What we learned: May 14, 2015

Yesterday's Results

White Sox 4, Brewers 2

It was the same result for the second straight day, but happened in a different way. The Brewers fell behind right away in the first inning because of a sacrifice fly and two-solo home runs. Jimmy Nelson calmed down after that, but the Brewers couldn't break through against Jose Quintana for sixth innings. They put together rallies in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, scoring single runs in the eighth and ninth. However, it wasn't enough as they lost the series to the White Sox to end the homestand.

Brewers News & Notes

• After missing both Chicago series with a stiff back, Aramis Ramirez hopes to return to the lineup on Friday in New York. Adam McCalvy of Brewers.com notes that Ramirez took batting practice and fielding practice on Wednesday.
• Also included in the above article, the Brewers made a transaction that mostly slipped by everyone last night. The Brewers reinstated reliever Jim Henderson from the 15-day DL, and immediately optioned him to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
• Elian Herrera is making the most of his extended playing time while other Brewers are recovering from injuries. Adam McCalvy looks at the power surge for Herrera and how Herrera has managed to put that streak together.
• Craig Counsell has made some adjustments to the Brewers batting order in recent games, but how much of a difference has it made? Kyle Lesniewski of Reviewing the Brew believes that the batting order isn't that important over the course of a season.
• A decent homestand has things looking better for the Brewers, but their situation hasn't changed much overall. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that the Brewers (and Reds) need to rebuild now if they want to compete in the future with the rest of the division.
• The Brewer Nation blog has a new post up discussing communication in the bullpen and how the different relievers discuss their performance with each other.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• ESPN.com recently put together a video on the season for the Biloxi Shuckers so far as they continue their 55-game road trip. You can view the video here.
• In addition, on his Minor Details blog, Jeff Levering discusses the 2012 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, who played an entire season without a home ballpark.
• Ryan Kaufman of Miller Park Prospects has a profile of Colorado Springs first baseman Matt Clark.

NL Central Update

• Indians 2, Cardinals 0
• Phillies 3, Pirates 2
• Reds 5, Braves 1
• Cubs 2, Mets 1

Today's Division Games

• Cardinals (Michael Wacha) @ Indians (Trevor Bauer) - 11:10 am
• Pirates (Vance Worley) @ Phillies (Aaron Harang) - 12:05 pm
• Mets (Jon Niese) @ Cubs (Travis Wood) - 1:20 pm
• Giants (Tim Lincecum) @ Reds (Johnny Cueto) - 6:10 pm

Around Baseball

Roster News

• The Angels signed closer Huston Street to a two-year, $18 million extension. This will extend Street's current deal through the 2018 season.
• The Braves signed catcher Wil Nieves to a minor-league deal.
• The Blue Jays signed outfielder Luke Scott to a minor-league deal.
• The Cardinals placed outfielder Jon Jay on the 15-day DL with left wrist tendinitis and recalled first baseman/outfielder Xavier Scruggs. Also, outfielder Matt Holiday is day-to-day after he was hit by a pitch on his elbow.
• Rays pitcher Drew Smyly will miss the rest of the 2015 season because of a shoulder injury.
• Rockies manager Walt Weiss had an appendectomy yesterday and will be out for an undetermined amount of time.

Other Notes

• The story of the day yesterday was Corey Kluber, who struck out 18 Cardinals in yesterday's 2-0 Indians win. Mark Townsend of Big League Stew has more details on the feat.
• After the Orioles lost a week's worth of games due to the riots in Baltimore, the team is stepping in to help the employees affected by the lost time. They will compensate the stadium workers for time they lost due to cancelled & relocated games during the last week in April.

Today's Action

The Brewers have the day off today. They begin a ten-game road trip tomorrow, starting with a three-game series against the New York Mets.