July 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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For the first time since Miller Park opened in March 2001, 43 suites on the stadium's Club Level are being completely renovated. Despite the dire economic climate, Rick Schlesinger, the team's executive vice president for business relations, said Thursday that the timing was right for redoing the suites. "With the upgrades we've done in the Metavante and Gehl Clubs, it made for a bigger contrast between the clubs and the suites," he said. "We know that hospitality budgets are probably going to be reduced. But this is one of our approaches to try to overcome some concerns. If you are trying to market to people, you want to go with your best product." It doesn't hurt business, either, to be ..."
July 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It was a question on the minds of many as the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs began a four-game series Thursday night at Wrigley Field. Which was the bigger liability: the Cubs' underachieving offense or the Brewers' paper-thin starting rotation? For one game, at least, the answer was clear-cut. The Brewers might want to accelerate their pursuit of a starting pitcher. With Derrek Lee leading the charge with a three-run home run and grand slam, the Cubs pummeled fill-in starter Seth McClung and rolled to a 9-5 victory that was easier than the final score might indicate. Making his second start in place of injured right-hander Dave Bush, McClung was tagged for seven runs in 3 1/3 innings, ..."
July 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Yovani Gallardo typically wins these games. You know, the kind in which he's dueling with the opposing pitcher. The games in which his own offense is struggling to score but he keeps the Milwaukee Brewers in the game by masterfully slicing and dicing the strike zone with the precision of a lifelong butcher. Sometimes he even bails out the offense by launching a game-winning home run. It's happened before. Twice, actually, this season alone. He needed a third occurrence for a victory Wednesday. But it wasn't to be. Gallardo matched New York Mets right-hander Mike Pelfrey nearly pitch-for-pitch, but a hiccup in the sixth inning cost Gallardo and the Brewers the series sweep as they lost, ..."
July 1
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Maybe what they needed was the challenge of facing one of the game's best pitchers. The Milwaukee Brewers have been a team grinding its gears lately and struggling in several aspects, so seeing San Francisco Giants ace Matt Cain to start this three-game series didn't seem like a good thing. But the actuality turned out to be a very different thing. The Brewers got to Cain early and never let up, beating up the Giants, 5-1, behind Yovani Gallardo's dominant 118-pitch performance Friday night at Miller Park. The victory moved the Brewers back into first place in the National League Central, percentage points ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost to Minnesota, 3-1. After the Brewers lost ..."
June 30
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The look on Casey McGehee's face never changed. Not once. At least not while it was visible to the public. McGehee redeemed himself after a costly and embarrassing gaffe put the New York Mets on the scoreboard by hitting a frenzy-sparking grand slam that took the burden off his shoulders and propelled the Milwaukee Brewers to a 10-6 victory and first place in the National League Central on Monday at Miller Park. The Brewers had 19 hits, the most at home since 2005, but none shining more than McGehee's first career granny. After dropping an ever routine pop-up in the top of the sixth inning that eventually led to two Mets runs, the Brewers infielder stood near third base with a stoic ..."
June 30
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By the very nature of their job, pitchers are the center of activity during a baseball game. Let's just say Braden Looper's night was a bit more active than usual. With his arm, bat and legs, Looper stayed on the move as a driving force in the Milwaukee Brewers' 10-6 victory Monday night over the New York Mets at Miller Park. OK, the "legs" part of the evening didn't go so well but we'll get to that later. For beginners, Looper took the mound with a bruise the size of Idaho on the back of his upper pitching arm. In his previous start, Looper was drilled on the triceps by a liner off the bat of Minnesota's Carlos Gomez but the veteran right-hander never considered missing a start. "He told ..."
June 30
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Bob Wolfley
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The front office for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the last few years has had to deal with a question related to another team in its division. The question is some variation of this one: Why can't you be more like the Milwaukee Brewers? Fans and media in Pittsburgh have wanted to know why Milwaukee, a market two-thirds the size of Pittsburgh, has a team payroll of $80 million, while the Pirates' payroll is $28 million less, at $52 million. Frank Coonelly, the president of the Pirates, said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his team was spending all it could to improve the product on the field. Coonelly said the Brewers could spend more on payroll because attendance in ..."
June 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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If you want to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, call up a pitcher from your farm system to make his major-league debut against them. That formula worked again Sunday as right-hander Ryan Sadowski came up from the minors to pitch six shutout innings and lead San Francisco to a 7-0 victory over the listless Brewers at Miller Park. One day after pulling out a scintillating last at-bat victory over the Giants, the Brewers were flat from start to finish, thanks to the solid work of Sadowski and the shaky performance of Jeff Suppan. Making his 382nd career start, Suppan was no match for San Francisco's rookie fill-in, allowing nine hits, three walks and five runs in a tedious 5 2/3 -inning, 101-pitch ..."
June 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Thank goodness for Yovani Gallardo. Without his ace of a right arm, the Milwaukee Brewers' starting rotation would be in a shambles. As it is in its current state, four-fifths of the rotation is in a funk and with replacement starters occupying two spots, there is some instability. Right-hander Jeff Suppan was the latest starter to struggle, getting beat around Sunday afternoon as the San Francisco Giants got out of Miller Park with a 7-0 victory to avoid a series sweep. Suppan lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits, and both his walks hurt him. "We're having a hard time getting six innings (from a starter)," manager Ken Macha said. "(Saturday) four innings, (Sunday) 5 2/3 . ..."
June 29
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Assistant general manager Gord Ash confirmed Sunday that the Milwaukee Brewers had interest in Cleveland second baseman Mark DeRosa, who was traded to St. Louis the previous day in a move that should help the Cardinals greatly in the National League Central race. Ash said general manager Doug Melvin contacted the Indians about DeRosa but didn't have available what Cleveland wanted: young, major league-ready pitching. St. Louis sent young reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named to the Indians in the trade. "They didn't feel like we had the type of players they were looking for," Ash said. "The big thing will be who the second player is. I would imagine it's a pretty good player. "(The ..."
June 28
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Assistant general manager Gord Ash confirmed Sunday that the Brewers had interest in Cleveland second baseman Mark DeRosa, who was traded to St. Louis in a move that should help the Cardinals greatly in the NL Central race. Ash said general manager Doug Melvin contacted the Indians about DeRosa but didn't have what Cleveland wanted – young, major league-ready pitching. St. Louis sent young reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named to the Indians in the trade. "They didn't feel like we had the type of players they were looking for," said Ash. "The big thing will be who the second player is. I would imagine it's a pretty good player. "(The Cardinals') interest in him is similar to ours – ..."
June 28
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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When the Milwaukee Brewers suddenly found themselves shy two starting pitchers last week, they had to scramble for replacements. Right-hander Mike Burns, 30, who bounced around to five organizations over the past five years, was summoned from Class AAA Nashville to fill the spot vacated by injured Dave Bush. To fill the void created when left-hander Manny Parra was sent to the minors to work on command issues, Seth McClung was shifted from bullpen duty. Wouldn't it have been nice if even one pitching prospect in the farm system was ready to get his chance? During times like these, the Brewers' difficulty in developing major-league pitchers is exposed. Of the 12 pitchers currently on their ..."
June 28
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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This was no night to be a closer. After San Francisco was quite mean to Milwaukee's Trevor Hoffman in the top of the ninth, the Brewers returned the favor - and then some - against the Giants' Brian Wilson in the bottom of the inning Saturday night at Miller Park. "The game ain't over until the last out is made," said Brewers centerfielder Mike Cameron, who added to the evening's thrills and chills by stealing a home run in front of 42,065 witnesses. That lesson was imparted in dramatic fashion when Prince Fielder capped a three-run rally with a two-out, run-scoring double that gave the Brewers an electrifying 7-6 victory over the Giants. Fielder, whose three-run homer brought the Brewers ..."
June 27
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Maybe what they needed was the challenge of facing one of the game's best pitchers. The Milwaukee Brewers have been a team grinding its gears lately and struggling in several aspects, so seeing San Francisco Giants ace Matt Cain to start this three-game series didn't seem like a good thing. But the actuality turned out to be a very different thing. The Brewers got to Cain early and never let up, beating up the Giants, 5-1, behind Yovani Gallardo's dominant 118-pitch performance Friday night at Miller Park. The victory moved the Brewers back into first place in the National League Central, percentage points ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost to Minnesota, 3-1. After the Brewers lost ..."
June 26
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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The first start by someone other than the original five didn't go so well. The Milwaukee Brewers were one of two teams in the major leagues to have used only five starters this season, with the San Francisco Giants being the other. That was until the demotion of Manny Parra and injury to Dave Bush forced the Brewers to find fill-ins. Right-hander Mike Burns was first up, and after the Minnesota Twins got their first looks at him, trouble followed. The Twins touched up Burns for four runs in 5 2/3 on their way to a 6-4 victory Thursday afternoon at Miller Park. The victory gave the Twins the three-game series and left the Brewers with 11 losses in their last 15 games. The Brewers finished ..."
June 25
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It had been more than three weeks since "Hells Bells" played over the audio system at Miller Park. That's how rough things had been going for the Milwaukee Brewers. Watching the game turn in a flash in the bottom of the eighth inning on Jason Kendall's double and a couple of Minnesota errors, the Brewers used one of the toughest saves of Trevor Hoffman's season to finally beat the Twins, 4-3, Wednesday night. "Much like they capitalized on our mistakes yesterday, we capitalized on their mistakes tonight," said Brewers manager Ken Macha, much more pleased with his club's intensity level after a sloppy defeat the previous evening. After dominating the Brewers by a combined score of 30-11 in ..."
June 25
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Right-hander Mike Burns always wondered what would happen if given the opportunity to start in the major leagues. He'll find out Thursday afternoon at Miller Park. Burns, who has bounced around to five organizations over the last five years, will start for the Brewers in the interleague series finale against the Minnesota Twins. He was summoned from Class AAA Nashville when right-hander Dave Bush went on the disabled list with a micro-tear in the triceps of his pitching arm. Burns was successful as a starter for Nashville, going 7-2 with a 2.55 earned-run average in 12 appearances. But his experience in the majors has come solely as a reliever, with 46 appearances for Houston, Cincinnati, ..."