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Semrau: Shaky Bush could be out of luck, out of rotation

Dennis Semrau  —  4/10/2008 7:28 am

MILWAUKEE -- With his starting spot in jeopardy, right-hander Dave Bush needed to deliver a solid performance Wednesday night at Miller Park.

But enough bizarre events happened during the Milwaukee Brewers' 12-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds before a disappointed crowd of 31,313 that Bush should have gone to the mound with a four-leaf clover, a rabbit's foot and any other good luck charm he could have found.

"He threw pretty (well) today," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said. "He ran into a problem in the sixth inning, but he kept us in the game for the first five."

Bush should have known that it wasn't going to be his day when Ryan Freel, batting second for Cincinnati, hit a bouncer up the middle in the top of the first inning that hit second base and was ruled an infield single.

Or how about a relay throw hitting a bat in front of home plate and bouncing into the stands and costing him two runs.

Or the 'Excuse me' single to left field that occurred when a Cincinnati steal attempt of third base drew Bill Hall to the bag where he could only watch the ball roll by him.

Yost, though, refused to believe Bush was jinxed from the start.

"No, I'm not a black cat kind of guy," Yost opined. "We were in the game. We were in the lead. That's what I look at. He kept us in the game. I don't care how they do. That's what I ask our starting pitchers to do; to go out and keep us in the game for as long as you can. When he left the game, the score was 5-3. We were in the game in the sixth inning."

The bottom line, though, is after two starts, Bush is 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA. In 10 2/3 innings, he has allowed 11 runs (10 earned) on 12 hits with eight walks and eight strikeouts.

"I prefer not to talk about luck because you put yourself in bad situations based on what you do," Bush said. "There were some things that have could have gone differently. Some times they hit line drives right at people and sometimes the ground balls find holes. That's part of it."

However, with Yovani Gallardo poised to come off the disabled list within the next week to 10 days, Bush could be the odd man out in the starting rotation.

"He needs to have a good start tonight, which he is more than capable of doing," Yost said before the game Wednesday afternoon. "It's not a life and death start for him. Again, we've got different scenarios we're running through in our minds and trying to figure it all out. He's definitely part of the equation, but then again, we'll have to wait and see.

"We're past the long-leash stage. We're looking for guys who are throwing the ball well and we're looking for guys who are going to come up and execute what we're trying to execute," Yost said. "We want guys pitching to the game plan and making good pitches."

Yost believes Bush, who tied for the team lead with 12 victories last season, fits that role.

"David's got every attribute that you like in a starting pitcher, every single one of them. He's got a good mental approach. He's got composure. He does his homework. He's been here for a couple of years and won a bunch of games for us," Yost said.

"It's up to decide what's best for David Bush but also what's best for the Milwaukee Brewers, too, and or Manny Parra or who else we decide has to vacate to find a place for Gallardo. Again, we're not there yet."

However, it isn't a coincidence that Gallardo, who has made his second rehab start for Triple A Nashville next Wednesday, is lined up on the same day as Bush.

It also didn't help his cause that for the second straight start this season, Bush was unable to get out of the sixth inning. He allowed five runs (four earned) in 5 1/3 innings and threw nearly as many balls (43) as strikes (55) during his 98-pitch outing.

The bullpen didn't help either with David Riske, Derrick Turnbow and Seth McClung combining to give up seven runs on eight hits over the final 3 2/3 innings.

McClung could be the odd man out after he allowed five hits and five runs over the final two innings in the second game against the Reds and threw 65 pitches. But he would need to clear waivers before he could be assigned to Nashville

Bush, Manny Parra and Carlos Villanueva, who will make his second start today, have minor-league options. But Bush would have to clear waivers to be sent to Triple A Nashville because he has three years of service time in the Major Leagues. He could also remain on the roster and be sent to the bullpen.

However, Yost isn't ready to give up on Bush just yet.

"The sixth inning was when things started to get funky for everybody. He gave up a 0-2 hit and balked him to second and it got crazy from that point on," Yost said. "Things just didn't go right for him. But he had the lead going into the sixth inning."

But the bottom line is winning and while the rest of the starting staff has shined, Bush has played a key role in the club's two losses so far.

"I was pretty pleased with how I was going. But I wish things would have turned out differently," he said. "I would have liked a little better result. Overall I was more pleased than my last time out. I just didn't get critical outs when I needed to."

Or get the job done.

 

Dennis Semrau  —  4/10/2008 7:28 am