Yovanni Gallardo showed he had his good stuff against the Pirates last week, his first start for the Milwaukee Brewers since May 1st, after coming off of major knee surgery. So Gallardo gets the nod in the opener of the best-of-5 divisional playoff series in Philadelphia this afternoon. But keep in mind, Gallardo only pitched 4-innings against the Pirates and hasn't been extended in terms of innings in a game yet. So one would think 5 or 6 innings out of Gallardo would be as much as you could ask for. From there, the bullpen comes into play. They were good last week, but no so good for most of the second half of the season.
CC Sabathia comes riding in on his horse on short rest again tomorrow. What a story he's been. With out CC, the Brewers wouldn't even be in the playoffs. Does he have more in the tank, or will the short rest thing catch up with him? I'd bet on CC at least one more time.
Next in the rotation come Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan in that order. Either one of those give you reason for optimism? Not here. The best thing that can happen to the Brewers is finding a way to stretch the series out to 5-games. That would mean CC Sabathia would be able to come back and pitch in that game. If Sabathia can pitch twice in a 5-game series, the Brewers chances go up considerably.
My pick is the Phillies in 4. I think Milwaukee's pitching staff could be the crutch here. They need to keep the Phillies from turning this into a home run derby. That's not a game the Brewers want to play.
I certainly hope I'm wrong. Seeing Brewer Nation come alive has been incredible. When's the last time the Brewers drew more attention in October than the Green Bay Packers? 1982 perhaps! It's refreshing and it would be nice to see it last for awhile.
Listen / Download – Dale Sveum says Gallardo won't be overwhelmed. :15