Some things to read while the trains go by.
The Milwaukee Brewers had a chance to complete a four-game series split with the Atlanta Braves last night, but blew a 4-1 sixth-inning lead en route to a 5-4 loss. Noah Jarosh of Brew Crew Ball has the recap, if you missed it. The Brewers are now 2-5 on their current road trip.
Thursday night’s game took a turn for the weird in the seventh inning, when a miscommunication led to Ron Roenicke calling in Will Smith to pitch despite the fact that Smith had not been warming up in the Brewers bullpen. Smith received just eight pitches to get loose before an extended replay delay, then allowed a ground ball to short that got through a drawn-in infield and allowed the game-tying and go-ahead runs to score. Andrew Gruman of FS Wisconsin says Roenicke blames himself for the error, which was exacerbated by the absence of both pitching coach Rick Kranitz and bullpen coach Lee Tunnell. Both are away attending their children’s high school graduations.
A few innings earlier, Ryan Braun left the game in the fifth inning with soreness in the oblique muscle that’s already landed him on the disabled list once this season. Elian Herrera replaced him in right field, went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts and came up short on what might have been a catchable ball but turned into a solo home run for Braves outfielder B.J. Upton.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Lucroy continues to swing a hot bat. He went 2-for-4 with a double and drove in two runs on Thursday and has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games. Before the game Ron Roenicke talked to reporters about what’s going well for one of his few reliable hitters.
Other notes from the field:
- Thursday’s game featured four replay reviews, including two in the 47-minute seventh inning.
- One of those replays was a call to New York to see if Will Smith could be allowed to throw more than eight pitches after the bullpen miscommunication. Umpire Fieldin Culbreth also told Brian Anderson he asked Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez for permission to let Smith loosen up more (h/t @AndrewGruman).
- Jean Segura had three hits and scored twice in his first start in the leadoff spot in 2014 (h/t @MikeVassalo13).
- Lyle Overbay went 1-for-3, doubled, walked and scored a run in his 1,500th MLB game (h/t @MikeVassallo13).
- Gerald Laird’s infield “double” in the seventh inning earned a mention in You Can’t Predict Baseball.
A tough road trip continues for the Brewers tonight as they travel to Miami to take on the Marlins at 6:10 p.m. Marco Estrada will take on Tom Koehler in the opener, and Alec Shirkey has the MLB.com preview.
When discussing Ryan Braun this morning, the first concern has to be the oblique injury that continues to limit his playing time and performance. There’s also this, though: Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew notes that Braun is not hitting fastballs well this season, a pitch he’s feasted on in the past.
The Brewers finished last night’s game without Braun, Gomez and Aramis Ramirez, who remains on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. Ramirez can do everything but run at this point, but he’s not expected to be activated when he’s eligible for the first time on Monday.
Elsewhere in injury notes, Yovani Gallardo remains questionable to make his scheduled start on Sunday after spraining his ankle against the Braves on Tuesday. He’s scheduled to throw a bullpen session today to test his progress, but even if he can’t pitch on Sunday, he’s not expected to go on the disabled list.
Keeping Gallardo on the active roster while he’s unable to pitch would likely mean the Brewers would have to go another man short in the bullpen while Tyler Thornburg makes a spot start on Sunday. The bullpen is already limited by the team’s reluctance to use Wei-Chung Wang, and Jordan Schelling of Gannett Wisconsin Media says the Brewers can’t afford to keep him any longer.
Speaking of Wang, Tyler Maas of Milwaukee Record has an interview with his interpreter, Jay Hsu. It’s a great look into Hsu’s life working with Wang and the challenges that come with a 24/7 job that could come to an end at any time.
Thursday night’s loss and a Cardinals win over the Diamondbacks mean the Brewers’ NL Central lead, which was six games just 20 days ago, is now down to a game and a half. Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos has a look at how performance in one-run games has impacted the divisional standings.
In the minors:
- Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has updated their rankings of the top 25 prospects in the Brewers organization. Jimmy Nelson is No. 1 but Tyrone Taylor is only a few points behind.
- The affiliates went 0-4 yesterday, but it wasn’t Kentrail Davis’ fault: The Huntsville outfielder hit for the cycle in the Stars’ 7-6 loss to Montgomery. You can read about all of yesterday’s action in this morning’s edition of Around the Horn at Miller Park Prospects.
- Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has a recap from Wisconsin’s 3-2 loss to Beloit.
- Jay Blue of Grading on the Curve notes that Wisconsin catcher Clint Coulter is still tied for the Midwest League lead with eight home runs.
- Ryan Rodig of WFRV in Green Bay has a story on Coulter’s second season with Wisconsin (h/t @Mass_Haas).
- Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has an interview with Sounds infielder Irving Falu.
Today in power rankings: Tim Brown of Yahoo has moved the Brewers down two spots to No. 4.
If you’d like more Brewers coverage today but you’re sick of reading, I’ll be making a guest appearance as the host of The Home Stretch on 95.3 WSCO in Appleton from 2-4 today. I’ve got a great slate of guests lined up, including Nathan Petrashek of Cream City Cables and Brew Crew Ball, Michael Jong of Fish Stripes, Milwaukee Magazine’s own Howie Magner and more. I’ll also be taking your calls, emails and tweets, so listen in and get your voice heard.
Around baseball:
Dodgers: Released catcher Miguel Olivo.
Giants: Placed reliever Santiago Casilla on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Indians: Placed pitcher Zach McAllister on the DL with a lower back strain.
Orioles: Placed reliever Tommy Hunter on the DL with a groin strain.
Padres: Placed pitcher Robbie Erlin on the DL with elbow soreness.
Pirates: Claimed reliever Josh Wall off waivers from the Angels, and designated pitchers Phil Irwin and Wandy Rodriguez for assignment.
Rangers: First baseman Prince Fielder is likely out for the season after neck surgery.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Cardinals completed a series sweep of the Diamondbacks with a 4-2 win Thursday night. Outfielder Shane Robinson had three hits in the game and drove in two runs.
- Edinson Volquez pitched six solid innings in the Pirates’ 3-1 win over the Nationals. He allowed a single run on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
- Jake Arrieta allowed a single run over six innings, and Carlos Villanueva picked up a nine-out save in the Cubs’ 5-1 win over the Padres.
- As you likely know, the Brewers lost 5-4 to the Braves.
- The Reds were off on Thursday.
Here are today’s updated standings and probables:
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 28 | 20 | — | @ Marlins, 6:10 p.m. | Marco Estrada vs Tom Koehler |
| Cardinals | 26 | 21 | 1.5 | @ Reds, 6:10 p.m. | Shelby Miller vs Homer Bailey |
| Reds | 21 | 24 | 5.5 | vs Cardinals, 6:10 p.m. | Homer Bailey vs Shelby Miller |
| Pirates | 20 | 26 | 7 | vs Nationals, 6:05 p.m. | Charlie Morton vs Jordan Zimmermann |
| Cubs | 17 | 28 | 9.5 | @ Padres, 9:10 p.m. | Edwin Jackson vs Tim Stauffer |
- Michael Jong of Fish Stripes has a story on Casey McGehee resurrecting his MLB career with the Marlins.
- Justin Havens and Lee Singer of the ESPN Stats & Info blog have a look at the possibility that Prince Fielder’s neck injury has been contributing to his declining power.
- The Indians cleared a space on their 40-man roster yesterday by moving Nyjer Morgan onto the 60-day DL with a knee injury.
Baseball is a multibillion dollar industry with well over a century of history, but sometimes it’s important to remember that it’s also a game played by grown-up children. Today, for example, we have a story about the Yankees’ addiction to a Japanese candy that feels like it could also have been written about a Little League team.
Finally, with help from the Baseball Reference Play Index and Brewerfan.net, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- Brevard County Manatee Cameron Garfield, who turns 23.
- Auburndale, Wis., native Jordan Zimmermann, who turns 28. He’s played the last six seasons in the majors as a member of the Washington Nationals.
- 2013 Brewer Michael Gonzalez, who turns 36.
- 1996 Brewer Marshall Boze, who turns 43.
- 1979-81 Brewer Reggie Cleveland, who turns 66 (Today In Brewer History).
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I may have had too many.
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.
