Some things to read while organizing your condiments.
Mike Fiers carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning Wednesday night but it was not enough, as the St. Louis Cardinals scratched out two runs in the seventh inning and beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0, a result that significantly dampened the Brewers’ playoff hopes. Noah Jarosh of Brew Crew Ball has a recap, if you missed it.
Fiers lost a pitching duel to Adam Wainwright, and there’s no shame in that. Wainwright pitched a complete-game shutout, working around nine baserunners (two walks and seven hits) and recording seven strikeouts. Adding insult to injury, he also ended Fiers’ no-hit bid with a single in the bottom of the sixth.
A day after winning on a bloop hit on Tuesday, the Brewers were the victims of a fluke occurrence on Wednesday. The Cardinals’ first run of the game scored when Carlos Gomez fell down chasing a ground-ball single, allowing St. Louis outfielder Matt Holliday to score from first. Adam McCalvy talked to the Gold Glover about it in our Tweet of the Day:
Dejected Carlos Gomez: “I just slipped … and it changed the game.” Offered high praise for Fiers’ effort.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 18, 2014
Other notes from the field:
- This was the 21st time the Cardinals have pitched a shutout this season, their highest single-season total since 1968 (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).
The two teams will wrap up their season series at 7:15 p.m. tonight when Kyle Lohse takes on Shelby Miller, and Manny Randhawa has the MLB.com preview. If the Brewers remain on rotation and play well enough to make it that far, David Schoenfield of ESPN notes that Lohse’s spot in the rotation would be due up for the Wild Card game.
Jean Segura went 0-for-3 against Wainwright on Wednesday but is still batting .308 with a .400 on-base percentage in his last 22 games. Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker has a look at how Segura has quietly improved his season numbers.
Looking ahead, the Brewers have some interesting decisions to make on a pair of contract options for 2015 and handful of free-agents-to-be. Aramis Ramirez has one of the former, a $14 million mutual option that Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports the Brewers have decided to exercise. Doug Melvin told Adam McCalvy, however, that no decision has been made or will be made before the end of the season.
If the Brewers fail to make the playoffs, many fans will blame management for a late-season swoon that pushed them out of the postseason picture. It remains to be seen how all of this will reflect on Ron Roenicke, but Jordan Mader of Brew Crew Ball says Doug Melvin deserves credit for making solid in-season additions.
In the minors:
- One longtime Brewer minor league affiliate will not be back with the organization next season, as Triple-A Nashville has decided to move on after 10 years. They’re opening a new ballpark next season and will do so with a new major league partner.
- Two more affiliates, however, will remain in the fold: The Brewers announced a four-year agreement with Huntsville/Biloxi and a two-year pact with Brevard County. The team currently known as the Stars will be moving into a new ballpark sometime during the 2015 season.
- The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are also remaining within the organization, and Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has a look at some of the projects going on around Neuroscience Group Field this fall.
Blue Jays: Pitcher Marcus Stroman has been suspended six games for throwing behind Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph on Monday.
Marlins: Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton will sit out the remainder of the season with facial injuries.
Earlier, I mentioned that Phillies reliever Jonathan Papelbon was suspended for seven games for making an obscene gesture to the fans following a blown save. Umpire Joe West has also been suspended one game for his actions following the objection, which included grabbing Papelbon’s jersey.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Pirates racked up 15 hits in a 9-1 win over the Red Sox. Gregory Polanco, Neil Walker and Ike Davis all homered in the game.
- The Cubs picked up their third consecutive win, beating the Reds 3-1. The Reds were in second place in the division on June 29 but are now 11 games under .500 and could finish last in the Central.
- The Cardinals, as you likely know, beat the Brewers 2-0 behind a complete-game shutout from Adam Wainwright.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Cardinals | 84 | 68 | — | vs Brewers, 7:15 p.m. | Shelby Miller vs Kyle Lohse |
| Pirates | 81 | 70 | 2.5 | vs Red Sox, 6:05 p.m. | Gerrit Cole vs Brandon Workman |
| Brewers | 79 | 73 | 5 | @ Cardinals, 7:15 p.m. | Kyle Lohse vs Shelby Miller |
| Reds | 71 | 82 | 13.5 | OFF | |
| Cubs | 68 | 84 | 16 | vs Dodgers, 7:05 p.m. | Tsuyoshi Wada vs Zack Greinke |
Meanwhile, the Braves snapped their losing streak on Wednesday to remain on the periphery of the race for the second Wild Card:
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Giants | 84 | 68 | +2.5 | OFF | |
| Pirates | 81 | 70 | — | vs Red Sox, 6:05 p.m. | Gerrit Cole vs Brandon Workman |
| Brewers | 79 | 73 | 2.5 | @ Cardinals, 7:15 p.m. | Kyle Lohse vs Shelby Miller |
| Braves | 76 | 76 | 5.5 | OFF |
As of this morning, Baseball Prospectus gives the Brewers a 16.5 percent chance to make the playoffs. That’s down almost 12 points from Wednesday at this time.
Wednesday’s win not only helped the Pirates expand their lead on the Brewers for the final Wild Card spot, it also mathematically eliminated the Reds and Padres from postseason contention. Both teams have 81 losses on the season, and the final Wild Card is now guaranteed to have at least 82 wins. The next teams due up for elimination are the Rays and Mets.
We’re only about a month and a half away from free agency, where Francisco Rodriguez is scheduled to be among the latest crop of free agent relievers looking to cash in. Grant Brisbee of SB Nation’s list of baseball’s 10 highest-paid relievers, however, is a cautionary tale regarding overpaying for saves.
Today in former Brewers:
- Norichika Aoki set a Royals franchise record with 11 hits in a three-game series against the White Sox this week.
- Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar both homered for the Royals on Wednesday, which was enough to attract the attention of You Can’t Predict Baseball.
- LaTroy Hawkins has appeared in 52 games and recorded 22 saves for the Rockies in his age 41 season, and Ryan Hammon of Rockies Zingers has a look at how he’s done it.
- 2009-10 Brewer Jody Gerut, who turns 37.
- 1994-95 Brewer Jeff Bronkey, who turns 49.
- 1972 Brewer Ken Brett, who would have turned 66.
- 1973-76 Brewer Bill Champion, who turns 67.
Today is also the 34th anniversary of the Brewers sweeping a doubleheader over the Twins in 1980 that featured Robin Yount moving into first place on the Brewers’ all-time list with 1,034 hits, Cecil Cooper becoming the first Brewer ever to reach 200 hits in a season and Twins outfielder Gary Ward becoming the first player ever to hit for the cycle against the Brewers. Follow the links for those three events’ respective entries in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to keep moving.
Drink up.
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