NewsHall on short leash vs. righties
Milwaukee (25-15) at Houston (18-20), 7:05 p.m. CT
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
05/21/09 1:03 AM ET
HOUSTON -- Brewers manager Ken Macha is giving Bill Hall one last chance to show he can hit right-handed pitching."We had a little meeting in St. Louis with Billy and talked about how things are going, and I told him I would give him an opportunity to come down here and play in Houston," Macha said.
The skipper intends to keep his word. Hall will be back in the starting lineup at third base on Thursday against Roy Oswalt. Hall is 14-for-41 with a home run in his career against the right-hander.
With Hall in the lineup, lefty hitter Mat Gamel, who homered in his first Major League start on Monday in St. Louis, will be left on the bench.
Hall is trying to make the most of Macha's offer. "It shows he has confidence in me and knows I'm going to right this thing," Hall said. "Everybody in here knows what kind of player I am and what kind of damage I can do, whether it's against right-handers or left-handers.
"It's just one little thing that's going to make it click. I'm trying to find it."
Macha's promise the other day in St. Louis is why Hall batted against Astros right-hander Chris Sampson with two outs in the ninth inning Wednesday, representing the tying run. Hall, whose struggles against righties last season cost him regular playing time, hit against Sampson even though the Brewers had lefty Craig Counsell available on the bench.
Counsell is batting .350 against right-handers this season. Including Wednesday's eighth-inning strikeout against Alberto Arias and the following game-ending whiff against Sampson, Hall is hitting .190 against righties.
"We're trying to give [Hall] an opportunity to establish himself as the player he was at one particular time," Macha said.
Macha was referring to 2006, when Hall hit 35 home runs and earned a four-year contract. Since then his numbers against righties have dragged him down; a .247 average and a .713 OPS in 2007, then a .174 average and a .557 OPS in 2008.
Hall entered Wednesday's game hitting .195 this year against righties with a .633 OPS and has struck out 27 times in 79 at-bats. "For a while there I was doing OK, but right now I just can't seem to get a hit," Hall said. "Right now, I just can't seem to get a hit against anybody." Hall went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in Wednesday's game and is 1-for-16 on the road trip. He is hitless in his past 11 at-bats against right-handed pitching with five strikeouts, his last base knock coming in the form of a home run off Florida's Josh Johnson on May 14. "Here's a guy who hit 35 home runs for this club," Macha said. "Could we use that power right now? Absolutely. I don't think we're going to be able to use that power if, every time you turn around, you're pinch-hitting for that guy."Hall had hoped offseason LASIK surgery to correct his eyesight would help improve his success against right-handed arms. So far it hasn't happened, so he has turned to video. Hall was looking at previous at-bats against right-handers, including his home run off Johnson, while the rest of the team was crowded in the dining room watching Game 1 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals.
Hall has met twice with Macha about his issues with righties. "Obviously, the conversations are beginning," Hall said. "Honestly, I'm just trying to block it all out and play baseball. I know what kind of trouble it gets me in when I think about it too much. I'm working, taking extra swings, trying to get right." Pitching matchupMIL: RHP Jeff Suppan (3-3, 4.63 ERA)
Suppan was stupendous against his former club on Saturday, holding the Cardinals scoreless on six hits in seven of his best innings this season. It marked the first time this year that Suppan took a shutout into the fifth inning, but he has been a consistent innings-eater for Milwaukee, working at least six frames in five of his past six outings while posting a 2.77 ERA. He took a no-decision in Houston on April 25, when Suppan allowed four runs, three of them earned, on four hits in six innings. He struck out a season-high six batters in that game. HOU: RHP Roy Oswalt (1-2, 4.50 ERA)
Oswalt turned in another quality outing in his last start vs. the Cubs, but took a no-decision in an eventual Houston loss. Oswalt yielded three runs over six innings, but the Astros didn't score until he was already out of the game. The Astros have scored one or no runs six times this year when Oswalt is on the mound. Oswalt has not faced the Brewers yet this year. In 2008, he was 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts vs. Milwaukee. Lifetime, he's 13-8 with a 3.59 ERA. Tidbits
Counsell will be back in the lineup at second base against Oswalt, Macha said. ... Rickie Weeks remains on the 15-day disabled list for now, but will be transferred to the 60-day DL in the event the Brewers need to clear a 40-man roster spot. General manager Doug Melvin said there is no advantage to putting Weeks on the 60-day DL immediately. ... The Brewers need to win Thursday to continue their impressive series winning streak. Since going 0-4 in series play to start the season, the Brewers have won or split each of their past nine series (7-0-2), but the streak is in jeopardy with Wednesday's loss. ... Perhaps Yovani Gallardo's 0-for-2 night at the plate Wednesday had something to do with the defeat. The Brewers are 11-4 when their pitcher records a hit or a walk and are 6-1 when a pitcher scores a run. Before Gallardo's "0-for" on Wednesday, Brewers pitchers had reached safely in four of the past six games. Suppan is 2-for-13 this season at the plate. Tickets
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• Friday: Brewers (Manny Parra, 3-4, 4.57) at Twins (Kevin Slowey, 5-1, 4.50), 7:10 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Brewers (Braden Looper, 4-2, 4.26) at Twins (TBD), 6:10 p.m. CT
• Sunday: Brewers (Dave Bush, 3-0, 3.74) at Twins (Scott Baker, 1-5, 6.98), 7:05 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.
