Some things to read while making excuses for not doing anything today.

We open today with a Sabathia Smorgasbord:

• Ken Davidoff, via MLB Trade Rumors, reports the Yankees might be willing to raise their offer to $150 million over six seasons if another team, like the Angels, offers Sabathia $130 million.
• Rob Neyer says replacing Jon Garland with Sabathia would make the Angels 3-4 wins better next season, which doesn't sound like much but becomes more relevant when you realize the 2008 Angels already won 100 games. And if Jon Garland is as bad as projected in 2009, the difference is even bigger.
• Everyone loves CC. Absolutely everyone. Not only is he friends with LeBron James, Mike Cameron and Nick Swisher, but Buster Olney says his best friend in baseball is David Riske.
• Sabathia's midseason acquisition and the jersey rush that followed are probably a big part of the reason the Brewers sold more named jerseys than any other team in 2008.
• FanGraphs says Sabathia had the single greatest pitching performance in 2008. (Ben Sheets had the second best.)
• Kenny Doyle of Dugout Central says the Braves need CC Sabathia...because he's black. I tend to think he's valuable for reasons that extend beyond his skin color.
• Over 10,000 people have voted, and so far the Yankees hold a slight edge in Ken Rosenthal's poll on CC Sabathia's destination.
• Sabathia was second on The Brew Town Beat's Top Ten List of things to be thankful for.
• Sabathia also made Big League Stew's list of 101 things, along with Ryan Braun's nickname, Bob Uecker, and the food and tailgating at Miller Park.

Of course, there is other movement on the free agent market. These two pieces of news were so huge, for example, that the mainstream media just assumed you knew about them and passed by: Mel Stocker is a Mariner and Callix Crabbe might be too.

Since they haven't signed any Type A or B free agents (yet), the Brewers still project to draft 27th in the 2009 draft. With two Type A free agents (Sabathia and Sheets) still out there, they stand to pick up several extra early picks.

Here's a mishmash of one sentence notes falling under the heading of "bullpen:"

• The Rockies are reportedly targeting Brian Shouse.
• Seth McClung made the final four candidates in FanGraphs' search for 2009's best mop up pitcher.
• Salomon Torres hasn't officially retired yet. He still needs to turn in the paperwork.

Baseball Musings takes a look at how defense affected pitchers in 2008. Sabathia, Ben Sheets and Dave Bush were helped the most by the Brewer defense, while Carlos Villanueva was the only Brewer to be hurt by it.

While I'm on the subject of defense: I know fielding percentages and error counts are not the only or the best way to measure defensive ability, but Vinny Rottino, Brendan Katin and Tony Gwynn were all among the bottom of AAA in terms of fielding percentage and among the leaders in errors. Just saying.

I hope everyone remembered yesterday to be thankful for R.J. Swindle. He's Canadian, so his Thanksgiving is actually the second Monday in October, but Independent Baseball Chatter says he has extra reason to be thankful this season anyway.

If Balking Traditionalism's 2009 pitching projections are accurate, we may not have as much Brewer success to be thankful for at this time next year.

Rowland's Office thinks the Braves are making a mistake pursuing A.J. Burnett if the price is five years, $75 million, comparing Burnett to Pete Harnisch. He thinks the Braves should pursue Ben Sheets instead.

And if free agent pitching is too expensive for you, Baseball Analysts takes a look at some pitchers available in the Rule 5 Draft.

I didn't collect as many hot stove links as I normally do today, but here are a few:

Braves: Mike Hampton is reportedly shopping for a one year deal, but wants a straight salary, not an incentive-based deal. I can't believe I'm saying this, but on a one year deal he might be worthy of consideration.
Mets: The team is likely just posturing, but has publicly stated Brian Fuentes' request for a 3 year, $30-$33 million deal seems "a bit high."
Phillies: Matt Stairs is most likely the only current major leaguer spending the offseason coaching high school hockey in Maine.

So, if you're reading the Mug this morning, it's probably safe to assume you skipped the long lines and insanity of Black Friday shopping. If you did, and you're still looking for gifts, might I suggest a shiny new Wisconsin Timber Rattler hat? I'd wear one.

Finally, I've made a point of keeping my work and this blog separate for most of my tenure here, but today it's for a good cause so I'll break the rule. I've been ring announcing pro wrestling shows for 3XWrestling in Des Moines for the last 2 1/2 years, and tonight we have a show in Des Moines as a toy drive for Toys for Tots. If you're located somewhere near Des Moines and looking for something to do tonight, c'mon out with a new, unopened toy and help support a great cause. Even if you're not near Des Moines, Toys for Tots is a great cause to support, as is Child's Play, which is helping two hospitals in Wisconsin this year.

Drink up.

Since I've been gone for a week, all stats are from 11/21 to today, unless noted otherwise.

In Mexico: New Brewer Jason Bourgeois is hitting 10-for-29 over the last week for Mochis, with ten singles. All told, Bourgeois is hitting .354/.425/.415 in Mexico, with just two extra base hits in 65 ABs.

In Venezuela:

• Alcides Escobar went 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts last Friday, and hasn't had a plate appearance since.
• Tony Gwynn went 2-for-8 with an RBI last Friday and Saturday.
• Hernan Iribarren has only had two plate appearances in the last week, and went 0-for-1 with a walk and was caught stealing.
• Brendan Katin went 2-for-6 with a walk and scored a run.
• Luis Pena threw two thirds of a scoreless inning Tuesday, his first outing since November 11 and only his fourth in two months of VWL play.

In the Dominican Republic:

• Joe Bateman gave up a run on a hit in an inning of work Saturday, then pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts on Monday.
• Juan Sandoval had a rough outing last Friday, giving up four runs on three hits and a walk in one third of an inning, but rebounded to throw a scoreless inning Saturday and another 1.2 scoreless on Wednesday for his first DWL win.

In Puerto Rico:

• Carlos Corporan went 0-for-7 for Caguas and is 0-for his last 15 overall. He's hitting just .100/.100/.300 in his first 20 PWL ABs.
• Charlie Fermaint went 6-for-18 for Ponce with two doubles, and if you don't count a game where he entered as a pinch runner, he has a seven game hitting streak.
• Martin Maldonado went 0-for-1 in his only plate appearance last Friday.
• Mike Rivera went 4-for-15 with a walk, a double and an RBI for Santurce.
• Steve Bray has given up two runs on four hits and a walk over four outings spanning 3.2 innings of work. All told, he has a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings of work in Puerto Rico.
• Richie Gardner gave up a run on a hit and a walk in 2.2 innings of work over three appearances.

Also worth noting: Casey McGehee hasn't played since November 19, Chris Narveson hasn't pitched since November 17, and Brad Nelson hasn't played since November 14, but I haven't seen any reports on why. All were playing well prior to this gap. If you know something I don't, be sure to leave a note in the comments.

In Arizona: Wednesday, Lou Palmisano entered the game as a pinch runner and went 0-for-1 with a walk as the Javelinas got shut out by Scottsdale, 5-0.

Thursday, the Brewer bats came to life. Brent Brewer went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs, and Lou Palmisano went 3-for-4 with a solo shot. David Welch pitched 1.2 scoreless innings and the Javelinas won their season finale 13-6 over Phoenix.

The Javelinas did not qualify for postseason play. I'll have an AFL recap sometime in the coming days.

In Mexico: Casey McGehee went 2-for-4 with a single and an RBI Wednesday, extending his hitting streak to 18 games.

In Venezuela:

• Alcides Escobar went 1-for-5 and was caught stealing for Lara Wednesday. He's hit in eight straight games.
• Tony Gwynn went 1-for-5 and struck out three times for Magallanes Wednesday. He's striking out once every 3.6 AB in VWL play.
• Hernan Iribarren walked and was caught stealing in his only plate appearance for Lara Thursday.
• Brendan Katin went 3-for-9 over the last two days for Zulia, scoring a run and striking out three times.

In the Dominican Republic: Joe Bateman had another scoreless outing Wednesday, pitching an inning and striking out one.

In Puerto Rico:

• Mike Rivera is now 0-for his last 14 after going 0-for-4 with a strikeout Wednesday.
• Richie Gardner also continues to struggle, giving up seven runs on eight hits and two walks in 3.1 innings of work Wednesday.

In Arizona: Brent Brewer went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, Lorenzo Cain went 0-for-3, and Omar Aguilar gave up two runs on a hit and two walks in 1.1 innings of work as the Javelinas lost to Mesa, 10-4. The two runs Aguilar allowed were his first in Arizona, ending a 10 game, 10.1 inning scoreless streak in AFL play.

The Javelinas travel to Scottsdale for their final AFL home game tonight at 8:35.

In Mexico:

• Casey McGehee went 1-for-4 with a single to stretch his hitting streak to seventeen games for Culiacan.
• Chris Narveson pitched 6.1 innings, allowing just two runs on two hits, two walks and striking out six, but he picked up a no-decision for Hermosillo. He has a 3.54 ERA in Mexico in 40.2 IP, with 42 K and 9 BB in that time.

In Venezuela:

• Alcides Escobar went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run for Lara. He has a hit in seven straight games.
• Tony Gwynn went 1-for-3 with a walk and scored a run for Magallanes.
• Hernan Iribarren went 1-for-5 and was caught stealing for Lara.
• Brendan Katin went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts for Zulia. He's 2-for his last 18 with seven strikeouts.
• Guilder Rodriguez had hits on back to back days for Lara, going 1-for-5 on Sunday and 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Monday.

In the Dominican Republic: Juan Sandoval appears to have switched teams from Licey to Oriente, and pitched 1.2 perfect innings in his first two appearances for Oriente on Sunday and Monday.

In Puerto Rico:

• Martin Maldonado struck out in his only plate appearance for Mayaguez.
• Mike Rivera went 0-for-4 with a strikeout for Santurce. Maybe playing everyday isn't his thing after all: He's 0-for his last 10 with five strikeouts.

In Arizona: On Friday, Lorenzo Cain led off and went 1-for-5 with a double, and Brent Brewer went 2-for-4 with his first AFL home run as the Javelinas defeated Surprise 8-6.

On Saturday, Lou Palmisano went 1-for-4 with a double and Brent Brewer went 1-for-3 with a walk as Surprise returned the favor, 10-8. David Welch pitched two scoreless innings in relief, giving up just one hit and striking out four.

The AFL is off on Sundays to give the players a chance to do some early Christmas shopping. The Javelinas play at Mesa at 1:35 today. The AFL season ends on Thursday.

In Hawai'i: Friday, Caleb Gindl went 3-for-4 with a walk, his fifth AFL home run and three RBI, and Logan Schafer went 0-for-3 as the CaneFires defeated North Shore 6-5.

Saturday's final game of the regular season was rained out.

Then, on Sunday, Caleb Gindl went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a GIDP and Cody Scarpetta allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in just 2.1 innings to pick up the loss as the CaneFires lost the HWB Championship game to Waikiki, 5-1. Chris Cody pitched in relief and threw 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out two.

With that, the Hawai'i Winter Baseball season has concluded. I'm hoping to write a season recap later today.

In Mexico: Casey McGehee stretched his hitting streak to sixteen games, going 5-for-11 over the weekend with a double, two walks, two home runs and four RBI. He's hitting .331/.354/.562 for Culiacan.

In Venezuela: All stats are from Thursday-Sunday.

• Alcides Escobar went 3-for-7 with three walks and a double for Lara. He's now hit in five straight games to bring his numbers back up to .233/.313/.288 in Venezuela.
• Tony Gwynn went 3-for-7 with two walks, a stolen base and three runs scored for Magallanes. He's hitting .317/.406/.366 in Venezuela, including .429/.556/.524 in 26 plate appearances against lefties.
• Hernan Iribarren went 3-for-11 over the weekend with three walks, a stolen base and two runs scored. He's hitting .333/.417/.505 for Lara.
• Brendan Katin returned from five days off to go 0-for-6 with a run scored for Zulia. He's currently 0-for his last-12 and has slipped to .235/.330/.642 in VWL play.

In the Dominican Republic:

• Brad Nelson went 0-for-3 on Friday, his only action of the weekend. He's still hitting .306/.375/.750 in DWL play, including .390/.444/.829 in 45 plate appearances against righties.
• Joe Bateman pitched an inning for Este on Saturday, giving up one run on two hits. He's still 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA in 15 DWL innings.
In Puerto Rico: All results are from Thursday-Sunday.
• Carlos Corporan went 0-for-7 with three strikeouts.
• Martin Maldonado went 1-for-3 with an RBI on Saturday.
• Mike Rivera went 0-for-6 with four strikeouts, but did walk twice and score a run for Santurce.
• Steve Bray picked up his first win Sunday, throwing two perfect innings with two strikeouts for Carolina. He has yet to allow an earned run in nine PWL innings.

In Arizona: No Brewers appeared in the Javelinas' 3-2 loss to the Saguaros.

The Javelinas host the Saguaros at 8:05 tonight.

In Hawai'i: Caleb Gindl went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the CaneFires' 5-1 win over Honolulu.

All of Thursday's HWB action has already been canceled, leaving just two games left in the HWB schedule and clinching the West division for the CaneFires.

In Mexico:

• Casey McGehee went 1-for-4 with a home run for Culiacan. This was his twelfth consecutive game with a hit and his third consecutive with a home run.
• Chris Narveson picked up his second consecutive win for Hermosillo, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk and striking out five in seven innings.

In Venezuela:

• Alcides Escobar went 3-for-5 with a stolen base, a run scored and an RBI for Lara. He's now 5-for his last-8 with two stolen bases and two runs scored.
• Tony Gwynn went 1-for-3 for Magallanes.
• Hernan Iribarren went 0-for-2 with four walks for Lara, and scored two runs. Those four walks were a third of his season total.

In the Dominican Republic: Brad Nelson went 1-for-4 with a two-run double, walked and struck out twice.

In Puerto Rico:

• Carlos Corporan went 0-for-1 in his only AB for Caguas.
• Charlie Fermaint entered the game as a pinch runner and stole a base for Ponce. He's now played in three games but only gotten one at bat, a single.
• Martin Maldonado went 1-for-3 with an RBI for Mayaguez.
• Mike Rivera went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, driving in three runs in his debut for Santurce.
• Steve Bray pitched his fourth consecutive scoreless outing for Carolina, giving up a hit and a walk in 1.2 innings.

In Arizona: Friday, Brent Brewer entered the game late and went 0-for-2, Lorenzo Cain went 1-for-4 with an RBI, David Welch threw two scoreless innings with two hits and two strikeouts, and Omar Aguilar allowed only a walk while striking out two in one inning of work as the Javelinas lost again, 13-4 to the Saguaros.

Then on Saturday, no Brewers appeared and the Javelinas lost their 10th game in 11 opportunities, 9-6 to Surprise.

The AFL was off Sunday, so at least the Javelinas didn't lose again. They travel to Mesa at 1:35 today.

In Hawai'i: Caleb Gindl went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday, and Logan Schafer went 1-for-3 as the CaneFires defeated North Shore, 4-1.

Saturday, Logan Schafer went 2-for-5 as the CaneFires rode the wave of an 8-run second inning to a 13-4 victory.

Sunday, Logan Schafer entered the game late and went 1-for-1, Caleb Gindl went 1-for-4 and scored a run, and Chris Cody pitched five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks with two strikeouts, as the CaneFires played to a 6-6 7 inning tie.

Hawai'i Winter Baseball is off on Monday to avoid overdoing it. They return to action Tuesday.

In Mexico: Casey McGehee went 3-for-11 over the weekend with a double and his third home run. He has a hit in ten straight games for Culiacan.

In Venezuela:

• Alcides Escobar went 0-for-2 on Saturday for Lara. He's now 3-for his last 34 and hitting .155/.231/.207 overall.
• Tony Gwynn went 1-for-5 over the weekend with two walks and two RBI for Magallanes. He's hitting .307/.391/.360 in the VWL.
• Hernan Iribarren went 6-for-15 in four games over the weekend, picking up a double, two stolen bases and driving in three runs. He's hitting .354/.407/.524 for Lara, and has stolen seven bases in nine attempts.
• Brendan Katin went 1-for-8 over the weekend, walked, scored a run and got caught stealing. He's still hitting .253/.345/.693 for Zulia, and still leads the VWL with 10 home runs.

In the Dominican Republic: from Thursday-Saturday's games:

• Brad Nelson walked in his only plate appearance Friday, then went 2-for-4 with two home runs on Saturday. Nelson is hitting .304/.381/804 for Cibao, leads the DWL in OPS and is second in home runs and RBI.
• Joe Bateman pitched three innings over two appearances Friday and Saturday, giving up one run on two hits and three walks. He did strike out two.

In Puerto Rico:

• Carlos Corporan went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI Saturday in his debut for Caguas.
• Charlie Fermaint was caught stealing as a pinch runner in his debut Friday, then singled, drove in a run and scored in his only at bat Saturday for Ponce.
• Martin Maldonado went 0-for-3 in his debut for Mayaguez on Saturday.
• Jorge Crespo gave up six runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk in .2 innings of work for Arecibo Saturday.
• Richie Gardner started and gave up four runs on six hits in four innings for Carolina Saturday, but escaped with a no decision.
• Steve Bray pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing only a walk and a hit for Carolina on Sunday.

Note: Erasmo Ramirez, Jay Gibbons, Chris Woodward and Ozzie Chavez are all minor league free agents now, so they will no longer appear in these reports.

In Arizona: Lou Palmisano went 0-for-2, Lorenzo Cain went 0-for-4, and Alexandre Periard got smoked to the tune of six runs on nine hits in 2.1 innings as the Javelinas lost their eighth straight, 11-4 to Surprise. David Welch and Omar Aguilar each threw a perfect inning of relief with one strikeout.

The Javelinas travel to Surprise at 1:35 today. Expect the unexpected.

In Hawai'i: Caleb Gindl went 1-for-4 and was one of only three CaneFires to get a hit in a nine inning scoreless tie with Honolulu. I didn't realize that was allowed.

The CaneFires are off today to consider how ties affect the integrity of the game. They host North Shore tomorrow.

In Mexico:

• Casey McGehee went 3-for-4 with a home run and drove in three runs for Culiacan. He has a hit in six straight games.
• Chris Woodward went 1-for-4 with a strikeout for Mazatlan. He's had that exact line in three straight games.
• Erasmo Ramirez pitched two scoreless innings yesterday, allowing one hit and striking out two.

In Venezuela: Results from Tuesday and Wednesday:

• Alcides Escobar went 0-for-3 with a walk for Lara Wednesday. He's 1-for his last 17, and hitting .167/.233/.222 in VWL play.
• Tony Gwynn went 1-for-4 with two walks and scored a run Tuesday, then went 0-for-4 with three K's Wednesday.
• Hernan Iribarren went 0-for-4 Wednesday for Lara.
• Brendan Katin continues to destroy Venezuelan pitching. Tuesday he went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. Wednesday he went 1-for-4 with another home run. He leads the VWL with 10 home runs (second place has 6) and is second in RBI.
• Luis Pena pitched yesterday for the first time since October 15, and showed some signs of rust, giving up a run on two hits in .2 innings.

In the Dominican Republic: Joe Bateman faced one batter and got one out Tuesday. He's pitched five consecutive scoreless outings, spanning five innings.

So, as you've likely heard, the Brewers exercised their option for 2009 on Mike Cameron today. Mike Cameron will make $10 million in 2009, $750k of which the Brewers would have been forced to pay him even if they had decided not to keep him, to buy out the option.

Now, $9.25 million is a lot of money. In $100 bills, it would pretty much fill this suitcase.

If you assume the Brewer payroll will be around $90 million next season, give or take depending on free agent signings, Mike Cameron stands to make about 11.1% of the Brewers' total payroll. That number is less than Jeff Suppan (13.8%), only slightly more than Bill Hall (9.3%) and much, much more than Ryan Braun (0.8%).

In several threads discussing the option, there seems to be a percentage of the population that feels like $9.25 million was too much to spend on Cameron, an above-average defensive CF who hit .243/.331/.477 in 2008, his tenth consecutive and eleventh out of twelve season with an OPS+ over 100. I'll agree that $9.25 million is a lot of money, and perhaps more than I'd like to spend, but if not Cameron, then what? Let's take a look down three other paths the Brewers could have pursued:

Option 1: Replace from within
Cost: Cheap. Any two of these guys would cost less than $1 million for 2009.

Six minor leaguers played in at least ten games in center field for either Nashville (AAA) or Huntsville (AA) in 2008. Thanks to Jeff, we can calculate their major league equivalents for 2008 relatively easily. Here are the six, sorted by their MLE OPS:

Laynce Nix (AAA): .238/.287/.429
Lorenzo Cain (AA): .228/.293/.383
Michael Brantley (AA): .264/.322/.323
Hernan Iribarren (AAA): .233/.274/.283
Tony Gwynn (AAA): .231/.272/.274
Freddy Parejo (AA): .233/.248/.289

Of those, Nix is no longer with the organization, Brantley was the PTBNL in the Sabathia deal, and Iribarren has played just 11 games in center field in his career. Lorenzo Cain has played just six games above AA, and only played half of 2008.

So if you want to go really cheap and create the possibility of half innings that go 7-8-9 with Kendall, Cain/Iribarren/Gwynn, Pitcher, that's one option. On Yovani Gallardo's starts he should hit seventh.

Option 2: Sign another free agent to replace Cameron
Cost: Moderate

Could the Brewers bring in another stop-gap centerfielder for less? Possibly. Let's look at the options:

Gabe Kapler, Brewers: There's no guarantee Kapler will be back, as he's coming off a career year and the Red Sox reportedly have interest in him. He's never had 500 AB's in a season, and hasn't even had 500 plate appearances since 2001. He had a career year and a nice comeback in 2008, but spent 2007 out of baseball, and in the five seasons before that he posted OPS+'s of 75, 85, 77, 65 and 77. He's only 33 and coming off a career year, so my guess is he'll sign for either 2 or 3 years at $3.5-$4 million per. If you sign him for that and he either can't physically handle playing full time or is ineffective, then you're back to the options listed above.

Jim Edmonds, Cubs: Came back to hit .256/.369/.568 for the Cubs in part-time duty after a rough start that led to his release in San Diego. He's 39 years old and hasn't appeared in 120 games since 2005. He's almost certainly not capable of playing everyday, but if you'd like to give him a shot I'd guess about $3 million for one year could do it.

Mark Kotsay, Red Sox: Hit /276/.329/.403 for the Braves and Red Sox in 2008. He's a serviceable big league CF with decent experience and while he hasn't reached a 100 OPS+ in any of the last four seasons, he was only truly terrible in one of them. The downside: he made $8 million in 2008, and since he's really the only other everyday option available in free agency, he'll probably get something like 3 years, $27 million, to make him $25k cheaper than Cameron.

Scott Podsednik, Rockies or So Taguchi, Phillies: Podsednik hasn't been a full-timer since 2006. He had a nice comeback in Colorado this year, but still only hit .253/.322/.333. Taquchi hit .220/.283/.297 for the Phillies this season and, at 38 years old, is likely done. Either might take a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Neither should be depended on to provide anything.

Option 3: Move Ryan Braun/Corey Hart to CF and look for a corner outfielder
Cost: Depends on the corner outfielder

CHONE projects Mike Cameron as about three runs above average defensively in center field in 2009. Braun projects at about 7 runs below average in center, and Hart projects at 9. Braun has never played there before, so I'm not sure how reliable that number is. But, assuming one of the two would be 8 runs below average, the new corner outfielder would need to be an average defender and 11 runs better than Mike Cameron offensively to break even.

There are some Brewers that could be a fit here. Brad Nelson (.246/.321/.393 MLE in Nashville) is as close to big league ready as he'll ever get, in all likelihood. Mat Gamel (.273/.326/.430 MLE in Huntsville) could work, and a free agent to fill a corner spot is easier to find than a center fielder. This is probably the most viable of the three options, but it weakens the Brewers a lot defensively, and could mean Ryan Braun's second position change in as many years.

So what do you think? What should the Brewers have done?

In Arizona: On Friday, Lorenzo Cain entered the game in the 9th inning as a pinch runner but did not score and the Javelinas fell to Mesa, 3-2.

Then, on Saturday, Brent Brewer went 0-for-2 in his AFL debut, Lou Palmisano went 2-for-2 with an RBI, David Welch allowed two hits and a walk but struck out two in a scoreless inning of work and Omar Aguilar pitched his sixth consecutive scoreless inning in the Javelinas' 13-3 loss to Mesa.

The AFL was off Sunday so the players would have the full day to learn why Arizona doesn't participate in Daylight Savings Time. The Javelinas host Surprise at 8:05 tonight.

In Hawai'i: No Brewer activity on Friday and the CaneFires lost 3-2 to Waikiki.

On Saturday, Logan Schafer went 1-for-4 with a walk and drove in a run as the CaneFires won a wild one, 13-8.

Then, on Sunday, Caleb Gindl went 2-for-4 with a double, scored twice and drove in a run, and Logan Schafer went 2-for-4 with a run but it wasn't enough as Chris Cody gave up four runs on six hits with six strikeouts in five innings of work and Waikiki came from behind to win 6-5.

Hawaii Winter Baseball is off on Monday so the players can canvass for their favorite presidential candidates, but the CaneFires host Honolulu on Tuesday.

In Mexico:

• New Brewer Casey McGehee has been spending his fall playing third base for Culiacan. He went 4-for-16 over the weekend and is hitting .284/.303/.365 overall down there.
• Chris Narveson started for the fourth time for Hermosillo on Friday and picked up a tough luck loss, giving up two runs on five hits and striking out eight in seven innings. He has a 4.87 ERA in Mexico in 20.1 innings of work.
• Erasmo Ramirez pitched a full scoreless inning for Guasave for only the second time in nine appearances. He has a 6.00 ERA and has allowed ten hits in six innings in Mexican Pacific League play.
• Chris Woodward made his Mexican debut Sunday, going 1-for-4 with a run scored for Mazatlan.

In Venezuela:

• Alcides Escobar went 1-for-6 over the weekend and is 1-for his last 14 for Lara. He's hitting .176/.232/.235 in 51 ABs in Venezuela.
• Jay Gibbons went 3-for-4 with a double and a walk on Friday, but went 0-for-5 over Saturday and Sunday for Magallanes. He's hitting .204/.338/.463 in Venezuela, largely because he's only hitting .130/.310/.261 against lefties.
• Tony Gwynn went 6-for-13 over the weekend with a double, a walk and four strikeouts for Magallanes. He's hitting .339/.391/.403 in VWL play.
• Hernan Iribarren is on fire, going 7-for-14 with three triples, six runs scored, a stolen base and a caught stealing for Lara. He's hitting .362/.433/.586 in 66 plate appearances.
• Brendan Katin is also staying hot, going 5-for-10 over the weekend, including a 4-for-6 performance with a double and two home runs for Zulia Sunday. He's hitting .254/.338/.695 in Venezuela and leads the league in home runs with 8.

Both Katin and Iribarren are in the top 10 in the VWL in OPS.

In the Dominican Republic: From Thursday-Saturday's action:

• Ozzie Chavez went 1-for-4 with a walk over three appearances for Este. He's hitting .269/.424/.385 in DWL play.
• Brad Nelson must be seeing the ball pretty well. On Thursday he went 4-for-4 with a double, a triple and two home runs, driving in seven. He also went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double Saturday. He's hitting .326/.383/.814 in the Dominican, and ranks in the top three in HR, RBI and OPS.
• Joe Bateman pitched in back to back games Friday and Saturday for Este, pitching a scoreless inning and a third with a walk on Friday and another scoreless two thirds on Saturday despite a hit and two walks.
• Sam Narron had a rough start Friday, giving up six runs on seven hits in just 1.1 innings for Este.