Some things to read while getting better grades.
The Milwaukee Brewers wake up this morning standing alone atop the NL Central after a 9-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night. Eric Nehm of Brew Crew Ball has the recap, if you missed it. This is the first time Milwaukee has been in sole possession of first place since the final day of the 2011 season.
With the win, the Brewers improved to 6-2 and are four games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2012 campaign (h/t @jordanschelling). They’re also 5-0 away from home, their best road start since 1987 (h/t @PaulImig). They haven’t won six consecutive road games at any point in a season since 2008, when they won nine in a row in July and August.
For what it’s worth, the Brewers continue to tell reporters they’re not surprised by their hot start. Last night, Logan Schafer said it to Tom Haudricourt.
A fun night was tempered a little bit in the eighth inning last night when Jean Segura was hit near his left hand with a pitch. It was the second consecutive day that he’s been hit, and Plunk Everyone has more on the accomplishment. Segura remained in the game and scored another run on Ryan Braun’s triple.
Jim Henderson worked around a hit and a walk while pitching a scoreless ninth, giving him two shutout outings in as many days. It’s possible he’ll be unavailable today, but before the game yesterday, Ron Roenicke told reporters he’s ready to move the former closer back into the setup mix. (h/t @AdamMcCalvy)
Other notes from the field:
- Ron Roenicke made his first replay challenge of the season last night, asking umpires to review the call of a force out at second base in the first inning. The call was overturned.
- The Brewers got a hit in every frame yesterday and now have at least one in 21 consecutive innings (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).
- Overall, the Brewers have 67 hits on the road trip, which is slightly more than 13 per game (h/t @joe_block).
- Khris Davis and Jonathan Lucroy each had a hit last night, and each player has at least one in every game on the road trip.
- Aramis Ramirez and Mark Reynolds each stole a base last night, attracting the attention of You Can’t Predict Baseball.
- Reynolds also homered last night and rounded the bases in 24.4 seconds. Carlos Gomez was much faster, touching them all in 17.18.
- The Phillies’ first run of the game scored when Matt Garza was called for a balk in the first inning (h/t @Haudricourt). He’s the only Brewer that has been called for a balk this season.
- Chase Utley missed his second consecutive game for the Phillies as he remains home with the flu.
- The Brewers are 6-0 this season when playing in front of crowds of 30,000 or more (h/t @joe_block).
Despite a five-run lead in the ninth inning last night, the Brewers still opted to not get Rule 5 pick Wei-Chung Wang into a game for his MLB debut. Wang hasn’t pitched in a game since the Miller Park exhibition against the Royals on March 28, and Derek Harvey of Brew Crew Ball asks when we’ll see him.
Meanwhile, Yovani Gallardo is scheduled to take the mound again on Saturday in the second game of the Pirates series. He’s been a hot topic of conversation due to his strong start to the season, and Jeffrey Long of Beyond the Box Score has a look at how he’s tweaked his delivery and pitch selection over the years.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but at some point this season, Gallardo is likely to allow a run. Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker has a look at which numbers are likely to regress for the Brewers’ pitchers and which are likely to remain steady or even improve.
Ryan Braun struck out three times last night, but also hit a two-run triple in the eighth inning as the Brewers expanded their lead. A day later, however, many of us are still talking about his three-homer game from Tuesday:
- BrewGIFs captured all three blasts in gif form.
- Noah Jarosh of Brew Crew Ball wants to know how many home runs Braun will hit in his career.
- Sooze of Babes Love Baseball called the performance “Barry Bonds-esque.”
- John Stolnis of The Good Phight takes on the notion that Braun’s breakout performance was somehow caused by fans booing.
After Mark Reynolds’ homer last night Brewers, first basemen are batting .200/.294/.467 (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging) on the season with 10 strikeouts in 30 at bats. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising, then, that Jon Heyman says the Brewers are one of the teams scouting free agent first baseman Kendrys Morales (h/t Andrew Vrchota of Reviewing the Brew). At last check, however, there were still questions regarding Morales’ ability to play a full season in the field.
Jean Segura’s two hits last night raised his batting average to .320, although he’s also tied for the MLB lead with a pair of caught stealings. FS Wisconsin is planning on airing Sophia Minnaert’s special on his life growing up in the Dominican Republic after Friday’s game, and Andrew Gruman has a preview.
There were strong indications that the Brewers were interested in offering a long-term extension to their young shortstop this spring, but both sides appear to have left the table without getting a deal done. Benjamin Orr of Reviewing the Brew says the Brewers made the right decision by waiting.
Elsewhere in speedy Brewers: Carlos Gomez’s aggressiveness can sometimes make good things happen, but it’s a double-edged sword. TOOTBLAN Tracker awarded him a spot on their All-TOOTBLAN team for his 15 bad outs on the bases in 2013.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 3-1 yesterday, and one of the wins came from Huntsville, where Nick Ramirez homered in the eighth inning to lead the Stars to a 5-4 win in their final home opener at Joe Davis Stadium. You can find recaps and more from yesterday’s game in the Brewerfan.net Link Report.
- Wisconsin was also victorious yesterday, picking up a 6-1 win over West Michigan. Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has more from the game.
- Lenny Padilla of MLive.com has a story on the clubhouse situation in West Michigan, where incomplete construction after an offseason fire means visiting teams have to change in a trailer with no showers and one bathroom (h/t @Mass_Haas).
- Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem did an interview with Mike Fiers after his excellent outing on Tuesday.
Back in Milwaukee, Hank the dog remains one of the major storylines of the 2014 season, but at least one writer has had enough. Ben Bromley of Lee Newspapers opened a fresh barrel of strong language and condescending tone for his piece on the spring’s feel-good story. Here’s a brief sample:
“And every now and then, you have to applaud the PR flunkies when they come up with a brilliant scheme. So here’s a standing ovation for the Milwaukee Brewers’ PR staff for devising a diversion worthy of a four-star general.”
Around baseball:
Angels: Placed outfielder Josh Hamilton on the DL after thumb surgery.
Mariners: Placed pitcher James Paxton on the DL with a lat strain.
Marlins: Placed pitcher Jacob Turner on the DL with a shoulder strain.
Rangers: Designated pitcher Seth Rosin for assignment.
Royals: Signed pitcher Kameron Loe to a minor league deal.
Twins: Placed outfielder Oswaldo Arcia on the DL with a wrist injury.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Pirates hit five home runs but it was not enough, as the Cubs held on for 7-5 win. Jason Hammel pitched seven innings for the win despite allowing three of those long balls.
- Billy Hamilton had three hits and a walk, stole two bases and scored two runs in Cincinnati’s 4-0 win over the Cardinals. Mike Leake pitched eight shutout innings in the game.
- The Brewers, of course, beat the Phillies 9-4 to remain atop the standings.
Here are today’s updated standings and probables:
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 6 | 2 | — | @ Phillies, 6:05 pm | Marco Estrada vs Cliff Lee |
| Pirates | 5 | 3 | 1 | @ Cubs, 1:20 pm | Gerrit Cole vs Travis Wood |
| Cardinals | 5 | 4 | 1.5 | OFF | |
| Cubs | 3 | 5 | 3 | vs Pirates, 1:20 pm | Travis Wood vs Gerrit Cole |
| Reds | 3 | 6 | 3.5 | OFF |
Today in former Brewers:
- Yesterday, Major League Baseball announced a new award for relievers, and the NL version will be named after Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman and Rollie Fingers will be among the 10 voters for this award and its AL counterpart, named after Mariano Rivera.
- Marc Normandin of SB Nation has a gif from Alcides Escobar’s pop up bobble-turned-highlight reel catch.
- FanGraphs Community Member Aidan M. says Escobar has baseball’s most unique skillset.
- Nyjer Morgan has a .520 on-base percentage after eight games with the Indians, and It’s Pronounced “Lajaway” has a look at his new approach at the plate.
Finally, with help from the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- 2010 Brewer Chris Dickerson, who turns 32.
- 1995-99 Brewer Al Reyes, who turns 43.
Today is also the third anniversary of Casey McGehee hitting a pinch-hit home run to lead the Brewers to a come-from-behind win against the Cubs in 2011, and the 38th anniversary of Don Money’s grand slam that wasn’t in 1976, as what would have been a walkoff blast was called back because first base umpire Jim McKean had called time out. I covered those events in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball two years ago and three years ago, respectively.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, my ride is here.
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.
