Uncle Ron was throwing flags left and right, figuratively speaking

WP: Donovan Hand
LP: Francisley Bueno

HR: None

Gameday Box Score

On Pet Adoption Day at Marvyale, the Brewers had plenty more going on than Hank the Dog.  In fact, the game featured the Brewers' first-ever challenge, which was a loser.

In the first inning, Ron Roenicke challenged a non-call on a hit-by-pitch during Martin Maldonado's at bat.  The review process was actually pretty lengthy, but alas, Roenicke came up short, and the first inning was over shortly thereafter.

Not that it wasn't a productive inning.  The Brewers chased Royals starter John Lamb after recording just two outs, socking him around for four runs on four doubles by Mark Reynolds, Rickie Weeks, Elian Herrera, and, notably, Aramis Ramirez in his first spring at-bat.  Replacing John Lamb was ... no lie ... Sugar Ray!  Who popped Weeks up to end the inning.

Roenicke persuaded the umpires to review two more calls in the ninth.  The first was a safe call at first base in which replay showed Sean Halton off the bag; needless to say, Roenicke lost.  He also lost a challenge on a weird play in which Donovan Hand attempted to tag a runner and dropped the ball, which was picked up by the third baseman.

Marco Estrada allowed three runs over three innings in his third game of the season.  Norichika Aoki, who was traded to the Royals in the offseason for Will Smith, did most of the damage, singling in two runs.  Estrada struck out just one on the day.

Jim Henderson saw game action again and revealed his newly developed pitch, a changeup which he used to strike out Alex Gordon.  Henderson later said he would use it primarily against lefties to keep them from cheating on his mid-90s fastball.  Unfortunately, that was probably the highlight of Henderson's outing, as he allowed two runs to score on a walk and a pair of singles.

The Royals scored their go-ahead run in the ninth, but the Brewers answered.  Mitch Haniger continued his torrid spring with a double, and Jeff Bianchi singled him in.  Naturally, Sean Halton tried to bunt, but mercifully would up singling to left-center to put the winning run at 2nd.  Uncle Ron bunted again to put Bianchi at third base with one out.  Eugenio Velez intentionally walked to load the bases, which is probably the only time you'll ever read that sentence.

That left it up to catcher Robinson Diaz, who took a 1-2 fastball to left center for the comeback victory.

The Tribe takes on the Brewers in today's Cactus League action.

The Indians host the Brewers this afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark, with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 ET (an hour later than other games so far this spring). The game will be televised on STO in Ohio, the first game they've carried in more than a week. You can also find the Cleveland feed on MLB.TV.

Josh Tomlin is scheduled to start for the Indians, followed by relievers Bryan Price, John Axford, Marc Rzepczynski, C.C. Lee, and Travis Banwart. Tomlin is slated for 4 innings, which would be the longest appearance by an Indians pitcher so far this spring. He needs a strong showing this month if he's to make the 25-man roster, so it will be interesting to see how he does in a more extended outing.

Today's starting lineup:

1) Asdrubal Cabrera (SS)

2) David Murphy (DH)

3) Lonnie Chisenhall (3B)

4) Yan Gomes (C)

5) Mike Aviles (LF)

6) Jeff Francoeur (RF)

7) David Cooper (1B)

8) Matt Carson (CF)

9) Justin Sellers (2B)

Sort of an odd lineup, between Cabrera hitting leadoff, Aviles playing left field, and Matt Carson playing center. Starters have been playing 6 innings or so recently, so expect most of those guys to get 3 plate appearances before calling it a day.

Also, it's Elliot Johnson's 30th birthday today, so maybe if the game goes to extra innings like yesterday's contest, Francona will let him pitch the 10th.

----

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The Tribe's Cactus League record is now 9-1-1. Clearly that's an omen, but of what?!?!

The Indians won again Sunday afternoon, defeating the Brewers 4-2 at Goodyear Ballpark, and still haven't lost since their very first game of spring training, 11 days ago. There is basically zero correlation between spring training records and regular season success, but those wins are built on a number of players doing well, which is good to see. Looking especially good are the team's pitchers, who have combined to allow just 8 total runs in the last 4 games.

Josh Tomlin was responsible for the lion's share of Sunday's pitching, as he became the first Tribe pitcher to throw four innings this spring. He struck out 5, while walking only 1. Avoiding walks is nothing new for Tomlin (he led the AL in walk rate in 2011), but the strikeouts are uncharacteristic. He struck out the side in his final inning of work, including one of former Indian Mark Reynolds.

Following Tomlin, C.C. Lee, Bryan Price, John Axford, and Marc Rzepczynski each pitched a shutout inning. Axford and Rzepczynski both allowed a pair of base runners, but escaped. The Indians brought a shutout into the 9th inning, but Travis Banwart struggled, allowing hits to the first three hitters he faced (including two balls off the outfield wall), allowing Milwaukee to tighten the final margin of victory. When minor league camps open up next weekend, Banwart is likely to be among the first wave of cuts (though to be fair, that would have been true no matter how well he pitched, and top prospect Francisco Lindor could also be among the first cuts).

Asdrubal Cabrera led the offense with 2 hits (including a double) and a walk. Justin Sellers, an infielder the team acquired last weekend, also had a pair of hits, while Lonnie Chisenhall, Yan Gomes, Mike Aviles, and Matt Carson each had 1 hit.

(find the full box score here)

The Indians host the Angels at 4:05 ET on Monday. Until today, games had been at 3:05 ET every day, but because Arizona refuses to participate in Daylight Saving Time, games are now happening an hour later for the rest of us. Danny Salazar will make his Cactus League debut, and is scheduled for 2 innings. Instant replay will also be available in the game, a first for the Tribe this spring.

Here's a recap of the final spring training doubleheader of 2014.

Indians 4, Brewers 2

W: Josh Tomlin (1-0)
L: Wily Peralta (0-1)

HR: None

The Indians are one of the best teams in baseball this spring, and they stayed hot today with a 4-2 win over the Brewers. The game featured the Crew's first 2014 look at John Axford, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning while allowing a hit and a walk.

Wily Peralta picked up the loss following a rough outing where he allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over 3.1 innings. Wei-Chung Wang pitched two innings in this game and allowed an unearned run on three hits.

The Indians carried a shutout into the ninth inning in this game before Garrett Cooper drove home Hunter Morris with an RBI single and Hainley Statia plated a run on an RBI groundout.

Cubs 10, Brewers 8

W: Frank Batista (1-0)
L: Brad Mills (0-1)

HR: Justin Ruggiano (2)

The Brewers completed an ugly Sunday in their first visit to the new Cubs Park in Mesa, where eight runs were not enough in a 10-8 loss to their rivals from the north side.

Tyler Thornburg got the start in this game and worked four innings, allowing two runs on three hits over four innings, walking none and striking out two. He did give up a home run in the game. The Cubs did a fair amount of their damage against Hiram Burgos and David Goforth, who combined to allow six runs while recording just three outs in relief. The Brewers put up a five-run inning to take a brief 7-6 lead in the seventh, but Goforth's rough outing allowed the Cubs to retake the lead for good.

Lyle Overbay might have had the best offensive day for the Brewers without putting the ball in play: He drew walks in the second, fourth and sixth innings and scored a run in the game. Ryan Braun and Martin Maldonado also each had their second doubles of the spring.

Today was the Brewers' final split-squad day of the spring. They return to single-squad action at home tomorrow when they host the White Sox at 3:05 Central time.

There's definitely something weird going on at Cubs Park.

MESA, Arizona -- There's something about the seventh inning at Cubs Park. Remember the game last Wednesday? The seventh inning taking an hour with all kinds of weird occurrences?

It happened again Sunday during the Cubs' 10-8 win over the Brewers. The Cubs entered the seventh inning with a 6-2 lead, thanks for the most part to a two-run homer from Justin Ruggiano, a triple (generously scored, it probably should have been a double and an error) from Anthony Rizzo, another hard-smacked double from Javier Baez and two RBI from Junior Lake.

The seventh inning, again taking nearly an hour, featured:

• Five hits
• Four walks
• Three errors (and it should have been four; a ball lost in the sun was scored a hit)
• Nine runs, five by the Brewers giving them a 7-6 lead, then four more from the Cubs restoring them to the lead
• Many of those runs were off Brewers reliever David Goforth, who was busy multiplying walks (three) and runs (three)

Let's rewind to the beginning of another extraordinarily long (three hours, 32 minutes, the longest of the spring) game played on a day with unlimited sunshine and perfect baseball temperatures. The high sky was the likely culprit not only for the dropped fly ball described above, but for one that Brett Jackson couldn't handle in the last of the ninth. That loaded the bases... but wait, I said I was going back to the beginning.

Kyle Hendricks had a quick first inning but then ran into trouble in the second, issuing two walks; both runners scored on a double by almost-Cub Jeff Bianchi (you might remember he was on the 40-man roster for a month in the 2011-12 offseason). That tied the game after Ruggiano's first-inning homer, which followed a Matt Szczur leadoff single.

Let me again praise Szczur (sorry!). He's got a considerable skillset -- that single, good defense in the outfield, and he also laid down a nice sacrifice bunt in that ridiculous seventh inning. I would not mind seeing him make the 25-man roster as the fifth outfielder, depending on what happens with Mike Olt and Emilio Bonifacio in the infield.

The game actually sped along pretty quickly, with the Cubs adding a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth, until the seventh slowed it down. Pedro Strop, Jose Veras and Hector Rondon, all pitchers who will definitely make the 25-man roster, had good outings today, combining for three innings, allowing no hits, walking two and striking out two.

Ryan Sweeney ran into the wall in the top of the second chasing Bianchi's double; he left the game and is reported to be day-to-day with "soreness" in his right knee. It's really too bad, as Sweeney's progress to be a potential starter for this team keeps getting derailed by injuries.

Justin Grimm finished off the game with a save, but not before he allowed a bunt single, a walk and the ball that Jackson lost in the sun. He got a popup to second and a comebacker to end it.

Entertaining? Sure. But I'd love to see these games run just... a... little... shorter.

Today, I met Danny Rockett for the first time. He's in town to see spring-training games and also play a gig, which is going on tonight. Then he's heading to Vegas to see friends and the games there this weekend. Nice to share some time on the lawn with him. He seemed real happy to be out of the Chicago winter. Anything happen back there this winter?

Final baseball note: Heard today that the Cubs are spending some time this spring scouting major-league ready starting pitching. Make of that what you will.

Attendance watch: I had heard even before entering the park that the game was sold out. The "official" capacity of Cubs Park is 14,156, but they've already gone somewhat over that three times, including today. 14,770 paid to watch this game, breaking the previous Cubs Park and Cactus League attendance record of 14,680 set last Sunday. Total attendance is now 78,023 for six dates, an average of 13,004 per date.

Peculiar note: someone decided to turn the clock on the scoreboard at Cubs Park ahead an hour, despite the fact that Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Saving time. The tweet below was sent out at 11:25 a.m. MST:

AZ doesn't observe DST... but they changed the clock at @Cubs Park anyway (taken at 11:20 am MST) pic.twitter.com/4Cz23kjfsX

— Al Yellon (@bleedcubbieblue) March 9, 2014

By game's end, they still hadn't corrected this; the clock read 5:37 when the last out was recorded.

Monday, the Cubs travel to Scottsdale Stadium to face the Giants. Jeff Samardzija should become the first Cub starter to go four innings; he will face the Giants' Matt Cain.

We're trying to forget yesterday's split squad sweep and more with today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while setting a better example.

The Brewers played their final split-squad game of the spring season on Sunday and it didn't go well, as they dropped road games against the Indians and Cubs. We've got the recap, if you missed it.

Yesterday also featured a relatively rare spring road appearance for Ryan Braun, who was booed at Cubs Park by many of the same Cubs fans that have cheered Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, among others. Tim Brown of Yahoo was in Mesa and documented the experience.

Tyler Thornburg pitched four innings and got a no decision in the Cubs game, allowing two runs on three hits. He only allowed one home run in over 60 MLB innings last season, but has already surrendered three this spring. (h/t @Todd_Rosiak) Adam McCalvy talked to Thornburg about his uncertain role this spring.

Other notes from the field:

• The Brewers and Cubs set a new Cactus League single-game attendance record with 14,770 tickets sold on Sunday. (h/t @Todd_Rosiak)
• The Brewers got to see a couple of former teammates on Sunday, as John Axford pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Indians and Jose Veras worked a perfect fifth for the Cubs. They also faced Norichika Aoki and the Royals on Saturday.
• The Brewers also had instant replay available during Saturday's game and used it three times in their 7-6 win.
• Getting back to Sunday, the Cubs game was three hours and 32 minutes long, including a 56-minute seventh inning. (h/t @jstein1981)
• @joe_block took a picture of the field at the new Cubs Park, while @Todd_Rosiak took one of the longest clubhouse hallway you'll ever see.
• Tyler Dunne of the JS talked to Wily Peralta about improving the mental aspect of his game in 2014.
• Jim Henderson unveiled his new pitch, a changeup. He talked to Todd Rosiak about it.
• Adam McCalvy talked to Jimmy Nelson about his lone start in 2013 and his efforts to improve in 2014.
• McCalvy also has a story on the Brewers collecting funds for the family of John Hobbs, a Phoenix police officer killed in a shootout last week.

The Brewers return home today to host the White Sox at 3:05 Central time. Yovani Gallardo is expected to face Chris Sale.

After today's game the Crew has a day off before heading to Tempe to face the Angels on Wednesday. Kyle Lohse is expected to pitch in that game, and Adam McCalvy has a story on how Lohse has been encouraging starting pitchers to watch each other's bullpen sessions.

Yesterday's Indians game featured the end of an extended slump for Hunter Morris, who picked up his first two hits of the spring. The cold streak confirmed the suspicions of Dave Radcliffe of Reviewing the Brew, though, who says Morris has shown why he can't be trusted. Curt Hogg of Disciples of Uecker listed Morris as one of three Brewers whose stock has fallen in the early spring training games.

Lyle Overbay reached base three times yesterday, drawing three walks against Cubs pitchers. Over the weekend The Brewer Nation profiled him, Rickie Weeks and Matt Garza as part of their "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" series.

This weekend also featured the spring debut of Aramis Ramirez, who had a pair of hits against the Royals on Saturday. Justin Schutlz of Reviewing the Brew has Ramirez third in his ranking of NL Central third basemen.

Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado were both in action on Sunday, with Lucroy catching the Indians game and Maldonado serving as Tyler Thornburg's backstop against the Cubs. Over at Cream City Cables, Nathan has a preview of the Brewers catchers.

Francisco Rodriguez is still a few days away from making his Cactus League debut, but is expected to pitch in a game on Wednesday or Thursday. Over the weekend MGL on Baseball identified K-Rod as one of the pitchers who consistently outperform their peripheral numbers. Here's an explanation of the stats used.

In the minors:

• The Brewers' signing of Dutch catcher Milan Post is now official, and the 20-year-old is expected to play in rookie ball this season.
• Our community effort to rank the top prospects in the Brewers organization took an unexpected turn on Friday when the vote for #16 ended in a tie between Tucker Neuhaus and Wei-Chung Wang. Since those two players claimed the #16 and 17 spots, our 2014 rankings are complete.
• Marcus Young of Miller Park Prospects has a look at the Canadian influence in the Brewers organization.
• It's much too early to put much weight in mock drafts, but Matt Garrioch of Minor League Ball has the Brewers selecting South Carolina high school pitcher Grant Holmes with the #12 overall pick in his first projection.

Back in Milwaukee, work began late last night on renovations at the TGI Fridays inside Miller Park. It closed at 10 pm and won't reopen until Sunday at the earliest.

The Miller Park grounds crew also took the tarp off the field over the weekend as part of preparations for Opening Day, which is three weeks from today.

Today in previews, projections, power rankings and the like:

• Jacob R. Misener of Call to the Pen is optimistic about the 2014 Brewers, asking if Ryan Braun can lead this team into playoff contention.
• The Crawfish Boxes is on the other end of the spectrum, as they make a case for comparing the Brewers to the pre-rebuild Astros.
• Tyler Killian of the Arizona Republic talked to Ron Roenicke as part of his preview.
• Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs used projected WAR to list the NL Central as baseball's second weakest division.

If you weren't around the site this weekend you might have missed JP's weekly look at what we've learned over the previous seven days. There's a lot out there this week, so try to keep up.

Around baseball:

Cardinals: Signed infielder Matt Carpenter to a six-year, $52 million contract extension with a club option for 2020.
Diamondbacks: Signed pitcher Oliver Perez to a two-year, $4.25 million contract.
Mariners: Third base coach John Stearns has stepped down and been replaced by former minor league manager Rich Donnelly.
Padres: Claimed outfielder Alex Castellanos off waivers from the Rangers.
Royals: Released pitcher Brad Penny.

Donnelly, by the way, served as the Brewers' third base coach from 2003-05.

We've got a bunch of former Brewers stories today:

• It's possible the most interesting link in today's Mug comes from Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times, who talked to Corey Hart about his attempt to come back with the Mariners after missing all of 2013. In the story Hart admits to drinking too much and experimenting with drugs during his early years in the Brewers organization, and says he later "had to learn not to overindulge in stardom."
• Meanwhile, Randy Wolf's comeback attempt with the Mariners hit a rough patch on Friday when he allowed four runs in three innings. He has a 7.20 ERA this spring.
• Casey McGehee is faring a little better in his comeback attempt with the Marlins, as he homered against the Braves on Saturday.
• Jorge De La Rosa will be the Rockies' Opening Day starter.
• In the FanPosts, MrLeam revisited Rob Neyer's look at the all-time greatest Brewers lineup in 2003.

Elsewhere in spring training stories, you can add Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson to the list of people who have lost a windshield to a home run ball this spring.

Finally, with help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 1998-99 Brewer Bobby Hughes, who turns 43.
• John Cangelosi, 2007 inductee into the Appleton Baseball Hall of Fame, who turns 51.
• 1986-89 Brewer Mike Birkbeck, who turns 53.
• 1970 Brewer Wayne Twitchell, who would have turned 66. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.
• 1971-75 Brewer Johnny Briggs, who turns 70. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Plunk Everyone notes that Cangelosi's 31 plunkings are the most ever for a position player born on March 10, and Twitchell's 40 career hit batsmen were the second most ever for a pitcher born on this day.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find some water.

Drink up.

The first poll of the spring!

This week's poll features eight questions. It will remain open through the day Tuesday, with results scheduled to be posted on Wednesday. As always, please vote once.

He's the first pitcher to be cut from MLB camp this spring.

The Brewers opened spring training with 28 pitchers in camp, but today they're down to 27 as a former member of the 40-man roster moves on.

Moments ago the team announced they've released right handed reliever Michael Olmsted, a day after using him in relief in yesterday's loss to the Cubs. Olmsted had appeared in a pair of games this spring and allowed a single run on two hits and a walk over 1.1 innings, walking one and striking out one. He struck out the only batter he faced yesterday.

The Brewers signed Olmsted as a free agent and added him to the 40-man roster before the 2013 season despite the fact that he had pitched just 14 games above AA. He had experienced some pretty remarkable success in the low minors (a combined 1.52 ERA between High A and AA in 2012) but wasn't able to carry that success over to AAA Nashville, where he posted a 6.71 ERA over 49 outings.

The Brewers outrighted Olmsted off the 40-man roster in December, so this move has no major roster implications. It's more likely that the Brewers are giving Olmsted an opportunity to catch on elsewhere or look to pitch overseas.

There are still 27 pitchers in MLB camp and the Brewers are done playing split-squad doubleheaders for the spring, so it's likely more moves are coming soon. Minor league games start on Friday. Overall, the Brewers have trimmed their camp roster from 58 to 55.

Yovani Gallardo takes on Chris Sale as the Brewers return to TV.

Yesterday's pair of road losses dropped the Brewers to 6-7 on the spring, 4.5 games back of the Indians for the Cactus League lead.

They'll look to gain some ground at 3:05 Central time today when they send Yovani Gallardo (1.93 ERA this spring, 4.18/3.89 ERA/FIP in 2013) to the mound to take on the White Sox. Gallardo pitched 2.2 innings against the A's in his last appearance on Wednesday, allowing a run on three hits with a walk and four strikeouts. The Brewers are likely to try to get four innings out of him today.

Brewers release pitcher Michael Olmsted

Olmsted, a former member of the 40-man roster, is the first pitcher the Brewers have cut this spring.

The strikeouts last time out were a good sign for Gallardo, who has five K's in 4.2 innings this spring after striking out a career-low 7.2 batters per nine innings last season. The downside is that Gallardo wasn't able to finish the third inning without running into issues with his pitch count. Unfortunately, that's a familiar problem for him.

Gallardo has never faced the White Sox during the regular season, and no current members of the team have faced him before.

He'll face 24-year-old lefty Chris Sale (10.13 ERA this spring, 3.07/3.17 ERA/FIP in 2013), who is already a two-time All Star and Cy Young candidate. Sale got knocked around by the Padres on Wednesday, allowing six runs on six hits and a walk over 2.2 innings. He also hit a batter in that game.

Monday's Frosty Mug: Inching closer

If you missed it, check out Kyle's Monday morning roundup of all things Brewers.

Sale was the #13 overall pick in the 2010 draft, made his MLB debut later that same season and the White Sox have been riding him pretty hard ever since. They used him as a reliever in 2011, moved him to the rotation in 2012 and he's made 59 starts since, including 214.1 innings and an AL-leading four complete games as a 24-year-old last season. He throws a 92-94 mph fastball but relies heavily on his slider (nearly 30% of all pitches) and a changeup.

Sale didn't face the Brewers during the regular season in 2013, but did pitch eight shutout innings against them in a start in 2012. No current Brewers have faced him before.

Mike Vassallo has today's lineup:

Today's #Brewers lineup vs. White Sox in Maryvale. First pitch 3:05 CT on @fswisconsin! pic.twitter.com/gj2i8mnkOm

— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) March 10, 2014

Brandon Kintzler, Will Smith, Michael Blazek, Johnny Hellweg and Alfredo Figaro are all also expected to pitch today.

Try not to be surprised when today is another great day for baseball. Expect a game-time temperature around 75 to climb into the 80s during the afternoon. The wind is expected to swirl a bit, though, starting the game blowing from the east (in from right) but ending the game out of the west-by-southwest (out to center).

Adam Weisenburger's two-run home run ties the game in the 8th inning, but the White Sox rally in the 9th to win the game.

WP: Eric Surkamp (1-0)
LP: Michael Blazek (0-1)
SV: Charlie Leesman (1)

HR: Adam Weisenburger (1), Jordan Danks (1)

Box Score

What started out as a well-pitched game turned into a show of offense late, as the Brewers fell to the White Sox today 6-3.

Yovani Gallardo got the call to start the day, and he pitched well in his third spring start.  He went 3 1/3 innings, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out three.  His ERA for the spring dropped to 1.13 as a result of today's game.  Bradon Kintzler and Will Smith followed Gallardo, and only allowed a hit each.

On the other side, Chris Sale and company matched the early pitching of Gallardo.  Sale pitched 4 1/3 innings and only allowed two hits, while also striking out three.  David Pursey and Zach Putnam followed him with scoreless appearances as well.

Johnny Hellweg pitched the seventh and had a rough day, allowing three runs and four hits with only one strikeout.  The Brewers would respond quick, Sean Halton got the Brewers on the board in the seventh inning with an RBI single, and then Adam Weisenburger's eighth inning home run tied the game at three.  The Brewers wouldn't hold on to the lead though, as Michael Blazek allowed three runs in the ninth and the White Sox held on to win.

Aramis Ramirez made his second start of the spring, and it was not a good one for him.  He went 0-for-2 at the plate, and also committed two throwing errors.

The Brewers have a day off tomorrow, then return to action on Wednesday against the Angels.  Matt Garza will start for the Brewers, and the game will be televised.

Following today's game, the Brewers made eleven more roster moves, returning six players to minor league camp, optioning three to Nashville, and two to Huntsville. 44 players remain in camp.

Following a few roster moves last week and the release of Michael Olmsted earlier today, the Brewers made their first big round of roster moves after today's game against the White Sox.

The were first reported by Mike Vassallo this afternoon.  Here is the list of roster moves:

Returned to minor league camp:Kentrail Davis, Hector Gomez, Taylor Green, Mitch Haniger, David Goforth

Optioned to Triple-A Nashville:Hunter Morris, Jason Rogers, Jimmy Nelson, Ariel Pena

Optioned to Double-A Huntsville: Brooks Hall, Kevin Shackelford

None of these moves are very surprising, though some of these players may have had a chance to compete for a job.  With the roster moves, the Brewers now have 44 players remaining in camp (22 pitchers, 4 catchers, 12 infielders, 6 outfielders).  With the off day here and minor league games about to start, the timing was right for the first round of cuts to happen today.

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Yankees Prospects: Transcript of Jim Callis' Twitter chat
• Searching for realistic trade partners: are the White Sox or Brewers a fit?
• Yankees Prospects: MLB.com's top 20 list for 2014
• Making the case for Dellin Betances to begin 2014 in the Yankees' bullpen
• Yankees Injury Updates: Ryan, Turley, Teixeira, Austin, Sizemore, Heathcott, Ramirez, Rondon

Yankees News

MLB Trade Rumors | Mark Polishuk: A review of the Yankees offseason and what they still need to address.

NoMaas | SJK: The Yankees should pay Ichiro Suzuki to play elsewhere.

It's About the Money | Brad Vietrogoski: The Yankees are using strategy with their spring rotation.

Pinstripe Pundits | Chris Mitchell: A comparison between Mark Teixeira's and Lyle Overbay's abilities at first base.

It's About the Money | Michael Eder: Projecting what Preston Claiborne can do for the Yankees in 2014.

New York Post | Ken Davidoff: The battle for the fifth starter spot between Vidal Nuno, David Phelps, Adam Warren, and Michael Pineda is just one of the biggest going on in spring training.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: The Yankees are getting good production out of their relievers as they try to put together a bullpen.

MLB.com | Bernie Pleskoff: Which prospects can fill the Yankees' current needs?

Callis' Corner | Jim Callis: The 21-25 prospects according to MLB.com include Ty Hensley, Nik Turley, and others.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: The Yankees are looking to make Alfonso Soriano more versatile this season.

MLB Trade Rumors | Tim Dierkes: The only Yankees that are out of options are Francisco Cervelli and Ivan Nova.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: A Q&A with Carlos Beltran.

MLB.com | Jonathan Mayo: The Yankees are hopeful that they will have more success with their farm system in 2014.

ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews: It's too soon to declare one way or the other on CC Sabathia.

SB Nation | Justin Bopp: We were featured on How Dare We Enjoy Baseball!

We're watching a tumbleweed blow through Maryvale and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while rolling away.

The 25th day of spring training 2014 will feature a pretty quiet morning in the Brewers clubhouse as the team enjoys one of two scheduled Cactus League off days. Things will be a little quieter when they come back, too, because they thinned the spring roster a bit following yesterday's game.

All told, 12 players are moving on today. Here's the breakdown:

• First basemen Hunter Morris and Jason Rogers and pitchers Jimmy Nelson and Ariel Pena have been optioned to Nashville.
• Pitchers Brooks Hall and Kevin Shackelford have been optioned to Huntsville.
• Outfielders Kentrail Davis and Mitch Haniger, infielders Hector Gomez and Taylor Green and pitcher David Goforth, who were in camp as non-roster invitees, have been returned to minor league camp.
• Reliever Michael Olmsted, also in camp as a non-roster invitee, has been released.

With these moves the competition for the first base job is down to four players: Juan Francisco, Sean Halton, Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds. Derek revealed who he's rooting for in our Tweet of the Day:

I hope Francisco beats out Overbay for 1B so I can get someone to photoshop some Highlander screengrabs w/the quote "There can be only JUAN!

— Derek Harvey (@D_J_Harvey) March 11, 2014

Back on the field the Brewers picked up their third consecutive loss yesterday, dropping a 6-3 decision to the White Sox. JP has the recap, if you missed it. Yovani Gallardo, Brandon Kintzler and Will Smith combined to pitch six scoreless innings but Johnny Hellweg allowed three runs in the seventh and Michael Blazek gave up three more in the ninth to seal the team's fate.

Hellweg's rough spring continues, as he's now allowed six runs (including two homers) on eight hits and a walk in just three innings. Tom Haudricourt talked to Hellweg about his struggle to find control.

Other notes from the field:

• Ron Roenicke asked for replay of a call in the ninth inning after umpires asked him to do so to give them an opportunity to try out the replay system.
• Aramis Ramirez made his second start of the spring and struggled yesterday, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout and committing a pair of throwing errors. (h/t @Todd_Rosiak)
• Two of the Brewers' three runs in the eighth inning scored on a home run for minor league catcher Adam Weisenburger.
• Francisco Rodriguez is ready to start pitching in games and will make his Cactus League debut on Thursday.
• Todd Rosiak has another story on Wei-Chung Wang's surprising run to make the roster.
• ASU student Brendan Capria of the JS talked to Rob Wooten (and locker neighbor Zach Duke) about his intense focus on the North Carolina/Duke rivalry.

With the day off today you might find several Brewers out on the golf course. Today is the Bob Uecker Front Row Classic in Scottsdale, a tournament to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation.

Today would have been Kyle Lohse's day to pitch, but he's expected to throw in an intrasquad game Wednesday morning instead. Matt Garza will start when the Brewers travel to Tempe to take on the Angels. (h/t @Todd_Rosiak)

Rickie Weeks was off yesterday but may have gained ground anyway in the race to play second base on Opening Day, as Scooter Gennett went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts to drop to 2-for-21 with a team-leading seven strikeouts on the spring. Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com talked to Weeks about competing to keep his job.

Ryan Braun was off Monday but will presumably be back in the lineup on Wednesday. He spent his off day using one of the cheesier lines of the spring, telling Bob Nightengale of USA Today "I'm one of the league leaders in confidence." Yesterday John Perrotto of Sports On Earth discussed Braun's unwillingness to talk about the past this spring and looked ahead to his 2014 season.

Jean Segura started at short yesterday and went 1-for-3, raising his spring batting average to .318. Jim Owczarski of OnMilwaukee.com talked to him about life in his second full season in the majors.

Jonathan Lucroy also went 1-for-3 yesterday while catching Gallardo, but is still hitting just .208 on the spring. Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker is the latest to preview the Brewers catchers.

Segura and Lucroy will almost certainly spend full seasons in Milwaukee in 2014, but not all of their spring teammates are guaranteed that luxury. SB Nation Yankees site Pinstripe Alley wonders if the Brewers could be a realistic trade partner and considers the possibility of Rickie Weeks or Juan Francisco in New York.

Of course, sometimes the best move is the one you don't make. We spent much of the winter discussing Mets first baseman Ike Davis, who was seen yesterday wearing a walking boot in Port St. Lucie.

If you haven't yet, please take a moment today to vote in this week's Brew Crew Ball Tracking Poll. It will remain open through the day today and results will go up around noon tomorrow.

Around baseball:

Braves: Acquired pitcher Zach Stewart from the White Sox for cash.

One of yesterday's fun distractions was the Twitter debut of @MrMet, the Mets' baseball-headed mascot. Unfortunately it quickly got weird when Sluggerrr, the Royals mascot, used the occasion to hit on Mrs. Met. Undeterred, Mr. Met turned to Bernie Brewer for facial hair advice.

My favorite thing from yesterday, however, came from Fresno. The AAA Grizzlies announced they're planning on wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle uniforms for one game this season, and are letting fans vote to determine which turtle is represented. This is the closest I've ever been to wanting to go to Fresno.

Finally, with help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2013 Wisconsin Timber Rattler Mike Garza, who turns 24.
• 2008 Brewer Salomon Torres, who turns 42. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.
• 1998 Brewer Rod Henderson, who turns 43.

Plunk Everyone notes that Torres' 51 career hit batsmen are the second most ever for a pitcher born on March 11.

Today is also the 16th anniversary of an unusual transaction, as the Brewers took starter Ben McDonald back after trading the injured pitcher to the Indians earlier in the winter. We covered that anniversary in Today In Brewer History last year.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get rid of this.

Drink up.

Ray offers his top 20 NL only fantasy catchers for 2014, headed by Buster Posey. Check out where Devin Mesoraco, Jonathan Lucroy and Travis d'Arnaud rank for NL only leagues.

Now that we have completed our consensus position rankings for 2014, it is time to address rankings for those of you in AL only and NL only leagues. I will publish league specific position rankings each day, addressing one position at a time, starting with the NL only position rankings.

In case you missed them, below you will find links to all of our consensus position rankings and projections that we have published to date:

Catcher: Part 1| Part 2

First Base: Part 1| Part 2

Second Base: Part 1| Part 2

Shortstop: Part 1| Part 2

Third Base:Part 1| Part 2

Outfielders:Part 1| Part 2| Part 3

Starting Pitcher: Part 1| Part 2| Part 3

The catcher position appears to be deeper than I can remember. In NL only leagues, Giants catcher Buster Posey leads the pack, but his lead over the next 3-4 catchers is narrowing in my mind. Posey had a horrific second half of 2013 where he had just nine extra base hits in his 228 plate appearances. I imagine he will return to being the Posey of the first half, but I have some concerns.

if you don't get Posey, rest assured the next four NL catchers are just as good, or nearly just as good, as Posey at the plate. Rosario, playing in Coors Field, has more power and and has hit for a solid average in his first two seasons in the big leagues.

Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy had a terrific 2013 season, and he will be looking to build on his 18-59-82-.280 performance in 2014. He stands to have a good shot as he plays in one of the better hitters parks in baseball.

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is the catching version of Joe Mauer, as he hits with little power, but hits for a high batting average, 70-80 runs and RBI, which is pretty valuable. Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos had a great second half after returning from his knee injury, and displayed lots of power. He could hit 20 home runs if he plays 120-125 games this season.

If you are looking for a bounce back candidate at the catcher postion, then look no further than Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero. He slumped badly last season, but prior to 2013, he had two consecutive seasons of 15 home runs, 65 runs, 86-88 RBI and an average over .280.

Of the remaining NL catchers, three of them have breakout potential: Devin Mesoraco, Travis d'Arnaud and Yasmani Grandal. Mesoraco is the only one who hits in a hitters park, so I lean toward him over the other two.

Fantasy Rundown

If you are looking for fantasy baseball rankings, make sure you check out Fantasy Rundown, the only site you need for all of your fantasy baseball news and information

Big league starters generally need at least two, and often three, good pitches to succeed in the major leagues. But Reds left-hander Tony Cingrani baffled MLB hitters with largely one pitch—a four-seam fastball—during his rookie campaign. Can he keep it up?

Perhaps the single most important attribute that separates a successful major league starter from a reliever is the number of effective pitches that pitcher throws. Starters generally have at least two, and often three (or, in the case of Yu Darvish, six), quality pitches in their arsenal, while relievers rarely get by with more than two dependable pitches. Just how many solid offerings a pitcher has, then, is frequently a determining factor in whether he makes his living starting games or coming out of the bullpen.

This time-tested reality is what makes Reds starter Tony Cingrani so unique. Cingrani’s impressive stats and effectiveness during his rookie campaign belie what was an unusual means of attack for a major league starter. The 24-year-old threw a four-seam fastball 81.5% of the time in 2013, a higher mark than every other starter in baseball except for Bartolo Colon. Cingrani’s next most-frequent pitch was his changeup, which he threw in just 6.8% of his offerings last year.

Yet Cingrani finished with a 2.92 ERA over 104.2 innings, making 18 starts for the Reds in the process and posting a 28.6% strikeout rate, the highest among any rookie who threw at least 100 innings. The left-hander also compiled a 3.49 xFIP and a lowly .192 batting average against, generating weak contact and whiffs on a consistent basis during his inaugural big league season.

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How did Cingrani excel in the majors despite such an unvarying approach against opposing hitters? How did he depend—and succeed—upon a fastball that averaged a relatively commonplace 91.8 mph in 2013?

According to Baseball Prospectus’ Pitchf/x leaderboards, Cingrani’s four-seamer averaged 7.8 inches in horizontal movement last season. That mark ranked sixth-best among starters who threw the pitch at least 500 times. The movement on Cingrani’s fastball helped him post a 25.1% whiff/swing percentage on the pitch, the seventh-highest mark in baseball among starting pitchers.

The extreme movement on Cingrani’s four-seamer led to his dominance in the upper portion of the strike zone, with the left-hander frequently getting hitters to chase his fastball up and out of the zone. The zone chart below demonstrates how Cingrani generated the vast majority of his whiffs on pitches well above the belt:

Cingrani’s willingness to attack hitters with his fastball up was also on display in an August start against the Brewers in which Cingrani struck out nine batters over 6.1 innings. As the video shows, Cingrani’s four-seamer has a tendency to dart up and away to right-handed hitters, who rarely appear to see the ball well out of Cingrani’s hand despite the frequency with which he throws the pitch:

Cingrani’s success with the four-seamer came in a different manner than the strong performances of Colon and Shelby Miller, who both leaned on the fastball heavily last season as well. Whereas Cingrani threw his fastball up in the zone with regularity, Colon instead relied on pinpoint control and attacked the outside corners of the strike zone.

In addition, Colon’s four-seamer featured heavy vertical movement (rather than the high horizontal movement that Cingrani’s has), with Colon picking up more ground balls and weak contact than strikeouts with the offering.

Like Cingrani, Miller was unafraid to attack the upper portions of the zone, often garnering whiffs with his over-powering four-seamer:

But Miller’s fastball averaged 93.6 mph (nearly two more miler per hour than Cingrani’s), while the right-hander also had the luxury of depending on a strong curveball that enabled him to change speeds and alter hitter eye levels throughout the course of an at-bat and a game.

Heading into 2014, Cingrani’s ability to build on his rookie campaign will be a huge storyline for a Reds team battling for a playoff spot in the deep NL Central. Can Cingrani excel over the course of a full season with such a fastball-heavy approach? When hitters begin to adjust, what will Cingrani’s response be?

The answers to these questions will be pivotal for the Reds’ chances in the season ahead. Cingrani has shown his four-seam fastball can be highly effective, but can he really succeed in the majors without a second pitch to attack opposing hitters with?

...

All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs and Brooks Baseball unless otherwise noted.

Alex Skillin is a writer and editor at Beyond the Box Score and also contributes to SB Nation MLB. He writes, mostly about baseball and basketball, at a few other places across the Internet. You can follow him on Twitter at @AlexSkillin.

We'll be stopping in to talk Brewers with Downtown Ollie Burrows this evening.

The Brewers are off today, but that doesn't mean we have to stop talking about them. I'll be swinging by The Sports Den with Downtown Ollie Burrows on Sports Fan 100.5 in Wausau at 6:30 today to spend a segment talking about spring training and more.

You can hear Sports Fan 100.5 over the air if you live in north central Wisconsin, but if you don't you can listen in live online. If you can't catch it at 6:30 do not fear: I'll likely have the archived audio in tomorrow's Frosty Mug.

We're getting you ready for the resumption of Cactus League play in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while reading the greens.

It's the 26th day of spring training 2014, and the Brewers will spring back into action today after a Cactus League off day on Tuesday. The biggest news yesterday came from Bob Uecker's Front Row Classic golf tournament, which raised $35,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation.

Other notes from camp:

• Tyler Dunne of the JS talked to Lyle Overbay, Caleb Gindl and Eugenio Velez about struggling to overcome slumps.
• Jamie Eisner of MLB.com has a story on Khris Davis playing Cactus League baseball in Arizona two decades after his father moved the family to Arizona to take a job in the Mariners organization.
• The Brewers Tumblr has a picture of Hank on the golf course with Bill Schroeder.

The Brewers return to action in Tempe today when they'll send Matt Garza to face the Angels at 3:05 Central time. Today is actually Kyle Lohse's turn in the rotation, but he's pitching a minor league intrasquad game this morning to keep everyone as close as possible to normal rest. (h/t @MikeVassallo13)

Ryan Braun will likely be in the lineup in Tempe, and he's sporting new footwear this spring. ESPN reports Braun has signed his first endorsement deal since his 2013 suspension, a contract with cleat manufacturer 3N2. Braun had previously worn Nike cleats until the company dropped him last August.

After a break yesterday positional battles will resume at first and second base today. At Disciples of Uecker Curt Hogg has a preview of the Brewers first basemen, and Jonathan Judge looks at second base.

A fair amount depends on who wins those jobs, but it's probably safe to assume the Brewers won't have defensive standouts playing the right side of the infield on most days in 2014. At The Outside Corner Jaymes Langrehr says infield defense and an inexperienced bullpen are the Brewers' two biggest weaknesses entering this season.

Jim Henderson is the closer for that inexperienced bullpen, although much has been written about the new pitch he's working on this spring. Jason Collette of FanGraphs says "adding a new pitch" is the new "best shape of his life."

Marco Estrada continues to slot into one of the final spots in the rotation, and will likely get the start when the Brewers face the Padres tomorrow. Ben Tannenbaum of The Brewers Bar looks at Estrada's tendency to give up fly balls and how that can get him in trouble in spring training.

The Brewers will be back on TV on Friday, Saturday. Monday and Tuesday, but they'll have to do at least some of those games without Brian Anderson: He's been assigned to call both of Tuesday's "First Four" games in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

In the minors:

• Reviewing the Brew has a look at the top 15 prospects in the Brewers organization, led by Jimmy Nelson.
• Also at Reviewing the Brew, Jay D asks if the farm system is as barren as the experts say.
• Chris Mehring of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers has a look at the foreign countries who have contributed the most players to Wisconsin. Surprisingly, Canada is only third.
• At Rattler Radio Mehring has a look at the home runs Mike Walker hit as a member of the Timber Rattlers in 2011. Walker played for the Huntsville Stars in 2013.

Back in Milwaukee, it looks like the sales tax being used to pay for Miller Park may be around a little longer than previously predicted. TMJ 4 has a report saying the tax is now expected to sunset sometime between 2018-2020, as compared to an earlier 2017 projection.

If you'd like more Brewers coverage today but you're sick of reading, my Tuesday appearance on The Sports Den with Downtown Ollie Burrows on Sports Fan 100.5 in Wausau has been archived. My spot starts at around 1:28:30 in the audio.

Around baseball:

Astros: Released first baseman Brett Wallace.
Braves: Signed pitcher Ervin Santana to a one-year, $14.1 million deal and announced that pitcher Kris Medlen may open the season on the DL with an elbow injury.
Rockies: Pitcher Jhoulys Chacin is likely to open the season on the DL with a shoulder strain.

Today in former Brewers:

• Mike Olmsted, who was just released by the Brewers on Monday, has returned to the Red Sox on a minor league deal. (h/t @Mass_Haas)
• Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post talked to Casey McGehee about how being back in the US with the Marlins has made life easier for his family.
• Norichika Aoki got hit by a 97 mph fastball yesterday and actually may have been lucky it wasn't faster.
• CC Sabathia's velocity is down this spring, and Pinstripe Alley asks when it's appropriate to start worrying.
• Dave Cameron of FanGraphs used some math to predict the price tag for several 2015 free agents, and has J.J. Hardy getting somewhere between four years, $56 million and six years, $93 million.

I've got a pair of favorite statistical notes today: First, Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs has a look at Mets infielder Daniel Murphy's baserunning and crowns him baseball's speediest player without speed. Second, Jeff Wiser of Beyond the Box Score has numbers to suggest that NL teams prioritize getting offensive production from their catcher more than AL teams do.

Earlier this week I mentioned a creepy Twitter interaction between Mr. Met and Royals mascot Sluggerrr. Apparently the AL Central is the creepy mascot division, because NJ.com notes similar things have happened with White Sox mascot Southpaw and Indians mascot Slider.

Finally, with help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday today to:

• 2011 Brewer Frankie De La Cruz, who turns 29.
• 1997 Brewer Greg Hansell, who turns 43.
• 1991-95 Brewer Mike Ignasiak, who turns 48. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.
• 1977 Brewer Jimmy Wynn, who turns 72. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Today is also my wife's birthday, and while she stopped reading the Mug years ago this seems like an appropriate space to acknowledge it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to throw it again.

Drink up.

The BCB #7 prospect allowed six runs in three innings this spring.

The Brewers trimmed their spring training roster a little further this morning, optioning pitcher Johnny Hellweg back to AAA Nashville. Hellweg had made three appearances in major league games this spring and struggled pretty mightily, allowing six runs on eight hits in just three innings. Two of those hits were home runs.

Hellweg joined the Brewers in the 2012 Zack Greinke trade and had a pretty good season in the minors, posting a 3.14 ERA over 24 starts between Nashville and Wisconsin. His peripheral numbers told a different story, however, as he walked over five and a half batters per nine innings. In 30.2 big league innings his control problems really reared their head, as he walked 26 batters and hit eight more with pitches.

Earlier this spring the Brew Crew Ball community selected Hellweg as the #7 prospect in the organization. He's still only 25 years old, but he'll be out of options in 2015.