SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Other matters distracted him Monday, but Brewers manager Ken Macha wants to sit down this week with pitching coach Bill Castro and reliever Carlos Villanueva to brainstorm ways to get the right-hander on track.

Not that Villanueva has been getting shelled this spring. Two scoreless innings Saturday against the Cubs lowered his Cactus League ERA to a respectable if not stellar 5.40, and he has struck out four versus two walks.

But his pitch counts have been too high for Macha's liking, especially for a candidate to pitch the key eighth inning in front of new closer Trevor Hoffman who will need to work multiple days in a row. Going into Villanueva's most recent outing, Macha conceded that he was "a bit of a concern."

"I just want to be sure that we give him what he thinks he needs in order to be ready," Macha said. "If he needs a 50-pitch outing, we can get that arranged for him."

It appears that's what Villanueva will get. Castro monitored a bullpen session Monday morning and said that Villanueva likely will be extended in his next Cactus League appearance.

"When you go out there for two or three innings, you can get your feel back," Castro said.

Such an extensive Spring Training outing would be relatively rare for a reliever expected to work mostly one-inning stints during the regular season. But Villanueva was considered a starter as recently as last May, before a successful move to the bullpen, and Macha figures that he's used to using his innings in the spring to prepare.

"Way back when I started coaching, the manager wanted all our bullpen guys to go out there and pitch 50 pitches," said Macha, referring to 1986 Montreal Expos skipper Buck Rodgers, Macha's mentor. "He thought that was the way to get these guys to build up their arm strength. A lot has changed since then in terms of guys being specialized."

A lot has changed for Villanueva in a much shorter period of time.

He entered last season as Milwaukee's No. 4 starter and won the team's home opener, working 5 1/3 innings and limiting the Giants to two earned runs. But Villanueva went 1-5 over his next eight starts and had a 6.43 ERA when then-manager Ned Yost decided to shift the Dominican Republic native to relief.

Good move. Villanueva posted a 2.12 ERA in his 38 relief appearances, held opponents to a .220 average, retired 28 of the 38 first batters he faced and stranded 15 of his 16 inherited baserunners.

"I want to be involved in those late innings and get the ball to Hoffy," Villanueva said. "If they keep putting me out there in the important parts of the game, then I'm all for it."

First, he has to get sharp and that has proven a bit challenging this spring. In his first three Cactus League outings, Villanueva surrendered three runs on six hits and two walks in three innings while opponents hit .400.

So before his most recent appearance against the Cubs, Villanueva asked to throw in the bullpen instead of in a game. It gave him an opportunity to work on achieving a "downhill lane" with his pitches, particularly his fastball.

He saw positive results in a 39-pitch, two-inning, scoreless outing against Chicago, especially in his second inning of work.

"I still would like to get my pitch count lower," Villanueva said. "So there are still things to work on, but at least I have the liberty to work on those things this year and not only worry about making the team.

"It's never fun giving up runs, but it's more now about getting ready for the season. That's what I'm focusing on now."

He's searching for a rhythm, and that means harnessing five pitches: four-seam fastball, changeup and curveball -- he threw several really good ones against the Cubs and it appears this is becoming more of a "out" pitch than his change -- plus a slider and a new two-seam fastball with sink.

Villanueva used to throw the curveball more, and catcher Jason Kendall is the one who suggested that he go back to it, especially against left-handed hitters.

"I see Villa as the kind of guy who can throw any pitch in any count," Castro said. "It reminds me of Jeff Montgomery, the guy who closed for Kansas City a few years back. He was capable of throwing a fastball, breaking ball, changeup at any time, and I see Villa as capable of doing that. He's not going to light up the gun; he's a pitcher. He's going to change speeds."

It's somewhat rare for a reliever -- especially a late-inning reliever -- to have such an extensive arsenal. But Villanueva took quickly to the bullpen move.

So quickly that the Brewers had internal discussions over the winter about making Villanueva the closer. Instead, the team inked Hoffman to a one-year, $6 million contract, and now Villanueva and David Riske are viewed as the top options for the eighth inning.

"My arm has responded better than anyone would expect," Villanueva said. "I kind of like being able to take the ball whenever they want me to and not having to complain about my arm and needing a day or two."