Brewers hope Lamb can strengthen bench
MILWAUKEE -- In a move to bolster their bench for the stretch run, the Milwaukee Brewers Friday signed veteran third baseman Mike Lamb as a free agent.
Lamb, 33, was released earlier this week by the Minnesota Twins. He hit .233 with one home run and 32 runs batted in while playing in 81 games for Minnesota.
"We'll get him some at-bats, but he'll be primarily a left-handed bat off the bench," said manager Ned Yost.
General manager Doug Melvin, who drafted Lamb in the seventh round in 1997, said he had looked into signing Lamb as a free agent during the off-season. Eventually, he signed a one-year $3.5 million deal with the Twins.
"We talked about him in the off-season, but
he was looking for an opportunity to play on a more regular basis,"
Melvin said.
The left-handed batting Lamb hit .257 against right-handed pitchers with the Twins, but struggled against lefties, hitting just .067 (2 for 30). He ultimately lost his regular job to rookie Brian Buscher.
He could fit in as a platoon partner for Bill Hall (.172 vs. right-handers), but Melvin said he was looking at him primarily as a pinch hitter. The Brewers have a .207 batting average pinch hitting.
"He's an experienced bat who could help us as a pinch-hitter," Melvin said. "We haven't been real effective pinch hitting this year. He's a versatile guy, he's been to the post-season, he's played in the World Series and he's faced these pitchers before. I've always liked his bat."
Lamb spent the last four seasons with the Houston Astros. His best year was in 2006 when he hit .307 with 12 homers and 45 RBIs.
In nine seasons with the Rangers, Astros and Twins, Lamb had a .277 batting average with 69 homers and 345 RBIs.
In order to make room for him on the roster the Brewers designated minor league catcher Lou Palmisano for assignment.
Slumping Fielder
Although he's hardly alone in the Brewers' struggling lineup, Prince Fielder is the most conspicuous slumper. Fielder went hitless in four at-bats Friday night, making him just four for his last 33 at-bats (.121). He hasn't hit a home run in 74 at-bats, a span of 19 games.
But Yost remains confident that it's just a matter of time before his cleanup hitter breaks loose.
"He's a guy who continues to grind it out, like a lot of our guys," Yost said. "He's going through it right now, and all of the sudden he'll get on a run and hit 10 homers in 12 days."
Fielder, who hit a franchise record 50 homers last season, is stuck on 28 homers this season. His batting average has dipped to .263.
Left-handed batter Mike Lamb hit .307 with 12 homers and 45 RBIs with the Astros in 2006. The Brewers brought Lamb on as a free agent, hoping he will improve their pinch hitting.
