Brewers may have right mix

Ingredients are there for something special

In search of their first world title in 100 years, the Cubs might be stealing the spotlight, but the baseball club 90 minutes up the road from Chicago is trying to be the little team that could.

Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin likes it that way. His great deal for CC Sabathia, which launched a 29-16 stretch, might be the one that gets the Brewers to the World Series for the first time since 1982. And with a rotation of Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Manny Para, David Bush, and Jeff Suppan, plus a lineup of sluggers that might match up well against an American League team, the Brewers could have a shot at the first championship in franchise history.

There are six games remaining between the Cubs and Brewers, with a real possibility that they could face one another for the National League pennant.

"I've heard that from people, but really, we're focusing on trying to make the playoffs," said Melvin. "We have tough series coming up with the Phillies and the Mets and we have all we can do to just focus on trying to win those series. We can't lose sight of what we're trying to do at this stage of the game."

Melvin says he's having the most fun since 1996, when he was general manager of the Rangers and the team made the first postseason appearance in franchise history.

"I feel better about our team now than I did about them last year at this time," said Melvin, who has seen 3 million fans go through the turnstiles at Miller Park this year. "We started out strong last year and we began to fade. This time we started out slow and I think we've had the best record in the majors since May 20, which is when we played the Red Sox.

"I think the year under our belt and having CC has made a big impact, not only on the day he pitches, but with our entire staff. He's a humble guy, a quiet leader who really talks about the game all the time and helps out the other pitchers."

Some feel that Sabathia may be throwing too many pitches and will be cooked by the postseason, but the Brewers insist that he hasn't been laboring in any of his outings.

The young-uns - Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, J.J. Hardy, Corey Hart - are growing up. And with veterans like Jason Kendall, Mike Cameron, and Gabe Kapler around them, the Brewers seem to have the right mind-set and temperament.

Kapler, who was managing in the Red Sox' minor league system last year, has "set an example for all of our players in terms of how to get physically and mentally prepared for a game," said Melvin. "He's not a vocal guy, but the way he goes about his business is very professional. He's hit big home runs, had big catches, big pinch hits."

Kendall, the rock, and an excellent handler of the pitching staff, has caught a major league-high 121 games and thrown out 43 percent of base-stealers, but is showing no signs of wear.

Cameron, one of Melvin's offseason acquisitions (and who served a 25-game suspension after testing positive for amphetamines), has been red-hot. Fielder won't come close to his 2007 season, when he hit 50 homers and knocked in 119 runs, but he has 28 homers with 80 RBIs and is still a force.

Braun is mirroring his '07 Rookie of the Year campaign, when he hit .324 with 34 homers and 97 RBIs in 113 games; through 123 games this year, he was hitting .301 with 34 homers and 95 RBIs.

If there's a vulnerability, Melvin acknowledges, it's the bullpen, though he appears more concerned that "they're not getting enough work" than anything else.

"We lead the National League in saves," said Melvin. "Our starters are going deep in games. We're asking them to go an extra inning. Sometimes when that happens, your guys in the bullpen go four or five days without working and sometimes the lack of work shows up."

Starters going deep into games isn't a bad problem to have.

The Brewers have a favorable schedule the rest of the way. They have four remaining with Pittsburgh, four with the Padres, six with the Reds, four with the Phillies, three with the Mets, and six with the Cubs, including the final series of the season. Can they hold a 4 1/2-game wild-card lead over the Cardinals?

"There's a long way to go," cautioned Melvin, who hinted that he might still be looking over the waiver wire for bullpen help.

Another looming question is what to do about free agents Sabathia and Sheets this offseason. Owner Mark Attanasio has loosened the purse strings this season in hopes of creating something special.

"We've had some internal discussions," said Melvin, "but our focus is on right now. What can we do to give us the best chance to win right now? We'll make the offseason decisions in the offseason."

Skipper goes down with ship
A few questions for Tigers manager Jim Leyland:

What's this season been like for you?

JL: "It hasn't been bad. You cope the best you can, but we didn't do a very good job living up to expectations. We didn't score the runs we thought we were going to score with the offense we thought we had. We didn't have our rotation intact. We thought we were going to have [Jeremy] Bonderman and [Dontrelle] Willis all year and we didn't. We had injuries. But that's a part of it. Everybody has them. No excuses. We didn't do a good enough job. I'm the manager of the team and ultimately it falls on me."

How do you approach the rest of the season? Try and win every game, be the spoiler, and finish on a positive note?

JL: "It's not going to be a positive year no matter how we finish. That's been blown. But it doesn't mean we can't enjoy the competition and play baseball. We've got some big games coming up with Minnesota and Chicago. I'm looking forward to grinding it out the rest of the way and watch our guys go out there and play the game hard and the way it's supposed to be played."

What's the future look like?

JL: "We have a lot of good pieces on this team. We're not a perfect team or else we wouldn't be in the spot in the standings we are now, but we do have a lot to work with going forward. We're going to have to figure some things out. It was just one of those years where things just didn't go right, but that's happened to a lot of teams. It happened to the White Sox and they rebounded from it and have done very well. So we can rebound from this, too."

Which teams have impressed you this year?

JL: "The Angels are a very good team. Really good. Tampa Bay has good players and there's no doubt in my mind that they're the real deal. They've done a tremendous job. If I had to pick the two surprise teams, it would be Tampa Bay and Minnesota. The Twins have done an amazing job putting that together over there. Chicago has been a good team all year and Boston is loaded."

I saw where you felt Freddy Garcia threw well. What's his future with the Tigers?

JL: "He's a guy who had major surgery and is coming back and I just went over to Toledo to watch him throw. I was just looking to watch his delivery and to see if he was free and easy, and he was. He's free after this, so I'm not sure how we're going to approach it for next year just yet."

Rodriguez can save Angels everything but money
There's been speculation that the Angels might not re-sign Francisco Rodriguez, the reasoning being that there are only so many bullets left in that shoulder and his price tag would be prohibitive. But try replacing him.

"There's no doubt some team is going to throw a zillion dollars at him," said a National League general manager. "If they do, how can you blame them? He's been one of the premier guys for a long time.

"I think you always worry about durability over the long haul, but I'd be surprised if the Angels didn't re-up."

Rodriguez hit 50 saves last Sunday at age 26 years 7 months 17 days - the youngest ever to do it and in the fewest number of games (129). Overuse? Perhaps, but you can see why Mike Scioscia would want to use such a weapon that often, and you have to think Scioscia knows his pitcher and his limitations.

The Angels have the talent to win it all this season and they certainly seem to be going for it. They will leave what stands to be a busy and expensive offseason until then. They have other issues besides K-Rod.

You can start with Mark Teixeira, who has been all that was advertised. He will be asking for a deal close to or north of $20 million per season. Jon Garland is also a free agent, and with the Angels pretty deep in starting pitching, he might be sacrificed.

The team also has options on Vlad Guerrero (for $15 million, which appears to be a no-brainer), John Lackey ($10.5 million), and Garret Anderson ($14 million, though they may think long and hard about his $3 million buyout).

Etc.
Touching the bases
Apropos of nothing: 1. The Mariners could become the first 100-100 team - 100 losses with a payroll over $100 million; 2. Randy Johnson (4-2, 1.82 in eight starts since the All-Star break) amazes me; 3. It's not that I believe so much in the Phillies, but I'm not convinced about the Mets; 4. Kevin Youkilis has the ability to be a Gold Glover at two positions (third and first); can you name another player (other than outfielders) who could do that? 5. Great seeing Giants scout Glenn Tufts, one of the best high school hitters I ever saw for Bridgewater-Raynham.

Belting 'em onto the Beltway?
One team that needs a big splash this offseason is the Washington Nationals. If they open the vault - and they should - add them to the very short list of teams that may go after Manny Ramírez, especially if Jim Bowden is still the general manager. Bowden wore a Ramírez wig on to the field last week when the Dodgers were in town. He also remarked that the two greatest hitters he's seen are Barry Bonds and Ramírez.

For him, the decision is a win
Not to belabor this point, because the Red Sox seem happy with Mark Kotsay, but Brian Giles, the only player to exercise his no-trade clause to block a deal with a contender, says he has no regrets about saying no to Boston. Snug and comfy in San Diego, Giles told the San Diego Union-Tribune, "I am happy with the decision. There's already enough second-guessing in this game. I'm not going to second-guess my decision. There were a lot of issues with contracts and playing time."

A report card full of A's
Here's the A's 40th Anniversary Team, as selected by online voters. After looking through it, who makes you say, "He didn't make it?": C Terry Steinbach, 1B Mark McGwire, 2B Mark Ellis, SS Bert Campaneris, 3B Carney Lansford, OF Joe Rudi, OF Reggie Jackson, OF Rickey Henderson, DH Dave Kingman, SP Vida Blue, SP Dave Stewart, SP Jim "Catfish" Hunter, closer Dennis Eckersley, manager Tony La Russa. The omission: Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams, who won two world championships.

Learning curve
The last time Twins broadcaster Bert Blyleven saw Paul Byrd, Byrd asked the man with one of the greatest curveballs ever to help him with his. "I had Paul show me his grip, and I was able to pull the ball out of his hands," said Blyleven. "And then I showed him how I gripped it and he wasn't able to pull it out of mine. I told him that my grip on my curveball was similar to my fastball, and I noticed when I saw him throw a side session that his arm was dragging on the curveball, maybe a little lazy on the arm speed. I suggested he speed that up and grip the ball harder and it looks like it's helped him. He's a great guy, very smart pitcher. That was a great pickup for Boston."

Damper in Tampa
The lack of buzz over the Rays in Tampa is deafening. Maybe it's a sign of the poor economy, but as of last week the Rays were 26th in the majors in attendance, and they averaged just over 15,000 per game for the Angels series. Rays president Matt Silverman declined comment when we tried to contact him on the subject, but earlier in the week, he seemed upset. "To me, it's about how disheartening it is for everybody in the organization - the players, coaches, and front office - to not see the excitement funnel its way into Tropicana Field," Silverman said. "The TV ratings are high, and that's a great sign, but it hasn't translated to the number of people at Tropicana Field. It really takes the wind out of our sails."

Where will this pitcher wind up?
One of the intriguing issues of the offseason will be Pedro Martínez's future. He hasn't pitched well lately, but as he told this reporter a few weeks ago, he'll base his decision on how his arm feels, though results are important to him as well. While the results haven't been good, his arm feels fine and his velocity is high 80s/low 90s. So it will come down to whether he wants to pitch on an incentive-filled contract somewhere and complete the transition to finesse pitcher. Martínez, who will turn 37 in October, said he wants to pitch until he's 40. We'll see whether the Mets are willing to extend him.

The Strasburg method
It's actually interesting to watch the race for the worst record among Washington, Seattle, and San Diego. The reason? The prize pitcher in next year's draft is San Diego State phenom Stephen Strasburg. The sophomore righthander struck out 23 batters in a game vs. Utah this year and throws 100 m.p.h. He's also a Scott Boras client, so he will break the bank. Would Washington or San Diego pay up? We know Seattle probably will.

Short hops
From the Bill Chuck files: "The Rangers, Pirates, Indians, Rockies, Orioles, and Tigers have completed the most DPs, and none are postseason contenders. On the other hand, the Cubs, Mets, Marlins, and Diamondbacks have the fewest double plays, and are all battling to play in October. The Giants have set a franchise record with 15 rookies making their debuts, one more than the 1926 New York Giants. It's the most in the majors since the 1954 Athletics, who also had 15." . . . Lots of ex-Red Sox birthdays today: Kapler, 33; Nate Minchey, 39; Hideo Nomo, 40; Stan Royer, 41; Jeff Frye, 42; Mike Hartley, 47, Ramon Hernandez, 68; Tracy Stallard, 71; Paul Hinrichs, 83.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com