Some things to read while getting all your friends together.
The Milwaukee Brewers may have allowed what’s left of their dwindling playoff hopes to slip through their fingers on Thursday night, as they blew a late lead en route to a 3-2, 13-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Derek Harvey of Brew Crew Ball has an inning-by-inning recap, if you missed it.
The Brewers took a 2-0 lead into the eighth inning and had a chance to escape with it intact, but a lapse on defense proved costly. With a runner on first and one out, Mark Reynolds fielded a ground ball to first that could have been a double play, but he thought there were two outs and did not attempt to turn it. An apologetic Reynolds met with reporters after the game to discuss his poor decision.
Certainly Reynolds made a mental mistake that could haunt him and this team for some time, but I’m not entirely sure scapegoating him for Thursday’s loss is fair in any way. Even after Reynolds’ gaffe the Brewers had a two-run lead with a runner on second and two outs. If Jonathan Broxton retires any of the next three batters he faced, including two he walked and one walk that forced in a run, the Brewers escape the inning with the lead. Even after the miscue, FanGraphs says the Brewers still had a better than 88 percent chance to win the game.
For what it’s worth, Broxton also recognizes his role in the loss:
@BrewFrostyMug Broxton on the Reynolds play: “It’s not that. I walked those two guys. I mean, that’s on me, and that’s what hurt.”
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 19, 2014
Broxton came into the game in an attempt to bail Kyle Lohse out of a jam. Lohse needed just 88 pitches to work through 7 1/3 innings on Thursday night, but after the game, Ron Roenicke told @AdamMcCalvy he wasn’t second-guessing the decision to take him out.
Other notes from the field:
- The Brewers used 25 players in Thursday night’s game for the first time in franchise history. The previous franchise record was 24, set in the Seattle Pilots’ 5-3, 20-inning loss to the Red Sox in July of 1969.
- Jonathan Lucroy hit his 52nd double of the season and his 45th as a catcher, setting a new National League single-season record for backstops and tying the MLB record, set by Ivan Rodriguez in 1996.
- Speaking of doubles, Yadier Molina’s in the ninth inning on Thursday was the Cardinals’ only extra-base hit in the first 29 innings of the series (h/t @dgoold).
- September callups Matt Clark and Hector Gomez were both in the starting lineup on Thursday. Clark went 1-for-2 and scored a run before Mark Reynolds pinch hit for him, and Gomez went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts before Logan Schafer pinch hit for him.
- The eighth inning of Thursday’s game was extended when the Cardinals won a challenge on a Matt Holliday ground ball with two outs. Holliday was originally ruled out at first base but umpires called him safe following a review of the play.
- Holliday and Mark Reynolds both had infield singles in the game, which was enough to attract the attention of You Can’t Predict Baseball.
- Cardinals starting pitcher Shelby Miller was hit on the shin by a line drive during the sixth inning Thursday and finished the inning, but left the game afterward. He said he doesn’t expect to miss a start.
- Tyler Thornburg and Jim Henderson both took to Twitter to show off their rally caps during the late innings.
- David Schoenfield of ESPN listed the Brewers’ inability to catch a break as one of the five things baseball fans learned on Thursday.
If the Brewers do manage to defy the odds and make the playoffs, they’ll face another challenging test for their somewhat unusual starting rotation. Mike Beisbol of Beisbol’s Org questions whether Mike Fiers can sustain his current success as a member of that staff and wonders whether the Brewers should have moved him to the bullpen instead of Jimmy Nelson.
Jonathan Lucroy couldn’t get the Brewers any extra strikes when they needed them in the eighth inning Thursday night, but he and Martin Maldonado are still among the best catchers in the game at getting borderline pitches called in their favor. Ryan P. Morrison of Beyond the Box Score has a look at the best batteries in all of baseball at getting extra strikes and both Brewer catchers are featured prominently in the results.
Meanwhile, Brewers clubhouse attendants can put the first nameplate on a locker in Maryvale for next season’s spring training. Catcher Shawn Zarraga re-signed with the Brewers on a minor league deal on Thursday and will receive an invitation to come to big-league camp. Zarraga is 25, appeared in 92 games this season between Double-A and Triple-A, and hit .309 with a .416 on-base percentage and .389 slugging. The former 44th-round pick in the 2007 draft is scheduled to represent the Brewers in the Arizona Fall League.
In the minors:
- The Brewers officially announced their new Triple-A affiliate on Thursday, signing a two-year player development contract with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. JP of Brew Crew Ball has some quick facts on the organization’s newest farm club.
- While the Brewers settle into their new Triple-A home, Doug Melvin still isn’t happy about how things ended with the last one. On Thursday he called out the Nashville Sounds’ ownership for dumping the Brewers after 10 years in one of the Pacific Coast League’s worst facilities. Eno Sarris of FanGraphs has a look at the A’s decision to move their affiliate to Nashville’s new ballpark.
- Congratulations are due out this morning to 2014 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Clint Coulter and Taylor Williams, who were both named to Baseball America’s Low-A All-Star team. Coulter had a .410 on-base percentage and tied a franchise record with 22 home runs for Wisconsin, and Williams posted a 2.36 ERA in 22 appearances (12 starts) before being promoted to Brevard County.
- The Timber Rattlers typically hold an annual rummage sale in March but this year they’re moving it to the fall and will have it on Tuesday. Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has a look at some of the items available.
Nationals: Claimed infielder Pedro Florimon off waivers from the Twins and designated outfielder Eury Perez for assignment.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Pirates held on for another win over the Red Sox, this time by a 3-2 score. The game ended on a lucky break as Boston pinch runner Jemile Weeks was hit by a batted ball for the game’s final out.
- The Cubs allowed five runs in the seventh inning as the Dodgers came from behind to secure an 8-4 win at Wrigley Field. Each of the first five Cubs in the lineup had multiple hits in the losing effort.
- The Brewers, as you likely know, lost 3-2 to the Cardinals in 13 innings.
- The Reds were off on Thursday.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Cardinals | 85 | 68 | — | vs Reds, 7:15 p.m. | John Lackey vs David Holmberg |
| Pirates | 82 | 70 | 2.5 | vs Brewers, 6:05 p.m. | Jeff Locke vs Yovani Gallardo |
| Brewers | 79 | 74 | 6 | @ Pirates, 6:05 p.m. | Yovani Gallardo vs Jeff Locke |
| Reds | 71 | 82 | 14 | @ Cardinals, 7:15 p.m. | David Holmberg vs John Lackey |
| Cubs | 68 | 85 | 17 | vs Dodgers, 1:20 p.m. | Edwin Jackson vs Clayton Kershaw |
Meanwhile, the Pirates continue to open up a lead in the race for the final Wild Card spot:
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Giants | 84 | 68 | +2 | @ Padres, 9:10 p.m. | Tim Hudson vs Odrisamer Despaigne |
| Pirates | 82 | 70 | — | vs Brewers, 6:05 p.m. | Jeff Locke vs Yovani Gallardo |
| Brewers | 79 | 74 | 3.5 | @ Pirates, 6:05 p.m. | Yovani Gallardo vs Jeff Locke |
| Braves | 76 | 76 | 6 | vs Mets, 6:35 p.m. | Julio Teheran vs Zack Wheeler |
As of this morning, Baseball Prospectus gives the Brewers a 9.2 percent chance to make the playoffs. That’s down more thanseven points from yesterday and almost 12 points in the last week.
Of course, we’re continuing to monitor the situation of Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton after he was hit in the face by a pitch from Mike Fiers last week. Stanton still needs five teeth replaced or repaired and will not play again this season, but acknowledges that things could be much worse.
Today in former Brewers: Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs has a look at Zack Greinke’s continued success as a hitter. Greinke has a career .224 batting average and .327 slugging in 125 appearances since coming to the National League with the Brewers in 2011.
Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- Huntsville Stars catcher Robinzon Diaz, who turns 31.
- 1999 Brewer Jim Abbott, who turns 47.
- Isaiah Clark, the Brewers’ first-round pick (No. 18 overall) in the 1984 draft, who turns 49 (Today In Brewer History).
- 1973 Brewer Chris Short, who would have turned 77.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for breakfast.
Drink up.
Don’t forget to follow Kyle on Twitter @BrewFrostyMug, and check out and “like” the Mug’s Facebook page. The Frosty Mug runs mornings Monday-Friday and is brought to you by Legends of the Field, a sports memorabilia company you can trust.
