NewsMacha's lineup miscue pays off in 10th
Skipper misses opportunity for double-switch on Monday
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
05/25/09 6:46 PM ET
MILWAUKEE -- Brewers manager Ken Macha might have missed an opportunity to double-switch in the ninth inning on Monday, but his slip-up ended up contributing to a much-needed Milwaukee win, a 1-0 decision over St. Louis. With the teams locked in a scoreless tie and Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo finished after eight scoreless innings, Macha inserted Trevor Hoffman as the pitcher and Bill Hall as the third baseman. Hall was supposed to go into the nine-hole to bat second in the bottom of the ninth inning, leaving Hoffman hitting sixth. At least that was the plan. "Well, the situation was that I was writing everything down, and the umpire said once Trevor got to the mound, it was too late," Macha said. "My dispute was he hadn't gotten to the mound yet." Macha did not win that dispute against plate umpire Chad Fairchild, who conferenced with the rest of the crew while Hoffman threw his warm-up pitches. After a few moments, Fairchild signaled the changes to the press box and indicated they were "straight up," meaning Hoffman was to bat in the nine-hole and Hall, who replaced Mat Gamel for defense, went in the six-hole. Macha never intended to pitch Hoffman in more than one inning, but with a bench thinned by injuries, the skipper wanted to save his pinch-hitters for a moment of need. Hall, he said, was put in the game because he's a better defender than Gamel, who made his first career start at Miller Park. Hoffman worked a 1-2-3 inning on just seven pitches, then was replaced by pinch-hitter Jody Gerut in the bottom of the ninth. Gerut fouled out on the first pitch and the teams played into the 10th inning, when Hall -- hitting sixth -- delivered a two-out single for a 1-0 Brewers win. "Things always work out," Macha said with a chuckle. Add Macha to the list of big league managers who won games after slip-ups. Rays skipper Joe Maddon listed two third basemen for a game against the Indians earlier this month, resulting in the loss of the designated hitter. Then just last week in Houston, Astros manager Cecil Cooper listed his top two hitters out of order in a game against the Brewers. Michael Bourn led off the game with a single while Kaz Matsui, who was listed as the leadoff man, waited on deck. Macha pointed out the mistake, Matsui was declared out and Bourn had to hit again. Like the Brewers on Monday, both the Rays and Astros overcame their lineup snafus to win the game.Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
