Some things to read while jumping in.
The Milwaukee Brewers return home today as the proud owners of baseball’s best record and have two wins more than any other National League team, but it wasn’t easy on Sunday. They needed 14 innings to pull out a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Noah Jarosh of Brew Crew Ball has the recap if you missed it.
The end result, however, may have been overshadowed a bit by an ugly incident in the third inning that could have lasting ramifications for this week’s games. Carlos Gomez (and bench coach Jerry Narron) were ejected from Sunday’s game after a series of events that included Gomez hitting a triple to center, Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole taking objection to Gomez taking too long to run, Pirates outfielder Travis Snider coming off the bench to charge Gomez, and Martin Maldonado throwing a pretty solid punch in retaliation. You can see video of the incident here or catch it in gif form here.
Bucs Dugout did a great job of collecting postgame quotes from both clubhouses. Here’s a quick summary:
- Both Gomez and Cole seem to agree the incident started when Cole said something to Gomez. Cole admits he said something out of frustration, but the two players disagree on what was said. Gomez appears to have heard Cole curse at him, and Cole denies that.
- Gomez acknowledged the back-and-forth with Cole but said things would have been over if Snider hadn’t “come like a superhero trying to throw punches at everybody.”
- Maldonado, who almost certainly landed the fight’s most visible punch, says he entered the melee to protect his teammate when he saw two Pirates holding Gomez.
Many fans will likely recall that Gomez was also involved in an incident last September with the Atlanta Braves. He apologized following those events, but yesterday he said he will not say he’s sorry for this one and will appeal if he’s suspended.
As you might expect, we have much more reaction from around the web:
- Martin Maldonado took to Twitter to apologize for his role in the incident.
- @wezen_ball was one of many to note that Gomez likely could have had an inside-the-park home run on the play if he’d been running hard out of the batter’s box.
- @matthewpouliot suggests that Carlos Gomez would have caught that fly ball if he had been playing center field.
- Jon Morosi of Fox Sports says baseball needs to start allowing players to express themselves without taking offense.
- David Schoenfield of ESPN says Gomez deserves a suspension for his actions.
- Matt Snyder of CBS Sports says Gomez’s behavior is an issue, but so is oversensitivity in response.
- Gomez pointed out in his postgame comments that the Brewers didn’t react when Pirates outfielders Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutchen watched their long fly balls earlier in the series (h/t @Todd_Rosiak).
In the end, I think Jonah Keri summed up the situation nicely in our Tweet of the Day:
@whygavs Suspect no brawl if Pirates weren’t losing these games.
— Jonah Keri (@jonahkeri) April 20, 2014
It’s also worth noting that this was the final act in a long weekend for Gomez, who snapped a bat over his knee after a strikeout Friday night while dealing with a family medical scare involving his young son. The issue turned out to be relatively minor, but he didn’t learn that until later in the game.
With that said, the brawl is over now and the Brewers may have to face the consequences this week. A Gomez suspension could leave the Brewers with three healthy outfielders, as Logan Schafer was placed on the disabled list before Sunday’s game with a hamstring strain. Elian Herrera was forced into duty in center field after Sunday’s fracas. It’s a side note at this point, but it’s also worth noting that the Brewers are giving away Gomez bobbleheads on Sunday when he could potentially be serving his suspension.
Things could also get a little messy behind the plate if Martin Maldonado is suspended. The Brewers likely won’t want to go without a backup catcher while he’s out, so @Mass_Haas wonders if they’ll consider moving Tom Gorzelanny to the 60-day DL to free up a 40-man roster spot for someone like Robinzon Diaz or Matt Pagnozzi. That move would keep Gorzelanny on the shelf through most of May.
Yesterday’s game would’ve ended with a Brewers loss in regulation if not for the heroics of Ryan Braun, who hit a ninth-inning home run off Pittsburgh closer Jason Grilli for the second time in as many days to send the game to extra innings. Braun acknowledged the Brewers didn’t play all that well overall this weekend, telling @AdamMcCalvy, “We could have easily been swept.”
A few innings later, Khris Davis provided the fireworks with a go-ahead home run in the 14th inning, his first of the season. His three hits Sunday raised his OPS (on-base plus slugging) from .587 to .669 and may have eased some concerns about his ability to remain viable as an everyday left fielder. Nathan Petrashek of Cream City Cables says expectations are too high for Davis after his hot finish to the 2013 season.
Other notes from the field:
- With the win, the Brewers are now 9-1 on the road this season (h/t @joe_block). They’re the first NL team to win nine of their first 10 road games in 20 years (h/t @AndrewGruman).
- Yesterday’s win wrapped up a season-opening stretch in which the Brewers played 2013 playoff teams 16 times in 19 games. They went 14-5 in that span.
- Lost in all of the day’s other excitement was this fun fact: Mark Reynolds also homered yesterday for the second consecutive day, and now has five on the season.
- Francisco Rodriguez pitched a scoreless 14th inning yesterday for his seventh save, tying him for the MLB lead. It was also the 311th of his career, tying him with longtime Blue Jay Tom Henke for 19th on the all-time list. (h/t @AndrewGruman)
- Ron Roenicke challenged a call at first base when Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata reached on a two-out infield single in the eighth inning, but the call was upheld. Roenicke is now 1-for-2 in challenges this season.
- The Pittsburgh series featured the FS Wisconsin debut of longtime Badgers broadcaster Matt Lepay, who is sitting in for Brian Anderson while he covers the NBA playoffs for TBS. Todd D. Milewski of The Capital Times has a look at his early performance.
- The Brewers’ tumblr feed has a gif of Jean Segura avoiding the tag in a rundown on Saturday.
- Martin Maldonado was awarded a base hit on Friday after a play in which the cover partially came off the baseball on a ground ball off his bat.
It’s a little early to get excited about the possibility of playoff baseball returning to Miller Park in 2014, but Baseball In-Depth does have a cause for optimism: They note that 15 of the 23 teams that have had one of baseball’s three-best records on April 18 (including ties) have reached the postseason since 2008. The Brewers had baseball’s best mark this season.
Of course, this Brewers team does still have some concerns to iron out. Benjamin Orr of Reviewing the Brew listed Rickie Weeks’ situation, pitching and first base as three issues the Brewers continue to face despite their hot start.
The Brewers used six relievers yesterday, but the odd man out was still Rule 5 pick Wei-Chung Wang, who has appeared in just two of the team’s first 19 games. Andrew Gruman of FS Wisconsin talked to Wang about the challenge and uncertainty of pitching so infrequently.
Meanwhile, the Brewers remain on the lookout for more bullpen help. They were one of 18-20 teams to send scouts to watch a recent showcase for former Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan, who is expected to sign soon.
We may also see a familiar face in a Brewers uniform again later this season: Over the weekend, they signed former first-round pick Jeremy Jeffress to a minor league deal. Jeffress was one of the top prospects in the Brewers organization when they traded him to Kansas City in the Zack Greinke deal before the 2011 season, and he’s only 26, but his star has faded a bit after somewhat disappointing partial seasons with the Royals and Blue Jays.
Elsewhere in the minors:
- The affiliates went 2-0 in an abbreviated Easter Sunday schedule, and one of those two wins came from Huntsville, where Brooks Hall pitched eight innings in the Stars’ 3-1 win over Mobile. You can read about that and more in the Link Report at Brewerfan.net.
- The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were off Sunday but beat Great Lakes, 5-2, on Saturday. Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has the recap, and Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has a photo gallery from the game.
- Brevard County was also off yesterday, and the Manatees are headed out on the road today, but when they return home on Thursday, they’ll be wearing giraffe-print jerseys as part of a benefit for the Brevard Zoo.
- Outfielder Mitch Haniger has three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first 16 games with Double-A Huntsville, and Nicholas Ian Allen of Grading on the Curve listed him as one of the Southern League’s hottest players.
- Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has interviews with Sounds outfielder Kevin Mattison and minor league instructor Don Money.
Today in power rankings:
- Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News has the Brewers No. 1 this week.
- Dugout Perspective has them as the NL’s fourth-best team.
- Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times has them ninth, up from 15th.
- I’ll be stopping by The Home Stretch on 95.3 WSCO in Appleton at 3 p.m. today as part of Justin Hull’s return to the show after his vacation last week. I’ll be live in studio for around half an hour taking your calls, emails and tweets, so listen in and get your voice heard.
- I’ll also be making my weekly appearance on The Talking Cheeseheads this afternoon. Listen in live on Sports Fan 100.5 in Wausau or Sports Talk 1090 WAQE in Rice Lake to hear it live, or check back tomorrow for archived audio.
Athletics: Signed reliever Sean Doolittle to a five-year contract extension with club options for 2019 and 2020.
Diamondbacks: Designated pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith for assignment.
Pirates: Acquired first baseman Ike Davis from the Mets for a minor league pitcher and a player to be named later, and designated first baseman Travis Ishikawa for assignment.
Rangers: Placed outfielder Jim Adduci (fractured pinky finger) and pitcher Tanner Scheppers (elbow inflammation) on the DL, designated infielder Andy Parrino for assignment and announced that catcher Chris Snyder has retired.
Red Sox: Designated infielder Ryan Roberts for assignment.
Tigers: Released infielder Alex Gonzalez.
Twins: Claimed outfielder Sam Fuld off waivers from the Athletics, designated outfielder Darin Mastroianni for assignment and announced the retirement of infielder Jason Bartlett.
White Sox: Placed pitcher Felipe Paulino on the DL with rotator cuff inflammation.
Yankees: Placed pitcher Ivan Nova on the DL with a partially torn elbow ligament, and designated pitchers Cesar Cabral and Matt Daley for assignment.
The Brewers had long been rumored to be interested in Ike Davis before the Mets finally dealt him to the Pirates. Adam McCalvy talked to Ron Roenicke about the Mets’ high demands.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Cardinals split four games in Washington this weekend, closing out the series with a 3-2 walkoff loss on Sunday. Denard Span’s fly ball in the ninth was the difference.
- The Reds took two of three from the Cubs, including an 8-2 victory on Sunday. Homer Bailey pitched six shutout innings for the win.
- The Brewers, as you likely know, took three of four from the Pirates and wrapped up a series win with a 3-2, 14-inning win Sunday.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 14 | 5 | — | vs Padres, 7:10 pm | Wily Peralta vs Andrew Cashner |
| Cardinals | 11 | 8 | 3 | @ Mets, 6:10 pm | Tyler Lyons vs Jennry Mejia |
| Reds | 8 | 10 | 5.5 | @ Pirates, 6:05 pm | Mike Leake vs Francisco Liriano |
| Pirates | 8 | 11 | 6 | vs Reds, 6:05 pm | Francisco Liriano vs Mike Leake |
| Cubs | 5 | 12 | 8 | vs Diamondbacks, 7:05 pm | Travis Wood vs Bronson Arroyo |
Today in former Brewers:
- Adam McCalvy talked to Bill Schroeder about comparing the 2014 Brewers to his 1987 team, which opened 13-0.
- Juan Francisco was called up by the Blue Jays on Saturday and is 2-for-6 with two walks and an RBI in his first two games.
- J.J. Hardy will be a free agent after the season and told reporters he’s surprised the Orioles haven’t opened talks regarding a potential extension.
- John Autin of High Heat Stats listed Tony Graffanino and Jerry Hairston Jr. as the greatest and second-greatest utility infielders of all time.
- Milwaukee native and UW-Oshkosh alum Jack Taschner, who turns 36. Taschner played six seasons in the majors between 2005-10 as a member of the San Francisco Giants and three other teams.
- 2000-01 Brewer Kevin Brown, who turns 41.
- 1992-94 Brewer Jesse Orosco, who turns 57. I covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball two years ago.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll show myself out.
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.
