Some things to read while reading.
Well, at least they’re hitting again.
The Milwaukee Brewers scored five runs in the first inning Tuesday night but, instead of coasting to an easy victory, gave five runs back in the second and lost 9-7 to the Philadelphia Phillies. Derek Harvey of Brew Crew Ball has the recap, if you missed it. The Brewers have lost seven of their last eight games.
Wily Peralta came undone a bit on Tuesday, but some bad luck certainly played a role in his rough night. He allowed a pair of infield singles in both the first and second innings en route to giving up nine runs over just 4 1/3. @joe_block notes that this was the first time all season a healthy Brewers starter had been lifted without completing five innings.
Ryan Braun was out of the lineup again with back spasms on Tuesday, giving Ron Roenicke an excuse to move the lineup closer to its original alignment. Carlos Gomez was back in the leadoff spot, where he went 3-for-5 with a stolen base, and Aramis Ramirez went back to the cleanup spot, going 1-for-4 with a walk and a run.
Gomez isn’t exactly the prototypical leadoff hitter, as his tendency to swing early and often goes against longtime baseball traditions for that role. Jonathan Judge of The Hardball Times, however, has a look at how plate discipline and batting success don’t really seem to correlate.
Other notes from the field:
- Lyle Overbay’s grand slam was the fourth of his career and his first since 2006. Three of the four have come as a member of the Brewers.
- Overbay’s slam capped a five-run first inning. The Brewers have scored five runs in an inning on five occasions this season, but have never scored more (h/t @MikeVassallo13).
- Tuesday was the first time the Brewers have hit a grand slam and lost since Aug. 30, 2012. They lost 12-11 to the Cubs on that day despite a slam from Jonathan Lucroy.
- It was also only the fifth time in 2014 they’ve lost when outhitting the opposing team (h/t @CaitlinSweica). In a related note, the Brewers have stranded 14 baserunners in their last two games (also h/t @CaitlinSweica).
- Mark Reynolds’ pinch-hit home run in the sixth inning snapped his streak of 28 games without one, the longest of his career.
- Wei-Chung Wang pitched a scoreless eighth inning and has a 1.93 ERA at home (h/t @MikeVassallo13).
- Overall, Brewers relievers have pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings in the Phillies series (h/t @joe_block).
- Scooter Gennett finished the game in right field, appearing in the outfield for the first time as a professional (h/t @joe_block).
Baserunning was not a major issue Tuesday night, but it may have cost the Brewers the game on Monday as they made three poor outs in a 3-2 loss. Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker has a look at how Brewers runners may have been outperforming your expectations this season. AK of Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball put those numbers in context with past seasons.
Jeff Bianchi had another hit as a pinch-hitter Tuesday night, and is now 3-for-10 in five appearances since being recalled from Nashville. Andrew Gruman of FS Wisconsin talked to Bianchi about getting another shot in the big leagues after hitting just .145/.172/.145 (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging) with the Brewers in April and May.
Meanwhile, conversation continues to swirl around Nashville pitcher Jimmy Nelson, whose historic season in Triple-A has him knocking on the door to the big leagues. The Brewers are reportedly “discussing” a move involving Nelson and Marco Estrada, who are both scheduled to pitch on Saturday. Nelson, by the way, made Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com’s first half All-Prospect Team.
Today may not be the best day to talk about them, but Brewers starting pitchers have collectively had a pretty good season to this point. Former Brewers scout Tony Blengino, who now writes for FanGraphs, has a look at how the rotation has remained consistent through the season.
Despite their recent struggles, the Brewers still hold the National League’s best record at 52-39 and Baseball Prospectus has their chances of reaching the postseason at 67.4 percent. Mike Bauman of MLB.com says Ron Roenicke deserves to be NL Manager of the Year for guiding the Brewers to this point despite working with what amounts to a 24-man roster.
For what it’s worth, reinforcements may be coming soon for the Brewers bullpen. Jim Henderson’s rehab assignment has been moved from Arizona up to Huntsville after the former closer’s velocity was “really good” in his final AZL appearance. The Brewers have set a target date for his return, but aren’t revealing it publicly. Tyler Thornburg’s rehab isn’t going as well and he still isn’t throwing in games.
Henderson’s return could change the Brewers’ trade deadline plans a bit by reducing their need to add an arm to the bullpen. One of the relievers expected to be available is Jonathan Papelbon, who has pitched against the Brewers in the ninth inning each of the last two nights. Steven Silverman of Beyond the Box Score did not include the Brewers on his list of the three teams most likely to acquire the five-time All Star. Papelbon is making $13 million this season and the same next year, and has a vesting option for 2016.
Jim Henderson won’t be a 2014 NL All Star, but four Brewers will and two of them are scheduled to start. Ben Tannenbaum of The Brewers Bar thinks the Brewers are a little over-represented in the game, and argues that Carlos Gomez and Aramis Ramirez should not be starters.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 2-4 on Tuesday with one of the wins coming from Nashville, where the Sounds rode home runs from infielders Pete Orr and Hector Gomez, and four scoreless innings of relief from Alfredo Figaro and Jeremy Jeffress, to a 4-2 win over Memphis. You can read about all of the day’s action in Around the Horn at Miller Park Prospects.
- Brevard County pitcher Jorge Lopez will represent the Brewers in the 2014 MLB All Star Futures Game, and the Manatees’ blog has a story on his dominance over the last two months.
- Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has an interview with one of the newest Sounds, first baseman Matt Clark.
Closer to home, on Tuesday, the Brewers announced their representative in the “All-Star Teachers” program. Appleton teacher Eric Vander Loop is a former high school baseball coach, founder of the “River Studies Summer Fishing Program” and “Unless,” a charity that has raised over $86,000 to fight cancer. He’ll be recognized on the field before next week’s All Star Game.
Fans attending next week’s All Star game may get an opportunity to try out Target Field’s new self-serve beer machines. The machines were installed as part of a pilot project, and Rich Kirchen of the Milwaukee Business Journal reports we shouldn’t expect to see them at Miller Park anytime soon.
If you’d like more Brewers coverage today but you’re sick of reading, I have a couple of options for you:
- First, I’ll be making my weekly appearance on The Home Stretch with Justin Hull on 95.3 WSCO in Appleton at 2 p.m. today. I’ll be in the studio most of the hour taking your calls, emails and tweets, so listen in and get your voice heard.
- Then I’ll also be appearing 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 link above later for the archived audio.
Around baseball:
Astros: Placed outfielder Alex Presley on the DL with an oblique strain.
Blue Jays: Placed outfielder Cole Gillespie on the DL with an oblique strain.
Dodgers: Placed pitcher Josh Beckett on the DL with hip soreness.
Indians: Placed pitcher Justin Masterson on the DL with knee inflammation and designated reliever Mark Lowe for assignment.
Orioles: Designated pitcher Julio DePaula for assignment.
Phillies: Signed pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes to a minor league deal.
Rangers: Placed pitcher Nick Martinez on the DL with discomfort in his side.
Reds: Placed first baseman Joey Votto on the DL with a quad strain.
Royals: Signed pitcher Joe Saunders to a minor league deal.
Twins: Placed pitcher Ricky Nolasco on the DL with an elbow strain.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Cardinals rode a walkoff home run to a win over the Pirates for the second consecutive night on Tuesday. This time Kolten Wong was the hero and the final score was 5-4.
- The Reds swept a day-night doubleheader with the Cubs, winning the afternoon contest 4-2 and walking off with a 6-5 win in the nightcap. The Cubs led the second game 5-0 in the top of the fifth inning.
- The Brewers, as you’ve likely heard, lost 9-7 to the Phillies.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 52 | 39 | — | vs Phillies, 7:10 p.m. | Kyle Lohse vs Roberto Hernandez |
| Cardinals | 49 | 42 | 3 | vs Pirates, 7:15 p.m. | Lance Lynn vs Brandon Cumpton |
| Reds | 48 | 42 | 3.5 | vs Cubs, 6:10 p.m. | Alfredo Simon vs Dallas Beeler |
| Pirates | 47 | 43 | 4.5 | @ Cardinals, 7:15 p.m. | Brandon Cumpton vs Lance Lynn |
| Cubs | 38 | 51 | 13 | @ Reds, 6:10 p.m. | Dallas Beeler vs Alfredo Simon |
At three games, the Brewers’ NL Central lead is the smallest it’s been since May 28.
Today in former Brewers:
- By now you’ve almost certainly seen (and cannot un-see) Prince Fielder’s nude pictures from ESPN the Magazine’s “Body Issue.” If you haven’t, though, Bill Hanstock of SB Nation has you covered.
- Reliever Jose Veras, now with the Astros, had a verbal altercation with an umpire after the conclusion of Tuesday’s game after being shouted at to “hurry up” on his way to the mound to pitch the ninth inning. The Astros eventually beat the Rangers in a 3-hour, 48-minute contest.
- Tom D’Angelo of The Palm Beach Post has a story on Casey McGehee’s charge to make the All-Star team in the Final Vote.
Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net, we’d like to wish a happy birthday to AZL Brewer Tanner Norton. He turns 19.
Today is also the 14th anniversary of third baseman Tyler Houston hitting three home runs in a 10-3 win over the Tigers in 2000 and the 16th anniversary of Bud Selig being officially named Commissioner of Major League Baseball in 1998 after six years filling the job in an interim role. 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 call my lawyer.
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.
