What we learned: April 13, 2015

This Weekend's Results

Pirates 6, Brewers 2

The Brewers fell to 0-4 on Friday after they took a 6-2 loss to the Pirates. Mike Fiers didn't have a good day, allowing five runs in five innings, allowing seven hits and a walk. he did have eight strikeouts though. Adam Lind provided the only runs of the game with an RBI single in the fourth inning, and Scooter Gennett got himself ejected in the eighth after a frustrating day.

Brewers 6, Pirates 0

It took five games into the season, but the Brewers finally got a win on Friday. They won behind Jimmy Nelson, who pitched seven shutout innings and only allowed two hits and two walks, while also striking out nine. For the offense, it was Hector Gomez who sparked them, hitting an RBI double in the second inning and added another double later. Jean Segura also added a home run in the game.

Pirates 10, Brewers 2

The momentum from Saturday didn't last. Carlos Gomez hit a two-run home to account for all of the offense in this game. The Brewers did hold a 2-1 lead for a few innings, but an Andrew McCutchen home run put the Pirates up 4-2, and they blew it wide open by scoring six unearned runs in the ninth inning.

Brewers News & Notes

From BCB

• With the over/under series done, Jordan went back through all of the votes on the starting lineup to see which players the community were high or low on.
• Scooter Gennett's game on Friday was very frustrating to him, and it was apparent from his actions on the field. Noah analyzed Gennett's performance on Friday to find how his first appearance against a LHP this season went.
• Brewers.com sent out an advertising email last week, but it had some issues in it. Kyle explained the inaccuracies in the ad, noting that most players did not wear the hat that the ad claimed they did.
• With a 1-5 start in the books, do you want the Brewers to give up on the season already? It's not going to happen yet, and Derek explains why a fire sale is not in the plans for anytime in the near future.

News from Brewers.com

• Following Scooter Gennett's ejection on Friday, Carlos Gomez made his debut at second base in the ninth inning. He didn't have to field any balls in his inning of work.
• The addition of the curveball to Jimmy Nelson's arsenal helped him pitch those seven shutout innings on Saturday. Adam McCalvy notes that Jimmy Nelson was throwing it incredibly well on Saturday night.
• With nine hits in his first five games, Adam Lind tied a record for most hits as a Brewer in the first five games with the team.
• Jonathan Lucroy has had a rough start to the season, and has been taking extra batting practice as he tries to get on track this year.
• On Wednesday, Khris Davis made an amazing catch that will be remembered as one of the best of the year. On Sunday, he made a very costly drop that led to six unearned runs being scored by the Pirates.

Other Notes

• Following the Pirates-Brewers series, Steven Jewell of Reviewing the Brew breaks down the high and low points from the series. Also on Reviewing the Brew, Michael Trzinski looks at other poor starts to the season to remind people that there is still time to recover.
• The Brewers are teaming up with Shatterproof again this season, and Cait Covers the Bases has the details on the program that fights drug and alcohol addiction. Also on Cait Covers the Bases is details on this year's Field of Sweet Dreams event, and a special ticket promotion for tomorrow.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Over on Miller Park Prospects, Ryan Kaufman has an interview with Colorado Springs manager Rick Sweet following Saturday's loss. Also, Brad Krause has photos from the Timber Rattlers home opener.
• In the FanPosts, kgh23 posted two interviews, one with Colorado Springs first baseman Matt Clark, and one with starting pitcher Taylor Jungmann.
• Tim Dillard has another video on his YouTube channel, this time asking catcher Robinzon Diaz to explain the infield fly rule.

NL Central Update

• Cubs @ Rockies
  Friday: Rockies 5, Cubs 1
  Saturday: Cubs 9, Rockies 5
  Sunday: Cubs 6, Rockies 5
  
• Cardinals @ Reds
  Friday: Reds 5, Cardinals 4
  Saturday: Cardinals 4, Reds 1
  Sunday: Cardinals 7, Reds 5

Today's Division Games

• Tigers (Anibal Sanchez) @ Pirates (Gerrit Cole) - 12:35 pm
• Reds (Mike Leake) @ Cubs (Jon Lester) - 7:05 pm

Around Baseball

Roster News

• The Dodgers outrighted reliever Ryan Webb to Triple-A.
• The Indians made a series of roster moves on Sunday. They released RHP Charles Brewer, placed catcher Yan Gomes on the 15-day DL with an MCL sprain, and purchased the contract of starting pitcher Shaun Marcum.
• Rangers starting pitcher Derek Holland will be out four to six weeks with a sub-scapular strain.
• The Royals signed LHP Troy Patton to a minor-league deal.
• The Phillies designated LHP Cesar Jimenez for assignment.

Other Notes

• Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors looks at the projected cutoff in service time for Super Two players this year. He projects it to occur at two years and 140 days, which would put Tyler Thornburg into Super Two status (assuming he pitches a full year and finishes at two years and 146 days).
• After a walkoff victory on Friday, the Marlins celebrated in a unique way: by dunking over outfielder Christian Yelich. Mark Townsend of Big League Stew has the video of the Marlins postgame celebration.
• Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia has been suspended 80 games for testing positing for the performance-enhancing drug Stanozolol. Eric Stephen of SB Nation notes that Mejia is the fourth player in just over two weeks to test positive for the drug.
• The situation with Josh Hamilton in Los Angeles is not going away yet. Team owner Arte Moreno says that Hamilton may not play for the Angels again, and his contract has clauses in it in regards to a drug relapse that could allow the Angels to release Hamilton without having to pay the rest of his contract.
• John Axford of the Rockies went on the family medical emergency list on Sunday after his son Jameson had a turn for the worse in his recovery. Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com has the full update on the current situation with Axford and his son.

Today's Action

The Brewers begin their first road trip of the season at Busch Stadium this afternoon. Matt Garza will face Adam Wainwright in the Cardinals home opener. First pitch is at 3:15 pm, and MLB.com has the preview.