Brewers News
10-1-14: The Brewers fell apart in the second half of the season. They were in first place in the NL Central for 150 days. The Brewers went 9-17 in September to fall out of the playoff picture completely. A slide, like Milwaukee endured, is the type of free fall that would lead to a manager losing his job. However, there is a good chance that Ron Roenicke will avoid the axe in the offseason.
9-30-14: The Milwaukee Brewers have officially collapsed in the National League Central division and are now in full blown offseason mode. Rickie Weeks option will not be exercised by the team and instead will likely hit free agency at season’s end. The team is undecided on whether they will pick up starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo’s option or not for the 2015 season and will likely take until after the World Series to decide. Gallardo’s option is for $13 million and the team is all but certain to pick up the option at the end of the day but is still undecided or uncommitted at this time. Milwaukee completed their team collapse in the final week of the season and fell mathematically out of the playoff race with a 5-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers spent an amazing 150 days in first place this season only to likely finish third in the division after a September collapse on all sides of the baseball. The Brewers bigger holes, including their biggest hole at first base, were exposed late in the season and the lack of depth in Milwaukee ultimately did the team in. Now the team will look at possibly moving outfielder Ryan Braun from the outfield to first base in the offseason to potential stop another slide in 2015. If Braun does in fact move to the infield the Brewers will likely tender outfielder Gerrardo Parra a contract for next season and if Braun decides to stay in the outfield the team will likely try and lure back free agents Mark Reynolds or Lyle Overbay. Milwaukee still is unsure of the future of another Brewers infielder in third baseman Aramis Ramirez who holds a $14 million mutual option for next season with a $4 million buyout. The window for the Brewers to win seems awfully small and if Milwaukee does not retain Ramirez for the 2015 season that window may officially shut for the foreseeable future. Milwaukee finished the 2014 season with a 82-80 record and will not be in the 2014 postseason.
9-25-14: A month ago, Milwaukee held a 1.5-game lead in the NL Central standings, but they have gone just 9-20 since. That has left their postseason hopes all but dead, as they are five games back for the No. 2 NL wild-card spot. Their once potent offense has gone cold, and the trio of Yovani Gallardo, Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza has not been sharp. It’s been a disaster and has left the Brewers on the outside looking in.
9-23-14: The Milwaukee Brewers are faced with conflicting reports on whether or not the team exercised their part of the mutual option on Aramis Ramirez for the 2015 season. The deal is worth $14 million and contains a hefty $4 million buyout for Ramirez’s age 37 season. A report surfaced that the team had in fact decided to exercise the option but manager Bob Melvin announced that he has yet to speak with team owner Mark Attanasio or Ramirez’s agent Paul Kinzer. As many problems as the big league Brewers are having the past month of the season they are having even more troubles with their minor league systems. The team’s agreement with the Nashville Sound was terminated by the Sound after the club was not happy with the on the field product in Milwaukee. In a corresponding move Milwaukee moved their Triple-A affiliate from Nashville to Triple-A Colorado Springs, the former home of the Triple-A Colorado Rockies affiliate. Manager Bob Melvin was not happy with the way the Sound went about their business as they did not give the Brewers a heads up before signing a two year deal with the Oakland Athletics leaving Milwaukee scrambling to find a new home for their top minor league club.
9-18-14: What a crazy last stretch it has been for the Brewers. Milwaukee finally stopped the bleeding with a three-game winning streak last week after a horrid 3-13 stretch that saw them go from 2.5 games up in the NL Central standings to four games back. Despite that slide, they are still just 1.5 games back for the second NL wild-card spot. Their hitting has been okay, but the only way this team is going to have a chance is if their starting pitching picks up the slack. Matt Garza, Kyle Lohse and Yovani Gallardo have all been smacked around in September.
9-16-14: The Milwaukee Brewers have free fallen from the top of the NL Central division and some of the blame is being put on Ryan Braun and his right thumb issues. Braun has struggled with the thumb for two seasons now and the injury may be spreading to the rest of his hand. Surgery has been considered by the team but none of the surgeries have been deemed significant enough to take the risk at this point. The Brewers need Braun back and healthy not only for this season but for the next six seasons as he is under team control for big money through the 2021 season. Milwaukee completed their deal with the Cincinnati Reds for relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton this week as the Brewers traded right handers Kevin Shackelford and Barrett Astin. Before the season Shackelford and Astin were the 21st and 22nd best prospects in the Brewers system although neither made the midseason prospects list.
9-12-14: What the heck has gone on with the Brewers? Milwaukee has gone from one of the better stories of 2014 to being out of the playoffs. A 3-16 slide has unraveled their season. However, they are in the playoff picture, trailing the Pirates by 1.5 games for the second NL wild-card spot, but they are trending in the wrong direction for the stretch run. After dropping three of four to the Cardinals at home last week, they have dropped two straight to Miami and welcome the sputtering Cincinnati Reds to Miller Park to end the week.
9-9-14: The Milwaukee Brewers are in the thick of a NL Central division race with the St. Louis Cardinals and the team added a big bullpen piece last week when they acquired Jonathan Broxton from the Cincinnati Reds for two players to be named later. This week the team revealed that they were talking with the Tampa Bay Rays about acquiring David Price before the July 31 trading deadline. Talks never got far off the ground due to unwillingness to give up top pitching prospect Jimmy Nelson. The Brewers also announced a flurry of roster move activity this week when the team released RHP Hiram Burgos, designated for assignment Caleb Gindl, and added infielders Matt Clark, Hector Gomez, and Jason Rogers. Milwaukee ended the week announcing with a heavy heart that scouting director Bruce Seid passed away at age 53 for unknown reasons. Seid has been the team’s scouting director since the 2008 season and was also a crosschecker and scout for the team for 11 seasons before taking over the scouting director position.
9-4-14: Milwaukee’s quick West Coast road trip did not go so well. They dropped two out of three to
the Padres before being swept by the Giants this past weekend. That wrapped up a 13-14 month
of August, and the Brewers enter September two games back of St. Louis in the NL Central
standings with the Pirates close behind at just four games back. Overall, the Brewers have
dropped seven straight and are in serious danger of dropping out of the final wildcard spot in the
NL.
9-2-14: The Milwaukee Brewers attempted to beef up their offense and their first base production this week by claiming the Colorado Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau off revocable waivers. The Rockies pulled Morneau back off waivers and failed to reach an agreement with Colorado that would have allowed the team to let go of their 33 year old first baseman. Morneau is under a team friendly contract for 2015 worth $6.75 million and owns a mutual option for the 2016 season worth $9 million so an offseason trade may not be out of the realm of possibilities for the two clubs. The Brewers have gone 2-8 in their last 10 games and have relinquished the division lead to the St. Louis Cardinals as both teams currently have a 73-63 record. Milwaukee did add the Reds set up man Jonathan Broxton in a waiver claim trade to try and keep the Cardinals off their tails in the division race.
8-27-14: After winning five straight games, including a sweep of the Dodgers in Los Angeles, the Brewers lost three in a row this past week and have split two games with the Padres this week. Their division lead has been trimmed to just 1.5 games as a result. Mike Fiers continues to be excellent in August. He has gone 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA since replacing the injured Matt Garza in the starting rotation.
8-26-14: The Milwaukee Brewers added some depth in the minor leagues for the stretch run when they signed right hander Billy Buckner, formerly of the San Diego Padres. The Brewers are also more than likely going to push Rule 5 Draft pick Wei-Chung Wang’s rehab assignment to September so they do not have to return him to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Brewers selected him this winter in the Rule 5 Draft even though he had not pitched above rookie ball with Pittsburgh and predictably Wang struggled in Milwaukee’s bullpen this season. Wang ended up on the disabled list with shoulder tightness in July and has been rehabbing as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues. It is unclear if the Brewers will give him back to Pittsburgh, work him out in the starting rotation for the rest of this season and 2015, or stash him back in the bullpen for the remainder of 2014.
8-20-14: After splitting a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs last week, the Brewers made a statement this past weekend when they went into LA and swept the Dodgers. They beat to Blue Jays Tuesday to extend their winning streak to five games. Milwaukee is 7-3 in their last 10 games played and currently holds a 2.5 game lead on the Cardinals in the NL Central.
8-19-14: The Milwaukee Brewers learned this week that they would have to finish out the 2015 season without pitchers Tyler Thornburg and Jim Henderson. Thornburg will receive a PRP injection in his right throwing elbow and will look to avoid Tommy John surgery. It is looking more and more likely that Henderson will need shoulder surgery that will end his 2014 campaign. The Brewers have held first place for an impressive 136 days this season and are fresh off victories over the Dodgers co-aces Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. The team currently sits at 70-55 and owns a three game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central division heading into the final two weeks of August.
8-13-14: They've had their ups and downs this season, but the Brewers have had at least a share of the NL Central lead since the fifth game of the season. They currently hold a 1.5 advantage over the Pittsburgh in the NL Central and a three game lead over the Cardinals. They split the first two games of their series with the Cubs this week and finish out the week heading to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers.
8-6-14: Gerardo Parra snapped a tie with a homer in the seventh inning, which was his first hit since been acquired by the Brewers, and he recorded the final out of the Brewers 4-3 victory Tuesday night over the San Francisco Giants when a video replay review overturned a safe call at first base. The victory preserves the Brewers one-game lead in the NL Central over St. Louis.
8-5-14: The Milwaukee Brewers are in danger of losing control of their division lead in the National League Central and did very little at the trading deadline to help with that. The Brewers sole move was to acquire outfielder Gerardo Parra from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor leaguers Mitch Haniger and Anthony Banda. The Brewers are 61-51 and have a slim one game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central division. Milwaukee is 4-6 in their last ten games and is looking to hold off a Cardinals team that added a ton of pitching at the trading deadline. This is one of those division races that is likely to go down to the very last weekend of the season.
7-30-14: The Milwaukee Brewers asked about the availability of David Price this week of the Tampa Bay Rays. The problem for teams like Milwaukee wanting to acquire the ace left hander is the Rays have gone 9-1 in their last 10 games and are a mere four games out of the second wild card chase. The Rays are even creeping back into the discussion for the American League East division making them less likely to trade Price or second basemen/utility player Ben Zobrist. Milwaukee is considered to be a long shot to acquire Price and seem to be simply doing their due diligence by asking about his availability. The Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin has been aggressive and has little to show for it to date on the trading market.
7-28-14: Mark Reynolds played very well on Wednesday and Thursday to help the Brewers to victories on those days against the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets. He hit two home runs en route to helping Milwaukee complete a three-game sweep against the Reds. The Brewers pitching has been very strong recently, as it led the team to four wins in a row before Milwaukee’s loss on Friday.
7-24-14: Jonathan Lucroy’s walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning propelled the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 victory over the Reds Tuesday night. It was Lucroy's second homer of the game and his 11th of the season. It was his second career walk-off homer as both were against the Reds. Lucroy's average dipped from .341 on June 18 to .308 entering Tuesday night's game. Milwaukee had lost five consecutive series before beating the Reds in the first two games of this series. The Brew Crew had a narrow 1 ½ game lead over St. Louis in the NL Central.
7-21-14: The Milwaukee Brewers are in danger of losing their hold on first place in the NL Central for the first time this season. The Brewers currently sit tied with the St. Louis Cardinals with a 54-45 record. The Brewers are 2-8 in their last ten games while the Cardinals are 7-3 in their last ten making up a ton of ground. Milwaukee may not have help on the way either as GM Bob Melvin does not feel like he can make any major changes to the team. Melvin notes the lack of a spot to give a bat regular playing time and an unwillingness to give up major pieces for a reliever that will only throw 20-30 more innings for the rest of the season.
7-19-14: The Brewers showcased three starters on the National League All-Star team on Tuesday, and they started the second half of the season on a strong note. Milwaukee defeated the Washington Nationals, 4-2, on Friday behind seven innings of one-run ball from Kyle Lohse. Jean Segura, who left the Brewers last week after the death of his nine-month-old son, returned to the lineup for that game.
7-17-14: The Brewers looked like the best team in the National League for most of the first half, but they stumbled into the break at just 2-11 in their last 13 games. They've seen their 6 ½ game lead in the NL Central shrink to just one game. With the Cardinals, Reds and Pirates all within 3 ½ games of them in the standings, the Brewers have to right the ship to start the second half. As far was what they need to do at the deadline, Milwaukee will likely explore some smaller moves to add player depth.
7-15-14: The Milwaukee Brewers have traded Rodolfo Fernandez to the Oakland Athletics for $339K in international bonus slot money in a trade this week. The Brewers have been said to be in the market for international bonus cash since signing shortstop Gilbert Lara to a deal worth $3.2 million. The Brewers are only allotted $2.6 million before the deal and will need to find another trade or two if they don’t want to incur the penalties that come with signing over your international spending slot. The Brewers head into the All Star break with a 53-43 record and a one game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the division. The Brewers had three starters in this year’s All Star Game in Carlos Gomez, Jonathan Lucroy, and Aramis Ramirez in what has been a surprise season in Milwaukee.
7-14-14: The Brewers’ last two losses have been very hard to watch. After dropping their fourth consecutive game on Wednesday, Milwaukee tried to prevent a sweep on Thursday. Matt Garza was well on his way to helping the Brewers salvage the last game of their series with the Philadelphia Phillies with six no-hit innings. However, the Phillies scored nine runs in the final two innings to win, 9-1. Then on Friday, the Brewers held an early 6-0 lead against the St. Louis Cardinals, but allowed seven unanswered runs in the 7-6 loss.
7-10-14: Five runs in the first-inning will normally do the trick. However, giving up five runs in the second-inning will not. The Phillies rallied from a large early deficit to beat the Brewers 9-7. Milwaukee remains in first place in the NL Central despite losing three straight games and seven of their last eight played. Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, who has been bothered by a bad back, didn't play Tuesday night. The Brewers better watch out for the surging Cardinals who are only 3 ½ games back of Milwaukee.
7-7-14: The Brewers, who were a season-best 19 games above .500 after winning on June 28, are suddenly struggling on the road. They have dropped the first three contests of their most recent road trip, pushing their losing streak to four games. This is just the second time they have lost this many games in a row this season. Khris Davis, who has been one of Milwaukee’s best hitters this year, is nursing a shoulder injury, and it prevented him from playing on Wednesday and Friday.
7-3-14: The Brewers played a rare afternoon matinee game on Tuesday in Toronto, and came away from the contest scratching their heads. Toronto pitcher Drew Hutchinson fanned 10 in seven innings of work as he downed the Brewers 4-1. The Brewers had their four-game road winning streak end as the loss was just third time in 13 games Milwaukee has fallen on the road. Marco Estrada lost for the first time in three starts, allowing two runs and six hits in six innings of work He gave up two home runs has now allowed an MLB-high 26 long balls.
7-2-14: The Milwaukee Brewers have the most wins in Major League Baseball this season and lead the St. Louis Cardinals by six games at the end of June. The Brewers are said to be dangling infielder/outfielder Rickie Weeks in trades as the calendar is ready to change to July but have not received much interest yet. The Brewers have also not been considering an addition at first base and seem content with the duo of former New York Yankees Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds. While the duo has one of the worst WAR’s in all of baseball for first baseman the first base market is not exactly a strong one right now. The Brewers may be in the market for a relief pitcher as well this trading deadline to help bridge the gap to closer Francisco Rodriguez.
6-30-14: The Brewers, who are on pace for their most wins in a single season in franchise history, had yet another strong week. On Wednesday, Scooter Gennett launched a grand slam off Stephen Strasburg en route to the Brewers’ 9-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. Then, Ryan Braun hit very well on both Thursday and Friday to get the Brewers to the 50-win mark before any other team this season.
6-26-14: Ryan Zimmerman’s two-run homer in the 16th inning proved to be the difference as the Brewers dropped Tuesday night’s game 4-2, and have now lost two straight games. Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo allowed just one run, four hits and two walks with five strikeouts, in six innings of work. In his last four starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA. The Brewers were five outs away from victory when Anthony Rendon hit his 12th homer of the year for Washington off Will Smith in the eighth to tie the score at 2. Despite the loss, the Brewers still have a relatively comfortably 4 ½ game lead on St. Louis in the NL Central.
6-24-14: The Milwaukee Brewers are still holding off the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central division and have matched the Cardinals 7-3 record in the last 10 games. The Brewers sit at 47-30 through 77 games and have a 5.5 game lead in the division. The Brewers have been getting contributions from everywhere on the field but it’s their depth signings that have really helped with the turnaround, namely Zach Duke. Duke was signed on a minor league deal in January and has responded by posting a 1.57 ERA with a 53% groundball rate. Duke along with the signing of ace starting pitcher Matt Garza finally pushed the Brewers over the top and into contention.
6-18-14: Jonathan Lucroy’s two home runs, including a grand slam in the seventh inning, propelled the Brewers past Arizona by beating the Diamondbacks 7-5 on Tuesday night. The Brew Crew has now taken the first two games of the series against Arizona. Lucroy's slam in the seventh came on Brad Ziegler's first pitch after Diamondbacks reliever Evan Marshall was ejected for hitting Ryan Braun with a pitch. Kyle Lohse got the win for Milwaukee and improved to 8-2 on the year. The surprising Brewers hold a 3 1/2 game lead atop the NL Central.
6-17-14: The Milwaukee Brewers can do no wrong lately in their personnel decisions and are reluctant to call up top prospect Jimmy Nelson to pitch in the rotation for Marco Estrada or pitch out of the bullpen. Estrada has given up a league high 23 home runs this season already and the Brewers need pitching help if they want to hold on to their National League Central division lead. The Brewers also signed the 12th overall pick Kodi Medeiros to a contract worth $2.5 million plus $240K to help pay for college expenses. The Brewers saved roughly $310K with the signing as this was a below slot deal. Every penny helps Milwaukee as they went above slot for Compensation Round A pick Jacob Gatewood and second round pick Monte Harrison.
6-10-14: The Milwaukee Brewers bloggers better be prepared to use their spell check as the Brewers selected Kodi Medeiros with their first pick in the 2014 MLB First Year Players Draft on Thursday out of Waiakea High School in Hawaii. The Brewers also had a Competitive Balance pick in this year’s draft and drafted and already signed Jacob Gatewood for an over slot deal. Gatewood was the 41 overall pick for a slot of $1.4 million and Gatewood ended up signing for $1.83 million. The Brewers also drafted and signed their second round pick for an over slot deal when they agreed to a deal with Monte Harrison for $1.8 million. Harrison’s slot was worth $1.1 million so the Brewers now have to find over a million dollars to save in other slot deals before incurring penalties from Major League Baseball.
6-3-14: The Milwaukee Brewers have a decision looming as they have left handed pitcher Brad Mills excelling in Triple-A. Mills has an opt-out date of June 15 in his contract and has put up a 1.74 ERA in 57 innings, nine starts, for the Brewers Triple-A squad. The Brewers are still clinging to first place in the National League Central but not by much as the St. Louis Cardinals are right on their heels. At the time of this writing the Brewers have only a four game lead in the division. The Brewers have reinforcements coming back though with Aramis Ramirez most notably ready to come off the disabled list. The Brewers only issue may be that they lack any tradable pieces outside of Rickie Weeks on the big league club and in the minor league system if they need another piece to the puzzle this July.
5-28-14: The Milwaukee Brewers called up top pitching prospect Jimmy Nelson over the Memorial Day weekend to make a start for Yovani Gallardo in the rotation. The Brewers also let us all in a little on their plans for this year’s International signing period, the signing period they are expected to spend heavily on, by announcing they have a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 million ready for infielder Gilbert Lara. Aramis Ramirez should be back from his hamstring injury this week at home in Miller Park and Ryan Braun seems like he is finally healthy again and is hot with the bat. The Brewers need all the help they can get as their lead in the National League Central was down to 1.5 games entering the Memorial Day holiday.
5-21-14: The Milwaukee Brewers have given up the top spot in the National League to the San Francisco Giants but still continue to win and lead the National League Central division. The Brewers have a 3.5 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the division and currently have a 27-18 record three weeks through May baseball. The Brewers have been without Ryan Braun due to injury and Aramis Ramirez as well and have continued to win despite the injuries. The Brewers are 5-5 in their last ten games but have lost three in a row so the new car smell may finally be wearing off in Milwaukee.
5-15-14: The Milwaukee Brewers are still on top of the National League Central division and are still right in the discussion for the best record in all of Major League Baseball. Even without Ryan Braun, who just recently came off the disabled list, and Aramis Ramirez, who just recently was added to the disabled list, the Brewers continue to win. The Brewers took two out of three games from the New York Yankees in early May even though closer Francisco Rodriguez finally allowed his first run of the season, a Mark Teixiera solo home run in the ninth inning. The Brewers have also gotten more production than expected from Rickie Weeks and could make him available this trading deadline if a team is willing to take on his salary owed for this season. The top three in the Brewers rotation of Kyle Lohse, Matt Garza, and Yovani Gallardo has become quite formidable in the National League.
5-7-14: The Milwaukee Brewers still own the best record in all of baseball but seem to be coming back down to Earth a little in their last week or so. The Brewers had to place their best player in Ryan Braun on the 15 day disabled list with an injury and the on the field product has barely been .500 without him. The Brewers still hold a comfortable lead in the National League Central division though and are getting regular contributions from Jean Segura and Aramis Ramirez to name a few. The problem is the Brewers have little depth at all positions boasting one of the worst ranked farm systems in all of baseball. To remedy this issue the Brewers seem poised and ready to spend heavily on this year's international market and are willing to blow past the spending cap imposed by Major League Baseball. The Brewers need big time talent in the minor leagues to replace soon to be free agents like Aramis Ramirez and with an international draft looming this may be the Brewers last chance to make a big splash in their farm system.
4-28-14: The Milwaukee Brewers have the best record not only in the National League but in all of Major League Baseball this season after the first month of baseball in 2014. The Brewers were part of a benches clearing brawl with the Pittsburgh Pirates this month after Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole and Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez got into a verbal confrontation. Suspensions and fines were handed down to both sides as a part of the brawl. The Brewers did not let the brawl faze them as Gomez, Ryan Braun, and Aramis Ramirez continue to knock the cover off the ball and the Matt Garza led pitching staff continues to win games for the club. Closer Francisco Rodriguez is looking like the K Rod of old with the Brewers after a new found line of production for the club. Voting has opened up for the 2014 MLB All Star Game for this July so remember to vote your favorite Milwaukee Brewers into the game.
4-14-14: Raise your hand if you said the Milwaukee Brewers would be baseball’s best team after the season’s first two weeks. Put your hand down, liar! The Brew Crew is somehow 10-2 and currently riding a blistering nine-game winning streak after consecutive sweeps over the Red Sox, Phillies and Pirates. The starting pitching for Milwaukee has been phenomenal, led by Kyle Lohse, who allowed just one run on four hits in 8.2 innings against Pittsburgh on Sunday.
4-7-14: The Brew Crew have been one of the season’s pleasant early surprises at 4-2 after a rather surprising three-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway over the weekend. Yovani Gallardo has enjoyed scoreless outings in each of his first two starts of the season, including a 6.2-inning effort on Sunday. Aramis Ramirez is one of several Brewers off to a fine start at the plate, as he’s collected 11 hits in his first 25 at-bats of the year. Milwaukee will look to continue its winning ways Tuesday in Philadelphia.
4-1-14: Miller Park is known league wide as a hitters’ park, but runs came at a premium on Opening Day, as Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo narrowly got the best of Braves starter Julio Teheran. The Brew Crew struck for two runs in the 4th on a two-run double by Aramis Ramirez, accounting for the only runs on the afternoon. It was a pitching duel overall in Milwaukee on opening day, as both teams accounted for just 13 total hits.
3-27-14: The Milwaukee Brewers held a spring training competition this year for first base and third base and incumbent Juan Francisco has lost out on the competitions to Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay. The club has requested release waivers for the corner infielder and will be off the hook for his $1.35 million salary if he is claimed. The Brew Crew have also suspended extension talks with shortstop Jean Segura for now after failing to come to an agreement and being far apart in talks. The Brewers have informed Zach Duke that has he made the Opening Day roster and will break with the team out of spring training being added to the 25 man and 40 man rosters. Duke will join two other left handed pitchers in the Milwaukee bullpen as they try to fight for a National League Central division championship.
3-20-14: The Milwaukee Brewers have to be a little worried with the way their big fish free agent Matt Garza has pitched so far this spring. The Brewers gave Garza four years and $52 million and has seen him get lit up more than once this spring. Yovanni Gallardo has been named the Brewers Opening Day starter for the fifth time in his career and will be followed by the aforementioned Garza in the rotation. The Brewers are under .500 in the Cactus League this year and have a 4-6 record in their last 10 games and look to improve on that when the games actually count next month. Speaking of a cactus the Brewers brought in Francisco Rodriguez to pitch at the end of games in Milwaukee and the Brewers hope he has more success in the games than he did when he fought a cactus recently. K Rod is still pulling cactus spines out of his left foot after stepping on one with his barefoot in his backyard. Ouch.
3-14-14: Spring Training mascot Hank the Dog will find a new home in Milwaukee. The lovable stray will fly to Milwaukee this Sunday and become a permanent member of the club. It seems it's just a matter of time before a Hank bobblehead or official Hank pet jersey will become available. And he's already ran the sausage race during the team's practices.
3-13-14: The Milwaukee Brewers do not have as much to cheer about this spring as they have in seasons past and are struggling this spring training in the Cactus League. Ryan Braun looks good which is always encouraging for fans and Aramis Ramirez finally looks healthy, which can only help the team. The competition between Rickie Weeks and fellow shortstop Scooter Gennett is one worth buying a ticket and watching as it could cost Weeks not only his job but his Brewers uniform. The Brewers are also said to be dangling Ramirez and bench option Juan Francisco with the additions of former Yankees Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay all vying for the first and third base jobs. Competition is the word of Brewers spring camp and that is always fun for the fans, especially fans of prospects.
3-12-14: Ryan Braun closed a deal on his first endorsement since his suspension for breaking the MLB's anti-drug agreement. Braun's deal with upstart cleat company 3N2 is a shell of the huge contract he once had with Nike, but is still a step forward in the re-branding of Braun's damaged image.
3-11-14: Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke is taking full advantage of the MLB's new replay system. To date, he's challenged 5 calls during the Brewers spring training. Unfortunately for Roenicke, all 5 challenges were ultimately upheld by the umpires. Yovani Gallardo is expected to make the opening day start for Milwaukee. He also started Opening Day in 2012 and 2013.
3-5-14: News out of Milwaukee Brewers camp this states that the basement Aramaias Ramirez had successful surgery in mid February on is colon. In other news for the Brewers it was stated that Juan Segura will be the teams leadoff hitter to start the season. The Brewers are also looking forward to having they're all star right fielder Ryan Braun fully back from his suspension.
3-4-14: Ryan Braun has been impressive in Spring Training action with the Brewers. He currently has an .800 batting average with two singles and two extra base hits in seven appearances at the plate during the Spring Training session. Braun is getting accustomed to his new position in right field. The Brewers will have Ryan Braun bobblehead day during the March 27th game vs the Reds.
2-28-14: The Brewers have a new mascot – a stray dog named Hank. Named after the legendary Hank Aaron, the stray wandered into Brewers training camp on the 17th in Phoenix. Hank has taken turns staying at the houses of various Brewers employees, and has a custom made “Number 1” Brewers jersey.
1-24-14: In 2014 the Milwaukee Brewers will welcome back former MVP Ryan Braun as well as new starting pitcher Matt Garza who was signed yesterday to lead the rotation. These two players will have a big impact on the overall performance of the Brewers and should improve upon their win total from 2013.
1-7-14: The Milwaukee Brewers announced that superstar player Ryan Braun will move to right field for the upcoming season. The Brewers have also announced that scooter Gannett is going to be there starting second baseman in 2014. The Brewers look forward to getting a full year out of Ryan Braun as he attempts to leave the steroid scandals behind.
12-9-13: The Milwaukee Brewers have placed All-Star Ryan Braun's name in many trade rumors. After finally admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs Ryan Braun missed almost all of last year but is looking to bounce back in a major way. It was recently announced that pitcher Tom Gorzelannywill require surgery on his left shoulder but he hopes to be ready for the start of the 2014 season. There were more blemishes and bright spots last season for the Milwaukee Brewers as a finish 23 games out of first place and one only 74 games overall. Since losing Prince Fielder to free agency the Brewers have not made another appearance in the playoffs.
8/21/13 - After the big drop off after the first three positions in the National League Central division the Milwaukee Brewers find themselves 19.5 games out of first place and in fourth place. With Ryan Braun suspended for the remainder of the season the Milwaukee Brewers have continued to struggle last night the Brewers were able to pull off a win against the Cardinals behind Kyle Lohse who picked six innings and struck out four batters. Over the weekend the Brewers will travel to Cincinnati to face the division rival Cincinnati Reds.
8/6/13 - The Milwaukee Brewers are in last place and are 20.5 games out of first place. Ryan Braun is suspended for the remainder of the season due to his involvement with PEDs. This week the Brewers will face the San Francisco Giants.
7/23/13 - It was announced on Monday that MLB will suspend Ryan Braun without pay for the remainder of the 2013 season for violating baseball's Basic Agreement and its Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
7/19/13 - The Milwaukee Brewers are in last place and find themselves a long 19.5 games out of first. They have seemed to all but eliminate themselves from playoff contention by the all-star break. On Friday when play resumes they will take on the Miami Marlins who are also in last place. The Marlins are the only team with a worse record than the Brewers in the entire National League. One bright spot for the Brewers is the 23 year old short-stop Jean Segura. Segura is batting .324 with 11 homers in what is become his first full season in the majors. He was also selected to the 2013 National League all-star team. Segura has stolen 27 bags and has only been caught 5 times.
7/7/13 - Two Colorado Rockies were named 2013 National League all-stars. Outfielder Carlos Gomez and shortstop Jean Segura will both be making their first ASG appearances.
6/12/13 - It seems that the rejuvenated scrutiny to leftfielder Ryan Braun Has become an immovable object as the Milwaukee Brewers continue to struggle. Sitting in fourth place with only 26 wins the playoffs seem like a distant memory. The Brewers will have to start winning some series As they take on the Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds this week. The Brewers have a opponent run differential of -48, worst in the division. It will be interesting to see if centerfielder Carlos Gomez is having a career year or just a contract year. He is batting a career-high .316 with 11 homeruns and 33 RBIs He has also stolen 13 bases.
