Bush league

You knew that headline had to happen eventually, so I thought I'd get it out of the way right now.  Big couple days for Dave Bush: he's officially in the rotation and then continued to prove he belongs there.  Six innings, five hits, zero walks, four K's...need I say more?  No, but I probably will.

It was a big day for the Crew at the plate, as well: among those contributing to the 7-3 win over the Giants were:

• Jeff Cirillo: single, double, walk (and he started at second base again)
• Corey Koskie: single, double, RBI
• Bill Hall: single and three runs scored, plus what sounded like a dynamite relay throw to nab Pedro Feliz at the plate
• Gabe Gross, turning it on with a single, a double, and a walk
• Corey Hart, two singles in four ABs.

Perhaps the best part of those performances is that they mostly came off of Major League pitching.  Brad Hennessey started for the Giants, and Jeff Fassero, Scott Munter, and Tyler Walker followed.  I haven't been keeping up with how the SF roster is shaking out, but I'm pretty sure three of those guys will be on the 25-man.

The only disappointment of the day is the ongoing enigma that is Jorge de la Rosa.  One inning, two walks, one hit, two earned runs.  He came into the game with a seven-run lead and he still couldn't throw strikes.  We all know how good this guy can be.  Heck, we've known it since we traded for him.  But sheesh, let the Maddux method work its magic!

Roster manuevers

Sarfate, Hendrickson, and Krynzel were all sent down; no surprises there.  That leaves 37.  A couple of days ago, Carlos Villenueva was sent to the minors, and I should've mentioned it then.  When Doug Melvin was on the webcast with Daron the other day, he was talking about Carlos Villenueva as a sleeper in the system.  In his words, best as I can remember them: "I don't know why nobody was talking about this kid.  All he did was get guys out."  Sound familiar?  That's the sort of thing he has said about Doug Davis and Matt Wise before turning them into important cogs in this team.  Apparently Carlos is the kind of guy who Doug would claim off waivers...if we didn't already have him.

Also, it increasingly sounds like Jared Fernandez could be in Milwaukee on April 3rd.  According to Daron today, there are three spots for some combination of Helling, Fernandez, Lehr, and Davis.  A couple of weeks ago I would've laughed if you suggested Fernandez would be at the top of that list, but--there ya go--he is now.  When Sheets comes off the DL, one of those guys would probably have to go to AAA.  My guess: Helling/Fernandez/Davis to open the season, then Fernandez goes down on April 17th to make room for Sheets.  If Helling's recovery is delayed, or he struggles in the early going, it might be him instead.  

Team Preview

There's a long Brewers preview at 15sports.  Nothing new or particularly original here, but if you have a need to put something off, or you can't go to bed until you click on fifty links, go crazy.

Instant Replay

It hasn't gotten a heck of a lot of press outside of the tennis world, but this week at the Nasdaq 100, tennis is trying out instant replay.  I don't have a strong opinion on IR for baseball, but I've always assumed it would never happen, if only because baseball is so often so traditional.  (Then again: Interleague play?  Go figure.)  But tennis is, in many ways, even more tradition-bound than baseball, so if they're giving it a shot, could baseball be next?  I'll certainly be watching how it goes this week in Miami.

Brewers on Deck

If you're in Milwaukee, you can go hang out at Miller Park for free the day before Opening Day.  Players (and Ueck!) will be signing autographs, and it looks like fun will be had by all.

Tomorrow

Doug Davis against the Diamondbacks and Brandon Webb tomorrow at (you guessed it) 2:05 CT.  Also, you can chat online with Doug Melvin at 12:30 CT.  

Countdown: 11 days until Brewer Opening Day

Update [2006-3-23 22:42:28 by Jeff]: This didn't occur to me, but it turns out Dave Bush was pitching today on short rest. All the more impressive, I'd say.