Sheets was shaken, not stirred in Brewers' complete-game win

Todd D. Milewski  —  9/07/2008 4:34 pm

MILWAUKEE -- Home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth gave Ben Sheets as much time as he needed to get ready in the top of the third inning of Saturday night's game for a pretty good reason, Brewers manager Ned Yost said.

Sheets lost feeling in his pitching hand after ending the bottom of the second inning by grounding out to San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy. His first warmup pitch before the third sailed to the backstop behind home plate.

That apparently was all Culbreth needed to see to give Sheets as much warmup time as he needed.

"He didn't want anybody getting domed," Yost said. "He didn't want to have Benny throw a 95 mph fastball if he didn't have feeling in his fingers. He was going to give him as much as he wanted."

Sheets recovered to earn the Brewers' first 1-0 complete game in more than 16 years, a five-hitter.

The right-hander wasn't a pretty sight in the dugout after the grounder back to the mound stung his hand.

"He was turning white," Yost said. "He was standing there, and he had his head down and his hands were shaking. I'm telling you, that hurts so bad in your fingers that you throw the bat down, and it just reverberates all through your body. But it's just like live nerve endings in your fingers, and it just hurts to even move them when you get it that good."

Jaime Navarro pitched the last 1-0 complete game for the Brewers on Aug. 16, 1992, against the Boston Red Sox.

Rested arms

Sheets' complete game was another boon for the Brewers' bullpen, which enters the final three weeks of the regular season in good shape, Yost said.

The Brewers hold a sizeable lead among National League teams in innings by starting pitchers (883-2/3 entering Sunday's game; the Chicago Cubs are second with 846-2/3) and complete games (11; the Dodgers are in second with five).

Yost said that comes from a push for the starters to go deep into games.

"There's been times where I've sent a starter out for another innning and he ends up getting two, where I probably would have brought in a reliever last year," he said. "I think that's helped a lot.

"But you still can't overabuse your bullpen on a day-to-day basis. You can do it to a point like where we are now, September, where if they've been abused for the last two or three months, they're basically worn out. Our guys aren't that. But you still can't abuse them. You can't throw them four or five days in a row."

Cameron out again

Center fielder Mike Cameron was out of the starting lineup for a second straight day Sunday while he recovers from a sore left knee.

"He's feeling better," Yost said. "It's day to day. ... He could play on it. It's not an unplayable deal. But (we'll) let it calm down a little bit."

Gabe Kapler, who on Saturday robbed pinch-hitter Drew Macias with a diving catch in the eighth inning, again started in Cameron's place.

Kapler, who entered Sunday's game hitting .300 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs, has proven to be a valuable outfield pickup this season for general manager Doug Melvin and the Brewers.

"Doug's been trying to get him for years, ever since we've been here," Yost said. "Doug's known him and liked him, and every time he's come available, Doug's tried to sign him. So I knew that he was a good player, knew he played the game right. I knew he was ready to play every single day."

Trying to avoid 21

Saturday's victory was Prince Fielder's 20th straight game without a home run, tying his longest slump as a major leaguer.

The first baseman, who has 28 homers for the season, hasn't hit one since Aug. 13 at San Diego.

He had an 18-game stretch without a homer last season from July 14 to July 31. The current drought matches one he had in the last 20 games he played in his first season with the Brewers in 2005.

Todd D. Milewski  —  9/07/2008 4:34 pm