Thursday's Frosty Mug

Some things to read while adjusting your business cards.

We're eight days away from Opening Day, and it's time to start checking the tailgate forecast: As of this morning The Weather Channel says it should be 57 degrees and partly cloudy when the Brewers and Cardinals kick off the 2012 season a week from tomorrow.

Back in Arizona, the Brewers won for the fourth time in five tries yesterday as Zack Greinke's strong outing and a six-run fifth inning powered them to a 7-1 victory over Arizona. Tom Haudricourt notes that the price tag on a prospective extension for Greinke is probably going up. I've got the recap here, if you missed it.

Other notes from the field:

• Jonathan Lucroy came a triple short of the cycle yesterday and now has seven hits in his last four games to raise his batting line to .513/.512/.795 this spring.
• Edwin Maysonet, who has played just four professional games in the outfield in his career, started in left yesterday and went 1-for-2 with a double and an outfield assist.
• The ASU students covering the game for the JS took this picture of Bob Uecker calling yesterday's game, and several others you can see on their Twitter feed.
• 4543 fans paid to see yesterday's game.
• Comedian Frank Caliendo and the actor who played "Uncle Rico" in Napoleon Dynamite were in Brewer camp yesterday.
  

The Brewers close out this week's three-game homestand today with a matchup against the Reds. Randy Wolf will take on Aroldis Chapman in Maryvale at 3:05, and you can hear it live with Joe Block and Bob Uecker on WTMJ.

Following the game yesterday the Brewers made a couple of transactions, optioning outfielders Caleb Gindl and Logan Schafer to Nashville (FanShot). Both players had appeared in 22 games this spring and Gindl was hitting .282/.364/.385 while Schafer had posted a .311/.326/.489 line. Both players still have two options remaining. Adam McCalvy says Schafer could still be recalled if Corey Hart has to open the season on the DL. In the meantime Norichika Aoki, Ryan Braun, Carlos Gomez and Nyjer Morgan are the only healthy outfielders left in major league camp.

Corey Hart and John Axford both got some work in on the minor league fields yesterday: Hart went 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of strikeouts and reported no issues with his surgically repaired knee, and Axford pitched two innings.

Looking back a day, R.J. Anderson of Baseball Prospectus is the latest to review Jonathan Lucroy's new extension. He says "Lucroy's extension may lack the sizzle that the pacts with Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun brought last spring, but it should prove to be a prudent decision on the Brewers' part."

We're close enough to the regular season that you shouldn't need help getting excited at this point, but in case you do: Reviewing The Brew has a list of nine things for Brewer fans to look forward to in 2012.

In yesterday's least newsworthy news, the Brewers confirmed what we've suspected all along and named Yovani Gallardo their Opening Day starter. Zack Greinke is having the better spring but said he's ok with the decision. Gallardo will become the fourth Brewer pitcher ever to make three Opening Day starts. Ben Sheets holds the franchise record with six.

In the minors:

• Adam McCalvy has a profile of Scooter Gennett, who hit for the cycle on Sunday.
• The Wall Street Journal has a picture of Brevard County pitching coach Mark Dewey and AAA hitting coach Al LeBoeuf together. They apparently share a name with a notable lawfirm I'd never heard of.
  

Today in predictions, projections and whatnot:

• NJIT professor Bruce Bukiet has the Brewers winning 83 games and finishing in third place. (h/t Baseball Musings)
• C70 At The Bat (a Cardinals blog) has the Brewers finishing fourth in the Central, behind the Pirates.
  

If you'd like more Brewer coverage today but you're sick of reading, here are some options:

• @Mass_Haas has links to archived audio of Jonathan Lucroy's appearance on MLB Network Radio and Rickie Weeks' spot on WSSP from yesterday.
• I was a guest on The Watercooler with Jimmie Kaska on AM 1400 WBIZ in Eau Claire yesterday, and you can hear it here.

Around baseball:

Indians: Released infielder Cristian Guzman.
Mariners: Placed outfielder Mike Carp on the DL with a shoulder strain.
Marlins: Reliever Jose Ceda is likely to have Tommy John surgery and miss the 2012 season.
Nationals: Closer Drew Storen (sore elbow) and outfielder Michael Morse (lat strain) are expected to open the season on the DL.
Rays: Center fielder B.J. Upton will open the season on the DL as he recovers from a March 14 outfield collision.
Reds: Pitcher Nick Masset will open the season on the DL with shoulder inflammation.
Royals: Placed pitcher Felipe Paulino on the DL with forearm tightness.
Yankees: Claimed catcher Craig Tatum off waivers from the Diamondbacks and signed outfielder Jack Cust to a minor league deal.

While you were most likely sleeping or just waking up this morning the A's and Mariners completed their season-opening series in Japan. Wendy Thurm of Baseball Nation notes that about 70% of baseball's international revenue comes from Japan, making the series important despite the time issues. The A's, by the way, lost their eighth straight Opening Day game yesterday. The last time they won their first contest was in 2004, when they won 91 games under Ken Macha.

Maybe hearing it from me wasn't enough, so you need to hear it from everyone? I know lots of you play fantasy baseball. I know you love your fantasy team. But A's pitcher Brandon McCarthy, Rob Neyer and Tom Tango have all come together to remind you that you're the only one interested in hearing about it.

Current Brewer first base coach Garth Iorg is also a former player: He spent nine seasons as a member of the Blue Jays between 1978 and 1987. Bruce Markusen of The Hardball Times has a look at the most interesting card of Iorg's career.

Some things, like fine wine and jokes about getting pink eye from watching the NBA, just never get old. Omar Vizquel is one of those things, and he's made the 2012 Blue Jays. If he plays shortstop after his 45th birthday on April 25, he'll be the oldest player ever to appear at the position.

This morning's edition of Today In Brewer History notes former Brewer closer Dan Kolb's 38th birthday. Former Brewer Alex Ochoa also turns 40 today, and Plunk Everyone notes that his 19 career HBP are the fifth most ever for a batter born on March 29.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to do some fact-checking.

Drink up.