Milwaukee Brewers Preview: Pitching Rotation
The Milwaukee Brewers had one of the best starting rotations in baseball last season and are looking to improve on that success this year. The starters are one of the main reasons why the Brewers were able to win 96 games in route to their first National League Central division crown in franchise history and first Championship Series appearance since 1982.
The starting rotation will have to be even better this season if Milwaukee wants to get another shot at a World Series title as the Brewers have lost a step on offense with slugger Prince Fielder signing with the Detroit Tigers. The good news is Milwaukee will be bringing back the same five starters from last season for the first time in years.
Here is a breakdown of the starting five from last year:
Yovani Gallardo: 17-10 with a 3.52 ERA, 193 hits allowed, 207 strikeouts, 59 walks, 1.22 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .245 in 207.1 innings.
Zack Greinke: 16-6 with a 3.83 ERA, 161 hits allowed, 201 strikeouts, 45 walks, 1.20 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .245 in 171.2 innings.
Shaun Marcum: 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA, 175 hits allowed, 158 strikeouts, 57 walks, 1.16 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .232 in 200.2 innings.
Randy Wolf: 13-10 with a 3.69 ERA, 214 hits allowed, 134 strikeouts, 66 walks, 1.32 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .266 in 212.1 innings.
Chris Narveson: 11-8 with a 4.45 ERA, 160 hits allowed, 126 strikeouts, 65 walks, 1.39 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .257 in 161.2.1 innings.
Ace Yovani Gallardo is hitting his prime while having Zack Greinke for an entire season will benefit the Brewers greatly. Shaun Marcum has already experienced some tenderness in his shoulder and will have to take time to rest. This means his throwing program will take a minor setback, which is nothing new considering the same thing happened during last year’s spring training. Randy Wolf is in a contract year while Chris Narveson is starting to really come into his own.
As good as the starters were during the regular season their performance dropped off in the postseason which crushed the Brewer’s shot at a World Series appearance, but that was mostly because three out of the five have never pitched that late into a season. Gallardo and Wolf were the only two starters to have ever pitched in the playoffs prior to last year while Marcum, who is three-years removed from Tommy John elbow surgery, never pitched over 200 innings in his career.
The five starters combined for a 3-6 record with an 8.67 ERA in 61.5 innings. Gallardo was tremendous with a 1-1 record and 2.84 ERA in a team-high 19.0 innings while Marcum was horrendous posting a 0-3 record and 14.90 ERA in only 9.2 innings. Greinke might have been the biggest disappointment with his 6.48 ERA considering the entire purpose of acquiring him was for October baseball.
The good news is whatever hurts you makes you stronger and the Brewers starting rotation will be full of confidence entering the 2012 season. The experience alone will pay huge dividends for a rotation that was inexperienced a year ago. These players know what to expect from themselves and the atmosphere they could potentially be playing in. There is no excuse for the Brewers not to be contenders this season with the talented group of men taking the mound every game.
Make sure to follow me on Twitter @MichaelTerrill
FEATURED PARTNERS
- 13 Tips To Help You Stop Procrastinating
- Is William Shatner In "Ghostbusters 3"?
- What Happened To Zac Efron's Left Arm?
- Tim Tebow -- Hey Coach, Check Out My Toes!
- NBA Star Chris Singleton -- I Blew $10k on Lotto Tix ... Because I Can
- U.S. Marines -- Props to WWE for Firing Randy Orton
- New Male Birth Control Shot is 100% Effective and Lasts Ten Years
- Listen to Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz’s New Track ‘Mercy’
- Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino Placed On Leave, Admits ‘Inappropriate Relationship’ With Staffer