Tuesday- A Memorial Day game to forget

Some things to read while going unseen.

The Milwaukee Brewers had a win slip through their fingers on Monday. They had a 6-4 lead with two outs in the ninth inning but Francisco Rodriguez blew the save, Rob Wooten allowed a run in the 10th – his first in 12 outings – and the Baltimore Orioles stole a 7-6 victory at Miller Park. Noah Jarosh of Brew Crew Ball has the recap, if you missed it.

With the loss, the Brewers are now 23-1 on the season when leading after eight innings (h/t @MikeVassallo13). Francisco Rodriguez has been great in the closer role this season but is struggling recently, allowing seven runs on 11 hits (including three home runs) in his last seven outings. He has two saves, two blown saves and a loss over that time.

Monday’s game also featured a rough Brewers debut for infielder Irving Falu, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 10 and grounded into a game-ending double play just moments after I predicted it. Joe DiGiovanni of MLB.com has a look at what Falu brings to the table as a utility infielder. Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects also has a profile featuring a look at his strengths and weaknesses. Falu is wearing No. 21 (h/t @MikeVassallo13) and is on Twitter as @irvingfalu.

• Khris Davis’ home run to the Toyota Territory in right field was estimated at 446 feet by the Brewers (h/t @jstein1981) and 439 feet by Hit Tracker.
• The Brewers have 10 or more hits in six consecutive games (h/t @joe_block) for the first time since August of 2011 and seven or more extra base hits in back-to-back games (h/t @joe_block) for only the 13th time in franchise history.
• Jean Segura led off Monday’s game with a triple and has hits in three of his five at bats when leading off a game (h/t @MikeVassallo13).
• The Brewers tumblr has a gif of third baseman Mark Reynolds making a great diving catch and throw on a ball hit down the line.
• Rich Dubroff of CSN Baltimore has a story on Reynolds reconnecting with friends on the Orioles.
• 42,889 fans paid to see Monday’s Memorial Day matinee (h/t @AndrewGruman).

The series continues tonight as Matt Garza takes on Wei-Yin Chen at 7:10 p.m. Alec Shirkey has the MLB.com preview. Orioles All Star first baseman Chris Davis is expected to be activated off the paternity list today after his wife gave birth to a daughter, the couple’s first child, on Sunday night.

Jonathan Lucroy went 1-for-4 with a walk and scored a run on Monday, extending his hitting streak to eight games and his on-base streak to 17. Both streaks are the longest by a Brewer this season. Adam Wieser of Disciples of Uecker has a look at what could be the best season for man who could the best catcher in franchise history.

The Brewers lineup could get a big boost in the coming days as Aramis Ramirez is expected to make his return from the disabled list sometime during this homestand. Ramirez has been out since May 13 with a hamstring injury, and the Brewers would like him to go on a brief minor league rehab assignment, but he’s refused to do so in the past.

The news is not as good for Jim Henderson, whose rehab assignment with Double-A Huntsville has been cut short after he experienced pain in his shoulder during an outing there on Friday. He returned to Milwaukee for evaluation, and at this point, there is no timetable for his return.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Nelson is back in the minors after his win in a spot start on Sunday. Nelson had an impressive outing in his 2014 debut, but Bill Berg of Reviewing the Brew notes that it may be hard for the Brewers to find a permanent spot in the rotation for him with Yovani Gallardo, Matt Garza, Kyle Lohse, Marco Estrada and Wily Peralta all scheduled to return for 2015.

In the minors:

• The Brewers announced on Monday that Jeff Bianchi has accepted his outright assignment to the minors and will remain in the organization. Bianchi had the option to refuse and become a free agent.
• The affiliates went 1-1 on Monday with the lone win coming from Huntsville, where the Stars got a home run from first baseman Nick Ramirez in a come-from-behind 5-4 victory over Tennessee. You can read short recaps from both of yesterday’s games in today’s edition of Around the Horn at Miller Park Prospects.
• With Monday’s win, the Stars are now 34-17 on the season and have opened up a 7 1/2-game lead over Tennessee in the Southern League’s North Division with 19 games left to play in the first half. The first half division champion clinches a playoff berth.
• 2011 first-round pick Jed Bradley has been promoted from Brevard County to Huntsville (h/t @Mass_Haas). Bradley had been with the Manatees since making his pro debut there in 2012.
• Wisconsin first baseman David Denson will be out for a while after surgery to remove the broken hamate bone in his right hand (h/t @AndrewGruman).
• Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has an interview with Sounds manager Rick Sweet.

Back in Milwaukee, the Double Clutch stand on the Loge Level is serving a “Baltimore Pit Beef Sandwich” during the Orioles series this week. It looks pretty amazing.

Today in power rankings: ESPN has demoted the Brewers three spots to No. 7 in all of baseball.

If you’d like more Brewers coverage today but you’re sick of reading, it looks like I’ll be making a pair of radio appearances today:

• First, I’ll be making my weekly appearance (moved to Tuesday because of the holiday) on The Talking Cheeseheads with Ben Larson this afternoon. Listen in live on Sports Fan 100.5 in Wausau or Sports Talk AM 1090 WAQE in Rice Lake, or follow the above link later for the archived audio.
• Second, I’ll also be making my weekly Tuesday appearance on The Watercooler with Jimmie Kaska on Sports Radio 1400 in Eau Claire this afternoon. Follow the @BrewFrostyMug Twitter for an update on when that segment will air.

Also, if you were away for the holiday weekend and now you’re looking to catch up on the Brewers, you may have missed Monday’s Frosty Mug.
 
Around baseball:

Blue Jays: Acquired outfielder Melky Mesa and pitcher P.J. Walters from the Royals for cash.
Dodgers: Placed catcher A.J. Ellis on the DL with an ankle sprain.
Mets: Fired hitting coach Dave Hudgens and replaced him with minor league coach Lamar Johnson, released reliever Jose Valverde, and placed outfielder Eric Young Jr. (hamstring strain) and pitcher Noah Syndergaard (forearm strain) on the DL.
Pirates: Designated pitcher Vin Mazzaro for assignment.
Rays: Placed outfielder Brandon Guyer on the DL with a fractured thumb.

The Ellis injury listed above is particularly unfortunate, as he sprained his ankle stepping on some discarded catching gear (not his) in the celebration after Josh Beckett’s no-hitter on Saturday night. 

Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone claims Mazzaro off waivers. He has a 2.89 ERA over 62 appearances since coming to the National League in November of 2012 and has the ability to pitch multiple innings. The Brewers would have a hard time finding room for him, but having him around would likely save some work for some of the other bullpen arms.

Having Mazzaro around might prevent the Brewers from having to use a position player to pitch for the third time this season. The ESPN Sweetspot blog has a look at the growing trend of sending non-pitchers to the mound.

Let’s go around the NL Central:

• The Cardinals gave up three runs in the top of the 12th inning and lost 6-4 to the Yankees on Monday. Michael Wacha pitched seven innings, gave up three runs and received a no-decision.
• The Pirates scored all of their runs in the eighth and ninth in a 5-3 win over the Mets. Gaby Sanchez entered the game as a pinch-hitter and went 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs.
• The Reds were held hitless through seven innings before rallying for three runs in the eighth and coming up just short in a 4-3 loss to the Dodgers. 
• The Cubs scored three in the fifth, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh en route to an 8-4 win over the Giants. Jeff Samardzija struck out 10 batters and picked up his first win of the season.

Today in former Brewers: Randy Wolf allowed six runs on nine hits over just five innings against the Brewers on Sunday, but will get to make at least one more start for the Marlins.

Finally, with help from the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 1992-98 Brewer John Jaha, who turns 48 (Today In Brewer History).
• 1991-92 Brewer Edwin Nunez, who turns 51.
• 1986-88 Brewer Mark Clear, who turns 58.

Plunk Everyone notes that Jaha’s 50 career HBP are the third-most ever for a position player born on May 27, and Clear and Nunez are second and third among pitchers born on this date with 35 and 19 career hit batsmen, respectively.

Today is also the 23rd anniversary of the Brewers setting a franchise record by walking Tigers first baseman Cecil Fielder five times in a 15-9, 14-inning loss to Detroit in 1991, and the 45th anniversary of the Seattle Pilots’ first-ever meeting with the Orioles, an 8-1 victory in 1969. Follow the links for those events’ respective entries in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball.

Sunday was also the fifth anniversary of a Yovani Gallardo-Chris Carpenter pitching duel on Memorial Day in 2009, and Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar looked back at that game.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need more dots.

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.