August 18, 2009: Tonight's pitchers

SCHEDULED STARTER

RHP DAVE BUSH: Acquired from Toronto in a trade on December 7, 2005.

ORIGINALLY: The Blue Jays selected Bush out of Wake Forest with a second round pick in 2002. He made his major league debut with the Blue Jays in 2004.

THE DEMON DEACON: Bush was a First-Team All-American and First-Team All-ACC in 2002 for Wake Forest.

A MINOR THING: Bush never pitched at the A Level in his climb up the ladder. He pitched in short season with Auburn in the New York-Penn League, Dunedin in the Florida State League, New Haven of the Eastern League, and Syracuse of the International League. He also made one start for Nashville, Milwaukee’s Pacific Coast League affiliate in 2008.

LAST SEASON: Bush was 9-10 with a 4.18 ERA in 31 games (29 starts) for the Milwaukee Brewers.

PLAYOFFS: Bush was the winning pitcher in Milwaukee’s lone playoff win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 NLDS. Bush went 5-1/3 innings allowed one run on five hits with three strikeouts on October 4 at Miller Park.

THIS SEASON: Bush was 3-4 with a 5.67 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) for the Brewers before being placed on the disabled list.

NEAR MISS: Bush took a no-hitter into the eighth inning at Philadelphia on April 23. He was four outs from the first no-no by a Brewers pitcher since 1987. Matt Stairs hit a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to break up Bush’s bid for history. He walked three, struck out four, and got the win in Milwaukee’s 6-1 victory.

LAST MAJOR LEAGUE START: On June 20, Bush took the loss at Comerica Park in Detroit. He allowed five runs on seven hits over three innings to the Tigers.

LAST MIDWEST LEAGUE START: On July 10, Bush faced the West Michigan Whitecaps at Time Warner Cable Field. He allowed one unearned run on four hits over 4-2/3 innings. Bush did not walk a batter and struck out five.

LAST START: Bush made a start for Huntsville on July 15 and allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He hit a batter, walked two, struck out two, and took the loss.

VS. BELOIT: Tonight is the first time Bush will face the Snappers, the Midwest League affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 9.0 (4x: Last vs. Houston 9/10/06)
STRIKEOUTS: 13 (@ Colorado 7/10/08)

SCHEDULED RELIEVER:

RHP CODY SCARPETTA: Selected by Milwaukee in the 11th round of the 2007 draft out of Guilford (IL) High School.

LAST SEASON: Scarpetta started his first pro season with the Arizona League affiliate of the Brewers. He went 1-0 in six games (five starts) with a 0.57ERA and struck out 27 with eight walks over 15-2/3 innings. He did not allow a run over his final 15 innings in the Arizona League. Scarpetta was 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA in six games (three starts) after being promoted to Helena. Struck out 31 and walked eight in 20-2/3 innings for the Brewers.

FAMILY AFFAIR: Scarpetta’s father Dan was drafted by Milwaukee in the 3rd round of the 1982 draft and pitched in the Brewer organization from 1982-1983 and 1985-1988.

ONE OF 40: Scarpetta is on Milwaukee’s 40-Man Roster

BASEBALL IN PARADISE: Scarpetta pitched for the West Oahu CaneFires in Hawaii Winter Baseball after the 2008 regular season.

RATED: Baseball America ranked Scarpetta as the #15 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewer organization before the 2009 season.

SECOND HALF: Scarpetta is 2-3 in nine games (seven starts) with a 3.21 ERA in the second half of the season.

SPLIT: Scarpetta is 2-5 with a 1.77 ERA in 15 games (11 starts) at Time Warner Cable Field this season. He is 1-4 in eight games (five starts) with an 8.87 ERA on the road.

LAST APPEARANCE: Scarpetta pitched six shutout innings at Peoria on August 10 and got the victory in a 1-0 Timber Rattlers win. He allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out five.

VS. BELOIT: Scarpetta has made one relief appearance against the Snappers this season. He pitched three scoreless innings of relief in the second game of a doubleheader on June 7. In that game, Scarpetta allowed a hit, did not walk a batter, and struck out three, but was not involved in the decision.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 6.0 IP (5x: Last @ Peoria 8/10/09)
STRIKEOUTS: 10 (2x - 8/2/08 vs. AZL Athletics & 4/22/09 vs. Peoria)