CINCINNATI -- How did Brewers reliever Corey Knebel find success in the thin air of Triple-A Colorado Springs following a demotion? The answer is simple.
"It's tough to have success down there, but we have our motto: 'Do less,'" said Knebel, who was recalled to the Majors ahead of Friday's second-half opener. "When you're in Colorado Springs, you do less, and that's how you pitch successfully. That we've been doing, and that's how we've been winning games down there.
"If you do too much, the ball's not going to do what you want. If you do less -- that's our motto -- everything worked out."
Knebel took the roster spot vacated Sunday by another reliever demoted to Triple-A amid a personal slump, Michael Blazek, and was involved right away. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning in the Brewers' 5-4 loss to the Reds, sitting at 95-97 mph and logging a pair of strikeouts in a 1-2-3 frame.
"He threw the ball outstanding," manager Craig Counsell said. "That was great to see and exciting to see. He's going to be really important for us in the second half. It's good to get him started off right."
Said Knebel: "I feel so much more comfortable now. It feels like midseason, finally."
Knebel spent the first two months of the season on the disabled list with an oblique strain, then struggled in the Majors after a brief Minor League rehab assignment. He surrendered four earned runs on six hits and six walks in five appearances before the trip to Colorado Springs, where he posted a 1.32 ERA and held opponents to a .122 average in 11 games.
"I guess it was a kind of a mental thing," Knebel said. "I guess I was thinking too much up here. I went down there and I wasn't thinking at all, and it kind of worked out."
"I think Corey just needed some innings to get going, and he got it going," Counsell said. "The reports were very good. He obviously performed very well. I'm anxious to be able to put him in good situations."
Knebel did not get those innings on his rehab assignment, which spanned only four outings.
"You know, I wouldn't say I was too quick," Knebel said. "I just overdid myself. I was thinking I was in midseason form, and I guess I wasn't. It was good to get back down there, figure everything out and get back up."
The Brewers made one other roster move during the All-Star break, claiming righty Rob Scahill off waivers from the Pirates and optioning him to Colorado Springs. Scahill, 29, appeared in 15 games for the Pirates this season with a 4.41 ERA.
With the addition, the Brewers' 40-man roster is full.