Some things to read while slowing down.
The Milwaukee Brewers lost their second consecutive game to the last-place Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night behind their second consecutive lackluster showing on offense. The final score this time was 4-2 and Derek Harvey of Brew Crew Ball has a recap, if you missed it.
The loss could also have a lasting impact, as Kyle Lohse left the game in the third inning after aggravating a nagging ankle injury he’s been pitching through for a couple of weeks now. Lohse rolled the ankle a bit during his at bat in the top of the third, then surrendered back-to-back home runs to Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo before leaving the game. Marco Estrada pitched four scoreless innings in relief and could be the top candidate to fill in if Lohse cannot make his next start.
A Brewers team that has been able to hit the likes of Adam Wainwright, David Price and Zack Greinke has now scored two runs in two days against Cubs rookies Kyle Hendricks and Tsuyoshi Wada. Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker attempted to explain that disparity.
Other notes from the field:
- Jonathan Lucroy moved to first base on Wednesday to make room for Martin Maldonado to start behind the plate. Lucroy had a hit in the game, and Maldonado was the only Brewer with two.
- Brewers TV analyst Bill Schroeder missed Wednesday’s game and remains sidelined due to an infection in his right index finger that spread up his arm. He’s expected to miss the remainder of the current road trip, with Craig Counsell filling in for him on TV and Gord Ash sitting in with Joe Block on the radio during the weekend’s games in Los Angeles.
The Brewers will be looking to salvage a split of the four game series with the Cubs when the two teams play a 1:20 p.m. matinee today. Mike Fiers will face Edwin Jackson in his second MLB start of the season, and Caitlin Sweica has the MLB.com preview. Ryan Braun is expected to sit out today’s game with a flareup of the ongoing issue with his thumb (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).
If you watch today’s game and the Cubs look familiar, there’s a couple of reasons for that:
- This is the same Cubs team the Brewers have played each of the last three nights, so odds are you’ve seen them before, and
- This team’s situation is pretty similar to the rebuilding Brewers of a decade ago.
Will Smith didn’t pitch in Wednesday’s game but still leads all of baseball with 61 appearances on the season. He’s been back on track lately after a recent rough patch, and credited a mechanical adjustment for slowing his pitches a bit and improving his control.
Francisco Rodriguez also received a day off, but continues to close in on a milestone: Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel talked to him about closing in on Rollie Fingers and the top ten in MLB history on the all-time saves list. Meanwhile, Bill Chuck of Gammons Daily has a look at the possibility that Rodriguez and some of the game’s top closers may be getting overworked.
Carlos Gomez went 0-for-4 on Wednesday, but at least he wasn’t hit by a pitch. Gomez has been hit a career high and MLB-leading 13 times this season, and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com talked to him about the new protective sleeve he’s wearing to the plate to protect his hands and wrists.
Wily Peralta will be looking to bounce back from a tough loss when he faces the Dodgers over the weekend, but still remains among the MLB leaders with 14 wins on the season. Bill Berg of Reviewing the Brew is the latest to look at how Peralta’s win total does and does not reflect his overall performance in 2014.
Also at Reviewing the Brew, Steven Jewell has a look at Aramis Ramirez’s season to date. The veteran third baseman’s numbers are down a bit this season but he remains a key part of the Brewers lineup and a strong candidate to return for 2015.
On Wednesday we received another update with bad news on an injured Brewer. Jeff Bianchi recently went out for a second opinion on his sore elbow but his diagnosis has not changed, identifying the issue as just a strain. He remains in Arizona and has resumed taking ground balls, but reports ongoing pain.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 3-3 on Wednesday behind a big night from Nashville, where the Sounds scored six runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth en route to a 13-3 win over El Paso. You can read about all the day’s action in the Brewerfan.net Link Report.
- Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has highlights, postgame audio and photos from Wisconsin’s 6-2 win over Clinton. The Timber Rattlers continue to hold a two-game lead over Peoria for the Midwest League Western Division’s final playoff spot.
- Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs included Brevard County outfielder Michael Reed among his “Fringe Five,” a weekly collection of top minor league performers outside of top 100 lists, again this week. Reed has been one of the list’s most frequent members this season.
- Jay D of Reviewing the Brew has a look at Huntsville reliever David Goforth’s season to date. They ranked him as the #9 prospect in the Brewers organization entering the season.
Closer to home, this week’s Cubs series featured a catch from a fan in the outfield that appears to be closing in on legendary status. Sports on Earth included it in a list of the ten greatest fan catches of all time.
Around baseball:
Blue Jays: Claimed reliever Colt Hynes off waivers from the Dodgers.
Orioles: Placed third baseman Manny Machado on the DL with a knee sprain.
Pirates: Claimed catcher Ramon Cabrera off waivers from the Tigers and designated reliever Wirfin Obispo for assignment.
Rangers: Placed pitcher Yu Darvish on the DL with elbow inflammation.
Yankees: Designated pitcher Chris Leroux for assignment.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Pirates missed a chance to gain a game in the standings, losing 8-4 to the Tigers. Travis Snider’s tenth home run of the season was not enough.
- The Cardinals, however, capitalized on their opportunity by beating the Marlins 5-2. Third baseman Matt Carpenter had three hits and scored twice.
- The Reds couldn’t hold serve, losing 5-4 to the Red Sox. Cincinnati has fallen back to .500 on the season.
- The Brewers, as you likely know, lost 4-2 to the Cubs.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 66 | 55 | — | @ Cubs, 1:20 p.m. | Mike Fiers vs Edwin Jackson |
| Pirates | 64 | 56 | 1.5 | @ Tigers, 12:08 p.m. | Francisco Liriano vs Max Scherzer |
| Cardinals | 63 | 56 | 2 | vs Padres, 7:15 p.m. | John Lackey vs Eric Stults |
| Reds | 60 | 60 | 5.5 | @ Rockies, 7:40 p.m. | Alfredo Simon vs Jorge De La Rosa |
| Cubs | 52 | 67 | 13 | vs Brewers, 1:20 p.m. | Edwin Jackson vs Mike Fiers |
I’ve already mentioned Will Smith and the recent struggles of Brewers relievers this morning, but it’s worth noting that things could always be worse: Tigers closer Joe Nathan has an ERA over five and has blown seven saves this season, and on Wednesday he made an obscene gesture to the fans after clinching a win for Detroit.
Today in former Brewers:
- Michael Trzinski of Reviewing the Brew notes the collection of former Brewers that have helped the Royals climb to the top of the AL Central.
- Tim Britton of the Providence Journal has a story on Burke Badenhop and how the Red Sox reliever uses Pitch F/x data to make adjustments to his pitching between outings (h/t BBTF).
- Congratulations are due out to longtime MLB catcher Eddie Perez, who became a US citizen on Wednesday morning.
Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- Dylan Covey, who the Brewers drafted #14 overall in 2010 but were unable to sign. He turns 23.
- Helena Brewers outfielder Dionis Hinojosa, who turns 24.
- 2004 Brewer Chris Saenz, who turns 33.
- 2003 Brewer David Manning, who turns 42.
- 1995-2002 Brewer Mark Loretta, who turns 43 (Today In Brewer History).
Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s been a long time.
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.
