Marshall Edwards

Thornton Slam Erases Vuke’s Gem

Indians 5, Brewers 1 (12)
Brewers now 57-41 (2nd)
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1982 Topps Stickers Pete Vuckovich — Vuckovich did all he could for 11 innings.

MILWAUKEE — For 11 innings, Brewers starter Pete Vuckovich did all he could to win today’s game. He allowed only a single run on 10 hits and three walks. He threw 140 pitches. He threw his heart and soul. And all he needed was two runs from his heavy hitting teammates.

It shouldn’t have been difficult. The opposing starting pitcher was Len Barker, who had a career record of 1-6 against the Brewers. And knowing how easily Harvey’s Wallbangers typically score runs, Vuke’s effort should have been more than enough.

Instead, Barker matched him pitch for pitch through 10 innings. Like Vuckovich, he allowed only a single run before giving way to the bullpen in the 11th inning.

Unlike Vuckovich’s bullpen, Barker’s did the job. Closer Rollie Fingers had the day off, so the ball instead fell into the reliable hand of Jim Slaton. Normally reliable, at least.

This time, Slaton ran into immediate trouble. Jack Perconte led off with a single to right. Miguel Dilone bunted him to second. Slaton threw a wild pitch. Toby Harrah walked. Mike Hargrove walked to load the bases. And then Andre Thornton blasted an 0-1 pitch into the left field seats for a grand slam.

A grand slam. Really? Vuke goes 11 innings, allowing only a single run. And Slaton gives up four runs before he can get two outs?

“It was just one of those nights,” manager Harvey Kuenn explained afterwards. “Jimmy didn’t have hits best stuff.” No kidding.

That’s just how it rolls sometimes, I guess. And while it’s convenient to blame Slaton, we shouldn’t forget the offense that could score only a run through 12 innings. They also had their opportunities.

They had runners at first and second in the second inning, but Marshall Edwards lined to short. Runners at second and third with one out in the third, but Cecil Cooper popped out and Ted Simmons struck out. Bases loaded in the 11th, but Paul Molitor popped to right.

So the offense certainly deserves some blame. In fact, you can blame everyone for this loss. Everyone, that is, other than Vuckovich.

For the longest stretch under Kuenn, it was as if this team could not lose. And if they did lose, four wins would immediately follow. Now, however, they’re in the midst of a 4-6 stretch. It’s a stretch that would seem normal for any other team. But one that is hard to comprehend for this team that was unbeatable a short while ago.

“You can’t expect to play .700 baseball throughout the whole year,” Kuenn said.

He’s right. But the loss coupled with Boston’s win over the White Sox dropped the Brewers to second place, a half game back of the AL East lead.

Brewers Buckle to Distractions

June 23 Leave a Comment

Yankees 3, Brewers 2
Brewers now 37-30 (2nd)
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Mike Caldwell — Caldwell threw well enough to win, but one bad pitch cost him the game.

MILWAUKEE — The Brewers lost the final game of a three-game series with the Yankees today because of one pitch. And that one pitch may have been off target due to one, ridiculous distraction.

With the Brewers leading 2-0 in the fifth, the Yankees mounted a rally. Jerry Mumphrey led off with a walk and John Mayberry singled to right. But Mike Caldwell, who was fantastic on this day, was primed to get out of the jam. He got Butch Wynegar to fly out to right and struck Graig Nettles out looking on a pitch that just clipped the outside corner.

Well, Nettles didn’t think it clipped the outside corner. He thought it was a ball. And when Yankees don’t get their way, they throw a fit. So Nettles threw a fit and his bat, nearly propelling into the stands. Umpire Dan Morrison immediately tossed him, and Nettles went into bar room tough guy mode, screaming and beating his chest, proclaiming he’d kick Morrison’s tail if not for the fact that manager Gene Michael and third base coach Joe Altobelli were holding him back.

As Nettles threw his annoying tantrum, Caldwell stood on the mound waiting. And waiting.

Finally, Roy Smalley stepped to the plate with two on and two down. It was a good match-up for Caldwell. Smalley, a switch hitter, was hitting a mere .159 from the right side.

The first pitch from Caldwell was launched into the left field seats, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead. It was the only run-scoring hit for the Yankees on the day, and the Brewers, too, would be done stepping on home plate.

Once the Brewers were unable to break through in the seventh, it was essentially over. Goose Gossage came in and strangled every bit of life out of the offense. With two on and one out in the seventh, Gossage came on and induced fly balls from Robin Yount and Cecil Cooper. When the Brewers reached on a walk by Ted Simmons and a single by Ben Oglivie to open the eighth, Gossage started throwing his notorious slurve to strike out Gorman Thomas and Roy Howell.

It’s a shame that the offense couldn’t score runs because Caldwell deserved better. He pitched a complete game, allowing only the three runs on four hits, though he did walk six. But it was that one hit — that one pitch — that would cost him.

Caldwell simply let a distraction get to him. Unfortunately, the Yankees are full of distractions and the Brewers have to know how to handle them.

Although recent news may present a significant distraction for the Brewers that could be New York Yankee caliber. It was announced that three or four local sports figures, including at least one member of the Milwaukee Brewers starting lineup, have been interviewed by federal investigators in recent months in connection with purchase of drugs from a local man. While no member of the team appears to be in any legal trouble, the Brewers aren’t talking. And as many as five Brewers were contacted during the investigation, though one was cleared.

You think Graig Nettles’ tantrum was a distraction? That’s nothing. This could change the direction of the team if they don’t handle it properly.

Game Notes: The loss ended the Brewers’ seven-game winning streak … The Brewers had seven hits, but six of them were by Ben Oglivie and Marshall Edwards, who each had three … Ben Oglivie hit his 17th home run in the fourth inning, his sixth in four games.

Steinbrenner Protests Brewers Win

June 22 Leave a Comment

Brewers 3, Yankees 2
Brewers now 37-29 (2nd)
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Pete Vuckovich — Vuckovich has been the game's most successful pitcher since the start of the 1981 season.

MILWAUKEE — Following today’s game, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was fuming. He was so steamed that he is protesting the results and sent a videotape of two plays to league president Lee McPhail.

In other words, the Yankees lost and George needed someone to blame. The plays in question were of little consequence. Had they gone another way, there is little guarantee the Yankees could have found a way to score.

The truth is that had the Yankees taken advantage of a first inning opportunity, George would be happy. After nine pitches and no outs, New York had loaded the bases on Brewers starter Pete Vuckovich, who had thrown only two strikes. Somehow, some way, Vuke escaped that inning by only allowing a single run. It would be important in what would become a low scoring game.

Cecil Cooper quickly made the Yankees pay for failing to score more runs when he hit a booming two-run home run to right in the bottom of the first. The Yankees would tie it up on a Roy Smalley solo homer in the top of the second, but Marshall Edwards would give the Crew the lead for good in the bottom of the inning with a run-scoring, infield single.

That’s right. Each team scored at least one run in each of the first two innings, but that was it. Of course, that doesn’t mean the following innings lacked controversy.

Willie Randolph led off the top of the third with a bunt in front of the plate. Vuckovich made an athletic play to get to the ball and throw a bullet to first. Randolph was called out, and he showed his disapproval. George, too, griped about the call.

Ken Griffey would follow with a walk, but the Yankees would fail to get a hit that inning. So there is little reason to believe that a close call at first would have changed the game in the third.

In the eighth, Yankees left fielder Dave Collins popped up a foul behind the plate. Ted Simmons went back to the screen and made the catch. Steinbrenner claimed Simmons trapped the ball against the screen. This dispute borders on ridiculous. Had Simmons actually trapped the ball, Collins still needed to reach base. Vuke had retired the Yankees in order in the eighth, so this was far from a game-changing call.

What isn’t in dispute? Rollie Fingers‘ dominance. After Jerry Mumphrey singled to lead off the top of the ninth, Fingers was summoned from the bullpen. Eight pitches and two strikeouts later, the inning and game were over.

Covering his last two outings, Rollie has thrown 18 pitches, 17 for strikes. He’s retired all six batters he’s faced and five were via the strikeout.

The Brewers keep winning, and they’re having fun. “We were a squabbling, bickering bunch of guys for a while,” first baseman Cecil Cooper said of the days under former manager Buck Rodgers. “I think [Kuenn] deserves a lot of credit just for creating that type of atmosphere. It’s fun. I think that’s the way it should be. Come out and have fun.”

It’s this type of atmosphere that is lacking in New York. It’s why the Yankees are losing, and it’s why George Steinbrenner needs someone to blame.

Game Notes: It was the Brewers’ seventh straight win, remaining four games back of the Red Sox … At 23-6, Pete Vuckovich has won more games than any pitcher in baseball since the start of the 1981 season. He’s won eight straight, tying Mike Caldwell for the club record … Rollie Fingers recorded his 16th save … Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent announced after the game that if he is selected to start the All-Star Game that he would decline. Robin Yount is currently second in the balloting.

Simmons Blunder Leads to Tie

June 16 Leave a Comment

Brewers 2, Orioles 2 (will be replayed)
Brewers still 31-29 (4th)
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BALTIMORE — Brewers catcher Ted Simmons forgot how many outs there were. As a result, today’s game will need to be replayed.

It was a game they didn’t know would be played. Raining on and off, play was delayed in the third for 43 minutes. When the clouds momentarily cleared, the unthinkable happened.

With one out and runners at first and second in the bottom of the third inning, Pete Vuckovich struck out John Lowenstein. It was the second out.

Problem was, Ted Simmons thought it was the third out. Simmons tossed the ball to umpire George Maloney and headed for the dugout. Vuke, suddenly wondering if he were the one who didn’t know how many outs there were, took a second look at the scoreboard to make sure. The bewildered umpire, realizing he shouldn’t have caught the ball, dropped it to his feet. Meanwhile, the Orioles baserunners moved up to second and third base with two outs.

When Simmons finally returned to his spot behind home plate, Joe Nolan lined a single to center that was just out of Gorman Thomas‘ reach. It was a hit that would have scored one had there been runners at first and second. Instead, it scored two runs to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead. Nolan was out trying to extend the single to a double.

The Brewers would score one in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Marshall Edwards and another to tie it in the sixth on a Robin Yount home run, but that would be it. Once Vuckovich retired the Orioles in order in the ninth, the two teams prepared for the tenth.

But no pitch would ever be thrown in extra innings. It poured. And poured. The tarps were brought back onto the field. Sixty-five minutes later, umpires called off the game.

It will go into the books as a tie, and the stats of the game will count. But the game will be played over in its entirety on a date to be determined. The Brewers next return to Baltimore on the final weekend of the season.

It’s a shame. Vuckovich allowed one earned run in nine innings and deserved the win. The team deserved the win. But the win won’t count because Simmons couldn’t.

Game Notes: Simmons refused to talk with reporters after the game … In his last 11 games, Roy Howell has raised his average from .167 to .253. Yet, he’s unhappy that he hasn’t been traded … The Brewers have committed 18 more errors at this point through 60 games than last year. Team ERA is also up from 3.67 to 4.20, and the team has allowed 21 more home runs.

Robin Yount Stars in Brewers Win

June 15 Leave a Comment

Brewers 6, Orioles 3
Brewers now 31-29 (4th)
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Robin Yount proved again why he is the best shortstop in the game, but he may not play in the All-Star Game in Montreal on July 13.

BALTIMORE — Today’s win was a full team effort.

Bob McClure started and held the potent Orioles offense to three runs (two earned) on six hits in seven innings. Jim Slaton went the rest of the way and did what Jim Slaton does, allowing only a hit in two scoreless innings.

The Brewers got off to a good start in the first when Paul Molitor led off with a walk and Robin Yount then launched a homer to stake his roommate McClure to a 2-0 lead.

The Orioles would take the lead in the third when Dan Ford struck again with a two-run single. It was Ford who hit a grand slam yesterday to put that game out of reach.

The pitchers took over from that point until the eighth when a surprising defensive miscue gave the Brewers an opportunity. With two down, Mark Brouhard hit a routine grounder to rookie vacuum Cal Ripken, Jr.. Brouhard would reach safely when Ripken threw high to first, committing his first error in 44 games. After Molitor singled, Yount came through again with a triple off of the wall in right to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead.

The Brewers got some nice insurance runs in the eighth when Gorman Thomas led off with a booming home run to left and Marshall Edwards brought home Ben Oglivie with a sacrifice fly. But with Jim Slaton on the mound, those runs were merely recreational.

As has been the case so many times this season, Robin Yount was the star of this show. He went 2-for-5 and drove in four of the Brewers’ six runs. He is now hitting .313 with eight home runs and 36 RBI.

“If Robin Yount is not the starting All-Star shortstop,” said manager Harvey Kuenn, “then there’s something wrong with the balloting.”

Well, there’s likely something wrong with the balloting. As it currently stands, Yankees part-timer (and owner of a .153 batting average) Bucky Dent is leading all shortstops in the voting. Robin Yount sits third. Helplessly.

It’s okay. The Yankees can play in the meaningless All-Star Game. The Brewers will just keep winning the games that count.

Game Notes: The Brewers are considering calling up reliever Pete Ladd or starter Frank DiPino from Vancouver. Ladd is 9-1 and has allowed 32 hits in 40 2/3 innings. DiPino is 7-4 with a 3.17 ERA … Ted Simmons is second among catchers in the All-Star voting behind Chicago’s Carlton Fisk. Cecil Cooper is fifth among first basemen behind California’s Rod Carew. Molitor is seventh among third basemen behind Kansas City’s George Brett. Ben Oglivie is sixteenth among outfielders … Reliever Rollie Fingers (back spasms) may be available for tomorrow’s game … Cecil Cooper, who had been out of the lineup for five games with a hamstring injury, returned and couldn’t get the ball out of the infield in four at bats.

Trades Fall Apart for Brewers

June 15 Leave a Comment

BALTIMORE — Though they were involved in two trade discussions, the 1982 trade deadline has passed, and general manager Harry Dalton and the Brewers were unable to swing a deal to help improve the team’s rotation or bullpen. There were, however, a couple of deals that were discussed but not consummated. See for yourself, but probably best that these deals weren’t made.

Deal #1: Ted Simmons to Yankees for Bucky Dent
That’s right, Bucky “Bleeping” Dent. The same Bucky Dent who, despite barely hitting his weight and being a part-timer, leads the American League All-Star voting at shortstop. How uncomfortable would it be if the Brewers were to acquire Dent and he is selected to start the All-Star Game ahead of his superstar teammate Robin Yount, the player who rightfully deserves the selection?

Of course, we’ll never know. Not only because the deal wasn’t made, but because Dent never would have stayed in Milwaukee. The discussion was to acquire Dent, waive him to the Padres and receive outfielder/third baseman Joe Lefebvre in return.

Seems like a lot of effort to acquire a utility player who is hitting .176 with a .255 slugging percentage. I understand dealing Simmons, but at least get value in return. And I don’t understand where Lefebvre would have fit on this team. He would have been the fourth third baseman, and he isn’t better than Moore or Brouhard in right. At best, he’d take Marshall Edwards‘ spot. But he’s not really a guy you’d consider a defensive replacement. Good thing this deal wasn’t made.

Deal #2: Mike Caldwell to Texas for Doc Medich
Another head scratcher. At 4-5 with a 5.79 ERA, Medich isn’t an improvement over Caldwell. It’s not even an exchange of like-valued players who may benefit from a change of scenery. Medich is a veteran pitcher hanging on with one foot out the door as he prepares to enter medicine full-time (hence the “Doc” nickname). This would be a downgrade.

I’m hoping that there were other players being discussed in these deals. It also could be they were offers from the Yankees and Rangers that were immediately shot down. Either way, Harry Dalton didn’t pull the trigger, and that’s a good thing.

Still, no improvements were made to the pitching staff. Deals can still be made through waivers, but can this team compete with the roster as it currently stands?