What we learned: March 30, 2015

This Weekend's Results

Friday: Brewers 8, Reds 6
Saturday: Indians 3, Brewers 2
Sunday: Athletics 7, Brewers 0

Highlights from the weekend:

• Scooter Gennett and Jonathan Lucroy both homered in Friday's game against the Reds
• Matt Garza pitched 5 2/3 innings against the Reds on Friday, striking out six and allowing five earned runs.
• Ryan Braun continued his hot streak on Saturday with two hits and two RBI.
• Wily Peralta put up a "quality start" on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing two runs.
  
• In his fight for a bullpen spot, Michael Blazek allowed three runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings on Sunday.

Brewers News and Analysis

• Noah began a preview series of the NL Central over the weekend, ranking players at each position. He began with the preview of first basemen on Saturday and continued with second basemen on Sunday.
• In an effort to show you that the new security protocols won't be a hassle, the Brewers posted a video where Bob Uecker goes through one of the new security checkpoints.
• In a surprise move this weekend, the Brewers optioned pitcher Brandon Kintzler to Triple-A Colorado Springs. Kintzler had been assumed to have one of the bullpen spots locked down, but his demotion means that two spots are now available. The Brewers also released Chris Perez, bringing the bullpen race down to Michael Blazek, Tyler Thornburg, and Rob Wooten.
• In Aramis Ramirez's final season in baseball, one of the challenges will be to keep him healthy all season. Austin Laymance of MLB.com notes that Ron Roenicke and Ramirez are coming up with a plan to help keep Ramirez playing and healthy all season.
• The position experimentation is going farther now. Not only have the Brewers experimented with placing Gerardo Parra at first, but also have tried Luis Jimenez at catcher.
• Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes that while Ron Roenicke's option for 2016 has been picked up, talks for an extension for Doug Melvin are currently on hold.
• Who will win the final bench spot for the Brewers? Tom Haudricourt looks at the options the Brewers have and also asks how big of a decision this really is.
• Hank the Ballpark Pup made his first appearance of Spring Training this weekend, as he was in the area to help support the Arizona Humane Society.
• Over on Miller Park Prospects, Ryan Kaufman profiles Sky Sox manager Rick Sweet, who is in the unique position of being the new manager for a team two years in a row. Also, Marcus Young has five left field prospects to watch, and Brad Krause has another spring training photo gallery.

NL Central Update

This Weekend's Scores

Friday

• Cardinals (SS) 5, Mets 4
• Pirates 4, Twins 2
• Cardinals (SS) 1, Nationals 1
• Cubs 6, White Sox 3

Saturday

• Tigers 4, Cardinals 3
• Pirates 8, Blue Jays (SS) 3
• Reds 9, Cubs (SS) 5
• Cubs (SS) 18, Rockies 4

Sunday

• Mets 3, Cardinals 2
• Pirates 4, Braves 2
• Reds 8, Angels 6
• Cubs 7, Royals 0

Today’s Games

• Phillies @ Pirates - 12:05 pm
• Nationals @ Cardinals - 12:05 pm
• Padres @ Reds - 3:05 pm
• Giants @ Cubs - 3:05 pm

Around Baseball

Roster News

• The Braves released left-handed pitcher James Russell.
• The Cubs released pitcher Felix Doubront.
• The Rangers acquired left-handed pitcher Sam Freeman from the Cardinals for a PTBNL and cash. They also released outfielder Ryan Ludwick.
• The White Sox claimed right-handed pitcher Kyle Drabek off waivers from the Blue Jays.

Other Notes

• Over the weekend, Big League Stew posted their official preview of the NL Central for 2015. There's not much variety in the picks, with all three writers predicting a fourth place finish for the Brewers.
• In today's edition of crazy new ballpark foods, Chris Cwik of Big League Stew reports that the Astros are introducing a Chicken and Waffle Cone for this season.
• Our vocabulary for properly writing up baseball stories has just shrunk a bit. In the updated AP Stylebook, several terms for home runs, as well as other sports terms, were classified as not appropriate for sports writing.

Today’s Action

The Brewers have their last off day of Spring Training today. They return to action tomorrow against the Reds.