News
Suppan will get to reach 30-start mark
Milwaukee (79-82) at St. Louis (91-70), 1:15 p.m. CT
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
10/03/09 5:50 PM EST
ST. LOUIS -- Jeff Suppan is getting another last chance to end his season on a high note. This time, there's no chance for a mulligan. The Brewers are starting Suppan on short rest in Sunday's season finale so he can make his milestone 30th start, giving him 11 consecutive seasons with at least that many. The only active pitcher with a longer run of durability is Livan Hernandez, who has made at least 30 starts in 12 seasons in a row. "Any starter, that's the kind of number you want to get to," Suppan said. The start comes at the expense of Chris Narveson, who has been solid in his four starts since filling in for an injured Manny Parra. Narveson was originally slated to start Sunday's finale before Suppan's personal milestone was brought to Macha's attention. Suppan has surrendered 15 earned runs and 22 hits in his past two starts, but Macha defended the move. "You have two guys who could start, either Narveson or Suppan. Wouldn't you give it to the veteran guy?" manager Ken Macha asked. "[Narveson] will get plenty of innings in. He's going to pitch, probably five innings. It gives Suppan the round number, [and he's] a veteran guy. You take care of your veterans." Macha said Parra also volunteered to pitch. Pitching matchupMIL: RHP Jeff Suppan (7-12, 5.30 ERA)
Suppan isn't likely to pitch more than a couple of innings. That could be a good thing, because his struggles this season have even bled over to the Cardinals, a team he traditionally has handled. In four starts against his former team, Suppan is 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA. The lone win was a good one, a Sept. 16 outing at Busch Stadium in which Suppan worked seven scoreless innings. STL: RHP Joel Pineiro (15-12, 3.44 ERA)
Pineiro gets one more chance to go into October on a positive note. He's been less effective in September than earlier in the year, and his last time out he got rocked. Pineiro needs to keep the ball in the park, and he didn't do that well his latest time out. Pineiro has been much better at home than on the road, which should benefit the Cardinals in the NLDS: Pineiro will pitch Game 3 at Busch Stadium. Tidbits
Third baseman Mat Gamel has finalized his plans to play winter ball in Caracas, Venezuela, beginning right after Thanksgiving. It's going to be a hectic winter, because Gamel also has plans to marry his girlfriend, Julianne, on Nov. 21. The couple had a daughter during Spring Training. "She understands how important this is, how important in the club's eyes it is for me to go," Gamel said. "This game is about sacrifice, and so is marriage. I have to go down there to get some at-bats." ... Casey McGehee went 1-for-5 Saturday, and his season average slipped under .300 for the first time since Sept. 11. He'll enter the season finale batting .299, and a 1-for-3 afternoon would push him back to .300. ... Macha had breakfast Saturday with general manager Doug Melvin, then mentioned 2010 several times with reporters without specifically confirming that he would be back. Melvin still wasn't ready to make any sort of announcement about Macha's future, he said through a club spokesperson. Tickets
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Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
