TEMPE, Ariz. -- Jason Kendall was the catcher on Saturday for Brewers starter Dave Bush's latest Spring Training gem. But don't be surprised to see Mike Rivera behind the plate for Bush's next outing and beyond.

Brewers skipper Ken Macha said earlier this spring that he intends to pair Rivera, Kendall's seldom-used backup, with one of the team's five starters. Bush is the pick.

"I still have Rivera targeted to handle Bush at this time," Macha said on Saturday morning, before Bush and Kendall formed the battery against the Angels. "We'll see."

The move is designed to keep Kendall fresh for the latter part of the season. Last year, he led the Majors with 149 starts, a new Brewers record.

Macha ordered a statistical analysis of Rivera's work with the returning Brewers starters, and Bush had the best numbers in an admittedly small, 21-inning sample. The outings included Bush's 13-strikeout game against the Rockies on July 10.

"I've thrown to Mike quite a bit over the last three seasons," Bush said. "I have no problem throwing to him. He knows what he's doing and he prepares as well as Jason does and he's caught me enough to know what I'm doing."

The choice was likely down to Bush or newcomer Braden Looper. Macha said he preferred to keep Kendall paired with youngsters Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra, and veteran Jeff Suppan has quietly made it clear he likes pitching to Kendall.

Looper has yet to pitch for the Brewers in an "A" game, though he did throw 50 pitches in a Minor League game in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday against the Dodgers' top affiliate. Looper was charged with three earned runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. He threw 10 more pitches in the bullpen to cap his afternoon.

The next step will be decided next week. Looper will probably remain on an every-five-day schedule, while Bush and the rest of the starters will get one extra day between starts in order to line up for the start of the season.

"We'll see how [Looper] feels tomorrow and go from there," Macha said.

Bush continued his strong spring in Saturday's 4-4 tie against Los Angeles. He allowed only one hit -- a third-inning single -- and no runs through the first five innings before fatiguing in the sixth and allowing two runs without another hit.

Bush walked the first hitter, then hit the next with a pitch before the Angels sacrificed both runners into scoring position for Chone Figgins, who delivered a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 1. With a runner at third base and Vladimir Guerrero at the plate, Bush purposefully threw a curveball in the dirt, but it bounced away from Kendall and the go-ahead run scored.

Still, Bush was happy with the outing.

"At this point, getting up and down [for each inning] is just as important as the number of pitches," Bush said. "All in all, I was pleased to get through that many innings."

His manager was pleased, too.

"David Bush was terrific," Macha said.

If Rivera indeed serves as his personal catcher, Bush is getting no slouch. Rivera spent all of 2008 with the Brewers but appeared in only 21 games, including 13 starts behind the plate and two at first base. Still, he batted .306 with 14 RBIs and six extra-base hits.

This spring, Rivera has been limited by a hamstring injury. He's hitting .211 (4-for-19) in six games, including a start against the Padres on Friday in which Rivera played all nine innings.

"Rivera really swung the bat well [on Friday]," Macha said. "He threw a guy out at second. ... So he brings some stuff to the table. ... It's a tremendous plus for a bench player to be able to sit there for a week and not get any at-bats and then still come out and [perform]. People don't know how hard that is to do."