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Brewers beat 6/22
Macha confident Hoffman can close again
MILWAUKEE — With the way Trevor Hoffman has been pitching lately, the possibility of the all-time saves leader closing for the Brewers again still exists, manager Ken Macha said Tuesday.
Hoffman’s most recent outing entering Tuesday, a scoreless eighth inning during a 1-1 ballgame on Sunday in Colorado, earned him the decision in the Brewers’ eventual 6-1 victory. It was Hoffman’s fifth consecutive scoreless appearance.
Since he gave up three runs and took the loss on June 1 against the Marlins, Hoffman has allowed only three hits.
“After that outing, I’d feel pretty good about him coming in now,” Macha said. “I thought the other day was his best outing. … He certainly threw the ball well enough to close the game.”
Macha was quick to point out that the decision was not an easy one to make, especially considering the criticism that would come along with replacing current closer John Axford, who began the series against the Twins a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities.
“It puts you out on the plank,” Macha said. “But I think he’s done real well, so let’s just see. I’ve got that amongst the other pressures that are placed on me when I come to the ballpark every day.”
As for whether he would remove Axford from the role, Macha said it would “work itself out.”
At the same time, however, Macha recognizes what it would mean for Hoffman to get the four saves he needs to reach the 600-save mark.
“I certainly would like Trevor to reach his goal,” Macha said. “If that’s getting 600, I’d like to get that done for him, or 610, or whatever he wants.
“He hasn’t given up an earned run since June 1. The game was on the line the other day; we had a tie game with the heart of their order coming up. It’s a good inning for him.”
Edmonds returns to lineup in opener
MILWAUKEE — After he was unavailable to play over the weekend due to a shoulder injury, veteran Jim Edmonds was back in center field on Tuesday for the Brewers.
According to manager Ken Macha, the shoulder was fine.
“He said he’s fine, yeah,” Macha said. “He texted [trainer] Roger [Caplinger] and said he’s ready to go, so he’s in there.”
Edmonds, who will turn 40 on Sunday, got the start against Minnesota over former Twins center fielder Carlos Gomez, who was acquired by the Brewers during the offseason in a trade that sent shortstop J.J. Hardy west.
Since returning from the disabled list on May 21 at Target Field for the Brewers’ first Interleague series, Gomez has struggled at the plate.
After collecting five hits in Minneapolis, including a 2-for-4 night with a three-run homer in his first game back, Gomez is 12-for-80 (.150) since May 23.
Over the same stretch, Gomez has picked up five RBIs, stolen two bases and walked four times, while tallying 12 strikeouts.
“He’s struggling a little bit,” Macha said. “I think he has the tendency to over-swing a bit. He wants to hit it by them hard. He’s in a little bit of a funk.”
Fourth-rounder Morris works out with Brewers
MILWAUKEE — With his team off until Friday, first baseman Hunter Morris, the Brewers’ fourth-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, joined the club on Tuesday at Miller Park.
Morris, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound first baseman from Auburn University, has been busy since leaving home for Wisconsin early last week. He was assigned to the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, located in Appleton.
“I left my house on Sunday afternoon of last week and drove almost all the way to Milwaukee,” Morris said. “I got my physical Monday morning, got up to Appleton Monday night, and then 7:30 the next morning, I’m on a four-hour bus ride to Clinton, Iowa.”
Morris has not spent much time in Appleton yet, but he said that “it’s a nice place.” He added that he was excited to be there, but “more excited about the opportunity to play baseball.”
For Morris, who worked out at Miller Park as a high school senior, as well, the week has been filled with many unfamiliar places.
“That was the first time I’ve ever been to Clinton, Iowa,” Morris said. “And I know for a fact it won’t be the last. I’ve been all across the country but never to Clinton, Iowa.”
Morris, selected 129th overall by the Brewers earlier this month, was among the first Draft picks to sign with the club.
He said that he had no interest in prolonging the signing process.
“I was ready to start playing,” Morris said. “I didn’t have any interest in missing the whole summer negotiating and all that stuff. So I’m excited about getting out there and playing.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Brewers may miss reunion with Hardy
MILWAUKEE — Those looking forward to seeing J.J. Hardy take the field at Miller Park this week for the first time in a Minnesota Twins uniform may have to wait.
Due to a nagging bone bruise in his left wrist, an injury that has limited Hardy to just 12 games since May 4 and resulted in two trips to the disabled list, the former Brewers shortstop remains unsure whether he’ll even make the trip to Milwaukee, much less play.
“I can’t be sure yet,” Hardy said on Saturday. “Probably not is what I would say. But who knows?”
For Hardy and the Twins, the good news is that a second opinion on the wrist revealed that the injury is no more than a bone bruise. Unfortunately for Hardy, it does not appear as though he’ll be ready to return when eligible to be activated from the DL on Tuesday.
As a result, Hardy would miss another opportunity to face his former team, just as he did a month ago, when the Brewers were in Minneapolis for an Interleague series at Target Field.
“I would be a little bit disappointed, yeah,” said Hardy about not being able to play in Milwaukee. “But right now I’m just trying to get back on the field. I don’t care if it’s Milwaukee or anywhere else, I just want to be back out there playing. This has been kind of a really nagging, really annoying thing.”
After the Brewers decided to go younger, faster and, perhaps most important, cheaper at shortstop and center field in the offseason, Hardy was traded to the Twins on Nov. 6, 2009, in exchange for center fielder Carlos Gomez.
Needing extra money to pursue pitching help, the Brewers chose to swap the power bats of Hardy and veteran outfielder Mike Cameron for the speed and youth of Gomez and rookie shortstop Alcides Escobar. The concern at the time was whether the power drop at those two positions would have a negative impact on the offense.
As it turns out, added power from other sources has more than made up for it.
Through 69 games this year, the Brewers have hit 83 home runs while slugging .430. At the same point a year ago, the Brewers had 79 homers and a .420 slugging percentage.
One of the Brewers’ biggest surprises as far as power numbers, though, has more to do with what isn’t happening than what is. Both left fielder Ryan Braun and first baseman Prince Fielder are well off their respective 2009 paces in home runs and RBIs.
Through 69 games last season, Braun and Fielder had combined to belt 32 home runs with 117 RBIs. Through Sunday’s victory, Braun has 10 homers with 45 RBIs and Fielder has 13 home runs and just 27 RBIs.
“It is kind of surprising that we’re doing it without Braun and Prince being really hot,” right fielder Corey Hart said. “Those guys are going to be where they always are, and that means that it’s just going to get better. Their power is going to come.”
Two of the biggest reasons behind the increased power numbers, though, have been the health of second baseman Rickie Weeks and Hart’s surprising power production since the middle of May.
Through 69 games a year ago — with Weeks only playing 37 before sustaining a season-ending wrist injury — Hart and Weeks had combined for 18 homers and 56 RBIs.
Including Hart’s National League-leading 18th homer on Saturday, the two have combined for 28 homers and 90 RBIs in 2009.
“Every year is different. We all try to peg in numbers for everyone before the season starts, but that’s not the way it works,” veteran infielder Craig Counsell said. “Guys have great years, some guys exceed what we think and some guys don’t. We have a good offensive team. Corey has added production, Rickie being healthy has added home runs for us.
“And I don’t think that with the guys we have in the middle of our lineup that we’re going to struggle hitting home runs. It’s been that way for a while. That’s not going to be our weakness.”
So although the numbers at shortstop and center field are down, and the pitching hasn’t worked out as well as the club had hoped, the Brewers seem just fine with the Hardy trade so far.
Likewise, Hardy has been happy with the change of scenery. And though they would probably like to have him around, his former teammates are happy for him as well.
“J.J. loves it over there,” Braun said. “He loves the team, loves the environment, loves the city. He’s disappointed that he’s hurt, but I think he’s excited to be on a good team and wants to contribute to a good team.”
Contributing is exactly what Hardy would like to do once he is cleared to play again.
Until then, he would settle for a trip back to the place he called home the past five years.
“Just going back would be nice. When they came up to Minnesota, I got to see all my old friends,” Hardy said. “I definitely would rather be out there on the field playing against them. If that doesn’t happen, it’s always good to see them.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. MLB.com reporters Kelly Thesier and Adam McCalvy contributed to this report. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Cancer scare bonds Kyles family closer together
MILWAUKEE — When Monica Kyles learned that her husband had prostate cancer, she was speechless.
As Brewers bullpen coach Stan Kyles sat her down just after their 12-year anniversary, cancer was the farthest thing from Monica Kyles’ mind.
Likewise, Marques Kyles said learning that his father had cancer was “hard to take.””That was not at all what I expected him to tell me,” she said. “When we sat down, I thought he was going to tell me that the Brewers had called and said they were going in another direction with the team. That is the first thing that came to my mind.”
On March 17, the day his father called and informed him of the diagnosis, Marques Kyles was on his way to Bob Prevatte Field as his Limestone College baseball team was scheduled to host Francis Marion in a non-conference matchup.
That phone call only made a tough day that much worse.
“A year ago to the day, one of my best friends had died in a car accident,” Marques Kyles said. “It was just that much tougher having heard the news from my dad.
“My dad’s also one of my best friends, so just hearing that he was going through something like that — and all I really heard was ‘cancer,’ so I was devastated.”
For the Kyles family and all those involved, the news of Stan Kyles’ cancer was surprising, to say the least. When the team announced he would have surgery in late April, Kyles himself admitted to being “in shock” when he was diagnosed back in February.
Getting from the initial diagnosis to Stan Kyles’ eventual return to the club on May 25 was not exactly easy, either.
According to Monica Kyles, it’s something that was always on her mind.
“I’ve never had a problem sleeping,” Monica Kyles said. “So I went from sleeping very easily, eight to nine hours a night, to sleeping anywhere from an hour to four hours a night.
“Even after the surgery was complete, it was still touch and go. I had a lot of sleepless nights. That was the big, big thing — just constant worry.”
Since then, however, the diagnosis, surgery and recovery have only brought the family closer together.
For Monica and Marques Kyles, after they both had learned of Stan Kyles’ diagnosis, their communication increased quite a bit, as they talked daily on the phone.
In addition to talking more frequently with his stepmother, as well as keeping in close contact with his father, Marques Kyles found yet another source of support.
“I’m a big believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason,” Marques Kyles said. “I’m also a follower of Jesus Christ, so when I heard about my dad, it was tough, but my faith drove me to take a lot of time to pray about it. That really helped me great through it.”
Since the successful surgery and Stan Kyles’ return to the Brewers less than four weeks later, the bad news they received in February has turned into a blessing in disguise.
For Stan Kyles, it has changed his outlook on life.
“There’s just a new vigor about what I want to do,” he said the day of his return. “At the park or away from the park with my family … I’m looking forward to everything. The good, the bad, even the struggles that we went through … it didn’t seem as bad.”
Perhaps more importantly, the diagnosis has raised the family’s awareness of the realities of prostate cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer accounts for approximately one in four newly diagnosed cancers each year among American men, while an estimated 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2010.
An expected 32,050 men in the U.S. will die from prostate cancer in 2010, as it is the second-most common cause of cancer death in men, behind only lung cancer.
As a part of its commitment to the fight against prostate cancer, Major League Baseball supports the Prostate Cancer Foundation and its Home Run Challenge each year around Father’s Day.
Anyone can donate to the PCF Home Run Challenge on the Prostate Cancer Foundation website, while each home run hit in 60 selected games in June — including all 15 games on Father’s Day — raises money to fight prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in America.
To show their support for the Home Run Challenge, all players will wear blue wristbands and blue PCF ribbons on their uniforms on Father’s Day.
With prostate cancer affecting about one in six men in their lifetime, it’s certainly something that’s higher on Marques Kyles’ radar now.
“I had a teacher in Fall 2008 who had prostate cancer,” Marques Kyles said. “At the time, though, I didn’t really think about it. I didn’t realize how many men really suffered through that. But once it hit home and had an effect on my own family, it had a greater impact.
“A lot of times cancer can be hereditary. So, it makes me take more precaution in my future and the things that I want for my life and hopefully the family I have some day.”
Brewers beat 6/12
Weeks gets standing ovation for 500th hit
MILWAUKEE — With a fifth-inning double against the Rangers on Saturday, Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks recorded the 500th hit of his career.
After the double, Brewers fans gave Weeks a standing ovation. He was then picked off attempting to steal third.
Before the game, the milestone was the furthest thing from Weeks’ mind.
“Honestly, that’s the first I’ve even known about it,” Weeks said when asked about what it would mean to reach 500 hits. “I’m not real big on milestones like that.”
Still, Weeks, who is in his seventh season of his big league career, said he would be happy to get hit No. 500.
“It’s just one of those things that when it comes I’ll, of course, appreciate it,” Weeks said, “but for the most part it’s just one of those things that, when it comes, it comes.”
Lucroy brings different skills to position
MILWAUKEE — He hasn’t been named the No. 1 catcher for the Brewers just yet, but rookie Jonathan Lucroy is certainly going to get a chance to earn the spot.
Lucroy, who was called up May 21 in place of injured starter Gregg Zaun, started his third straight game behind the plate for the Brewers on Saturday. With three starts on the homestand, Lucroy has doubled his career total.
Lucroy brings to the table something the Brewers haven’t had all season: a catcher who can consistently throw runners out. In seven games — one of which he entered late as a pinch hitter — Lucroy has thrown out two of five runners attempting to steal.
“We’re trying to address the stolen bases,” manager Ken Macha said, referring to his decision to start Lucroy. “He’s certainly done a nice job so far with that.”
Although throwing out baserunners is just part of his job as a catcher, Lucroy admits it’s one aspect in which he really strives for success.
“I take a lot of pride in doing that; I fully enjoy throwing people out,” Lucroy said. “I do my best every day to be perfect in that regard, because that’s one part of the game I feel like I can control.
“You really can’t control a lot of parts of the game, so I feel like I can really contribute a lot by throwing runners out and keeping guys off base the best I can.”
With George Kottaras 0-for-7 on the homestand and 3-for-25 with just three walks this month, Lucroy is getting his chance to show what he can bring to the table.
Since he has joined the big league club, Lucroy has been the hardest worker in the clubhouse, Macha said, routinely arriving at the ballpark six or seven hours before the first pitch.
But as with every other position, it all boils down to results for Macha.
“Everybody gets an opportunity,” Macha said. “It’s up to production. So, get some hits, throw out some runners, catch a winner, that’s all part of the formula.”
Wherever Hart bats, success has followed
MILWAUKEE — You don’t see too many guys leading the league in home runs batting second, but that’s what Corey Hart continued to do for the Brewers on Saturday.
Hart, whose 17 home runs were a National League best entering Saturday, also ranked third in the Majors behind the Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista and the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera, who had belted 18 homers apiece.
With Hart swinging a hot bat over the last month, manager Ken Macha moved him to the No. 2 spot on Friday. Hart proceeded to go 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
“I kind of liked it last night,” Macha said of the move. “The guy’s swinging the bat. He’s on base a bunch. I want those guys to get on base for Prince [Fielder] and [Ryan Braun].”
Macha likes the power potential of Hart batting between leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks and Fielder.
If Weeks gets on base in front of Hart, it gives the Brewers the chance for a quick two runs before recording an out. Regardless of his spot in the lineup, Hart continues to hit home runs, totaling 14 since May 15.
“He’s a special hitter. He’s got some tools that not everybody has,” third baseman Casey McGehee said of Hart. “For him to be doing it as consistent as he is right now, is pretty impressive to watch.
“It just extends it so far. He’s hitting second, and that worked. He’s been hitting sixth, and that’s been working. So when he’s going good, it makes a huge difference.”
Macha enjoying new luxuries with bullpen
MILWAUKEE — After using just two pitchers Friday, manager Ken Macha had seven of his eight relievers available Saturday against the Rangers. It’s a luxury Macha hasn’t been able to enjoy too many times this season.
After releasing Jeff Suppan, designating Claudio Vargas for assignment, and placing Todd Coffey and LaTroy Hawkins on the disabled list, the Brewers’ bullpen looks a lot different than it did to open the season.
The bullpen now consists of Chris Capuano, Kameron Loe, Zach Braddock, John Axford, Chris Smith, David Riske, Carlos Villanueva and Trevor Hoffman. Of those eight, the last two are the only remaining members from the Opening Day roster.
“We’re starting to lengthen out the bullpen,” Macha said.
For much of the season, Macha’s bullpen troubles consisted of pitchers not performing when called upon and a lack of pitchers available each day to begin with.
Macha was cautious not to get overconfident about his bullpen now.
“One game can put a wrench in that,” Macha said. “The game in Minnesota where [Dave] Bush only got one out, that fired a wrench into it. Or it’s like that Pirate game where we played [14] innings. That started us on the downside there a little bit. Then you’re really struggling to see who’s available.”
Now, Macha’s got a different problem to deal with, albeit one he’s happy to have. Two of his newest relievers, Capuano and Riske, have just one appearance between the two of them on the homestand.
“It’s to the point where some of the guys need work,” Macha said. “I’d like to get Cappy in the game, get him a couple innings. But that’s the value of the starter going seven innings.”
Worth noting
With a crowd of at least 32,600 on Saturday, the Brewers will reach the 1 million mark in attendance in their 29th home game. The team reached 1 million in the 27th home game last season on its way to 3,037,451. … Friday night marked just the fifth time in franchise history that the Brewers had home runs from their starters in the second, third, fourth and fifth positions in the batting order. The last time was against the Giants on April 14, 2001, when the Brew Crew had homers from Tyler Houston, Geoff Jenkins, Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz. … With four home runs Friday night, the Brewers passed the Reds for first place in the National League with 76 home runs. The Reds entered Saturday second with 74, and the D-backs were third with 72.
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Narveson establishes tone for Brewers’ win
MILWAUKEE — As lefty Chris Narveson struck out the side in the first inning Friday, it set the tone for the rest of the night.
After avoiding his typical first-inning struggles, Narveson (5-3) had his best outing of the season, allowing just two runs on six hits over seven innings. With a strong offensive performance backing him up, the Brewers took the series opener from the Rangers, 6-2, at Miller Park.
The Rangers had entered the series having just outscored the Mariners, 31-6, in their last three games, but Narveson was impressive in shutting them down.
“It’s just knowing what type of pitcher you are,” Narveson said. “Sometimes you get out there and you have this feeling that you have to make pitches that maybe you’re not comfortable with or that aren’t the right pitch in that situation.
“So to go out there and be able to establish the game early, set a good tone, that was able to get me where I needed to be.”
Brewers manager Ken Macha said the key for Narveson was his changeup.
“He made his pitches. The ball was down for the most part all day, and the change was really good,” Macha said. “In the first inning, he used the change, and they were swinging and missing at it.
“I’ve got a friend that lives down in Texas — he watches all of their games. He called me twice saying, ‘These guys are swinging the bats well.’ And they did against Seattle. It says something about how Narvy located the ball today.”
Although strong Brewers pitching performances lately haven’t come with much offense, that was hardly the case Friday. The Brewers’ Nos. 2 through 5 hitters each belted a home run, driving in all six of the runs for the club.
Ryan Braun, batting cleanup for the fifth straight game, got the Brewers on the board in the first with a two-run blast to left-center field, his ninth of the season.
After a Casey McGehee solo homer in the fourth, Corey Hart and Prince Fielder went back-to-back in the fifth as the Brewers matched a season high with four home runs on the night.
Hart’s home run was his 17th of the season, and his 14th in his last 26 games, dating back to May 15. The Brewers’ right fielder added 29 RBIs over the same stretch.
“I’m eating a good diet,” Hart said, joking after the game. “I’m not a home run hitter, so I think I’m just getting lucky right now. I’m just trying to make contact, and fortunately for me it’s going out. I’m just trying to stay with it as long as I can.”
Brewers hitters roughed up Rangers starter Rich Harden, who gave up all six runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out four batters.
Harden (3-3) hasn’t faired too well against the Brewers over the last two seasons. In four starts since the beginning of the 2009 season, Harden has given up 20 runs — 16 earned — on 23 hits in 17 innings pitched.
His previous starts at Miller Park had been good, however, as he entered with a 1-0 mark and a 1.38 ERA in two starts here.
“They’ve seen me over the past few years, but I know them pretty good, too,” Harden said of the Brewers. “I just didn’t make good pitches. I couldn’t get the ball down on some hitters, and it cost me.”
Narveson’s most impressive inning came in the sixth, after he gave up a leadoff double to third baseman Michael Young.
Retiring the next three batters he faced, Narveson stranded Young at third, keeping the score at 6-2.
Along with good hitting, starting pitching and defense, the Brewers got another good performance from the bullpen, as Kameron Loe threw two scoreless innings to close out the ballgame. After putting it all together, the Brewers have won three of their last four.
“That’s the trick in this game is to get everything to match up at one time,” McGehee said. “Fortunately tonight, we were able to do it.”
Brewers beat 6/11
Burdette joins Miller Park Walk of Fame
MILWAUKEE — As the Brewers honored the late Lew Burdette on Friday, the former Milwaukee Braves pitcher became the newest member of the Miller Park Walk of Fame.
Burdette, who pitched for the Braves from 1953-63, was a key member of the 1957 World Series champion team, and he becomes the fourth former Braves player inducted since they were added to the ballot in 2007.
He joins fellow Braves greats Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn and John Quinn as inductees in the Walk of Fame. As Burdette’s daughters reminisced about him, Spahn’s name came up quite a bit, as the two were close friends.
Of course, there weren’t many people with whom Burdette was not friendly.
“We grew up just so honored to have him because not only was he a wonderful ballplayer, he taught me a lot about how to be a great friend. Dad never knew a stranger,” Mary Lou Burdette-Wieloszynski said. “He also was very gracious to his fans and gave autographs out freely.
“Whenever he talked about Milwaukee, he talked about how wonderful the fans were in Milwaukee, and he liked them so much and said that they were good people. … He and Warren, he said they loved it because they were treated like a real person.”
Brewers members of the Walk of Fame are Hank Aaron, Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Commissioner Bud Selig, Cecil Cooper, Bob Uecker, Harry Dalton, Jim Gantner, Gorman Thomas, Don Money and Harvey Kuenn.
With Burdette being honored by the Brewers, his daughters — Burdette-Wieloszynski, Elaina Fontana and Madge Burdette — were in attendance Friday for the club’s series opener against the Rangers.
At a pregame news conference, they were excited for their father’s honor.
During the 1957 World Series, Burdette went 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA, allowing just two earned runs over 27 innings pitched, en route to earning MVP honors.
“We’re just really proud of our dad and very honored to be here,” Fontana said. “We’ve just had a wonderful experience growing up with our dad.”
Overall, Burdette went 173-109 with Milwaukee with a 3.53 ERA in 420 games. In 1959, he led the National League with 21 wins, and in 1956 his 2.70 ERA also led the league.
Burdette’s oldest daughter hoped to make her father proud as she threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
“I hope I can throw that ball, and it’s not in the dirt,” Madge Burdette said, “and make him smile from heaven. I know he’s watching us. I’m just proud to be here.”
Patience helped Gomez score winning run
MILWAUKEE — Center fielder Carlos Gomez used his speed to the win the game for the Brewers, 5-4 in the 10th inning, on Thursday afternoon, but it was patience at the plate that gave him the chance.
Gomez drew just his seventh walk of the season as he watched four straight balls from Cubs reliever Bob Howry. Manager Ken Macha said patience is something that could greatly benefit the speedy Gomez — who has 27 strikeouts — and in turn, the team.
“You’ve got to get on to do that,” said Macha, referring to Gomez scoring the winning run. “I think his on-base is around .290 right now, so it’s not like he’s leading the team in stolen bases — it’s not like I’ve had the red light on him, either.
“Every time he gets on, he’s got the green light. Yesterday on that particular pitch, I gave him, I’m encouraging him to go on that pitch. So I don’t think he needs much more encouragement. Once he saw that, he was going.”
Gomez, who has eight steals in 10 attempts on the season, ranks second on the club behind left fielder Ryan Braun, who has 11 steals in as many attempts.
When asked about Gomez and his approach, Macha said the key for him could be determining just what kind of hitter he’s going to be.
“If you watch his BP, he can hit the ball up in the seats pretty deep,” Macha said. “You’ve got to learn what you are, what type of hitter is going to make you successful, OK?
“He’s a big strong kid. He may turn into being a power hitter. In order to do that, you’ve got to make — I’ve said this all along — it’s not go up there and look for a walk. It’s get the ball in the strike zone.”
Macha has praise for opposing manager
MILWAUKEE — The Brewers pitchers and hitters had little experience against their opponents entering the game, but there was one face in the visiting dugout, Rangers manager Ron Washington, that was very familiar for Brewers manager Ken Macha.
Washington, who is in his fourth year as manager for the Rangers, coached with Macha for eight years in Oakland, where he served as first-base coach in 1996 before becoming the A’s infield and third-base coach from 1997-2006.
During that time, Washington developed a number of great infielders for Oakland.
“As far as I’m concerned, Wash is the best guy out there, and I think the proof is in the product that he put out there in Oakland,” Macha said. “He took a catcher in Scott Hatteberg and made him a pretty good first baseman. Mark Ellis, I think, holds the record in the American League for fewest errors at second base for an entire season, and Eric Chavez has got four or five Gold Gloves, not to mention the shortstops, [Miguel] Tejada and then Bobby Crosby, that he had.
“So the product is out there, and the reason that it’s out there is his work ethic. And I bet you if you go to Michael Young or Ian Kinsler and asked them, they’re going to tell you the same thing.”
With the Rangers in town for a three-game set over the weekend, Macha was happy to see Washington, though he hoped to take the series from his old friend.
“I consider him a dear friend,” Macha said. “It’s just a relationship that’s built over those years that we were together. So I wish him well, except for these next three days.”
Worth noting
Friday’s game marks the first visit by the Rangers to Miller Park since it opened in 2001. Texas has not played in Milwaukee since 1997, when both clubs were members of the American League. The Rangers won, 7-1, that day. … The winning pitcher in that game was Darren Oliver, who was in uniform for the Rangers on Friday. Oliver, 39, began his career with Texas and played with seven other teams before rejoining the club for a third time this season. … Since beginning the season 4-14 at home, the Brewers have gone 6-3 over their last nine games at Miller Park and have won three consecutive home series, going 2-1 against the Astros, Mets and Cubs. … With his 246th straight game played on Friday, first baseman Prince Fielder tied Robin Yount for the second longest streak in franchise history. Yount also owns the longest streak, at 274 games, which spanned from 1987-89. … The Brewers will host the first Brewers Block Party of 2010 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday at McCarty Park in West Allis, Wis. With the weather a bit of a concern, check brewers.com/blockparty Saturday morning for an update on the status.
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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