Tonight the Brewers get a chance to prove they've improved against other teams, not just the Marlins.
At 7:10 tonight they'll send Tom Gorzelanny (1.88 ERA, 3.64 FIP) to the mound to face the Padres in just his fourth start as a Brewer. Gorzelanny is on nine days' rest since facing the Diamondbacks on July 12 and allowing two unearned runs on three hits over six innings with a walk and four strikeouts.
The next couple of months could determine if Gorzelanny is a starter or a reliever for the long term. Entering play tonight he has 114 career appearances in each role, and the 3.11 ERA he's posted in relief is significantly better than the 4.51 mark he's posted as a starter. This season, though, he has a 0.56 ERA over three starts.
Gorzelanny faced the Padres twice in relief earlier this season, facing three batters and retiring them all. The only current Padre who has faced him ten times or more is Carlos Quentin, who is a career .143/.364/.571 hitter against him over eleven plate appearances.
He'll face fellow starter/reliever Andrew Cashner (3.81 ERA, 3.68 FIP) in his 22nd career start. Cashner, who was the #19 overall pick in the 2008 draft, last pitched against the Rockies on July 10 and allowed three runs on eight hits over five innings, walking two and striking out five.
Cashner's career splits suggest he's actually been a little better as a starter. He has a 3.92 ERA over 114.2 innings in the rotation, but a 4.22 mark out of the bullpen. He throws a mid-90's fastball and a pretty steady diet of changeups to go with some sliders.
As of this writing tonight's lineup has not been posted. If you've seen it, please drop it in the comments.
And in the bullpen:
- Michael Gonzalez pitched an inning (ten pitches) yesterday, and also pitched on Saturday.
- John Axford pitched two innings (23 pitches) yesterday.
- Francisco Rodriguez pitched one inning (17 pitches) yesterday.
- Jim Henderson pitched one inning (18 pitches) yesterday.
- Brandon Kintzler pitched 1.2 innings (19 pitches) on Saturday.
- Burke Badenhop pitched .1 innings (three pitches) on Saturday.
- Tyler Thornburg's stuff is already packed for this weekend's trip to Colorado.
Tonight's forecast calls for scattered thunderstorms later and a game-time temperature around 81. Expect the roof to be open but don't be surprised if it closes sometime in the middle innings. While the roof is open, expect the wind to blow in from right field or from right to left.