New acquisition Gerardo Parra had a big night in his home debut at Miller Park Tuesday night, hitting the go-ahead home run and making a great diving catch to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants. Jordan Mader of Brew Crew Ball has the recap, if you missed it.
Parra’s big day made a winner out of Jimmy Nelson, who pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on six hits. Mike Bauman of MLB.com used Nelson’s strong start as a springboard into a conversation on the Brewers’ oft-discussed struggles developing pitchers.
Parra was in the lineup in place of Khris Davis, who woke up on Tuesday morning with a sore elbow. The severity of his injury is unknown at this point. Scooter Gennett also missed the game with his ongoing quad issue that’s becoming more concerning: He’s been able to make just 11 plate appearances in the Brewers’ last 11 games.
Other notes from the field:
- Tuesday’s game ended on a bizarre moment when Giants second baseman Joe Panik appeared to beat out an infield single to second base, but Ron Roenicke asked for the call to be reviewed. Umpires eventually overturned the call, giving the Brewers the third out in the top of the ninth and the victory.
- That overturned call gave Francisco Rodriguez his 33rd save of the season. He’s the ninth Brewers reliever ever to reach that mark and the first since John Axford in 2012. Axford is also the only Brewer reliever ever to do it twice.
- Gerardo Parra’s home run was the first run a Giants reliever had allowed in 23 1/3 innings (h/t @hankschulman).
- Ryan Braun was hit by a pitch on Tuesday for the 30th time in a game at Miller Park. Plunk Everyone has more on the event.
- The Chorizo won the Sausage Race.
Matt Garza might be in the dugout for tonight’s game, but he won’t take the field for a couple of weeks. The Brewers placed him on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with the oblique injury he suffered in Sunday’s game and recalled Rob Wooten from Triple-A Nashville. The Brewers are hopeful Garza will be ready to return after the minimum amount of time off, and Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel talked to him about the challenges of resting during a pennant race.
Meanwhile, Wooten is back with the team for the first time since being optioned on July 21. He appeared in seven games for Nashville after the demotion and pitched scoreless innings in five of them, but allowed a combined seven runs in the other two.
Wooten didn’t pitch in the eighth inning Tuesday night, but if the Brewers continue to struggle to hold leads in those situations, he might get a shot eventually. Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker has a look at the other candidates to work in that role. Two of them, Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress, worked around a pair of walks to escape the inning with a one-run lead against the Giants.
Jonathan Lucroy’s bat is heating up again in the month of August, and he went 2-for-3 with a walk and a pair of doubles on Tuesday night. Lucroy has one of baseball’s most team-friendly contracts and could already be a Brewer through the 2017 season, but Ryan Topp asks if it’s time to extend him further.
In the minors:
- Congratulations are due out this morning to Brevard County pitcher Tyler Wagner, Manatees outfielder Tyrone Taylor and Helena third baseman Sthervin Matos on being named the Brewers’ minor league pitcher and co-players of the month, respectively. Wagner had a 0.51 ERA over 35 1/3 innings in July, Taylor had 31 hits and seven stolen bases in 25 games, and Matos hit .371 for the H-Brewers in the month.
- Yesterday, I mentioned that Wisconsin pitcher Taylor Williams was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. He got more good news on Tuesday, as he was promoted to Brevard County. Williams had a 2.36 ERA with 112 strikeouts in 107 innings for Wisconsin.
- John Sickels of Minor League Ball has a look at Nashville pitcher Ariel Pena, noting he continues to start but is likely to pitch out of the bullpen if he makes the majors.
- Jay D of Reviewing the Brew has a look at the season to date for 2011 first-round pick Taylor Jungmann, whom they listed as the No. 8 prospect in the Brewers organization before the season.
If you’re heading out to Miller Park for one of the two remaining games in the Giants series, then you might be interested in knowing that the Double Clutch stand on the Loge Level is serving “San Francisco Cioppino” this week. I’m told cioppino is “a fish stew of sorts.”
Around baseball:
Blue Jays: Signed catcher George Kottaras to a minor league deal.
Dodgers: Placed reliever Paco Rodriguez on the DL with a shoulder strain.
Indians: Released outfielder Nyjer Morgan.
Marlins: Designated pitcher Jacob Turner for assignment.
Nationals: Acquired reliever Matt Thornton off waivers from the Yankees and placed catcher Wilson Ramos on the paternity list.
Padres: Are expected to hire Rangers assistant A.J. Preller as their new general manager.
Pirates: Placed third baseman Pedro Alvarez on the bereavement list.
Red Sox: Placed outfielder Allen Craig on the DL with a foot injury.
Tigers: Signed reliever Jim Johnson to a minor league deal.
Yankees: Released pitcher Jeff Francis.
Let’s go around the NL Central:
- The Cardinals trailed 2-1 in the seventh inning but came from behind to beat the Red Sox 3-2 at Busch Stadium. Jon Jay’s single in the eighth plated the go-ahead run.
- The Pirates gave up five runs in the eighth inning in a 6-3 loss to the Marlins. Six consecutive batters reached base for Miami against three Pittsburgh relievers, who issued a pair of bases-loaded walks.
- The Reds ran out to an early lead and beat the Indians 9-2. Ramon Santiago’s three-run home run in the second inning gave Cincinnati a lead it would not relinquish.
- The Cubs blew leads in the seventh and 11th innings but still beat the Rockies 6-5 in the 12th. Rookie Javier Baez’s first MLB home run was the difference.
- The Brewers, as you likely know, beat the Giants 4-3.
| Team | W | L | GB | Today | Matchup |
| Brewers | 62 | 51 | — | vs Giants, 7:10 p.m. | Yovani Gallardo vs Ryan Vogelsong |
| Cardinals | 60 | 51 | 1 | vs Red Sox, 7:15 p.m. | Shelby Miller vs Joe Kelly |
| Pirates | 59 | 53 | 2.5 | vs Marlins, 6:05 p.m. | Jeff Locke vs Tom Koehler |
| Reds | 57 | 56 | 5 | vs Indians, 6:10 p.m. | Mat Latos vs Danny Salazar |
| Cubs | 48 | 63 | 13 | @ Rockies, 7:40 p.m. | Jake Arrieta vs Jordan Lyles |
On Tuesday, we learned that Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen has a fracture in the cartilage near a rib, not a strained oblique as previously reported (h/t @Ken_Rosenthal), and has yet to be placed on the disabled list. Nonetheless, losing him for any period of time will be a blow to Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes. Jonathan Bernhardt of Sports on Earth has more on the situation.
During the free-agent era, it’s become commonplace to see players come and go from teams. There are only a handful of regulars from the 2011 Brewers, for example, that remain with the team (or have rejoined the team) in 2014. That makes this record all the more impressive: Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, second baseman Chase Utley and shortstop Jimmy Rollins appeared in their 887th regular season game together on Tuesday night, becoming the longest-tenured group of teammates at those three positions in MLB history.
Today in former Brewers:
- CC Sabathia remains on the shelf for the Yankees, but got some good news on Tuesday. He’s not expected to need microfracture surgery on his knee as previously suspected, and could be ready to pitch in 2015.
- Norichika Aoki hit a grand slam for the Royals on Tuesday night, which was enough to attract the notice of You Can’t Predict Baseball.
Finally, with help from the Baseball Reference Play Index, we’d like to wish a happy birthday today to:
- 2002-04 Brewer Luis Vizcaino, who turns 40 (Today In Brewer History).
- 1994-95 Brewer Duane Singleton, who turns 42.
Today is also the 41st anniversary of all-time great Milwaukee Brave Warren Spahn being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Follow the link for that event’s entry in Today In Brewer History at Brew Crew Ball.
Now if you’ll excuse me, the Diamondbacks need someone to defend their beanballs, and I know just who should do it.
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.
