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Weeks helps Crew overcome wildness
MILWAUKEE — To be effective, Manny Parra has to be wild, to some degree. That was certainly the case for the Brewers lefty on Wednesday at Miller Park.
Despite throwing four wild pitches, Parra (2-5) effectively limited the Twins’ offense, giving up two runs during 5 2/3 innings as the Brewers took the 5-3 victory over the Twins.
Parra tied a club record with four wild pitches in a game, set by Ed Sprague on May 14, 1975, against the Rangers. According to both Parra and catcher Jonathan Lucroy, however, with a splitter like Parra’s, wild pitches are going to happen.
“With my split-finger, I’m bound to throw wild pitches,” Parra said. “I think last year, I shied away from it a little bit … but I’ve got to keep throwing that pitch, that’s the way I’m successful. I get guys swinging at some of those pitches.”
But as Lucroy was quick to point out, Parra only allowed two runners to score following a wild pitch — Twins first baseman Justin Morneau and third baseman Michael Cuddyer in the fourth.
“He did a good job of getting back in control and throwing some strikes,” Lucroy said. “The one thing you can take away from that is the way he bounced back and minimized the damage.”
Perhaps most importantly for Parra, though, the Brewers’ offense made the most of its opportunities, giving the lefty just enough run support to earn his first win since May 23, also against Minnesota, and his first win as a starter since Sept. 25, 2009, against the Phillies.
While the Brewers entered the game with a 5-19 record when not hitting a home run, they played small ball on Wednesday night to get the victory.
After both were stranded following a pair of singles to lead off the first, Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart combined to drive in four of the Brewers’ five runs. Weeks, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, played a role in all five Brewers runs on the night.
“We hustled to get our runs, we scrapped to get our runs,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “Sometimes, you have to do that. It’s not always on the big boys to do everything.”
Following a Weeks walk in the third, Hart ripped a double to the left-field corner, which scored Weeks from first.
One inning later, Weeks drove in a pair when he came up with a big two-run, two-out single to put the Brewers up, 3-2.
With Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Casey McGehee combining for a 0-for-10 night, with a lone RBI from Braun in the seventh on a fielder’s choice, the top of the Brewers’ order showed its run-producing potential.
“I don’t know if we would be 1-2 in most lineups, but we are in this lineup,” Hart said. “We try to get on base for the guys behind us. It’s nice to drive in runs, as well, but I think our goal is to get on as much as we can for Prince and Brauny.
“I’m not a power hitter. … I see myself as a guy that I role play to try to get going for those guys.”
Behind Parra, the Brewers’ bullpen was effective once again, giving up one run over 3 1/3 innings on four hits, while striking out five and walking just one.
Lefty Zach Braddock — who returned to the team after missing Tuesday’s series opener due to a death in the family — got a huge out for the Brewers in the sixth, entering in place of Parra to strike out pinch-hitter Jim Thome.
According to Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, the decision to remove starter Francisco Liriano, who had thrown only 77 pitches over five innings, was done to try to take advantage of a big opportunity in a National League ballgame.
“Got to try to win a ballgame. We’re losing. He’s probably got one more inning left in him, anyway,” Gardenhire said. “You’ve got a couple of guys on. Try to get him in a situation where, if he hits a double, score a couple runs.
“This National League stuff is different than it is over in our league. Have to take a chance when you can.”
After Braddock, the Brewers used Kameron Loe for one out in the seventh, Carlos Villanueva in the eighth, and John Axford closed it out in the ninth, earning the save.
“We got some big outs from the bullpen tonight,” Macha said. “Braddock coming in in the sixth inning, striking out Thome. Loe getting the strikeout on Cuddyer in the seventh. Good inning by Villa … and Ax made good pitches. He put the ball right where he wanted to.”
Brewers beat 5/23
Brewers’ wildness sets dubious club mark
MILWAUKEE — Brewers hurler Manny Parra tied one club record for wildness on Wednesday and played a key role in breaking another.
Parra tied a 35-year-old record by throwing four wild pitches during a 5-3 win over the Twins. An inning after Parra exited, reliever Kameron Loe also threw a wild pitch, giving the team five during the game, which broke the previous record.
Parra threw wild pitches in the second and fourth innings, then threw two in the sixth inning. Only once, however, did a wild pitch occur in an inning that featured a Twins run. First baseman Justin Morneau and third baseman Michael Cuddyer scored on a Delmon Young single to left in the fourth after advancing one base on a wild pitch one batter earlier.
“With my split-finger, I’m bound to throw wild pitches,” Parra said. “Obviously, it’s not good, but at the same time, I can’t stop doing that.”
While attempting to intentionally walk Young in the sixth, Parra threw the ball over the head of catcher Jonathan Lucroy, allowing Jason Kubel to advance from second to third base.
With Kubel on third, Brewers manager Ken Macha changed tactics and elected to have Parra pitch to Young. The strategy paid off when Young grounded to third baseman Casey McGehee, who threw to Lucroy to get Kubel for the out.
Parra’s four wild pitches tied Ed Sprague’s record, set on May 15, 1975, in Texas. As a team, the Brewers last threw four wild pitches in a game on Sept. 20, 2004.
“Those things are going to happen,” catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. “The two pitchers both have real good pitches. The split is unpredictable for Manny, and then Kameron’s pitch is his two-seamer, and that moves a lot.
“Those are two plus pitches, and they’re both really good but unpredictable. It’s going to happen, but both Kam and Manny did a great job of minimizing it.”
Braun will open second restaurant Thursday
MILWAUKEE — Nearly three months after opening his first restaurant in downtown Milwaukee, Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun is set to open his second on Thursday, Ryan Braun’s Tavern & Grill, in Lake Geneva, Wis.
Braun is scheduled to be in attendance on Thursday night, greeting guests, family and friends after the Brewers’ day game at Miller Park against the Minnesota Twins.
“I’m really excited about it,” Braun said. “It’s a great group of people. The chef’s great, the décor is cool, and I love Lake Geneva, so I’m excited to have an extra excuse to get down there as often as possible.
“I’m excited to get down there on Thursday and see what it looks like. I haven’t been there in 2 1/2 weeks, so I’m sure it’s really come together since then.”
According to a press release issued by Braun’s agent, the restaurant, located at 430 Broad Street, was extensively remodeled and will feature a comfortable, casual dining experience. It will serve Italian-American cuisine.
Additionally, the release notes that Braun has been involved every step of the way, from development to design to ambiance, and he is thrilled to open the Tavern and Grill doors to the Lake Geneva community.
As for the differences between Ryan Braun’s Waterfront, his downtown Milwaukee restaurant, and the new establishment, the budding restaurateur said each would reflect the surrounding community.
“I think they’re both specific to the demographic,” Braun said. “The one here in Milwaukee is a little more modern and contemporary. The one in Lake Geneva is a little more rustic, maybe a little cabin feel if you will.”
Macha would tweak Interleague slate
MILWAUKEE — When asked before Wednesday’s game what he would do to change Interleague Play, Brewers manager Ken Macha had one idea: Balance the schedule.
“This is my suggestion, [though] I don’t know if it’s possible: two 15-team leagues,” Macha said. “Each league has three divisions with five teams in it. You’d have an Interleague series every series throughout the season. That’s my suggestion.”
Macha’s suggestion came after he was informed of an idea from Twins manager Ron Gardenhire in the visiting dugout for changing Interleague Play: Play by American League rules in National League parks and NL rules in AL parks.
Though the Brewers’ manager did not give an opinion on that idea, he was very much in favor of balancing the schedule. As an example, Macha pointed to the geographic rivalry series. The A’s, who Macha used to manage, played the Giants annually. That meant facing outfielder Barry Bonds, then an elite offensive threat.
“For years, with Barry Bonds playing for the Giants, I was in Oakland,” Macha said. “And Seattle, who had a very good team, they were playing San Diego. And at that time, [the Padres] weren’t very good.”
A more recent example that Macha discussed was the Texas Rangers this season. The Rangers have been red hot during Interleague Play, but have not faced the top two teams in the NL Central. Oakland, on the other hand, has faced both Cincinnati and St. Louis.
In addition to balancing out Interleague Play, having six five-team divisions would make the playoff races more equitable, Macha said.
“You don’t play the same schedule, and sometimes, one team runs roughshod over another,” Macha said. “One year in Oakland, we were 17-2 against Seattle. So you have a four-team division, and you’re playing each team 19 times, if you have a couple teams in that division that are bad, you may finish second in that division.
“Then [you win] the Wild Card, instead of coming out of the East, where those teams may be better because their record may not be as good.”
Loe putting together dominant run for Crew
MILWAUKEE — Since being called up from Triple-A Nashville on June 1, reliever Kameron Loe has been nothing short of dominant for the Brewers, allowing only one earned run in 10 outings.
Including his strikeout in the seventh inning on Wednesday, Loe has pitched 13 1/3 innings over those 10 outings, giving up seven hits. Against the Twins on Tuesday, he tossed two scoreless innings and did not give up a hit while walking two and recording three strikeouts.
Though the 6-foot-8 right-hander was not as strong in his second inning of work on Tuesday, he managed to get through the top of the Twins’ lineup and escape with an impressive outing.
“In the second inning when he went out there, their hitters were going back in saying, ‘This ball’s sinking unbelievably,'” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “So they started laying off some pitches that were down. We’ll see how that goes as we proceed.”
It was Loe’s third outing of two or more innings this season, with his season-high coming on June 3 at Florida, when Loe pitched 2 1/3 innings without allowing a run.
Over his two innings on Tuesday, Loe faced eight Twins hitters, with the three strikeouts coming against Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young and Jason Kubel.
According to Macha, the sink on Loe’s pitches has been excellent.
“I watched some of the first inning he pitched [again], and his ball just disappears,” Macha said. “He struck out Cuddyer and he probably thought he was going to barrel the ball up and it was almost on the ground. The sink on his fastball’s been off the charts.”
Second-rounder among three picks to sign
MILWAUKEE — Three additional Draft selections, including second-round pick Jimmy Nelson, were signed this week by the Brewers, the club announced Wednesday.
Nelson, a right-hander from the University of Alabama, joins two other draft picks and three undrafted players in the Brewers’ latest round of signings.
Additionally, the Brewers have signed 21st-round pick Kevin Shackelford, another right-hander from Marshall University, and utility player Derrick Shaw, who was drafted in the 41st round out of Florida A&M.
The three new undrafted signees are lefty Charlie Bashara, right-hander Travis Stortz and center fielder Reggie Keen.
With the six new signees, the Brewers have now signed 34 players, 29 of which were draft picks from the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.
Worth noting
Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Wednesday’s game. … Lefty reliever Zach Braddock rejoined the Brewers before Wednesday’s game after leaving the team and missing Tuesday’s series opener due to a death in the family. … The Brewers, who came back from three runs down on Tuesday night to win, 7-5, tied a season high for their biggest comeback.
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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