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Brewers beat 6/26
Davis to get one more rehab start
MILWAUKEE — Lefty Doug Davis is scheduled to start again Wednesday, when he’ll take the mound in Appleton for Class A Wisconsin in his third rehab outing.
After meeting with pitching coach Rick Peterson, bullpen coach Stan Kyles and general manager Doug Melvin earlier in the day, Brewers manager Ken Macha said Saturday they had decided they were not ready to put Davis back in the rotation just yet.
As a result, he’ll pitch for the Timber Rattlers with a target of 100 pitches. After that outing, Macha said he plans on Davis starting for the Brewers again shortly thereafter.
“We’ll fit him in somewhere before the All-Star break and he’ll get his first start back,” Macha said. “There were a whole bunch of reasons and I’m not going to enumerate them, just a whole bunch of reasons.
“Some of them are obvious. We’ve got guys pitching well. We’re going to get him slotted in and we’ve worked on trying to get everything lined up for a series and all the way up to the All-Star break.”
As for the blame as far as keeping Davis on the disabled list for another rehab start, Macha pointed to no one but himself.
“I told him if he’s upset, don’t be upset with anybody else but me,” Macha said. “He wants to get back in to pitch. But he was very understanding and he’s going to get back in to pitch.”
When Davis does return to the rotation, the Brewers could use five or six starters, Macha said. Regardless of what they do, changes will have to be made to both the rotation and the roster to fit Davis in.
As much as Macha would like to get Davis back in to pitch again, he recognizes the status of one starter in particular is not his top priority.
“We’ve got agendas to fill,” Macha said. “The No. 1 agenda is to get everybody in position to pitch well so that we can continue winning some games.”
Gerut, others on DL unsure of return date
MILWAUKEE — While one Brewers starter at least got some plan on Saturday for when he’ll return to the field, the general trend in the clubhouse among injured players seems to be a lack of any target date for their return.
Outfielder Jody Gerut made progress Friday taking batting practice for the first time since going on the disabled list, but remains unsure of when he’ll return from a bruised right heel. Likewise, a pair of Brewers relievers have no clear idea of when they’ll be back.
Veteran right-hander LaTroy Hawkins, who has been on the DL since May 9, is one of those two.
“I just do what [trainer] Roger [Caplinger] tells me,” Hawkins said. “If Roger tells me I can throw off the mound, I’ll throw off the mound. I’m out there though at 150 feet. I think I even got out to 170 feet yesterday, with no pain today.
“I’m just taking my time, but I should be close, because I’m getting out there pretty far.”
Hawkins’ fellow reliever, right-hander Marco Estrada, has been on the DL since June 4 with right shoulder fatigue, retroactive to June 1.
Though he was eligible to return on June 15, Estrada remains very limited in what he is able to do.
“It’s better, I had a cortisone shot a couple days ago,” Estrada said of his shoulder. “The pain’s still kind of there, but it is getting better. I can’t do anything. I have to wait until the doctor says I can start doing stronger work outs.
“Then hopefully I can play some catch, but I really couldn’t even tell you when that will be. I’d like to be back tomorrow, or at least play catch tomorrow, but who knows.”
Worth noting
Legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker was at Miller Park again on Saturday. When asked before the game what the time frame for his return was, Uecker admitted that he was unsure. … Since beginning the season 4-14, the Brewers have gone 11-5 at home, including a 4-1 record in series play. … Milwaukee currently is enjoying a season-high five-game winning streak. … With 13 and 11 hit by pitches, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder, respectively, are first and second in the Majors. Weeks moved ahead of Fielder with two on Friday.
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 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.
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