News
Bush set to make return to mound
Milwaukee (61-65) vs. Cincinnati (54-71), 1:05 p.m. CT
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
08/27/09 12:27 AM ET
MILWAUKEE -- Dave Bush is set to return from more than two months on the disabled list, leaving him as many as eight starts to author a positive ending to a season marred by injury. "It's been a while," said Bush, who will start Thursday's series finale against the Reds at Miller Park. "At this point, anything healthy is something to feel good about." Bush has not pitched in the Majors since June 20 at Detroit, he has not pitched at full strength in the Majors since June 4 at Florida, when he was struck on the back of the right upper arm by a line drive, and he has not pitched well in the Majors since May 19, when he allowed two runs in six innings of a win against the Astros. Bush was already struggling when Florida's Hanley Ramirez lined a shot off Bush's right triceps in the first inning of a Brewers-Marlins game. Bush went on to work six innings that night and then struggled through three subsequent starts before admitting to reporters that he felt "fatigue" in his right arm. An MRI scan later revealed microtearing of his triceps muscle. Bush hoped to return right after the All-Star break, but he exited a Minor League rehab start early because of the recurrence of fatigue and had to begin again from scratch. Over the past 10 days, he has made two more rehab appearances for Brewers affiliates without incident. The Brewers will have to make a corresponding roster move to free a spot for Bush. The team is already at 13 pitchers, so a reliever, possibly right-hander Mike Burns, will likely be optioned to Triple-A Nashville. Bush becomes the second starter to return from the DL this week; Jeff Suppan recovered from a ribcage injury to start against the Reds on Tuesday. "You'd like to get back to the order you had in April and May, where you were getting a quality start and you were getting well-pitched innings out of the bullpen and you were able to give [relievers] days off when they needed it," manager Ken Macha said. "We'll see if that happens. I don't know if we're really going to do that until we get, maybe, to the third start for Bush and Suppan [off the DL]. Up until then, we'll do what we can." The Brewers' inconsistent pitching ruined the team's chances to repeat as postseason participants. Through Suppan's start on Tuesday, only the Washington Nationals had a higher staff ERA than Milwaukee's 4.88 and no team had allowed more home runs than Milwaukee's 172. "I think if you go to any Major League manager and say, 'What's the most important thing?' The answer is going to be, 'Pitching,'" Macha said. "We're next to last in the league in pitching and we're down at the bottom in starting pitching. It's like an anvil over your head." Pitching matchupMIL: RHP Dave Bush (3-4, 5.67 ERA)
Bush's recent two showings in the Minors have been promising, including 3 1/3 innings of one-hit ball Saturday night with Double-A Huntsville. With a 13-man pitching staff and more arms expected when rosters expand early next week, the Brewers have to hope that Bush can give them a few quality starts in terms of innings, since he was unable to get out of the fourth inning in either of his last two big league starts in June. CIN: RHP Justin Lehr (2-1, 3.77 ERA)
In a 12-2 loss to the Pirates on Saturday, Lehr lacked the command he had shown in his three previous starts. Over five innings, he allowed six earned runs on eight hits, walking three. Tidbits
The Brewers removed Triple-A left-hander Chase Wright from the 40-man roster and assigned him outright to Nashville's roster, leaving one open spot, presumably for Sept. 1 callups. It was originally assumed that the Brewers would at least promote a third catcher when active rosters expand from 25 to 40 on that date, but Macha said this week that the team might simply stick with Jason Kendall and Mike Rivera. Then, on Tuesday, the team placed catching prospect Angel Salome on the disabled list with an undisclosed injury. ... The team also announced that catcher Carlos Corporan had cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Nashville's roster. He had been designated for assignment last week. ... Ryan Braun remains two home runs shy of 100 for his career. ... The Brewers finally took their team photo on Wednesday afternoon. They were supposed to take the shot on Aug. 12, but it was rescheduled because that was the day the team dismissed pitching coach Bill Castro, designated infielder Bill Hall for assignment and demoted shortstop J.J. Hardy to the Minors. ... Kendall was plunked twice on Wednesday and moved past Ron Hunt for fifth place on baseball's all-time hit-by-pitch list, with 244. Kendall has been hit 13 times this season, and Wednesday marked the 12th time in his career that he was plunked more than once in a game. Tickets
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• Friday: Brewers (Manny Parra, 8-10, 6.54) vs. Pirates (Zach Duke, 10-11, 3.38), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Brewers (Yovani Gallardo, 12-10, 3.51) vs. Pirates (Kevin Hart, 4-3, 4.14), 6:05 p.m. CT
• Sunday: Brewers (Jeff Suppan, 5-8, 5.38) vs. Pirates (Ross Ohlendorf, 11-8, 4.10), 1:05 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.
