Manager somewhat insightful in defeat

By Bill McFarland

I was never impressed with Milwaukee Brewers' interim manager Dale Sveum when he was playing. Although he was a first-round draft pick by the Brewers in 1982, he didn't pan out as a big-league player, and he retired in 1998 with a lifetime average of .236 over 12 seasons.

I will admit that my opinion of Sveum was formed mainly during his brief tenure with the Phillies in 1992. The utility infielder appeared in 54 games for Philadelphia with a .178 batting average before being shipped to the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 10 of that year for reliever Keith Shepherd.

The Phillies got more for Sveum than what they gave up to get him. The team traded pitcher Bruce Ruffin for Sveum at the December 1991 winter meetings.

Ruffin was the Kyle Kendrick of 1986. Desperate for a starting pitcher, Philadelphia reached down to AA Reading, and Ruffin made his debut on June 28 of that season. The left-handed hurler went 9-4 with a 2.46 earned-run average in 21 starts. He even pitched six complete games during that stretch, but he was never the same again.

Shepherd finished the 1992 season with the Phils and went 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 12 games, but he was not protected in the expansion draft and was taken by the Colorado Rockies for 1993.

Sveum had been working almost anonymously as manager Ned Yost's third-base coach, but he was thrust into the national spotlight when Milwaukee fired Yost, overcame a rough tailspin and then won enough games to qualify for the National League wild card. During the media sessions that are staged during the playoffs, Sveum was impressive with his composure, intelligence, articulation and insightfulness.

He also knows the game of baseball very well. Arguing for the obstruction call during Saturday night's ninth inning is evidence of that.

But it was something that he said after the Brewers dropped their second game of the National League Division Series that caught my attention. One of the Milwaukee writers suggested that the Brewers might be running out of gas, what with a September swoon that nearly left them out in the cold.

"There's no doubt that we went through a lot of adversity, but these guys battled right down to the wire and got here, and that shows a lot," insisted Sveum. "This thing's not over yet.

"We've had just two bad innings (in Philadelphia)."

He was right. The superb pitching by starter Cole Hamels kept the Phillies in game one because, with a few exceptions, the bats were quiet.

Carlos Ruiz led off the third inning with a single, and then Milwaukee muffed a sacrifice bunt by Hamels. Without that error, Chase Utley doesn't get to the plate with two runners aboard in that inning. Utley ripped a two-run double and scored when Brewers' starter Yovani Gillardo walked the next three batters to force in a run, and the Phillies held on for a 3-1 victory.

Although the Phils had nine hits in the second game, seven of them for extra bases, only two qualify as clutch hits, and both came in the second inning when the team scored five runs. After back-to-back doubles by Jason Werth and Pedro Feliz, two walks set up Shane Victorino's grand slam. The Phillies stranded nine runners after that frame but still claimed a 5-2 victory.

"It's not over yet," said Sveum a second time while responding to a different question after game two. "If we win Saturday, it's a different ballgame."

Milwaukee won, 4-1, on Saturday, and it was a different ballgame after that because the Phillies' offense exploded on Sunday — the way fans have been expecting all season — during the 6-2 victory to clinch the series.




Last week, I liked the Phillies' chances against the Brewers. Since Sunday's 10-hit outburst, which included four home runs, everybody has been asking me about the upcoming National League Championship Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I remember another quote.

"The best team doesn't always win," said pitcher Jamie Moyer after the Phillies had clinched the Eastern Division on Sept. 27. "Usually, it's the team that gets hot at the right time."

Moyer speaks from experience. The left-handed pitcher went 20-6 for a Seattle Mariners' club that set an American League record with 116 wins in a season. The Mariners then lost in the ALCS, 4-1, to the New York Yankees. Moyer started and won the only victory for Seattle in that series.

Also, the best team in the National League was eliminated by the hottest one. The Dodgers went 19-8 in September and then swept the Chicago Cubs in the other division series. The Cubs had the best record in the National League, 97-64, which included a phenomenal 55-22 mark at home, and Los Angeles took the first two of those NLDS games at Wrigley Field.

This is what the Phillies will face — the hottest team. The scenario is very similar to last year's first-round match with Colorado.

Moyer was average in Saturday's 4-1 loss, but the other three starters — Hamels, Brett Myers and Joe Blanton — were outstanding in the first round. I'm not as confident as I was for the Milwaukee series, but if the pitching continues to hold up and the bats come alive again, this team has a real chance to get to the World Series.




That's my opinion. What do you think? Click on the "Comments?" link below and let me know.

Next post: Oct. 15.

© 2008 www.Bill-McFarland.com

This column was posted on Oct. 8, 2008. It may not be reproduced anywhere else without permission.

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