White Sox

Brewers Strand Win in Scoring Position

May 16

White Sox 6, Brewers 1
Brewers now 18-15 (3rd)
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Pete Vuckovich — Vuke did not drop a video game on his foot. If you think so, you're a liar and will be hearing from his lawyers.

CHICAGO — Paul Molitor scored on a Robin Yount single in the first inning. And that… Well, that was it for the Brewers today in Chicago.

Sure, they had 11 hits. Molitor and Jim Gantner each had three hits. But they were awful when it counted. The Brewers left 10 men on base and went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Awful.

I guess another positive was that Randy Lerch was reasonably effective. He didn’t allow a run until the sixth inning, when the White Sox scored two. But as we know, the offense failed miserably. When Randy Lerch is on the mound, you know you need to score runs.

Sure, Lerch was pretty good today. But he’s not the kind of guy who goes deep into games. And when that happens, the Brewers’ shaky bullpen is often exposed. It was again today.

Dwight Bernard allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in one miserable inning. Jamie Easterly faced two batters and couldn’t get either out.

At least Jerry Augustine pitched a scoreless ninth to get his ERA down to 7.47. That thing is going to be inflated for a while after his surprise start against the Royals.

It was a disappointing game. Not a heartbreaker. You looked at this one on the schedule and figured it would be tough to win. But when Lerch pitches well and your offense collects 11 hits, you’d think you would have a chance.

Not on this day.

The Brewers have a day off tomorrow before opening an eight game homestand against the Angels.

Game Notes: Ted Simmons is now hitting just .208 on the season … Cecil Cooper had his first game off of the season … A rumor is swirling that Pete Vuckovich‘s ankle was not injured in a fall behind Royals Stadium, but instead due to a video game mishap. He is not happy. “I’m having my lawyer look at it. I don’t appreciate being called a liar.” Vuckovich has missed two scheduled starts and will likely miss a third.

Cooper is Super in 8-3 Win

May 15

Brewers 8, White Sox 3
Brewers now 18-14 (3rd)
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Cecil Cooper drove in four runs to power the Brewers to an 8-3 win.

CHICAGO — Down 1-0 in the third with two outs to 22-year-old All-Star lefty Britt Burns, the Brewers needed a hero. Cecil Cooper, the Crew’s most consistent offensive contributor and an early MVP favorite, stepped to the plate with the bases loaded.

Cooper promptly doubled home Jim Gantner, Paul Molitor, and Robin Yount to give the Brewers the lead. Dependable Cooper comes through again.

The White Sox would tie the game in the 8th when Ron LeFlore doubled in two runs off of Dwight Bernard, who had come in to relieve starter Moose Haas. The lead was temporary.

Cooper walked to lead off the bottom of the 8th, and would then score along with Gorman Thomas on a Don Money double to left to take the lead and knock Burns from the game. A perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Jim Gantner off of reliever Jerry Koosman would bring in the third run of the inning to make it 6-3.

The Brewers would pad their lead in the ninth when Cooper singled home Yount and a run scored on a bases loaded, Charlie Moore groundout.

Cooper would finish the day with two hits, a walk, two runs scored and four driven in. He’s now hitting a robust .354 with 21 RBI on the season. Cooper was super, and his contributions are becoming commonplace.

Moose Haas started on the mound for the Brewers, allowing three runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. Two of those runs scored with Dwight Bernard, who relieved him in the seventh, on the mound.

It was a solid win against a young star in Burns and the now 20-12 White Sox. The Brewers go for the sweep tomorrow with Randy Lerch on the mound.

Game Notes: Don Money collected three hits, all doubles … Unsubstantiated reports that Pete Vuckovich actually hurt his ankle when a video game fell on it, not slipping on a hill … Jim Gantner and Ned Yost collected two hits apiece.

Thomas, Slaton, Fingers Star in Win

May 14

Brewers 2, White Sox 1
Brewers now 17-14
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CHICAGO — You might think that a game won by the score of 2-1 may be lacking heroes. You, my friend, would be wrong.

First, I present to you Gorman Thomas. In the first inning with two outs and Ron LeFlore on second, Greg Luzinski hit a towering drive to the deepest part of Comiskey Park in centerfield. Gorman Thomas raced it down, making an amazing running catch to save a run.

Soon after, with two down in the Brewers’ half of the second inning, Thomas hit a homer off of the facing below the upper deck in left field to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.

With two down in the top of the fourth, Gorman Thomas and White Sox starter Richard Dotson faced off again. On a two balls, two strikes pitch, Dotson threw ball three up around Gorman’s head, knocking him to the ground. Thomas dusted himself off, glared at Dotson, and stepped back into the batter’s box.

Gorman Thomas fouled off the next three pitches before launching the fourth into the second row of the upper deck in left.

But you can’t win a game 2-1 without pitching heroes. You may recall that this should have been Bob McClure‘s day to pitch. But he has been out with a bruised pitching elbow, so long man Jim Slaton took his turn on the mound. Slaton did more than could have possibly been expected of him against the hard-hitting (now) 20-11 White Sox. He held them to one run on six hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out six.

Need a third hero? How about the mustachioed one, Rollie Fingers? Our valiant closer entered with two down and the tying run on third base in the seventh inning. Fingers got Luzinski to tap back to the mound to end that threat, and he then retired the final six White Sox batters to end the game. Perfection.

Sure, the Brewers made a couple of errors again on defense (Yount committed his seventh and Yost his first). But this is the type of hard fought game we’ve been waiting to see from the Brewers against one of the league’s top teams.

We know you have it in you, Brewers. Do it again tomorrow.

Game Notes: Today’s win ended the Brewers’ four game losing streak … Thomas now has six home runs, all hit during the month of May … Fingers recorded his seventh save … Infielder Rob Picciolo has been acquired from the Oakland A’s for minor league first baseman John Evans and pitcher Mike Warren. Warren had been drafted from the A’s last December. Picciolo, 29, will be a back-up at second, shortstop and third … Kevin Bass, who celebrated his 23rd birthday two days ago, was sent down to make room for Picciolo … Brewers pitching coach Cal McLish has been experiencing blurred vision and dizziness and is not with the team … Mark Brouhard is expected to be out a few more days, recovering from a tight calf … Jerry Augustine is being prepared for the possible signing of pitcher Dave Goltz. Augustine, who has two years left on his contract, is expected to be the odd man out.

Short-Armed Brewers Embarrassed Again

May 13

White Sox 13, Brewers 2
Brewers now 16-14 (3rd)
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Lamarr Hoyt helped extend the Brewers' losing streak to four

CHICAGO — The White Sox unveiled their new, shiny, color scoreboard today. That was pretty much the highlight of the day for the Brewers, who once again paid for being short on arms.

You know what happens when you go into games against top teams when you are short-handed in the bullpen? You get beat.

Both Bob McClure and Pete Vuckovich are hurt. Considering neither pitcher has been placed on the disabled list, that means the Brewers have only eight pitchers to work with. You might get away with that against the Twins, but you won’t against the Royals and White Sox.

And the Brewers haven’t.

Bob McClure was hurt on May 9 when a line drive hit him on the pitching elbow. Pete Vuckovich was hurt two days later when he slid down a hill on the way to his start against the Royals. As a result, Jerry Augustine was the sacrificial lamb in a 17-3 loss to the Royals, a game in which he allowed 12 runs on 15 hits in five innings.

You’d think the Brewers’ brass would learn from that game. You can’t have two dead roster spots or that game will simply repeat itself. Well, today, it essentially did.

This time, Mike Caldwell was the sacrificial lamb. Having little help in the bullpen, Caldwell needed to fight through the assault on his Earned Run Average. Caldwell pitched parts of six innings, allowing at least a run in all but one of them. When all was said and done, he had allowed nine earned runs on 13 hits in five-plus innings of work.

Meanwhile, the strong-armed White Sox cruised. Starter La Marr Hoyt went the distance in this one, allowing two runs on 10 hits. He’s now won 12 straight dating back to last season. He’s 6-0 lifetime against the Brewers.

This is embarrassing. The Brewers have now been outscored 39-11 over the past three games, allowing 52 hits. Yet nothing is being done to help the pitching staff.

Well, not nothing. They’re doing something, but nothing that is helping their staff right now. The Brewers worked out free agent pitcher Dave Goltz and were impressed and scheduled another workout for May 15. Goltz signed a lucrative six-year contract prior to the 1980 season with the Dodgers, but he never quite lived up to the hype. The Brewers could use such an arm right now.

Another arm won’t solve the defensive woes, however. Once again, the gloves behind the mound are making the pitcher’s life difficult. Four more errors were made by sloppy Brewers defenders today. Though it didn’t make a difference today in this lopsided game, it’s been the difference in several games this season. Poor fundamental defense is simply unacceptable for a major league team.

Game Notes: The Brewers have lost four straight and are 4.5 games back in the American League East … Bob McClure threw on the sidelines prior to todays game and reported some progress, but isn’t expected to be ready for his next scheduled start against the Angels … Dave Goltz is 105-98 in a 10-year career and won 20 games with the Twins. Goltz claims the Brewers were his first choice before signing with the Dodgers for more money. He is also trying out for the California Angels and may have workouts with the White Sox and Royals as well.

Caldwell, Fingers Ice White Sox

April 28

Brewers 2, White Sox 1
Brewers now 9-7 (3rd)
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Jim Gantner reached on two hits and knocked in the winning run.

For the second game in a row, the Brewers’ offense managed only four hits. Today, those four hits were just enough to win.

Mike Caldwell picked up where he left off. Coming off of a complete game shutout of the Toronto Blue Jays on April 22, Caldwell allowed only a run on six hits in 6 1/3 innings of work today. Though the one fifth inning run he allowed would prevent him from earning the win, he and Rollie Fingers kept the lid on Chicago’s offense long enough to allow the Brewers’ lineup to score one more run.

White Sox Clobber the Crew

April 27

White Sox 11, Brewers 2
Brewers now 8-7 (3rd)
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Last time out, Randy Lerch was masterful. He was not Randy Lerch-like, allowing only a run on four hits. But, as has become a theme when talking about good performances this season, “those were the Blue Jays.”