Bosio’s Outing Earns Him Confidence, Win

Chris Bosio, the latest candidate for the Milwaukee Brewers’ starting rotation, arrived at Anaheim Stadium with all the confidence of a high school freshman on his first car date. His name had found its way onto the Brewer lineup card out of necessity, nothing more; a desperate move for a team in desperate need of a reliable starting pitcher.

His own manager, at best, hoped for only minimal damage by Bosio, who entered Saturday night’s game with statistics so ugly you might want to hide them in a closet. But why not? The No. 4 and No. 5 pitchers in the Brewer rotation were a combined 4-12 with 9 no-decisions.

“Five or six innings,” Brewer Manager Tom Trebelhorn said. “Hold them to two or three runs--those were about the highest expectations I had.”

Even Bosio was unsure of his place. Was he a reliever or a starter? A phenom or a flop? On a bad streak or simply a bad pitcher?

His gruesome numbers at game’s beginning:

A 3-2 record . . . 5.94 ERA . . . 0-4 in five career starts . . . a last start that included four hits, five runs, three walks and two wild pitches, all in just 2 innings. His longest stay of the season was only 3 innings.

“The thought crossed my mind of maybe stepping down (to the minor leagues) and getting my (act) together,” Bosio said.

Of course, that was before this same inconsistent, unsure Bosio surprised himself, to say nothing of the Brewers and Angels, with an eight-inning, four-hit performance that ultimately resulted in a 2-1 Milwaukee victory. For someone who usually finds the showers warmed and ready by say, the early innings, Bosio was not sure how to react.

When told that at one stretch he retired 16 consecutive Angel batters, he appeared stunned.

“I did?” he asked. “I had no idea that I did that. Wow!”

As for pregame aspirations, Bosio said he would have settled for a solid, non-embarrassing effort. Instead, he left after eight innings with seven strikeouts, no walks and only one inning’s worth of difficulty.

That was in the third, when he allowed a line drive to Dick Schofield and watched as the Angel shortstop stole second, thanks partly to a slow delivery to catcher Bill Schroeder. Next came Mark McLemore, who doubled, easily driving in Schofield and cutting the Brewer lead to 2-1. Gary Pettis struck out, but Jack Howell singled to left, moving McLemore to third.

In the Brewer dugout, Trebelhorn instructed reliever Chuck Crim to get ready. This had all the makings of past Bosio ventures.

But something different happened: Bosio endured. He coaxed Devon White, the Angels’ hottest hitter of late, to ground a ball to the mound, thus starting a double play and ending the only danger Bosio would face.

As the innings passed, Bosio would return to the dugout and stare at the floor. He would go over the Angel lineup in his mind, thinking only about the next batter.

“I was thinking about getting through the first inning, then getting through the second inning, then getting through the third inning,” Bosio said. “I mean, I didn’t come in here on any kind of a roll.”

He leaves on one. Even Trebelhorn allowed himself a moment’s worth of optimism.

“I didn’t expect what (Bosio) gave us,” he said. “I think that was one of the better pitching performances that I’ve ever seen. He ends up going eight and maybe he could have gone nine. But there was no way I was going to allow him to lose this game.”

No matter. Bosio left with a fourth win and another date.