Mike Caldwell

Caldwell in the Zone as Brewers Win

Brewers 9, Rangers 1
Brewers now 64-45 (3.5 games up)
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MILWAUKEE — They say that when a hitter is “in the zone” he can’t miss. He can do no wrong. Today, Mike Caldwell showed that a pitcher can be in the zone, too.

Caldwell pitched a six-hit complete game victory for his 10th win of the season and third straight. The win also allowed the Brewers to extend their lead in the AL East to 3.5 games, their largest lead of the season.

But while the Brewers offense pounded out 13 hits, featuring a home run by Jim Gantner and four RBI from Robin Yount, Caldwell was the star. Other than a third inning solo home run by George Wright, Caldwell was virtually flawless, walking two and striking out three.

“If you told me he was a 10-10 pitcher and I didn’t know it, I’d call you a liar,” manager Harvey Kuenn said of his starting pitcher. “He has pitched flat out super baseball.”

It’s Caldwell’s second consecutive complete game, having thrown a shutout the last time out. In fact, he’s allowed only five earned runs in his last four starts, covering 34 innings.

“It’s like a hitter can hit a pitch no matter where it is at,” Caldwell explained. “I throw the ball and just think inside or outside and the ball ends up there.”

Whatever it is, it’s certainly working for Caldwell.

And whatever Jim Gantner did today worked as well. In addition to the home run, he had two other hits giving him three on the game. A week ago, he said he would not shave until he collected three hits in a game. Following today’s win, he was finally able to shave the week old beard. “I’m a man of my words,” a cleanly shaven Gantner said.

Today’s game was anything but a clean shave, thanks to Mike Caldwell’s zone. Game 2 of the series is tomorrow at 7:30 pm.

Cooper, Caldwell Star in Shutout

August 4 Leave a Comment

Brewers 8, Blue Jays 0
Brewers now 61-44 (1st by 1.5 games)
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Cecil Cooper was the offensive star of the game.

TORONTO — Today’s game left little doubt which was the better team. It was dominated by superstar performances, all from the visitors’ dugout.

For the second consecutive time, Mike Caldwell shutout the Toronto Blue Jays. It was as dominating as a one strikeout, seven-hit shutout could ever be. He didn’t walk a batter, and in only one inning (the fourth) did he allow two baserunners. In that inning, though, one of those runners was wiped out by a double play. Not once did Toronto even get a player to second base. Complete dominance.

Cecil Cooper would drive in the first two runs of the game with a two-out, two-run double, hitting just below the 400 foot sign in centerfield. In the fifth, he hit an absolute laser beam into right center that barely cleared the wall and was out of the park in the blink of an eye. It was his 22nd home run of the season. Cooper would also collect two singles, finishing the game with four hits, two runs scored and three RBI.

Those were the two standout performances. But Ted Simmons also went 2-for-5, including a three-run home run in the ninth to put the game well out of reach. Gorman Thomas had two hits, including his AL-leading 26th home run of the season.

After hitting only two home runs in seven games, the high powered Brewers are back to their old ways, hitting seven in the past two games in Toronto. This is the team we fell in love with during most of June and July. This is the complete team, with overwhelming power and just enough pitching, that should run away with the AL East.

The Boston Red Sox fell to the Baltimore Orioles 4-2, giving the Brewers a 1 1/2 game lead in the division. The Brewers get a much deserved day off tomorrow.

Indians Throw Away Game to Brewers

July 31 Leave a Comment

Brewers 4, Indians 2
Brewers now 58-42 (1st by .5 game over Boston)
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MILWAUKEE — This was one of those games that the Brewers didn’t deserve to win. But if you want to get technical, the Cleveland Indians deserved to win it even less.

It was both American Legion Day and Wisconsin Tavern League Day, and in the bottom of the first inning the Indians would play defense like a bunch of drunk teenagers. But we’ll get to that.

With one down in the top of the first, Toby Harrah and Mike Hargrove hit back-to-back home runs off of Brewers starter Mike Caldwell to give the Indians an early 2-0 lead. The Indians had already hit six home runs off of the Brewers in two-plus games while “Harvey’s Wallbangers” had yet to hit one. It didn’t look good.

But then one of the most ridiculous half innings in recent memory happened. After Gorman Thomas singled in Paul Molitor to make it a 2-1 game, Ben Oglivie hit a liner right at second baseman Larry Milbourne with Robin Yount at third and Thomas at first. Thomas ventured a little too far off of first, and Milbourne fired over in an attempt to turn the inning ending double play. Instead…

What happened next could easily be written in the longest run-on sentence in the history of the English language. But instead, I’ll break it down as succinctly as possible:

1) Milbourne’s throw sailed wide and off of Hargrove’s glove at first.
2) Hargrove and Thomas collided and fell to the ground.
3) Yount took off for home plate.
4) Hargrove de-tangled himself from Gorman Thomas, picked up the ball and fired it home. That ball sailed over a divin Robin Yount and catcher Chris Bando‘s glove.
5) Thomas took off for second, and when the Indians were slow to track down the errant throw, he headed for third.
6) Bando found the ball, fired towards third base and into left field.
7) Gorman Thomas scored.

Three errors on one play that led to two runs. It was a play you’ll typically only see in youth league baseball.

While it was a lead the Brewers would not relinquish, the win could ultimately be attributed to their pitching. The only additional run scored in this game was on a Gorman Thomas double play ball in the third. After a shaky first inning in which he allowed two runs on three hits, Mike Caldwell settled down to dominate the Indians through the eighth. He’d shut out Cleveland for the next seven innings, allowing only two hits. Then Rollie Fingers took the mound to throw a perfect ninth for his 23rd save.

The win moved the Brewers back into first place, a half game ahead of the Boston Red Sox, who fell 7-5 to the White Sox.

Brewers Baffled by Knuckleball

July 26 Leave a Comment

Rangers 3, Brewers 1
Brewers now 55-40 (2nd)
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ARLINGTON, Tex. — Last time the Brewers met knuckleballer Charlie Hough, the Rangers pitcher was knocked around and out in the third inning. Today… Well, today was a different story, as Hough led the Rangers to a 4-1 win.

The secret? He had less movement on his knuckler.

“If it’s really moving,” Hough explained to the Milwaukee Sentinel, “I end up walking six guys and throwing 2,000 pitches. It’s a funny pitch. You just can’t predict which way it will go, which is good since the hitter can’t either.

Hough kept Brewers hitters off balance all game, mixing in an occasional 70 MPH “fastball” with his famed knuckleball. He limited the Crew to only a run on four hits in nine innings while walking only one.

Mike Caldwell was the victim of another opposing pitcher’s gem as he pitched plenty well enough to win. Caldwell scattered nine hits over eight innings while allowing only two earned runs.

The loss was the Brewers’ second in a row and fifth in their last seven games. This has been the team’s most challenging stretch under Harvey Kuenn.

Is Harvey worried? “I’m not worried in the least,” he said. “These guys are too good of players not to snap back.”

Well, the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 3-2 today to retake first place in the AL East by a half a game. So hopefully fortunes will change quickly.

Game Notes: The Rangers had come into the game having lost 10 of their last 12 games. … Pitching coach Cal McLish visited the club after missing nearly two months with myasthenia gravis, a chemical imbalance resulting in a weakness in the muscles. No decision has been made on his role with the club for the remainder of the season. … Robin Yount was named the American League Player of the Week along with Baltimore’s Tippy Martinez by batting .460 with four homers and six RBI. … Randy Ready, the third baseman for the Brewers’ El Paso farm club, was named the Topps AA Player of the Month for the second straight month. He hit .388 with two homers and 18 RBI. … Brewers general manager Harry Dalton hinted that he wouldn’t mind picking up a starting pitcher with big league experience for the stretch run, but wouldn’t name any names.

Brewers, Twins Brawl

July 20 Leave a Comment

Twins 5, Brewers 3
Brewers now 53-37 (1st)
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1982 Donruss Robin Yount — Robin Yount's slide started the brawl.

MINNEAPOLIS — When you open your newspaper and look at the box score in the morning, you’ll see that the Twins beat the Brewers 5-3, beating the Crew for the second straight time and forcing a first place tie with the Red Sox. But if you focus on that, you miss the story.

This wasn’t a baseball game. It was a brawl. During breaks from the brawl, they played some baseball.

It all started in the bottom of the fifth inning when Kent Hrbek slid hard and high into Jim Gantner in an unsuccessful attempt to break up a double play. Gantner was sent sprawling and would be removed from the game with a deep thigh bruise.

“I don’t care when they slide low,” Gantner told the Milwaukee Sentinel after the game, “but when they hit me up here [upper thigh] they were in the air.”

Brewers manager Harvey Kuenn was furious about the slide. He immediately charged the field to come to his second baseman’s aid. On the way off the field, he was seen jawing at Hrbek.

“You can quote me,” Kuenn said later. “I called him a no good SOB for taking a cheap shot at my second baseman. He told me he was just sliding but he’s full of it. You might be able to slide like that in A ball but up here’s a different story. He’s a big boy in a big man’s game. It was a cheap shot. Period.”

Hrbek watched the tape after the game and admitted it was a poor slide. “I am a poor slider and I guess that proved it.”

Kuenn didn’t buy it. “If he’s a bad slider,” he said, “get some sliding lessons.”

The Brewers would get their revenge in the sixth. With Paul Molitor on second and Robin Yount on first, Cecil Cooper hit a double play ball to second baseman Juan Castino. Castino flipped to shortstop Lenny Faedo for the force and Yount went far outside of the baseline to take out Faedo and knocked him on the temple with his forearm.

“I knew something would happen,” said Faedo, “but I never thought he’d come after me. I was just going for the force. The next thing I know he was on the turf trying to get me.”

Castino and centerfielder Bobby Mitchell then charged Yount while Brewers first base coach Ron Hansen tried to break up the fracas. It was too late as both benches cleared for a 10-minute brawl. Players were seen pushing and shoving across the field. Kent Hrbek and Brewers pitcher Bob McClure would emerge from the pile throwing punches. Ben Oglivie, Charlie Moore and Ted Simmons then came to McClure’s aid and ambushed Hrbek.

“I figured something was going to happen,” said Hrbek. “He [Kuenn] told me he was going to get me. I guess they got me.”

Hrbek and McClure would be ejected from the game.

When order was finally restored, a game was played. Jack O’Connor limited the Brewers offense to two runs on five hits through 6 2/3 innings. Mike Caldwell allowed five runs on 11 hits in the same length of time.

But the game was the side show. Everyone who witnessed this game will forever be talking about the brawl. Though the Brewers lost, it could be a moment that further brings them together as a team.

The first test is tomorrow, as they look to avoid the sweep.

Improbable 2-out Rally Carries Crew

July 9 Leave a Comment

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.