MILWAUKEE (AP) -So that’s what the postseason feels like.
Now that these Milwaukee Brewers got a taste, they want a little more after being eliminated by Philadelphia in four games in the first round of the NL playoffs.
“It was a lot of fun, regardless whether we won or lost,” said Prince Fielder, who had 34 homers and 102 RBIs but went 1-for-14 in his first postseason trip. “I finally got the feeling I always wanted to feel when I watched everybody else make the playoffs, so it was pretty cool.”
Milwaukee learned a lot, too.
The Brewers sizzled in August, slumped in September, saw manager Ned Yost get fired with 12 games to go and came through to win the NL wild card in the final week in front of a team-record 3 million fans.
But CC Sabathia, the reigning AL Cy Young winner who carried them down the stretch, may be gone in free agency along with their own homegrown ace, Ben Sheets.
someone else.
Sveum is the sentimental favorite in the clubhouse to Fielder, Ryan Braun and others.
“Dale’s got my vote. Dale should be back,” Fielder said.
But is Sveum the savvy tactician who helped the Brewers win six of their final seven while the Mets collapsed? Or is he the one who overpitched Sabathia with too many starts on short rest and was forced to pay the price in the postseason?
Sveum, who often chose to sit with his fellow coaches in the clubhouse instead of in the big office, finished 8-8 in his 16 games as manager.
He told the team afterward they had nothing to hang their heads about, and he’s hopeful he’ll be back, too.
“I’m being optimistic,” Sveum said. “We’ll probably know something soon.”
Regardless, no manager will have the pitching pedigree of two aces like Sabathia and Sheets.
Sheets said he believes his time is up in Milwaukee, while Sabathia’s new deal might be able to buy half of Miller Park, which cost nearly $400 million to build.
“We’ll have a little bit of a different look next year,” Attanasio said. “But we’re still in a building mode, we’re not in a tear down mode.”
Attanasio said they’ll be creative in their offer to Sabathia.
Just acquiring him was hard enough. It cost Milwaukee four top prospects on July 7 to bring him from Cleveland, and it was one of the best midseason trades ever.
with a 1.65 ERA in 17 regular season starts, throwing seven complete games including a 3-1 victory on the final day of the season to clinch a postseason berth.
But he faltered in Game 2 against the Phillies, his fourth start on three days’ rest and third consecutive playoff loss. Sabathia said he would consider more than cash when deciding where to play next.
“This is the ideal environment,” Sabathia said. “You have a talented team, great clubhouse, guys get along and have fun. I’ve really enjoyed my time here.”
Sheets couldn’t pitch in the postseason because of a slight tear in a muscle near his elbow, but over his eight years he made four All-Star appearances and started this year’s All-Star game.
The franchise grew with him, culminating in the first postseason appearance since 1982 even after the Brewers squandered a 5 1/2-game lead in September.
“That was pretty incredible. It really was, from the team I came to to the team I’m leaving,” said Sheets, who won 11 games on a 56-106 team in 2002. “That’s pretty amazing.”
Many of the Brewers’ key pieces will be back.
The infield of Fielder, second baseman Rickie Weeks, shortstop J.J. Hardy and third baseman Bill Hall will all reach arbitration or are under contract. Braun signed a $45 million deal in May that keeps him around until 2015.
0 for the first time in 10 or 15 years and this year we made it to the postseason for the first time in 26 years,” said Braun, who hit .285 with 37 homers and 106 RBIs, all team highs. “Obviously we accomplished some things we haven’t done in a while. It’s definitely exciting, and I’m excited to be here and be a part of it for the long haul.”
But Milwaukee still nearly crumbled under the pressure of its postseason push. The Brewers batted .227 in September and .206 with nine runs in four playoff games against the Phillies.
Sveum said if he returns, he’ll teach the Brewers to play more small ball.
“We’ve got to start learning how to manufacture runs,” Sveum said. “There’s a lot more to this game than just waiting for the three-run homer.”
Milwaukee also will need to find at least two starters to join young right-hander Yovani Gallardo, an ace in training, Dave Bush and veteran Jeff Suppan. The Brewers also must solidify the closer’s spot after Salomon Torres filled in admirably when the $10 million Eric Gagne signing flopped.
Even with those issues, the Brewers will enter 2009 with something else – the confidence they can reach the postseason and this experience to draw on.
“We overcame a lot of adversity,” Braun said. “Everybody’s committed to winning, because of that, I know that whoever we have in here we’re going to have a competitive team and we’ll give ourselves the opportunity hopefully to get back to the same position next year.”
Add A Comment