What we learned: September 15, 2014

This Weekend's Results

Brewers 3, Reds 2

Kyle Lohse allowed an early home run, but settled down after it to pitch 6 2/3 innings and allowed only two runs on five hits. The Brewers took a 2-1 lead in fourth thanks to RBI singles from Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun. However, the Reds tied it in the seventh and the tie held until the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Jonathan Lucroy doubled to start the inning, and advanced to third on an Aramis Ramirez groundout. The Reds then decided to intentionally walk back-to-back hitters, bringing up Lyle Overbay. He sent a base hit into the outfield to give the Brewers a walkoff victory.

Reds 5, Brewers 1

The Pirates had lost earlier in the day and the Brewers were facing an inexperienced MLB pitcher. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to gain some ground in the wild card race. Instead, the Brewers couldn't take advantage. They managed only one run in the game on an Aramis Ramirez home run. Yovani Gallardo pitched six strong innings to keep the Brewers in the game, but Zach Duke allowed two runs and Jimmy Nelson allowed another as the Reds pulled away and won.

Brewers 9, Reds 2

A strong performance by the offense helped keep the Brewers on track yesterday. They took the lead in the second on a Carlos Gomez sacrifice fly, extended it to 3-0 on an RBI single from Jonathan Lucroy, and then blew it wide open with a five-run seventh, led by Matt Clark's third home run in three starts. Matt Garza pitched six innings and allowed only one run to keep the Reds in check and get the Brewers the win.

On Friday, we looked back at everything that happened in Thursday's Marlins-Brewers game.

Following the Marlins-Brewers game on Thursday of last week, there was a lot to talk about and sort through. We covered much of that on Friday, if you missed it. Here's a quick recap of what was discussed.

• On Friday morning, we released a compilation of videos from Thursday's Marlins-Brewers broadcast. This included the pitch that hit Giancarlo Stanton in the face, the benches clearing (along with some questionable broadcasting from the Marlins booth), and reactions following the game from players & coaches.
• During and after the game on Thursday, Jon Heyman on Twitter made several comments about Mike Fiers, as well as responded to several people about what happened. Derek put these tweets together in one post and asked if what Heyman was saying was really appropriate.
• Friday afternoon, MLB announced the punishments they were handing out as a result of Thursday's game. Mike Fiers received an undisclosed fine, and Marlins pitcher Anthony DeSclafani was suspended three games. Missing from the list were Casey McGehee and Garrett Jones, who both had bigger roles in the benches clearing but received no fine or suspension.

In addition, here are a few highlights from other media sources:

• Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar asked what MLB can do to better protect players, and if the additional measures would be worth it.
• David Brown of Big League Stew mentioned that Mike Fiers postgame interview and apology is a must-see, and wonders if this incident will hurt Fiers' career.

Cram Session

More from BCB

• There's only twelve more games in the regular season for the Brewers. Fred says that you should enjoy it while it's here, since any baseball is better than no baseball.

Other Notes

• On Disciples of Uecker, Nicholas Zettel has a quick look at the last two weeks of the season in the division race.
• Is Francisco Rodriguez worse in non-save situations? Bill Berg of Reviewing the Brew looked at the stats behind Rodriguez in both save and non-save situations.
• Paul Swydan of FanGraphs looked at some of the less obvious NL MVP candidates that could make their case with a hot finish, which includes Carlos Gomez.
• Over on MLB Daily Dish, Jasper Scherer has a breakdown of the 10 best MLB contracts, which includes two Brewers.
• Saturday's Brewers game was delayed 15 minutes as the Brewers tested new security measures for implementation in the postseason & full-time next year. Mark Townsend of Big League Stew looked at what happened on Saturday evening and what other teams can learn.

Minor League Notes

• Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects reviewed the 2014 DSL Brewers season.
• Over on Reviewing the Brew, Michael Trzinski continued their series of the top farm teams in Brewers history with the 1991 El Paso Diablos.

Division Update

• Rockies @ Cardinals
  Friday: Cardinals 5, Rockies 1
  Saturday: Cardinals 5, Rockies 4
  Sunday: Cardinals 4, Rockies 1
• Cubs @ Pirates
  Friday: Pirates 7, Cubs 3
  Saturday: Cubs 6, Pirates 4
  Sunday: Pirates 7, Cubs 3

Today's Division Games

• Reds (Alfredo Simon) @ Cubs (Travis Wood) - 7:05 pm
• Cardinals and Pirates have the day off.

Today's Action

After playing seventeen in a row, the Brewers have a day off today. They begin a nine-game road trip tomorrow, starting off with a critical series in St. Louis.