Sheets follows CC's gem with his own CG - 08/09/2008

08/09/2008 11:05 PM ET

Box >

Sheets follows CC's gem with his own
Three homers provide all the support Milwaukee starter needs
By Dave Fultz / MLB.com

MILWAUKEE -- CC Sabathia threw a complete game gem on Friday to shut out the Nationals. Not to be outdone, Ben Sheets put together a brilliant performance of his own to blank Washington and lead the Brewers to a lopsided 6-0 win at Miller Park on Saturday night.

Sheets (11-5) was spectacular, as he set down batters in order in four of his first five innings, working his fourth complete game of the season. The righty allowed just five hits on the night, striking out six and walking none.

"[Sheets] was dead on with his command, kept his fastball down, was banging the strike zone, had a good breaking ball and threw some good changeups in there," manager Ned Yost said. "He had the ball down in the zone and pitched on the corner part of the plate all night."

Sheets matched Sabathia's five-hit shutout from Friday night nearly pitch-for-pitch in tying his teammate atop the National League leaderboard for complete games with his fourth of the year.

The last two games marked the first time that Brewers starters had thrown back-to-back shutouts in more than 15 years. The last time two Milwaukee hurlers accomplished the feat was when Cal Eldred and Chris Bosio shut down California for two consecutive nights in September 1992.

"It's good; we need that," Sheets said. "I'm just glad to get back past the sixth inning again."

Coming into Saturday night's start, Sheets had been a victim of poor run support and bad situations. In his last seven starts, Sheets was 1-4 with a 4.50 ERA and was winless in his last five.

"The big difference was that they put some good pitches into play and allowed me to get some outs early in the count," Sheets said. "Everything was a little sharper tonight. I made some adjustments, and I think they paid off. I don't think I'm exactly where I need to be with the adjustments; they're a work in progress.

"It's hard to stay sound mechanically 32 times in a year. To think that there won't be any ups and downs in a season is crazy, and I'd be crazy if I thought that myself."

Work in progress or not, Sheets was in real trouble only once all night. The Nationals threatened with men on second and third and no one out in the top of the eighth inning, but Sheets settled down and got the next three batters to end the inning and keep the shutout intact.

"I think at times, Benny gets in a rush to get outs," Yost said. "Then he falls behind in the count because he's trying to make the perfect pitch, and his pitch count gets up. When he stays within himself like he did tonight, he'll be good.

"The perfect example was in that eighth inning when they had second and third with nobody out. Normally in those situations, he'll try to get three outs with one hitter, and tonight he took his time, hitter by hitter, and got all three out without letting them score."

Sheets, not known for his ability at the plate, followed up the tough top half of the eighth with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. Yost didn't have any reason to lift his ace from the game for the ninth inning, and even got a laugh after the fact when the pitcher laced the run-scoring hit into the outfield in his last at-bat.

"We got some runs for him, [the Nationals] weren't doing much with him and his pitch count was down -- there wasn't even a consideration at any time," Yost said, adding with a chuckle, "Plus, he's such an RBI machine, it's tough to take him out of those games."

Even before Sheets' run-scoring hit, the Milwaukee offense had a solid night of its own. Not about to let Sheets' great outing go to waste, the Brewers bats came alive early against the Nationals' Tim Redding (8-7) in support of the ace.

Milwaukee scored twice in the third inning, as the team sent seven men to the plate to put the Brewers on top and give Sheets a cushion to work with. The offense wasn't finished there, though, as Ray Durham and J.J. Hardy hit back-to-back homers in with two outs in the fourth inning, and Corey Hart launched a solo shot in the fifth to add some insurance.

Durham reached base in each of his first three trips to the plate, scoring Milwaukee's first run of the game and hitting his first home run as a member of the Brewers. Hardy and Hart each hit their 17th homers of the season, and Prince Fielder extended his current hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the seventh inning.

Not all of the night's news was good news, though, as All-Star slugger Ryan Braun was forced to leave the game in the third inning with lower back tightness. But even the injury brought a positive, as Gabe Kapler delivered a run-scoring single to give the Brewers the lead when he pinch-hit for Braun with two men on and none out in the third.

"It was just as a precaution," Yost said. "We don't need any problems there."

Braun felt the injury during his at-bat in the first inning.

"We'll know more tomorrow morning," Braun said. "My ribcage tightened -- both [sides], actually. I took kind of an awkward swing, and I think it might be some kind of muscle spasm because they both just tightened up on me and I couldn't breathe.

"We'll see how it feels tomorrow morning."

Dave Fultz is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

I wish the Tigers could get one


FIRE JIMBO!

AND MAYBE IT WILL!

Leyland has got to go!

gs78 wrote:

I wish the Tigers could get one


FIRE JIMBO!

AND MAYBE IT WILL!

Hire Bruce Bochy maybe? He let Tim Lincecum throw 132 pitches yesterday even though he said that he's been extra cautious lately with Lincecum and limiting his pitches since he's still so young. 132 pitches is tied for the most anyone has thrown all year! Nobody has thrown more in over 2 years. Hopefully when Bochy stops limiting him so severely (next year?) we'll see 150-200 pitches a night?

FOR THOSE THAT COUNT PITCHES: Despite throwing 132 pitches last night, doctors agree that Tim Lincecum's arm is still attached.

catbox_9 wrote:

gs78 wrote:

I wish the Tigers could get one


FIRE JIMBO!

AND MAYBE IT WILL!

Hire Bruce Bochy maybe? He let Tim Lincecum throw 132 pitches yesterday even though he said that he's been extra cautious lately with Lincecum and limiting his pitches since he's still so young. 132 pitches is tied for the most anyone has thrown all year! Nobody has thrown more in over 2 years. Hopefully when Bochy stops limiting him so severely (next year?) we'll see 150-200 pitches a night?

FOR THOSE THAT COUNT PITCHES: Despite throwing 132 pitches last night, doctors agree that Tim Lincecum's arm is still attached.