed Again

May 13

White Sox 13, Brewers 2
Brewers now 16-14 (3rd)
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Lamarr Hoyt helped extend the Brewers' losing streak to four

CHICAGO — The White Sox unveiled their new, shiny, color scoreboard today. That was pretty much the highlight of the day for the Brewers, who once again paid for being short on arms.

You know what happens when you go into games against top teams when you are short-handed in the bullpen? You get beat.

Both Bob McClure and Pete Vuckovich are hurt. Considering neither pitcher has been placed on the disabled list, that means the Brewers have only eight pitchers to work with. You might get away with that against the Twins, but you won’t against the Royals and White Sox.

And the Brewers haven’t.

Bob McClure was hurt on May 9 when a line drive hit him on the pitching elbow. Pete Vuckovich was hurt two days later when he slid down a hill on the way to his start against the Royals. As a result, Jerry Augustine was the sacrificial lamb in a 17-3 loss to the Royals, a game in which he allowed 12 runs on 15 hits in five innings.

You’d think the Brewers’ brass would learn from that game. You can’t have two dead roster spots or that game will simply repeat itself. Well, today, it essentially did.

This time, Mike Caldwell was the sacrificial lamb. Having little help in the bullpen, Caldwell needed to fight through the assault on his Earned Run Average. Caldwell pitched parts of six innings, allowing at least a run in all but one of them. When all was said and done, he had allowed nine earned runs on 13 hits in five-plus innings of work.

Meanwhile, the strong-armed White Sox cruised. Starter La Marr Hoyt went the distance in this one, allowing two runs on 10 hits. He’s now won 12 straight dating back to last season. He’s 6-0 lifetime against the Brewers.

This is embarrassing. The Brewers have now been outscored 39-11 over the past three games, allowing 52 hits. Yet nothing is being done to help the pitching staff.

Well, not nothing. They’re doing something, but nothing that is helping their staff right now. The Brewers worked out free agent pitcher Dave Goltz and were impressed and scheduled another workout for May 15. Goltz signed a lucrative six-year contract prior to the 1980 season with the Dodgers, but he never quite lived up to the hype. The Brewers could use such an arm right now.

Another arm won’t solve the defensive woes, however. Once again, the gloves behind the mound are making the pitcher’s life difficult. Four more errors were made by sloppy Brewers defenders today. Though it didn’t make a difference today in this lopsided game, it’s been the difference in several games this season. Poor fundamental defense is simply unacceptable for a major league team.

Game Notes: The Brewers have lost four straight and are 4.5 games back in the American League East … Bob McClure threw on the sidelines prior to todays game and reported some progress, but isn’t expected to be ready for his next scheduled start against the Angels … Dave Goltz is 105-98 in a 10-year career and won 20 games with the Twins. Goltz claims the Brewers were his first choice before signing with the Dodgers for more money. He is also trying out for the California Angels and may have workouts with the White Sox and Royals as well.

White Sox Clobber the Crew

April 27

White Sox 11, Brewers 2
Brewers now 8-7 (3rd)
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Last time out, Randy Lerch was masterful. He was not Randy Lerch-like, allowing only a run on four hits. But, as has become a theme when talking about good performances this season, “those were the Blue Jays.”

April 27-28 Series Preview vs. Chicago

April 27

Match-ups
April 27 at 7:30 pm
Randy Lerch (1-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. La Marr Hoyt (3-0, 1.50 ERA)

April 28 at 7:30 pm
Mike Caldwell (1-1, 3.72 ERA) vs. Britt Burns (2-0, 0.87 ERA)

1982 Records
Milwaukee Brewers: 8-6 (3rd in AL East)
Chicago White Sox: 9-6 (2nd in AL West)

The Brewers had a day off yesterday before hosting the White Sox for a quick two game set in Milwaukee starting today. It’s an appropriate match-up, pitting streaky teams against one another. The White Sox, who started the season 8-0, have won only one game since. So while their 9-6 record may indicate a team in control, they have struggled mightily for over a week.