Why Play Carlos Villanueva and Not Mat Gamel?

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Brewers are hurting. We haven’t won a series since the end of June (against the Mets!) and are 4-8 since the All-Star Break.

Given how tough our schedule was during the first half, no one complained that we were 45-43. However, since we’ve been getting beat up by the likes of the Pirates, who keep trading away any hope they have for this season (or likely the next two), and the Nationals, who have all of 32 wins this year, there’s little reason to be optimistic about the playoffs.

First off, I am very cautiously optimistic about Dave Bush coming back in a couple weeks. Many times when a starter comes off the DL, even after working in AAA, the first start is rocky (Manny Parra is the exception that proves the rule). Also, Bush was only our third or fourth starter when he was healthy. However, we do need some consistency from our starting five, and he just might be able to provide that. He can’t be any worse than the relievers we keep bringing in.

Which raises a great point—unless you’ve prepared a reliever to go extended innings, you can’t expect him to go through the line-up more than once. This means he’s going to be giving you at most three innings. Sure, we all thought someone like Seth McClung or Carlos Villanueva could go five innings, and they did. However, the last few innings each of those guys was nowhere near what you need from a starter, even a spot starter.

Since we’re on the subject of starting pitching, I’ll reiterate something I’ve been saying for a year now: Jeff Suppan is not cutting it anymore. As a die-hard fan, I’d like to see us cut our losses with him, regardless of what we’d owe him. There are plenty of teams that are selling right now who would love a starter to mentor the young talent they are bringing up to get ready for next year. However, the Brewers need to win now, and he just isn’t helping us do that anymore.

Maybe Suppan will be able to rehab his oblique strain and get back to the pitcher he was in 2006. Maybe.

Personally, I think the Brewers should have gone with Dillard last night. As a starter in the minors, he could probably pitch five or six major league innings, and he’s used to making changes as the line-up turns over the second and third times. I know both Villanueva and McClung have started in the past, but that translates very little from one year to the next. Better to have a bullpen stocked with fresh arms in case someone like Dillard can’t make it through the fourth inning than to blow a reliever like that.

Lastly, what has Villanueva done this year to warrant a start? Sure, he was great at the beginning of the season, but we need him to straighten out his issues if the Crew is to make a run late into October. However, giving him a chance to shoot us in the foot right out of the gates is not the way to do that.

I would’ve rather they’d sent Villanueva to Nashville for a week or so to work with the outstanding pitching coaches down there. After all, they fixed Manny’s head case!

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?