What we learned: June 9, 2014

This Weekend's Results

Pirates 15, Brewers 5

It was about as ugly of a game as it could have been. Kyle Lohse got rocked for eight runs in five innings, and Tyler Thornburg gave up five in an inning. The Brewers never really put together much of a threat in the game, managing five runs but trailing for the entire game.

Brewers 9, Pirates 3

The Brewers reversed their fortunes on Saturday. Matt Garza had a "quality" start, but only by definition as it was pretty ugly. It at least gave the offense a chance, and they took advantage by taking the lead in the fourth on a Lyle Overbay RBI single, and blew it open with a four run eighth inning.

Brewers 1, Pirates 0

Yovani Gallardo had been struggling as he entered this game, and Jeff Locke had just been rocked in Triple-A in his previous start. So, of course, the two put together a pitcher's duel in this game. Yovani Gallardo pitched seven scoreless innings, and Jeff Locke matched him, allowing only one run that the Brewers managed to manufacture. Jonathan Lucroy had 3 of the Brewers 4 hits, and scored that lone run. Aramis Ramirez had the RBI that drove him in.

The 2014 MLB First Year Player Draft concluded over the weekend.

The last two days of the draft were held on Friday and Saturday, adding 38 more players to the Brewers organization. There was plenty of coverage over the weekend, and we had some of it for you here on Brew Crew Ball. Back on Friday, Fred provided a detailed breakdown on the Brewers first three picks, looking at what to expect from each of them. The draft then continued Friday, with the Brewers making eight more picks. Noah put together quick profiles on three of those picks: Cy Sneed at #85, Troy Stokes at #116, and Dustin DeMuth at #146. It finished up on Saturday as the Brewers made 30 more picks. However, Saturday also featured some more surprising news, as Monte Harrison agreed to a deal, and that was shortly followed up with Jacob Gatewood also agreeing to a deal. Moving fast on these is a good sign, as both can now be assigned to a minor league team and potentially get some work in over the summer. There's still plenty of picks left to sign now, but so far, it's looking good for the Brewers.

Tyler Thornburg went on the disabled list and Mike Fiers came up.

The Brewers made a roster move over the weekend, placing Tyler Thornburg on the 15-day disabled list and recalling Mike Fiers to fill his spot in the bullpen. Thornburg had been dealing with some right elbow soreness and had tried to pitch through it, but after his disaster appearance on Friday, it was clear that he needed a DL trip to recover. For now, it sounds like nothing serious and should be back soon, potentially as soon as the 15 days are up. Meanwhile, Mike Fiers was recalled from Nashville to fill the bullpen spot. This is his first time with the Brewers since his rough start to the 2013 season, and has been pitching very well for Nashville.

Kendrys Morales won't be a Brewer (for now).

After day 1 of the draft finished Thursday, Kendrys Morales was officially no longer under draft pick compensation and the market opened up for him. The Brewers were heavily linked to him, and Derek asked if the Brewers should sign him on Friday. However, by Saturday it was a moot point, as Kendrys Morales was off the market. His new team is the Twins, who surprised everyone by signing him to a 1-year deal. It's possible that Morales could be a Brewer somewhere in the future, but for now, he is off the table.

Cram Session

MLB Draft Coverage

• Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has a complete list of players that the Brewers drafted i this year's draft.
• Caitlin Swieca of Brewers.com notes that the Brewers leaned more on college players after taking high school players with their first three picks.
• Bleacher Report has profiles of two of the Brewers later round picks: J.J. Schwarz in the 17th round and Turner Larkins in the 28th round.
• The Brewers picked another Hawaii high school pitcher in the draft, picking Jordan Yamamoto in the 12th round. Caitlin Swieca has a profile of him.
• One pitcher the Brewers drafted that has impressed on and off the field is 19th round pick Zach Hirsch. Caitlin Swieca looks at what he has done in both areas.
• The Brewer Nation blog has two pieces of audio from the draft. The first is from Jacob Gatewood's meeting with the media, and the second is comments from Doug Melvin and Bruce Seid after day 1 of the draft.
• How well do you know the Brewers best draft picks? Test your knowledge with this quiz of the Brewers draft picks by WAR.

Other Notes

• Is Jonathan Lucroy the best catcher in baseball? Chris Moran of Beyond the Box Score makes the case that Lucroy could be the best active catcher.
• After a rough 2013 season, Mike Fiers is getting another chance with the Brewers. Adam McCalvy of Brewers.com looks at what Fiers dealt with in 2013 and what he expects this time around.
• Ron Roenicke wants to get his lineup back to a more "traditional" one, but the offense has been performing too well to do that. Adam McCalvy looks at the tough decisions that Roenicke has to make.
• Bill Berg of Reviewing the Brew pulled together some projections to give an update on the Brewers playoff odds.
• In power rankings, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has the Brewers at #2 in the National League. Kyle Lohse likes making golf bets. His most recent one was against defending PGA Champion Jason Dufner. Caitlin Moyer of John & Cait has details on what happened with this bet.
• There are right ways and wrong ways to play baseball. John Paschal of NotGraphs has a list of both, comparing the right and wrong ways to play the game.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Tom Gorzelanny started on Friday for Nashville, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out one. He is scheduled for another appearance today, and assistant GM Gord Ash had some comments on his rehab stint.

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

Division Update

• Marlins @ Cubs
  Friday: Cubs 5, Marlins 3
  Saturday: Cubs 5, Marlins 2
  Sunday: Marlins 4, Cubs 3
• Cardinals @ Blue Jays
  Friday: Blue Jays 3, Cardinals 1
  Saturday: Cardinals 5, Blue Jays 0
  Sunday: Cardinals 5, Blue Jays 0
• Phillies @ Reds
  Friday: Phillies 8, Reds 0
  Saturday: Reds 6, Phillies 5
  Sunday: Reds 4, Phillies 1

Today's Division Games

• Cubs (Edwin Jackson) @ Pirates (Charlie Morton) - 6:05 pm
• Dodgers (Dan Haren) @ Reds (Tony Cingrani) - 6:10 pm
• Cardinals have the day off.

Today's Action

The Brewers have the day off before starting a stretch of 20 straight days with games. That stretch will begin in New York against the Mets.