Some things to read while hanging out.
The Brewers are still the hottest team in baseball today, picking up their sixth consecutive road win with a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies Thursday night. Derek Harvey of Brew Crew Ball has the recap, if you missed it.
This was the first time the Brewers have ever swept the Phillies in Philadelphia, and they’re now 7-2 on the season, their best start since 1998 (h/t @MikeVassallo13 on both notes). They’re five games over .500 for the first time since Oct. 2, 2012. Adam McCalvy has more on the streak by the numbers.
Last night’s win wrapped up a 6-0 road trip, a pretty remarkable feat for a team that’s gone 71-91 away from home over the last two seasons. J.R. Radcliffe has more on the accomplishment in our Tweet of the Day:
In 2013, Brewers won their sixth road game on May 13.
— JR Radcliffe (@JRRadcliffe) April 11, 2014
The Brewers bullpen also wrapped up a hot road trip last night as Tyler Thornburg, Will Smith and Francisco Rodriguez combined to work three scoreless innings. @AdamMcCalvy notes that Brewers relievers allowed just one earned run over 21 2/3 innings on the trip. That’s good for a 0.42 ERA.
Thornburg had six of those scoreless innings by himself, making four appearances in the six games on the trip. Adam McCalvy has more on how he’s worked his way into a key role in the bullpen.
Other notes from the field:
- The Brewers were held hitless in the second inning last night, snapping their streak of 22 consecutive innings with at least one hit. (h/t @MikeVassallo13)
- They also got some help from the Phillies, though: Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News notes that Philadelphia committed six errors in the series, and the Brewers scored 15 of their 25 runs in those innings.
- Todd Zolecki of MLB.com has a breakdown of the Phillies’ recent struggles, including this note: This was the first time the Phillies have allowed nine runs or more and lost each of their first two home games since 1929.
- Khris Davis and Jonathan Lucroy each had a double last night and had at least one hit in every game on the road trip (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).
Looking ahead another day, tomorrow night’s game will feature a ceremony to award Carlos Gomez his 2013 Gold Glove. Gomez is the first Brewer to receive this honor in over 30 years, but he says one isn’t enough.
It’s hard to find much to be upset about from this Brewers team, but there is this: Jean Segura was caught stealing last night for the third time in nine games, which is borderline criminal when he’s on base in front of Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez and Jonathan Lucroy. Derek Harvey of Brew Crew Ball has a look at how Carlos Gomez and Segura’s aggressive tendencies could hurt this team at the top of the lineup. @AdamMcCalvy also noted that Segura appeared to be dealing with some pain in his right hand following his hit last night.
Meanwhile, the Brewers’ reluctance to use baseball’s new replay system continues to draw attention. Jordan Mader of Brew Crew Ball and AK of Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball each busted out the comedy yesterday in an attempt to display the absurdity of the situation.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 2-2 last night, and Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects named D’Vontrey Richardson his player of the day after the Stars outfielder went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Huntsville’s 6-3 win over Pensacola.
- Mark McCarter of the Huntsville Times has scouting reports on the six new members of the Stars for 2014, including Richardson (h/t @Mass_Haas).
- Wisconsin also picked up a 3-0 win over West Michigan yesterday, and Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has audio highlights.
- Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has an interview with Sounds third baseman Taylor Green.
Today in power rankings: A week made a big difference for Tim Brown of Yahoo, who has moved the Brewers all the way up from #24 to #7, and that was before their win last night.
If you’d like more Brewers coverage today but you’re sick of reading, 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.
Around baseball:
Indians: Placed third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall on the paternity list.
Rangers: Re-signed catcher Chris Gimenez to a minor league deal.
White Sox: Placed outfielder Avisail Garcia on the DL with a torn labrum in his left shoulder and acquired outfielder Gorkys Hernandez from the Pirates for cash.
Elsewhere in transactions, today we have a couple of cautionary tales on the risks of spending big money on the free agent market to improve your bullpen: A’s closer Jim Johnson, who signed a $10 million contract this winter, has already been removed from the closer role. Meanwhile, Marlins manager Mike Redmond says he hasn’t lost faith in offseason acquisition Carlos Marmol, who gave up a grand slam en route to a blown save on Wednesday.
Don’t be surprised if Monday’s transaction log includes a suspension for Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda. He was caught on camera numerous times last night with a large amount of a substance that appeared to be pine tar on the palm of his pitching hand. Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk downplayed the incident, though, noting that doctoring of baseballs happens all the time.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Pirates had to come from behind to do it, but they beat the Cubs, 5-4 to remain within a game of first place. All five Pittsburgh runs scored in the seventh inning on home runs from third baseman Pedro Alvarez and pinch hitter Travis Snider.
- The Brewers, as you’ve likely heard, beat the Phillies 6-2 for their sixth consecutive win.
- The Cardinals and Reds were off on Thursday.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 7 | 2 | — | vs Pirates, 7:10 pm | Wily Peralta vs Francisco Liriano |
| Pirates | 6 | 3 | 1 | @ Brewers, 7:10 pm | Francisco Liriano vs Wily Peralta |
| Cardinals | 5 | 4 | 2 | vs Cubs, 7:15 pm | Joe Kelly vs Jeff Samardzija |
| Cubs | 3 | 6 | 4 | @ Cardinals, 7:15 pm | Jeff Samardzija vs Joe Kelly |
| Reds | 3 | 6 | 4 | vs Rays, 6:10 pm | Johnny Cueto vs David Price |
Today in former Brewers: Knuckleballer Steve Sparks, now a radio broadcaster for the Astros, was called into service to pitch BP before Houston faced R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays Thursday night. It must have worked, because the Astros tagged Dickey for five runs on their way to a 6-4 win.
Today’s analytical note comes from Ryan P. Morrison of Beyond the Box Score, who suggests agents should be insisting on “overuse” clauses in contracts for their reliever clients. The point makes sense to me, as teams that burn out their relievers may cost them money in future earnings.
Finally, with help from the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday to 1994-96 Brewer Turner Ward. He turns 49.
Today is also the 45th anniversary of the Seattle Pilots beating the White Sox in their first and only home opener at Sick’s Stadium in 1969; the 44th anniversary of the Brewers beating the White Sox for their first victory since moving to Milwaukee in 1970; and the 39th anniversary of Hank Aaron’s Brewer debut in 1975. Follow those links for those events’ entries in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to keep moving.
Drink up.
Don’t forget to follow Kyle on Twitter @BrewFrostyMug, and check out and “like” the Mug’s new Facebook page. The Frosty Mug runs mornings Monday-Friday and is brought to you by Legends of the Field, a sports memorablila company you can trust.
