Catcher Jason Kendall got a well-deserved day off Sunday after throwing out three of four runners attempting steals Saturday night in a 4-1 victory over Houston. It was the first time in his career that Kendall threw out three runners in a game.
But it certainly wasn't an unusual sight to see the veteran shutting down the enemy running game. Kendall has nabbed 16 of 37 (43.2 percent) runners attempting steals, compared to a year ago, when he caught only 13 the entire season in 124 attempts (10.5 percent). Manager Ned Yost has talked often this year about watching videos of Kendall over the winter and noticing a flaw in his throwing delivery that was corrected during spring training.
"His mechanics were very solid, time after time after time," said Yost. "The only thing I could see was the runners were just nipping him every time.
"He was waiting back to catch the ball before initiating his release. Now, we have him moving toward the ball. So, instead of -- bang, bang -- being safe, they're out. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would make a big difference."
The ever-modest Kendall preferred to give credit to his pitchers for giving him chances to catch runners. Right-hander Ben Sheets, who pitched Saturday, had been particularly bad in past years in holding runners close.
"They've all done a good job," said Kendall. "All the guys have held the runners very good."
BREWERS 10, ASTROS 1: Perhaps the Brewers should start their bench players more often. With manager Ned Yost starting four reserve players, the Brewers cruised to one of the few "laughers" they've had all year. They had won only twice by as many as five runs since the first week of April and hadn't swept a series since their first home series of the season against San Francisco. The Brewers broke open the game with six runs in the fourth, sparked by Ryan Braun's two-run homer and another two-run shot by Russell Branyan. The Brewers climbed back over .500 (29-28) for the first time since they were 20-19.
