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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 5/28
Brewers players, staff S.C.O.R.E. at local schools
MILWAUKEE — Brewers players, coaches and front office staff visited 26 schools in the five-county area on Friday to talk to students about their community outreach program on S.C.O.R.E. for Excellence Day.
The S.C.O.R.E. (School, Community, Opportunities, Role Models and Excellence) program is in its fifth season, and it provides messages about character education through each of the five elements of the initiative.
As part of the program, left fielder Ryan Braun, broadcaster Brian Anderson, former All-Star Larry Hisle and the Brewers’ racing sausages visited Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts in Milwaukee.
“It’s important to have good life skills,” Anderson told the students. “We want to encourage you to learn that, take it home to your brothers and sisters, your parents, reach out into your community and take this S.C.O.R.E. program and keep it with you. We come out and we want to give you the message, but really the message dies unless you take it out there with you.”
Hisle, who played for the Brewers from 1978-82, talked about how much his community meant to him when growing up.
“I credit that city for as much of my success as I do myself,” Hisle said, referring to his hometown of Portsmouth, Ohio. “It afforded me every opportunity and all the resources necessary for success. The only thing missing was how badly I wanted to play baseball.”
During the presentation, Anderson and Braun presented five baseballs — one with each of the letters of the acronym on it — to five students who participated and talked about why each of the program’s elements is important.
Braun, who attended the University of Miami on an academic scholarship, told the students that he always hoped to play baseball professionally, but his studies came first.
The program finished with a question and answer session between the students and Braun, who was noticeably impressed by the students.
“Really impressive,” Braun said of the questions. “I think they really paid attention, and they really believe in this program, and I think the Brewers do, too. So it was a good day all around. I had a good time, and I was thoroughly impressed.”
Stern finds himself on callup express
MILWAUKEE — As the Brewers’ injuries continue to pile up, so, too, do the frequent flier miles for outfielder Adam Stern, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Friday.
Stern received a phone call from Nashville manager Don Money, who gave him the news Thursday morning. With that, Stern headed to the ballpark to pack up his things, then caught a flight from Sacramento, Calif., to Milwaukee by way of Minneapolis.
It was the third time in less than three weeks that Stern has been called up from the Minors. As a result, he has spent only two days at home in Nashville this month: May 1-2.
“I haven’t started my car in about three weeks,” Stern said. “So who knows if that’ll start.”
Stern’s journey began with an eight-day Minor League road trip, which included stops in Round Rock, Texas, and Albuquerque, N.M. The series in Albuquerque wrapped up on May 10, and the next day Stern was recalled in place of center fielder Carlos Gomez.
He joined the Brewers in Milwaukee for a few days, but with the bullpen needing another arm, Stern was optioned May 15 in favor of right-handed reliever John Axford. Stern never left, however, and was recalled the next day as left-hander Doug Davis went on the disabled list.
Stern made the trip with the club to Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Minneapolis, but was optioned before the first game against the Twins.
With that, Stern flew to Sacramento, meeting the Sounds there and playing the team’s first three games against the River Cats. But with outfielder Jody Gerut going on the disabled list Thursday, Stern was on the move again.
All told, Stern has traveled more than 8,000 miles in May.
“Flying doesn’t bother me,” Stern said. “I’m getting to check out the country, I guess. Plus, I’m racking some good frequent flier miles.”
Stern did admit, though, that some flights are more enjoyable than others.
“The flights are a lot better coming here than they are going away from here,” he said. “It’s a lot better when you’re coming up to the big leagues. On the way out, it’s a little bit worse.”
Although he’s happy to be back, Stern knows he shouldn’t settle in or get too comfortable in Milwaukee.
With center fielder Jim Edmonds set to return Monday from the DL, Stern is the most likely candidate to be sent down to the Minors.
“They’ll keep me posted when they need to make another move,” Stern said. “That’s fine. You just do whatever they ask you to do and go with the flow.”
Fielder, Braun swap spots vs. left-hander
MILWAUKEE — With a tough lefty in Johan Santana on the mound for Friday’s series opener with the Mets, Brewers manager Ken Macha opted to switch the order of his three and four hitters for the second time in two weeks.
First baseman Prince Fielder moved up a spot to the No. 3 hole, while right fielder Ryan Braun dropped down from that spot to bat cleanup against the Mets. The only other time this season Fielder has hit anywhere but fourth was May 20 against the Pirates.
The Brewers won that game, 4-3, snapping a nine-game losing streak.
“I did it in Pittsburgh when their lefty pitched,” Macha said. “I kind of like it that way with a lefty. I think with Braun sitting on deck that they have to get the ball closer to the strike zone for Prince. Because if they end up walking him, then you’ve got somebody that has a reputation for hitting left-handers very well.”
Worth noting
Entering Friday’s game Brewers pitchers had not allowed a home run in their last eight games since May 19, one game shy of tying the nine-game franchise record, set from Aug. 17-25, 1976. … The starting pitchers had not allowed a home run in 11 straight games, also one game shy of tying the 12-game franchise record, set earlier in 1976, from May 7-21. … The New York Mets entered Friday’s game having not allowed a home run over the same eight-game stretch since May 19. … The Brewers recorded their first extra-innings win of the season on Thursday as well as their first win when trailing after seven or eight innings. They now own a 1-3 record in extra innings, 1-22 when trailing after seven and 1-24 when trailing after eight. … Milwaukee has hit 18 home runs off left-handed pitchers this season, the most in the National League.
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 beat 5/14
Brewers being cautious with Capuano
MILWAUKEE — Chris Capuano dazzled in his Triple-A debut, but the Brewers are taking a cautious approach with their rehabbing left-hander.
After being promoted to Triple-A earlier in the week, Capuano pitched eight scoreless innings on Thursday night in the Nashville Sounds’ 8-0 home win over the Tacoma Rainiers. He is looking to work his way back to the big leagues after his second Tommy John surgery.
“It’s an intriguing story, but he’s going to come back when he’s going to come back,” assistant general manager Gord Ash said. “He’s been a marvelous worker, and his results so far have been tremendous — but one Triple-A start does not a season make.”
In four Minor League starts, Capuano is 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA, allowing only two earned runs in 22 1/3 innings. In eight innings against the Rainiers, he scattered three hits while walking a pair and striking out five.
Capuano’s fastball velocity has gradually worked back to normal, though Ash cautioned against putting any focus on that, saying, “Velocity is not part of Chris Capuano’s game.”
Manager Ken Macha liked Capuano’s efficiency.
“[He had 84] pitches in eight innings; that’s amazing,” Macha said. “Let’s see how he holds up to the workload. I think we’ve all — the organization as a whole — had our fingers crossed, and we’re hoping that he is [an option for the big leagues at some point].”
One of Capuano’s closest friends on the Major League club is fellow left-hander Doug Davis. The two have not had a chance to talk since Capuano started working his way back through the Minors, but Davis is thrilled for the success of his friend and groomsman.
“He’s been pitching lights-out, hasn’t he? He’s getting back to the old Chris,” Davis said. “He knows he has the talent and that he’s capable of doing it. It’s just a matter of him being healthy. Because when he’s healthy, he’s good. He’s a big league pitcher.”
Macha not worried about sign-stealing
MILWAUKEE — Manager Ken Macha is not worried about the Phillies stealing his team’s signs.
Even if it happens, Macha believes the blame should be placed on the Brewers for letting it happen rather than on the Phillies for doing so.
“We want all of our pitchers to have a number of sets of signs,” Macha said. “My thought is, if they’re stealing your signs, it’s almost your fault. You should have a complicated enough set of signs and be able to change them enough so that they’re not getting [them].”
As for the specific incident that has been in the news, Macha doesn’t believe Phillies bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer was using his binoculars to steal signs against the Rockies.
Macha, who was with the Angels organization during the same time as Billmeyer, noted the distance between the bullpens and home plate in Colorado.
“It’s about 500 feet out there,” he said. “You might need a spotting scope from out there.”
Macha added that the Brewers are no strangers to being on the same side of the issue.
Following the Brewers’ series sweep in Pittsburgh earlier this season, the Pirates were concerned that their signs may have been stolen. As a result, they made an effort to keep the Brewers from doing so when the teams squared off again in Milwaukee less than a week later.
“When they came in here to play us, after we played in Pittsburgh, that catcher was going out there like every other trip,” Macha said. “They were changing the signs. They thought we were stealing their signs.”
Lefty Chris Narveson knew all about the binoculars flap because he used the Rockies’ television feed to scout Phillies hitters this week. He will probably use multiple signs on Saturday, just in case.
“Talking to some of the other guys, Philadelphia has always been very conscious of helping the hitter out any way they can,” Narveson said. “You don’t change your approach. You just have to be smart, and that’s what the game comes down to. Everyone wants the advantage.”
How prevalent is sign-stealing today?
“A lot more than people think,” Narveson said. “The thing is, some [hitters] want to know, and some guys don’t. You have to negate the ones who want to know. It’s like a chess game.”
In regard to the Phillies’ incident, the use of binoculars was cited by many as the deciding factor as to whether it was acceptable. Though many believe it is OK to steal signs, they did not approve of using any additional “equipment” to do so.
Again, Macha does not see things quite the same way.
“When we played the Cubs a long time ago, I was with the Expos then, they’d just go in and look at the monitors,” he said. “We’ve got monitors everywhere here. Everybody’s got a video thing in the back there. You can find out what the signs are.
“So it’s your job to disguise the signs. If you don’t disguise the signs, then it’s like putting free candy out on the dinner table for your kids. What do you think is going to happen?” —Jordan Schelling
Braun back in action for Brewers
MILWAUKEE — After sitting out the final two games of the previous series, left fielder Ryan Braun was back in the lineup on Friday against the Phillies.
Braun was hit near his left elbow by a pitch from Braves starter Tommy Hanson on Monday.
“He said that he’s fine,” manager Ken Macha said.
With veteran lefty Jamie Moyer starting for the Phillies, it made for a favorable matchup for Braun in his return. In 10 career at-bats against the 47-year-old left-hander entering the game, Braun had six hits, including two home runs and a double, and four RBIs.
After being swept by the Braves with Braun on the bench for the majority of the series, Macha and the Brewers hope Braun’s return could help spark the struggling offense.
“The matchups, really — him hitting against those guys — he had favorable matchups. So maybe it would have had an impact on the game,” said Macha, referring to the potential outcomes had Braun faced Braves starters Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe. “Hopefully, it’ll give us a lift.”
Aaron’s final blast top moment of 1970s
MILWAUKEE — It was close, but Hank Aaron’s final home run, in 1976, narrowly edged the Major League debut of an 18-year-old Robin Yount in 1975 as the top Brewers’ moment of the 1970s.
In a vote open to both fans and the media, Aaron’s 755th home run received 27.8 percent of the ballots, 1.2 percent more than Yount’s debut. At 22 percent, Opening Day in 1970 — the Brewers’ first game back in Milwaukee — finished in third place.
The top three moments, which were chosen as a part of the Brewers’ 40th anniversary celebration, were revealed on Friday night at Miller Park and on Fox Sports Wisconsin.
Next month the same process will take place for the 1980s. In July and August, fans and media will vote for the 1990s and 2000s, respectively.
After the top three moments from each decade have been chosen, a fifth poll will choose the top moments in Brewers history. The top 12 will be announced, in reverse order, during the final homestand of the season, beginning Sept. 20.
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