Look closely at the Brewers cards in this Fleer set. Another batting practice shot, all in the baby blues. Was every card photo taken on the same day?
Ted Simmons
Boo Birds Out in Ugly Brewers Loss
Tigers 7, Brewers 3
Brewers now 29-28 (4th)
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MILWAUKEE — This team… This team…
This team was in near disaster mode under Buck Rodgers. When he was let go, Harvey Kuenn appeared to have injected new life into this team. They scored runs and prevented runs like at no other time this season for a four game stretch.
Then this team lost three straight games to the Orioles in which they scored a total of seven runs and bowed to three consecutive complete games by Baltimore starters.
When this team bounced back to win the final game of the four-game series with the Orioles 8-6, we thought maybe… just maybe, they were back.
Today, this team lost a 2-0 lead and eventually the series opening game to the Tigers. And once again, the starting pitcher (this time Milt Wilcox) went the distance.
Pardon Brewers fans if we’re a bit schizophrenic, but we have no idea what to make of this team. One day we’re adorning our beloved squad with a lovable nickname after only a few games, and today we’re setting decibel records when Ted Simmons grounded into his second double play of the game.
Mike Caldwell is the perfect representation of this team. He was considered a “cancer” under Buck Rodgers, but in Kuenn’s debut on June 2 Caldwell surprised us all with a complete game masterpiece against the Mariners.
In his next appearance, however, our doubts resurfaced when Caldwell allowed six runs and couldn’t last five innings against the Orioles on June 7.
Today? Today was perfect. We were starting to believe that Caldwell had returned to his June 2 form when he allowed only one hit through the first four innings. Then in the fifth and sixth, he imploded, allowing seven runs on six hits in one-plus innings. The only runs the Tigers would score.
So what do we make of this team? Are they the underachieving trouble-makers they were under Rodgers? Are they the Harvey’s Wallbangers that surfaced for four glorious days beginning June 2? Or are they something in between?
I have no freaking clue.
Game Notes: Cecil Cooper, still out with a right buttock injury, was replaced in the lineup by Roy Howell at first base … Two Brewers errors led to two unearned runs for the Tigers … Ben Oglivie went 4-for-4 with two RBI … Rollie Fingers was not available due to back spasms. He is day-to-day.
Wallbangers Sweep A’s
Brewers 7, A’s 2
Brewers now 27-24 (3rd)
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OAKLAND — These are the Brewers we predicted to fight for an AL East title this season.
In four games under Harvey Kuenn, the Brewers have won all four. They have a five-game winning streak dating back to Buck Rodgers‘ final day as the team’s skipper. That day seems like years ago. It was a completely different team.
Same faces, different team. Different attitude. Different atmosphere. Different results.
Those results continued today.
Pete Vuckovich may not have had his best stuff, but he allowed only two runs through eight innings on seven hits and four walks. He didn’t pitch a clean inning until the eighth. At least two baserunners reached base in four different innings. But Vuke, as Vuke typically does, would bend and not break.
Pete Vuckovich is now 7-2 on the season. Even more impressive, he is 21-6 in a Brewers uniform.
But of course, these are “Harvey’s Wallbangers.” The offense gets all the glory. Actually, that’s why I started with Vuke. The pitching deserves props, too, as it is a big reason this team is winning. During the five game winning streak, Brewers pitchers have given up a total of nine runs.
And the offense keeps on mashing. For the third straight game, the Brewers scored 10 runs or more runs. For the fourth straight game, the Brewers reached on at least 12 hits (14 hits today). The Wallbangers walloped 42 hits in the three-game series against the shell-shocked A’s, including 19 for extra bases and eight home runs.
How locked in are the Brewers’ hitters right now? They lead the league with 67 home runs, 22 of which came on this trip. That’s approximately one third of their home runs in one fifth of their games.
Don’t look now, but one of the team’s supposed “cancers” has a hot bat. Ted Simmons went 2-for-5 with his eighth home run. He was 12-for-37 on the road trip, raising his average to a more respectable .239.
The one dark cloud in this game is that Cecil Cooper, the league’s second best hitter with a .360 average, sat out with a hip pointer. But have no fear, Brewers fans, Harvey says it isn’t serious.
“He told he he was ready to go, but I’ll just give him a day of rest,” Kuenn said. That’s a relief. We need Coop. Because this team is bound to cool off sooner or later.
Game Notes: Jim Gantner hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, his third of the season … Rollie Fingers, who hadn’t pitched in five days, allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth … The Brewers finished their road trip with seven wins in 10 games.
Harvey’s Wallbangers are Born
Brewers 11, A’s 3
Brewers now 26-24 (4th)
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OAKLAND — Following a second consecutive rout of the Oakland Athletics under new manager Harvey Kuenn, general manager Harry Dalton insisted it was time for a new nickname. Under George Bamberger, the Brewers were “Bambi’s Bombers.” Under Buck Rodgers, they were “Rodgers’ Raiders” (no, that one never really took off). So what did Dalton have in mind?
Harvey’s Ballbangers.
Yeah. Hey, Harry? Let’s leave the nicknames to others. Someone who may spot dirty unintended double-meanings because they are under the age of 100. You know. Someone like Cecil Cooper.
“Naw, just like the drink,” said Cooper. “Harvey’s Wallbangers. We keep banging ’em off the walls.”
Perfect! Thank you, Coop. Much better than banging balls. Much better.
The truth is that while walls were “banged” today with five doubles, they may be best known for their ability to hit balls over the walls. For the second time since May 28, the Brewers hit home runs in three consecutive at bats. This time it was Robin Yount, Cecil Cooper and Ben Oglivie in the seventh inning. Last time they accomplished the feat was in Anaheim and the Brewers actually lost.
Not this time. And for good measure, the Brewers hit two more consecutive homers in the ninth, this time by Ted Simmons and Gorman Thomas. The Brewers set a club record with 37 total bases and tied marks of 10 extra base hits and the three consecutive homers that has now been accomplished twice this season.
The Brewers have scored 26 runs in three games under their new skipper, including 10 or more in their last two. This same team had gone 22 straight games without scoring 10 runs in a game.
Missed in all of this ball and wall banging is that the Brewers’ pitching again was stellar. For the second time in three games, only the starter was needed. This time it was Bob McClure who pitched a complete game, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out eight.
The focus may be on the offense right now, but these are total team efforts. Three times in a row.
“It’s just a different atmosphere,” Gorman Thomas explained.
Whatever it is, it’s working.
Game Notes: In the first nine games of the current road trip, Cecil Cooper has 17 hits and seven home runs in 37 at bats … Reliever Dave Beard received his first major league start when Steve McCatty came up with a stiff shoulder before the game … Paul Molitor was the only Brewer not to get a hit in the game. He is in a 2-for-26 slump … Roy Howell, who has started the last two games after being used sparingly under Buck Rodgers, went 3-for-5 … Cecil Cooper, Gorman Thomas and Ben Oglivie all have 10 home runs … Beginning June 7, fans entering County Stadium will be allowed to bring small coolers and thermo bottles containing non-alcoholic beverages into the ballpark.
Third Straight Win is Impressive
Brewers 10, A’s 1
Brewers now 25-24 (4th)
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OAKLAND — After the first win under new manager Harvey Kuenn, we tried real hard not to overreact. It was a nice, tidy win. A complete, team win. But impressive?
Then this happens.
How else do you describe four runs in the first and five runs in the second? How else do you describe three total hits given up by Brewers pitching, equal to their own first inning output? How else do you describe three innings of hitless relief for Jim Slaton?
Impressive, indeed.
The team is not only playing better, the players are getting healthier. Today was a game of happy returns. Pitcher Moose Haas made his first appearance since May 25 due to elbow tendinitis. How did he feel?
“I really didn’t feel good the whole game,” Haas assured us. “My arm didn’t feel sore. It felt dead. I didn’t have the slightest idea where the ball was going.”
Neither did the A’s. Haas allowed one run on three hits in six innings. Sure, he matched his season total of four walks in the game, but I think Haas is just fine.
Gorman Thomas, who had been out five games with a shoulder injury, also returned. How did he feel?
“My shoulder only hurt twice tonight,” said Thomas. “One of them was on the first pitch, when I made that check swing.”
The next pitch after that check swing? The ball ended up deep into the left field bleachers. He had two hits and drove in four. I think that Gorman’s fine, too.
Charlie Moore, out since May 27 with a jammed thumb, returned. He celebrated by going 2-for-5 with an RBI and run scored. Yeah, he’s fine.
The Brewers are healthy and they’re happy. Jim Slaton, when asked about his three inning save that gave him two on the season, looked over at closer Rollie Fingers and said, “I’ve got 281 left to catch you. Watch out.”
Team harmony. Healthy players. Productive offense. Suffocating pitching. Pristine defense. Winning baseball.
The Brewers are now a game over .500 for the first time since May 23. How long can the Harvey Kuenn honeymoon continue? Who knows, but the first two days have been nothing short of impressive.
Game Notes: Ted Simmons hit two doubles and drove in three runs. He now has hits in nine of the last 11 games … Cecil Cooper left in the fourth inning due to a hip pointer injury that is not believed to be serious. He thinks he hurt it in the last game of the Seattle series.
Brewers a New Team under Kuenn?
A day off today? Not fair for any pundit trying to gauge this team. It is far too easy to take this down time to proclaim the Brewers a new team under interim manager Harvey Kuenn.
So I won’t do it.
What do we know? We know that Buck Rodgers was a bad fit. We tried to accept him for a while. We blamed a bad attitude here, bad luck there. But Brewers fans have collectively come to the realization that the reason for their team’s under performance may have been much easier to explain than we thought.
When rumors surfaced of Rodgers’ demise weeks ago, you couldn’t find a player who had their manager’s back. And whether it was Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, Mike Caldwell, Pete Vuckovich, Roy Howell, Jim Gantner or the countless other malcontents, someone was always spouting off.
Players weren’t happy. They didn’t respect their manager. The inmates were running the asylum, and they were plenty crazy. Should it be any wonder that they played below expectations?
Roy Howell is a role player. He never understood his role. As a result, he was never happy when each day passed by and he wasn’t on the lineup card. Isn’t this a communication issue? Howell should never be surprised about when he will or will not be playing.
Buck Rodgers lacked confidence in his starting pitchers, often giving them the hook rather than letting them fight their way through jams. Based on complaints from Mike Caldwell, it’s also possible that he lacked respect for pitchers in general. Is it any wonder that the rotation as a whole has been shaky?
In steps Harvey Kuenn, destination unknown. He’s known as a loose leader, one who wants his players to relax and have fun. He’s a communicator. He’s everything that Buck Rodgers wasn’t.
The change, whether directly or indirectly, resulted in a win. One win in one game. But what we saw were things we had seen rarely during the past two months. A starter fought through his own jam and pitched a complete game, shutting down the opposition during the final three innings. The offense was timely, collecting 12 hits. And the defense didn’t commit an error.
Most importantly? The players are happy. For the most part, that was rarely the case under Rodgers, even after a win.
Soon after being fired, Rodgers didn’t hold back when referring to two cancers on the team. Given the time to cool off, he hasn’t backed down: “I can’t say too emphatically how good this club is, except for a couple of players. I know who they are, the players know who they are and the front office knows who they are. They may have tried to stab me in the back, but they didn’t get me fired. They’ve stabbed everyone they’ve been involved with in the past, and they’ll do the same in the future.”
We shouldn’t be surprised about reports surfacing that Mike Caldwell, during a card game on the May 30 flight after a 7-3 win over the Angels, said, “I hope we lose 10 games in a row just to get rid of that sucker.”
The Brewers are littered with strong personalities. They need someone to lead them. They don’t need someone who is paranoid, constantly worried about who is trying to stab them in the back. This happens when a leader fails to communicate or loses the respect of his team.
Does one win mean that the Brewers are World Series bound? Absolutely not. At .500 and in fifth place in the AL East, it may be too late to completely repair the damage. But there is every reason to believe that the atmosphere in the Brewers clubhouse is going to improve. The results should follow.
In other words, I just wrote an entire article doing what I said I wouldn’t in the opening paragraph. I have proclaimed the Brewers a new team after one game.
That’s what a day off will do to you.