Villanueva has no background as a closer but Macha believes he has the versatility, endurance and poise to handle that role. And the Brewers' new skipper said he likes the variety of pitchers he has in his bullpen overall.

Macha has power arms in right-handers Seth McClung, Jorge Julio and Todd Coffey, who can throw from the side with sinking action and has impressed Macha with his effectiveness and velocity.

Mitch Stetter is a left-handed specialist who also is capable of getting out right-handed batters. Journeyman minor leaguer Mark DiFelice, who was very impressive in camp, has a cutter that gives right-handed hitters fits.

Villanueva, a former starter, has four pitches and a good changeup and is best when keeping the hitters guessing.

"You get a different look with each guy coming out," said Macha, who has started to slot guys in certain roles, helped by Villanueva's strong finish to camp.

"Villanueva has come around, so that's a big plus. If he's going to be the guy (to close), and it looks like he probably will be, to get the ball at the end of the game on opening day, (then the) other pieces kind of fall into place."

Added Macha, "What the last two weeks has done for me was I've been able to look at guys and try to figure out when they would be coming into the game. Some guys have pushed themselves up the ladder and some guys have not."

THE BREWERS WILL CONTEND IF ...: RHP Trevor Hoffman proves he has gas left in his tank as a closer and the rest of the bullpen chips in to give him save opportunities. RHP Braden Looper does more than just fill innings as the newcomer to the rotation. LF Ryan Braun gets past the intercostal tightness that plagued him during spring training, a recurrence of the problem that rendered him ineffective toward the end of last season. If the Brewers are in a contending position at midseason, they'll be tempted to try a repeat of the CC Sabathia trade of 2008.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: 2B Rickie Weeks appeared to be making steady progress on defense under the tutelage of infield coach Willie Randolph and offensively under the guidance of new hitting coach Dale Sveum. Weeks has been a lightning rod since arriving in the majors in 2005 because of his erratic play in the field and underachieving tendencies as a leadoff hitter. This could be a make-or-break season for his career.

ON THE DECLINE: RHP Jeff Suppan went 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA last August, then collapsed in September, going 0-3 with a 8.44 ERA. He then was shelled in Game 4 of the NL Division Series against Philadelphia, leading to the Brewers' elimination. Halfway through a four-year, $42 million contract -- the largest for a pitcher in club history 00 Suppan has gone 22-22 with a 4.76 ERA in his first two seasons in Milwaukee.