BUG Community

MILWAUKEE —One day after his worst outing in a difficult season, Canadian
John Axford lost his job as the Milwaukee Brewers closer. Knowshon Moreno Jersey . Manager Ron Roenicke
said before Tuesday nights game against St. Louis that Francisco Rodriguez will
be handling ninth-inning duties while Axford, from Simcoe, Ont., tries to get
his confidence back in lower-pressure situations. “Its always difficult when
youre talking about a guy that we feel the way we do about Ax,” Roenicke said.
“We still remember what he did last year for us. So yeah, its always hard to do.
But it is the right thing to do, so I didnt feel bad about doing it. I felt good
about doing it, because I feel like this is the best way to get him back.”
Handed a two-run lead against the Cardinals on Monday night, Axford allowed
three runs in the ninth inning and the Brewers lost 3-2. Axford has 16 saves in
22 chances this season, struggling to find the dominant form he showed in 2011.
“It was a decision I kind of expected after yesterday, yesterdays performance,”
Axford said. “Its frustrating the way things have been going this year, so maybe
itll be a breath of fresh air to step back a little bit, try and get back into
the swing of things the way I was last year.” Axford said he wasnt surprised by
the decision and didnt try to talk Roenicke out of it because he wanted to put
the team first. And Axford acknowledged that his recent struggles have shaken
his confidence. “Id be lying if I said it was the same as its always been,”
Axford said. “Today was actually one of the rougher days Ive ever had.
Generally, Im pretty good about letting go after blown saves or losses or
anything like that. But yesterday, just because I couldnt feel anything—I
literally, as I told (pitching coach Rick) Kranitz, it literally seemed like I
was pitching with new mechanics and never threw a curveball before.” Axford
played a critical role in the Brewers run to the NL championship series last
season, saving 46 games in 48 chances. Axford had 49 consecutive saves between
April 24, 2011 and May 4, 2012—the fourth-longest streak in history. But
Axford has struggled since then, and his control issues were at their worst in
Monday nights meltdown. “He was at a point where he was really frustrated,”
Roenicke said. “He said that was the worst he has felt on the mound as far as
having a feeling where the balls going. With the fastball or the breaking ball,
he had no idea where it was going.” Rodriguez, who has 292 career saves, has
been primarily an eighth-inning setup man since coming to the Brewers in a trade
last season. He is 2-4 with a 3.67 ERA this season with one save—April 10 at
Chicago. He has not allowed a run in his past five appearances. Roenicke said
Rodriguezs fastball has been “really good,” while hes still trying to throw his
slider as consistently as he has in the past. And Rodriguez knows how to close.
“Its certainly what he wants to do,” Roenicke said. “And he is—hes a closer.
Hes a great closer. I think Frankies such a professional that whether I have him
setting up or whether I have him closing, he knows how important he is to our
team to win.” While the Brewers scramble to try to get back into contention,
Roenicke doesnt want Axford to be seen as a scapegoat. “I didnt think about it
that way, and I dont want him to think about it that way,” Roenicke said.
“Because hes not. Thats not all thats going on with us. Weve been inconsistent
with every phase of the game. So its a little part of it we need to fix, and
weve got a great guy to try to fix it with.” Terrell Davis Jersey . New general manager
Marc Bergevin reached into the teams past Tuesday when he named 48-year-old
Therrien to replace Randy Cunneyworth as coach of the team that finished last in
the NHLs Eastern Conference last season. Peyton Manning Jersey .Y. —Interim coach
Mike Woodson says Jeremy Lin will not play in the Knicks first-round series
against Miami, even if they avoid elimination Wednesday. http://www.nflbroncosfan.com/steve-atwater-jersey
.C. —The Bobcats are shutting down forward Corey Maggette for the season. Karl Mecklenburg Jersey . Not surprisingly,
they didnt recover. RedHawks centrefielder Nic Jackson had a double, a home run
and five runs batted in while third baseman Ryan Stovall had two singles, a home
and three RBI, as the RedHawks pounded eight Goldeyes pitchers for 16 runs on 13
hits (along with nine walks) as the ‘Hawks won their third straight from the
Fish and took the four-game series in Winnipeg, three-games-to-one. Demaryius Thomas Jersey . Johan Santana
finally finished the job. Santana pitched the first no-hitter in team history,
helped by an umpires missed call and an outstanding catch in left field in an
8-0 victory over the St.TAMPA, Fla. —Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman
Davin Joseph has a torn right patellar tendon and will undergo surgery that will
sideline him for the entire season. The two-time Pro Bowl selection was injured
during the second quarter of Friday nights 30-28 preseason victory over New
England when a teammate blocked a Patriots lineman into the back of Josephs
knee. Reseerve Ted Larsen replaced Joseph at right guard against the Patriots,
however coach Greg Schiano was not ready Saturday to declare the third-year pro
will start the regular season opener. Von
Miller Jersey. . Joseph is the leader of an offensive line thats
considered one of the strongest assets of a team that went 4-12 and ended last
season on a 10-game losing streak. ’ ’ ’