Tuesday's Frosty Mug

Some things to read while no one remembers.

The Brewers open a series at home against the Dodgers tonight, and Carlos Gomez might be back in the lineup: Gomez is expected to be activated off the DL today after passing all his medical tests yesterday.

To make room for Gomez on the roster, the Brewers have released David Riske (FanShot), closing the book on one of the more disappointing long term contracts of the Doug Melvin era. Riske managed just 66.2 innings and a 5.40 ERA over three seasons as a Brewer while earning $13.25 million ($17,955.80 per pitch thrown). Jack Moore of Disciples of Uecker makes the case that the money given to Riske has hindered the Brewer efforts to improve their starting rotation over multiple opportunities.

Mike McClendon has to be breathing a sigh of relief today: He was one of the options to be sent down to make room for Gomez, but will remain with the team. Tom Haudricourt has a look at the 2008 decision to move McClendon to the bullpen in Brevard County and the dividends it's returned.

Meanwhile, Trevor Hoffman remains in the Brewer bullpen, but how close was he to hanging it up? Adam McCalvy says Hoffman briefly considered retiring earlier in the season, but remained with the team and is working hard to help out some of the bullpen's younger arms.

If you're in the Milwaukee area and not doing anything this afternoon, the public is invited to Miller Park to witness the unveiling of Bud Selig's statue at 1:30. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will also be in attendance. To commemorate the occasion, Wezen-ball has a look at how history might have changed if Selig hadn't brought the Brewers to Milwaukee. Even Big League Stew is sharing the excitement.

In the minors:

• The affiliates went 2-2 last night, with Wisconsin coming from behind to beat Cedar Rapids with a ninth inning, two-run double from D'Vontrey Richardson. Richardson went 3-for-5 with three doubles in the game, and is now hitting .278/.406/.517 in August. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
• Richardson also hit .500/.643/1.000 over six games last week, which earned him the Midwest League Offensive Player of the Week award.
• Elsewhere in awards, Brevard County's Dan Merklinger was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA in 16 innings last week, striking out 17. He's the first Manatee to win the award this season.
• Eric Arnett's season isn't over after all: He was activated off the DL and appeared in relief last night for Wisconsin, allowing one hit and no walks over two scoreless innings, and getting five ground balls.
• Congratulations to Timber Rattlers trainer Jeff Paxson, who was selected by his peers as the Midwest League Trainer of the Year.
  

On power rankings:

• MLB FanHouse has the Brewers at 17.
• Dan Hayes of the North County Times has the Brewers steady at 21.
• ESPN has the Brewers holding steady at 21.
• WhatifSports has the Brewers at 23, down one spot.
  

As is always the case, yesterday's Mug note on Manny Parra sparked an extended debate about his value and upside. It was also the jumping off point for Jordan's post on pitchers with high strikeout rates who also allow a lot of hits. Parra can be infuriating to watch, but at least his unique combination of skills and inabilities make him statistically interesting.

If you haven't had a chance, please take a moment this morning to vote in this week's BCB Tracking Poll. The poll will remain open until sometime this afternoon, and results will be posted tomorrow morning.

On the SBN Wisconsin Hall of Fame: Bucky's 5th Quarter nominates Michael Finley and Jim Leonhard.

Around baseball:

Giants: Placed reliever Guillermo Mota on the DL with a "tight left iliotibial (IT) band."
Nationals: Placed pitcher Stephen Strasburg on the DL with a flexor tendon strain.
Mets: Signed reliever Yhency Brazoban to a minor league deal.
Pirates: Placed first baseman Jeff Clement on the DL with left knee irritation.
Rangers: Placed pitcher Scott Feldman on the DL with a bone bruise in his right knee.
Tigers: Designated reliever Enrique Gonzalez for assignment.

Here's an update on this offseason's possible minor league shuffle. A couple of potential relocation candidates for the Brewers in AA and AAA are off the board: the Astros have extended their agreement with AA Corpus Christi, and the Dodgers will keep their AAA team in Albuquerque.

If you were looking for a stat to show how inconsistent Brewer pitchers have been this season, here's one to consider: Astros starter Brett Myers tied a franchise record last night by pitching at least six straight innings in 26 consecutive starts. The longest streak by a Brewer this season is ten (Yovani Gallardo from May 12 to June 29), and they've only had one other streak of more than five (Dave Bush, seven starts from June 10 to July 15). Randy Wolf has the Brewers' longest active streak, at five starts.

Everyone (ok, maybe not everyone, but at least someone besides me) likes charts and graphs, right? If so, you'll want to check out Jeremy Greenhouse of The Baseball Analysts' post on varying swing zones among major league hitters.

On this day in 1954 the Milwaukee Braves finally managed to knock out Phillies ace Robin Roberts, winning 5-1. Roberts entered the game having thrown 13 consecutive complete games against the Braves in a streak stretching back to 1952.

On this day in 1993, Kevin Reimer tied a franchise record by going 6-for-6 in the Brewers' 7-6, 12 inning win over Oakland.

Happy birthday today to 2000 and 2002 Brewer Everett Stull, who turns 39.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to work on my giant duck.

Drink up.