Wednesday's Frosty Mug

Some things to read while ditching your bluetooth.

If you went to bed early, yes, the Brewers did hold on to win after taking a 9-0 lead in the second inning last night. Here's our game recap. 

Bernie Brewer, of all people, mentioned this stat during the game: With last night's win, the Brewers are now 10-5 when they hit a home run, and 1-10 when they don't.

Other stuff from the field:

• During the second inning, Gregg Zaun was hit by a pitch and driven in by Carlos Gomez getting hit by a pitch. It's the first time that's happened in two years, and as you might expect Plunk Everyone has every detail covered.
• Dodger Thoughts noted that it was Clayton Kershaw's shortest outing since June 10 of last season, and he turned things around pretty quickly after that.
• Disciples of Uecker noted before the game that Kershaw struggles against right handed hitters.
• Gregg Zaun, Ryan Braun and Chris Narveson are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game Vote.
• CoolStandings has the Brewer playoff chances at 10.8%.
• Jon Heyman assessed Rick Peterson's mound visit abilities.

Another week, another decline in Ken Macha's approval ratings: This week's BCB Tracking Poll shows Ken Macha with 13% approval and 69% disapproval, with both numbers trending in the same direction for the fourth straight week. In-Between Hops noted another mention of the possibility that Macha could be gone soon.

Doug Melvin publicly defended his manager yesterday, saying it's "unfair" to blame the team's rough start on Macha. I'll agree that he's not the only factor, but I do think he's a contributor.

Meanwhile, @notkenmacha spent the day yesterday calling out Doug Melvin and introducing us to a new Twitter account to follow: @craigcounsell.

Another day, another Trevor Hoffman story: Tim Brown of Yahoo sat down with the all time saves leader and noted that he's not lacking in confidence in his ability to turn a rough start around, and isn't making plans to hang up his cleats.

Also, another day, some more Prince Fielder trade stories:

• Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times thinks Fielder could be a good fit for the Mariners.
• Craig Calcaterra says now might not be the best time to deal Fielder, as the market for first basemen is pretty small.

If last night's win wasn't enough to cheer you up, Miller Park Drunk has five reasons the Brewers' rough start might not be that bad.

In the minors:

• Adam Foster of Project Prospect is impressed by Scooter Gennett's hot start at Wisconsin, and says he could be a top 100 prospect entering the 2011 season. Not bad for a guy the Brewers drafted in the 16th round last year. He also has video of Gennett hitting a home run in a minor league spring training game. Fast forward ahead to roughly 0:40 if you're prone to motion sickness.
• Eric Arnett's start for Wisconsin was cut short when last night's game was suspended after 2 1/2 innings due to severe storms in the area. Before the game, though, he was a guest on the D-List. After the appearance, he pitched three shutout innings. 
• Speaking of severe weather, Sounds broadcaster Stu Paul shares some of his thoughts and experiences with the flooding in Nashville.
• Rob Lucas of the Beloit Daily News has a profile of Jake Odorizzi.
• Major League Baseball officially announced the draft order for this June: The Brewers will select 14th, 64th, 96th and 129th.
• Minor League Ball has a new mock draft and is projecting the Brewers to draft Washington high school outfielder Josh Sale. That's the second time I've seen his name come up.

In power rankings:

• SBNation bumped the Brewers down from 17th to 25th.
• Fox Sports has the Brewers at 26.

Around baseball:

Padres: Placed reliever Sean Gallagher on the DL with a sprained toe.
Pirates: Placed reliever Brendan Donnelly on the DL with an oblique strain and returned Rule 5 selection John Raynor to the Marlins. (h/t Bucs Dugout)

No matter how bad things get for the Brewers, I take a little comfort in not having to complain about this anymore: Royals Review notes that Jason Kendall has started 26 of the Royals' first 27 games (more than any other catcher in baseball), isn't hitting all that well and wonders why his backup isn't playing more.

Meanwhile, Astros catcher J.R. Towles is having a much tougher time holding on to playing time. Following yesterday's game, he was demoted to AA and informed he needed to catch a flight to Midland first thing this morning. Ouch.

Yet another reminder that a minor leaguer is never a sure thing: The Astros released 2006 first round pick Max Sapp yesterday. Sapp was still in the low levels of the minor leagues when he had a bout with meningitis in 2008, and hasn't played in a game since.

Happy birthday today to:

• 2002-04 Brewer Keith Ginter, who turns 34.
• 2000 Brewer Juan Acevedo, who turns 40.
• 1978-82 Brewer Larry Hisle, who turns 63.

Of course, I'd be remiss today if I didn't mention the passing of one of the game's legendary broadcasters, Ernie Harwell. Harwell ended his long battle with cancer at 92 yesterday. For more on his life and the incredible person that he was, be sure to check out what Joe Posnanski and Brian Anderson had to say.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for breakfast.

Drink up.