What we learned: April 8, 2014

Yesterday's Results

The Brewers-Phillies game was postponed and rescheduled to today.

Despite what the sports media outside of Wisconsin says, Ryan Braun is not evil.

We've heard too much about this so far. So many people are upset that Brewers fans gave Braun a standing ovation when he made his first start of the season. Is he really as bad as some people are making him look? Noah says that he isn't, and argues why he isn't as bad as the media makes him look. He has some good points about why we shouldn't view Ryan Braun any worse than Andy Pettitte, and that the biggest difference between the two is that Pettitte didn't have to fight a suspension like Ryan Braun (whose appeal should not have been public). Would Braun be viewed better if the circumstances were different? Probably, but there's not much that can be done now.

Don't expect Yovani Gallardo to keep up his hot start.

Through two starts of 2014, Yovani Gallardo has pitched 12 2/3 scoreless innings. It's a welcome sight to see him performing well to start the season. However, is his pitching a result of luck or a change in his pitching? Fred Hofstetter analyzed Gallardo's first two starts to see how well he pitched. Despite the good results, Fred is not impressed. He doesn't see a reason to think that Gallardo will keep up this good pitching.

There are new colored cards on the field.

I attended the Brewers-Royals exhibition game on the Friday before the season started. For the game, I sat behind home plate and noticed a person standing on the field near the Royals dugout holding up various color cards. I didn't think too much about it at the time, but it is apparently part of a new system set up by MLB to help coordinate broadcasts. Nathan Petrashek of Cream City Cables has an overview of the system and how it works. If it works properly, it shouldn't cause too much of a disruption to the game. It's just another element of making a baseball game as smooth as possible.

Cram Session

Khris Davis

• After a hitless opening series at Miller Park, Khris Davis came alive by going 8-for-15 against Boston. Adam McCalvy wrote about how Khris Davis rose through the ranks to become a critical starter for the team.
• Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel also writes about Khris Davis and how his approach changed to get back on track.
• Jess Lemont of The Brewers Bar has an illustration of a great catch by Khris Davis in Sunday's game.

Brewers Pitching

• Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel looked at the dominance of the Brewers starting pitching and bullpen.
• Curt Hogg of Disciples of Uecker looks into the dominance of the Brewers bullpen, and focuses on Will Smith and Tyler Thornburg.

• Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker has a special on TMJ4 about what four things the Brewers have to do if they want to make the playoffs.
• We all know how much Ron Roenicke loves to utilize productive outs, but are they really that productive? Adam Weiser of Disciples of Uecker argues against the idea of productive outs.

Power Rankings

• Reviewing the Brew raised the Brewers three spots to #13.
• ESPN has the Brewers up one spot to #17.

Outside the Game

• The movie Major League turned 25 yesterday. Mike Oz of Big League Stew marks the occasion with 15 facts you may not have known about the movie.

Minor League Update

Division Update

• Cardinals 5, Reds 3: The Cardinals scored early with a three-run double from Yadier Molina, and Michael Wacha pitched six strong innings. The Reds loaded the bases in the ninth down 5-1, managed to score two runs but couldn't finish the comeback.

Today's Games

• Pirates (Charlie Morton) @ Cubs (Edwin Jackson) - 7:05 pm
• Reds (Homer Bailey) @ Cardinals (Lance Lynn) - 7:15 pm

Today's Action

The Brewers return to the field today as they face the Phillies in their home opener. Kyle Lohse will make his second start of the season and will face Kyle Kendrick. First pitch is at 3:05 pm, and Adam McCalvy has the preview on MLB.com.

More from Brew Crew Ball

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• Curb Yo Enthusiasm: Is Yovani Gallardo's early-season success an anomaly?
• Ryan Braun is not the devil, and Milwaukee fans are not wrong in cheering him
• Wisconsin runs to doubleheader split with Peoria
• Get out the brooms in Fenway: Brewers sweep Red Sox with 4-0 win
• Potential Brewers milestones in the 2014 season