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Brewers beat, 9/20
Macha against continued use of maple bats
MILWAUKEE — As a player, Brewers manager Ken Macha used ash bats. While he sees the competitive benefits of maple bats, he does not see that as reason enough to overlook their dangerous nature.
“Get rid of the maple bats. Absolutely, 100 percent,” Macha said. “What’s going to really happen is one’s going to go in the stands. … There’s people in the stands, they’re not paying attention to anything. They’re talking to the guy three seats down, not even going to move to get out of the way.”
Macha was asked about the maple bats in light of a chest injury suffered Sunday by Cubs rookie Tyler Colvin, who was struck by a portion of Wellington Castillo’s shattered bat. Colvin was in stable condition shortly after the game, but is expected to miss the rest of the 2010 season.
While he believes maple bats should be eliminated from use, that doesn’t mean Macha is unaware of the reason behind the players’ preference.
“That wood is absolutely harder,” Macha said of the maple bats. “You’d hit with these ash bats and if you hit the ball on a seam, you could see a dent with the seam on the bat. But with the maple, it’s so hard guys will use the thing and you will see no dents in the bat at all.
“When you’ve got two objects striking into each other, the amount of energy that goes in the opposite direction after they hit is not being absorbed by the compression of that bat, so the ball’s going further. I understand that point.”
But the potential for the type of injury suffered by Colvin, Macha said, is reason enough to eliminate the bats, regardless of the difference in performance between the hard maple wood and softer ash.
Rogers unavailable ahead of first start Friday
MILWAUKEE — Though they would have liked to get him another relief appearance, Brewers pitching prospect Mark Rogers’ next appearance will be his Friday start.
Rogers threw a side session in the bullpen Sunday, and is scheduled for another Tuesday in preparation for his first career start. As a result, he’s unavailable out of the bullpen this week.
“I was kind of hoping to get him in one more game,” manager Ken Macha said. “But [pitching coach] Rick [Peterson] said that he felt that [Rogers] could benefit more from doing two sides days than getting an inning in.”
Rogers is scheduled to start Friday in the Brewers’ second of four games against the Marlins. If everything goes according to plan with that start, Rogers could start a second time on the road against the Mets or Reds.
Gomez earns another start in center field
MILWAUKEE — With the impact he had on the Brewers’ recent road trip, Carlos Gomez earned yet another start in center field on Monday against the Reds.
Gomez got the day off Sunday in San Francisco in favor of rookie Lorenzo Cain, who had been the Brewers’ starting center fielder for much of August and early September. On Monday, though, manager Ken Macha went back to Gomez for his sixth start in seven games.
“I didn’t want to forget about Cain, but Gomez has been impacting the games,” Macha said. “So I just put Cain in there yesterday and get Gomez back in there today. … He basically won the game in Houston the last day and then had a tremendous impact on one of the games in San Francisco that we won.
“So he’s earned the playing time.”
Gomez batted .400 on the road trip, collecting eight hits in 20 at-bats along with four stolen bases and a pair of RBIs. With Cain struggling, Macha gave Gomez as many starts in those six games as he had in the club’s previous 40 contests.
As for his other right-handed center fielder, Macha opted not to give any evaluation of Cain.
“You can take either sample size on both sides of the line of demarcation and try to determine what is going to be relevant on down the line,” Macha said. “So let’s hold off on drawing a conclusion.
“I’m not going to make the statement that the league has figured him out.”
Special teams struggle, shine against ASU
MADISON – Every play matters.
Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema has worked to instill that mentality in his players, and on Saturday, those players provided him with two perfect examples in big moments.
While the Badgers special teams units struggled in coverage for the most part against Arizona State, two big plays on special teams made all the difference as UW came out on top, 20-19, over Arizona State.
“It’s the difference between good and bad today,” Bielema said. “Every season I reflect back on, there’s a handful of plays that determine a game, that determine a season.”
Following a touchdown that put Wisconsin up 13-10, Sun Devils returner Kyle Middlebrooks took a Philip Welch kickoff from the 4-yard line and raced for the end zone. With no one in front of him, Middlebrooks looked as though he would score to put ASU back on top heading into the locker room.
Enter Shelton Johnson.
After Dezmen Southward slowed Middlebrooks down, Johnson caught him from behind and made the tackle at the 1-yard line, saving a touchdown as the clock ran out on the first half.
“Honestly, I was just running hoping that I could get him,” Johnson said.
The play was remarkably similar to one late in the first quarter, when cornerback Omar Bolden took a Welch kickoff back 97 yards for the touchdown, putting Arizona State up 7-3.
So what was Johnson thinking when it looked to be happening again?
“No, don’t let this happen again,” Johnson said. “That would’ve been the second of the game, and it would have been really deflating going into halftime.”
Johnson’s tackle kept the Badgers up three points at the half, but more importantly, it meant John Clay’s third quarter touchdown put them up 20-13, rather than tying the game at 20 apiece. That proved crucial late in the fourth quarter, when the Sun Devils found the end zone for their only offensive touchdown of the game.
With 4:09 remaining, running back Cameron Marshall ran it in from two yards out, which appeared to tie the game for the second time. Instead, the extra point proved to be the deciding factor in game.
Looking to preserve their lead, the Badgers called for a block scheme they had not used yet this season. It worked out, as senior safety Jay Valai got around the left end and made the most of his 5-foot-9 frame, knocking the kick offline on an all-out dive.
“The PAT block is normally unheard of in college football,” said ASU head coach Dennis Erickson. “In all my career, I’ve never seen something like that. The bottom line is they got someone through.”
It’s hard to argue against the two plays made by Johnson and Valai as being among the biggest of the day for the Badgers.
The two players involved did disagree, however, on who made the more important play.
“Probably Jay’s,” Johnson answered when asked which play was bigger. “If he didn’t make that play, we’re probably still playing right now. I definitely think Jay blocking that kick was a huge, huge impact on this game.”
Valai, on the other hand, preferred his teammate’s touchdown-saving tackle to close out the Badgers’ less-than-stellar first half.
“Shelton’s just being nice — that’s a touchdown,” Valai said. “That’s not one point, Shelton stopped six, seven points right there. Shelton Johnson made a great play, that’s the biggest play of the game.”
The key to both plays, though, was effort.
Once Middlebrooks got into the open field, Johnson and Southward easily could have packed it in and headed to the locker room. In the fourth quarter, Valai could have accepted the Sun Devils were going to tie the game and 20 points apiece and put the burden on the offense to come away with the victory.
Instead, both put together the kind of effort expected out of them by the Wisconsin coaching staff, and in the end, it paid huge dividends.
“Football is a game that is comprised of four quarters, 15 minutes each, 60 minutes of playing time,” Bielema said. “But really it’s 60 minutes of reaction, who reacts better to what happens.”
Mulligan: Wolf uses golf to regain consistency
MILWAUKEE — A year ago, Randy Wolf put together a career-best season with the Dodgers. From start to finish, Wolf was one of the league’s most consistent pitchers as he posted a handful of career-best numbers, including 214 1/3 innings pitched and a 1.101 WHIP.
Opening the 2010 season with the Milwaukee Brewers, that consistency seemed to escape Wolf. He looked nothing like the pitcher he was for Los Angeles, stumbling out to a 4-6 record with a 5.31 ERA through 13 starts in the first two months of the season.
“I just knew something wasn’t right,” Wolf said of his struggles.
Over that stretch, Wolf mixed in impressive outings: He tossed six scoreless innings at Pittsburgh on April 20 and seven scoreless against the Astros on May 25. More frequently, however, Wolf struggled, as he did in allowing eight runs over 4 2/3 on June 9 to the Cubs.
As he watched his club’s newly acquired veteran left-hander struggle, Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson struggled himself as he searched for an answer.
“You’re trying to pinpoint what exactly it is. Why exactly is he struggling? What’s different from the year before and this year?” Peterson said.
“So I went and I looked at all the Pitch-f/x information going back three years, taking a look at his vertical and horizontal movement on all his pitches, and the velocities on all his pitches. They were all the same. It was actually identical.”
If his stuff was the same early in 2010 as it was throughout the last three seasons, why were Wolf’s numbers so much more inconsistent?
Following his rough outing on June 9, Wolf bounced back, going 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA over his next seven starts. Wolf’s next start after that stretch, July 21 at Pittsburgh, was his worst yet. Entering with a 4.56 ERA, Wolf surrendered a career-high 12 runs on 13 hits over 5 2/3 innings pitched, causing his ERA to jump to 5.20.
While that Pittsburgh outing certainly was forgettable, the silver lining was that it marked the date Peterson and Wolf finally figured out what change was necessary.
“The difference from this year to the past, was that he just wasn’t making pitches,” Peterson said. “For whatever reason, he was missing location consistently. Everything else was the same, but that makes a huge difference.
“What I think had happened was that his slow tempo had worked for a long period of time, but now it was almost so slow that it was affecting his release point and his ability to execute pitches.”
But the question that remained was how to get Wolf, who told Peterson in Spring Training that he liked to keep his tempo slow, to speed things up with his delivery.
Recognizing that Wolf typically operates with a much more athletic, upbeat tempo when not pitching, Peterson used another sport to explain to Wolf the importance of tempo.
“We play some golf, so I said, ‘Show me the tempo in your golf swing,'” Peterson said. “I said, ‘See if you can put the same tempo into your delivery as you do your golf swing.'”
What did Wolf think of the comparison of the tempo in his delivery to his golf swing?
“I think that he thinks I’m a better golfer than I am,” Wolf quipped. “But it makes sense. Even as an amateur or beginning golfer … with anything you do a rhythm is very important.
“You don’t want to go so slow and then fast. You want to start slow and quicken up as you go, not just instantly. I think just talking to him about it, I became more aware of it and paid attention to it more so than usual.”
Since getting touched up for 12 runs in Pittsburgh two months ago, Wolf has quickened the tempo in his delivery, while paying closer attention to what a different rhythm can do to his pitches. At times, he has found the need to slow it down a bit, while speeding up at others.
In nine starts since that outing against the Pirates, Wolf has looked as good as he has all season. Wolf is 4-2 with a 3.07 ERA over that stretch, allowing just 20 runs in 58 2/3 innings of work.
Wolf also has put up his two most impressive performances of the season in the same stretch: He tossed 8 1/3 innings of three-hit, one-run ball in St. Louis on Aug. 18, and gave up just one run on four hits in eight innings in his last outing on Sunday.
It took nearly four months, but Wolf is finally pitching with the kind of consistency that the Brewers expected him to show when signing him to a three-year deal in the offseason.
“Is this what we expected? This is the kind of command and the kind of process we expected,” Peterson said. “If he can get that process, he’s going to pitch well every time. More importantly, that’s what Randy expects of himself.”
With four starts remaining this season, Wolf is still focused on what he can do in 2010, though he certainly hopes to put together a more consistent 2011 campaign.
After his last start, Wolf talked about wanting to start strong, stay strong and finish strong. While the first two months may have gotten away from him, it’s hard to argue against the way he’s closing out the season.
“It’s frustrating at times, but when you get 33-34 starts, you keep on learning and just get better. I look at those bad games as an opportunity to get better, learn from it and just move on,” Wolf said.
“There are times definitely where you don’t pitch well, but you’ve just got to get over it and put it behind you. If you dwell on it and feel sorry for yourself, it’s going to be a really long year.”
Gallardo’s gem gives Crew win over Cubs
MILWAUKEE — With his command issues worked out, Yovani Gallardo has looked more like a staff ace again over his last two starts. Fortunately for the Brewers, his abilities at the plate haven’t escaped him, either.
With the Brewers’ recent offensive struggles continuing on Sunday afternoon, Gallardo took things into his own hands.
Gallardo delivered his second straight strong start and scored the game’s first run, in the fifth inning, and the Brewers won, 2-0, over the Cubs to avoid the three-game sweep.
“It all starts with locating the fastball,” Gallardo said. “I was able to do that tonight and throw my offspeed for strikes, and everything worked out.”
In tossing seven scoreless innings, Gallardo (12-7) allowed just four hits and three walks while recording five strikeouts. He picked up his first win since Aug. 8, against the Astros, while not allowing a run for the first time since July 22 at Pittsburgh.
Leading off the bottom of the fifth, Gallardo doubled to the gap in right-center field, setting up the Brewers’ best scoring opportunity of the day. Two outs later, left fielder Ryan Braun delivered the run from second base with a double of his own.
Braun’s double snapped a 22-inning scoreless streak for the Brewers. In the eighth, third baseman Casey McGehee added an insurance run with a solo home run, his 21st of the season.
“Our pitchers have really been throwing the ball well for the last couple of weeks, so it’s nice to finally pick somebody up,” Braun said.
After being shut out in the first two games of the series by Cubs starters Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster, the Brewers finished the series with just two runs, the first off Casey Coleman, the other off reliever Thomas Diamond.
Before the doubles by Gallardo and Braun, the Brewers had opportunities in the first, second and third innings but could not capitalize. Their biggest chance came in the first, with Corey Hart and Braun on first and third and only one out, but Prince Fielder grounded into an inning-ending double play.
In the second inning, Lorenzo Cain was stranded after a one-out single, and in the third, McGehee grounded into a fielder’s choice, stranding the bases loaded.
“It’s been interesting,” said manager Ken Macha, reverting to his favorite adjective. “Two runs. That’s a little like the San Diego series [from April 29 to May 2]. We scored two runs there and won one out of four. We got two runs here. We played three games, and somebody was shut out in every one of them.”
Coleman was nearly as impressive as Zambrano and Dempster, tossing six strong innings while allowing just the one run in the fifth on five hits with three strikeouts.
Gallardo’s outing was his second straight of seven innings or more and four hits or fewer. The last time he went seven innings without allowing a run was on June 24, when he tossed a five-hit shutout against the Twins.
The performance also was his best since coming off the disabled list on July 22 following an oblique strain, an injury he sustained on July 4. Though he admitted that his success begins with locating his fastball, it was his offspeed stuff made the difference.
“Gallardo’s tough. You have to give him his due,” said Cubs manager Mike Quade. “You don’t want to be behind on him — he’s got a devastating curveball. His breaking ball is very tough. He didn’t make many mistakes, and we didn’t have many opportunities to capitalize on them.”
Before his injury, Gallardo was 8-4 with a 2.58 ERA, allowing 32 earned runs in 111 2/3 innings pitched. Opponents were hitting just .224 against him, as he struck out 122 batters and allowed 48 walks.
In his first eight starts following the injury, he went 3-3 with a 7.23 ERA, allowing 34 earned runs over 42 1/3 innings. Opponents batted .314 with a .875 OPS against him over that stretch, though he recorded 49 strikeouts against just 17 walks.
In his last two starts, he has given up just two runs on eight hits and five walks over 14 innings, for a 1.29 ERA with 10 strikeouts.
According to Macha, though, the change has had more to do with location than any aftereffects of the oblique injury.
One thing that’s remained consistent throughout is Gallardo’s offensive prowess. Entering the game, he was batting .259 with four home runs and eight RBIs. He boosted that average to .268 with his double, one of his many big hits on the season.
“He’s been unbelievable. His whole time in the Major Leagues, he’s really swung the bat well,” Braun said. “I think he deserves the Silver Slugger this year for a pitcher. I’m serious.
“When you have him in the lineup, it’s like having an extra weapon. It’s like having a DH when you’re playing in an American League ballpark. He’s that good. He’s a tough out, he drives the ball and he has good at-bats.”
Watt continues block party in win
If he’s on the field, it’s a pretty safe bet to expect defensive end J.J. Watt to be wherever the football is.
Between sacks, tackles for loss, forced fumbles and pass break ups, he contributes in as many ways as anyone in a Badgers uniform.
He didn’t break up any passes this week, but that didn’t stop Watt from getting his hands on the ball.
As San Jose State lined up on 4th-and-6 late in the second quarter, Watt got his hands on kicker Harrison Waid’s field goal attempt, sending it offline.
“It seems to be a trend and I’m kind of happy with the trend,” Watt said. “A couple blocked passes last week and then a blocked field goal this week, I’ll take it.”
Coming as no surprise to anyone who knows him, Watt is not satisfied with just his role as defensive end. As evidenced by the field goal block, he is a fixture in the Badgers’ special teams units.
Additionally, Watt was featured at tight end twice Saturday on UW red zone drives. He did not play a major role in the outcome of the plays, but his mere presence shows his willingness to do whatever is needed to help his team win.
“J.J. is an unbelievable competitor,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “Now he thinks he’s a specialist too because he gets to go in on offense.
“I was always concerned that J.J. wasn’t going to be around when we called for that personnel, and he’s practically in the huddle before it’s even said. That’s how much he’s enjoying it.”
As a former tight end, Watt certainly knows his way around the offensive line and, more importantly, the football.
With that in mind, it’s easy to wonder if offensive coordinator Paul Chryst might call Watt’s number at some point this season when he’s on the field. If Chryst were so inclined, Watt would certainly provide quarterback Scott Tolzien with another big, sure-handed target to throw to near the goal line.
True to form, however, Watt is satisfied with simply blocking and drawing the attention of the defense.
“If I score a touchdown, I’d be pretty happy with that,” Watt said. “Right now, I’m just doing anything I can to help the team.”
If he’s on the field, it’s a pretty safe bet to expect defensive end J.J. Watt to be wherever the football is.
Between sacks, tackles for loss, forced fumbles and pass break ups, he contributes in as many ways as anyone in a Badgers uniform.
He didn’t break up any passes this week, but that didn’t stop Watt from getting his hands on the ball.
As San Jose State lined up on 4th-and-6 late in the second quarter, Watt got his hands on kicker Harrison Waid’s field goal attempt, sending it offline.
“It seems to be a trend and I’m kind of happy with the trend,” Watt said. “A couple blocked passes last week and then a blocked field goal this week, I’ll take it.”
Coming as no surprise to anyone who knows him, Watt is not satisfied with just his role as defensive end. As evidenced by the field goal block, he is a fixture in the Badgers’ special teams units.
Additionally, Watt was featured at tight end twice Saturday on UW red zone drives. He did not play a major role in the outcome of the plays, but his mere presence shows his willingness to do whatever is needed to help his team win.
“J.J. is an unbelievable competitor,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “Now he thinks he’s a specialist too because he gets to go in on offense.
“I was always concerned that J.J. wasn’t going to be around when we called for that personnel, and he’s practically in the huddle before it’s even said. That’s how much he’s enjoying it.”
As a former tight end, Watt certainly knows his way around the offensive line and, more importantly, the football.
With that in mind, it’s easy to wonder if offensive coordinator Paul Chryst might call Watt’s number at some point this season when he’s on the field. If Chryst were so inclined, Watt would certainly provide quarterback Scott Tolzien with another big, sure-handed target to throw to near the goal line.
True to form, however, Watt is satisfied with simply blocking and drawing the attention of the defense.
“If I score a touchdown, I’d be pretty happy with that,” Watt said. “Right now, I’m just doing anything I can to help the team.”
Tolzien struggles throughout sloppy win
MADISON – Perhaps the most encouraging thing about the Badgers through two games is the fact that they have yet to play their best football.
Between injuries, turnovers and missed opportunities, the Wisconsin football team has looked like anything but the 11th best team in the nation. At no position is this clearer than at quarterback, where senior Scott Tolzien has yet to deliver a complete performance.
As Wisconsin hosted San Jose State for Saturday’s home opener, Tolzien turned the ball over just once on an interception, but added three crucial fumbles that stalled three drives.
“We’ve just got to get better,” Tolzien said. “That’s an obvious statement, but we’re not there yet and I’ve got to be accountable for myself, first and foremost.”
As for the fumbles?
“That’s on me,” he said. “I’ve got to make sure it doesn’t happen. Plain and simple.”
Tolzien’s ball security issues began in the second quarter when he coughed up the football on the first play of the Badgers’ second drive following a six-yard sack. After that drive ended in a three-and-out, Tolzien had trouble hanging onto the ball again during the next drive.
Sitting on fourth-and-one at the San Jose State four-yard line, the Badgers opted to go for it. Following an exchange issue with the center, Tolzien was tackled for no gain, and Wisconsin turned the ball over on downs.
“Scotty was putting it on himself,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “As you guys know, he’ll beat himself up over it. It’s just something that we have to clean up.”
Following a fumble-free drive to end the first half that culminated in a field goal, the Badgers’ first drive of the second half was much like the one that ended on the four-yard line. Fortunately for Tolzien and Wisconsin, this time they had an extra down.
After another exchange issue, this time involving fullback Ryan Groy, the Badgers went from 3rd-and-2 on the 15-yard line to 4th-and-7 on the 20. Philip Welch delivered his second field goal of the game as the Badgers missed out on yet another touchdown opportunity in the red zone.
The worst was yet to come, however, for Tolzien.
Two drives later, Tolzien followed up first-down passes of 14 and 21 yards with an interception, which led to a two-play touchdown drive for San Jose State. On a deep pass intended for receiver Isaac Anderson, corner back Payton Thompson picked it off at his own 15-yard line.
“I know Scotty didn’t like the fact that he threw that ball,” Bielema said.
“Missed read, missed throw, bad play,” Tolzien added. “I’ve got to be smarter than that. I’ve got to play better, period.”
While Tolzien struggled passing and holding onto the ball Saturday, he persevered. According to his head coach, his best play was his last.
On 3rd-and-4, following a San Jose State timeout with 1:27 remaining in the game, Tolzien read the defense at the line of scrimmage and acted accordingly, leading to a big gain by running back John Clay that allowed UW to run out the clock following a kneel down.
“The best play of the day came on that last drive,” Bielema said. “We had a play that was going to get nulled and then the check was wrong. He totally changed the play at the line of scrimmage, and I believe it was an eight-yard first down.”
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