What We Learned: Cold offense in cold Chicago

Yesterday's Results

Cubs 4, Brewers 3

Jimmy Nelson worked hard to get through 5 1/3 innings, but couldn't pitch much more and ended up getting charged with three runs (only one earned) when Aaron Hill committed an error and Carlos Torres allowed an RBI triple to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead, which they expanded a little later to 4-1. Ryan Braun pinch-hit with a two-RBI double, but that wasn't enough as the Cubs won the first game of the series.

Brewers News & Notes

Links from BCB

• Milwaukee Brewers Poor Pitching Is Not Projected to Improve
  Kyle Lesniewski, BCB
  As bad as the Brewers pitching has been, the projections say that it's not going to get better.
• Brewers (8-11) vs Cubs (14-5) series preview
  Derek Harvey, BCB
  Prior to the start of the series yesterday, Derek posted a preview for the Cubs series.
• Random Thoughts on the Game. MLB 2016 and Beyond
  chris33, BCB FanPost
  Over in the FanPosts, chris33 offers some of his thoughts on the current state of the game.

Other Brewers News and Notes

• Scooter Gennett to be re-evaluated Wednesday
  Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
  Scooter Gennett was a late scratch from last night's game with right oblique tightness. He will be re-evaluated before today's game.
• Brewers rest Braun, until PH two-run double
  Cody Stavenhagen, MLB.com
  It was a planned day off for Ryan Braun yesterday, until called on in the eighth inning for a pinch-hit appearance. It's part of a plan to limit him to 140 games this season.
• Santana's new plate approach reaping enormous dividends
  Mike Petriello, MLB.com
  Domingo Santana had a rough start with Houston at the plate, but since coming to the Brewers, his changed plate approach has provided results.
• Comfort equals confidence for Brewers' Villar
  Cody Stavenhagen, MLB.com
  Jonathan Villar has had a better year so far in Milwaukee, and an increased comfort level with the Brewers has helped him on the field.
• How confident in their GMs are NL Central fans?
  Mike Bates, SB Nation
  The switch to David Stearns has been positive, and it is showing in fans confidence. The confidence rating for the Brewers has jumped from 3.9 to 4.6, with many people supporting all of the moves that Stearns has made.
• THE 2016 "VOTE BREWERS!" CAMPAIGN IS UNDERWAY!
  AJ Bombers Concrete Custard Concoctions: May 2016 Menu
  Mother’s Day Promotion at the Brewers Team Store
  #MagneticJerseySweeps: Here’s Your Chance to Win a Custom Jersey From the Brewers Team Store
  Caitlin Moyer, Cait Covers the Bases
  Voting has started for he All-Star game, and as usual, the Brewers will have ways to vote for the team inside Miller Park. In addition, plenty of promotions are ongoing at Miller Park, and Caitlin Moyer has all of the details on what to look for.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Milwaukee Brewers Down On The Farm Report: Week 3
  Kyle Lesniewski, BCB
  Looking back at the third week of the season from the minor leagues.
• Arcia lives up to top billing with Sky Sox
  Josh Jackson, MiLB.com
  Orlando Arcia has been as good as advertised for the Sky Sox, adding on a grand slam and two stolen bases in last night's game.
• Brewers power-hitting prospect Victor Roache making strides at the plate
  Tim Isbell, Sun Herald
  Victor Roache's power has been there for Biloxi, but he still needs work on his plate approach if he wants to continue moving up through the minors.
• Game Notes: Brevard County Manatees 4/24/16
  Sam Peterson, Miller Park Prospects
  After attending a game in Clearwater with Brevard County in town, Sam Peterson wrote his thoughts after watching some of the Brewers prospects play.
• Secondary Rule 5 Rounds and an Update on 2016’s Picks
  Jake Covey, Disciples of Uecker
  The Brewers made two picks in the later round of the rule 5 draft, and both are pitching in the minors for the Brewers with varying levels of success.

NL Central Update

Yesterday’s Division Games

• Mets 4, Reds 3
• Pirates 9, Rockies 4
• Cardinals 8, Diamondbacks 2

Today's Division Games

• Reds @ Mets - 6:10 pm
  Jon Moscot vs. Matt Harvey
• Pirates @ Rockies - 7:40 pm
  Jon Niese vs. Jon Gray
• Cardinals @ Diamondbacks - 8:40 pm
  Adam Wainwright vs. Patrick Corbin

Around Baseball

Roster News

• Chicago White Sox
  - Placed catcher Kevan Smith on the 15-day DL with a sore hamstring
  - Recalled catcher Hector Sanchez
• Minnesota Twins
  - Recalled pitcher Jose Berrios and infielder Jorge Polanco
  - Placed Ervin Santana and Kyle Gibson on the 15-day DL
  - David Murphy has retired following his opt-out
• New York Mets
  - Placed catcher Travis d'Arnaud on the 15-day DL with a right rotator cuff strain
  - Recalled catcher Rene Rivera
• San Diego Padres
  - Designated RHP Cory Mazzoni for assignment
  - Optioned infielder Jose Pirela to Triple-A
  - Selected the contract of LHP Michael Kirkman
• Toronto Blue Jays
  - Recalled infielder Matt Dominguez
  - Optioned RHP Drew Hutchinson to the minors

Other Notes

• From Hall of Famers to Hello Kitty, ranking each MLB team's bobblehead giveaways
  David Schoenfield, ESPN SweetSpot
  The Brewers came in at #25 in his ranking of all teams bobblehead giveaways this season. It's disappointing, especially considering he didn't consider the special bobbleheads for theme nights, the Hank the Ballpark Pup bobblehead, or the fact that all fans get the bobbleheads.
• The New Professional Orthodoxy
  Nicholas Zettel, BP Milwaukee
  In the world of the front office, there has been a trend to find the more advanced stats that can better predict player performance and get an advantage on the rest of the league. This has led to a change in front office philosophies, especially with the hiring of personnel.
• Statheads Are The Best Free Agent Bargains In Baseball
  Ben Lindbergh, FiveThirtyEight
  Employing people with a better understanding of statistics has helped teams outperform expectations. However, as more teams switch to this approach, prices are going up as analytics become more competitive.
• Yankees manager Joe Girardi would like to ban shift from baseball
  Andrew Marchand, ESPN
  Joe Girardi is one person in baseball who would like to see infield shifts banned, saying that it goes against the original intent of the game. His comments game after starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi lost his no-hit bid due to an infield shift.
• A's mourn death of right-hander Murphy
  Danny Wild, MiLB.com
  Minor league pitcher Sean Murphy died on Monday at the age of 27. He had spent six seasons in the Athletics organization, and last pitched in 2014 at the Triple-A level. He spent all of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery and was serving a suspension to start the 2016 season.

Today's Action

Brewers vs. Cubs - 7:05 pm
Taylor Jungmann vs. Jake Arrieta