Afternoon State Sports Briefs: Thornburg makes start for Brewers tonight

Talk about it

MILWAUKEE - Tyler Thornburg will make his third start of the year for the Milwaukee Brewers tonight, when they host San Diego in their second-to-last game of the season.

Thornburg, a right-hander, has had three stints with the Brew Crew this year. He had a relatively-high ERA of 6.30 in two starts. Thornburg has given up one run in four innings of relief since being called up early in September. Overall, he has no record, and an ERA of five. Right-hander Anthony Bass will start for San Diego. Rookie Casey Kelly was supposed to get the nod – but he’s being shut down with arm soreness. Bass is 2-7 with an ERA of 4.50. He went 2-6 in 14 starts before he came down with an inflamed right shoulder. Manager Bud Black expects Bass to throw up to 60 pitches this evening. San Diego is 10 games below .500. The Brewers are guaranteed to finish above the .500 mark, after winning their 82nd game of the year last night.

_______________________________________________________________

Unless he gets on a roll, Aramis Ramirez will probably not break the Brewers’ record for doubles in a season. Ramirez has 50 with two games left. That’s four short of the mark set by Lyle Overbay eight years ago. But Stats Incorporated says Ramirez has achieved a rare mark. He’s only the big leaguer to have 25 homers and 50 doubles in his first season with any team in the Majors.

________________________________________________________________

As the Green Bay Packers develop their game-plan for Indianapolis on Sunday, the defense is looking for ways to generate turnovers. The Packers had no fumble recoveries or interceptions in three-of-their-first-four games this season – and that’s not what defensive coordinator Dom Capers has in mind. He says teams only get so many opportunities for turnovers – and they need to take advantage when the time comes. Capers says the Packer defenders have the ability to produce turnovers, and he still believes it will happen. He says the Packers have been among the NFL leaders in takeaways in his first three years with the team, and there’s no reason it should change. Green Bay’s only takeaways this year were the four interceptions that Jay Cutler threw in the Packers’ win over Chicago on September 13th. The Packers had two other opportunities for picks in last Sunday’s win over New Orleans – the most graphic being when D.J. Smith tipped a Drew Brees pass, and safety Morgan Burnett pushed the ball out of teammate Tramon Williams’ hands. Last Monday night, rookie Jarron McMillan picked off a Russell Wilson pass at Seattle – but the play was nullified when linebacker Erik Walden was called for roughing-the-passer. The Packer players are off today. And then they’ll start practicing tomorrow for Sunday’s game against the Colts in Indianapolis. The Colts are 1-2 and are coming off a bye. The Pack is 2-2.

_______________________________________________________________________

Green Bay defensive end Mike Neal will have a week to prove that he deserves to be reinstated on the Packers’ roster. The third-year pro has completed his four-game NFL suspension for taking the prescription drug Adderall without reporting it to the league. It was a violation of the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Head Coach Mike McCarthy says he wants to see Neal go through practice this week before he makes any decisions. He said Neal’s been working out – and he’s always in top shape because of his training habits. But McCarthy says Neal has had no football workouts for a month – so the coach will take a week to decide things. Neal was not allowed to use the Packers’ facilities during his suspension – and he said he worked out at his off-season facility in Tampa. The Packers will start practicing tomorrow for their Sunday contest at Indianapolis.

________________________________________________________________________

Theo Maglio of UW-Stevens Point, Cole Klotz of Whitewater, and his Warhawk teammate Eric Kindler are the WIAC football players-of-the-week. Maglio, a senior receiver, had eight catches for 201 yards and a touchdown in the Pointers’ 19-16 loss to UW-La Crosse last weekend. Klotz, a junior linebacker, had five tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and a pass break-up in Whitewater’s 27-26 win at Platteville. Kindler, a junior, booted field goals of 27 and 21 yards in the Warhawks’ victory over the Pioneers. The WIAC also recognized Mbodje Sarr and Michael Prudisch, both of Platteville, in men’s soccer – Paige LeGate of Eau Claire and Abbie Zastrow of River Falls in women’s soccer – Josh Kaul of La Crosse and Christy Cazzola of Oshkosh in cross country – Lee Ann Mizgalski of Platteville in volleyball – and Brittany McNett-Emmerich of Stout in women’s golf.

_______________________________________________________________________

Wisconsin players took all three weekly football awards in the Northern Athletics Conference. Senior Josh Stodola of Wisconsin Lutheran caught seven passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns in Lutheran’s 10-point win over Lakeland. John Palese of Concordia-Mequon won the defensive honors. He had nine tackles, a fumble recovery, and a pass break-up in Concordia’s 6-0 win over Benedictine. Hunter Breuing of Concordia-Mequon was named the special teams’ player-of-the-week by booming 10 punts for 388 yards. Only two of his kicks were returned. The NAC also recognized Jennifer Dailey of Edgewood in women’s soccer, Sean Esenberg of Wisconsin Lutheran in men’s golf, Josh Williams and LouAnn Judd of Edgewood in cross country, Kaitlyn Strehlow of Wisconsin Lutheran in women’s tennis.

_______________________________________________________________________

Former UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball standout Ryan Allen has been put on the training camp roster for the NBA’s Chicago Bulls. He’ll practice with the Bulls as they open their training camp today. Allen averaged around eight-and-a-half points and five rebounds for UWM last season, and he made the All-Horizon League defensive team. Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter called it a “great opportunity” for Allen. Jeter said Allen has developed his skills to the point in which people are getting a look at him and his abilities. Allen spent two seasons in Milwaukee, and both ended in post-season play. Allen’s brother Tony plays for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.

________________________________________________________________________

Concordia-Mequon has won its third women’s golf title in the last four years in the Northern Athletics Conference. The Falcons won the conference meet yesterday at the Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan, Minnesota. Concordia was 198-over-par for three rounds – beating out second-place Benedictine by 104 strokes. Minnesota-Morris was third, followed by Marian and Edgewood. Jordan Osowski of Concordia-Mequon won the individual title at 45-over-261. Two of her teammates finished second-and-third. Nina Puch was three strokes back, and Emily Stephenson was 10 strokes off the pace.

________________________________________________________________________

Jake Reilly of UW-Milwaukee has been named the men’s cross country runner-of-the-week in the Horizon League. Reilly, a senior, placed fourth among 350 runners at the Greater Louisville Classic last weekend, with an eight-kilometer time of 25:01.56. UWM finished 16th at that meet.

Tags: wisconsin sports, sports, proam, brewers, packers