Some things to read while inching closer.
The Milwaukee Brewers remain in sole possession of first place in the NL Central this morning after defending that position with a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday afternoon. Noah Jarosh of Brew Crew Ball has the recap, if you missed it. With the win, the Brewers avoided a possible series sweep and extended their division lead to two games.
It’s awfully early in the season for “must-win” games, but Mike Bauman of MLB.com says yesterday’s game was the biggest of the season to date for the Brewers. It’s certainly a big step toward retaining the momentum from their recent hot streak.
Mark your calendar to meet Brewers relievers Jim Henderson and Brandon Kintzler at Legends of the Field’s Greenfield location on April 26 from 11 am-noon. Click here for more information on this and other upcoming events.
Wily Peralta picked up his second win of the season yesterday, allowing a single run on six hits over 6 1/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts while throwing just 89 pitches. He also collected his first hit in the fifth inning when his line drive got past Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta. The play was initially ruled an error, but that decision was later changed (h/t @AdamMcCalvy). The Brewers’ tumblr page also has a gif of Peralta and Mark Reynolds combining to make a great play on a dribbler hit down the first base lane.
Other notes from the field:
- Cardinals starting pitcher Joe Kelly left yesterday’s game after appearing to strain his hamstring running out a bunt attempt in the fifth inning. He’ll undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.
- The Brewers had not led at any point in the series before Carlos Gomez’s third-inning RBI double in the final game (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).
- Aramis Ramirez had three hits yesterday and has seven multihit games on the season. No MLB player has more than eight.
- Tyler Thornburg worked a perfect eighth inning and has now retired 20 consecutive batters (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).
- Khris Davis was hit by an 88 mph fastball from Cardinals reliever Keith Butler in the eighth inning yesterday, making him one of four players named Chris or Khris to get hit on the day. Plunk Everyone has more on the accomplishment.
- Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams’ only hit of the game yesterday came on a single to left field while the Brewers had their infield shifted to the right. Mike Petriello of FanGraphs has a look at Adams as a hitter that has routinely beaten the shift this season.
- MLB.com has video of Ron Roenicke’s postgame press conference.
- The Brewers are now 2-0 this season in games where Ryan Braun does not play.
- The Chorizo won the Sausage Race.
Volquez throws right-handed, so it’s likely we’ll see the left-handed hitting Scooter Gennett in the lineup again tonight at second base. Rickie Weeks continues to get very limited playing time as the other half of that platoon and struck out looking in his only plate appearance in yesterday’s game. Adam McCalvy has more on his slow start. Mark Reynolds, meanwhile, has grown out of the small half of the first base platoon with three home runs and some surprisingly solid defense. McCalvy also has a story on how he’s caught the Brewers’ attention with his glove.
Speaking of surprisingly strong starts, Tyler Thornburg continues to impress out of the bullpen. Benjamin Orr of Reviewing the Brew asks if Thornburg is a future closer.
Carlos Gomez’s solid start is less surprising. He struck out three times yesterday but also had a double (the Brewers’ only extra base hit) and a walk in five plate appearances. David Schoenfield and Eric Karabell of ESPN have a video discussing what he brings to the table.
Gomez and Andrew McCutchen give the NL Central two of baseball’s best center fielders. Jordan Mader of Brew Crew Ball has a position-by-position comparison of offensive projections for all four contending teams in the NL Central (sorry, Cubs).
Gomez is also a major contributor to this statistic: Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker notes that the Brewers entered play Wednesday with line drives in 25.5 percent of all their balls put in play, which is easily the best percentage in all of baseball.
This play may not have been a line drive, but it was an extra-base hit: Yesterday Major League Baseball announced that a ground ball Logan Schafer hit past Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard on April 9 was a double, not an error as it had been previously scored. Schafer now has four doubles on the season.
The Brewers bullpen has been excellent through the season’s first few weeks, so we’ve hardly noticed that they’re missing a projected member of the Opening Day staff: Tom Gorzelanny continues to rehab in Arizona and recently suffered a setback in his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery, but is throwing again and reports feeling better. There’s still no timetable for his eventual MLB return.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 3-2 yesterday, and one of the wins came from Brevard County, where Tyrone Taylor’s double was one of the Manatees’ four hits in a 1-0 win over Lakeland. Jed Bradley also pitched six shutout innings in that game. Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has short recaps from all of yesterday’s action.
- Yesterday’s other two wins came from Wisconsin, where the Timber Rattlers swept a doubleheader against Lansing. Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has more from a walkoff 10-7 win in the first game and a 1-0 victory in the nightcap.
- Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects was also in attendance and shared his photo gallery.
- Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has the second half of his interview from earlier this week with Dan O’Brien, special assistant to Doug Melvin.
Around baseball:
Athletics: Claimed pitcher Marcus Walden off waivers from the Blue Jays.
Mariners: Placed outfielder Logan Morrison (hamstring strain) and pitcher Blake Beavan (shoulder tendonitis) on the DL.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Reds wrapped up a series win over the Pirates with a 4-0 shutout victory yesterday. Cincinnati starting pitcher Johnny Cueto pitched a complete game and recorded 12 strikeouts, while Pittsburgh outfielder Jose Tabata had to leave the game with concussion-like symptoms after crashing into the wall in left.
- The Cubs were shut out in both halves of a day-night doubleheader with the Yankees, losing 3-0 and 2-0. They’re the first team to be held scoreless in two games on the same day since 1988.
- The Brewers, you may have heard, beat the Cardinals 5-1 to avoid a series sweep.
Here are today’s updated standings and probables:
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 11 | 4 | — | @ Pirates, 6:05 pm | Yovani Gallardo vs Edinson Volquez |
| Cardinals | 9 | 6 | 2 | @ Nationals, 6:05pm | Adam Wainwright vs Taylor Jordan |
| Pirates | 7 | 8 | 4 | vs Brewers, 6:05 pm | Edinson Volquez vs Yovani Gallardo |
| Reds | 6 | 9 | 5 | OFF | |
| Cubs | 4 | 10 | 6.5 | OFF |
Today in baseball economics: David S. Cohen of The Good Phight notes that the Phillies attendance is down over 20 percent from the first six home games of last season, and estimates that a similar drop over a full season could cost the team $24 million in ticket revenue.
Finally, with help from the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- 2004 Brewer Gary Bennett, who turns 41.
- 1998-2000 Brewer Marquis Grissom, who turns 47.
- 1985 Brewer Dave Huppert, who turns 57.
- 1973-76 Brewer Pedro Garcia, who turns 64. I covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball last year.
- 1970-71 Brewer Roberto Pena, who would have turned 77.
Today is also the 60th anniversary of the Milwaukee Braves’ 5-1 win over the Reds in 1954 in a game that featured the MLB debuts of Nino Escalera and Chuck Harmon, the first black players in Reds history, and the fifth anniversary of Gary Sheffield hitting his 500th home run in a Mets win over the Brewers in 2009. Follow the links above for those events’ entries in Today In Brewer History.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a new hiding place.
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.
