The Brewers snapped a five-game losing streak and Dave Sveum picked up his first win as Milwaukee's interim manager, but at what cost? Ben Sheets started but threw just 24 pitches in two innings before leaving with elbow pain. After the game, he admitted that it's been a recurring problem. From Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "We got an MRI earlier and it's not anything structural. The first time I felt it was in St. Louis (Aug. 26). We've done a great job since then, keeping me out there. It hurts."Elbow pain, huh? Sheets threw 100 pitches on Aug. 26 but was limited to just 54 in his next turn on Sept. 1, though the team's explanation at the time was that he had a groin injury. Sheets bounced back to throw 120 pitches in a complete game shutout on Sept. 6 but needed 113 pitches while laboring through six innings (five earned runs) on Sept. 11. For a guy nursing a bum elbow, the Brewers sure haven't minded riding him hard. I mean, really, somebody should be fired! Oh, wait ...
Sheets' comments were news to us since the team has kept the media in the dark about his condition. When asked if he though he would pitch again this season, Sheets said, "It's been so up and down that I would think it's very possible. There's been really good days. There's been really bad days. There's been days that it's hard to move and it's stiff, then the next day it's free."
The Brewers dodged a bullet winning on Wednesday, but they also used seven relievers in the process -- they may very well pay the price today. They trail the Mets by half a game in the wild card standings with no margin for error. Quite literally, their entire season could rest on whether Sheets is able to make his next start.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-18-2008 @ 6:35AM
NeonDon said...
Hey MATT, don't you read anything but what you write????? Sheets has been keeping his pain a secret from, among others, his manager. You think Yost would have risked all those innings down the stretch in a few ballgames? Shows how little you know about the game and about managing. Forget about what Yost accomplsied to get them where they were...including using Sheets right all season. Why don't you sell cotton candy at the balll park instead of writing about baseball since that's the only stuff that dissipates faster than your logic. But unlike cotton candy, you're reasoning takes a lickin' but does NOT keep tickin'.
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9-18-2008 @ 8:53AM
steiny said...
Maybe YOU should read the WHOLE article neondon. Sheets refers to WE several times. As in the Brewers, and him. I assume this would include the manager. But we are talking about the Brewers here. Hope the Brewers make the playoffs though. The Cubs have their number, and would get some easy wins should they play each other in the playoffs! GO Cubs!
9-18-2008 @ 1:22PM
Duke said...
Went to that game and everyone was trying to figure out why Sheets vanished so early in the game. He was pitching fine, as usual, and then without a sound he was gone. It was very odd. Besides that, it was a very depressing game as the Cubs had no batting or pitching power at all.
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