Last week it was reported that Chris Capuano had what's called a torn "replacement tendon" in his pitching elbow (it's called that because he's already had Tommy John surgery once in his career). Given that the near universal fix for that injury is, in Capuano's case, a second TJ operation, everyone just assumed that would be the next step.
Yeah, Chris Capuano's having none of that. Instead of surgery, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting that he's going to try and rehab the thing for a month, then have exploratory surgery if necessary. It's a fairly insane route, as most everyone he's talked to has recommended surgery. If it manages to work, he'll certainly miss less time than he would with the Tommy John surgery, but if it doesn't, he's going to need surgery again anyways and he'll just miss more time.
I don't think this was impossible to see coming, actually. He called the thought of rehabbing the arm again "daunting," and the number of players that have had two Tommy John surgeries and been effective afterwards is a pretty slim list (actually, I'm not entirely sure that anyone is on the list at all). The chances of him being able to rehab this injury and pitch this year are also slim, but hey, it's worth a shot, right?
The Brewers quest to fill their final rotation spot just got a little easier, but not in a good way. The twinge that Chris Capuano felt in his elbow last week turned out to be another tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, which will most likely result in a second Tommy John surgery (his first was in 2002).
Though the Brewers haven't really made any comments, it seems likely that the injury means locks Manny Parra into their fifth rotation spot. Parra had somewhat of a breakout year in AA and AAA last year, going 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA, striking out a batter an inning across both levels. Parra may be the fifth starter in name, but he'll probably be the third best pitcher in the rotation, which means he's going to have the help Yovani Gallardo shoulder the load when Ben Sheets inevitably gets hurt in June.
As for Capuano, things look bleak. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has some names of players that have had two Tommy John surgeries and they came up with Darren Dreifort, Chad Fox, and Steve Ontiveros. That's not exactly an inspiring list to add your name to.
One of the biggest questions for the Milwaukee Brewers this year as they look to challenge the Chicago Cubs for the NL Central is their rotation. Last year, no one except Yovani Gallardo really stepped up for the plate when Ben Sheets got hurt and that meltdown may have been what cost Milwaukee the division, as they finished behind the Cubs by two games. Accordingly, I'm not sure if it's good or bad news for them that Chris Capuano is hurt.
Don't get me wrong, it's never good news then a player gets hurt and no one wants to hear about a twinge in the elbow at this time of year. The thing is, Capuano was pretty terrible after winning his first five decisions last year. After a 3-0 win against the Nationals to put his record at 5-0 on May 7th, Capuano went 0-12 and the Brewers lost every single one of the 22 games he appeared in over the remainder of the season. That was probably because of his 6.08 ERA and the .879 OPS against that he allowed over that span.
If this ensures Manny Parra a spot in the Brewers' rotation, it's a blessing in disguise for Milwaukee. They're going to need someone to step up with Gallardo (who's on schedule for a mid-April return) during the biannual Ben Sheets fluky injury. I doubt anyone on the Brewers' staff last year is up to that task, but Parra just might be.
The NL Central has already seen two of its six teams can their managers this year with two more (Jim Tracy, who's working for a new GM and Tony La Russa, who seems sick of St. Louis) likely to go at season's end. And apparently, Ned Yost would like to join them.
Facing a 2.5 deficit in the Central with little more than a week remaining, Yost was forced to choose a starter today when it became clear that Ben Sheets would be unable to go today with his gimpy hamstring. His choices? Claudio Vargas or Chris Capuano. True, Vargas has been shaky this year, but he pitched well in his last outing when Sheets went down. He's also not Chris Capuano. The Brewers have lost the last 20 games that Capuano has appeared in! He's lost his last 12 decisions. He's got an ERA of over 6.00 since mid-May. Let me say this, with emphasis: YOU ARE IN A GD PENNANT RACE! YOU ARE 2.5 GAMES BACK WITH TEN GAMES LEFT! YOU CANNOT MAKE CHOICES THAT WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY LOSE YOU A GAME AT THIS POINT IN THE YEAR!
I used to think that managers had a big final impact on whether a team was a winning team or a losing team. After a couple of years of really looking at it, it's become more and more clear to me that all managers really have to do is not screw things up. Maybe Capuano will go out and throw a gem against the Braves today, but as of right now there's no reason to think that he will, and that's what makes this an awful, awful move.
Chris Capuanoturned 29 yesterday. He had to be hoping that maybe that little fact would be enough to spur him out of his recent slump (since June 8th, he's 0-6 with an ERA of over 7.00). And sure enough, the Brewers staked him out to a 5-0 lead after the third inning and things were looking up. Then, in a microcosm of the Brewers season, everything fell apart. Capuano gave up five runs over the next few innings and before the Brewers knew what hit them, they were staring at a 7-6 loss to the Reds. The Brewers have now dropped ten of their past thirteen games, the were 1-5 on their recent homestand, and now they're leaving on a nine game road trip. The amazing thing is that they started this 13 game skid a game up on the NL Central, and they're still only one game behind the Cubs.
So is there any good news for the Brewers? I guess the Cubs and Cardinals being rained out last night counts, because it meant they only lost a half game on the division. Beyond that, there's not much good news. They're really sliding right now and if they keep playing like they have been, I think the NL Central race is going to turn into an anti-climax.
The Brewers are certainly primed for success over the next several years here with their young core of players. At what point do you say, "Screw the next couple years talk, this team is good enough to win now!" Have you reached that point for the 2007 season?
David from Brewers Bar: GM Doug Melvin, Owner Mark Attanasio, and Manager Ned Yost have been saying "we can win this year" all season, and I think most fans have, too. The fast start convinced almost every Brewers fan that the team had what it needed to win the division and even make it to the World Series. I think trading away Will Inman and two other prospects for Scott Linebrink solidified that the Brewers management wants to win now, and the fans are still thinking that way.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing matchups
Cleveland Indians (65-53) vs. Detroit Tigers (65-53)-7:05PM Est.
The AL Central was supposed to be the toughest division in baseball, but lately it's looking a lot more like it's National League counterpart than anything else. Who knows? Maybe it still is the toughest division in baseball, and everybody's just worn out after playing each other the last few seasons. Or maybe, just maybe, these teams aren't as good as we all thought. The Tigers and Indians have taken turns giving up the division lead to each other the last few weeks, and tonight they start a two game series to see which team wants it the least. Normally a pitching matchup between C.C. Sabathia and Jeremy Bonderman would be a must watch, but Bondo hasn't been holding up his end of the bargain lately. After starting the season 10-1, Bonderman is 0-4 with an 11.28 ERA over his last four starts. Sabathia meanwhile has continued to pitch well for the Indians, but he hasn't been getting any support. It's his fourth start of the season against the Tigers, and he's 2-1 despite having an ERA of 7.36. I get the feeling this game is going to go at least 18 innings as each team does it's best to not win.
For the past month or so, the Brewers have been trying not to panic with their NL Central lead disappearing fast. They've been doing a decent job of it (they are still in first place, afterall), but I think it's going to get much tougher to do in a very short order.
It just seems like all of the wheels are coming off at once on Milwaukee's train. Sheets will be back soon, but he really can't be back soon enough given the struggles of the Brewers' rotation. The Cubs have been sliding a bit in the past week, which is the only reason that the Brewers are still in first. They're going to have to hold on for dear life or hope something pulls them out of this slump, though, because things are not looking up for them right now.
There are six teams in the National League Central. That means 150 players on active rosters. 150 players means 1,500 fingers (this is a safe estimate with Antonio Alfonseca playing for the Phillies). Currently, there is one finger that is much more important than the other 1,499. In fact, the outcome of the division many hinge upon this one finger. I'm talking, of course, about Ben Sheets' sprained middle finger. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Sheets may miss a start or more depending on MRI results:
"That's what hurts - pressure one way," Sheets said. "When I couldn't put pressure on the ball (Saturday night), that's when I stepped off the rubber."
X-rays showed no fracture in the finger, but Sheets will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging examination today to assure there is no other damage.
"It's a more conclusive test, shows more detail," said assistant general manager Gord Ash. "Right now, it's a bit of a puzzle."
Asked if he had much swelling under the wrap, the right-hander said, "It's hard to tell, I've got such a fat digit. But I don't think there's much."
Sheets has been very, very good for the Brewers this year and with the Cubs bearing down on the Brew Crew right now, this is probably the worst time for him to miss more than a start or two. Yovani Gallardo will probably take his spot in the rotation and he's been very good, but he's a 21-year old rookie with three big league starts to his name. Asking him to fill in for, say Dave Bush or Chris Capuano is one thing. Asking him to fill Sheets' shoes is another.
The NL Central spent most of the first half of the season as a joke. At one point the division went almost a whole week without beating a team from out of the division. Things are different now. The Brewers have heated up and the Cubs have followed right behind them, closing the division gap to 4.5 games and creating a compelling race in the second half. So let's look at the competitors.
First things first, the BP Adjusted Standings, which account for lots of math-y things have the teams actually two games closer than their current four and a half. This doesn't mean a lot now, but it's an indication that the Brewers record may dip while the Cubs may raise without an actual change in level of play. But let's go beyond the sabermetric crowd to break this one down even further, after the jump.
Last week it was reported that Chris Capuano had what's called a torn "replacement tendon" in his pitching elbow (it's called that because he's already had Tommy John surgery once in his career). Given that the near universal fix for that injury is, in Capuano's case, a second TJ operation, everyone just assumed that would be the next step. 
The Brewers quest to fill their final rotation spot just got a little easier, but not in a good way. The twinge that 
One of the biggest questions for the Milwaukee Brewers this year as they look to challenge the Chicago Cubs for the NL Central is their rotation. Last year, no one except 
The NL Central has already seen two of its six teams can their managers this year with two more (
For the past month or so, the Brewers have been trying not to panic with their NL Central lead disappearing fast. They've been doing a decent job of it (they are still in first place, afterall), but I think it's going to get much tougher to do in a very short order. 
There are six teams in the National League Central. That means 150 players on active rosters. 150 players means 1,500 fingers (this is a safe estimate with 
The NL Central spent most of the first half of the season as a joke. At one point the division went almost a whole week without beating a team from out of the division. Things are different now. The Brewers have heated up and the Cubs have followed right behind them, closing the division gap to 4.5 games and creating a compelling race in the second half. So let's look at the competitors. 
