What we learned: May 12, 2014

This Weekend's Results

Yankees 5, Brewers 3

Masahiro Tanaka hadn't lost a start yet this season entering Friday's game, and the Brewers couldn't hand him his first one either. The Brewers were able to score two runs off of him, but it wasn't enough as Yovani Gallardo allowed four runs in his start.  Scooter Gennett and Jonathan Lucroy each drove in a run, and Mark Reynolds contributed a solo home run late.

Brewers 5, Yankees 4

CC Sabathia made his first trip to Miller Park since 2008, but the Brewers didn't let him feel too welcome there.  The Brewers scored four runs off of him thanks to three home runs, including back-to-back shots from Jonathan Lucroy and Aramis Ramirez.  Kyle Lohse put together a quality start, but the Yankees tied the game off of Tyler Thornburg after he left.  However, Rickie Weeks put the Brewers up for good with an RBI single in the seventh inning, and Francisco Rodriguez recorded his fifteenth straight save.

Brewers 6, Yankees 5

It looked like a Sunday special when the lineup came out and Matt Garza gave up three first inning runs with Wei-Chung Wang warming up in the bullpen. However, the Brewers worked their way back into it with two runs in the third inning and ended up taking the lead with a three-run sixth inning. Francisco Rodriguez got the call with a one-run lead in the ninth, and blew his first save of the year by giving up a two-out, two-strike home run to Mark Teixeira. However, a Rickie Weeks double and Mark Reynolds RBI single in the ninth would give the Brewers the walk-off win.

The injury news is good and bad for the Brewers.

The big news of the weekend comes on the injury front.  Adam McCalvy covered all of this news on Brewers.com over the weekend, though here is the short version.  First, here's the good news.  All indications are good for Ryan Braun to be activated prior to Tuesday's game against the Pirates.  He took full batting practice on Sunday and came out of it well.  While the preference was for Braun to get a rehab game in the minors, weather & travel issues will probably prevent that from happening.  However, as long as everything checks out, he could be back in the lineup Tuesday.

Unfortunately, this also comes as the Brewers are losing another key contributor.  In Saturday's game, Aramis Ramirez came out of the game with a hamstring injury, and the injury will put him on the disabled list.  Currently, there is no anticipated return date for Ramirez. The expected roster move will be to placed Ramirez on the DL as Braun is activated, but with Carlos Gomez's pending suspension out there, Elian Herrera could also come into play with another call-up.

We also got an update on Jim Henderson over the weekend.  Adam McCalvy also reports that the pain in Jim Henderson's shoulder has subsided, and he will start throwing a baseball again.  While this is good news, he still has a lot of progress to make before returning to the lineup.  He will still need several weeks to recover, which will include a minor-league rehab trip.

Rickie Weeks will not play in left field.

The other big news of the weekend came in some pregame quotes from Ron Roenicke.  Prior to Saturday's game, a few quotes came out from Ron Roenicke about the possibility of Rickie Weeks playing in left field.  However, the news was that Rickie Weeks was not willing to play in left field. With Khris Davis struggling and Rickie Weeks starting to pick up some steam, the platoon at second base meant that the Brewers couldn't get two good batters in the lineup at the same time.  Adam McCalvy has more details on the situation on his Brewers Blog, including what the Brewers are thinking about for both second base and left field.  It's a tough situation right now, and the Brewers need to figure out how to maximize their offense for both positions.

Cram Session

Carlos Gomez

• It was a busy weekend for Carlos Gomez. First, prior to Friday's game against the Yankees, he had his appeal for his suspension from the Pirates brawl.  Adam McCalvy has more details on that in his Brewers blog.
• Then came Friday's game against the Yankees, which featured his first game against Brian McCann since his brawl with the Braves last season. It ended up going well, and Adam McCalvy reports that the two hugged it out prior to Friday's game.
• Finally, on Mother's Day on Sunday, Carlos Gomez had one of the more unique tributes with a pink goatee. It got plenty of people's attention, and Adam McCalvy also had some more reaction to it on Brewers.com, along with many of the other tributes that the Brewers players put together.

Brewers vs. Yankees

• While doing some research, Noah came across a very interesting question on WikiAnswers asking if Derek Jeter ever played for the Brewers. He took a few minutes on Friday to discuss why this was a ridiculous question.
• Prior to Friday's game, the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team was honored in a pregame ceremony. The John & Cait blog has details of their visit.
• CC Sabathia made his first trip back to Miller Park since he was a Brewer in 2008 this weekend. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com has some quotes from Sabathia about his return to Miller Park.
• As Derek Jeter made his final visit to Milwaukee as a Yankee, there was plenty of hype around his visit. On Saturday, Adam McCalvy had some quotes from Jeter about his first appearance in Milwaukee. Then, prior to Sunday's game, Jeter received some gifts from the Brewers, including a bronze bat, a golf trip, and a donation to his charity.
• With the Yankees in town, the Brewers got plenty of coverage over the weekend from the national media. Jeff Passan's 10 Degrees on Yahoo Sports shows this, as he talks about both the Brewers and Yankees extensively.

Other Notes

• Wily Peralta has been dominant in his recent starts going back to last season, and his mother is a big reason for that. Adam McCalvy profiles Wily Peralta and how a visit from his mother made him more successful.
• Will Smith credits the slider for saving his baseball career. Adam McCalvy has some details from Smith about how developing the pitch made him a better pitcher.
• Should TV cameras not show fans that run on to the field? Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar argues that they should start showing those fans to help deter others from wanting to run onto the field.
• The Brewers have been free swingers this year, and that may not change soon. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says that they like to swing and it's not changing.
• Did the Brewers make a mistake by not keeping Juan Francisco? Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew asks that question as Francisco is playing well in Toronto.
• The Brewers have been using some of their relievers quite a bit, and that amount of usage is becoming a concern. Pete Goodchild of Reviewing the Brew looks at the potential situation for the bullpen.
• It was Kyle Lohse bobblehead day on Sunday, and Kyle Lohse received a special bobblehead to commemorate the occasion. Cait of John & Cait looks at the development of a special one for Kyle Lohse featuring one of his tattoos. They also have details on the next bobblehead as well as a new series of bobbleheads in the team store.
• The Brewers have a couple of upcoming events, and the John & Cait blog has some details on those events. First, there are free prostate screenings available today at Miller Park. Also, the Brewers have announced details for the return of their "Brewed for Her" event, set for July 26. (Reaching back into the archives, if you didn't see it last year, Nicole Haase reviewed the event and gave her opinion on it.)

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker gives out his minor-league awards for the first month of the season, giving awards to Jimmy Nelson, Taylor Jungmann, Jed Bradley, and more.
• At some point this season, the Brewers will need to call up a starter to fill a start this season. However, when the need comes up, who will they choose? Steven Jewell of Reviewing the Brew asks that question and looks at the top two candidates: Mike Fiers and Jimmy Nelson.
• Down in Class A Wisconsin, Clint Coulter has been playing strong.  He recently homered in three straight games, and Teddy Cahill of MLB.com has details on the feat.

Check out morineko's daily minor league update for a more in-depth look at yesterday's minor league results.

Division Update

• Cardinals @ Pirates
  Friday: Pirates 6, Cardinals 4
  Saturday: Pirates 4, Cardinals 3
  Sunday: Cardinals 6, Pirates 5
• Rockies @ Reds
  Friday: Reds 4, Rockies 3
  Saturday: Rockies 11, Reds 2
  Sunday: Reds 4, Rockies 1
• Cubs @ Braves
  Friday: Braves 3, Cubs 2
  Saturday: Braves 2, Cubs 0
  Sunday: Braves 5, Cubs 2

Today's Division Games

• Cubs (Travis Wood) @ Cardinals (Tyler Lyons) - 7:10 pm
• Reds and Pirates have the day off.

Today's Action

The Brewers have the day off today.  They return to action on Tuesday to start a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.