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Gallardo outduels Hanson for victory
In faceoff between young hurlers, Brewers come out on top
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
07/25/09 11:13 PM ET
MILWAUKEE -- Yovani Gallardo delivered just what the manager ordered. A day after Brewers skipper Ken Macha called on his starters to work deeper into games, Gallardo did just that, taking a shutout into the eighth inning and driving in the winning run to boot in Milwaukee's 4-0 win over the Braves on Saturday at sold-out Miller Park. Gallardo won a battle of young guns against Atlanta rookie Tommy Hanson (5-1), who finally suffered a loss in his 10th Major League start. Hanson allowed only two runs on nine hits in seven innings but Gallardo was better, blanking the Braves on only four hits in 7 1/3 innings for his first win since June 26. "The way I look at it is you're going to struggle," said Gallardo (9-7), who took three losses and a no-decision between wins No. 8 and 9 this season. "I'm sure nobody in this clubhouse wants to struggle, but when it happens, you have to make an adjustment." That's what Gallardo did, first during the All-Star break and then in his between-starts bullpen session ahead of Saturday's start. He altered the grip on his changeup and worked on his mound mechanics to stand taller and avoid rushing his delivery. The results were obvious. "He's sneaky," Braves catcher Brian McCann said. "He's just one of those guys that you don't see the ball real well off of and he throws 94 [mph] and has three pitches. He did a great job tonight. He kept us all off-balance and did what he wanted." He even did it in the batter's box. Locked with Hanson in a scoreless tie, Gallardo batted with runners at first and third base and one out in the bottom of the fifth. He was ordered to bunt, and looked at a nasty breaking ball for the first strike. Then Macha did his pitcher a favor by taking off the bunt sign. "I guess it surprised me a little bit when he took it off," Gallardo said. "I tried to put it in play." He chopped a single over a drawn-in Braves third baseman Chipper Jones for a 1-0 Brewers lead. Felipe Lopez, making his first Brewers start, followed with a single that loaded the bases for Craig Counsell's RBI groundout. Pinch-hitter Casey McGehee provided some insurance in the eighth inning with a two-run single, but the game-winning RBI belonged to Gallardo for the third time this season. He beat Randy Johnson and the Giants in his season debut with a three-run home run, then hit a solo home run for the only tally in a 1-0 win over Ian Snell and the Pirates on April 29. On Saturday, Gallardo hit his RBI single in the fifth inning and then knocked another hit off Hanson in the seventh after an 11-pitch at-bat. "He gets pitched tougher than other pitchers, too," Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy said. "Everybody knows he's a good hitter and they pitch him that way. He still gets his knocks." Gallardo has made them count. Aside from his home runs and his two singles on Saturday, he has only three other hits this season. His catcher was more interested in Gallardo's mound work. "He threw any pitch he wanted to, at any time," Jason Kendall said. "It's boring, but he worked both sides of the plate with his fastball, and he threw a lot more changeups. He changed his grip last time out, and now it has a lot more 'depth' on it. "He has such poise. He hasn't gotten many runs [of support] but he's the same every time. He never changes." Milwaukee made the lead stand for its young ace. Gallardo was lifted after allowing a leadoff walk in the eighth inning, but Todd Coffey cleaned up and Mitch Stetter pitched the ninth to preserve the Crew's seventh shutout win this season. The Brewers won for just the seventh time in 20 games this month. It was a notable win considering it came against Hanson, who surrendered six runs in his Major League debut against the Brewers on June 7, but had pitched exceptionally well since then, with five wins and no losses in his first nine big league starts. "He's good," Hardy said. "He makes good pitches when he needs to -- that's what I noticed tonight. He wasn't throwing as hard today as he was in Atlanta. He was 96 [mph] there quite a bit, but tonight he had the breaking ball." Said Macha: "I'm sure they're thrilled to death with how he's done -- and we don't have to face him anymore this year, so I'm glad about that."Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
