Mike Caldwell

ALCS Game 4 Preview

MILWAUKEE — Phew. And what the hell?

For Brewers fans, winning Game 3 5-3 was a huge relief and made possible a Game 4.

The what the hell was for the Brewers “fan” who reached over the railing in the eighth inning to give Bob Boone of all people a home run. Word to the wise, or in this case, not-so-wise: keep your f#cking hands to yourself. Don’t you know what’s at stake?

Good lord, if you see Ben Oglivie with a beat on the ball, let him catch it. Either get to the yard early to get a batting practice ball or buy a souvenir at a stand. Don’t steal it from the field of play.

Now that’s out of the way, the Crew has another chance to extend the series against nemesis Tommy John, who completely befuddled them in Game 1. Still, it’s news that John is pitching in Game 4 at all. Angels manager Gene Mauch, who piloted the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies to an epic collapse, has opened the door to another by shelving the man who would have normally started, Ken Forsch.

“He didn’t have to give me an explanation,” Forsch said of Mauch, The New York Times reported. “I didn’t need one. …I’m not mad, or angry, or anything. I’m just disappointed.”

The Brewers must be disappointed to see John again, who baffled the Brewers in Game 1. Or maybe they’re relieved that John’s going on three days rest and they won’t need to face Forsch. Either way, it shouldn’t matter. The Crew needs to win to force a winner-takes-all Game 5.

While the Angels have messed with their rotation, the Crew has altered its rotation as well as Moose — MOOSE! – Haas takes the hill. Normally, it would be Mike Caldwell, but Kuenn must be saving the lefty. Either that or he has guts. Or he’s a fool.

Haas made way for Don Sutton in the rotation and hasn’t started since Labor Day. Instead of preventing coronaries, he’s induced them. Kuenn is making the right move by giving the pill to Moose, who last pitched on Oct. 2 in Baltimore, where he pitched four innings and gave up a run in relief. It was a good outing considering the rest of the staff surrendered 10 runs in that debacle.

As Brewers fans know, the Crew can ill afford another debacle. They need to make it to tomorrow. Game time is 12:00 p.m. CT.

Then, anything can happen.

[Editor’s note: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Mark Brouhard? Yep. Ben Oglivie bruised his ribs crashing into the wall on a Fred Lynn double yesterday, so Harvey Kuenn is going with the rarely used outfielder. Brouhard last played on September 11.]

#	Brewers	POS	#	Angels	POS
1	Molitor	3B	1	Downing	LF
2	Yount	SS	2	Carew	1B
3	Cooper	1B	3	Jackson	RF
4	Simmons	C	4	Lynn	CF
5	Thomas	CF	5	Baylor	DH
6	Money	DH	6	DeCinces	3B
7	Brouhard	LF	7	Grich	2B
8	Moore	RF	8	Foli	SS
9	Gantner	2B	9	Boone	C
	Haas	SP		John	SP

Brewers Take Game 3

October 8 1 Comment

Brewers 5, Angels 3
Angels now lead ALCS 2-1
Box Score | Season Schedule

MILWAUKEE — The Brewers came into Game 3 of the ALCS in do-or-die mode. Win, and there’s another day. Lose, and you’re dead. Figuratively speaking, at least.

Don Sutton and The Crew were up to the challenge, as they were in full control of the game from start to finish. Sure, it finished as only a two run margin, a 5-3 Brewers win. Yeah, the Brewers only managed six hits. But there was a positive feel in this one.

Yes, it’s a feel we haven’t had in some time. Control. Most importantly, they had a pitcher on the mound who wasn’t giving an inch, at least until a charitable fan decided to give that inch late.

Up until Friday, Brewers pitchers had repeatedly given up early runs, putting their offense in an immediate hole. An offense that has looked nothing like the Harvey’s Wallbangers of most of the regular season.

But you can’t always count on your offense to score bunches of runs. That is what makes solid starting pitching so important. And that is why Harry Dalton went out and traded for Don Sutton. For games just like the one on the final day of the regular season against the Orioles. And like this one.

Backs against the wall.

Don Sutton is the man, people. He allowed a hit and a walk in the first inning, but not another baserunner until a DeCinces single in the fifth. Prior to the eighth inning, Sutton had only allowed more than one baserunner in an inning once, that opening frame. Yes, Sutton was in supreme control.

The Brewers offense didn’t collect a hit until the fourth inning, but they did so in style. The Brewers hadn’t scored three runs in an inning since that last time Sutton was on the mound. The Crew collected three runs on three hits and a walk in the fourth, breaking through a massive funk at the plate.

Paul Molitor then added the exclamation point, hitting a much-needed two-run homer in the seventh making it 5-0. At the time, it seemed just like piling on. But it turned out to be crucial run production.

The Angels finally figured out Sutton in the bottom of the eighth, with a jump start from the aforementioned fan. Bob Boone led off the inning with a deep fly ball to left. Ben Oglivie headed to the track, leaped, and as the ball was about to enter his glove…

A fan reached over the wall and snagged it. Replays showed it clearly to be the case. It shouldn’t have been a home run, and it was probably going to be an out. Left field umpire Larry Barnett disagreed, however, and that’s all that mattered.

The Angels would score three runs on four hits in the inning, including the leadoff snafu. But by then, it was too late. They weren’t coming back.

Sutton allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out nine in 7 2/3 innings of mound work. He was the stopper the Brewers needed.

“We were shut down for seven innings by one of the best pitchers in baseball in the last 15 years,” said Angels manager Gene Mauch. “He’s very clever… very clever.”

The clever Sutton was relieved by Pete Ladd, who provided a much needed spark from the bullpen. Ladd went the final 1 1/3 innings without allowing a hit, striking out two. Ladd, who blew two late season games with big home runs, has struck out five of the seven batters he’s faced in this series.

“Relief is something that you already better be equipped to handle the pressure and go out there,” said Ladd, “or you might as well stay in the bullpen.”

How things can change for Ladd and this Brewers bullpen. The one thing you can say about this ALCS so far is that the bullpen has not been the problem. While they may not have been dependable as a group ever since Rollie Fingers went down, the bullpen has allowed only one earned run and three hits through 6 1/3 innings pitched.

Are the Brewers back? I think so. I hope so. They have a significant test on Saturday, skipping the struggling Mike Caldwell in the rotation in favor of Moose Haas. He’ll be up against veteran Tommy John, who dominated the Brewers in Game 1.

But the game is at home, and if they tie up the series at two apiece, the Brewers suddenly become favorites in Game 5, in Brew Town as well.

Am I confident? That may be a stretch. But I’ve perked up a bit. Don Sutton and the Brewers gave us a playoff victory, which is somewhat satisfying. And being down 2-1 feels nowhere near as hopeless as 2-0. It also means the Brewers are two home victories from the World Series.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One win at a time. It starts with Moose Haas on Saturday at 3:45 CDT.

What do you think? Do the Brewers have a realistic chance of winning with Moose Haas on the mound?

Brewers Lose Game 1

October 5 3 Comments

Angels 8, Brewers 3
Angels now lead ALCS 1-0
Box Score | Season Schedule

Tommy John held the Brewers’ bats in check.

ANAHEIM — Coming into Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, Brewers fans had a simple request: Take it easy on us this time, Crew.

Enough of the theatrics. We get it, you’re an exciting team. No further need to convince anyone. You like to come back from huge deficits to add a little spice into life’s mixing bowl.

The opening game against the Angels, unfortunately, brought back memories of the opening game in the regular season-ending series with the Orioles. The Brewers lost that opening game against the Orioles, 8-3.

Tonight? The Brewers again lost a critical opening game by the score of 8-3. Here we go again…

Unlike the opening Orioles game, the Brewers were in this one early, despite some defensive jitters. A first inning errant throw and wild pitch by Mike Caldwell led to an unearned run and a 1-0 Angels lead. But the Brewers came right back in the top of the second, scoring two on a home run by Gorman Thomas.

The Brewers extended their lead to 3-1 in the third on an RBI ground out by Cecil Cooper, and suddenly it appeared the Brew Crew was going to win this critical opening game.

Then, in the bottom of the third, the Angels’ offense struck. Caldwell allowed four runs on four hits and a walk, and California retook the lead, 5-3. It was all downhill from there, as the Angels tacked on three more runs while the Brewers’ bats went silent.

Angels DH Don Baylor benefited from Caldwell’s poor outing to the tune of five RBI, tying a playoff record. You may recall that Baylor becomes a free agent at year’s end. A strong postseason can only help his cause.

It’s time to wonder whether Mike Caldwell is gassed. He finished fourth in the AL in innings pitched with 258 and led the Brewers in complete games with 12. Durability is nice, but rest can help as well. In today’s preview, we talked about how Caldwell had gone 14 consecutive games of seven innings or more. That streak ended abruptly today after the third inning. It was Caldwell’s second consecutive disastrous start, so it’s not a positive trend for the veteran hurler.

Of course, we can’t pin this loss entirely on Caldwell when the offense could only muster three runs off of 39-year-old lefty Tommy John, who pitched a complete game for the win.

“When he gets a lead,” Ted Simmons explained, “he’s very difficult to catch. He makes hitters get too aggressive and you end up swinging at bad pitches.”

Swing at bad pitches, they did. The inconsistent offensive output has become far too common of late — almost to the point where this team is consistently inconsistent.

Granted, this was far from a must win game. It would have been a very nice gift to win Game 1 on the road against the Angels’ best pitcher. Such a scenario would have granted Brewers fans a temporary breather. But once again, our team’s collective backs are up against the wall.

On the injury front, second baseman Jim Gantner played through a rib injury that has flared up of late and went 0-for-4. It looks like something that will bother him for the duration of the playoffs, but he’ll play through it.

“It’s not going to get much better,” said Gantner, “so why wait until it does?”

Hopefully this injury won’t become an issue to the point where it’s costing the team outs, runs and wins. Right now, the Brewers need to win.

Is Game 2 a must win? Maybe not. But close. If the Brewers lose an advantageous match-up of Pete Vuckovich vs. Bruce Kison, they’ll need to string off three consecutive wins. Not impossible, but I don’t like the odds.

What do you think? Is Game 2 a must win?

ALCS Game 1 Preview

October 5 3 Comments

ANAHEIM — We’re in Anaheim and properly jet-lagged. The only cure for jet lag is a few brews. Logically, we have been looking for a place to tailgate, but finding nothing. We’re not in Milwaukee anymore, people. Luckily we’ve found some other Brewers fans in a nearby watering hole. Tip another!

Sure, we’re still celebrating that big win against the Orioles. While we may have felt a sense of accomplishment after the Brewers finally clinched the AL East, those feelings will soon be replaced with jitters. How will the Brewers fare on the big stage? It’ll be a nationally televised game, the only game on tonight. The NLCS doesn’t start until tomorrow.

We’ve got Mike Caldwell up against the Angels’ version of Don Sutton, Tommy John. You may recall that John was among the pitchers available in August, and the Brewers struck instead with Sutton. John has been excellent since being acquired from the Yankees, going 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA.

Mike Caldwell has been the Brewers’ iron man this season, throwing 12 complete games and three shutouts. Don Sutton and Pete Vuckovich may get all of the attention, but Caldwell has been nearly as good, going 17-13 with a 3.91 ERA. Caldwell had a rough time in his last start against the Orioles (seven earned runs on 13 hits in seven innings), but he’s also pitched seven innings or more in 14 consecutive starts. Rest comfortably with Caldwell on the hill, Brewers fans.

Caldwell has a tough assignment in the Angels. California finished the regular season strong, winning their final three games against the Rangers and taking 11 of their last 15. This is a strong team, both offensively and defensively. The Angels ranked second in both runs scored and runs allowed, so Harvey’s Wallbangers will have their work cut out for them.

Lynn, Baylor, Jackson and Carew will give Brewers pitching all that they can handle

If you think you can stop the Angels by stopping a single player, think again. Their lineup is loaded, and in many ways an equal to the Brewers’ record-setting bunch. Doug DeCinces (.301, 30 HR, 97 RBI) and Reggie Jackson (.275, 39 HR, 101 RBI) have been the team’s offensive stars, and both will be mentioned in MVP talk. But you can’t overlook other cogs in the lineup, including Fred Lynn (.299, 21 HR, 86 RBI), Rod Carew (.319, 3 HR, 44 RBI), Bobby Grich (.261, 19 HR, 65 RBI), Brian Downing (.281, 28 HR, 84 RBI) and Don Baylor (.263, 24 HR, 93 RBI).

Eesh. That’s a lot to worry about.

Quite frankly, the Angels are just as good as the Brewers. Both teams will score runs. Both teams have solid pitching, thanks largely to late-season additions. Any disparities are minimal.

Big game, Brewers fans. Our team needs this one. The final win of the regular season should provide some momentum. Win this game on the road against the Angels’ best pitcher, and it’ll be smooth sailing.

Here are today’s lineups. Start time is 7:25 PM CT. Go Crew!

#	Brewers	POS
1	Molitor	3B
2	Yount	SS
3	Cooper	1B
4	Simmons	C
5	Thomas	CF
6	Oglivie	LF
7	Money	DH
8	Moore	RF
9	Gantner	2B
	Caldwell	SP

#	Angels	POS
1	Downing	LF
2	DeCinces	3B
3	Grich	2B
4	Baylor	DH
5	Jackson	RF
6	Lynn	CF
7	Carew	1B
8	Foli	SS
9	Boone	C
	John	SP

Brewers Swept in Double Header

October 1 2 Comments

Orioles 7, Brewers 1
Brewers now 94-66 (1st by 1.0 games)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Mike Caldwell was the second veteran Brewers starter to be roughed up by the surging Orioles today.

BALTIMORE — Immediately after the Brewers were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in a double header today, general manager Harry Dalton shut the door to the clubhouse for a 10-minute meeting.

“We just talked a little,” said an agitated Dalton. “The door was closed so we obviously didn’t want anybody else to hear it.”

The Brewers deserved the talk. Needing only one win in four games, today’s performance was an ugly display. With two aces on the mound for the Crew, a win should have been possible. And considering the Orioles were throwing rookie Storm Davis, it was even more doable.

“They flat out beat us badly,” said Paul Molitor, who had three hits on the day. “We didn’t do anything real badly out there, we weren’t choking or anything like that. They just came out and played real good, aggressive baseball.”

Call it whatever you want, Paul. But maybe, just maybe, you should match that intensity tomorrow.

The game had a bad feel from the start. With two down and one on in the first inning, Caldwell surrendered a two-run bomb to Eddie Murray. Two is never enough, of course, so he he said, “Hey! Why not!” and gave up hits to the next two batters to bring home another run to make it 3-0 after the first inning.

Folks, it really doesn’t get much better after that. And to be honest, I don’t want to cover more details than I need to. Lenn Freaking Sakata hit a home run. The Brewers — Harvey’s Wallbangers — scored one run on six hits off of the rookie, who pitched a complete game. Mike Caldwell allowed seven earned runs on 13 hits in seven innings of work.

Oh, the one bright spot? Chuck Porter came in for the second straight game — and twice in the same day! — to pitch a scoreless eighth. Fantastic.

Suddenly, I have no confidence in this team. Coming into this series, the Brewers needed only to win one game. One. They have now spent two of their best three pitchers and wasted two games.

Luckily, Orioles manager Earl Weaver doesn’t believe in momentum.

“I remember when we were up 3-1 in the 1979 World Series,” Weaver said. “I remember the 1969 playoffs when we won three straight and then ran into the Mets. It’s that inertia theory. A body in motion remains in motion unless something changes it.”

Alright, so now Weaver’s just messing with my head.

We’re in serious trouble right now. The Brewers now have to win one game out of two. On the road. In Baltimore. Against a great team. And emotions will be high, not only because it’s a pennant race, but because it is the end of the road for Weaver.

But at least we have Doc Medich on the mound tomorrow, right? Right?! Oh, boy.

Crap. I don’t like the feel of this. Since about July, it’s seemed like the Brewers’ season. All of a sudden, it seems as though it’s in the stars for the Orioles.

So what do you think? Is it time to panic?

Vuke Loses Game 1, Cy Young?

October 1 Leave a Comment

Orioles 8, Brewers 3
Brewers now 94-65 (1st by 2.0 games)
Box Score | Season Schedule

1982 Topps Brewers Future Stars — For some reason, Chuck Porter made an appearance in a pennant race today.

BALTIMORE — This is it, Brewers fans. We can smell the playoffs. Four games on the slate with the Orioles to close out the season, and all we need is one game. Just one.

With a double header today, how about we take care of business right off the bat? Win that first one, chill out for the final three. It’s not that hard, right?

Eesh.

With Cy Young candidate Pete Vuckovich on the mound, this should have been a golden opportunity to close out the regular season. There were a couple of problems along the way: 1) Vuke was freaking awful, and 2) the Brewers were up against 15-game winner Dennis Martinez.

It all started out smelling like roses. With two down in the second inning of a scoreless game, Charlie Moore smacked a double that scored Ben Oglivie from first.

THAT’S IT! THE BREWERS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!

Ehhhhh, nope!

In the bottom of the second, Vuckovich granted four consecutive batters residency to the bases, three on singles and one on a walk. Suddenly, the Brewers were in a 3-1 hole.

Vuke then surrendered single runs in both the third and fourth innings on a solo shot to Ken Singleton and double to Rich Dauer. When he was finally relieved of his duties during the fifth inning by Chuck Porter, Vuke’s final line was far from Cy Young-like: 4 1/3 innings pitched, five runs, four earned runs, nine hits and two walks.

But wait a minute. Did you notice a couple of words that did not belong in the above paragraph? I’ll give you a hint: It starts with “Chuck” and ends with “Porter.” What in the world was Chuck Porter doing in this game? It was his second appearance of the season and fifth of his career. In a pennant race? Really? Is it because Topps labeled him as a “Future Star?”

Maybe Chuck Porter is the new Jamie Easterly: the Grim Reaper of wins. When we see him on the mound, we know that the team has thrown in the towel. I don’t have any other explanation for it. Granted, the rest of the bullpen hasn’t been particularly reliable, but why now? Against the Orioles?

I give the Brewers’ offense some credit, however. Harvey Kuenn may have given up, but the bats weren’t ready to quit. Ted Simmons and Ben Oglivie led off the top of the sixth inning with back-to-back homers to make it a 5-3 game. Seemed like anything could happen.

But of course, the Brewers had Chuck Freaking Porter on the mound, the guy who relieved the leading Cy Young candidate. I don’t care how bad Vuke was, I’d rather have him out there on a bad day than Chuck Porter. Hell, I’d rather see Jamie Easterly or Jerry Aug… I’m sorry, I couldn’t get through that sentence without laughing. No, I wouldn’t rather see those guys. I guess Porter was fine.

Of course, Porter gave those two runs right back in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 7-3 game.

And that was about it. No more runs from the Brewers, and the Orioles managed another run when “all-time great” Lenn Sakata doubled in John Shelby to make it an eventual 8-3 final.

It was one of those games. A game, on paper, you’d expect the Brewers to win. Thankfully, the Brewers didn’t need this one. Now, they just need one of three. And with 17-game winner Mike Caldwell on the mound against the Orioles and Storm Davis in game 2 of today’s double header, you still have to like the Brewers’ odds.

Cy Young Race: One has to wonder if Vuke did some serious damage to his Cy Young hopes today. He may lead the AL in wins with 18, but pitchers such as Baltimore’s Jim Palmer, Toronto’s Dave Stieb, and Kansas City’s Dan Quisenberry all warrant mention. And let’s face it: with a 3.34 ERA and nearly as many walks (102) as strikeouts (105), it hasn’t been a runaway, dominating season for Vuke.

Typically, we may write off Quisenberry since he’s a reliever. But after Rollie Fingers won both the Cy Young and MVP awards last year, we know that he needs to be taken just as seriously as the starters.

So what do you think? Is Pete Vuckovich still the leading Cy Young candidate? Or did he throw away his chances along with today’s game?