Capuano to start; Sheets to bullpen?!?

[bjkrautk]

http://sports.excite.com/news/09272007/v2381.html

 

MILWAUKEE (AP) -Brewers ace Ben Sheets will not start Friday against the San Diego Padres and Chris Capuano will take his place.

Sheets (12-5, 3.82 ERA) threw a 35-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, but still had discomfort in his left hamstring after straining it against Houston on Sept. 18.

The right-hander will be available to pitch an inning from the bullpen, he said.

"It was the only thing that really made sense," Sheets said. "Whatever it takes. I'd like to play. If it's one inning. It's one inning.

"It stays pretty weak. To expect six (innings) out of it would just be ridiculous, the way it feels."

Milwaukee was two games behind Chicago in the NL Central to start Thursday.

Brewers manager Ned Yost said they might have to use Sheets in a relief role if they lose Seth McClung for the rest of the season. McClung was suspended three games on Thursday for hitting Albert Pujols with a pitch and is scheduled to have his appeal heard before Friday's game.

"If we lose McClung, we might have Benny slotted in the sixth and seventh innings slot," Yost said. "If we don't have to use him, we probably won't."

The left-handed Capuano (5-12, 5.09 ERA) also took Sheets' rotation spot Sunday in a 7-4 loss to the Braves. He pitched well, allowing one run in five innings in his first start since being sent to the bullpen after losing 12 straight decisions dating to May 7.

The Brewers are scheduled to start Dave Bush (12-10, 5.16 ERA) and Jeff Suppan (11-12, 4.57 ERA) in the final two games of the season.

[And That]

Ben Sheets would be one hell of a closer.

[SeriesFinale]

I womder if Sheeter and Kerry Wood talk much

[adamb100]

Or Mark Prior.

[SoCalBrewfan]

Ok, so who predicted that Sheets would end the year as a fill-in for Seth McClung?

[BrewCrewForever]

Hey I will take Sheets for one inning tonight if we really need to get 3 outs later in the game like the 6, 7 or 8th.

[JohnBriggs12]

"Ben Sheets would be one hell of a closer".

 

The concern for me though is that as a starter he often took a couple innings to get his fastball into the mid 90's range.

 

That being said, if I knew he'd be healthy for a full year as a reliever, he would be more valuable to this team than he is making 15-20 starts per year.

[RU Rah Rah]

OK, I am confused. I am assuming that he tweaked the hammy because of inadequate stretching/warmup. So now he's going to the bullpen, where stretching/warming up is tougher?

 

It seems to me that, if he's going to pitch, it would be safer to start him. That way, you can ensure that he's good and stretched out and ready. (I understand the problem with that scenario, though -- Cappy would have to be on standby, etc.)

[Katuluu]

Ok, so who predicted that Sheets would end the year as a fill-in for Seth McClung?

Better yet, who predicted that and said we were still contending for a playoff spot?

 

[davego]

Contending with Sheets in the pen, even.

[BrewCityUnit]

I hope I never have to see Ben Sheets pitch in a Brewer uniform again.

[Bucky Rules]

Yeah... he's awful when he pitches in a Brewer's uniform.

[BrewCityUnit]

I use to agree with that Bucky Rules but after this season, no thanks. I would rather have a guy I can count on who actually wants to pitch when the season is on the line.

[Oldcity]

I actually hope I see Ben Sheets pitch in a Brewer uniform a lot more. Like, every five days next season, for example.

[Thurston Fluff]

On the bright side it does give Cappy one more game this season to end on a high note. After the season he had it's going be long winter for him either way but one good start might give him a little confidence and get the bad taste out of his mouth somewhat.

[lumberrule]

I agree somewhat with BrewCity here. For the past few seasons, Ben Sheets has been nothing but frustration. This young team that is ready to break out has an "ace" pitcher who gets hurt often enough to miss about half the season, which does nothing but cause this team big problems and create messes within the pitching staff.

Yeah, the hammy probably hurts. But you know what? If Benny thinks he is a $10 million pitcher and the ace of this staff, he needs to suck it up and pitch. JJ Hardy has played hurt just about the entire second half of the year. Bill Hall has played hurt. Rickie Weeks hasn't been at 100% the entire year. Corey Hart has been banged up this year. Johnny Estrada played hurt until his knee finally gave out. But Ben Sheets feels any sort of twinge anywhere, he's out. Its frustrating and maddening. We hear all the time about Ben Sheets being "chomping at the bit" to get out there, yet every time his turn comes to pitch, he's always just a bit too sore to play. I would have a hard time arguing with anybody right now who would say Ben is nothing but another in a long line of talented pitchers who are weak, injury prone, and have no heart...guys who talk a big game and show flashes of greatness, but when push comes to shove, just move gently out of the spotlight and "back into the crowd" trying not to get noticed.

It would be one thing if this were in May or June...fine, take two weeks off, rest the leg, and go back out there. But after this week if the Brewers dont make the playoffs, he'll have all winter to rest. This is the last week of a pennant race, and this team stayed in it DESPITE Ben's missing most of the second half. The least he could do is TRY to go out there and suck it up for one game for his teammates.

In some ways, I liken this situation to Brett Favre. Yes, 2 different sports, but Favre is the leader of that team, and if he is physically able to play, he is out there, no matter what's hurting him. Lord knows he's played football at the highest levels with injuries a lot more serious that a "slight strain" of the hamstring. Ben Sheets wants to be a leader of this Brewers team, and its obvious the Crew feeds off him the same way the Packers feed off Favre, but Sheets doesnt act like a leader when the time comes for leaders to step up.

Im seriously scared that the Brewers will throw away a ton of money on a guy who, while talented, seems to always disappear when the going gets tough and when the team needs him most. Is this the type of guy we want leading the pitching staff of a team thats going to be immensly talented for the next handful of seasons?

[M Skjellyfetti]

This brings a whole new meaning to the term "relief ace".

[RU Rah Rah]

Yeah, the hammy probably hurts. But you know what? If Benny thinks he is a $10 million pitcher and the ace of this staff, he needs to suck it up and pitch. JJ Hardy has played hurt just about the entire second half of the year. Bill Hall has played hurt. Rickie Weeks hasn't been at 100% the entire year. Corey Hart has been banged up this year. Johnny Estrada played hurt until his knee finally gave out. But Ben Sheets feels any sort of twinge anywhere, he's out. Its frustrating and maddening. We hear all the time about Ben Sheets being "chomping at the bit" to get out there, yet every time his turn comes to pitch, he's always just a bit too sore to play. I would have a hard time arguing with anybody right now who would say Ben is nothing but another in a long line of talented pitchers who are weak, injury prone, and have no heart...guys who talk a big game and show flashes of greatness, but when push comes to shove, just move gently out of the spotlight and "back into the crowd" trying not to get noticed.

 

It would be one thing if this were in May or June...fine, take two weeks off, rest the leg, and go back out there. But after this week if the Brewers dont make the playoffs, he'll have all winter to rest. This is the last week of a pennant race, and this team stayed in it DESPITE Ben's missing most of the second half. The least he could do is TRY to go out there and suck it up for one game for his teammates.

 

I am not sure if I agree or not. I have to think he's enough of a competitor to be out there, if he could. But then . . .it wasn't a full hammy pull, was it? I remember if being described as a "grab." And that was how long ago?

Of course, if you run him out there and he really is hurting, he could mess up his arm if his mechanics are thrown off.

 

So, obviously, I am ambivalent. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, I suppose.

[Oldcity]

Ben needs to learn how to suck it up and pitch through pain.

 

Like, pitching a full season with a herniated disc, or something.

[brewers19]

Ben needs to learn how to suck it up and pitch through pain.

 

Things like a torn ligament in a finger on your pitching hand, a strained hamstring, and a torn muscle in the shoulder/back are not issues of mind over matter; if the physical structure of the body isn't capable of supporting/producing the kind of motion required for pitching, it's just not gonna happen, regardless of how much he might try. On top of that, pitching through an injury would likely make it a whole heck of a lot worse and have some adverse effects on his mechanics to boot.

[BrewCityUnit]

Things like a torn ligament in a finger on your pitching hand, a strained hamstring, and a torn muscle in the shoulder/back are not issues of mind over matter; if the physical structure of the body isn't capable of supporting/producing the kind of motion required for pitching, it's just not gonna happen, regardless of how much he might try. On top of that, pitching through an injury would likely make it a whole heck of a lot worse and have some adverse effects on his mechanics to boot.

 

 

Curt Shilling would not have missed either start with a strained hamstring. Ben Sheets let us down again.

[rluzinski]

I'll never understand when a bunch of people on message boards sees fit to say when a guy should be able to play through an injury or not. The only person who knows if an athlete can go is the athlete. That's true for any sport.

[Roscoe Chill]

I'll never understand when a bunch of people on message boards sees fit to say when a guy should be able to play through an injury or not. The only person who knows if an athlete can go is the athlete. That's true for any sport.

 

I agree. I have no doubt that Sheets is unable to pitch, and if he was he would be out there. The problem is how many times in the last three years he hasn't been able to pitch. People are just frustrated with Sheets and rightly so.

[Invader3K]

I think the franchise is going to have to decide whether they see Sheets as the "ace" cornerstone of the starting rotation after this season. I think it might be time to move him into a fifth starter type role, where he gets some starts skipped to reduce the chance of injury. Heck, convert him to a closer. He'd probably be one of the best in the business.

 

Personally, I think it's time to start building around Yovani Gallardo.