Red Sox

Pitching Fails, Brewers Lose

September 30

Red Sox 9, Brewers 4
Brewers now 94-64 (1st by 3.0 games)
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Jim Slaton wasn't his reliable self in a spot start.

BOSTON — Needing a win and an Orioles loss to clinch the AL East on Thursday, the Brewers didn’t have it as the Red Sox took the series finale. Not the timely hitting, not the pitching. No champagne.

Yet.

Jim Slaton, who has been a reliable all-purpose pitcher for the Brewers all season long, found himself in a constant jam. He yielded three singles in the first, but managed to escape without allowing a run thanks to a well-timed double play. Two more runners were stranded in the second before the Red Sox broke through in the third.

With two down and a runner on first, the sure-handed Robin Yount muffed an easy Carney Lansford grounder that should have ended the inning. Rookie Wade Boggs, looking nothing like a rookie, stroked a double off of the Green Monster to plate Jim Rice and give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.

Things only got uglier for Slaton, who surrendered two more runs before being replaced by Jamie Easterly.

[Note: Do you know how we Brewers fans can all save some time and energy? As soon as we see Jamie Easterly on the mound, we know the game’s over. Grab a beer. If you aren’t of age, refill your sippy cup. He’s made 12 appearances since the start of June, 10 of which ended in a loss. Easterly tends to be the mop-up guy when the Brewers throw in the towel. And if the Crew is still in the game and Easterly is on the mound? We can expect he’ll lose it.]

Once Easterly allowed another of Slaton’s runners to score, it was a 4-0 Boston lead. Pitching was rough, but we can always rely on Harvey’s Wallbangers to keep the Crew in the game, right? Boston pitcher Dennis Eckersley had other ideas. I’m not sure what those ideas were, but they didn’t include our favorite players stepping on home plate.

They “hit” fine, I guess. The Brewers did manage 12 hits on Eckersley. The problem was they didn’t walk once and they were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

On this night, it would not matter. The Brewers bullpen, which has been the team’s Achilles’ heel since all-world closer Rollie Fingers went down, rolled over once again. A combination of Moose Haas, Pete Ladd, Dwight Bernard and Bob McClure surrendered five runs in three innings. Each pitcher allowed at least a run, a sight that has become far too common.

[Note #2: Brewers fans have to ask an important question. Let’s say the Brewers actually do make it to the playoffs. Let’s say Rollie Fingers never makes a miraculous comeback. What makes any of us think that this team can routinely hold leads late in games without Fingers? No late reliever has proven to be reliable in his place. Unless Sutton, Vuckovich and Caldwell can pitch complete games every time out, we’re screwed!]

Sure, the Brewers scored four runs on five consecutive hits (highlighted by two-run homers by Paul Molitor and Cecil Cooper) in the eighth, but by then the game was far out of reach.

“It would have been nice to take it tonight,” third baseman Paul Molitor said. “But it also will be nice to go against [the Orioles] head to head. After the way they took two of three from us last weekend in Milwaukee, it will be a lot more satisfying to go in there and see the whites of their eyes and take it away from them.”

That’s one way to look at it, I guess.

The Brewers had the champagne chilled and ready in the event the Crew won and Orioles lost. It didn’t happen. The champagne will have to make the trip to Baltimore.

“Don’t worry,” said traveling secretary Tommy Ferguson. “We bought good champagne, it won’t go stale.”

No champagne tonight. No resting the starters in Baltimore. Another day of stress for the fans back in Milwaukee.

AL East Update: The Orioles kept the pressure on by overcoming a three-run, eighth inning deficit to the Tigers on Thursday night. They scored three of their comeback runs with two outs. Had the Orioles failed to win, their only chance would have been a four-game sweep of the Brewers for a tie. Now the Brewers must win one game in Baltimore to clinch.

Rollie Fingers Update: Fingers was unable to throw prior to today’s game due to a stiff forearm. Asked if his star reliever would be available for any of the games in Baltimore, manager Harvey Kuenn said simply, “I doubt it.”

Ned [Bleeping] Yost

September 30

BOSTON — Atop the Milwaukee Brewers lineup there are three All-Stars — Paul Molitor, Robin Yount and Cecil Cooper — hitting above .300 with 75 combined home runs and nearly 300 RBI.

But who’s the guy that provides one of the biggest hits of the season? Ned Yost.

Yost2 — Ned Yost's timely home run puts the Brewers on the cusp of an AL East title.

Ned [Bleeping] Yost.

Here’s a guy with no homers and five runs batted in. Make that one home run and eight RBI as the Crew’s backup catcher saved the team’s bacon with a huge three-run shot in the ninth inning. Yost’s miracle gave the Brewers a 6-3 win.

Ned [Bleeping] Yost?

He’s the Brewers’ version of Bucky [Bleeping] Dent. Yost’s homer isn’t devestating to Red Sox Nation as the Red Sox are already dead, but I can imagine this is what Yankees fans felt when Dent scooted his shot just into the screen above the Monster. Yost’s three-run tater also scooted over the wall, into Brewers lore and into Brewers’ fans hearts.

Ned [Bleeping] Yost!

Combine that with the Orioles’ 3-2 loss in Detroit and the Crew leads the AL East by four with five games to play. The Brewers’ Magic Number is two. So, if the Brewers win and the O’s lose, Brewers fans get what they’ve dreamed of: a pennant.

Holy cow. So damn close you can almost taste the clubhouse Champagne and cigars. (And because they’re the Brewers, beer.) Could that come tonight? After dropping two in a row to the O’s in Milwaukee this past weekend, the Crew has reeled off two straight wins and the Orioles have lost two in a row. It’s almost too good to be true. Is it too good to be true? The Crew is that close to winning its first full-season pennant.

It will only be true, though, if the Brewers win. If they take care of business, they can cruise in Baltimore, rest some starters and look forward to playing the AL West winner. That will be up to the potent Crew offense and Slingin’ Jim Slaton (10-5). Dennis Eckersley (12-13) takes the hill for the Red Sox. Game time is 6:35 p.m. CT.

Ned [Bleeping] Yost. God bless him.

NED YOST! No, really. NED YOST!

September 29

Brewers 6, Red Sox 3
Brewers now 94-63 (1st by 4.0 games)
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1982 Topps Ned Yost — It was one at bat, but Ned Yost had the game of his life.

BOSTON — With two down in the top of the ninth in a 3-3 game and Paul Molitor on second, Cecil Cooper at the plate, and Ned Yost on deck, Red Sox manager Ralph Houk made the reasonable move: He had Mark Clear intentionally walk Cooper to face Yost.

Sigh. Like many Brewers fans, Uecker’s announcement of the intentional walk for the far-from-fearsome Yost nearly drove me back to the kitchen to grab another drink. The inning was over.

You see, typically Ted Simmons would be up in this spot. In that case, Houk would have been less willing to put a second runner on base in a tie game and an extra-base threat at the plate. But Marshall Edwards pinch ran for Simmons when Coach Kuenn went for the win in the eighth, so Yost was then needed to finish the game behind the plate.

Yost hadn’t seen action at the dish since September 11, more than two weeks ago. The back-up catcher, known for his defensive abilities, had nine extra base hits and five RBI on the season. Sure, it’s been Yost’s best offensive season yet in his three-year career, but without a home run he was not seen as a threat to bring home the go-ahead run.

Yost lofted a fly ball to left field that, in any other park, may have been a fly out to end the threat.

“GET UP!”

Could it be high enough?

“Get outta here!”

Could it be deep enough?

“GONE FOR YOST!”

Ned Yost! Oh my GOD, NED YOST! Though it came in a tie game, this may have been the least probable ending of a game all season.

NED YOST!

“(Sal) Bando had told me to be ready when Robin was up, that I was going to win the game for us,” Yost explained. “I was running around like a crazy man because I didn’t bring any bats. I figured we were in a pennant race and that Teddy would do all the catching. I was in my full catcher gear when I ran down to the clubhouse to find a bat. I didn’t find any there so I came running back to the dugout. After a while, I just pulled anything that I could find on the rack.”

That “anything” hit the game winning home run. That “anything” was Charlie Moore‘s bat.

“Hell, he can have it,” Moore said. “At least someone got some use out of it.”

“I can’t explain how it felt out there,” Yost said to a crowd of reporters. “I can’t even say that it happened. It’s like a fairy tale, the kind of moment you spend your whole life dreaming about. I was so overjoyed I wanted to jump up and down, but I figured that wouldn’t be right.”

Oh, we did the jumping up and down for you, Ned. And it felt just fine.

Boston has given the Brewers and their fans their swagger back. With the lead in the AL East trickling away, nothing seemed to go right. Then the 6-3 win with Doc Medich on the mound in Game 1. Then Ned Yost.

Don Sutton on the mound, this was a game the Brewers expected to win. Sutton, though, wasn’t sharp early and put the Brewers in a 2-0 hole in the first inning when Jim Rice hit a two-run homer.

Like they so often do, however, the Brewers battled right back. Don Money smacked a solo shot in the top of the second, and Sutton got himself out of a second inning jam before settling down in the third. From then on, he was untouchable, allowing only one hit until Gary Allenson‘s lead-off homer in the seventh.

But after seven innings and Bob McClure on the mound, the game was all tied up at three. Sutton out of the game, advantage swung to the home team.

It seemed that the Brewers gaffed on failing to cash in on a golden opportunity in the eighth. With one down, Simmons singled to left and the speedy Marshall Edwards trotted in to replace him. After a Gorman Thomas walk and Ben Oglivie strikeout, Don Money walked to load the bases. Charlie Moore, however, popped to first to end the inning.

Bob McClure kept the Brewers in the game, retiring the side in order in the eighth. Thus, the stage was set for Yost and the Brewers in the ninth.

Two down and two on, Ned Yost at the plate. Such an improbable ending. But Yost’s homer adds yet another chapter to this storybook season of a team destined for the playoffs.

And considering what happened in Detroit, that is looking even more possible. The Tigers beat the Orioles 3-2, extending the Brewers’ lead to four games with five to play. The magic number is now two.

A Little Breathing Room

September 29

BOSTON — Still holding your breath, Brewers fans?

From the first hit — a single by Paul Molitor to open the game — to the last — Charlie Moore‘s infield squibber to the pitcher in the ninth — it was good to see Harvey’s Wallbangers remembered how to bang walls. Last night, the Crew pounded out 17 hits off three Red Sox pitchers en route to a 9-3 win over Boston at Fenway Park, which means the Brewers and their fans could breathe a little easier.

1982 Topps Don Sutton — Don Sutton takes the hill for the Brewers.

Just as important as the Brewers’ win was the Orioles’ fall-from-the-lead 9-6 loss to the Tigers in Detroit. The Crew now leads the O’s by three games with six to play and Milwaukee’s magic number is now 4 (any combo of Crew wins/O’s losses totaling four means our beloved Brewers are AL East champs).

Really, though, Milwaukee’s magic number — with apologies to the man who wears No. 4, Molitor — is 19. The Kid has been The Man in the AL, and all of baseball, this season. On Tuesday, he showed why he will walk away with the AL MVP.

Yount went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI to help power the Crew. It was his 59th multi-hit game of his incredible season and hopefully is the start of a huge week for Yount, who was 5 for his last 24 entering Tuesday night’s game.

Then again, in pounding out 17 hits, everyone — except Stormin’ Gorman Thomas, who took the collar — got well. They can keep it going tonight as John Tudor (13-10) takes the mound for the Red Sox. The Crew kicked the stuffing out of Tudor on June 26 in Boston, banging out five hits, including homers from Charlie Moore, Cecil Cooper and Ben Oglivie, in four innings.

More of the same tonight would be nice. Don Sutton (3-1), who has been dandy since Harry Dalton pilfered him from Houston on Aug. 31, takes the hill for the Crew. Game time is 6:35 CT.

Brewers Bang on Fenway Walls

September 28

Brewers 9, Red Sox 3
Brewers now 93-63 (1st by 3.0 games)
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BOSTON — As Rob Peterson noted yesterday in his series preview, this week may be the most important of any for the Milwaukee Brewers franchise. Coming off of two straight losses to the pesky Baltimore Orioles, the division lead has been cut to two games with seven left to play.

Of course, holding on for those seven games will be no picnic. Unless the Orioles are the ants looking to carry away our basket of playoff goodies. The first three will come versus the third place Red Sox and final four against those same Orioles. All on the road.

So it’s clear we’re getting into must-win mode here. At the very least, it’s hold-on-tight-and-close-your-eyes mode. Though Boton’s dead, the Brewers’ bats still needed to come alive to reverse recent misfortunes and build upon their dwindling AL East lead. A 9-3 win tonight at Fenway Park helped some of us open our eyes and watch more comfortably.

No one thought it would be easy. Sending mid-season addition and least accomplished starting pitcher Doc Medich to the mound at Fenway Park didn’t inspire confidence. The top priority coming into this game was to score and score often. Harvey’s boys needed to acquaint themselves regularly with the Fenway walls.

Thankfully, that is exactly what happened. Paul Molitor singled to lead off the game and stepped on the plate moments later after Robin Yount hit a 1-1 pitch from Chuck Rainey onto the light standard overlooking the big screen above the Green Monster.

“Hell, he’s been doing this all year,” Gorman Thomas said of Yount’s performance, “why would he stop now?

“He’s having a great hear. More power to him. I hope he stays as hot as he is the rest of the year. It’s just another feather in his war bonnet. He only has about 150,000 as it is.”

Indeed, Yount is having an MVP-type season. But with two down and two on, Roy Howell — a name rarely mentioned when speaking of this record-breaking offense — came through with a clutch RBI single to give Medich a 3-0 lead before he stepped on the mound.

Given the lead, all Brewers fans asked of Medich was to keep the offense in the game. Pitch six innings and hand the ball over with a chance to earn a victory. It wasn’t pretty (three earned runs on five hits and five walks in six innings), but Doc did what was asked of him.

“I didn’t have good stuff,” Medich told the Boston Globe. “I had to struggle for six innings, but when you get those runs…”

Of course, when fans complain about the inconsistent and often unreliable Brewers pitching, in most cases they are referring to the gaping hole left by the ailing Rollie Fingers. Once considered a seven inning game if the Brewers handed the ball and lead to Fingers, relievers have provided little, well, relief since his absence. A bullpen consisting of Moose Haas, Jim Slaton, Dwight Bernard, Jamie Easterly, Jerry Augustine and Pete Ladd has failed far more often than is acceptable.

The painful realization is that with Fingers, first place in the AL East would be long sewn up by now. Thankfully for the Brewers and their loyal fans, the offense handed Moose Haas a 9-3 lead in the seventh inning.

The Brewers bats were too much for Boston’s pitching on this night. It was an offensive onslaught focused on three innings: Three runs in the first, two in the fourth and four in the sixth. But it was the way they scored that was most impressive.

Sure, they hit their home runs, scoring two on Yount’s first inning homer and three when Simmons hit one out in the sixth. But they also scored two in the fourth when they popped four singles, forcing manager Ralph Houk to remove Rainey and go to his bullpen far earlier than he preferred.

In all, the Brewers offense smacked 17 hits, and the pitching was plenty good enough to win. Haas pitched three scoreless innings in relief, allowing only two hits to the suddenly punchless Red Sox and Fingers was not missed on this night. It was his first save of the season and the second of his career.

Just as important for Brewers fans was the news out of Detroit. A paltry crowd of 7,755 watched their fourth place Tigers come from behind to score the final four runs and beat the Orioles 9-6.

Now the worst case scenario is going into the final four games in Baltimore with a one game lead. Should we still be worried?

“We can’t look at going into Baltimore with a one game lead,” Yount responded, “or things like that. We really have to play them one at a time. They’re all big games. We have to win tomorrow as much as we did tonight.

“But I’ll take a win when Baltimore loses every day of the week.”

With six games to go, the Brewers’ lead in the division is now three games. We can breathe a little more easily. But would it be asking too much to have a five game lead before the Crew gets to Baltimore?

Maybe. Probably.

Player of the Game: Time and time again this season, whenever the Brewers need a win, Robin Yount has stepped forward. Tonight, “The Kid” hit a first inning, two-run home run that set the tone for a team losing confidence. Yount had three hits in all, driving in three and scoring two.

Now with 27 home runs, a .331 batting average, 111 RBI and a league leading 202 hits, 45 doubles and .573 slugging percentage, the question must be asked: does Robin Yount have any reasonable competition for the league’s MVP award?

Don’t worry, we’ll answer the question, too. No. Robin should, and will, be M-V-P.

Caldwell Complete Again

September 22

Brewers 3, Red Sox 1
Brewers now 91-61 (1st by 2.5 games)
Box Score | Season Schedule

MILWAUKEE — Mike Caldwell pitched another gem, allowing one run on four hits in a complete game victory over the third place Boston Red Sox.

If it seems like you’ve read this recap before it’s because it’s becoming a common occurrence. Sure, the opponent may change, but the results are the same.

It was Caldwell’s third consecutive complete game, his seventh in his last 10 starts and his 12th overall.

Wait, are we talking about the same Mike Caldwell who was 4-5 with a 4.70 ERA through May and seemed to be on his way off the team? That Mike Caldwell? Yes, that Mike Caldwell.

“It’s simple,” Caldwell said, “you can sum it up in two words, Harvey Kuenn. When a man sends you out and believes in your ability, it’s easy to do the job you’re capable of.

“When Harvey came in, he told me I was one of his pitchers. He showed complete confidence in me. It’s an intangible. It helps you be a successful player.”

The stats back it up. Caldwell is 14-5 with a 3.38 ERA since June 2 when Harvey Kuenn took over as manager.

The offense was largely Ben Oglivie. Typically a pull hitter, Oglivie hit a solo home run to the opposite field in the second and an RBI double that same way in the eighth. The home run was his 32nd of the season.

The Brewers picked up a half game on Baltimore after their game with the Tigers was rained out. The Brewers have a day off tomorrow before hosting the Orioles for three games.