Yost's loyalty steady despite Gagne's 'hiccup'

Dennis Punzel  —  9/03/2008 12:48 am

MILWAUKEE -- Get the willies when you see Eric Gagne coming in to pitch the eighth inning for the Milwaukee Brewers? Well, get over it.

Despite getting knocked around for three runs Monday by the New York Mets, including a decisive two-run home run by Carlos Delgado, Gagne's role as the setup man is still secure. At least it is with the man who decides such things -- Brewers manager Ned Yost.

While Yost may have his faults -- as most any sports talk show in the state of Wisconsin will gladly point out -- loyalty to his players is not one of them. Fans hoping to see Yost pull the plug on Gagne are in for a letdown.

"I love the way people go crazy over one little hiccup," said Yost. "He made one bad pitch and we got beat. That's life it happens.

"You play the game every day. You make mistakes and you don't hold grudges on anybody. He made a mistake. He put a pitch where he didn't want to put a pitch.

"I don't understand where people go crazy over the human element of the game. They're not robots. The thing is we've done it a lot less than a lot of people. You don't believe me, look at the records."

Gagne, signed to a $10 million one-year free agent contract to be the team's closer, has had a bumpy ride beginning on opening day when he blew a save by giving up three runs in the ninth inning to the Chicago Cubs. It would be the first of six blown saves in 16 opportunities.

He eventually lost the closer's job to Salomon Torres and spent five weeks on the disabled list with rotator cuff tendinitis. His season stats are unimpressive -- a 4-3 record and a 6.81 earned run average, allowing 42 hits in 35 2/3 innings with 19 walks and 29 strikeouts.

But Yost remembers the days with the Los Angeles Dodgers when Gagne was the best reliever in baseball. And he sees enough resemblance to that pitcher now to keep him in a crucial role with the team.

And while the Gagne of 2008 may not throw as hard as he did when he averaged 50 saves a year over three seasons with the Dodgers, including 55 in his Cy Young Award year of 2003, Yost appreciates the savvy and poise he brings to the job at age 32.

"I've seen him very, very, very good," Yost said. "He's a guy who understands the dynamics of the eighth and ninth innings, and that gets a little scary for some people. Those last three outs are the hardest to get and the next hardest are those three in the eighth. There's a lot of pressure that starts to come in the eighth and ninth innings. Those guys with experience -- him and Salomon -- both understand what it's about and how to get it done."

Since returning from the DL on June 30, Gagne has allowed 12 earned runs in 16 1/3 innings over 19 appearances. But 10 of those runs came in three of those outings.

But even when he's failed, as in Monday's loss to the Mets when he grooved an 0-2 pitch to Delgado, he's scored points with Yost.

"The thing about Eric Gagne is that he blames himself," Yost said. "He doesn't pass the buck, he doesn't have an excuse. He knew exactly what he did and how it happened. He gets upset with himself.

"Another good thing about him is that he turns the page real easy too. That's something you've got to be able to do. You can't dwell on it. That's the mark of a guy with big time experience. They understand the dynamics of the game. They understand how you go out and compete on a day-to-day basis."

Yost lived up to his words Tuesday as he put Gagne in for the eighth inning with the scored tied, 5-5. Gagne retired David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Delgado on three hard hit balls to the outfield.

WHAT, ME WORRY?

What concerns Yost about his team as it heads down the stretch? Not a darn thing.

"I don't have any concerns," he said. "I love my team. I've got a great team. We're playing great, we've got the second best record in the National League. We're deep on the heels of the Chicago Cubs.

"I'm not worried about anything because I'll take my team and compete on a daily basis and know that they'll go out and play with intensity and they'll play with passion and desire and they'll play their hearts out. Whatever comes with that, I'm willing to take."

SHEETS UPDATE

Among the things Yost is not concerned about is the health of pitcher Ben Sheets. Sheets left Monday's start after five innings with groin tightness, but not expected to miss his next scheduled start Saturday against San Diego.

"It's not serious because I didn't even go see the trainers (before the game) and they didn't come to me, either," Yost said.

STREAK ENDS

The Brewers' streak of consecutive sellouts ended Tuesday as they drew 36,587 on the first day of school around the state of Wisconsin. The Brewers had sold out the previous 22 games, a franchise record.

BORAS WATCH

Among the interested spectators during batting practice on Tuesday was super agent Scott Boras, who chatted with several Brewers officials as well as a number of his clients from both the Brewers and Mets from his seat in the front row.

Of course, his most prominent Brewer client is first baseman Prince Fielder, who spent several minutes visiting with Boras. Among his newest clients is  shortstop Alcides Escobar, one of the Brewers' top prospects who was promoted to Milwaukee for September.

Dennis Punzel  —  9/03/2008 12:48 am