What We Learned: Tyler Wagner is the likely new starter

The Brewers had been quiet about the new starter in the rotation for a while. We all assumed that the decision would be between Tyler Thornburg and Taylor Jungmann, the two minor-league starters on the 40-man roster. Our third option was Tyler Cravy, not on the 40-man roster but pitching well in Colorado Springs. However, the Brewers decided to go deeper into the system to pull their new starter.

Reports came out last night that the Brewers would add Tyler Wagner to the 40-man roster and call him up to start. Wagner is currently pitching for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers, and has been putting together an excellent season so far. In 9 starts, he has put up a 2.01 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 6.37 K/9, and 2.52 BB/9 in 53.2 innings. However, he is making a big jump from Double-A to the majors, one that could result in some struggles.

Where Wagner will fit in the rotation remains to be seen. He last pitched on June 23, so pitching on normal rest would have put him at pitching yesterday. With a recent Shuckers off-day, today would be his scheduled day, but Brent Suter is now listed as the starter. The Brewers currently have Jimmy Nelson, Kyle Lohse, and Matt Garza lined up for this weekend, but that could change soon. For now, we are just waiting for the Brewers to make an official move.

Yesterday's Results

The Brewers had the day off.

Brewers News & Notes

• Despite having an open spot on the 40-man roster, the Brewers made a move to clear a spot by outrighting reliever Rob Wooten. He has been struggling with both the major-league club and the Triple-A club this season.
• Miller Park has many beer selections available for fans, but what is your beer of choice? We currently have a poll running to determine what the favorite beers of BCB are.
• Jordan began a short series yesterday, ranking the Brewers players by trade value. He began the series with spots #20 to #16.
• The Selig Experience opened at Miller Park yesterday, with a special presentation for special guests to tour the exhibit for the first time. Over on Brewers.com, both Mike Bauman and Adam McCalvy have their opinions on the exhibit. In addition, Adam McCalvy has details on how to visit the exhibit at Miller Park.
• Over on Disciples of Uecker, Nicholas Zettel has a scouting report for the newest Brewers pitcher, Tyler Wagner. He also looks at the efficiency issues that the offense is dealing with.
• Mike Fiers has put up some strange numbers this season, putting up a 1-5 record and 4.53 ERA, but also was a 0.9 WAR, 10.97 K/9, and a 3.41 xFIP. What does this all mean? Justin Schultz of The First Out At Third tries to make some sense of Fiers' unusual season.
• This season, the reliever that has seen the most action for the Brewers is Jeremy Jeffress, as his 25 appearances are tied for most in baseball. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Jeffress sees the appearance mark as evidence of how far he has come.
• Here's a way to take tailgating to the next level. Mike Oz of Big League Stew reports that a Brewers fan has created a grill that is a working replica of Miller Park.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• The DSL Brewers officially start their season on Saturday. They will play Monday through Saturday most weeks, with off days on Sundays.
• Yesterday, one of the big stories of the day was that the Shuckers park wouldn't be ready for a June 6 opening. However, after some heavy negotiating between the Shuckers, the city of Biloxi, and the construction company, the park will be made ready for it's first game on June 6.

NL Central Update

• Pirates 11, Padres 5
• Cardinals, Cubs, and Reds all had the day off.

This Weekend's Division Games

• Dodgers @ Cardinals
  Friday: Mike Bolsinger vs. John Lackey - 7:15 pm
  Saturday: Carlos Frias vs. Michael Wacha - 6:15 pm
  Sunday: Brett Anderson vs. Carlos Martinez - 1:15 pm
• Royals @ Cubs
  Friday: Edinson Volquez vs. Jake Arrieta - 3:05 pm
  Saturday Yordano Ventura vs. Jason Hammel - 6:15 pm:
  Sunday: Jeremy Guthrie vs. Tsuyoshi Wada - 1:20 pm
• Pirates @ Padres
  Friday: Francisco Liriano vs. James Shields - 9:10 pm
  Saturday: Charlie Morton vs. Tyson Ross - 9:10 pm
  Sunday: Jeff Locke vs. Odrisamer Despaigne - 8:10 pm
• Nationals @ Reds
  Friday: Steven Strasburg vs. Anthony DeSclafani - 6:10 pm
  Saturday: Gio Gonzalez vs. Raisel Iglesias - 3:10 pm
  Sunday: Tanner Roark vs. TBD - 12:10 pm

Around Baseball

Roster News

• The Angels designated first baseman/outfielder Marc Krauss for assignment.
• The Blue Jays optioned reliever Scott Copeland to Triple-A.
• Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth will be out at least two months due to fractures in his left wrist.
• The Red Sox placed outfielder Daniel Nava on the 15-day DL with a sprained thumb. They also designated infielder Jeff Bianchi for assignment.

This Weekend's Action

The Brewers begin a three-game series against the Diamondbacks tonight. Here are the matchups for the weekend:

Friday: Rubby De La Rosa vs. Jimmy Nelson - 7:10 pm
Saturday: Jeremy Hellickson vs. Kyle Lohse - 3:10 pm
Sunday: Chase Anderson vs. Matt Garza - 1:10 pm