Tuesday's Frosty Mug

Some things to read while getting stood up.

The Brewers found a new way to fail to meet expectations last night, blowing a squeeze attempt and giving one up to the Mets in a 3-1 loss in New York. We've got the recap, if you missed it.

Yovani Gallardo had an unusual night last night, allowing just two hits over six innings but tying a career high with six walks. We've got more on that in our Stat of the Night. J.P. Breen of Disciples of Uecker, meanwhile, noticed that Gallardo is one of just three starters in baseball throwing first pitch strikes less than 50% of the time.

Meanwhile, the Brewers couldn't put anything together against 41-year-old starting pitcher Miguel Batista last night, the second time in May they've been kept off the board by a veteran journeyman. I think Emma Span's explanation might be the most likely one. (h/t @morinek0)

Rickie Weeks was held out of the lineup yesterday for the third straight day following his HBP Friday, but was used as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and is expected to return to the #2 spot in the lineup tonight. Jonathan Lucroy had been batting second while Weeks was out but will likely return to the #6 spot.

Other notes from the field:

• Ron Roenicke had to visit the mound to calm Francisco Rodriguez down in the eighth after an Aramis Ramirez error allowed the Mets' third run to score.
• Jose Veras pitched a perfect inning last night for the first time in 12 appearances.
• Aramis Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk last night to extend his hitting streak to eleven games.
• Brooks Conrad started at second and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He's now 0-for-14 as a Brewer.
• The Brewers have held the opposing team to exactly three hits twice this season, and are now 0-2 in those games.
• We've got a look at the game's turning points and a transcript of Ron Roenicke's postgame comments.
• Miguel Batista, Daniel Murphy and Brooks Conrad are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game voting.

The series wraps up tonight with Zack Greinke taking on Dillon Gee at 6:10, and Adam Berry has the MLB.com preview. Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs gave tonight's game an eight out of ten on his NERD scale, making it the featured game of the day.

If you missed them yesterday, I was a part of several series previews:

• SNY.tv
• Amazin' Avenue
• MetsBlog

Looking back a day, this weekend's Brewers/Cubs series featured enough failed bunt attempts to create a highlight video that would give you nightmares for months. Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball has the recap.

Jonathan Lucroy spent the day at the MLB Fan Cave yesterday. Mike Vassallo has pictures of him posing with a Brewer fan, hanging out with the "Cave Dwellers" and playing MLB 2K12 The Show.

Meanwhile, Alex Gonzalez probably had less fun yesterday. His ACL surgery is scheduled for Thursday.

In the minors:

• The affiliates went 2-4 yesterday with Michael Fiers pitching a complete game (seven inning) shutout as Nashville beat Reno 5-0 in game one of their doubleheader. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
• Jed Bradley left his start last night for Brevard County with a "mild groin strain."
• Wisconsin pitcher Andy Moye is the Midwest League's Pitcher of the Week after pitching ten scoreless innings and striking out ten without allowing a walk.
• Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has an interview with Sounds manager Mike Guerrero.
• Huntsville pitcher Kyle Heckathorn is Disciples of Uecker's Prospect of the Week.

In power rankings:

• ESPN has the Brewers 22nd, down two spots.
• Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune has them 23rd, up one spot.

If you haven't yet, please take a moment today to vote in our Brew Crew Ball Tracking Poll. It will remain open through the day today and results will be posted tomorrow.

If you'd like more Brewer coverage today but you're sick of reading, I'm all over the radio. I'll be making my weekly appearance on The Watercooler with Jimmie Kaska at 5:15 in Eau Claire, and going straight from there to my debut appearance on The Sports Den with Downtown Ollie Burrows at 5:30 in Wausau.

Finally, congratulations are due out this morning to Kiev 'n Rice, winner of yesterday's SB Nation Pick 6 contest. Here's the full leaderboard:

There are getaway day games around baseball today, so you only have a few hours left to make your picks.

Around baseball:

Angels: Placed outfielder Torii Hunter on the restricted list.
Cardinals: Released reliever J.C Romero.
Dodgers: Placed outfielder Matt Kemp (hamstring) and infielder Juan Uribe (wrist) on the DL and released reliever Mike MacDougal.
Rays: Placed outfielder Desmond Jennings (knee) and are expected to place pitcher Jeff Niemann (broken leg) on the DL.
Royals: Pitcher Danny Duffy needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the 2012 season.

The Brewers are back to last place in the division, but at least they're still only five games back after the Cubs beat the Cardinals last night. You know that and more if you've read this morning's edition of Around the NL Central.

Today in former Brewers: Prince Fielder only (?) has five home runs in his first six weeks as a Tiger, and David Golebiewski of Baseball Analytics has a look at his loss of power.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I can't hear anything.

Drink up.