What we learned: April 27, 2015

This Weekend's Results

Cardinals 3, Brewers 0

The Brewers struggled with Carlos Martinez all day, as he just baffled their offense. They only managed four hits and two walks off of Martinez, while he struck out eight Brewers. Matt Garza was performing better this time, holding the Cardinals to three runs on seven hits and two walks, but it wasn't enough as the offense couldn't get going. Jean Segura had the best day at the plate, going 2-for-4 in the loss.

Cardinals 5, Brewers 3

The Brewers were able to put some hits together on Saturday, but not when it counted the most. Aramis Ramirez and Jean Segura each recorded three-hit games, and Adam Lind had a two-hit game of his own. However, the offense could only muster three runs, all coming in the eighth inning. Wily Peralta recorded a quality start with two runs allowed in six innings, but the bullpen allowed three runs in the seventh to give the Cardinals a five-run lead that the Brewers couldn't recover from.

Brewers 6, Cardinals 3

Things finally improved on Sunday with the traditional "Sunday lineup" in effect. Four Brewers (Logan Schafer, Gerardo Parra, Khris Davis, Elian Herrera) recorded two-hit games, while Adam Lind hit a two-run home run. Mike Fiers struggled through 4+ innings, allowing nine hits and two walks (though struck out six). However, he limited the damage to two runs, and the offense was more than enough to pick him up following that.

Brewers News & Notes

• After a few rough starts, there was a question of if Mike Fiers' spot in the rotation was at risk. However, Adam McCalvy notes that Ron Roenicke isn't ready to make a change in the rotation yet.
• Carlos Gomez may be close to a return from the 15-day DL when the minimum stint is done on May 1. Adam McCalvy reports that Carlos Gomez has been running full speed on a treadmill and has a good chance to be ready to go right away.
• Ron Roenicke earned his first ejection of the season on Saturday. After the game, he complained about the strike zone that was being called by umpire Dale Scott.
• Who should be blamed for the failures of this season so far? Kyle Lesniewski believes that the blame rests on the Brewers bad draft strategy over the first years following the departure of Jack Zduriencik. Also on Reviewing the Brew, Kyle Lesniewski argues that the Brewers need to trade Jonathan Lucroy to jump-start any rebuilding process.
• It may be a little late for previews, but that isn't stopping Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball from putting one out. Badgernoonan has a pessimistic preview of the Brewers season for you.
• After producing some great offensive years, the Brewers offense has been dismal so far in 2015. Nicholas Zettel of Disciples of Uecker looks at the stats behind the Brewers bad start with the bats.
• Meanwhile, over on Brewers Mix, Tim Muma has one reason why the blame for the offensive struggles lies on Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez.
• Need some help finding your favorite food at Miller Park? Cait Covers the Bases lets you know how you can find whatever food you are looking for. She also notes that tickets for this year's Brewed for Her event are now on sale.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Jim Henderson was transferred to Biloxi to continue his rehab assignment. In two games over the weekend, he threw 46 pitches in two innings, 27 for strikes. He pitched a perfect inning on Friday, and allowed two walks but no runs on Sunday.

NL Central Update

• Cubs @ Reds
  Friday: Cubs 7, Reds 3
  Saturday: Cubs @ Reds (PPD)
  Sunday: Cubs 5, Reds 2
• Pirates @ Diamondbacks
  Friday: Pirates 4, Diamondbacks 1
  Saturday: Pirates 2, Diamondbacks 1
  Sunday: Pirates 8, Diamondbacks 0

Today's Division Games

• Pirates (Vance Worley) @ Cubs (Jason Hammel) - 7:05 pm
• Phillies (Cole Hamels) @ Cardinals (John Lackey) - 7:15 pm

Around Baseball

Roster News

• The Athletics placed outfielder Ben Zobrist on the 15-day DL with torn cartilage in his left knee. They also designated Eury De La Rosa for assignment and selected the contract of infielder Max Muncy.
• The Blue Jays designated infielder Steve Tolleson for assignment and activated outfielder Michael Saunders. They also released starting pitcher Ricky Romero.
• The Cardinals placed starting pitcher Adam Wainwright on the 15-day DL with an Achilles injury, and is believed to be out for the remainder of the 2015 season.
• The Dodgers placed outfielder Yasiel Puig on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury and reliever Joel Peralta on the 15-day DL with a shoulder injury. They also designated pitcher Xavier Cedeno for assignment, selected the contract of RHP Sergio Santos, and signed first baseman/outfielder Mike Carp to a minor league deal.
• The Mariners placed RHP Hisashi Iwakuma on the 15-day DL with a right lat strain.
• The Marlins placed outfielder Christian Yelich on the 15-day DL with a lower back strain and recalled first baseman Justin Bour. They also designated LHP Grant Dayton for assignment, selected the contract of catcher Jhonatan Solano, and placed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the paternity list.
• The Orioles placed infielder Ryan Flaherty on the 15-day DL with a right groin strain and recalled infielder Rey Navarro.
• The Rangers are close to acquiring outfielder Josh Hamilton from the Angels, with just some legal details to work out. They also designated RHP Logan Verrett for assignment and selected the contract of pitcher Wandy Rodriguez.
• The Rays designated first baseman Allan Dykstra for assignment and selected the contract of pitcher Everett Teaford.
• The Red Sox placed outfielder Shane Victorino on the 15-day DL with a strained right hamstring.
• Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura received a seven-game suspension for his role in a brawl against the White Sox on Thursday. In addition, starting pitcher Edinson Volquez received a five-game suspension, and starters Lorenzo Cain and Kelvin Herrera each got two games.
• The White Sox designated LHP Eric Surkamp for assignment, selected the contract of RHP Scott Carroll, and placed Matt Albers on the 15-day DL. In addition, starting pitchers Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija each received five-game suspensions for their role in the brawl against the Royals, and catcher Tyler Flowers received an undisclosed fine.

Other Notes

• The Blue Jays made some history on Saturday night that would be expected for them. They started three Canadian-born position players on Saturday, and are the first team in MLB history to do that.
• Following injuries to both Adam Wainwright and Max Scherzer while batting over the weekend, discussion about the use of the designated hitter in both leagues has intensified. Scherzer is one of the advocates for this, believing that pitchers shouldn't be batting.
• Discussion about the turf at the Rogers Centre has picked up following an interesting story from the weekend. In their recent series against the Blue Jays, the Orioles reportedly considered forfeiting a game due to the unpredictable nature of the turf. Meanwhile, Owen Watson of FanGraphs analyzes the home stats of the Rogers Centre to find out if there's any truth to the perception that the turf is a problem.

Today's Action

The Brewers head back on the road for a six-game road trip starting today. They start the series against the Reds, with a match between Jimmy Nelson and Jason Marquis. First pitch is at 6:10 pm, and Adam McCalvy has the preview.