By Eric Nehm
Some things to read while figuring out the lyrics to “I’m a Little Teapot”.
For the third time in the last four games, the Brewers just weren’t able to get anything going offensively, and they fell 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays Monday night. Noah Jarosh of Brew Crew Ball has a recap, if you missed it.
The Brewers’ offensive struggles were particularly painful as they came at the hands of former Brewer farmhand Jake Odorizzi, who limited the Brewers to just three hits in seven innings. The Brewers did hold a lead for much of the game after Mark Reynolds homered in the third to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Kyle Lohse had no problem keeping up with Odorizzi until a borderline call from Bob Davidson behind the plate changed the momentum of the sixth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lohse found himself in trouble for the first time all game. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, Lohse walked Ben Zobrist and gave up a single to Matt Joyce to put runners on the corners for Evan Longoria. After working the count full, Lohse threw a 3-2 changeup that appeared to hit part of the inside corner, but it was ruled a ball (h/t @JP_Breen). With the bases loaded, James Loney hit a bloop single into center field to score two runs and give the Rays’ the lead for good.
Other notes from the field:
- It may be forgotten because of the game’s outcome, but the Brewers made one of the most unbelievable defensive plays of the season when their relay cut down Logan Forsythe at third base after a shallow blooper to right field (h/t @joe_block). The GIF is a beauty (h/t @cjzero).
- Although Segura received most of the credit, many were quick to point out that both Reynolds (h/t @AdamMcCalvy) and Aramis Ramirez (h/t @RDTopp) deserved a lot of credit on the play as well.
- Over the weekend, Mark Reynolds hit a fly ball so hard and high at Miller Park that it bounced off one of the supports above the stadium. After his third-inning home run, Joe Block let everyone know that apparently Reynolds did the same thing with a catwalk at Tropicana Field in batting practice on Monday.
- Reynolds’ home run was his fourth in his last 14 at-bats. Before that, he had hit just one in his previous 106 at-bats (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).
- Carlos Gomez’s stolen base in the third inning made him the first player in the majors to reach 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases (h/t @MikeVassallo13).
- Zach Duke threw another scoreless inning Monday, as he blanked the Rays in the eighth inning. It was his 15th consecutive scoreless appearance (h/t @MikeVassallo13).
- Although not as long as Duke’s streak, Jeremy Jeffress has now held opponents scoreless in all three of his appearances as a Brewer this season. He worked a scoreless seventh Monday.
Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi kicked trade deadline week off with a story about the Brewers possibly being interested in trading for the Rays’ David Price. Their sources reported the Brewers have “put their foot in the water” in inquiring about Price, and they reasoned that the Brewers’ chances of trading for Price would only increase if they could sweep the Rays this week, as a fading Rays team would be more likely to trade Price away.
This story sent the Internet (at least, Brewers fans on the Internet) into a tizzy and gave everyone something to talk about at work yesterday. Noah Jarosh of Brew Crew Ball responded to the rumors with a very measured piece that ultimately surmised that “any sort of Price trade is likely only a fantasy for Milwaukee.” When looking at Price, he mentioned that it’s important to remember what the Rays have reportedly already turned down for him, what the Brewers can actually offer, and the other teams bidding against the Brewers.
Before Jarosh took a look at the Brewers possibly trading for David Price, Derek Harvey of Brew Crew Ball took a look at the likelihood of the Brewers actually making a non-waiver trade before the deadline on Thursday. As he waded through the various comments Melvin has made regarding the deadline, Harvey concludes that it probably isn’t likely the Brewers make a “big trade” this week. He points out that the reported price for many of the biggest names on the trade market has remained high, and the Brewers simply don’t have a ton of prospects to deal away.
This morning, Ryan Topp at Disciples of Uecker also decided to get in on the trade deadline fun as he wrote about possible trade targets for the Brewers this week. Topp attempted to handicap the odds of each of the possible positions the Brewers may attempt to acquire and came away with “right-handed reliever” as the most likely move at 75 percent. He also mentioned the possibility of the Brewers looking for a utility infielder/bench bat, first baseman, and big-name starting pitcher.
Speaking of a big-name starting pitcher, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman writes that the Brewers are now among several teams said to be “making a play” for Jon Lester of the Red Sox. In his article, Heyman writes that Jimmy Nelson may be a young pitcher that could interest the Red Sox, and the Brewers’ chances of trading for a rental are likely better than doing so for any starting pitcher with team control beyond this season.
Looking past the trade deadline and into the offseason, Pete Goodchild of Reviewing the Brew took a look at the tough decision the Brewers will have to make regarding Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez has a $14 million club option for the 2015 season, which may seem a bit steep for an aging player with declining numbers, but Goodchild writes that there aren’t any better options in the farm system and there might not be any better free agents for the Brewers to pick up.
In the minors:
- On Sunday, MLB.com updated its list of the top 20 prospects in the Brewers system and named Nick Delmonico the Brewers’ 17th-best prospect. Unfortunately, Delmonico was suspended 50 games on Monday after testing positive for an amphetamine. With privacy concerns, the Brewers could say very little about the suspension.
- On the field, the affiliates went 3-4 on Monday. Brevard County, Nashville and Huntsville were winners on the day, with the most impressive performance coming from Ariel Pena in Nashville. Pena struck out eight batters while allowing just one run on four hits in six innings of work. You can read about all the day’s action in the Brewerfan.net Link Report.
- Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has an interview with Sounds manager Rick Sweet.
In power rankings:
- Jonah Keri of Grantland has the Brewers in the Top of the Heap at No. 6 in his weekly power rankings.
- ESPN moved the Brewers up five spots in their power rankings with the Brewers now at No. 5.
Around baseball:
- Angels: Sent left-handed pitcher C.J. Wilson on a rehab assignment to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers.
- Dodgers: Acquired second baseman Darwin Barney from the Cubs for a PTBNL.
- Padres: Placed left fielder Carlos Quentin on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 27 with a sore left knee and recalled Jedd Gyorko from the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas.
- Pirates: Sent right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole on a rehab assignment to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
- Rockies: Sent first baseman Justin Morneau on a rehab assignment to the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
- Royals: Traded third baseman Danny Valencia to the Blue Jays for catcher Erik Kratz and right-handed pitcher Liam Hendriks.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- With a day off before starting a three-game series in San Diego against the Padres, the Cardinals were able to pick up a half-game in the standings with the Brewers’ loss in Tampa Bay last night. They now trail the Brewers by just 1 1/2 games.
- The Reds struggled to score last night and, just like the Brewers, they fell by a score of 2-1 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, only it took the Reds 15 innings. The game remained tied at one until the 15th, when Nick Ahmed singled to left field to score Martin Prado from second to give the D’backs a one-run lead. The Reds now trail the Brewers by 5 1/2 games.
- The Cubs won the first game of their four-game series against the Colorado Rockies in Chicago last night by the score of 4-1. They trail the Brewers by 14 1/2 games.
Today in former Brewers:
- In a flurry of moves from the Phillies on Monday, outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. was designated for assignment. The emergence of Grady Sizemore left Gwynn Jr. as the odd man out in Philadelphia, and now Gwynn Jr. will have to wait to see what’s next.
- As part of his aforementioned power rankings, Jonah Keri sat down with Casey McGehee to talk about his experiences in Japan and the changes he made in the last year to get back in a groove at the major league level.
- The Minnesota Twins released Triple-A first baseman Brad Nelson. The 31-year-old Nelson had spent the entire season with the Rochester Red Wings of the International League where he hit .229/.312/.344 (h/t @Maas_Haas).
- Jack Zduriencik, former Brewers director of amateur scouting, has once again come under fire as Seattle Mariners general manager. This past winter, the Seattle Times wrote of a dysfunctional organization with a lack of leadership at the top. Now, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi are writing of a general manager that infuriates general managers around the league because of an inability to pull the trigger on trades “out of fear.”
Finally, with the help from the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- 2004-06 Brewer Mike Adams, who turns 36.
- 1996-97 Brewer Todd Dunn, the No. 35 overall pick in the 1993 draft, who turns 44.
- 1980 Brewer Dave LaPoint, who turns 55.
Sadly, one year ago today, 1972-76 Brewer first baseman George Scott passed away at the age of 69. Scott hit .283/.342/.456 in his five seasons with the Brewers and won five consecutive Gold Gloves. In 1975, he led the American League with 36 home runs, 109 RBIs and 318 total bases. Many Brewers fans will also likely remember the trade that sent him out of Milwaukee, as he was part of the deal that brought Cecil Cooper to the team. Kyle wrote about his passing last year at Brew Crew Ball.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go practice in my basement.
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.
