Saturday, August 12, 2006

And why exactly did he get another chance?

Brewers are in a tie game with a team ahead of us in the wild card and heading into the bottom of the 9th and for some ungodly reason decide to use Derrick Turnbow, who promptly puts men on base and gives up a double to let the winning run score.

And NOW is when manager Ned Yost finally says the words we've been longing to hear:

Given one more chance to redeem himself and show he can contribute to victories, Turnbow failed again Friday night. Afterward, Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost conceded that he'll have to stop using the deposed closer with games on the line.

"We're going to have to (stop)," Yost said. "Right now, his tempo is real slow. He's thinking way too much out there."

Consider these mind-boggling stats:
Now 4-8 with a 6.40 earned run average, Turnbow has made 15 appearances since the start of July. Over that span, he is 0-5 with four blown saves and an 18.32 ERA, with 16 hits, 13 walks and 19 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings


On the plus side, this is the 3rd straight really nice outing for our starting pitchers:

For most of the night, it was the hitters who were frustrated as Smoltz and Brewers lefty Chris Capuano locked up in an old-fashioned pitching duel. Trying for the sixth time to record his first victory of the second half, Capuano was brilliant, allowing only four hits and one run over seven innings, with no walks and four strikeouts.

Capuano was in such command that he threw only 68 pitches before departing. With runners on the corners and one down in the eighth, Yost had no choice but to hit for Capuano. Geoff Jenkins - who was removed from his starting job in right field earlier in the day - delivered a tying sacrifice fly that nearly left the park in right.

" 'Jenksie' just got under that ball," Yost said. "It sounded really good when he hit it."

The only damage the Braves did to Capuano came in the second inning, when Jones led off with his 29th homer of the season on the first pitch. Capuano was trying to get a fastball in on Jones but left it up and over the plate.

"They were hacking early, swinging at a lot of pitches early in the count," Capuano said. "That made for a fast game (2 hours 16 minutes).

(all info from this article)

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