Friday's Frosty Mug

Some things to read while your agent rants about Saved By The Bell.

The Brewers make their first visit to Citi Field tonight, opening a three game series against the Mets. It's also Willie Randolph's first game against the Mets since being fired as their manager last season.

It's also the first opportunity for R.J. Swindle to make his Brewer debut. Swindle was called up yesterday when David Riske was placed on the DL (h/t FanShot) with some "tightness" in his elbow. The folks over at Beyond the Box Score are pretty excited to see him.

Another former Brewer may make an unexpected appearance this weekend: Nelson Figueroa had his minor league start cut short yesterday, leading to speculation that he'll replace Mike Pelfrey in the Mets' rotation on Sunday. Pelfrey has been trying to pitch through forearm tendinitis.

Mark DiFelice hasn't cracked the Brewers' starting rotation yet, but he likely will before the season is out, so Keep Turning Up The Heat has beaten the rush to sponsor his B-Ref page.

What do you do next after being replaced in AAA by Joe Koshansky? Scott Thorman is playing first base in Oklahoma City and trying to get a fresh start with the Rangers organization.

Elsewhere across the league:

Angels: Vlad Guerrero is out indefinitely with a strained pectoral muscle.
Dodgers: Doug Mientkiewicz will be placed on the DL with a separated shoulder.
Mariners: Kenji Johjima has been placed on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Marlins: Cody Ross set the fight against smokeless tobacco back by a decade after an empty tin of Skoal protected him from getting hit by a pitch.
Padres: Walter Silva may miss his scheduled start Sunday with a bruised forearm.
Royals: Alex Gordon was diagnosed with torn cartilage in his hip and will require surgery that could keep him out for months.

Some people just haven't experienced good grit: DRaysBay discusses the adjustment period involved in watching Gabe Kapler play.

Did the Reds look half-hearted to you this week? Ken Rosenthal has a quote from a source saying the Reds aren't playing hard this spring. They'll need to go all out tonight against Roy Oswalt and the Astros: Oswalt has posted a 23-1 record against the Reds in his career.

Looking to do some analysis today? Purple Row has an in-depth look at salaries in baseball and Brooks Baseball has a great new Pitchf/x tool. (h/t Driveline Mechanics for the second one.)

Oh, and there are still plenty of great seats available in Pittsburgh.

Drink up.