Thursday's Abbreviated Frosty Mug

Some things to read while joining the crowd.

Another day, another loss: The Brewers are now 2-11 in May following last night's 3-1 loss to the Pirates. Nicole has the recap, if you missed it.

I'm on my way out the door for the weekend, so for the rest of today's highlights we'll turn to the bullpen bullet points:

• The Brew Crew Project says it's time to start looking ahead to 2014.
• Rickie Weeks' homer last night was his first since April 30 and only his second since April 3.
• The Brewers waited until after last night's game to activate Francisco Rodriguez. He'll be in uniform tonight and Blake Lalli will be back in Nashville. Taylor Green was moved to the 60-day DL to free up a 40-man roster spot.
• The four-game set in Pittsburgh wraps up tonight with Hiram Burgos taking on Francisco Liriano. Jason Mastrodonato has the MLB.com preview.
• The Brewers faced lefty starters on Tuesday and Wednesday, and will also see them (barring a change) tonight, tomorrow and Sunday.
• Jean Segura and Carlos Gomez went a combined 1-for-8 last night but remain among the team's most pleasant surprises. Roger Schlueter of MLB.com compared them to Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr.
• Meanwhile, the less dynamic duo of Corey Hart and Chris Narveson remain on the DL. Hart, however, reports he's run on a treadmill in four straight days without issue and Narveson threw a light bullpen session recently.
• Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball has a look at the best and worst questions from Todd Rosiak's chat on Wednesday.
• Speaking of Roenicke, his approval rating dropped to below 50% for the first time this week in our BCB Tracking Poll.
• At least when the team isn't playing well we still have this: Jay Jaffe of SI.com says the Lakefront Wisconsinite Summer Weiss Beer sold at Miller Park is the ninth best beer in all of baseball. (h/t BBTF)

In the minors:

• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has video highlights from Wisconsin's 9-4 loss to Quad Cities.
• Nationals Journal says the Nats may have been talking to Kissimmee and Osceola Counties in Florida regarding potentially relocating their spring training facilities. They currently share a facility with the Brevard County Manatees.
• The fans have spoken and the Timber Rattlers will give away Clint Coulter bobbleheads to the first 1000 fans in attendance on August 29.

Around baseball:

Dodgers: Signed pitcher Jonathan Sanchez to a minor league deal.
Marlins: Pitcher David Aardsma has opted out of his minor league deal and is now a free agent.
Phillies: Signed pitcher Carlos Zambrano to a minor league deal.
Pirates: Placed infielder John McDonald on the DL with a back strain.
Yankees: Designated third baseman Chris Nelson for assignment.

And an abbreviated Around the NL Central:

• The Cardinals (4-2 over NYM), Reds (4-0 over MIA), Pirates (3-1 over MIL) and Cubs (6-3 over COL) all won last night, meaning the Brewers were the division's only loser.
• The Cardinals have a 2.5 game lead on the Reds entering play Thursday, with the Brewers now tied for last place and 9.5 games back.
• The Cardinals host the Mets in a matinee today, while the Brewers take on the Pirates and the Reds visit the Marlins under the lights. The Cubs are off today.

Today in former Brewers: Grant Brisbee of Baseball Nation notes that the Brewers haven't developed a five-WAR starting pitcher since Ben Sheets, who reached that mark for the final time in 2004. Almost every other team has had a home-grown pitcher reach that mark since then, although you'll probably be surprised to discover which team is at the bottom of the list.

Today's best karma belongs to Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt, who returned $500,000 in salary he received by mistake as a member of the Giants in 2010.

Now, if you'll excuse me, this is relevant to my interests.

Drink up.