What we learned: June 16, 2014

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

• Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar calls the Wall of Honor "just spiffy", and looks at some of the plaques that interested him.
• The John & Cait blog has a collection of pictures, videos, and quotes from the ceremonies on Friday.
• AK of Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball put together a list of power rankings for the Wall of Honor.
• If you looked at the above links, you might have spoiled this one. On Friday, we brought back an old quiz on BCB, asking you to name the 58 former Brewers on the Wall of Honor.

Other Notes

• The BCB NL All-Star Roster series continued on Friday, looking at third base.
• The newest All-Star game voting update came out yesterday, and Carlos Gomez had slipped to fourth in the outfield vote. Other Brewers among the leaders included Jonathan Lucroy at third for catcher, Aramis Ramirez fourth at third base, Jean Segura third at shortstop, Ryan Braun fifth in the outfield, and Khris Davis twelfth in the outfield.
• On Saturday, the Brewers officially announced that their first three picks from the MLB draft had all signed. Adam Berry of Brewers.com has the details on the signings and from their press conference.
• Tyler Thornburg and Jim Henderson have started throwing as part of their rehab. Caitlin Swieca of Brewers.com has details on their recovery.
• Another call for Jimmy Nelson to the rotation came after Sunday's loss. Mike Bauman of MLB.com says it is time for a change after Marco Estrada allowed three home runs on Sunday.
• After Sunday's loss, Ron Roenicke expressed his support for Marco Estrada. Adam McCalvy has some quotes from Roenicke's postgame conference.
• Before Jonathan Lucroy arrived in Milwaukee, the Brewers had seen a lot of turnover at the catcher position in the last 10+ years. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel looks at the string of catchers and circumstances that led to Lucroy's arrival in Milwaukee.
• Scooter Gennett has improved his plate approach recently, leading to success in the leadoff spot. Caitlin Swieca looks at how Gennett has thrived as the leadoff hitter.
• Carlos Gomez attributes learning to play the game the right way from his father. Adam McCalvy looks at the relationship between Gomez and his father.
• When Ryan Braun was hit by a pitch on Friday, he recorded his 50th career HBP. Plunk Everyone has a few notes on the occasion.
• Rubie Q of Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball covers the details of a defamation case against Ryan Braun that was recently dismissed in court.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Michael Trzinski of Reviewing the Brew started a countdown of the top 20 farm teams in Brewers history with the 1980 Holyoke Millers.

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

Division Update

• Cubs @ Phillies
  Friday: Cubs 2, Phillies 1
  Saturday: Phillies 7, Cubs 4
  Sunday: Cubs 3, Phillies 0
• Pirates @ Marlins
  Friday: Pirates 8, Marlins 6 (13 Innings)
  Saturday: Pirates 8, Marlins 6
  Sunday: Marlins 3, Pirates 2 (10 Innings)
• Nationals @ Cardinals
  Friday: Cardinals 1, Nationals 0
  Saturday: Cardinals 4, Nationals 1
  Sunday: Caridnals 5, Nationals 2

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.