Post by Fish Troll on Mar 26, 2007 15:37:24 GMT -5
Intensity level increasing for Brewers
Milwaukee trying to get past miscues as season approaches
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- They won a Spring Training game, but that didn't stop the intensity level in the Brewers clubhouse from reaching another new high.
The Brewers edged the Royals, 7-6, on Sunday, but along the way they committed three errors, made a handful of other misplays, were on the wrong side of an inside-the-park home run and saw the leadoff man picked off first base in the first inning and their veteran third baseman ejected in the eighth. All this came a day after manager Ned Yost laid into his pitchers for their continuing command issues.
Are the Brewers playing their worst spring ball at just the worst time?
"I don't know about that, but this is the last week of Spring Training and we're supposed to be turning it on," said center fielder Bill Hall, who misplayed Joey Gathright's sixth-inning line drive into an inside-the-park, two-run homer. "We haven't had an ugly game all spring, and today wasn't that ugly. We can definitely pick it up."
Many of the Brewers regulars will be spared a trip to Tucson on Monday, when the team plays the Diamondbacks. After that, they have three more games in Arizona and two exhibitions against the Rangers in Texas.
On April 2, they'll play for real.
"There was some ugly stuff today from both teams," veteran outfielder Geoff Jenkins said. "We've been great all spring; it's just the last couple of games that haven't been so good. And, yeah, spring gets long, but that's no excuse not to play well."
Jeff Suppan started Sunday and was charged with six runs, three of them earned. At least two of those three were stretching the definition of "earned."
An error by second baseman Rickie Weeks, who had a particularly tough afternoon, led to the Royals' first run. Hall then broke on a Gathright line drive that sailed over his head, scoring two earned runs against Suppan.
"I've been waiting for that one all spring," Hall said. "I'm glad to get it out of the way down here instead of in the season. But I should have held up and got a better read on it."
In the sixth, a throwing error by shortstop Ozzie Chavez meant two of the Royals' three runs were unearned.
There were other missteps. Third baseman Tony Graffanino, who later was ejected, was charged with one error and bobbled another -- albeit very tough -- bouncer to his backhand side. Weeks was picked off first base in the first inning, the second time he's been so victimized in three games.
The defensive mistakes forced Suppan to throw 100 pitches in his 5 2/3 innings of work, slightly over the workload pitching coach Mike Maddux considers ideal for this point in spring. Suppan looked for the bright side.
"It's good work to be in those types of situations, where you have to get out of things," Suppan said. "That's the mental side, where you have to bear down and make pitches. There were times when I made those good pitches."
Said Maddux: "Those are character builders, when you have to get four or five outs. Yeah, you should be out of the inning, but you're not."
While Suppan was getting iced, in stormed Graffanino, who had just been ejected by home-plate umpire Travis Reininger and took out his frustrations on his equipment. Graffanino admitted he was upset with a 2-1 pitch that Reininger called strike two, and that he spiked his helmet in disgust once he grounded into a double play and returned to the Brewers' dugout. But Graffanino said he was mad at himself, not the umpire.
"My day was terrible, and I was showing frustration for a very bad game and he throws me out," Graffanino said. "I'm not sure about anybody else, but I know I'm frustrated. I'm seeing the ball well, having good at-bats, hitting the ball hard and it's going right at someone. It's preseason, but you still want to feel good about the way you're swinging the bat. It's hard to feel good when you can't get a hit."
Does Graffanino sense more intensity in the dugout?
"Yeah, no doubt," he said. "We're getting close to the bell ringing and we're taking it more seriously. We have high expectations, and everybody wants to be at the point where he feels like we can start the season tomorrow.
"If we were playing like this out in Texas [over the weekend], I'd be worried. We're not there yet."
For his part, Yost was upbeat after the game. He attributed the infield errors to what Maddux termed the "concrete jungles" that are dry, hard Arizona infields. He also was pleased to get 3 1/3 scoreless innings out of his bullpen, which has struggled.
"We're putting a lot of good innings together and then we've played some bad ones," Suppan said. "I don't think that's a sign of anything. It's just us getting ourselves ready for April. We'll be there."
Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Milwaukee trying to get past miscues as season approaches
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- They won a Spring Training game, but that didn't stop the intensity level in the Brewers clubhouse from reaching another new high.
The Brewers edged the Royals, 7-6, on Sunday, but along the way they committed three errors, made a handful of other misplays, were on the wrong side of an inside-the-park home run and saw the leadoff man picked off first base in the first inning and their veteran third baseman ejected in the eighth. All this came a day after manager Ned Yost laid into his pitchers for their continuing command issues.
Are the Brewers playing their worst spring ball at just the worst time?
"I don't know about that, but this is the last week of Spring Training and we're supposed to be turning it on," said center fielder Bill Hall, who misplayed Joey Gathright's sixth-inning line drive into an inside-the-park, two-run homer. "We haven't had an ugly game all spring, and today wasn't that ugly. We can definitely pick it up."
Many of the Brewers regulars will be spared a trip to Tucson on Monday, when the team plays the Diamondbacks. After that, they have three more games in Arizona and two exhibitions against the Rangers in Texas.
On April 2, they'll play for real.
"There was some ugly stuff today from both teams," veteran outfielder Geoff Jenkins said. "We've been great all spring; it's just the last couple of games that haven't been so good. And, yeah, spring gets long, but that's no excuse not to play well."
Jeff Suppan started Sunday and was charged with six runs, three of them earned. At least two of those three were stretching the definition of "earned."
An error by second baseman Rickie Weeks, who had a particularly tough afternoon, led to the Royals' first run. Hall then broke on a Gathright line drive that sailed over his head, scoring two earned runs against Suppan.
"I've been waiting for that one all spring," Hall said. "I'm glad to get it out of the way down here instead of in the season. But I should have held up and got a better read on it."
In the sixth, a throwing error by shortstop Ozzie Chavez meant two of the Royals' three runs were unearned.
There were other missteps. Third baseman Tony Graffanino, who later was ejected, was charged with one error and bobbled another -- albeit very tough -- bouncer to his backhand side. Weeks was picked off first base in the first inning, the second time he's been so victimized in three games.
The defensive mistakes forced Suppan to throw 100 pitches in his 5 2/3 innings of work, slightly over the workload pitching coach Mike Maddux considers ideal for this point in spring. Suppan looked for the bright side.
"It's good work to be in those types of situations, where you have to get out of things," Suppan said. "That's the mental side, where you have to bear down and make pitches. There were times when I made those good pitches."
Said Maddux: "Those are character builders, when you have to get four or five outs. Yeah, you should be out of the inning, but you're not."
While Suppan was getting iced, in stormed Graffanino, who had just been ejected by home-plate umpire Travis Reininger and took out his frustrations on his equipment. Graffanino admitted he was upset with a 2-1 pitch that Reininger called strike two, and that he spiked his helmet in disgust once he grounded into a double play and returned to the Brewers' dugout. But Graffanino said he was mad at himself, not the umpire.
"My day was terrible, and I was showing frustration for a very bad game and he throws me out," Graffanino said. "I'm not sure about anybody else, but I know I'm frustrated. I'm seeing the ball well, having good at-bats, hitting the ball hard and it's going right at someone. It's preseason, but you still want to feel good about the way you're swinging the bat. It's hard to feel good when you can't get a hit."
Does Graffanino sense more intensity in the dugout?
"Yeah, no doubt," he said. "We're getting close to the bell ringing and we're taking it more seriously. We have high expectations, and everybody wants to be at the point where he feels like we can start the season tomorrow.
"If we were playing like this out in Texas [over the weekend], I'd be worried. We're not there yet."
For his part, Yost was upbeat after the game. He attributed the infield errors to what Maddux termed the "concrete jungles" that are dry, hard Arizona infields. He also was pleased to get 3 1/3 scoreless innings out of his bullpen, which has struggled.
"We're putting a lot of good innings together and then we've played some bad ones," Suppan said. "I don't think that's a sign of anything. It's just us getting ourselves ready for April. We'll be there."
Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070325&content_id=1859516&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil
