Dave

Bush

Bush has two wins in his five starts since returning from the minors, but in his two best outings, he was left with a no-decision in the 18-inning game against the Angels and today’s loss. His next start will come in Detroit.

The home run wasn’t a major problem tonight, as the only one he gave up was a solo shot to Carlos Guillen. It was the other nine hits, three of them doubles, that did him in. Bush should be kept active in AL-only leagues.

Manager John Gibbons is still showing a quick hook with Bush. It was probably a good idea tonight, as Bush wasn’t going to do anything except damage his ERA. Both of Bush’s rough starts since he returned to the majors have come against the Tigers. He’ll face the Yankees next, so AL-only leaguers will probably want to bench him.

After Jeff Cirillo complained about the waterlogged Coors Field balls before the game, Bush went out and helped produce the third 1-0 game at the stadium this season. There had been just one such game in 11 seasons of play entering this year. Bush was making his first start since July 22. He’s not in danger of losing his rotation spot, but he might continue to be pushed back on occasion so that the Brewers can keep their other starters on normal rest.

Bush gave up an infield single to Juan Pierre, hit Michael Barret with a pitch and then surrendered a three-run homer to Aramis Ramirez during a sixth inning in which the Cubs’ scored all of their runs. He was close to perfect other than that, even though he was working on seven days’ rest. It’d be nice for his fantasy owners if the Brewers would put him back on a schedule to work every five or six days.

Bush gave up four hits and struck out six while walking two. He’s given up two runs or less in three of his last four starts, but a seven-run outing against the Cardinals in the middle has left his owners frustrated. His 78/25 K/BB ratio indicates his 4.81 ERA is on the way down, and he’s worth using in mixed leagues against the Royals next week.

Now that Bush’s schedule is easing up a bit, he should go back to being of plenty of use in NL-only leagues. He has a 1.21 WHIP and 63 strikeouts to go along with his 4.95 ERA in 76 1/3 innings.

Bush has settled in nicely, though only in Milwaukee. He’s 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA at home and 0-4 with a 7.14 ERA outside of Wisconsin. Bush needed only 105 pitches to finish off the Padres tonight. He has a 1.14 WHIP to go along with his 4.54 ERA.

Bush has a 3.46 ERA and a 0.88 ERA in his four starts during August. He is homer-prone, but his 130/33 K/BB ratio in 162 1/3 IP has allowed him to give the Brewers a chance to win most of his starts.

Bush gave up a three-run homer to Ken Griffey Jr. and a two-run shot to Austin Kearns in the first inning. Bush has the nifty 55/15 K/BB ratio in 64 innings, and his 1.23 WHIP is also pretty good. Still, his ERA has increased in each of his last four starts and stands at 5.06 now. While he’s clearly worth sticking with in NL-only leagues, he probably shouldn’t be used when he pitches in Philadelphia on Saturday.