Milwaukee Faces Long Term Pitching Problems

A team may be able to slug its way to a single victory or a series win, but seasons and pennants are decided by pitching. This is not good news for the Milwaukee Brewers. After the recent discovery that Yovani Gallardo would be lost for most likely the rest of the year, I decided to check out the numbers of this year’s pitching staff, compared to the numbers from last year.

2007 SEASON

Starters – 933 innings, Avg. 5.2 innings a start
Relievers – 511.1 innings, 35% of staff’s total innings

2007 Starters

-8 different Brewers started games, and they averaged 5.2 IP/per start
-They combined for a 60-47 record, with a 4.55 ERA
-Here are the 8 starters’ numbers from last year (total innings, games started, avg. innings per start, ERA, and W/L record):

Suppan – 206.2 IP, 34 GS, 6 IP/start, 4.62 ERA, 12-12 record
Bush – 183.1 IP, 31 GS, 6 IP/start, 5.20 ERA, 10-10
Sheets – 141.1 IP, 24 GS, 6 IP/start, 3.82 ERA, 12-5
Capuano – 135 IP, 25 GS, 5.1 IP/start, 5.20 ERA, 5-10
Vargas – 121.2 IP, 23 GS, 5.1 IP/start, 5.03 ERA, 10-4
Gallardo – 101 IP, 17 GS, 6 IP/start, 3.74 ERA, 9-4
Villanueva – 35 IP, 6 GS, 5.2 IP/start, 2.06 ERA, 2-2
Parra – 9 IP, 2 GS, 4.2 IP/start, 4.00 ERA, 0-0

-If you take Capuano, Vargas, and Gallardo out, you lose 38% of the innings pitched by Milwaukee starters.

2007 Relievers

-Meanwhile, the top 5 relievers from 2007, in terms of most innings pitched:

Villanueva – 79.1 IP, now a starter
Turnbow – 68 IP, no longer on team
Cordero – 63.1 IP, no longer on team
Wise – 53.2 IP, no longer on team
Spurling – 50 IP, not on 25-man roster

-Those 5 relievers accounted for 61% of the innings pitched by Milwaukee relievers.
-Overall, the relief pitchers in 2007 accounted for 35% of the staff’s total innings

So how do the above numbers compare to the team’s pitching numbers so far this year? I’m glad I asked:

2008 SEASON

2008 Starters

178.1 IP, 31 GS, 5.2 IP/game, 4.54 ERA, 7-9 record

Suppan – 34.2 IP, 6 GS, 5.2 IP/start, 5.19 ERA, 1-1 record
Villanueva – 34 IP, 6 GS, 5.2 IP/start, 5.56 ERA, 1-3
Sheets – 39.1 IP, 6 GS, 6.2 IP/start, 2.29 ERA, 4-0
Parra – 27.2 IP, 6 GS, 4.2 IP/start, 5.86 ERA, 1-2
Bush – 22.2 IP, 4 GS, 5.2 IP/start, 6.75 ERA, 0-3
Gallardo – 20 IP, 3 GS, 6.2 IP/start, 1.80 ERA, 0-0

2008 Relievers

31 Games, 105.1 IP, 37% of pitching staff’s total innings


In conclusion, the relievers have already accounted for a higher percentage of innings than they did last year, i.e. they are being worked more. Now with the loss of Gallardo, it seems inevitable that the relievers will see even more work, which is never good news for a big league team.

The bottom line is, if the Brewers don’t get better starts from their rotation, they will have no shot at wining the NL Central. It will come down to Bush, Villanueva, and Parra (and whoever Yost sticks in the rotation). Right now, Sheets is the only starter with an ERA that is under 5.00, and is also the only starter averaging more than 6 innings per start. If the other starters are able to improve and become more consistent, then Milwaukee will at least still be around come the All-Star break.