Saturday Scorecard: Will Biggio make history here?

Welcome to the pre-Summerfest edition of Saturday Scorecard. The weather is too nice for preliminaries, so let's get right to the good stuff:

A date with history? Milwaukee baseball fans of a certain age remember the hype and hoopla created when Texas right-hander Nolan Ryan posted the 300th victory of his career.

The milestone came during an 11-3 victory over the Brewers on July 31, 1990. A sellout crowd of 55,097, most of who scrambled for tickets after Ryan lost his previous start against New York, attended the game. Ryan took a two-run lead into the eight, but saw second baseman Julio Franco (yes, the same guy still playing for the Mets) jeopardize his date with history with a pair of errors. Ryan left the game to a standing ovation and Franco atoned for that with a grand slam that sparked a victory-sealing six-run rally in the ninth.

Brewers fans missed out on a chance to see history this week when Barry Bonds went homerless during three games at Miller Park. Bonds entered a game Saturday against the Yankees needing seven more homers to surpass Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755. Bonds and the Giants visit Milwaukee again in July, but fans may not have to wait that long for a slice of history.

Entering an interleague game tonight at Texas, Astros second baseman Craig Biggio needs seven hits to reach 3,000 for his career. If Biggio doesn't reach the milestone in Arlington, there is a good chance he'll do it during a three-game series that begins on Monday.

Biggio will become the 27th major-league player to reach the 3,000-hit plateau and the ninth to do it while playing for one team. The others were George Brett, Roberto Clemente, Tony Gwynn, Al Kaline, Stan Musial, Cal Ripken, Carl Yastrzemski and Robin Yount, who collected his 3,000th hit at County Stadium. All eight of those players are in the Hall of Fame and Biggio is almost certain to follow.

Given the interest in the Brewers this year and the impressive crowds that showed up for the Cleveland-Anaheim series this weekend, it seems likely that Biggio will spark some extra ticket sales next week. As the Ryan episode showed, Milwaukee fans have an appreciation for history.

High stakes: The Brewers' tussle tonight against the Royals does not have "make or break" implications for the home side, but it could be significant for right-hander Dave Bush.

The Brewers eventually will need to make a roster move in order to reinstate pitcher Chris Capuano, who is coming back from a groin strain. Bush's inconsistent performance this season, coupled with the presence of rookie Yovani Gallardo, will make the decision interesting.

If Bush pitches well tonight and in his next turn, the Brewers may consider returning Gallardo to the Class AAA Nashville. If Bush struggles, or Gallardo pitches very well, Bush could be headed for the bullpen.

That would make some sense.

Claudio Vargas allows way too many baserunners to work in relief and the Brewers are 12-3 in his starts this season. Though Bush led the team in victories last season and is still highly-regarded by the front office, he has two traits that could make him a strong reliever: good control and a resilient arm. Bush, who has five "quality" starts in 14 outings, also has a tendency to lose his edge at about the 75-pitch mark.

The Brewers could send down a reliever -- perhaps Jose Capellan or Chris Spurling -- and slide Bush into a relief role. Of course, that's all predicated on Gallardo pitching well.

Go Yo-Yo: Gallardo, who is called "Yo-Yo" by his fellow pitchers, looked cool, calm and talented in his debut against the Giants. He seemed a bit too reliant on his curveball, but his changeup is good enough that he is going to be able to keep a lot of hitters off-balance the first time through.

It's interesting to note that in 1992, the most recent season in which the Brewers posted a winning record, they got a huge contribution from a rookie pitcher. Cal Eldred began the season with Class AAA Denver, where he was 10-6 in 19 starts. In 14 appearances with the big-league club, he was an amazing 11-2 with a 1.79 earned run average. He won 10 games in a row from Aug. 8 to Sept. 29.

Thirtysomething: Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder have a chance to reach 30 homers by the all-star break. That mark has been reached 30 times by 22 different players. Jim Thome and David Ortiz did it last year.

Matinee idols: Local ratings for "The Young and the Restless" surged during the Brewers' appearance this week. There are unconfirmed rumors that Mike Maddux, Bill Castro and Marcus Hanel will be appearing on "The Bold and the Beautiful" and that home clubhouse assistant Jason Shawger has been booked as the opening act for the upcoming Rush tour. (OK, we're kidding about Maddux and Castro, but Shawger recently procured an autographed Vladimir Guerrero ball for Rush bassist Geddy Lee and is planning to attend several shows on the tour).

Grand plan: The Brewers didn't hit a grand slam during the 2006 season. They have four this season, two by Bill Hall and one each for Hardy and Jenkins.

Waiting for the call: Former Packers defensive tackle Gilbert Brown enjoys his role as investor / impresario at the Milwaukee Mile, but he's still waiting for his former employer to call and offer him another chance to play.

"I'm still strong. I'm only 36," the Gravedigger said. "Just give me a helmet and line me up against their best offensive lineman. I'll hit somebody in the mouth. I hate running. But, I'll run sprints with those guys if they let me play."

Back in the game: Former Wauwatosa East coach George Haas has joined the staff at Carroll College and will work under the Pioneers' outstanding head coach, Dave Schultz.