Brewers 1982

Covering the Milwaukee Brewers throughout the 1982 season, in real-time, as it would have happpened.

Rickey Henderson

Offense, Defense Fail McClure

A’s 3, Brewers 2 (11)
Brewers now 68-50 (1st by 3.0 games)
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Bob McClure
Bob McClure lost on an unearned run in the 11th.

OAKLAND — Bob McClure did all he could to win today’s game. His teammates, both at the plate and in the field, did little to help.

Staked to a meager 2-0 lead, McClure shut out the Oakland Athletics for 7 2/3 innings. Then with two down and two on in the eighth, Rickey Henderson rapped a single to center to tie the game at two.

Though the Brewers scored two runs in the fifth on singles by Charlie Moore and Paul Molitor, offense was otherwise nonexistent. They had an opportunity to score a run in the third after Jim Gantner reached on a one-out triple, but Paul Molitor was retired on an infield pop-up and Robin Yount grounded to short to end the inning.

Other than that, the only Brewers rally occurred in the 11th. With two down, Roy Howell walked to load the bases. But Charlie Moore popped out behind the plate to end the team’s biggest threat of the game.

Meanwhile, McClure was scratching and clawing to keep his team in it. Other than that one two-out single, McClure was flawless. He took the mound again in the bottom of the 11th, and Rickey Henderson reached first on a ground ball that went through third baseman Paul Molitor’s legs for an error. Although Henderson has 110 stolen bases, Dwayne Murphy bunted him to second. Then Joe Rudi reached on the one hit of the inning, a single to left, to bring home Henderson for the winning run.

It’s not fair for McClure, who did all he could to win the game. It’s not fair to Brewers fans that McClure was forced to take the mound in the 11th. He should have been allowed to hit the showers after a good day’s work. But since Rollie Fingers is still nursing a sore pitching elbow, manager Harvey Kuenn had little choice.

Fingers returned to his home in San Diego for a second cortisone shot in five days. He was expected to be back for this series, but now isn’t expected to return for another three or four days. It was the second time in three days that a starting pitcher went longer than usual due to the absence of Fingers, resulting in a loss.

“When I throw my fastball or forkball it doesn’t bother me much,” Fingers explained, “but when I try to snap off a good breaker it really hurts.”

Fingers needs that breaking ball. And the Brewers need Fingers.

The Boston Red Sox beat the California Angels 4-1 to pull to within three games of the Brewers in the AL East.

A’s Hunt Down Moose

A’s 10, Brewers 6
Brewers now 68-49 (1st by 4.0 games)
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Moose Haas
Moose Haas allowed nine A's hits in three innings.

OAKLAND — For the first time since July 7, Brewers pitchers allowed double digit runs. And well… when that happens, you’re typically going to lose.

You wouldn’t expect the Brewers to allow double digit runs to the A’s, a team that hit .210 through the first four games of their current homestand. But in the series opener with the Brewers, it happened.

This loss falls on starter Moose Haas and reliever Jerry Augustine. Haas never had it. He allowed two runs on a Tony Armas home run in the first. He escaped the second after allowing the A’s to load the bases. And in the third, he allowed three more runs on four hits. He allowed 11 baserunners in all.

Haas was awful. But Jerry Augustine may have been worse. He took the mound to start the fourth and could retire only one batter. He walked three, allowed one hit and threw a wild pitch. Dwight Bernard eventually cleaned up the mess (or attempted to), but when all was said and done Augustine had allowed four runs in one third of an inning.

By the end of the fourth inning, the Brewers were already down 9-2. These may be “Harvey’s Wallbangers,” but that’s a deficit even this mythical bunch can’t overcome.

Sure, they tried. Robin Yount, steadily making his case as the American League Most Valuable Player, had three hits including his 21st and 22nd home runs. Cecil Cooper went 3-for-3 and knocked out his 24th before leaving with a slight hamstring pull in the sixth inning. The Brewers scored four runs in the final two innings, but it would be too late.

Milwaukee has now lost three straight, but luckily for them the Red Sox lost again, falling 10-2 to the Angels. The Red Sox have lost 12 of 18 games, allowing the Brewers some breathing room.

Game Notes: Oakland’s Rickey Henderson stole his 110th base of the season, pulling him to within eight of the record set by Lou Brock.

NL Dominates AL Again

National League 4, American League 1
Box Score

Robin Yount
Robin Yount played the entire game, but went hitless.

MONTREAL — Considering the Brewers were represented in this year’s All-Star Game by four players (Robin Yount, Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie and Rollie Fingers), you’d think that at least one of them would provide us with some juicy memories.

Nope.

Instead, it was yet another relatively easy win for the National League, knocking off the American League for the 11th straight time and 19th of the last 20. It’s not even fair.

I could put you to sleep with details of Brewers exploits. Yount went 0-for-3 with a walk, but struck out to end the AL’s first inning rally with runners on first and third. Cecil Cooper recorded his first All-Star hit in that same first inning, but it was a soft chopper for an infield single. Ben Oglivie had one at bat and flied out to right. Rollie Fingers pitched a scoreless eighth, but allowed two hits.

Snore. At least this game didn’t matter.

After the AL took a 1-0 lead in the first on a sacrifice fly by Reggie Jackson that scored Rickey Henderson, the NL struck back with a two-out, two-run home run by All-Star Game MVP Dave Concepcion over the left field fence off of Dennis Eckersley.

“It was a slider up and in and I don’t think it broke,” said Concepcion. “I was able to hit it really good.”

Indeed. While the two runs were all the NL would need, they scored another on a sac fly… in the….

…snore…

I’m sorry. This is just getting to be such a tired story. Nineteen times in the last 20 games? Eleven in a row? Give me a freaking break. I’m tired of hearing about it. I’m tired of writing about it. It’s painful to watch.

“All of this stuff about the National League being better will probably come up again next year,” said Yount. “Hopefully, I’m here to listen to it.”

Hopefully.

Brewers Lose Four Straight

A’s 7, Brewers 2
Brewers now 20-21 (4th)
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Bob McClure
Bob McClure couldn't get out of his own way in today's loss.

MILWAUKEE — Remember during the spring when we had grand visions of a division title and World Series championship? Yeah, it’s time to shift those expectations.

7,503 Brewers fans sat through a mist and fog that only got worse as the game went on today at County Stadium. The weather mimicked the Brewers’ season so far.

As tends to be the case, the Brewers lost this game more than the A’s actually won it. Fans were probably booing, but there weren’t enough there for anyone to pick up an audible response.

Charlie Moore hit a one out homer in the first, but the Brewers would manage only two more hits the rest of the game on a fifth inning double by Robin Yount and a one-out homer by Don Money in the ninth. The offense made an appearance today as spectators only.

Not that Bob McClure was harmed by the lack of run support. He harmed himself plenty. With two down in the second — after retiring the first five batters of the game — McClure walked the next three batters he faced. Then, when you thought he couldn’t self destruct anymore, he balked in a run.

McClure would pitch 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on three hits and a ridiculous six walks. Of course, you could argue that all five runs were “earned” since the two unearned runs were due to his own error.

It was the Brewers’ fourth straight loss, dropping below .500 for the first time since April 22. Having lost 11 of 15 games, this is the team’s worst slump since 1977.

Buck Rodgers played the part of the desperate manager, fruitlessly arguing a called third strike on Cecil Cooper in the sixth. Rodgers received his first ejection of the season, an apparent attempt to fire up his players. He knows the end up the rope is coming.

If this Brewers’ season has been a rain storm, progressively getting worse throughout the year, we’re approaching the eye now. It can’t get much worse than this.

Game Notes: Rickey Henderson stole three bases in the game and now has 45 on the season … The Brewers will conduct six tryout camps around the state in June and July for players aged 16-21.

Brewers Fall to .500

Athletics 10, Brewers 5
Brewers now 20-20 (4th)
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Mark Brouhard
Mark Brouhard couldn't do anything right today.

MILWAUKEE — For the first time since April 23 when they were 6-6, the Brewers have lost as many games as they’ve won. There is now no way around it.

The Brewers are incredibly average.

And really, that may be putting it nicely. As has been the case lately with this team, everything possible went wrong.

The A’s came into Milwaukee with a six-game losing streak. The Brewers were all they needed to cure their ills.

In the first inning, right fielder Mark Brouhard bobbled Dan Meyer‘s run scoring double, Meyer went to third and then scored as a result of the error.

In the second, first baseman Cecil Cooper fielded a Tony Phillips bunt with a runner on third and made a wild throw home allowing a run to score.

In the fourth, Brouhard made a throw to second instead of third, allowing speedster Rickey Henderson to score from first on a single.

In the sixth, Paul Molitor dropped a perfect throw from catcher Charlie Moore that should have nailed Phillips at third on the front end of a double steal. As a result of Molitor’s drop, Phillips was safe and later scored.

In the eighth, Charlie Moore ran through third base coach Harry Warner’s stop sign when Henderson bobbled the ball in center. Henderson recovered and threw out Moore at home.

You get the point. It was a sad, sad display. And the fans responded accordingly with boos. Boos upon boos upon boos.

It was the Brewers’ 10th loss in 14 games. They have tumbled to fourth place, a half game ahead of the fifth place Orioles and remained seven games back of the first place Red Sox.

This should have been a bounce-back series for the Brewers. The A’s, it appeared, were in worse shape than the Brewers. Instead, Oakland snapped a six-game losing streak, ended a streak of 17 games committing at least one error and tied a team record with six doubles.

On the bright side, world frisbee champion dog Ashley Whippet will put on a show before tomorrow’s game.

Game Notes: Brewers starter Moose Haas was removed after three innings due to tendinitis in his right elbow … Pitching coach Cal McLish, bothered by dizziness and blurred vision, left before the game and will not make the next trip … The Brewers will make up their opening season two-game series with the Indians in a September 2 double header.