Monday- Limping south

Some things to read while avoiding the alternative.

A disappointing weekend in Chicago wrapped up with a whimper on Sunday, as the Milwaukee Brewers managed just two hits in a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. JP of Brew Crew Ball has the recap, if you missed it. This weekend was the first time the Brewers have lost a series at Wrigley Field since Sept. 19-21, 2011.

The Brewers’ only offense on Sunday came off the bat of Rickie Weeks, who crushed a ball to left-center field that cleared the bleachers at Wrigley Field. Hit Tracker estimates the ball traveled 455 feet, which would make it the second-longest home run by a Brewer this season. This Carlos Gomez blast from April is still the leader in the clubhouse at 457 feet.

Despite the fact that he’s swinging the Brewers’ hottest bat, Weeks only made one start this weekend at second base. Joe Popely of MLB.com talked to Ron Roenicke about the patience Weeks brings to the lineup.

In fact, without Gomez, the Brewers struggled to score at all this weekend. They plated four runs in the first two innings on Friday, then didn’t cross the plate again until Weeks’ home run in the fifth inning Sunday. They also went 16 innings without an extra-base hit before Schafer’s double in the fifth inning (h/t @joe_block).

Other notes from the field:

• Marco Estrada allowed a pair of home runs on Sunday and has given up 12 on the season, which is tied for the most in all of baseball.
• Estrada told @Todd_Rosiak he had “no feel for his changeup” in the rough outing, during which he allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings.
• The Brewers won a replay challenge in the seventh inning Sunday when Cubs outfielder Junior Lake attempted to steal second base and replay showed he was out despite having been called safe. Ron Roenicke has now won four of his seven challenges.
• The Brewers and Cubs wore 1930’s-inspired uniforms on Sunday as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field (h/t @Brewers), although Jean Segura wore his with neon green shoelaces (h/t @MikeVassallo13).

After yesterday’s game, the Brewers packed up and headed to Atlanta, where they’ll open a four-game series with the Braves tonight. Wily Peralta will take on Mike Minor at 6:10 p.m., and Joe Morgan has the MLB.com preview.
 
We likely won’t see Jim Henderson pitch in the Braves series, but it sounds like it might not be long before he’s back on the mound. He pitched a bullpen session on Sunday for the first time since going on the disabled list on May 2 with shoulder inflammation, and he’s scheduled to throw another one this week before potentially heading out on a rehab assignment.

Tom Gorzelanny may actually be back in action before Henderson. He pitched two scoreless innings in his second rehab appearance for Brevard County on Sunday and has yet to allow a run in four innings of work (h/t @Haudricourt). 

Cubs pitcher Travis Wood and two relievers combined to strike out 11 Brewers on Sunday, wrapping up a weekend in which Milwaukee batters struck out 39 times in 105 plate appearances (about 37 percent of the time). In the FanPosts at Brew Crew Ball, user airfigaro downplayed the significance of the Brewers’ recent strikeout trends.

Kyle Lohse picked up the Brewers’ only win over the weekend, working around some early struggles on Friday to get through seven innings with three runs allowed. Lohse’s ERA remains under 3.00 and he’s striking out seven batters per nine innings for the first time in his career, leading Phil Rogers of MLB.com to wonder if he could be in line for his first All Star appearance.

The Brewers’ win on Friday improved their record to 10-4 in one-run games this season. Luck is frequently a factor in close games, but Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker has a look at some of the skills that can also lead to success in those situations.

Matt Garza also worked through some early struggles on Saturday, allowing three runs in the first inning before settling down and pitching six scoreless. Despite his somewhat solid outing overall, Garza’s recent performance has drawn some fire, and Benjamin Orr of Reviewing the Brew asks what’s up with him.

It’s been a while since Gomez was on the field, but thanks to his Sports Illustrated story from last week, he’s still a hot topic of conversation. Vince Morales of Miller Park Drunk was the latest to weigh in on the story about him Googling “rich-people conversations.”

In the minors:

• The affiliates went 3-1 on Sunday, and one of the wins came from Nashville, where Jimmy Nelson allowed just one run on four hits over seven innings in the Sounds’ 2-1 win over Oklahoma City. You can read about that and more in today’s edition of Minor League Notes at Brew Crew Ball.
• With yesterday’s outing, Nelson has now recorded nine consecutive quality starts (h/t @Haudricourt).
• The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have gone to extra innings with Peoria in each of their last three games and finally won one on Sunday, scoring six runs in the 10th inning to pick up a 7-1 win.
• Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has interviews with Sounds hitting coach Bob Skube and reliever Jeremy Jeffress.
• Tom Haudricourt has a look at some of the pitchers the Brewers could consider with the No. 12 overall pick in next month’s draft.

Back in Milwaukee, a few weeks ago, the Brewers announced a somewhat unusual schedule change when they moved the Monday, June 2, game against the Twins to 6:20 p.m. Today we have some context: The Brewers are planning on holding “620 WTMJ Day” at Miller Park on that date, and John Steinmiller has details on the ticket promotions and more that will be a part of the celebration.
 
Today in power rankings:

• Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times has the Brewers holding steady as the second-best team in all of baseball.
• Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News has them holding steady at third.
• The three writers at Nats Insider have them fourth in all of baseball, down one spot.
• Dugout Perspective has the Brewers third in the National League. 

If you’d like more Brewers coverage today but you’re sick of reading, I’ll be making my weekly appearance on The Talking Cheeseheads with Ben Larson this afternoon. Listen in live on Sports Fan 100.5 FM in Wausau or Sports Talk 1090 WAQE in Rice Lake, or follow the link above later today for the archived audio.

Around baseball:

Astros: Signed reliever Kyle Farnsworth to a major league deal.
Athletics: Claimed pitcher Jeff Francis off waivers from the Reds.
Blue Jays: Second baseman Chris Getz has retired.
Braves: Signed outfielder Brandon Boggs to a minor league deal.
Diamondbacks: Hired former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa as their new chief baseball officer.
Nationals: Placed pitcher Gio Gonzalez on the DL with shoulder inflammation.
Orioles: Signed reliever Heath Bell to a minor league deal and designated pitcher Evan Meek for assignment.
Padres: Placed pitcher Andrew Cashner on the DL with elbow inflammation.
Rays: Signed infielder Jayson Nix to a minor league deal.
Royals: Designated outfielder Justin Maxwell for assignment.
Red Sox: Placed third baseman Will Middlebrooks on the DL with a fractured right index finger.
White Sox: Placed first baseman Jose Abreu on the DL with ankle tendonitis.

The best news of the day may very well be this: Tony LaRussa’s new job with the Diamondbacks almost certainly removes him from consideration to be baseball’s next commissioner.

Let’s go around the NL Central:

• The Cardinals missed a chance to sweep the Braves on Sunday, allowing two runs in the top of the ninth as Atlanta rallied for a 6-5 win. Matt Carpenter was on base five times for St. Louis in a losing effort.
• The Reds have been outscored 20-4 in their last two games after an 8-3 loss to the Phillies on Sunday. Cincinnati catcher Devin Mesoraco went 4-for-4 with two doubles in the game but it was not enough.
• The Pirates avoided a weekend sweep by splitting a doubleheader with the Yankees yesterday. They lost the first game 4-3 but rebounded with a 5-3 victory in the nightcap.
• The Cubs, as you’ve likely heard, clinched a series win over the Brewers with a 4-2 victory yesterday.

Here are today’s updated standings and probables:

John Autin of High Heat Stats notes that the Brewers are just 7-10 in their last 17 games but have only lost 2 1/2 games in the standings over that time.

Today in former Brewers:

• Prince Fielder snapped a streak of 547 consecutive games played when he sat out on Saturday after being diagnosed with a herniated disc in his neck. 
• Mike Bates of SB Nation, by the way, listed Fielder as one of nine struggling players who will continue to struggle going forward.
• Corey Hart has been limited to DH duty in 34 of his first 37 games with the Mariners, is hitting just .209/.295/.353 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging) and had to leave Sunday’s game early after straining his hamstring on a stolen base attempt.
• Jose Veras, recently activated off the DL by the Cubs, pitched the ninth inning in a loss on Friday and could return to the team’s closer role.
• The Phillies could be the leading candidate to sign reliever Todd Coffey, who remains a free agent and recently worked out for teams. @ChrisCotillo says Coffey “will likely decide today.”
• Catcher Wil Nieves, a career .245/.285/.320 hitter, batted second for the Phillies yesterday and homered (h/t You Can’t Predict Baseball).
• West Salem High School, near La Crosse, will officially rename its baseball field after native son Damian Miller in a ceremony on Saturday.
• At least six former Brewers played for the 51-111 2004 Diamondbacks, and AZ Snakepit wants to know how many players from that team you can name.