Tuesday's Frosty Mug won't take long to read

Some things to read while being protected.

The Brewers were off yesterday but they did make one potentially interesting transaction, placing Yovani Gallardo on revocable trade waivers. There is, of course, no assurance the Brewers will trade Gallardo, and they could simply pull him back off waivers if a team claims him and doesn't make a suitable offer for his services. Gallardo remains under contract through 2014 with a club option for 2015, though, so he could make sense as a trade candidate for a lot of teams.

Gallardo will take the mound in the finale of this week's three-game series in Pittsburgh, which opens tonight. If you're traveling with the team this week or may do so in the future, Eric has a visitor's guide to PNC Park.

This week's trip to Pittsburgh will be a homecoming of sorts for Tom Gorzelanny, who pitched for the Pirates from 2005-09. Gorzelanny has struggled in his last two starts and The Brewer Nation asks if it's time to stop experimenting with him in the rotation.

John Axford's brief hot streak came to a sudden end on Saturday when he allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in a single inning against the Reds. If you see Axford today and he's struggling, it may be because he's still full: Robert J. Baumann of NotGraphs has a photo that suggests he may have eaten all of Mexico.

The Brewers may not reach the top of Major League Baseball this season, but they are slowly inching in that direction: Jonah Keri of Grantland has them 26th in his power rankings this week, up one spot from a week ago. They've passed the Cubs.

In the minors:

• Congratulations are due out this morning to Johnny Hellweg, named the Pacific Coast League's right handed pitcher of the year. Kevin Massoth of MLB.com talked to Hellweg about his season and what he learned from his brief stint in the majors.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has notes from Wisconsin's 4-2 win over Kane County.
• Nashville broadcaster Jeff Hem has an interview with Sounds manager Mike Guerrero.

If you haven't yet (and the results would suggest most of you haven't), 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'll be making my weekly appearance on The Home Stretch with Justin Hull on 95.3 FM WSCO in Appleton at 2 today. We're moving to Tuesday this week since I was sick last Friday, and will likely stay on this schedule for the duration of the season.

Around baseball:

Athletics: Placed outfielder Josh Reddick on the DL with a sprained wrist and designated pitcher Pat Neshek for assignment.
Blue Jays: Designated pitcher Chien-Ming Wang for assignment.
Mariners: Designated pitcher Aaron Harang for assignment.
Marlins: Released first baseman Casey Kotchman.
Mets: Placed pitcher Matt Harvey on the DL with a partially torn elbow ligament that will likely require Tommy John surgery.
Phillies: Placed outfielder Casper Wells on the DL with vision problems.

Harvey's injury was the big story around all of baseball yesterday, as both fans of the Mets and other teams lament the (temporary) loss of one of the game's budding stars. Tom Haudricourt summed the situation up nicely in our Tweet of the Day:

The news on Matt Harvey's elbow is not just devastating for Mets but for all of MLB. Not many arms come around like his.

— Tom (@Haudricourt) August 26, 2013

So, naturally, many of us are left looking for someone to blame. Rob Neyer of Baseball Nation, though, says that the injury isn't actually anyone's fault.

Let's go around the NL Central:

• The Cardinals scored five runs in the seventh inning to vault back into the NL Central lead with an 8-6 win over the Reds. Allen Craig's grand slam was the difference in the contest.
• The Cubs couldn't slow down the Dodgers, who won 6-2 behind a three-hit game from Yasiel Puig and a near complete game for Zack Greinke.
• The Reds and Brewers were off Monday.

You can read more about those games and all of last night's action in Noah's Tuesday edition of Around the Bases at SBNation.com.

Here are today's updated standings and probables:

Today in former Brewers: Yesterday we took a look at Greg Vaughn, who may be the Brewers' greatest September callup of all time.

And in baseball economics: Forbes recently reported that the Astros will rake in an MLB record $99 million in operating income in 2013 despite having a payroll of just $13 million. Owner Jim Crane, while refusing to open the books and actually prove it, denied that allegation.

This isn't something I'd usually discuss in an in-season Mug, but since we've got a slow news day today I'll bring it up: Lee Warren of Minor League Ball wants to know if you keep score at games, how you learned and if you think it's a dying art.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to relabel the packages.

Drink up.