Some things to read while sliding too far.
Early Monday morning, we received word that a kitchen fire at the Friday’s restaurant inside Miller Park had damaged portions of the facility, but the Milwaukee Brewers would play on. They’re undefeated since, and scored five unanswered runs to beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com has a recap, if you missed it. I believe @JRRadcliffe was the first to refer to this team as “The Kitchen Fire Crew,” but if they keep winning, the nickname might catch on.
Speaking of nicknames, the guy the Brewers are calling “Grumpy” (h/t @AdamMcCalvy) was a big part of their most recent win. Mark Reynolds hit a pair of home runs on Wednesday and is now tied for the team lead with 16.
Facing a non-save situation heading into the ninth inning, the Brewers turned to Jeremy Jeffress to record the final three outs in his first appearance as a Brewer since 2010. Jeffress retired the side in order on 15 pitches (11 strikes), and 12 of those pitches registered between 97 and 100 on the radar gun. Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker has a look at what to expect from Jeffress going forward.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s game also featured a milestone, as Aramis Ramirez went 1-for-4 in his 2,000th MLB game. Ramirez is one of 16 active players with 2,000 appearances, and one of 223 in MLB history. He’s 36 years old but told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he’s still interested in continuing to play beyond this season. His three-year contract has a $14 million mutual option for 2015.
Other notes from the field:
- Scooter Gennett sat out Wednesday’s game with ongoing tightness in his right quad. Ron Roenicke told reporters he’s likely to be out for a few more days.
- Will Smith’s eighth-inning appearance was his 52nd of the season, tying him for the major league lead (h/t @Haudricourt).
- Reds shortstop Zack Cosart was held out of the lineup on Wednesday with ongoing swelling in his fingers after getting hit by a pitch while trying to bunt on Tuesday. He’s day-to-day.
- Cincinnati outfielder Kristopher Negron also sat out Wednesday’s game but is believed to be OK after getting hit in the head by a pickoff throw during the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game.
- This was the Brewers’ fifth series sweep of the season (h/t @MILGameday).
- The Italian won the Sausage Race.
- The Brewers press corps also received their annual delivery of State Fair cream puffs on Wednesday (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).
The homestand continues at 7:10 p.m. tonight when the Brewers open a series with the New York Mets. Matt Garza will take on Dillon Gee in the opener, and Matt Slovin has the MLB.com preview. The Friday’s restaurant in left field will be open for limited service tonight for the first time since Monday’s fire.
Garza is making his first start since lasting just one-third of an inning on Saturday, and his second start since going 16 innings without allowing a run. As you might imagine, luck plays a part in these wild fluctuations in productivity, and Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker has data showing that Garza leads all Brewers starters in “cluster luck.”
Ryan Braun had a hit and drove in a run on Wednesday to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, the second-longest by a Brewer this season. Alec Dopp of Gammons Daily has a look at the red-hot month that has brought Braun’s numbers back up toward his career averages.
Wednesday’s win was Ron Roenicke’s 310th in 588 games as manager of the Brewers, the fifth-most in franchise history. Only Harvey Kuenn (42) had more wins above .500 than Roenicke’s 32, so it should come as no surprise that Grant Brisbee of SB Nation listed him as one of 15 managers whose jobs are safe right now. Actually, Brisbee suggests that all 30 active managers could return to their teams next season.
With Scooter Gennett unavailable, Jonathan Lucroy moved into the No. 2 spot in the lineup on Wednesday and had two hits for the second consecutive game. I’ve written frequently before about Lucroy’s ability to get extra strikes called as a catcher, but Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs notes that Lucroy is also among the league leaders in “extra strikes” received as a hitter. Approximately 34 pitches that would typically be called strikes have been called balls with Lucroy at the plate.
Jean Segura had a hit on Wednesday and has raised his OPS (on-base plus slugging) from a season-low .580 to .594 in his last seven games. Segura is still hitting just .235 with a .269 on-base percentage and .325 slugging overall, though, and Jeff Wiser of Beyond the Box Score says his struggles shouldn’t be a surprise.
Elsewhere in struggling hitters, Mark Reynolds’ three-hit game on Wednesday snapped a streak in which he had just seven hits in 52 plate appearances (batting .135). Vince Morales of Miller Park Drunk says that choosing Reynolds over Corey Hart was one of the best moves of the offseason, but would also like to see the Brewers pursue Adam Dunn on the trade market. Dunn is 34, hitting .228 with a .362 on-base percentage and .441 slugging and is in the final season of his contract.
Zach Duke retired the only batter he faced on Wednesday and has now recorded 13 consecutive scoreless appearances for the second time this season. Steven Jewell of Reviewing the Brew has a look at Duke’s surprising 2014 season.
The Brewers continue to work to rebound from a tough start to the month that included a pair of losses in Toronto. Zoe McKnight of the Toronto Star has a story on a factor that may have led to one of those losses, reporting that hecklers in the left field stands got to Brewers outfielder Elian Herrera (h/t @Mass_Haas).
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 3-3 on Wednesday with one of the wins coming from Nashville, where the Sounds scored four runs in the sixth to beat Colorado Springs 5-2. You can read about all of the day’s action in the Brewerfan.net Link Report.
- For the third consecutive season, the Brewers have been awarded an extra MLB Draft selection via the league’s Competitive Balance Lottery. On Wednesday, MLB announced that the Brewers will receive the fourth pick in the first block of selections, which could be as high as No. 35 overall. The Brewers received the No. 41 overall pick via the lottery in 2014 and the No. 72 overall pick in 2013.
Around baseball:
Angels: Placed infielder/outfielder Grant Green on the DL with a back strain.
Astros: Placed outfielder George Springer on the DL with a quad strain.
Nationals: Placed third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Padres: Outfielder Cameron Maybin has been suspended for 25 games for testing positive for amphetamines.
Phillies: Designated pitcher Jeff Manship for assignment.
Pirates: Placed outfielder Starling Marte on the seven-day DL with a concussion.
Tigers: Acquired reliever Joakim Soria from the Rangers for pitcher Corey Knebel and a minor leaguer.
Twins: Designated reliever Matt Guerrier for assignment.
Yankees: Designated pitcher Bruce Billings for assignment and placed second baseman Kelly Johnson on the DL with a groin strain.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Rays helped the Brewers out a bit with a 3-0 win over the Cardinals. Alex Cobb shut out St. Louis out for seven innings on just five hits and recorded 10 strikeouts.
- The Pirates moved back into a tie for second place with a 6-1 win over the Dodgers. Pittsburgh scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back.
- The Cubs lost 8-3 to the Padres, with Chicago pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada picking up the loss for his first MLB decision.
- The Brewers, of course, beat the Reds 5-1 to complete the sweep.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 57 | 45 | — | vs Mets, 7:10 p.m. | Matt Garza vs Dillon Gee |
| Cardinals | 54 | 47 | 2.5 | OFF | |
| Pirates | 54 | 47 | 2.5 | OFF | |
| Reds | 51 | 50 | 5.5 | OFF | |
| Cubs | 41 | 58 | 14.5 | vs Padres, 7:05 p.m. | Edwin Jackson vs Tyson Ross |
The Cardinals are just the latest victim in a hot streak that has seen the Rays win 24 of their last 35 games to run back to the brink of contention in the American League. Tommy Rancel of ESPN’s Sweetspot blog has a look at how they’ve done it.
The Brewers have now been in first place for 110 days this season, which @BrewCrewBall captured well in our Tweet of the Day:
— Brew Crew Ball (@BrewCrewBall) July 23, 2014
That lead was briefly in jeopardy on Sunday, however, when the Brewers needed a Cardinals loss to hold onto a share of first place. Jonah Keri of Grantland has a look at how the NL Central race has come together in recent weeks and the four contenders to win it.
Earlier, I mentioned that the Brewers will receive an additional draft pick in 2015 through baseball’s Competitive Balance Lottery. The lottery is for small-market and low-revenue teams, but somehow, the Cardinals ended up being eligible and receiving a pick. Cubs president Theo Epstein said the Cardinals are “the last organization in baseball that needs that kind of annual gift.” The Royals, meanwhile, were shut out.
Today in former Brewers:
- Matthew LaMar of Royals Review wonders if Alcides Escobar should become a utility player.
- Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has an interview with Chris Capuano, now pitching for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox in the Rockies organization.
If you think you had a rough day Wednesday, here’s a reminder that it could always be worse: MLB.com has video of members of the Yankees grounds crew needing 14 minutes and multiple tries to get the tarp on the field during a thunderstorm at Yankee Stadium. New York got the last laugh, however, as unplayable field conditions later led to the game being unable to resume, giving them a 2-1 rain-shortened victory after just five innings.
Finally, with help from the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- 1995 Brewer Joe Oliver, who turns 49.
- Kewaunee, Wis., native, UW-La Crosse alum, 1975-84 Brewer and current FS Wisconsin broadcaster Jerry Augustine, who turns 62.
Today is also the sixth anniversary of the Brewers setting a franchise record by homering in their 20th consecutive game in 2008 and the 13th anniversary of their 11th consecutive loss in 2001. Follow the links for those events’ respective entries in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to open my gift.
Drink up.
Don’t forget to follow Kyle on Twitter @BrewFrostyMug, and check out and “like” the Mug’s Facebook page. The Frosty Mug runs mornings Monday-Friday and is brought to you by Legends of the Field, a sports memorabilia company you can trust.
