Sabathia keeping Brewers alive

Starting on short rest for a second straight start, CC Sabathia improved to 10-2 since joining the Brewers on July 7. AP Luke Winn's Mailbag Have questions or feedback? E-mail Luke Winn. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Luke Winn on Twitter

MILWAUKEE -- The moment the Mets' latest implosion officially ended Wednesday, at about 10:15 CT, Brewers savior CC Sabathia was busy insisting to a pack of reporters that he felt just fine throwing 107 pitches on three days' rest; that his latest tour de force -- an 11-strikeout, seven-inning outing in a win over the Pirates that evened the NL wild-card race -- had not put any undue strain on his left arm. Sabathia also said that he'd be perfectly willing to do it all over again, three days later against the Cubs in the regular-season finale. "Whatever it takes to get us in the playoffs," he explained, "that's what I'll do."

One of the big-screen TVs in Milwaukee's clubhouse was not too far away from this media scrum, and Sabathia was facing it when Kerry Wood struck out Jose Reyes in the bottom of the 10th to seal a 9-6 win for the NL Central-leading Cubs. Injured Brewers outfielder Gabe Kapler, seated on a couch in front of the set, announced to anyone within earshot, "It's a four-game sprint now" -- with the prize at the finish line being the end of a 26-year playoff drought. September pick-up Mike Lamb, who was sitting on the next couch over, yelled out, "CC, you're throwing tomorrow!"

That provided laughter -- and also the unpleasant reminder of the tenuous pitching situation Milwaukee faces over its next three games. It's improbable the Brewers, who as of last week were baseball's new kings of self-asphyxiation, going 4-15 to start September and squander a sizable wild-card lead, have climbed back into a tie in this race. (Partly this is due to the fact that they're battling the only NL team more choke-prone than themselves: the Mets, who have dropped three of their past four games and are being subjected to a nightly horror show from their bullpen.) But it would be perhaps equally improbable if the Brewers can make it to Sabathia's next start without a meltdown from the rest of their starting pitching staff.

After Sabathia, whom interim manager Dale Sveum called "the best pitcher in baseball," the Brewers' rotation is one fine mess. On Thursday they'll turn to Yovani Gallardo, one of the finest young arms in the NL, and perhaps the league's most well-rested pitcher -- because he hasn't made a start since May 1, when he tore the ACL in his right knee in a wreck at first base against the Cubs. Gallardo fast-tracked his rehabilitation for a September comeback, but his return to the rotation wasn't a sure thing until Sveum announced it before Wednesday's game.

Sveum, who was thrust into a strange role of interim manager when Ned Yost was fired with just 12 games to go in the season, said he wasn't worried about thrusting Gallardo into the heat of a playoff race under these strange circumstances. "He's a big-time game pitcher," Sveum said. "He won't have that deer-in-the-headlights look out there." Gallardo, though, admitted just one day earlier that he hadn't hit, run bases or done much fielding during his rehab work -- all of which makes this appear to be a massive risk for the franchise's future, in which he projects to be the No. 1 starter in 2009 and beyond. But what else are the Brewers to do at this juncture?

Surely, they'd be overjoyed if Ben Sheets, the team's "co-ace" -- a term that is becomes more and more inaccurate as Sabathia's superhuman act rolls on -- could overcome his elbow troubles and tough out a start either Thursday or in one of the first two games against the Cubs on Friday and Saturday. But Sveum said a Sheets return would be a "minor miracle." Then who else is available? Opponents have been hitting .382 in September against Jeff Suppan, who's slated for a Friday start against the Cubs. His 0-3 record and 10.47 era this month don't bode well for a battle against the NL's most potent lineup. Seth McClung? He's made just one start since July 21, and that went just 3.1 innings against the Reds on Sunday. In lieu of Sheets, righty Dave Bush will likely throw on three-days' rest Saturday. The Mets will be trotting out Pedro Martinez, Mike Pelfrey and possibly Brandon Knight before they can get to Johan Santana -- not all stellar options, but far better than the Brew's.

For Sveum, then, the Miwaukee equivalent of "Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain," it has come down to "CC and Beg For Mercy." Since being acquired from the Indians in a trade for Matt LaPorta and two other prospects on July 7, Sabathia is an unreal 10-2 with a 1.78 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings. But will the swap have been worth it if Milwaukee can't fend off the Mets? "You hope to god you make the playoffs," Sveum said, "and make that look like the best trade of all time."

Sabathia did his best Wednesday to keep Milwaukee alive, even after a rocky start. While the first inning was playing out at Miller Park, the Mets' Carlos Delgado was launching a grand slam against the Cubs to open up a 5-1 lead in the third inning at Shea. A collective groan could be heard amongst Brewer faithful when that tally was posted on the out-of-town scoreboard, and soon after, Sabathia walked Pittsburgh's Jason Michaels to load the bases. Given the Brewers' luck of late, fans braced for the worst, only to see Sabathia bear down and strike out Adam LaRoche and Steven Pearce to end the inning.

Sabathia went on to strike out 11, tying his season high; Sveum said he considered removing his starter after six innings, but felt as if he had no choice but to leave Sabathia, who had already reached 98 pitches, in the game. Sabathia admitted that he may have looked "a little pissed" in the dugout between those frames, and Sveum admitted to a bit of timidity in the situation, particularly due to his size disadvantage: "The guy's 6-8 and can pinch my neck off," Sveum said.

Fear aside, it's nice to inherit a pitcher of Sabathia's ilk in your first big-league managing gig, and be able to use him twice in the final five days of a battle with the Mets. During his postgame press conference, Sveum kept an eye on the goings-on at Shea, looking up and to the left time and time again at the TV mounted in the corner of the room, tuned to ESPN. The Cubs and Mets were in the top of the 10th, and Sveum was in the middle of answering a question when Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer off of Luis Ayala to make the game 9-6. "Awesome," said Sveum. "Thattaway, Rammie!"

The Brewers were huddled around a TV in their clubhouse when Ramirez launched his homer, and several players said the room erupted. "It definitely got loud in here," said second baseman Rickie Weeks. "And we like where we're at now -- we're in a good situation."

And so they'll be Cubs fans, for one more day, and then try to be Cubs killers for the final three-game series at Miller Park. They'll hope the Mets keep choking. They'll hope they can make it back to Sabathia's turn in the rotation before they're eliminated. And they'll hope that when the ball does end up in CC's hands again, he won't disappoint. Rarely, since he landed in Milwaukee, has that been the case.