What we learned: May 30, 2014

Yesterday's Results

The Brewers had the day off.

The Brewers are still in first place.

It's not much of a lesson, but it's worth remembering. Despite the tough month, the Brewers still lead the division, and the lead is now up to three games after last night. Yesterday, Derek provided a reminder of that fact, as well as looked ahead to what is coming up for the Brewers. It was a tough month for the team, but things are looking better in June. It could be a month that ends up strengthening their chances at the postseason.

Pete Incaviglia should have been a Brewer.

Pete Incaviglia was never a Brewer, but maybe he should have been. He fits the profile of a Brewers player, on many different levels. Fred profiled the player yesterday, looking at his career and the numbers that would make him a good candidate to be a Brewer. The home run power, the strikeout numbers, and even the attitude, it all matches what we should see from a Brewer.

The Brewers continue to rank high in attendance.

One thing that the Brewers have done well for years is draw fans. It's much better than 2003, when they barely drew 1.7 million fans, or the days at County Stadium, when it was a dream to draw 2 million fans. Attendance has been light for the Brewers so far in 2014, but they haven't hit the busy months yet. Derek looked at the current attendance situation yesterday, and how it compares to previous years. He looked at how attendance has been affected in previous years, and what to expect this year. We will see how it plays out over the next few months.

Will Smith has a tough road if he wants to be an All-Star.

The trade that brought Will Smith to Milwaukee has been seen as a success already, with Smith preforming beyond what we expected. Is it good enough for an All-Star appearance? Noah asked that question yesterday, looking at what Smith faces if he wants to become an All-Star. It's a tough road ahead, and even tougher for Smith since many relievers in his position don't make it. He has the numbers, the question is if everything will fall into place for him.

Cram Session

• Mark Reynolds has been a good pickup for the Brewers. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel looks at the impact that Reynolds has had on the team.
• Khris Davis has been a tough player to follow this year, having both extreme highs and lows so far. Steven Jewell of Reviewing the Brew analyzes the baffling case of Khris Davis.
• The bullpen has been good for the Brewers despite some recent hiccups. AK of Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball has a bullpen analysis and addresses concerns of overuse.
• Jonathan Lucroy's season has been good, and his low number of all-star votes so far is a bit disturbing. Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew notes that Lucroy should be the starting catcher for the team.
• Ryan Braun's transition to right field has been going well. Genaro C. Armas of the Associated Press looks back at how Braun and the Brewers have adjusted to this season.
• With the MLB Draft approaching, Adam McCalvy looked back through the Brewers draft history and found sound of their best picks round-by-round.
• The month of June could be very promising for the Brewers. Jonathan Judge of Reviewing the Brew previews how the month looks for all of the teams.
• Details on the Bobblehank giveaway have started coming out, and John & Cait have an early rendering of the design.
• Former Brewers coach Dale Sveum has a new role in Kansas City, as he has been named the new hitting coach for the team.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• The Dominican Summer League starts on Saturday, and Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects previews this year's team.
• Pete Goodchild of Reviewing the Brew looks at the last few weeks of the minor-league season and provides a quick recap of the action for some of the affiliates.

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

Division Update

• Giants 6, Cardinals 5
• Diamondbacks 4, Reds 0
• Pirates 6, Dodgers 3
• Cubs had the day off.

This Weekend's Division Games

• Giants @ Cardinals
  Friday: Madison Bumgarner vs. Adam Wainwright - 7:15 pm
  Saturday: Matt Cain vs. Michael Wacha - 1:15 pm
  Sunday: Tin Hudson vs. Lance Lynn - 1:15 pm
• Reds @ Diamondbacks
  Friday: Mike Leake vs. Bronson Arroyo - 8:40 pm
  Saturday: Johnny Cueto vs. Brandon McCarthy - 9:10 pm
  Sunday: Alfredo Simon vs. Wade Miley - 3:10 pm
• Pirates @ Dodgers
  Friday: Francisco Liriano vs. Josh Beckett - 9:10 pm
  Saturday: Brandon Cumpton vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu - 6:15 pm
  Sunday: Edinson Volquez vs. Zack Greinke - 7:07 pm

This Weekend's Action

The Brewers play a three-game series against the Cubs this weekend.  Here are the starting matchups:

Friday: Travis Wood vs. Marco Estrada - 7:10 pm
Saturday: Jason Hammel vs. Wily Peralta - 3:10 pm
Sunday: Jeff Samardzija vs. Kyle Lohse - 1:10 pm