Random Rabble: March 29

The Montreal Canadiens did the expected Thursday morning, firing general manager Pierre Gauthier. This has been a disastrous season for the Canadiens, who are last in the Eastern Conference and have already made waves by firing an assistant coach a couple hours before a game, firing the head coach on a game day, and hiring a non-French speaking coach to finish the season. Gauthier's reign being as bad as it was means most fans will probably look at this news as a positive.

But even that's relative. No one who roots for this team is truly happy, because the fact Gauthier had to go only means the franchise is in worse shape than when he took over, and that's just not acceptable.

No idea what direction Montreal will go for a new coach (no way Randy Cunneyworth stays) and GM. My guess is both will have French-speaking abilities.

Baseball is upon us, and the Brewers will again give the ball to Yovani Gallardo for Opening Day. It's not surprising, as this will be Gallardo's third straight season-opening start for the Crew. What might make it a mild surprise is the fact that Gallardo's career numbers against the Brewers' opponent next Friday -- defending World Series champion St. Louis -- are poor (11 starts, 1-7, 5.66).

The Cardinals' offense shouldn't be as menacing without Albert Pujols, but I really liked the Carlos Beltran signing. He can't hit 35 home runs or anything like that, but he has a good bat and can play center field as good as anyone around.

I'm pretty pumped for Opening Day, as usual. The Brewers won the division last year, and while the offseason wasn't exactly outstanding -- the team lost Prince Fielder, had the Braun drug controversy, and overpaid for Aramis Ramirez -- it looks like the Brewers should stay at or near the top of the Central this year.

Twins fans have reason for optimism, too, as Justin Morneau is mashing at spring training. After a 3-for-33 start to the spring, Morneau has been hot for a week or so. He's 8-for-17 with nine RBI over the last five games. Oh, and Joe is hitting .340. The Twins soooooo desperately need those bats back to snuff. The Twins don't figure to have great pitching this year, though good seasons from Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano might change that a bit.

It's hard to trust this rotation. We've danced this dance with Liriano numerous times. Pavano will never be more than he is now. Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn are solid pitchers, but can they stay healthy and consistent enough?

When next Friday rolls around, and the baseball games count again, it'll be interesting to see how long the Twins and Brewers can stay relevant.

Francisco Liriano's No-Hitter Could Be Sign of Change

Just hours before the first pitch, I filed a piece talking about how the Twins had to find a way to get this wayward ship turned in the right direction quickly.

The notion that they have to play .630 ball over the rest of the season to match last year's win total wasn't daunting, because they don't necessarily have to finish with that kind of record to make the playoffs.

However, you can't keep scuffling along the way the Twins were and expect things to just start getting better.

Hopefully, Francisco Liriano started the ball rolling in the right direction Tuesday night.

Liriano threw one of the more improbable no-hitters in baseball history Tuesday in Chicago, as the Twins beat the White Sox 1-0. It's improbable for a slew of reasons:

• Only 66 of his 123 pitches went for strikes, a strikingly low number.
• He walked six batters and only struck out two, meaning his defense turned 22 balls in play into outs (three double plays).
• Liriano entered this start 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA, the second-worst ERA to start a game by a pitcher who would go on to throw a no-hitter since the earned run became an official statistic in 1913.
• He was only pitching with a one-run lead for most of the game, though there have been five 1-0 no-hitters in the last 20 years, so maybe that's not as big a deal as I think.

There is no doubt that things going on "between the ears" mean a lot for pitchers, perhaps more for pitchers than any other position in the game. For Liriano, this could be a huge development.

No, he wasn't throwing absolute filth Tuesday night. He was scattershot with his pitches, and he had trouble locating virtually everything. There will be -- unquestionably -- some fans (especially fans of the White Sox) who call this some version of an "accidental" no-hitter. It was the pairing of a guy who had decent stuff with a team capable of hitting the ball right at people.

But it's confidence for Liriano, and he needed that more than anything.

It's also a shot in the arm for a team that has seen nothing go right for 27 games. Between injuries and underperforming players, Minnesota has seen little that was worth celebrating this season. Now, they have that. They have the first no-hitter of the baseball season.

And no matter how much White Sox fans hate it, they can't ever take this one away from Liriano.

2011 Milwaukee Brewers: We've Come A Long Way From Rafael Roque

Embarrassing.

To be perfectly blunt, that is a word that could be used to describe the state of the Milwaukee Brewers' pitching staff in 2010.

Outside of Yovani Gallardo being Yovani Gallardo (meaning, he was quite effective, got shelled once in a while, and sometimes took way too many pitches to get through six innings), the Brewers had virtually nothing that could be passed off as major-league caliber starting pitching. Chris Narveson and Randy Wolf are the only returnees from last year's rotation besides Gallardo, and neither was exactly stellar in 2010. Narveson had a nice season after a long minor-league odyssey, but there's no reason to think he's anything more than a fifth starter in an acceptable major-league rotation. Wolf was general manager Doug Melvin's big free-agent prize last offseason, and while he pitched well after a poor start and did log over 200 innings, he's going to be an expensive fourth starter on this team.

Dave Bush? He's in Texas. Doug Davis? Can't find him because no one wants him. Manny Parra? Bullpen-ized. And thank goodness.

After a 77-85 season that sent Ken Macha to find a different place to sleep, the Brewers entered the offseason with a decision to make.

They could trade Prince Fielder -- a free agent after the 2011 season unless hell freezes over and he signs an extention -- and get what they could for the big man. The price, besides losing the big man, would be that the 2011 Brewers had virtually no chance of being good enough to be a playoff contender.

Or ...

Finding no real market for Prince, the Brewers could load up on starting pitching through trades, deal with the potentially-gutted minor-league system later, and field a contender in 2011.

Melvin pulled off moves to bring in Shawn Marcum from Toronto (for infielder Brett Lawrie, who is a much better prospect because of his hitting than his defense, and has flashed plenty of immaturity), then pulled off a blockbuster a week before Christmas, as he was able to acquire 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke from Kansas City.

Melvin paid a steep price, giving up his best hitting prospect (Lawrie) for Marcum, then dealing his two best pitching prospects (Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress), along with the Brewers' potential Opening Day center fielder (Lorenzo Cain) and shortstop (Alcides Escobar).

Marcum and Greinke -- combined with Gallardo -- give the Brewers a formidable starting rotation. Considering what St. Louis can do, even now that Adam Wainwright is out of the picture for 2011 because of Tommy John surgery, and what the Reds have on their staff, the Brewers needed to get better in a hurry.

Factor in other National League clubs who have arms, and the decision looks even smarter. Philadelphia signed Cliff Lee, and already had Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. San Francisco -- defending WORLD CHAMPIONS -- proved they can pitch with anyone, thanks to guys like Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner.

There is virtually no chance the Brewers can win the National League Central, or National League, without their pitchers out-pitching guys everyone else thinks are better. Talk all you want about Fielder and Ryan Braun, but the pitching matters.

Of course, guys like Fielder, Braun, Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, and Casey McGehee can bash, and they will make the pitchers better by lowering their margin for error.

In all honesty, when you look at the 2011 Brewers, it's hard not to be excited. Then you look at all the preview magazines tabbing other teams ahead of them (I've seen Milwaukee picked as low as fourth), and it really makes you wonder.

How does a team this good on paper fly so far under the radar?

Imagine if they had "Cardinals" instead of "Brewers" on their shirts. They'd be the talk of baseball as Opening Day approaches.

That's fine. If I've learned anything in the last week, it's that flying under the radar isn't always a bad thing.

Brewers Win One 'For Cappy'

May 7, 2007, was a long time ago.

It's been over three years. In that amount of time, so much has changed. Not just in baseball, but in the world. New president, new problems, new fads, new technology.

For Brewers pitcher Chris Capuano, enough was enough.

Capuano has dealt with two Tommy John surgeries on his left elbow. There was a time where people wondered if he would ever pitch again.

Monday night, Capuano got his first win in over three years, as the Brewers toppled Pittsburgh 3-1.

Manager Ken Macha said Sunday that Capuano would be limited to under 70 pitches in this start, and he told the media he would be thrilled to get four innings out of Capuano. The plan was for Carlos Villanueva, a former starter, to pitch into the seventh, thus lessening the strain on an oft-overworked bullpen.

Capuano did his manager one better, getting through five innings while throwing 65 pitches. From there, a Rickie Weeks two-run home run gave the Brewers a 3-1 lead in the sixth, and Capuano was in line for the win.

Afterward, it was clear how important this was to Capuano and his teammates. After all, it's hard to get around a streak of 30 major-league appearances without a win.

“I surprised myself with how much I was aware of it,” said Capuano, who got a new perspective on winning and losing when he wasn’t sure he’d ever pitch again.

... When he was done, Capuano retreated to the clubhouse to fetch his iPod, trying to soothe his anxiety with some relaxing music as he watched a succession of four relievers cover the final four innings. Things got a bit tense in the ninth when the Pirates put two on with no outs against closer John Axford, who responded by striking out Brewer-killer Ryan Doumit and Ryan Church before retiring Ronny Cedeno on a grounder to second.

Axford, who converted his 12th save in 12 chances, said the relievers were aware of what was at stake for Capuano after Rickie Weeks’ two-run homer in the top of the sixth snapped a 1-1 tie.

“When we went ahead, 3-1, we said, ‘Let’s do this for ‘Cappy,’” said Axford. “When you look at what he’s gone through, for Cappy to persevere is a testament to him. It’s unbelievable. It really is.”

... “It’s going to be pretty tough to get me down tonight,” said Capuano, whose only other start came on June 3 in Florida after returning to the majors. “That was a really nice gift from the team.

“I have a long view with baseball now. Wins and losses become a lot less important when you’re faced with ‘Am I going to pitch again?’ It puts all that stuff in perspective. I’m just really happy to get (a victory) with the Brewers.”

It's a nice story during what has been a dreadful season for Milwaukee. Capuano might not do much else this season, but he's proven he can win at this level.

More importantly, he showed great heart and moxie just making it back to the bigs after all the adversity he's experienced.

Hoffman 'Embarrassed' By Blown Saves

A 3-3 homestand is not the best way to open a season, but the Milwaukee Brewers had just that. Included was a series loss over the weekend to a St. Louis team the Brewers have to play better against if they are to have a chance in the National League Central.

There were some good things that happened during the week. We saw a good start from Rickie Weeks, and rookie Alcides Escobar continues to show he belongs at this level. Ryan Braun didn't sock his first home run of the year until Sunday night, but he hit the ball well. Jim Edmonds and Corey Hart both started decently. Dave Bush and Randy Wolf have pitched okay.

Outside of that, not much good is going on. Jeff Suppan is returning to the rotation Wednesday, virtually guaranteeing a loss and a worn-out bullpen every fifth day. Carlos Gomez had four hits on Opening Day, and then turned back into Carlos Gomez. Prince Fielder can't seem to hit the ball, though you probably shouldn't worry about him slugging .318 for much longer.

Despite those concerns, the biggest worry on the team centers around future Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman. The 42-year-old pitched like a spry youngster -- albeit one with no velocity -- last year, allowing just two home runs in 54 innings.

In four innings this season, he's allowed three.

Making matters worse, Hoffman has allowed six runs in those four innings, and he has thrown just one "clean" inning (no runs allowed) in his four appearances. The latest bad inning for Hoffman came Sunday, when he allowed back-to-back two-out home runs to Cardinal stars Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday to turn a 7-4 Brewers lead into a 7-7 tie.

Hoffman has a lethal changeup, but it doesn't work if people start figuring out his fastball, which barely hits 85 miles per hour.

Naturally, Pujols and Holliday both homered off fastballs that Hoffman failed to locate.

After the game, Hoffman was understandably upset.

“You throw 85 mph right over the plate and that’s usually what happens,” Hoffman said with a forced smile. “Not to be funny about it because it’s embarrassing.

“Honestly, it was a situation where you’re trying to pitch with a three-run lead. As easy as it might seem that they make home runs happen, they can easily make outs, too.

“You’ve got to locate pitches, regardless of what you’re throw. They’re good hitters. They’re going to make even good pitches look bad.”

So, where does Hoffman go from here?

“I don’t want to give clichés but you’ve got to take things one pitch at a time from now on out and try to simplify and get the ball over,” he said.

“Just trust your routine. It’s been successful for a while up to this point. You’ve got to trust and believe it will get you out of this rut. You don’t want to be the weak link. I have to step it up.”

While none of this is good, it might not be time to push the panic button.

There are negatives, obviously. Hoffman is 42. He relies on pinpoint control and some deception. Basically, he's a pitcher and not a thrower. If his stratgery or his command are off the mark, he's screwed.

Right now, it appears his command isn't where it needs to be, especially on his "fastball."

(In Hoffman's defense, the pitch Nick Stavinoha hit out on Friday night was a good pitch. He hit it while practically on one knee as he forced himself to wait back on it. Nothing Hoffman could -- or should -- want back about that, outside of the result.)

But Hoffman understands pitching. He's accountable, as evidenced by his ability to talk candidly about Sunday's blown save, instead of throwing out a bunch of cliches about putting this behind him and saying something like "It is what it is," which drives fans nuts.

Hoffman knows he hasn't pitched well, and he appears determined to keep working and figure it out.

The 3-3 Brewers start a nine-game road trip Monday at Chicago, serving as the team that will ruin the Cubs' home opener at Wrigley Stadium.

Twins Name A Committee

When the Minnesota Twins lost closer Joe Nathan for the season to Tommy John surgery, I linked a LaVelle E. Neal III blog post where he speculated the Twins would avoid a "closer by committee" situation.

It was well-reasoned. As LVIII noted, manager Ron Gardenhire tried to use a committee of setup men in 2008, and it was an epic fail. The thinking was he would avoid such a situation for his closer's role in 2010.

Not only that, but "closer by committee" sets a manager up for a lot of second-guessing. If he designates a closer, sticks with that guy, and gets reasonable results, he doesn't have to deal with "Hey idiot, why'd you use that guy in the ninth instead of this other guy?" questions from the media after ninth-inning implosions.

Instead, Gardenhire appears ready to go with the ol' committee.

"Same with our setup roles," Gardenhire said. "We plan on bouncing those guys all around because we think we have four, five guys who are very capable going into those roles ... unless something changes."

Gardenhire said someone could emerge from the group to fill Nathan's role, but it's a lot to ask, considering Nathan's 246 saves are the most in baseball since 2004.

"We're going to try just about anything and see how we get them out," Gardenhire said.

The Twins do have options. Matt Guerrier, Pat Neshek, Jesse Crain, Jose Mijares, and maybe someday Francisco Liriano (no, I'm not letting that go) could all have a shot at closing at one point or another. Of course, if someone gets hot, expect Gardenhire -- who's far from an idiot -- to ride that horse as long as he can.

While you have to like the gusto of such a plan, it does set the manager up for a long year of stupid second-guessing reporters.

You put yourself in that position, you run the risk of ending up like Hal McRae.



Now put that in your (bleep)in' pipe and smoke it.

No Mulder For Brewers

A few weeks ago, while starting to get excited for Brewers baseball, the subject of pitching was brought up.

It was mentioned that veteran free agent Mark Mulder, after battling injuries for a couple years, was looking at a return, and his team could be the Brewers.

No dice.

Mulder had either decided to retire, step away from baseball for a while, or he doesn't know what he's going to do.

No matter the decision, it doesn't sound like he'll be a Brewer. Yet.

"It's unbelievable. Where is it coming from?" he asked me with a chuckle. "I never said 'retirement.' That's the wrong word. The thing is, physically, I feel great, but my arm just doesn't work the way I want to work, so I just shut it down from throwing. But I never really said I was going to retire; I'm 32 and I don't feel like there's anything physically wrong with me."

Several reports today indicated that Mulder was calling it a career, and Mulder's longtime teammate Eric Chavez told me and other media members that essentially the same thing. "He said he's done," Chavez told me this afternoon.

"But he didn't really do a good job of convincing me. I said, 'You're not going to be the next Brett Favre are you?' "

Mulder said what it really amounts to is that he's stepping back for at least awhile. After two-plus years of surgery and rehab and visiting specialists and therapists, he has grown frustrated with the fact that even though he feels terrific, his left shoulder doesn't rotate exactly right, or that's how it feels.

He told me he doesn't feel like he can get behind the ball properly when he's throwing out of a delivery, although everything is just fine when he's playing catch or doing long toss. The mechanics of the delivery are what are off, somehow, and he hasn't solved that puzzle despite consulting with everyone from motion experts to former coaches.

Who knows about June, I guess?

Mulder would have been a nice addition from a competition standpoint. However, he has to have looked at the Brewers' glut of starting pitchers and wondered where he would fit in, even if he were healthy.

Unfortunately for Brewer fans, no Mulder increases the likelihood of Jeff "Money Eater" Suppan hanging around. Suppan is in his contract year, assuming the Brewers don't pick up his option (why would they?). Hopefully, he finds a way to locate pitches better than he did in 2009, and he can be a somewhat-valuable player for the team.

The good thing about Mulder not showing up is that there is no threat of the Brewers having four lefties in the starting rotation. Given the number of right-handed hitters in the NL Central, too many lefties could actually be a bad thing.

Brewers Shape Starting Rotation as Sheets Signs With Oakland

With pitchers and catchers on the verge of reporting, the Milwaukee Brewers appear to have set their starting rotation.

Or have they?

Late last week, the Brewers finalized a one-year deal (with an option) for one-time Brewer and former Arizona Diamondback Doug Davis. That came after the earlier signing of Randy Wolf. They're both left-handed in a heavily right-handed National League Central, but Davis has been better in his career against righties, and he knows how to pitch. He throws a lot, but he doesn't overstrain his arm, and he isn't afraid to walk guys in the right situations. There aren't a lot of guys who have the patience and savvy to consistently throw this way, but Davis (known as "Sharpie" -- at least among Brewer fans -- for his one-time fake-looking goatee) gets away with walking a hitter roughly every two innings. He's a quality-start machine, which bodes well given this team's offensive potential.

To add to that, Milwaukee has re-signed Dave Bush on a one-year deal, so it appears he will be in the rotation. If he is fully recovered from the arm problems that derailed what could have been a career year in 2009, Bush could be a huge factor.

(Yes, his overall numbers pre-injury were still a bit mediocre. But this is Dave Bush we're talking about!)

Line them up, and you have a rotation for 2010 that looks light years ahead of the one Milwaukee used in 2009.

1. Yovani Gallardo
2. Randy Wolf
3. Doug Davis
4. Dave Bush
5. Manny Parra/Jeff Suppan/Chris Narveson/Mark Mulder

Wait.

Mark Mulder?

Yes, the same Mulder you remember from Oakland and St. Louis in the past. Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson was Mulder's mentor in Oakland, and the veteran left-hander is at least considering Milwaukee as the place he goes to for his baseball comeback. Shoulder problems derailed him, but obviously he's had success with Peterson before.

IF Mulder signs (huge "if" at this point), the Brewers sport the potential for four lefties in their rotation. They also get the ability to spot-start Parra, who struggled last year but has a great arm and a ton of potential. That takes the strain off his young arm, and it also takes the strain off Mulder as he tries to get back in shape. It could be an ideal situation, at least early in the year.

The club is high on Narveson, and he'll get a chance to win a job in spring training. But who is the odd man out?

Right now, it appears Suppan could get his walking papers. He's destined for the bullpen, but can he legitimately hold down a job there, or will he force the Brewers to eat the last year of his bloated contract? He's been generally terrible in Milwaukee, unable to consistently get people out and prone to some huge innings at really bad times (not that there's a good time to give up a big inning).

The best news Milwaukee got Tuesday? Ben Sheets signed with Oakland. The Cubs were in the running for the former Brewer, which would have meant a season of Sheets haunting the Crew, and no one needed to see that.

Instead, the Brewers will maybe see Sheets in spring training, and that's it.

After the way Milwaukee contractually jerked Sheets around while catering to the far inferior Suppan, fans should count their blessings that Sheets left the NL Central.