Merry Greinkemas, everyone.
It's coming over a month late but tonight in Atlanta we'll finally get to see the long-awaited Brewer debut of Zack Greinke, who will pitch game two of the doubleheader against the Braves. The Brewers haven't made a roster move yet, but it's probably safe to assume they'll option game one starter Marco Estrada to make room on the roster.
It's possible they'll make another move before that, though: Ron Roenicke told reporters they're considering adding a reliever to the roster to make sure there's enough pitchers in the bullpen to cover 18 innings today. Zack Greinke will be on a pretty strict pitch count in the second game, so it's possible a fair amount of help could be needed.
With that said, this might be the best possible time for the Brewers to play a doubleheader. Because Marco Estrada's final start and Zack Greinke's return are going to occur on the same day, the Brewer rotation and rest days won't be messed up by the schedule shift. The Brewers aren't off again until the 12th, so a doubleheader under normal circumstances would have forced them to call up an extra starter or pitch someone on short rest.
For one day the Brewers were back down to 12 pitchers, as Zach Braddock was placed on the DL with a sleep disorder to make room for Nyjer Morgan to be activated (FanShot). Tom Haudricourt talked to Braddock about his condition, and he said it's something he's been dealing with his whole life.
Meanwhile, last night's postponement delayed the long-awaited return of Tony Plush. Morgan was scheduled to bat second and play center field yesterday before the rains came. This week's edition of A Simple Kind of Fan says the Brewers need to work out a platoon to get Morgan in and Carlos Gomez out of the lineup.
Here are some notes on today's doubleheader:
- Both games will be televised on FS Wisconsin.
- Like the Brewers, the Braves aren't going to alter their rotation: They're starting Tommy Hanson (who was scheduled to pitch last night) in game one and Tim Hudson in the nightcap.
- Arden Zwelling of MLB.com has the preview.
At least the rainout ensured the Brewers wouldn't lose on the road yesterday: Hang with 'em Brewers has a look at the Crew's distinct home/road splits this season.
It's probably safe to assume Brandon Kintzler will get some work today: MLB Depth Charts listed him among their Relievers on the Rise.
Early last night Bob Uecker was honored by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame, which plans to induct the legendary broadcaster later this summer. He was presented with a replica of his Hall of Fame plaque.
Elsewhere in awards: Ryan Braun was named the NL Player of the Month for April (FanShot). I'm a little surprised he beat out Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier, who nearly carried a hitting streak through the entire month.
In the minors:
- As expected, Huntsville postponed their game yesterday, scheduled to be the first home game since last week's catastrophic storms. The power at the ballpark and in the surrounding neighborhoods wasn't even turned back on until Sunday. They're planning on playing today, though.
- The remaining affiliates went 1-2 last night, with Kyle Heckathorn (Brevard County) and Tyler Thornburg (Wisconsin) combining to pitch 12 innings without allowing an earned run. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
Cory Provus had a little extra time on his hands last night, so he took a moment to jot down some thoughts on the Brewers' performance in April. He also posted a heads-up that the episode of HBO's "Real Sports" featuring Bob Uecker will air on Tuesday, May 17.
Around baseball:
Dodgers: Placed outfielder Marcus Thames on the DL with a quad strain.
Mariners: Outfielder Milton Bradley has been suspended for one game for making contact with an umpire after being ejected on Saturday.
Mets: Placed outfielder Jason Bay on the paternity list.
Rays: Designated infielder Felipe Lopez for assignment.
Rockies: Placed third baseman Ty Wigginton on the DL with an oblique strain.
Twins: Placed DH Jim Thome on the DL with an oblique strain
- Joe Inglett, designated for assignment by the Astros last week, cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to the minors.
- Navin Vaswani of NotGraphs listed Bob Hamelin among his Great Moments in Spectacles.
As you've likely heard if you've been anywhere near a TV in the last 12 hours, Francisco Liriano of the Twins pitched a no-hitter against the White Sox last night. Sully Baseball updated this list which still shows that 26 teams have pitched a no-hitter since Juan Nieves did it for the Brewers in 1987.
Speaking of the Twins, their ridiculously slow start (coupled with the Indians' surprise hot streak) may be this spring's biggest story around baseball. Stats LLC notes that the Twins run differential is down 106 from this point last year, and the Indians are up 85 runs.
The Brewers lost half a game in the standings last night as the Cardinals came back to beat the Marlins. You'd already know that if you'd read this morning's edition of Around the NL Central.
I found this so fascinating that I'm breaking my own "no Red Sox and Yankees" rule to post it: Jon Bois of SBNation.com has a diagram of the last five fans to run onto the field at Fenway Park.
Here's a sad note from yesterday: Police are reporting that a 17 year old in Pittsburgh saw a PNC Park usher having a heart attack in his car. He responded by pulling the man out of the car, stealing his wallet and driving off, leaving him to die in the street. This is the second time something like this has happened near the park this season.
Elsewhere in crime, Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was arrested Tuesday night for drunk driving and blew a .201 on a breathalyzer, over two and a half times Ohio's legal limit. He's the sixth major leaguer arrested for DUI in 2011, but he was back in the lineup for the Indians last night.
Today in baseball economics: Things are going to get worse for the Dodgers before they get better. A month after Frank McCourt took out a $30 million loan from Fox to keep the team afloat, word is coming out that the team may bounce its payroll checks for May.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go cause a disaster.
Drink up.