Some things to read while taking a victory lap.
The Brewers played their 17th game in 16 days yesterday and looked like a team that needs a day off as they sleepwalked through a 2-0 loss to the Pirates. The Crew went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the game: If they'd managed one hit in those situations, we might be talking about a strong ending to the road trip.
Yuniesky Betancourt was yesterday's LVP and frustrations with him are starting to mount once again. He went 0-for-4 yesterday and is now hitting .136/.156/.273 over his last eleven games. Here's today's Yuni Notes:
- A Simple Kind of Fan's Yuni Watch documented Betancourt's return to Earth.
- Rubie Q suggested leaving Yuni in Pittsburgh.
- Howie Magner proved that it's possible to use both "Yuni" and "flush" in the same sentence without suggesting flushing Yuni.
Other notes from the field:
- Jason Grilli, Aaron Thompson and Yuniesky Betancourt are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game voting.
- The Brewers and Pirates will face each other one more time, during the final week of the season.
The Brewers will get a 48 hour-plus break between the end of yesterday's game and tomorrow night, when they'll open a three game series against the Cubs at Miller Park. Joey Nowak of MLB.com has the preview.
Obviously yesterday's performance lowered these numbers a bit, but they're still worth noting: Given a runner on third and less than two outs the Brewers score a run 53% of the time, which is slightly better than the NL average (51%). I guess this is one of those cases where it just feels like they're below average. (h/t @JeffFletcher1)
With off days today and Monday, the Brewers won't need a fifth starter again until September 3. As such, they've decided to move Chris Narveson to the bullpen for a few days. Adam McCalvy speculated that the decision was made to see if Narveson can handle a role he'd likely fill in the playoffs. He's holding lefties to a .219/.330/.344 line this season.
If you're headed outside the state of Wisconsin this weekend, I have some good news for you: Sunday's Brewers-Cubs game has been picked up by TBS and will be a national broadcast (FanShot). The game will still air locally on FS Wisconsin.
The national broadcast could help some fans jump onto the Brewer bandwagon. If they still need more help, Baseball Nation has a suggestion.
The Brewers surprised me with a transaction announcement yesterday: Felipe Lopez, who was DFA'd to make room for Chris Narveson earlier this week, has cleared waivers and the team is outrighting him to Nashville instead of releasing him (FanShot). His chance of getting another shot on this roster is virtually nil, so I assumed the organization would just cut ties.
Elsewhere in roster moves: Jim Breen of Bernie's Crew has a look at players the Brewers may consider calling up on September 1. Passengers on the Taylor Green bandwagon may be disappointed by his projections.
Meanwhile, don't expect to see Manny Parra or Zach Braddock again this season. Parra is going to undergo surgery to replace a screw in his elbow, while the reasons for Braddock's extended absence are still unknown.
In the minors:
- The affiliates went 2-4 yesterday, and Dan Merklinger and Evan Anundsen combined to pitch 12 innings without allowing an earned run in Huntsville and Brevard County victories. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
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Bob Brainerd of Time Warner Cable Sports 32 has a feature on Wisconsin pitcher Brooks Hall.
Around baseball:
Astros: Placed pitcher Sergio Escalona on the DL with elbow tendonitis.
Diamondbacks: Designated infielder Cody Ransom for assignment.
Pirates: Placed outfielder Ryan Ludwick on the DL with back spasms.
Rockies: Designated infielder Ryan Rohlinger for assignment.
You know about Ludwick and much more if you've read this morning's edition of Around the NL Central.
One of the internet's coolest baseball projects is going on right now, so please stop by to help out with The Book Blog's Fan Scouting Report if you have a moment. I was the fourth person to submit an evaluation for the Brewers at roughly 9:30 this morning.
This morning's edition of Today In Brewer History celebrates Rollie Fingers' 65th birthday. Chris Jaffe of The Hardball Times notes that it's also the anniversary of the highwater mark in franchise history: On this day in 1983 the Brewers won to bring their all-time record to 1118-1214. They haven't been that close to .500 since.
I'm not sure I can accurately preview this without spoiling it, so you're just going to have to trust me when I tell you to go read this post at Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke. (h/t @jh_moore)
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to know who's responsible for this beer.
Drink up.