Some things to read while directing a gnome to BCB.
Remember last week, when I published an abbreviated Mug so I could go play disc golf? Today's Mug is like that...only this week I'll hopefully actually play disc golf.
- The Brewers and Pirates open a three game series tonight. Chuck Finder has a look at the history between the two teams.
- The "over" might be a good bet for this week's games: Brewer pitchers are 14th in the NL with a 6.06 team ERA. The Pirates are tied for 15th at 6.34.
- Rick Peterson says the Brewers have some easy adjustments to make to fix their subpar pitching performances.
- @NotKenMacha intercepted a delivery of Peterson's brownies.
- Disciples of Uecker makes the case that the Brewers' luck should even out. Through 12 games, they have a 6.06 team ERA, but a 4.89 FIP and a 4.05 xFIP. Follow the link for an explanation of xFIP.
- Brewed Sports noted that luck might be a significant factor in Doug Davis' struggles: Opposing batters are hitting .502 on balls put in play off of him.
- Adam McCalvy has injury updates on Chris Capuano (could pitch again soon), David Riske (headed to a rehab assignment at the end of the month), Mat Gamel (still out another month), Adam Stern (two more weeks) and Brendan Katin (too early to tell).
- Elsewhere in his inbox, McCalvy has notes on pitching, Adam Heether and Carlos Gomez's attitude.
- If you're looking for Drew Olson of OnMilwaukee.com, odds are you'll find him straddling the fence.
- You have until noon today to vote in this week's BCB Tracking Poll. As of this writing, 260 votes have been counted. The poll will close at noon today and results will be posted tomorrow morning.
- If you're on Twitter, you can now follow Bernie Brewer. In his first two Tweets, he posted an announcement that he's now on Twitter, then retweeted himself. Clearly, he's an expert user.
In the minors:
- MLB Depth Charts listed Nashville starter Marco Estrada as one of four pitchers knocking down the door to the major leagues. Estrada has opened his Sounds tenure with 13 scoreless innings.
- It could be nothing, but Casa de Machado has a secondhand account of a Seth McClung sighting in Nashville last night.
In Power Rankings:
- MLB FanHouse dropped the Brewers from 13th to 20th.
- ESPN dropped the Brewers from 16th to 22nd.
- Craig Calcaterra dropped the Brewers to 22nd.
Around baseball:
Diamondbacks: Placed Conor Jackson on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Mariners: Signed infielder Ramon Vazquez to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Re-signed Ron Villone to a minor league deal.
- The Cubs dodged a bullet, as Marlon Byrd was able to remain in the game last night after being hit in the head with a change up.
- Lance Berkman is expected to return for the Astros tonight.
- Halos Heaven has an interesting look at what could have been if the Angels had held on to their draft picks instead of signing free agents between 2004-2008. They signed several free agents to fill holes they might not have otherwise had.
- Hotstove.com notes that the Mariners (14,528) and Nationals (11,623) both set record low crowds last night, becoming the fourth and fifth teams to do it this season. The Jays also broke their record (10,314), which was just set last week.
- If you have some time left over after today's short Mug, maybe you should apply for a job with ESPN.
- On this day in 1987, the Brewers beat the White Sox 5-4, improving their record to 13-0. One year later on this day in 1988, they beat the Orioles 8-6, dropping the O's to 0-14.
Happy birthday to:
- Huntsville Star Donovan Hand, who turns 24.
- 2009 Brewer Chris Duffy, who turns 30.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to making superhero movies.
Drink up.