Some things to read while being put on the spot.
The losses just keep piling up for the Milwaukee Brewers, and on Tuesday, the big blow came from a former teammate. Casey McGehee’s two-out, ninth-inning home run off Francisco Rodriguez was the difference in a 6-3 loss to the Miami Marlins, and Jordan Mader of Brew Crew Ball has a recap if you missed it. The Brewers have now lost 13 of their last 14 games.
With the score tied 3-3 in the top of the ninth inning, Francisco Rodriguez retired the first two batters he faced but then walked outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and allowed back-to-back home runs to McGehee and Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who went deep for the second time in the series. Rodriguez talked to reporters after the game and called his performance “extremely disappointing,” along with some other more colorful language.
However, not all of Tuesday’s bad news came on the field. Ron Roenicke also told reporters that Ryan Braun’s long-standing thumb injury has worsened and is now an issue with his entire hand. Braun was out of the starting lineup Tuesday night but entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1 with a walk. Derek Harvey of Brew Crew Ball has a look at the potential benefit of sitting Braun down in favor of Gerardo Parra more often.
Elsewhere in the middle of the lineup, Aramis Ramirez was on base four times and drove in runs for the first time in September on Tuesday night. Before the game, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com talked to Ron Roenicke about the importance of getting production from Ramirez and Braun down the stretch.
Other notes from the field:
- The Brewers had the bases loaded with no one out in the eighth inning on Tuesday and failed to score.
- Tuesday’s game lasted three hours and 50 minutes, tying for the fourth-longest nine inning game of the season.
- The Brewers trailed by at least two runs before the end of the fourth inning for the 12th time in their last 14 games (h/t @AdamMcCalvy).
- Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich went 2-for-5 on Tuesday to extend his on-base streak to 26 games. That’s tied for the ninth-longest streak in the National League this season but still trails streaks Carlos Gomez (35 games) and Jonathan Lucroy (27 games) had earlier this season.
- The Brat won the Sausage Race.
- 29,590 fans paid to see Tuesday’s game, including Dan (@dwalsh76) and Ann (@adubdubs) Walsh. They left during the seventh inning.
The series continues tonight at 7:10 p.m. when Wily Peralta takes on Jarred Cosart. Maria Torres has the MLB.com preview.
Meanwhile, the Brewers have announced they’re returning to a five-man rotation and moving Jimmy Nelson to the bullpen. Nelson last pitched on Sunday against the Cardinals and will be available to pitch in relief for the first time on Thursday.
That news came on the same day Nelson was announced as the Brewers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Nelson posted a 1.46 ERA in 17 appearances for Triple-A Nashville before being recalled to the big leagues.
Jason Rogers is also spending the month of September in the big leagues after a solid season in the minors, and Michael Trzinski of Reviewing the Brew has a profile of the former 32nd-round pick. Rogers entered the game as a defensive replacement at first base on Tuesday night and flew out for the game’s final out.
In the minors:
- I’ve already mentioned that Jimmy Nelson was named the Brewers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year, but the award for the season’s best position player went to Wisconsin catcher/designated hitter Clint Coulter. He appeared in 126 games for Wisconsin and hit .287 with a .410 on-base percentage and .520 slugging while tying the franchise record and leading the organization with 22 home runs.
- Tim Froberg of the Appleton Post Crescent has a story on Coulter with quotes from Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson.
- Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash told @AdamMcCalvy that a position switch is likely in the works for Coulter with the possibility he could move to first base, third base or left field.
Hopefully, some frozen custard can help make up for the inconvenience at the gate. Caitlin Moyer has a review of the “Key Lime Pie Concrete Mixer” the AJ Bombers stand on the field level is serving for the Marlins series.
Around baseball:
Mets: Third baseman David Wright will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Brewers weren’t the only NL Central team to struggle on Tuesday, as the Cardinals lost 9-5 to the Reds. Cincinnati catcher Devin Mesoraco was on base four times and hit his 23rd home run in the game.
- The Pirates also had a rough night, losing 4-3 to the Phillies. Edinson Volquez pitched a quality start in the loss.
- The Cubs didn’t fare much better in Toronto, losing 9-2 to the Blue Jays. Rookie shortstop Javier Baez was on base four times with two hits, a walk and an HBP in the loss.
- The Brewers, as you likely know, lost 6-3 to the Marlins.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Cardinals | 80 | 65 | — | @ Reds, 6:10 p.m. | John Lackey vs Alfredo Simon |
| Pirates | 75 | 69 | 4.5 | @ Phillies, 6:05 p.m. | Vance Worley vs Jerome Williams |
| Brewers | 74 | 71 | 6 | vs Marlins, 7:10 p.m. | Wily Peralta vs Jarred Cosart |
| Reds | 68 | 77 | 12 | vs Cardinals, 6:10 p.m. | Alfredo Simon vs John Lackey |
| Cubs | 64 | 81 | 16 | @ Blue Jays, 6:07 p.m. | Kyle Hendricks vs Drew Hutchison |
Losses for the Pirates, Brewers and Braves mean the Marlins were able to close the gap a bit, but otherwise the Wild Card standings remained relatively steady:
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Giants | 79 | 65 | +4 | vs Diamondbacks, 9:15 p.m. | Ryan Vogelsong vs Josh Collmenter |
| Pirates | 75 | 69 | — | @ Phillies, 6:05 p.m. | Vance Worley vs Jerome Williams |
| Braves | 74 | 71 | 1.5 | @ Nationals, 3:05 p.m. | Aaron Harang vs Stephen Strasburg |
| Brewers | 74 | 71 | 1.5 | vs Marlins, 7:10 p.m. | Wily Peralta vs Jarred Cosart |
| Marlins | 71 | 72 | 3.5 | @ Brewers, 7:10 p.m. | Jarred Cosart vs Wily Peralta |
Despite another loss on Wednesday, Baseball Prospectus says the Brewers’ playoff probability only dropped two points to 19.1 percent. David Schoenfield of ESPN listed the ongoing playoff possibilities for the slumping Brewers and Braves as one of the five things we learned on Tuesday.
I guess it’s time for another daily reminder that things could be worse: The Rockies were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs on Tuesday.
And, of course, not everyone is giving up. Mike Oz of Big League Stew has a list of five absurd events that could actually lead to the Brewers winning the World Series. Our own Howie Magner isn’t throwing in the towel either, and cited The Drunkard’s Walk as evidence that this team could stumble back onto the right path.
Today in former Brewers: Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald notes that Robin Yount’s 251 career home runs are the sixth-least by an all-time franchise leader.
Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- AZL Brewers outfielder Yunior Santana, who turns 21.
- 2010-12 Brewer Kameron Loe, who turns 33.
Today is also the sixth anniversary of Prince Fielder setting a personal record by going without a home run for his 24th consecutive game in 2008, and the 40th anniversary of Sixto Lezcano hitting a walkoff single in his Brewers debut in 1974. Follow the links for those events respective entries in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to update the sign.
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.
