What We Learned: Brewers break even in June

With the Brewers victory yesterday, they accomplished something they hadn't done since June of last year: Finish a month without a losing record. That streak came to an end yesterday, as their win gave the Brewers a record of 14-14 in June, breaking a streak of five straight losing months. It's a sign of progress for the team that has been struggling to find any consistency all year.

What does this mean for the Brewers? Should it change anything for the team's plans? Not really. Most of us knew that the team would play better at some point, as the talent on the roster is too good for them to be playing as badly as they are. However, their situation isn't any better than before. They're still 17 games under .500, and far out of the playoff chase. They should still be sellers at the trade deadline. It's just a nice note to consider in what has been a difficult season.

Yesterday's Results

Brewers 4, Phillies 3

The Brewers got a quick 2-0 lead off of Phillies starter Cole Hamels last night, but Hamels shut the Brewers down after that and pitched seven innings total. Meanwhile, the Phillies took advantage of some mistakes from the Brewers and built a 3-2 lead. However, the Phillies would give it up in the eighth inning, as Aramis Ramirez and Adam Lind each drove in runs. The Brewers bullpen had to work around some baserunnners in the last two innings, but kept the Phillies off the board to secure the 4-3 win.

Brewers News & Notes

• Adam Lind has simplified his approach at the plate, and it has paid off for him this season. Adam McCalvy of Brewers.com talked with Lind about how he has found so much success this year.
• Many fans are panicking over recent reports that the front office isn't interested in trading anyone from this Brewers team. However, things may not be what as simple as what the reports indicate. J.P. Breen of BP Milwaukee has some important concepts you should remember during the approach to the trade deadline.
• Are the Brewers overusing their bullpen? Julien Assouline of BP Milwaukee looks at the current status of the bullpen and if they are in danger of a meltdown.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Two of the Brewers draft picks got fast promotions from rookie ball. Pete Schwichtenberg of Reviewing the Brew notes that Blake Allemand and Cody Ponce have both been promoted to Single-A Wisconsin.
• Reviewing the Brew also has farm reports for the Brevard County Manatees and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

NL Central Update

• White Sox 2, Cardinals 1
• Pirates 5, Tigers 4
• Cubs 1, Mets 0
• Twins 8, Reds 5

Today's Division Games

• Twins (Trevor May) @ Reds (Johnny Cueto) - 11:35 am
• Pirates (AJ Burnett) @ Tigers (Alfredo Simon) - 6:08 pm
• Cubs (Jon Lester) @ Mets (Bartolo Colon) - 6:10 pm
• White Sox (Jose Quintana) @ Cardinals (John Lackey) - 7:15 pm

Around Baseball

Roster News

• The Rangers activated outfielder Josh Hamilton from the 15-day DL and optioned third baseman Joey Gallo to Triple-A. They also granted the release request for RHP Jared Burton.
• The Rays designated reliever Ronald Belisario for assignment.
• The Twins released third baseman Ryan Wheeler.

Other Notes

• Reports came out last night that Angels GM Jerry Dipoto has resigned from his position.
• Billy Hamilton leads the majors in stolen bases, and it's not even close. Israel Fahr of Big League Stew notes that Hamilton's stolen base total of 40 is more than the team total for 15 different teams.
• The Brewers have put together some deferred money contracts, but this one may outshine all of them. Today, the Mets paid Bobby Bonilla a deferred payment of $1.2 million, a payment that he will collect yearly through 2035.
• The Cubs are running out of idea for how to get their team back on track. Manager Joe Maddon's most recent idea: Have a magician perform at a team meeting.
• How can the All-Star Game be made more interesting? Brian Reinhart of Banknotes Industries has a few ideas for how to improve the game.

Today's Action

The Brewers play game three of their series against the Phillies tonight. It will be Kyle Lohse facing Aaron Harang in tonight's starting pitcher matchup. First pitch is at 6:05 pm.