Some things to read while running.
The Milwaukee Brewers enjoyed their first day off in more than two weeks Thursday, and with the Cardinals’ loss, the Crew actually expanded its lead in the NL Central to 3 games. They’re now guaranteed to still be in first place when the calendar turns over to June on Sunday, and this Brew Crew Ball poll shows that 79 percent of fans expect them to remain in contention for the division crown.
They’ll get another chance to improve their playoff odds this weekend as they welcome the Chicago Cubs to Miller Park. Marco Estrada will take on Travis Wood in the series opener at 7:10 p.m. tonight, and Matt Slovin has the MLB.com preview.
The Brewers are off to their best start in franchise history despite facing a pretty challenging schedule. Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker notes that the Brewers have faced above-average pitching so far this season, but so has every other National League Central team.
Thursday’s off day left us with plenty of time to discuss the 2014 All Star ballot. Jonathan Lucroy was in fourth place among NL catchers when the initial vote totals were revealed earlier this week, but Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew says he should start the game.
Fans don’t vote for relievers to pitch in the All Star Game, but if they did, many of us would probably cast our daily allotment of 25 ballots for Will Smith. Noah Jarosh of Brew Crew Ball has a look at the dominant lefty’s chances of making the All Star roster.
Smith, who pitched in 15 games in April, has appeared in 13 more in May with two left on the schedule. AK of Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball has a look at concerns over Brewers bullpen usage, which have subsided a little since April.
Mark Reynolds probably won’t be a 2014 All Star, but he leads the Brewers and is tied for fourth in the National League with 12 home runs. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a look at his role as a popular clubhouse figure and slugger. Stacy Folkemer of the Orioles blog Camden Chat also discussed his performance in her look at former Orioles around baseball.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 4-0 on Thursday, with Huntsville overcoming a three-run deficit in the seventh inning to beat Tennessee 4-3. You can read all about the day’s action in the Brewerfan.net Link Report.
- Congratulations are due out this morning to Brevard County outfielder Michael Reed and pitcher Hobbs Johnson, and Huntsville pitcher Brent Suter for being three of just 25 players added to Nick Melotte of Minor League Ball’s “Helium Tank,” designed to monitor players who were not considered top prospects but have significantly improved their status this season.
- Craig Stephenson of GulfLive.com reports a new ballpark in Biloxi may not be ready until mid-May of 2015, meaning the Brewers’ Double-A affiliate (if they still are a Brewers affiliate) could have to open the 2015 season with a monthlong road trip (h/t @Mass_Haas).
- Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has a preview of the Brewers’ Dominican Summer League affiliate, which will open its 2014 season Saturday morning.
- The 2014 MLB Draft begins Thursday, and Adam McCalvy has a look at the Brewers’ best draft picks by round through the years. The best second- and third-round picks in franchise history are still on the current roster.
- Shaun P. Kernahan of Grading on the Curve has the Brewers projected to select Hartford pitcher Sean Newcomb with the No. 12 overall pick.
- @Mass_Haas reports that North Carolina high school infielder Braxton Davidson and Hawaii high school pitcher Kodi Medeiros were among the players working out for the Brewers at Miller Park on Thursday.
Darryl Hamilton probably needs to spend a few more years in the radio booth before he’ll be ready for a bobblehead, but by most accounts, he did pretty well on broadcasts while Bob Uecker sat out the recent road trip. Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel talked to Hamilton about trying to be himself instead of trying to replace Uecker.
Today in power rankings: Nats Insider has the Brewers holding steady as the fourth-best team in all of baseball.
If you’d like more Brewers coverage today but you’re sick of reading, I have archived audio from three interviews from my Thursday stint as guest host of The Home Stretch on 95.3 WSCO in Appleton:
- First, I talked to Jack Moore of Sports on Earth and The Score about Yovani Gallardo’s hitting, the role of a manager and more.
- In the second hour, I was joined by Mike Oz of Big League Stew to talk All Star balloting.
- Finally, I wrapped up the interviews with a chat with Wisconsin Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson.
Also, I’ll be making my weekly appearance on The Sports Den with Downtown Ollie Burrows on Sports Fan 100.5 in Wausau at 5:30 p.m. today. Follow that link to listen in live.
Around baseball:
Royals: Fired hitting coach Pedro Grifol and moved third base coach Dale Sveum to hitting coach.
- The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead into the eighth inning Thursday but couldn’t hold it, losing 6-5 to the Giants. The highlight of the game for St. Louis might have come when speedy outfielder Peter Bourjos went from first to third on a sac bunt. He was stranded there, however.
- The Pirates climbed back into third place in the division with a 6-3 win over the Dodgers. Pedro Alvarez and Russell Martin both homered in the game.
- The Reds managed just three hits in a 4-0 shutout loss to the Diamondbacks. Josh Collmenter pitched a complete game for the win for Arizona, walking none and striking out five.
- The Brewers and Cubs were off on Thursday.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 32 | 22 | — | vs Cubs, 7:10 p.m. | Marco Estrada vs Travis Wood |
| Cardinals | 29 | 25 | 3 | vs Giants, 7:15 p.m. | Adam Wainwright vs Madison Bumgarner |
| Pirates | 24 | 29 | 7.5 | @ Dodgers, 9:10 p.m. | Francisco Liriano vs Josh Beckett |
| Reds | 23 | 29 | 8 | @ Diamondbacks, 8:40 p.m. | Mike Leake vs Bronson Arroyo |
| Cubs | 19 | 32 | 11.5 | @ Brewers, 7:10 p.m. | Travis Wood vs Marco Estrada |
Today in former Brewers:
- Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post has a look back at the Nationals’ pursuit of Prince Fielder when he was a free agent after the 2011 season.
- Bryan Cole of Beyond the Box Score included outfielder Alex Sanchez, during his time with the Tigers, as one of the players who best exemplifies an offensive output of “hitting for average but nothing else.”
In past years, we might have debated this fruitlessly for hours, but via the magic of technology, we can now say it with some certainty: Dave Cameron of FanGraphs used heatmaps and more than 100,000 studied pitches to clearly show that the low, outside corner of the strike zone is typically the best place for a right-handed pitcher to pitch to a right-handed hitter.
Finally, with help from the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy 72nd birthday to 1972-73 Brewer John Felske (Today In Brewer History).
Today is also the 44th anniversary of Brewers second baseman Roberto Pena hitting an inside-the-park grand slam in a 9-7 win over the Tigers in 1970, and the 45th anniversary of the first-ever meeting between the Tigers and Seattle Pilots in 1969. Follow the links for those events’ respective entries in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball.
It’s also the first anniversary of the Brewers losing 8-6 to the Twins to fall to 5-22 in May, clinching the worst month in franchise history.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a new dentist.
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.
