2008 Woodie Awards
Brewers lose Gallardo
Chris Callaway
Issue date: 5/7/08 Section: Sports
Watching the play unfold in last Thursday's Brewers game, it had the looks of a gruesome injury. I have witnessed my fair share of ACL tears first hand, and that was my initial reaction when Yovani Gallardo took an awkward tumble across the first base line, trying to dodge a lunging Prince Fielder and a sliding Reed Johnson. When Gallardo came down after his leap, you could see the weight shift on the knee and you could just tell it was bad.
However, manager Ned Yost and trainer Roger Caplinger came to attend to the grimacing young star and after minutes of unrest, hope was restored when Gallardo got up and walked to the mound. A few test pitches were thrown, and almost miraculously, Gallardo finished a scoreless fifth inning. The next thought was, "ok, he is going to sit down and the knee is going to tighten up." But, there came Yovani back to the mound for the sixth inning. It was obvious that he was not perfect, as his velocity was a bit down and his control a bit off. He gave up two runs in the inning, but Ryan Braun led a comeback in the ninth that had fans almost forgetting about Gallardo's tumble innings before.
With a series win over the Cubs on the mind, the focus was shifted to the weekend series in Houston. But the baseball gods would not allow the Brewers to escape that easily. News came down that Gallardo had torn his right ACL. The odds of surgery were high, as it was his "push-off" leg where a pitcher generates much of the power behind a pitch.
Brewers.com quotes general manager Doug Melvin saying the injury was a "kick to the gut" and manager Ned Yost said it was "like getting punched between the eyes." Morales around the clubhouse were dampened, knowing the possibility that their #2 pitcher was going to be down for most of the year. And with Ben Sheets always at risk for injury, Gallardo probably would have been needed to be relied on as the ace of the staff.
There is a best-case scenario that us Brewers fans can hope for. We can hope the offense carries us through the summer, and that Sheets can stay healthy and lead an unproven staff. After Sheets and Jeff Suppan, the Brewers will be looking at Manny Parra, Carlos Villanueva, and Dave Bush rounding out the rotation. That is roughly 60% of the games being started by guys who will need some serious run support. With the bullpen as it is now, the Brewers will need some help this summer to stay in the playoff hunt. If Gallardo can return in August as some reports are saying, the Crew may have a shot.
However, manager Ned Yost and trainer Roger Caplinger came to attend to the grimacing young star and after minutes of unrest, hope was restored when Gallardo got up and walked to the mound. A few test pitches were thrown, and almost miraculously, Gallardo finished a scoreless fifth inning. The next thought was, "ok, he is going to sit down and the knee is going to tighten up." But, there came Yovani back to the mound for the sixth inning. It was obvious that he was not perfect, as his velocity was a bit down and his control a bit off. He gave up two runs in the inning, but Ryan Braun led a comeback in the ninth that had fans almost forgetting about Gallardo's tumble innings before.
With a series win over the Cubs on the mind, the focus was shifted to the weekend series in Houston. But the baseball gods would not allow the Brewers to escape that easily. News came down that Gallardo had torn his right ACL. The odds of surgery were high, as it was his "push-off" leg where a pitcher generates much of the power behind a pitch.
Brewers.com quotes general manager Doug Melvin saying the injury was a "kick to the gut" and manager Ned Yost said it was "like getting punched between the eyes." Morales around the clubhouse were dampened, knowing the possibility that their #2 pitcher was going to be down for most of the year. And with Ben Sheets always at risk for injury, Gallardo probably would have been needed to be relied on as the ace of the staff.
There is a best-case scenario that us Brewers fans can hope for. We can hope the offense carries us through the summer, and that Sheets can stay healthy and lead an unproven staff. After Sheets and Jeff Suppan, the Brewers will be looking at Manny Parra, Carlos Villanueva, and Dave Bush rounding out the rotation. That is roughly 60% of the games being started by guys who will need some serious run support. With the bullpen as it is now, the Brewers will need some help this summer to stay in the playoff hunt. If Gallardo can return in August as some reports are saying, the Crew may have a shot.
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