Some things to read while getting out of the closet.
The Brewers didn't have a very good week in Cincinnati, but at least they managed to salvage one day by beating the Reds 8-4 yesterday. Nicole has the recap, if you missed it.
Unfortunately, yesterday's biggest news is of the negative variety. Ryan Braun couldn't bend his elbow following an HBP Tuesday and was held out of the Brewer lineup. He's hoping to be back in there tomorrow night but I certainly wouldn't be surprised if he's not.
Nyjer Morgan had a pretty rough day yesterday, misplaying a fly ball and botching a squeeze attempt before getting into what could probably best be described as a very minor altercation with a fan when the two got tangled up in pursuit of a foul ball in the ninth inning. Al Yellon of Baseball Nation (who also runs SBN's Cubs site, Bleed Cubbie Blue) says Morgan should be suspended. Unfortunately, Morgan's recent negative moments will probably overshadow his phenomenal catch from Tuesday.
Other notes from the field:
- The Brewers went 0-for-3 stealing bases yesterday and Matthew Pouliot noted that the last 14 teams to go 0-for-3 or 0-for-4 for a day are 11-3 in those games.
- Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips took an elbow to the face in one of those steal attempts and had to leave the game for precautionary reasons.
- Nicole has Ron Roenicke's postgame comments and a look at the game's turning points.
The Brewers are off today before resuming action with a game against the Diamondbacks tomorrow night. Adam Berry of MLB.com has the preview.
Meanwhile, Zack Greinke's impressive performance in the middle of a disappointing Brewer season has drawn a lot of attention to him as a potential trade candidate. Here's what people are saying today:
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Jon Paul Morosi of Fox says the Brewers would be wise to move their best pitcher.
- He also notes that Yankees, Rangers and Angels all had scouts in attendance yesterday.
- Rangers third base prospect Mike Olt is one name that's been brought up, but Keith Law says Texas would be crazy to include him in a Greinke deal.
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com speculates that the Braves could also be interested.
- Miller Park Drunk makes a case for the Brewers to hold on to Greinke and try to retain him long-term.
- Brandon Berg of Chippewa.com says the Brewers should sell.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs, by the way, has both Greinke and Braun on his Stat Nerd NL All Star roster.
Braun's potential All Star start is still in doubt: Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera rallied and now leads Braun once again in the voting for the NL's third outfield spot. Personally, given Braun's season-long battle with nagging injuries, I'd prefer he skip the game and get some rest.
Looking back a day, the big story from Tuesday's game might have been Reds closer Aroldis Chapman's pair of forward rolls following the game's final out. The Brewers didn't want to talk about it yesterday, but apparently the Reds were quite upset with Chapman for the display and called to apologize.
Michael Fiers has probably been as good or better than any of us could have expected him to be in his first significant major league opportunity, and Shaun Marcum's uncertain status has probably bought him some extra time in the rotation. J.P. Cadorin of Time Warner Cable Sports 32 has a story on Fiers and his ability to defy expectations.
Speaking of new Brewers making unexpected contributions, Martin Maldonado had another hit and scored a run yesterday. Michael Burke of the Racine Journal Times followed along when Maldonado, who doubles as the team barber, received a pair of personalized clippers from Andis.
Norichika Aoki had two hits and scored twice yesterday. Adam McCalvy reports that he's also quickly learning to speak English and is now capable of getting by without his translator in many informal settings.
I apparently missed this on Monday, but Grant Brisbee of Baseball Nation has a gif of Corey Hart falling over the dugout railing chasing a popup and landing on his feet.
In the minors:
- Take a deep breath before reading this note: Tyler Thornburg has been placed on the DL in Nashville with a wrist issue, but Gord Ash says it's "very minor."
- The affiliates went 4-4 yesterday and two wins and a loss came from Brevard County, who played a tripleheader to finish a suspended game and play two more. You can read about that in today's Minor League Notes.
- Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has video highlights from Wisconsin's 6-5 win over Quad Cities.
- @Mass_Haas is reporting the Brewers have signed catcher Colby McCord and pitcher Ryan Fasano, two undrafted free agents, and will likely not sign 27th round pick Tyler Duffie of TCU.
If the Brewers do become sellers in the next couple of weeks it's probably going to have a pretty significant impact on stretch-run ticket sales at Miller Park. Ryan Smith of Cream City Cables says the Brewers need their current generation of bandwagon fans to stick around. Howie Magner of Milwaukee Magazine has a speech for all the fans that voted Miller Park as baseball's best ballpark to rally behind.
Finally, congratulations are due out this morning to Mike2k33, yesterday's winner in our SB Nation Pick 6 contest. Here's the full leaderboard:
Rank | Player | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Mike2k33 | 82.8 |
2 | coolig | 74.5 |
3 | BigMac91 | 73.8 |
4 | mamaro68 | 68.9 |
5 | drugstorecowboy6 | 67.2 |
6 | -JP- | 66.5 |
7 | sjlee | 57.4 |
8 | Morbidly-Obese, Right-Handed Jamie Moyer | 55.8 |
9 | brewerspug | 54.6 |
10 | Badger Boy in Vail | 54.5 |
Today's first game starts at 12:05, so you're running out of time to make your picks for today.
Around baseball:
Astros: Placed outfielder Justin Maxwell on the DL with loose bodies in his knee and designated outfielder Travis Buck for assignment.
Cubs: Designated pitcher Randy Wells for assignment.
Diamondbacks: Pitcher Daniel Hudson needs Tommy John surgery and is out for the season.
Dodgers: Signed Cuban outfielder Yasel Puig to a $40 million deal.
Indians: Claimed utilityman Vinny Rottino off waivers from the Mets and designated pitcher Chris Schwinden for assignment.
Pirates: Claimed outfielder Oscar Tejada off waivers from the Red Sox and designated pitchers Doug Slaten and Daniel Moskos for assignment.
Rangers: Placed pitcher Colby Lewis on the DL with forearm tendonitis.
Rockies: Re-assigned pitching coach Bob Apodaca and named former bullpen coach Jim Wright and Bo McLaughlin as his co-replacements.
Royals: Designated catcher Humberto Quintero for assignment.
White Sox: Designated reliever Will Ohman for assignment and released outfielder Kosuke Fukudome.
Yankees: Placed pitcher CC Sabathia on the DL with a groin strain and claimed pitcher Danny Farquhar off waivers from the A's.
When the Astros move from the National to American League next season, they may also remove two of the most notable and identifiable features from their ballpark. Aaron Gleeman of Hardball Talk noticed that the team is talking about getting rid of Tal's Hill in center field and the train high above the left field fence.
One of this week's weirdest stories is developing in Arizona, where play-by-play man (and former FS Wisconsin broadcaster) Daron Sutton has been removed from his role with the team for reported insubordination. AZ Snakepit has some theories on what might have happened. Sutton is, however, still scheduled to call Saturday's Diamondbacks/Brewers game for Fox.
Elsewhere in former Brewer employees: Brooks Conrad batted cleanup for the Rays yesterday. He went 0-for-3 with a walk in a 5-4 loss.
This morning's edition of Today In Brewer History marks the 16th anniversary of Doug Jones' return to the Brewers as a free agent in 1996. Today is also Corey Koskie's 39th birthday, and Plunk Everyone notes that his 56 career HBP are the third most ever for a player born on June 28. Former Brewer coach Don Baylor is at the top of that list with 267.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need more baseballs.
Drink up.