Tuesday's Frosty Mug

Some things to read while not pronouncing the G.

The Brewers opened a make-or-break series with the Reds last night (Nathan Petrashek of Cream City Cables says it's the most important series of the 2012 season) by getting broken by Mat Latos, who pitched a complete game in a 3-1 Reds win. Nicole has the recap, if you missed it. Nyjer Morgan told Adam McCalvy "I hate tipping my cap, but I have to tonight."

The Brewers managed just one run last night and have now been held to three runs or less in nine of their last 14 road games. Howie Magner noted that their low scoring games (35) outnumber their wins (33) this season.

Ryan Braun went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts last night to end his hitting streak at 18 games. He also entered last night's game with multiple hits in each of his last six games against the Reds. Aramis Ramirez also had an eight game streak end last night. Nyjer Morgan, who has hits in six straight games, now has the Brewers' longest active streak.

• Mat Latos is the first starting pitcher to strike out 13 Brewers since CC Sabathia in 2011. No opposing pitcher has struck out 14 since A.J. Burnett did it for the Marlins in 2005.
• At one point last night Latos threw 24 consecutive strikes, the longest streak for a Red since pitch records became official in 1988.
• Livan Hernandez struck out Scott Rolen in his Brewer debut in the eighth inning.
• We've got a look at last night's turning points and a transcript of Ron Roenicke's postgame comments.
• Last night was NASCAR night in Cincinnati. This road trip also featured Mullet Night in Chicago.

The Brewers will get an opportunity to bounce back tonight when Marco Estrada starts against Bronson Arroyo. Jeremy Warnemuende has the MLB.com preview, and Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs gave tonight's matchup a five out of ten on his NERD scale. Estrada told Adam McCalvy he's eager to get back into the rotation.

To make room for Estrada on the roster the Brewers have returned Mike McClendon to Nashville. McClendon has now had three stints with the Brewers this season, although this one ended without him appearing in a game.

While one pitcher returns, another may be out longer. Shaun Marcum ended a throwing session early yesterday and is reporting continued pain in his elbow (FanShot). It now seems unlikely he'll be ready to return when he's eligible to come off the DL.

Corey Hart went 0-for-4 last night, but maybe Mat Latos just wasn't throwing hard enough? David Golebiewski of Baseball Analytics says Hart has been one of baseball's best hitters against 95 mph+ fastballs in 2012. Hart, by the way, has yet to commit an error at first base.

In the minors:

• The affiliates went 0-4 last night but you can't blame Helena pitcher Eric Semmelhack. He pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just two hits in the H-Brewers' 2-1, ten inning loss to Missoula. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
• That Helena game ended in bizarre fashion: Raul Mondesi Jr hit a tenth inning home run that would have tied the game at 2, but missed home plate and was ruled out on an appeal. There were two outs at the time, so the play ended the game.
• Rattler Radio has video highlights from Wisconsin's 4-1 loss to Quad Cities.
• I was also in attendance for Wisconsin's game last night and have stories on the loss, Mitch Haniger and Lance Roenicke in the Timber Rattlers Notebook.
• Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has an interview with Sounds manager Mike Guerrero and pictures from Isotopes Park in Albuquerque.
• Logan Schafer went 0-for-4 with a walk last night but entered the game hitting .413/.439/.627 in June for Nashville.

The Brewers have gone back to the well a fifth time and released yet another 2012 commercial involving Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has easily had more face time in the 2012 commercials than any actual Brewer, including the 2011 NL MVP.

In power rankings:

• ESPN has the Brewers holding steady at 23.
  
• Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune has them at 24, up one spot.
• Justin Hull has Zack Greinke #1 in his Brewers Player Power Rankings at LosersBracket.com.
  

If you'd like more Brewer coverage today but you're sick of reading, I've got two options for you today:

• I'll be making my weekly appearance on The Watercooler with Jimmie Kaska on Sports Radio 1400 in Eau Claire at 5:15 today.
• From there, I'll be moving directly over to my weekly spot on The Sports Den with Downtown Ollie Burrows on SportsFan 100.5 in Wausau at 5:30.

Finally, congratulations are due out this morning to torts, yesterday's winner in our SB Nation Pick 6 contest. Here's the full leaderboard:

Tonight's action doesn't start until 6:05, so there's still plenty of time to make your picks for today. And, of course, don't forget to make your Prognostikeggers predictions.

Around baseball:

Blue Jays: Signed pitcher Jamie Moyer to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Placed outfielder Xavier Nady on the DL with right wrist tendonitis.
Orioles: Released infielder Miguel Tejada.
Padres: Claimed pitcher Mark Hamburger off waivers from the Rangers.
Phillies: Placed catcher Brian Schneider on the DL with a high ankle sprain.
Twins: Placed reliever Matt Capps on the DL with shoulder inflammation.

Former Cubs and Red Sox outfielder Marlon Byrd is currently a free agent, but when or if he signs with a team he'll have to serve a 50-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. Byrd is 34 and was hitting .210/.243/.245 between Chicago and Boston this season, so there's a strong chance this is the end of the line for him.

Modern ballpark construction really is pretty incredible when you think about it. If you've been around the internet you've probably seen pictures of the Phillies spring training facility in Clearwater being mostly underwater following torrential rain in Florida earlier this week. You may not have seen, however, this picture showing the ballpark dry and looking playable 16 hours later.

This morning's edition of Today In Brewer History marks the 15th anniversary of the Brewers selling pitcher Ricky Bones to the Royals, ending his second stint in the organization. Chris Jaffe of The Hardball Times notes that it's been 20,000 days since Hank Aaron's first walkoff home run. Today is also Jason Kendall's 38th birthday, and Plunk Everyone notes that his 254 HBP easily lead all major leaguers born on June 26.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to deal with this disappointment.

Drink up.