Randy Lerch

Blue Jays Help Brewers Recover

April 21

Brewers 3, Blue Jays 1
Brewers now 4-6 (5th)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Randy Lerch was the Crew's surprise stopper today.

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.

April 20-22 Series Preview vs. Toronto

April 20

Match-ups
April 20 at 6:00 pm
Randy Lerch (0-0, 9.00 ERA) vs. Luis Leal (2-0, 1.72 ERA)

April 21 at 6:00 pm
Mike Caldwell (0-1, 6.97 ERA) vs. Mark Bomback (0-2, 9.26 ERA)

April 22 at 6:00 pm
Moose Haas (0-0, 3.65 ERA) vs. Jim Clancy (0-1, 6.06 ERA)

1982 Records
Milwaukee Brewers: 3-6 (6th in AL East)
Toronto Blue Jays: 5-6 (3rd in AL East)

MILWAUKEE — My, how things change. One short week ago, the Brewers were fresh off of a series win against the “hapless” Blue Jays. The Brewers were clearly the better team, winning two blowouts and losing one extra inning game.

Early Overreaction

April 19

The performance of Rollie Fingers is one of many things not going as expected early in 1982.

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.

[Read more…] about Early Overreaction

Brewers Outlast Indians, 9-8 in 10

April 13

Brewers 9, Indians 8 (10)
Brewers now 3-1 (1st)
Box Score | Season Schedule

Today’s game was an old fashioned shootout. And more often than not, when the Milwaukee Brewers are involved in a shootout, it’s their opponent who ends up bloodied.

Such was the case today. There was no pitching early. The Brewers scored at least a run in each of the first four innings. After building an 8-4 lead, Randy Lerch and the Brewers’ bullpen couldn’t hold it. The Indians scored in five of the first seven innings, including two in the seventh that would put this one into extra innings.

April 13-15 Series Preview @ Cleveland

April 13

Match-ups
April 13 at 11:00 am
Randy Lerch (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Lary Sorensen (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

April 14 at 1:05 pm
Pete Vuckovich (1-0, 6.00 ERA) vs. John Denny (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

April 15 at 4:00 pm
Mike Caldwell (0-0, 2.57 ERA) vs. Bert Blyleven (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

1982 Records
Milwaukee Brewers: 2-1 (1st in AL East)
Cleveland Indians: 1-1 (2nd in AL East)