News
Brewers picking spots to run
Milwaukee (1-1) at San Francisco (1-1), Thursday, 6:05 p.m. CT
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
04/09/09 2:30 AM ET
SAN FRANCISCO -- Were their four stolen bases on Opening Day a sign that manager Ken Macha's Brewers will be running wild this season? Probably not.More likely, it was a sign that Giants ace Tim Lincecum, who started Tuesday's season opener, needs to be quicker to the plate. His catcher, Bengie Molina, confirmed as much to the San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday, saying, "We need to come up with a plan and fight this stuff."
The Brewers swiped two bases against Lincecum and two more against reliever Joe Martinez. Macha wouldn't say what he and first-base/baserunning coach Ed Sedar saw that they liked.
"When we get a chance to run, we're going to run," Macha said. "We've got guys who can steal bases: [Mike] Cameron, [Rickie] Weeks, [Corey] Hart, [Ryan] Braun. We'll run."
But only when the situation dictates it. The Brewers only attempted one stolen base Wednesday during left-hander Randy Johnson's five innings of work, and Braun was thrown out at third base. They may take their chances Thursday against Giants right-hander Matt Cain, who will start opposite Milwaukee left-hander Manny Parra in the finale of a three-game series at AT&T Park.
The Brewers may be less inclined to run against Cain than they were against Lincecum, whose dramatic delivery means he is particularly slow to the plate.
Under managers Ned Yost and Dale Sveum, the 2008 Brewers ranked 10th of the 30 Major League teams and sixth of 16 in the more steal-happy National League with 108 stolen bases. Brewers runners were caught only 38 times, a 74 percent success rate that tied for 11th best in baseball.
"When you get the opportunity, we're going to be aggressive," Cameron said. "That can be an important aspect of the game and hopefully we can continue it. But you have to get on base first, that's the big thing."
Macha spent four years managing in Oakland, where stealing bases is not emphasized. He may have more leeway to use the running game in Milwaukee, but the Brewers won't suddenly turn into the 1980s Cardinals."In order for stolen bases to become an offensive weapon, when the whole season is evaluated by the computer you've got to have a 75 percent success rate," Macha said. "The basic line is this: Home runs outweigh the stolen base in the long run. So [the Giants] hit three homers [Tuesday] and they put a whipping on us.
"Over my course of time I've really tried to watch this, and stolen bases have an effect sometimes in close games."
The Brewers' four steals Tuesday were their most in a season opener since 1988, when Paul Molitor stole three bases and Greg Brock swiped one in Baltimore.
Pitching matchupMIL: LHP Manny Parra (10-8, 4.39 ERA in 2008)
Parra is a Northern California native who has pitched extremely well against the Giants in his brief career. He is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA in five appearances that span 18 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old is looking to bounce back from a somewhat disappointing finish to last season, when he was bounced from the starting rotation in September due to a slide probably related to fatigue. He was 8-2 with a 3.78 ERA in 19 games before the All-Star break and 2-7 with a 4.87 ERA after. The Brewers hope the first-half Parra shows up for the full 2009 season. SF: RHP Matt Cain (8-14, 3.76 ERA in 2008)
It's easy to forget that Cain is still only 24, 3 1/2 months younger than Lincecum, yet has already started 104 games. Cain has steadily increased his workload in his three full big league seasons, from 190 2/3 innings in 2006 to an even 200 in 2007 to 217 2/3 last year. He has established a reputation for unluckiness, having received the second-lowest run support in the Majors in each of the last two seasons. No wonder his record in that span is 15-30. Tidbits
The Brewers were just 14-15 in Parra's starts last season despite his 10-8 personal record. He was the victim of six blown saves. ... Parra won both of his starts against the Giants last season, posting a 2.77 ERA (13 innings, four earned runs) in those games. ... Shortstop J.J. Hardy is off to a surprisingly slow start to the season (0-for-9 with two strikeouts and two double-play grounders) considering that he led the Brewers in Spring Training with a .403 batting average. Tickets
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• Friday: Brewers (Braden Looper, 12-14, 4.16 in 2008) vs. Cubs (Rich Harden, 10-2, 2.07 in 2008), 3:05 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Brewers (Dave Bush, 0-0, 18.00) vs. Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 1-0, 1.50), 6:05 p.m. CT
• Sunday: Brewers (Jeff Suppan, 0-1, 13.50) vs. Cubs (Ryan Dempster, 0-0, 3.00), 7:05 p.m. CT
Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
