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What we learned: June 16, 2014

Today's lessons include roster moves, extending Jonathan Lucroy, and the Brewers Wall of Honor.

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Mike McGinnis

This Weekend's Results

Reds 6, Brewers 5

Bad defense was the story of the game. Matt Garza pitched seven innings, allowed five runs, but only one of them was earned. The Brewers put together a rally in the seventh inning to tie the game at five, but Francisco Rodriguez allowed the winning run in the ninth inning.

Brewers 4, Reds 2

Yovani Gallardo allowed a first inning run but settled down after that to pitch seven strong innings. Meanwhile, the offense once again rallied in the seventh inning to take a 2-1 lead. Will Smith allowed a home run in the eighth to tie the game in the eighth, but Ryan Braun hit a two-run home run in the eighth and Francisco Rodriguez closed it out for the win.

Reds 13, Brewers 4

Marco Estrada struggled with the home run ball again, allowing five runs on three home runs. The Brewers kept it close until the eighth inning, where Rob Wooten & Mike Fiers combined to allow five runs (all charged to Wooten), and Wei-Chung Wang allowed three more runs (only one earned).

Tom Gorzelanny returned to the roster, but in a way no one expected.

After finishing his minor league rehab, Tom Gorzelanny was activated from the disabled list following Friday's game. However, it came in a way no was was expecting. While we thought a reliever (Mike FIers or Rob Wooten most likely) would go down to Nashville to clear the space, the Brewers went a different route. They instead demoted both Logan Schafer and Irving Falu to Nashville, and also called up Elian Herrera. The moves give the Brewers eight relievers with a short four-man bench. Schafer and Falu hadn't done much offensively, but Schafer had at least provided some decent defense. While Herrera does provide coverage in the infield and outfield, his defense has been questionable. With the Brewers in a stretch of 20 straight games, the bullpen help was needed. However, it also weakened and already weak Brewers bench for now.

The Brewers need to consider an extension for Jonathan Lucroy.

Jonathan Lucroy has developed well over the last several years, becoming one of the Brewers most valuable players. While the Brewers still have him under contract through 2016 (with an option for 2017), his development means that the Brewers should consider locking him up while they can get him at a more affordable rate. On Friday, Noah looked at what it would take to extend Lucroy and if the Brewers should do it. Having a franchise catcher is important, and the Brewers have committed to the players they have developed in the past. The only question now is what Lucroy wants if he decided to sign an extension.

Cram Session

Wall of Honor

Other Notes

Minor League Update

Team Level Record Last Weekend Today
Nashville Sounds AAA 38-33 Friday: Tacoma 8, Nashville 1
Saturday: Tacoma 2, Nashville 1
Sunday: Tacoma 4, Nashville 3
Tacoma @ Nashville
Huntsville Stars AA 46-24 Friday: Huntsville 8, Chattanooga 7
Saturday: Huntsville 7, Chattanooga 5
All-Star Break
Brevard County Manatees A+ 33-30 All-Star Break Dunedin @ Brevard County
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers A 36-33 Friday: Wisconsin 7, Quad Cities 0
Saturday: Wisconsin 6, Quad Cities 3
Sunday: Quad Cities 13, Wisconsin 2
All-Star Break
DSL Brewers R 9-4 Friday: DSL Brewers 4, DSL Tigers 2
Saturday: DSL Brewers 7, DSL Blue Jays 3
DSL Brewers @ DSL Blue Jays
Helena Brewers R 0-0 Offseason Missoula @ Helena

News & Notes

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

Division Update

Team W L GB
Brewers 41 29 -
Cardinals 37 32 3.5
Pirates 34 35 6.5
Reds 33 35 7
Cubs 28 39 11.5

Today's Division Games

  • Cubs (Jason Hammel) @ Marlins (Tom Koehler) - 6:10 pm
  • Mets (Jacob deGrom) @ Cardinals (Carlos Martinez) - 7:10 pm
  • Reds and Pirates have the day off.

Today's Action

The Brewers travel to Arizona to begin a four-game series against the Diamondbacks. Game one features Wily Peralta against Brandon McCarthy. First pitch is at 8:40 pm, and MLB.com has the preview.