Well, you gotta have a LOOGY to face a one-legged lefty dwarf DH on a 3-2 count on Botswanan Independence Day, don't you? If you didn't, all the other managers would laugh at you!

The Brewers have plated four extra inning games, Parra/Villanueva/Bush have sputtered, Sheets left early on Friday and the bitter bullpen memories of 2007 linger with the entire organization. The team is going to give Yost as many arms as possible to spread his burning need to pop out of the dugout at every opportunity.

Case in point:

Suppan's cruising yesterday and with 2 outs in the 7th gives up a scratch hit. Votto coming to bat so Yost brings in Shouse. Suppan pitching well needs to be exloited. He's a vet. He had pitched Votto fine all day taking advantage of Wendlestedt's Greggian strike zone.

No mercy for Melvin. He kept Ned around. Free will, it is a b#tch.....

As Harv insinuiated... but didn't state. I expect this will be a short term move, likly for one or two games.

Speculation is that when Gwynn can be activated that Stetter will go back down. Stetter was brought up as a 2nd lefty for the Reds series.

Whaaaaaaaaaaat?

And here I was hoping that the Phillies having only 11 pitchers to start the season would be the start of a wonderful new trend.

How is this even possible in the National League when you need to pinch hit for the pitcher?

Glad to see Gallardo back. Hopefully he'll stay healthy.

It's less possible in the American League when you need a 10-man lineup just to start out the game, before any substitutions.

14 pitchers and they didn't have room for Claudio Vargas?

Meanwhile the Giants are contemplating a six man rotation...

It's less possible in the American League when you need a 10-man lineup just to start out the game, before any substitutions.

I'd say just the opposite. In the American League, there are going to be plenty of games where you only need 9 non-pitchers. If you've got a 9-man bullpen and a good offense like the Brewers, you're going to have the pitcher's spot coming up 2-3 times per game in obvious pinch-hitting situations. If you want to save your backup catcher, just in case, the Brewers are going to run out of pinch hitters by the 6th or 7th inning pretty regularly, and if you pinch-hit with your backup catcher, who's their emergency catcher, the previous night's starting pitcher?

Interesting discussion.

On the other hand, in the NL it is less of a catastrophe to have to let a relief pitcher hit for himself anyway.

And with 14 pitchers, Gagne was still out there for the fourth straight game, and he didn't look nearly as good as had the first three, and he blew the save.

Too bad they don't have Kieschnick anymore, he could pinch hit AND pitch!

How is this even possible in the National League when you need to pinch hit for the pitcher?

The Brewers are in the National League? What?!?

MIL J-S:

It is not known whether Sheets will have to be pushed back a day or will have to miss a start completely, which would keep him off the mound until April 29 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

"At worst, he might miss a start," manager Ned Yost said. "In the least, it will be to back him up a day or two. We had to keep pitching to protect for that.

"Having extra pitching trumped having the extra bench guy."
...
The move leaves the Brewers with just three bench players: infielder Craig Counsell,outfielders Gabe Gross or Gabe Kapler, depending on who starts in center field, and backup catcher Mike Rivera.

"Now, playing with three men presents a lot of difficult challenges," Yost said. "Our starting pitchers that can hit will have their spikes on at the beginning of the game."

So Gallardo and Dave Bush look to be the big offensive winners in this, from the pitchers' side, at least for a day or two.

If Gwynn is going to play three rehab games minimum (according to Yost), he could be up after Monday's game (the third of rehab), though.