NewsMcClung moves into Brewers rotation
Milwaukee (39-34) vs. San Francisco (39-33), 6:05 p.m. CT
By Cash Kruth / MLB.com
06/27/09 1:07 AM ET
MILWAUKEE -- Because of injuries and a lack of performance, Seth McClung is needed in the Brewers' starting rotation. The thing is, because of his own steady performance as the team's long reliever, he -- or someone like him -- is needed in the bullpen, as well. "I hate taking him out of the bullpen because he's been so valuable to us out there," Brewers manager Ken Macha said. "It's kind of a double-edged sword for him because he's pitched so well for us out of the bullpen ... but I think he's relishing the fact that he's going to start." McClung is venturing to the Brewers' starting rotation for the second straight season. Last year, he started 12 games for Milwaukee, going 4-4 with a 4.24 ERA in those outings. How McClung is going to pitch isn't an issue for the Brewers (he's 3-1 with a 3.24 ERA in 28 appearances this season). But the main question with him moving into the rotation now is the same one as last season -- how long can he go? Last year, McClung wasn't stretched out before he moved to the rotation, and, although he said he increased his running and conditioning in anticipation of the move, the same goes for this year. In his first start last year, McClung threw 68 pitches in five innings. His longest outing came five starts later when he threw 103 pitches in 6 1/3 innings. "I hope to get five innings out of him. I'd be very happy [with that]," Macha said. "We'd have to see how his pitch count comes up. He was stretched out considerably during Spring Training, but Spring Training was a couple of eons ago." Because McClung hasn't thrown many consecutive innings this season, another question the Brewers face is who will take McClung's place in the long relief role. Macha has options in that department, but said he has made no definitive answer. "It appears [Chris] Smith. [He] has pitched pretty well and he's given us some multiple innings," Macha said. "Because we have five right-handed starters, you would hope that [left-handed reliever Chris Narveson] would be a guy to do that, but we brought him in [Friday] and the game was 4-0 and we were behind. ... He got us through the sixth inning but didn't get the guys we needed to in seventh." Luckily for Macha, the rest of his bullpen has its distinct roles filled rather nicely. All-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman is nearly perfect (17-for-18) in save opportunities and left-handed specialist Mitch Stetter has gotten the job done "95 percent of the time this year," Macha said. Because of that consistency, Macha said once he finds a replacement for McClung, the bullpen will be just fine. "Seth was a guy I could bring in a game when we were behind and he could keep us in the game," Macha said. "There are certain guys in the bullpen you want to have available when you're ahead in the game. You have your ahead guys and your behind guys. The names will be different, but the way you manage the bullpen will be the same." Pitching matchupMIL: RHP Seth McClung (3-1, 3.24 ERA)
McClung will step into the rotation to replace left-hander Manny Parra, who was demoted on June 13 ahead of a stretch in which the Brewers needed just four starters. Macha was hesitant to remove McClung from the bullpen because he was such a key cog there over the first three months of the season (3.24 ERA in 28 games, .242 opponents' average) but necessity won out. McClung filled both roles for the Brewers in 2008, when he went 4-4 with a 4.24 ERA in 12 starts and 2-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 25 relief appearances. He made his 2009 season debut on Opening Day in San Francisco, issuing three walks in two innings but limiting the damage to one hit and one run. SF: LHP Barry Zito (4-7, 4.54 ERA)
Zito looked like his younger self Sunday when he carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers. He finished the game having allowed two runs on two hits over seven solid innings. The lefty struck out a season-high eight batters. Despite his win Sunday, run support remains an issue: Zito has received three runs or fewer from his teammates in 13 of his 14 starts this season. He lost his lone start against the Milwaukee Brewers last season, allowing three runs on eight hits over five innings. Tidbits
With the two recent changes to the starting rotation, Parra's name keeps getting brought up to Macha. The Brewers manager said Parra's main trouble with Milwaukee was locating his fastball, something Macha thinks is slightly related to some kinks in Parra's delivery. Macha said he's been told Parra's location has improved in the Minors, especially the control of his fastball on the far side of the plate (inside to right-handed batters). ... Between 6,000 and 7,000 of the Jason Kendall bobblehead giveaways for Sunday's game were damaged in the flooding at Miller Park last weekend, but fans who do not receive a bobblehead will receive vouchers for guaranteed redemption when replacements arrive. ... Sticking with Kendall, a belated happy birthday to the Brewers catcher, who turned 35 on Friday. ... J.J. Hardy's home run in the third inning Friday was the 500th hit of his career. ... B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews, the Green Bay Packers' two first-round picks in the 2009 NFL Draft, took batting practice at Miller Park before Friday's game. Matthews, a linebacker from USC and right-handed hitter, took two rounds of BP, lining a few drives to both center and right field. Raji, a defensive tackle and right-handed batter from Boston College, just took one round of hitting, with his best hit being a line drive to short. Tickets
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• Sunday: Brewers (Jeff Suppan, 5-5, 4.65) vs. Giants (Jonathan Sanchez, 2-8, 5.54), 1:05 p.m. CT
• Monday: Brewers (Braden Looper, 5-4, 5.16) vs. Mets (Fernando Nieve, 3-0, 1.31), 6:05 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Brewers (Mike Burns, 0-1, 3.72) vs. Mets (Johan Santana, 9-5, 3.08), 7:05 p.m. CT
Cash Kruth is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
