Riske is furious about his awful Cactus League pitching line. He has pitched in five games, allowed at least one run every time out and has surrendered six runs on 10 hits, including three home runs. On Saturday against the Angels, Riske surrendered a go-ahead solo homer to Kendry Morales in an eventual 4-4 tie.

He got a late spring start because he was coming back from elbow surgery last September. But that's no excuse for a 10.80 ERA, Riske said.

"I've never done this before in my entire career, five straight outings [allowing a run]," Riske said. "People say, ''Oh, you're coming off surgery and it's Spring Training. Who cares?' But I do care. It's driving me up the wall.

"I felt as good as ever [Saturday] and I still gave up a homer. It's just one of those things where I'm in shock right now."

Riske is entering the second season of a three-year contract that guarantees $13 million. His arm started hurting during Spring Training a year ago, and he pitched much of the 2008 season with a bone spur near his right elbow, posting a 5.31 ERA in 45 appearances before succumbing to surgery.

That came after a season in Kansas City in which Riske put up a 2.45 ERA in 65 games.

"I'm not going to change a thing," Riske said. "Obviously, I care a lot about results. Some people don't in Spring Training, I do. It's just weird. It's not good to be losing sleep in Spring Training.

"Everything feels great [physically] so I can't argue with that. Other than [Saturday], in all of my outings, all of my mistakes were getting hit. ... Usually, it's not like that. I got so used to throwing differently last year but I'm getting that groove back. [Saturday], I felt the best I've felt as far as my arm angle and throwing downhill and keeping everything down.

"If it was during the season, I would probably lose a little confidence. But in Spring Training? I go home and say, 'Are you serious? Is this really happening?' You're in shock."

Manager Ken Macha probably knows the feeling. He has been using the word "cloudy" to describe the Brewers' bullpen situation, with closer Trevor Hoffman down with a rib-cage injury and setup men Riske and Carlos Villanueva (8.64 ERA entering an appearance Sunday) struggling in their Cactus League outings.

Macha and general manager Doug Melvin met for about an hour Sunday morning for what the manager called a "State of the Union" discussion. Much of their talk centered on the bullpen.

"Mr. Hoffman is not getting any better, so that cloud will continue for a while," Macha said.

Of Riske, he said, "I think he's had enough outings to where he has to get the ball moving a little bit. Is that a concern? If you ask him, I think he'd probably say the same thing. He feels, and we feel, he's a better pitcher than what he's done down here."

Should Hoffman be unable to close games at the start of the season, Villanueva or Seth McClung would probably fill that role. Riske has 22 career saves, but "he is not an option at this time," Macha said, because he is pitching so poorly. Former Orioles closer Jorge Julio is still fighting for a roster spot.

Julio has actually been throwing the ball well of late, hitting 94-97 mph consistently and coming off a scoreless inning against the Angels on Saturday. He has 99 career saves and said he would love to reach triple digits.

"I'm available," Julio said with a smile.

He's been stuck on 99 saves since Aug. 12, 2006. Julio started 2007 as Florida's closer but went 0-for-2 in save chances before he was dealt to Colorado, where he pitched middle relief. He split 2008 between Cleveland and Atlanta and allowed only one run in 12 1/3 innings for the Braves in September.

"I've worked on it a lot in Venezuela, closing games over there [in the Winter League]," said Julio, who altered his pitching mechanics last year to improve his balance. "The Braves picked me up last year and sent me to Triple-A, and that was a good time to work on everything. When I was back in the big leagues, I was dominating everything."