Today we pass the midpoint of spring training games. The Brewers have played 17 contests (counting their opening day tie), and as of this moment they have 17 more on the calendar.
Chris Narveson will take on Chad Billingsley to open the second half today, and you can watch it live on FS Wisconsin at 3:05. Unfortunately, the TV audience will not see Ryan Braun: He's been scratched from the lineup with a tight groin.
Follow the jump for today's pitching matchup and lineup, then join us in the comments to discuss today's game!
Chad Billingsley (4.50 ERA this spring, 4.21/3.83 ERA/FIP in 2011) is making his fourth start of the spring. He last pitched on Thursday against the Royals and allowed a run on four hits over 3.2 innings. All told, he's allowed eleven hits and three walks while striking out just four batters in Cactus League play.Billingsley throws a low 90's fastball, but mixes it up with a lot of cutters and curves plus the occasional changeup. According to FanGraphs his cutter was above average last season, but everything else was average or below. His career numbers back up that assertion.
Billingsley is only 27 but has pitched 188 innings or more in each of the last four seasons. He only faced the Brewers one time in 2011, holding them to a run on four hits over seven innings in a 2-1 Brewer win.
He'll face Chris Narveson (0.96 ERA this spring, 4.45/4.06 ERA/FIP in 2011), who is also making his fourth appearance. Narveson has only allowed a single run in 9.1 innings of work this spring, and shut out the Padres for 3.2 innings on Thursday. He also walked three batters in that game, giving out the only free passes he's allowed all spring.
Despite pitching in the postseason, Narveson only threw 1.1 more innings in 2012 (169) than he did in 2010 (167.2). I guess that's what happens when you have a freak scissor accident in-season. Narveson didn't face the Dodgers last season.
Here's today's Brewer lineup:
Logan Schafer LF
Nyjer Morgan RF
Carlos Gomez CF
Aramis Ramirez 3B
Mat Gamel 1B
George Kottaras C
Brooks Conrad 2B
Cesar Izturis SS
Chris Narveson P
Enjoy the game!