Milwaukee's Randy Wolf pitches to a Philadelphia batter during the first inning of their game on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Tom Lynn)
MILWAUKEE -- Interested to see what some of their younger arms can do over the final six weeks and with Randy Wolf showing no signs of snapping out of his season-long funk, the Milwaukee Brewers released the veteran left-hander Wednesday.
Infielder Jeff Bianchi was recalled from Class AAA Nashville to take Wolf's spot on the 25-man roster.
Wolf, who was 3-10 with a 5.69 earned-run average in 24 starts (1421/3 innings), will be replaced in the rotation by Shaun Marcum. Marcum will start Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates after being reinstated from the 60-day disabled list.
General manager Doug Melvin said he talked with Wolf and his agent, Arn Tellem, Tuesday before releasing Wolf the following morning.
"With Shaun coming back and us wanting to give the ball to some of the younger pitchers, we just felt that we'd give Randy the opportunity before September to see if he could hook on with another team," Melvin said. "From our standpoint, we made it clear to Randy that in September we probably would have taken the ball from him in a starting role.
"It's always tough, those kind of decisions with a professional guy like Randy. But it's time that we give the ball to some of the other guys."
In a particularly cruel twist -- one that Melvin was unaware of when he summoned Wolf in to inform him of the move -- Wednesday happened to be Wolf's 36th birthday.
"To me, my birthday's been just another day. Other than Aug. 23 when I turned 21, when I didn't
feel very good the next day," joked Wolf. "I think that time was more of a physical punishment. This one's more of an emotional punishment."One of the most good-natured and well-liked players on the Brewers, Wolf then acknowledged it was a tough way to start what should have been a special day.
"It's pretty bad," he said. "But the way I look at it is Day 1 at age 36 starts off on a bad note, and it can only go up from here."
Wolf, perhaps more than any other starter, fell victim to the struggles of the Brewers' bullpen. He left eight games with the lead only to become victim of a blown save. Still, he had won just once since April and was particularly bad in his last five starts, going 0-4 with a 6.57 ERA.
Fanatic in his preparation and work between starts, Wolf regularly referred to the 2012 season as the most frustrating of his 14-year major-league career because the results didn't match how he felt on the mound.
"Obviously, things were brutal this year, and it's been really tough because I have felt good," he said. "I haven't looked up and seen a decline -- if I was throwing 84, 85 mph and I felt like I had no clue out there, I'd have a good idea of what was going on. But it's something that I just need to get better somehow, figure it out. Obviously I'm leaving too many balls over the middle of the plate."
Manager Ron Roenicke, one of Wolf's staunchest supporters, believes the cumulative effects of the veteran's struggles ultimately got the best of him.
"I think he needs a new atmosphere to be in," he said. "Randy is still not done pitching. I think next year he's going to have a good year for somebody. But I think when you get to a point where things happen so negatively every time you go out and pitch, you can't just wipe it out. He tries to. He'll pitch well for a couple of innings, something will happen, it will blow up on him and those bad thoughts keep coming back.
"It's unfortunate, but as strong as you are mentally about your game, that is always there. So anytime something would go bad, you could kind of read it in Randy."
In being released now rather than being banished to the bullpen, Wolf has an opportunity to latch on elsewhere, possibly with a contender. One team that might be in the market for a starter is the Oakland Athletics, who lost Bartolo Colon to a 50-game suspension later Wednesday after he tested positive for testosterone.
"I'd be surprised if someone didn't give him a chance," Melvin said. "A lot of teams would like to have a veteran guy, and Randy over his career has been a great pitcher in the second half."
Wolf went 13-10 with a 3.69 ERA in 2011 for a team that finished two games shy of the World Series. His best moment with the Brewers might well have been the final game he pitched that season.
Coming off an awful outing in a Game 4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series, Wolf rebounded to allow just six hits, two runs and a walk while striking out six over seven innings to win Game 4 of the NLCS in St. Louis.
"He pitched the best game for us against the Cardinals," said Ryan Braun. "He really did some great things for us."
Overall, Wolf finished his tenure with the Brewers with a 29-32 record and a 4.75 ERA.
He signed a three-year, $29.75 million deal with the Brewers heading into the 2010 season that included a club option for 2013. The Brewers owe Wolf roughly $3.8 million -- $2.3 million in salary for the remainder of the season and $1.5 million to buy him out next season.
Overall, Wolf said he leaves Milwaukee with great memories.
"The experience I had here was extremely positive," Wolf said. "It's a great organization with a great owner, a GM that treated me great, a manager that treated me great, pitching coaches that treated me great. Leaving here, there's no bad feelings at all and I wish everybody the best."
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