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Good morning, and welcome to the new daily collection of links from around the web. For those of you who are unaware, the last day of the Frosty Mug on Brew Crew Ball was yesterday, as Kyle is moving on to a new venture. We wish him luck with that, but we also have to move on here. To fill the hole left by the departure of the Mug, What We Learned is moving from a Saturday feature to weekdays.
While this will have a collection of links from around the web every day, it is not going to be a clone of the Frosty Mug - it will help fill the gap left by it. This will focus mainly on the Brewers and any new news each day. This will grow and evolve as time passes, so what you see right now may not be the final format. If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see, leave them in the comments below.
Let's get started.
Yesterday's Results
Welcome to a refreshed Brew Crew Ball
Noah has a short post about some of the changes you will see coming to Brew Crew Ball. Check it out for more info on what is going on.
In Yovani Gallardo's final spring start before Opening Day, he got roughed up by the Indians. He only made it through two innings, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks. The rest of the bullpen didn't fare much better, as Jose de la Torre, Francisco Rodriguez, and Brandon Kintzler also allowed runs in their appearances. Mitch Haniger provided most of the Brewers offense with a 2-for-2 day, including a home run and two RBI.
Opening Day is four days away.
We've all been counting the days for weeks now, and it is very close now. Opening Day is a unique tradition, very special to both fans and players (both current and former). Bob Uecker has had his share of Opening Days, and this year will be his 59th since he signed his first baseball deal. Adam McCalvy had a chance to interview Bob Uecker in advance of this year's festivities, and posted a transcript on MLB.com. Uecker reminisced about previous Opening Days, and also gave his perspective on the Brewers this year.
If you're planning to be at Miller Park, make sure to plan ahead so the day goes as well as possible. John and Cait have a breakdown of the Opening Day festivities, which include first pitches from Wisconsin Olympians and the traditional rendition of the National Anthem by Joseph Attanasio, father of owner Mark. When you get to Miller Park, you will also notice several changes inside the park. Some of the highlights include the arrival of AJ Bombers, the Brewers Wall of Honor, new flag poles, redesigned in-game graphics on the scoreboard, and new flat screen TVs in place of the old CRT TVs. John and Cait also have a breakdown of all the changes on their blog. Finally, we can start looking at the weather report for Opening Day, but it's not looking great right now. According to Accuweather.com, on Monday afternoon there will be a high of 51 degrees, with wind from the west at 17 mph and a 35% chance of rain. At least we will have the roof ready to make sure Opening Day will happen.
Jean Segura is at risk of starting the season on the DL.
Jean Segura hasn't appeared in a spring training game since March 20 due to a shoulder injury. While an MRI came back negative, the Brewers are holding him out of major league games for now to let it heal and give them the option of a backdated DL stint if it is needed. He has been appearing in some Triple-A games to get some work, since he can hit but cannot field for now. The Brewers are hoping that he won't need a DL stint, but they are also uncertain if he will be ready for Opening Day.
Cram Session
Previews/Projections
- Curt Hogg of Disciples of Uecker looked at the state of the setup man position entering the season. Also on Disciples of Uecker, Jonathan Judge analyzed Wily Peralta in depth.
- Over on Yahoo, Roto Arcade previewed the National League and put the Brewers fourth in the NL Central. Mike Oz of Big League Stew also has a preview of the NL Central, with a few questions about the Brewers and his projection on how the division will play out.
- Phil Rogers of MLB.com also posted a preview for the NL Central. While the Cardinals are in position to repeat as division champions, the Reds, Pirates, and Brewers are not going to just give up.
- FanGraphs continued their season on positional power rankings with starting pitchers. The Brewers came in at #25 in their rankings.
- Meanwhile, for a perspective from the other side, Red Reporter has their own preview of the Brewers.
Other News
- Yovani Gallardo and Jason Motte are on rival teams, but that's not stopping them from working together. Gallardo has been wearing a "K Cancer" t-shirt to help raise money for cancer research.
- MLB unveiled their new state-of-the-art replay center at their offices in New York.
- Nyjer Morgan earned a spot on the Indians roster, but Tony Plush will not be joining him. Morgan decided to leave his old alter-ego behind in Milwaukee.
Lighter Side of Baseball
- Hank the Ballpark Pup finally signed his contract yesterday, after reading it over and giving it his paw print of approval. He will be a member of the Brewers in "per-PET-uity."
- In response to the NFL's ban on goal post dunks, NotGraphs released their list of 10 rule changes for MLB.
Today's Game
The Brewers finish up Spring Training in Arizona today at home against a split-squad Reds team. Kyle Lohse gets the start for the Brewers, and J.J. Hoover will start for the Reds. First pitch is at 2:05 pm, and it will be broadcast on FS Wisconsin and MLB Network.
