What we learned: March 11, 2015

Yesterday’s Results

Brewers 5, Reds 3

The Brewers finally picked up their first spring training win yesterday, defeating the Reds 5-3. Shane Peterson and Martin Maldonado each hit two-run home runs in the win, and Carlos Gomez drove in the other on a sacrifice fly. Jason Rogers also had a 3-for-3 day at the plate. On the pitching side. Kyle Lohse pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while striking out four. Jeremy Jeffress, Jonathan Broxton, and Jim Henderson all added scoreless innings, and Wei-Chung Wang had two scoreless innings. The game got a little interesting in the ninth as Tyler Cravy allowed three hits and a walk in 1/3 of an inning, allowing three runs to score. However, David Goforth came in and got the last two batters out to finish off the win.

Brewers News and Analysis

• You still have time to vote for #12 in the BCB Community Prospect Rankings. As of this writing, Wei-Chung Wang has a slight edge over Kodi Medeiros for the #12 spot. Voting is open until noon.
• The first round of spring cuts happened yesterday. Johnny Hellweg was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs, Wei-Chung Wang was optioned to High-A Brevard County, and four other players were returned to the minor league camp. Fifty players remain in the big league camp.
• Taylor Williams was one of the players sent to the minors yesterday, but he's getting a lot of praise from his short time in big league camp. Adam McCalvy has a profile of the pitching prospect, who's drawing comparisons to Craig Kimbrel.
• Gerardo Parra has received a little work at first base, and it hasn't been received well by Brewers fans so far. Adam McCalvy notes that Parra might appear in a spring game at first base, but it's more about making sure the team is covered if needed.
• In his final notes of the day, Adam McCalvy has injury updates for Jonathan Lucroy, Adam Lind, Corey Knebel, and Johnny Hellweg. McCalvy also notes that Francisco Rodriguez has received his work visa and is closer to reporting to camp now.
• Rob Wooten is competing for a spot in a crowded Brewers bullpen this spring. Justin Schultz of The First Out At Third believes that Rob Wooten is not a player to ignore, and could have a meaningful impact this season.
• The Brewers have had an error in every game so far this spring, and it is a very concerning trend. Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar has not liked what he has seen in the Brewers baserunning and defense so far, and hopes that they can fix things while it's still early.
• The Brewer Nation continued their Brewers by the (Jersey) Numbers series with #27 Carlos Gomez.
• Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has a profile of Brewers pitching prospect Dave Gagnon.

NL Central Update

Yesterday’s Scores

• Pirates 4, Rays 3
• Astros 7, Cardinals 6
• Indians 10, Cubs 6

Division News

• FanGraphs initial playoff odds are up, and the Reds have about a 3% chance to win the division this year. Craig Edwards of FanGraphs looks at the simulations where the Reds won the division to find out what they need to do to beat the odds.
• Three of the Cubs top prospects hit consecutive home runs in their game against the Indians yesterday. However, it wasn't enough to get the Cubs their first win.

Today’s Games

• Pirates @ Phillies - 12:05 pm
• Cardinals @ Braves - 12:05 pm
• Royals @ Reds - 3:05 pm
• Dodgers @ Cubs - 3:05 pm

Around Baseball

• Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman of the Blue Jays tore his ACL during fielding practice, and is expected to miss the entire 2015 season.
• Gavin Floyd of the White Sox has a stress fracture in his right elbow and is out indefinitely while options are assessed for his treatment.
• A few weeks ago in the FanPosts, Hyatt reviewed an app called "Ned Yost's Baseball Academics". TechGraphs has also found it, and Seth Keichline has a review of the baseball training app.
• Will Ferrell wants to play all nine baseball positions in one day, and has a plan to accomplish this. Chris Cwik of Big League Stew has more details on the plan, which could include an appearance in tomorrow's Brewers game.

Today’s Action

The Brewers will look to build off of their first win yesterday as they travel to face the Giants this afternoon. First pitch is at 3:05 pm, and only a radio broadcast is available for today's game.