Prince Fielder is expected to play in these two teams' final meeting until 2015.

The Brewers haven't had a winning spring since 2011. That season worked out all right. With an 11-12 record and six Cactus League games remaining, they have a chance to do it again in 2014.

Today they'll visit Surprise(!) to take on Tanner Scheppers (3.12 ERA this spring, 1.88/3.74 ERA/FIP in 2013) and the Rangers at 3:05 Central time. Scheppers is making his fourth appearance of the spring and his first since last Friday, when he pitched four innings against the Reds and held them to two runs on three hits over four innings. He walked two and struck out five in that outing.

Scheppers is 27 and was the Rangers' supplemental round pick in the 2009 draft after falling down many teams' draft boards due to injury concerns. He's pitched slightly more than 280 innings over four and a half professional seasons since (around 62 per year), but has been effective when healthy. Last season the Rangers used him in 76 games as a reliever and he posted a 1.88 ERA. He has a mid-to-upper 90's fastball and a slider to contend with.

Scheppers made two relief appearances against the Brewers last season and worked two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. No current Brewers have faced him more than once.

He'll face Brewers Opening Day starter Yovani Gallardo (2.77 ERA this spring, 4.19/3.89 ERA/FIP in 2013) in his second-to-last spring training tuneup. Gallardo worked five innings against the Diamondbacks on Sunday and allowed three runs on seven hits, walking none and striking out two.

It seems likely that this will be Gallardo's last extended outing of the spring. Assuming all goes well today, he'll probably pitch a shorter outing in his final appearance before getting the ball on Opening Day. He's still only recorded more than ten outs in one game in the Cactus League, though, so it's possible he'll need more work.

Gallardo went to high school in Fort Worth, Texas but has pitched against the Rangers during the regular season just once in his career, in a start in 2010. Two current Rangers have faced him ten times or more:

Mike Vassallo has today's lineup, featuring Ryan Braun for the first time since Tuesday:

Today's #Brewers lineup vs. Texas in Surprise. First pitch 3:05 CT. Webcast on http://t.co/zg3WAmjtKu. pic.twitter.com/1KnonS6MSC

— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) March 21, 2014

Meanwhile, Prince Fielder is expected to play for Texas.

The weather is nice again. Game time temperatures in the 70's expected to climb into the 80's, just like every other day.

Where Prince Fielder playing against his former team for the first time is a Spring Training story

Tanner Scheppers makes what could amount to the most important start of his young career. No pressure or anything.

#RangersST lineup vs. MIL: Choo DH, Wilson SS, Fielder 1B, A. Beltre 3B, Rios RF, Soto C, Profar 2B, Choice LF, Martin CF, Scheppers P

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 21, 2014

Go Rangers!

Carlos Gomez's sick is a new shirt.

The Brewers are going to sell a new shirt that celebrates Carlos Gomez's hard-nosed style of play. The guy likes to get dirty, apparently, and that's a compliment for almost every player, Shane Victorino and Pat Burrell excepted.

But there's something about this shirt that I can't quite put my finger on ...

Close up, it probably doesn't look like vomit. In that picture, it looks like vomit. Big, chunky, severed-finger-in-the-chili vomit. And I don't think that's what they're going for.

It looks even vomitier when he doesn't smile. I can't wait for the Chris Perez shirt.

(via Reddit)

It's pretty hard to commit five errors and win.

W: Tanner Scheppers (1-1)
L: Yovani Gallardo (0-1)
S: Aaron Poreda (1)

HR: Prince Fielder (3)

Box Score

If you needed a reminder that the Brewers really miss Prince Fielder, odds are you got it today. Fielder hit his third home run of the spring and drove home two runs, powering the Rangers to a 7-5 win on Friday. It was one of his two hits in the game, and he scored two runs.

Meanwhile, two of the Brewers' likely replacements for Fielder, Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay, had days to forget. Reynolds went 1-for-3 and scored a run but also committed two fielding errors at third base in the game, his first of the spring. Lyle Overbay went hitless in three at bats and also committed a fielding error. All told, the Brewers had five defensive miscues in the game.

Those mistakes contributed to three unearned runs for Yovani Gallardo, who needed 96 pitches to complete 5.1 innings. Overall he allowed four runs (one earned) on eight hits, walking none and striking out four. He's likely fully stretched out at this point, with one start remaining before Opening Day.

In other news, Ryan Braun returned to the lineup today after missing two games due to illness and went 1-for-3 with a double. He drove in a run and scored in the game.

With the loss the Brewers have fallen back to two games under .500 at 11-13. They'll return to Maryvale tomorrow to face the Angels, with Kyle Lohse starting against Joe Blanton at 3:05 Central time.

The move adds a fifth and potential sixth year to his tenure in Milwaukee.

Ron Roenicke was entering the 2014 season as a lame duck manager with the Brewers, as his contract was set to expire following the World Series. That's no longer the case, as the Brewers have exercised his club option for 2015 and added a club option for 2016.

Roenicke is the 16th manager in franchise history (not counting interims Dale Sveum and Roy McMillan) and is sixth on the franchise's all-time list with 486 games at the helm. This season he'll likely pass Del Crandall for fifth on that list, and in 2015 he would pass George Bamberger for fourth. His .521 winning percentage is the third best in franchise history among managers who have covered at least a full season, trailing only Harvey Kuenn (.576) and Buck Rodgers (.549).

Roenicke is 20 games over .500 in three seasons as the Brewers' manager, largely because of a 96-66 campaign in his rookie season in 2011. He's one of two managers ever to lead the Brewers to a division championship in a non-strike-shortened season, and also one of two ever to win a postseason series.

This season Roenicke will manage his 528th game, meaning he'll have managed more games in the big leagues than he appeared in as a player. He was a major leaguer for eight seasons between 1981-88 as a member of six teams.

With this extension, Roenicke and general manager Doug Melvin both have contracts that could expire following the 2015 season.

In between the first two games of the regular season, we have a little detour back into Cactus League baseball.

In case you missed it, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks opened the 2014 regular season in Australia early this morning with a 3-1 LA win. They'll play the second game of the season tonight. That makes this game seem about as small and insignificant as I usually feel after watching Cosmos.

Nonetheless, the Brewers are back home for one of their final games in Maryvale today with Kyle Lohse (7.27 ERA this spring, 3.35/4.08 ERA/FIP in 2013) on the mound against the Angels at 3:05 Central time. Lohse is making his fourth Cactus League start of the spring and his first since getting roughed up against the White Sox on Monday and allowing five runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings.

We've long established that most spring training results are no big deal, but the way Lohse struggled on Monday was curious, at the very least. Lohse's calling card has always been his control (his 1.63 walks per nine innings last season was actually up a little from 2012), but he walked two batters and hit another during his rough fourth inning Monday. The sudden loss of control was a little jarring, and hopefully we won't see it again today.

Lohse last faced the Angels on September 1 of last season, holding them to a single run on seven hits over six innings in a game the Brewers went on to lose 5-3. Four current Angels have seen him ten times or more:

He'll face 33-year-old right hander Joe Blanton (6.75 ERA this spring, 6.04/5.12 ERA/FIP in 2013), who is following up a rough 2013 season with a rough spring training. 2013 was Blanton's first year with the Angels and he posted a 6.04 ERA over 132.2 innings, finishing with a 2-14 record and a full two home runs allowed per nine innings. He pitched 5.1 innings against the Cubs on Monday and allowed three runs on four hits, walking two and striking out one.

Blanton has a 5.23 ERA in 70 appearances over the last three seasons, which he's split between three organizations. He's been very good at limiting walks during that time (1.9 BB/9), but has negated that fact by giving up a ton of home runs (1.6 HR/9). He finished fifth in the AL with 29 long balls allowed last season despite only pitching about two thirds of a season.

Blanton has faced the Brewers five times in his career, but not since 2011. Two current Brewers have faced him ten times or more:

Both Braun and Weeks are in the lineup today:

Today's #Brewers lineup vs. Angels in Maryvale. First pitch 3:05 CT on @fswisconsin and @620wtmj. pic.twitter.com/yqCQhzfWaS

— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) March 22, 2014

The weather is nice in Phoenix again today. I'm getting to the point where I'd like to see it rain or something just for variety.

The journeyman outfielder will have to find another Tribe to join for his sixth professional team after being released Saturday afternoon.

The long and winding road that has been Jeff Francoeur's career will come to yet another exit ramp, as the 30-year-old slugger has been released by the Indians, according to reports out of spring training on Saturday afternoon. The Indians would have been Francouer's sixth team in a 10-year career, but with the team's crowded outfield, the well-liked right fielder and his prodigious arm will have to find another place from which to throw out unsuspecting runners.

Francoeur's career stats have never lived up to the potential of his rookie season and its accompanying magazine cover proclaiming him The Natural. However, he's seen by many as a quality contributor in the clubhouse and a "class act" by reporters. which may help him find another place to hang his hat. Or glove, or whatever it is that guys with laser rocket arms hang in places they are briefly staying.

Torrealba wants out of Anaheim

It appears current Los Angeles Angels backup catcher Yorvit Torrealba will seek his release from the team if he is asked to play in the minors. According to tweets from MLB's Alden Gonzalez, the catcher will "wait for [an] MLB opportunity", perhaps similar to his backup catching job as a member of the Rockies last season.

Now 35 years old, Torrealba originally signed with the San Francisco Giants as a 16-year-old catcher out of Venezuela. From there, he spent seven years working his way up to spot duty as the backup catcher to San Fran stalwart Benito Santiago. The team subsequently replaced Santiago with A.J. Pierzynski instead of Torrealba, leading him on the sojourn that would define the next phase of his career.

If the backstop ends up leaving the team slightly more than a month after signing, whoever picks him up will be his eighth team in the 14th year of a career that unfortunately appears to be in its twilight.

Milwaukee exercises option on manager Ron Roenicke

The news isn't all bad (or nomadic) this Saturday, though, as the Brewers have announced that the team has picked up the 2015 option for manager Ron Roenicke and added an option for 2016, according to Mike Axisa of CBS Sports.

Adding security for the skipper past this year may come a surprise to some, considering that Milwaukee finished 14 games under .500 last season. However, it appears the team is choosing to focus on the first two years of Roenicke's tenure, which included an appearance in the NLCS in 2011 and a solid third-place NL Central finish in 2012.

"In picking up the option for 2015, it shows our confidence in having Ron lead this team on the field," the team said in a statement. "Last season was a difficult one, and Ron provided critical leadership with confidence and assurance that the Brewers can get back to the postseason."

Whether the team can bounce back from their tumultuous 2013 campaign, which was underscored by Ryan Braun's self-perpetuating steroid saga, is difficult to predict. But it appears that the team feels that if anyone is capable of leading it back into contention, it's Roenicke.

A chance to even things up with a division rival on the spring.

The Brewers have just four games left in Arizona before heading north to open Miller Park. Two of them are in Maryvale but the other two, including today's contest, are at the Reds and Indians' shared complex in Goodyear.

Today at 3:05 they'll face their division rival Reds with Mike Leake (3.00 ERA this spring, 3.37/4.04 ERA/FIP in 2013) on the mound. Leake is making his fourth start of the spring and his first since Monday, when he held the Indians to a run on three hits over four innings with no walks and six strikeouts.

Strikeouts aren't typically a big part of Leake's game: He's averaged less than six K/9 for his career and posted more than six in a game just twice last season. That's a big part of the reason his FIP was significantly higher than his ERA last season. He throws a fastball around 90 but works in a lot of cutters to go with his curve and changeup.

Leake faced the Brewers twice last season and had mixed results: He pitched 8.1 innings in a start in July and allowed two runs on four hits, but lasted just five innings in a game in August and allowed four runs on nine hits. Four current Brewers have faced him ten times or more, but one of them is currently in roster limbo:

He'll face Matt Garza (19.06 ERA this spring, 3.82/3.88 ERA/FIP in 2013) in a start where anything could happen. Garza pitched in a minor league game his last time out and last appeared in a Cactus League game against the Angels on March 12, where he allowed ten runs (six earned) on nine hits in just 1.2 innings.

For what it's worth, Garza's poor springs do appear to be a career trend. He's posted an ERA of 5.50 or more in four of the last five seasons, including a 10.38 mark in his first season with the Cubs in 2011. He went on to make 31 starts that season, post a 3.32 ERA and strike out nine batters per nine innings, the best mark of his career.

Garza faced the Reds twice last season and struggled, allowing 13 runs on 13 hits and six walks over just nine innings. Four current Reds have faced him ten times or more:

Mike Vassallo has today's lineup:

Today's #Brewers lineup vs. Cincinnati in Goodyear. First pitch 3:05 CT. Webcast on http://t.co/zg3WAmjtKu. pic.twitter.com/faAwUd8cGZ

— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) March 23, 2014

As usual, it's cold in Wisconsin and warm in Arizona.

***

And Matt Garza was good too!

W: Matt Garza (1-2)
L: Mike Leake (0-1)

HR: Jonathan Lucroy (2)

Box Score

I don't know what the Brewers had for a postgame meal on Sunday, but it'd be understandable if they went to In-N-Out Burger for a double-double. The team combined for seven doubles in a 9-1 win over the Reds this afternoon.

The most notable offensive day may have come from Lyle Overbay, who learned he'd made the team less than 24 hours earlier. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles in the game, scoring a run and driving one in. He entered the game with just four hits on the spring, and these were his first of the extra-base variety. Logan Schafer also had two doubles in the game, and Scooter Gennett had his fifth of the spring. The Brewers haven't had seven doubles in a regular season game since April 22, 2000.

That was more than enough offensive support for Matt Garza, who turned in a reassuringly solid performance in one of his final spring outings. He pitched six innings today and allowed a single run on four hits, walking two and striking out six. The outing lowered his Cactus League ERA to 10.03.

The Brewers are now back to 12-14 on the spring with three games left to play in the Cactus League. They're off Monday before returning home to host the Giants on Tuesday.

10/10 Tribe players agree: Terry Francona is the leading cause of winning culture. Ask your doctor if Tito™ is right for you.

T-minus one week until Opening Day! Should be just enough time for me to finish up the new InFamous so I'm distraction-free. Here are your news and links for the day:

Indians news

Francona teaching Tribe to win

Sports on Earth examines what Terry Francona has done to bring a "winning culture" to Cleveland. We can and have argued for days about the value of managers in MLB, and we can go back-and-forth about "intangibles," but it's hard to escape the feeling that there really is something special about Francona. SoE points out that Tito may be the best in the game at keeping players happy over the course of a grueling season. To me, this is what sets him apart from Manny Acta, who has a great baseball mind, but couldn't seem to make that personal connection with his players. Current Tribe player are in universal agreement on Francona's positive influence. The dude is playing the long game, and somehow, he still found a way to (sort of) win the short game.

#5 starter/final roster spot

As Jason wrote yesterday, the Indians have informed Aaron Harang than he won't be making the Opening Day roster. Bastian reports Chris Antonetti, Mark Shapiro, and Tito Francona's thoughts on the race for the last roster spot. Carlos Carrasco is "in the mix," but Josh Tomlin seems to have impressed the FO the most. Regarding Trevor Bauer, Tito notes that the Tribe is "looking at the big picture," which sounds like a nice way of saying Bauer has no chance. The way things are shaping up, the smart money is on Tomlin for the #5 spot and Carrasco in the bullpen.

The third base situation

Terry Pluto sends some mixed signals about third base, saying he thinks Carlos Santana will "open the season" as the Indians third baseman, but that he would play there "at least a few times a week." So, he's a third baseman, but not the third baseman. Terry Francona is positive about Santana:

"He looks like a third baseman. He has earned our trust."

Pluto isn't sure if Lonnie Chisenhall ends up in the minors or not, but suspects Mike Aviles would play 3B on days Santana catches, plays 1B, or DH.

Kipnis not talking extension

Just like Justin Masterson before him, Jason Kipnis has chosen to focus on his playing rather than his contract extension talks. Unlike Masterson, there hasn't been so much as a rumor that either side has made a move in the negotiations. Kipnis also has some boilerplate comments about the failed discussions between Masterson and the Tribe. I suspect it's impossible, but I'd love to get a bit more insight into how the failed negotiations went over in the clubhouse.

Klubot's creaking gears need oil

Terry Francona is chalking up Corey Kluber's recent struggles to "fatigue" issue, which is apparently a common thing during Spring Training. This is one of those things that I guess as an outsider, is difficult to understand. It's strange to thing pitchers get more fatigued after a few innings in Spring Training than hundreds of innings during the season. Either way, neither Francona nor Kluber seem to be too concerned - Klubes says he's still feeling good.

Tidbits from around MLB

Detroit mulled Vizquel comeback | ESPN - The Tigers, half-jokingly (but 100% hilariously) considered bringing Omar Vizquel out of retirement as a platoon SS.

Profar to miss 10-12 week | Twitter (Dennis Lin) - Texas is also down a key infielder, as Jurickson Profar will miss at least the first few months of the season with a torn teres muscle.

Ortiz signs one-year extension with Red Sox | CBS Sports - One year, $16 million for David Ortiz' 2015 season. He'll be 39 years old.

Mattingly annoyed by Puig | ESPN LA- Dodgers coach Don Mattingly is apparently annoyed by Yasiel Puig's repeated minor injuries. Here's more ammo for all those "he doesn't play the game the RIGHT way" arguments.

Nats star Desmond turns down big contract | CBS Sports - DC offered their star SS Ian Desmond a contract in the neighborhood of 7 years/$90 million.

Sandoval wants 5 years/$90 million | SF Chronicle - Pablo Sandoval wants "Hunter Pence" money. I'm not up on my NL knowledge, so can anyone tell me if Desmond and/or Sandoval are insane?

LGFT Reynolds makes Brewers roster | Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel - Mark Reynolds with platoon at 1B with Lyle Overbay. Go Mary!

We're talking about the end of the first base competition and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while getting upset.

Today is the 38th day of spring training and the clubhouse is starting to clear out in Maryvale. This morning's most notable absence will be a first baseman, as Juan Francisco cleaned out his locker on Saturday and is reportedly on waivers. Francisco hit .345/.500/.731 in 13 games this spring but that wasn't enough to overcome his .221/.300/.433 line from last season. Mark Reynolds and Lyle Overbay have since been informed they're going to make the Opening Day roster.

Overbay responded by having a big day on Sunday, connecting for three hits and a pair of doubles in the Brewers' 9-1 win over the Reds. We've got the recap, if you missed it.

Meanwhile, the day's biggest news may have been Matt Garza's improved performance. He pitched six innings against the Reds and allowed a run on four hits, walking two and striking out six. @AdamMcCalvy reports his fastball was in the 91-95 range and had "firmness," whatever that means.

Other notes from the field:

• Donovan Hand has been returned to minor league camp, narrowing the choices for the final spots in the bullpen by one candidate. Hand pitched in eight games this spring and posted an 8.38 ERA with 17 hits allowed and eight strikeouts over 8.2 innings.
• Francisco and Hand weren't this weekend's only moves: The Brewers also exercised the 2015 club option on Ron Roenicke's contract and added an option for 2016. By the end of 2015 Roenicke could be the fourth-longest tenured manager in franchise history.
• Overbay's three hits on Sunday snapped an 0-for-26 streak (h/t @Haudricourt). Doug Melvin referred to him as a "Mark Kotsay-type player." I'm assuming he meant it as a compliment.
• Logan Schafer also had a pair of doubles on Sunday and is tied for the team lead with 17 hits this spring.
• Tyler Thornburg pitched a perfect eighth inning yesterday as part of his bid to make the Opening Day bullpen. (h/t @Haudricourt)
• Marco Estrada pitched in a minor league game to stay on schedule and worked six innings, allowing a run on three hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. (h/t @BrewersPD)
• ASU student Brendan Capria of the JS talked to Kyle Lohse about his Native American heritage and growing up on a farm in northern California.

The Brewers are enjoying their last off day of the spring before resuming Cactus League play tomorrow. They have three games left in Arizona before returning home to host a pair of exhibitions against the Royals on Friday and Saturday.

An off day likely means a day of suspense for about half a dozen players who have yet to be informed they've made the team. Adam McCalvy has a breakdown of the last remaining decisions: Elian Herrera or Jeff Bianchi for the final infield spot and Zach Duke, Rob Wooten, Tyler Thornburg or Wei-Chung Wang for the final three spots in the bullpen. The Brewers have to inform Duke what they plan to do with him by 11 am Central time tomorrow, so we may get some clarity them.

The Brewers can use this off day to update their payroll spreadsheets: @Haudricourt reports Mark Reynolds will make $2 million and Lyle Overbay will receive $1.5 million this season, while the team also owes Juan Francisco about $340,000 as the pro-rated share of his arbitration contract.

Francisco, by the way, settled his arbitration case pretty early last winter. Adam McCalvy says the Brewers have quietly switched to a "file and trial" philosophy on arbitration cases, where a deal has to be struck before the two sides file proposals or they'll plan on taking a player to a hearing.

But what can the Brewers expect from their new platoon at first base? Before the Francisco news, Jordan attempted to project the catcher and first base positions on Friday.

Jean Segura will be using the off day to continue to rest and rehab his sore shoulder. He hasn't appeared in a game since Tuesday, but the issue isn't believed to be serious. Mike Petriello of FanGraphs says the Brewers have baseball's tenth best group of shortstops, but that's only if Segura is healthy. Segura was also the subject of one of this weekend's editions of "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" at The Brewer Nation.

The Brewers may not be playing baseball today, but I suspect somewhere in Arizona Carlos Gomez is still running. We've got a bunch of notes on him today:

• Gomez is the Brewers' choice to bat leadoff on Opening Day. He has 114 career starts batting first, but just 13 since 2009.
• Jason Collette of FanGraphs says the Brewers, led by Gomez, have baseball's fourth best center fielders.
• Meanwhile, TOOTBLAN Tracker lists Gomez as fourth-most likely (at 15:1 odds) to lead all of baseball in bad outs on the basepaths this season. Former teammate Norichika Aoki is close behind at 20:1.
• Gomez has easily the worst of the Brewers' new player-themed t-shirts for 2014.

Gomez will bat two spots in front of Ryan Braun, who will return to his customary #3 spot in the lineup but move to right field for 2014. Brad Johnson of FanGraphs says the Brewers have the fourth-best collection of right fielders in all of baseball. Kevin Kimmes has a preview of the position at Cream City Cables, and Braun was also the subject of a recent installment of "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" at The Brewer Nation.

Continuing to work around the outfield: Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew has a brief interview with Khris Davis, and Nathan Petrashek has a preview of the Brewers left fielders at Cream City Cables.

When the Brewers return to action on Tuesday, Wily Peralta is scheduled to be on the mound. Tom Haudricourt says his newfound focus could be a key to the Brewers' success this season. Peralta was also a focus of Nicholas Zettel of Disciples of Uecker's preview of the back of the rotation.

In the minors:

• Eric Arnett reached the end of the road with the Brewers this weekend, as the team released their first round pick from the 2009 draft. Arnett had a career 5.18 ERA in five minor league seasons and never advanced past High-A.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio is in Arizona for the last few weeks of minor league spring training and has thoughts from Wisconsin's camp on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• Mehring also moved over to TimberRattlers.com to post thoughts on the challenge of building Wisconsin's Opening Day roster, spring training routines and the constant baseball chatter.
• Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects was also in camp throughout the weekend and shared stories on Dominican third baseman Sthervin Matos, third baseman Tucker Neuhaus and outfielder Tyrone Taylor, as well as his threephotogalleries.
• First baseman Adam Giacalone, released by the Brewers last week, has signed with the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League.

Back in Milwaukee, Hank the dog remains one of this spring's top stories. Kathy Flanigan of Tap Milwaukee has a look at why people can't get enough of this.

Today in predictions, projections, power rankings, previews and whatnot: Drew Silva of Hardball Talk predicts the Brewers will win 78 games this season and finish in fourth place.

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. Do your best to keep up: Opening Day is just around the corner.

Around baseball:

Angels: Released catcher Yorvit Torrealba, first baseman Carlos Pena and third baseman Chad Tracy.
Astros: Released outfielder J.D. Martinez. Also, reliever Peter Moylan will likely open the season on the DL with an elbow injury.
Athletics: Are expected to place pitcher Ryan Cook (shoulder inflammation) and outfielder Craig Gentry (back strain) on the DL to open the season.
Cubs: Released pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada.
Giants: Released infielder Tony Abreu. Also, reliever Kameron Loe has opted out of his minor league deal and is now a free agent.
Indians: Released outfielder Jeff Francoeur.
Mets: Named Luis Natera their new assistant hitting coach, announced that pitcher Jon Niese will likely open the season on the DL with elbow inflammation, released reliever Kyle Farnsworth and are expected to re-sign him to a minor league deal.
Orioles: Acquired infielder Steve Lombardozzi from the Tigers for infielder Alex Gonzalez, claimed infielder David Adams off waivers from the Indians and designated catcher Johnny Monell and pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz for assignment.
Phillies: Outfielder Darin Ruf (oblique strain) and infielder Freddy Galvis (MRSA) will open the season on the DL.
Rangers: Second baseman Jurickson Profar will open the season on the DL with a slight tear in his shoulder.
Red Sox: Reliever Jose Mijares has opted out of his minor league deal and is now a free agent. Also, DH David Ortiz has signed a one-year, $16 million contract extension for 2015 with a vesting option for 2016 and a club option for 2017.
Reds: Pitchers Aroldis Chapman (fracture above left eye), Jonathan Broxton (forearm strain), Sean Marshall (shoulder strain) and Mat Latos (knee strain) and outfielder Skip Schumaker (dislocated shoulder) could all open the season on the DL.
Royals: Catcher Ramon Hernandez has opted out of his minor league deal and is now a free agent.
Tigers: Acquired shortstop Andrew Romine from the Angels for pitcher Jose Alvarez.
Twins: Released pitcher Matt Guerrier.
White Sox: Released pitcher Mitchell Boggs.

Today in former Brewers:

• Corey Hart is dealing with back and forearm injuries and will be limited to DH duty for the Mariners to open the season.
• Jake Odorizzi will open the season in the fifth spot in the Rays' rotation.
• Dave Nilsson and Graeme Lloyd were in attendance at this weekend's Opening Series in Australia, and @DrewOlsonMKE has a picture to prove it.
• Rob Deer is on Twitter as @RobDeer45.

By now you've likely heard that outfielder Scott Van Slyke hit the first home run of the 2014 regular season as the Dodgers swept a pair of games with the Diamondbacks in Australia on Saturday. That series was also the subject of today's statistical note: Baseball In-Depth notes that strikeouts per nine innings have gone up across baseball every season since 2007 and were at nine per nine this weekend down under.

Last week I posted a time-lapse video of the Sydney Cricket Ground being prepared to host this weekend's games. Closer to home something similar is happening in San Antonio's Alamodome, where the Rangers and Astros will play a pair of exhibitions Friday and Saturday. This preparation video includes an extra wrinkle as the work was detoured a bit to host a football game.

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

• 2004-13 Brewer Corey Hart, who turns 32. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History two years ago.
• 2002 Brewer Jim Rushford, who turns 40.
• 2002 Brewer Jose Cabrera, who turns 41. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.
• 1990-92 Brewer Ron Robinson, who turns 52.

Plunk Everyone notes that Hart's 45 career HBP are the third-most ever for a player born on March 24.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find another pineapple.

Drink up.

This week's poll contains questions on first base, roster battles and more.

This week's edition of the Brew Crew Ball Tracking Poll will remain open through the day Tuesday, with results scheduled to be posted on Wednesday. As always, please vote once.

We're talking about the end of the Juan Francisco Era and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read while getting more pie.

Today is the 39th day of spring training 2014 and the Brewers will spring back into action today following their final Cactus League off day yesterday. They'll welcome the Giants to Maryvale at 3:05 Central time, with Wily Peralta taking on Madison Bumgarner.

They'll be playing that game, and presumably the rest of their contests this season, without Juan Francisco. Yesterday the Brewers made his departure official, announcing they've placed him on waivers with the intention of releasing him. We've got all kinds of reaction from around the web:

• Ron Roenicke suggested that spring training numbers don't matter when discussing the decision to let Francisco go, but Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar has a look at some decisions that would contradict that notion.
• Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker wonders if the Brewers will regret this decision.
• Jay D. of Reviewing the Brew says letting Francisco go was the right move.
• At tcyoung's new site he says the Brewers may have made a mistake, arguing, "If you have two very similar players, trending in opposite directions, take the guy trending the right way." He also has a list of reasons it may work out, though.
• Ken Rosenthal (via Bucs Dugout) says the Pirates are not interested, but Jeff Schafer of Tomahawk Take wonders if the Braves might be.

The Francisco release is great news for Mark Reynolds, who now seems likely to soak up the lion's share of playing time at first base despite having hit just .220/.306/.393 in 135 games last season. He's the subject of the latest installment of "Brewers By the (Jersey) Numbers" at The Brewer Nation.

Jonathan Lucroy has four hits in his last two games, but it'll be interesting to see if he catches today with Peralta on the mound. Lyle Spencer of MLB.com says Lucroy is an underrated and key player for this team.

Lucroy likely will spend most of the season catching Matt Garza in his first year as a Brewer. Yesterday Rangers GM Jon Daniels admitted to reporters that he regrets acquiring Garza last season, saying "I thought way too short term" with the move. Daniels dealt three players to Chicago for Garza, who stayed in Texas for just 13 starts.

Odds are Lucroy will get to catch some of these guys at some point too: Curt Hogg of Disciples of Uecker has a preview of the pitchers opening the season just outside the Brewers rotation.

All of those pitchers will likely look better with Carlos Gomez patrolling center field behind them, and David Paulsen of the JS has video of some of his greatest highlight reel catches. His speed causes some other issues, though. TOOTBLAN Tracker notes that he's the Brewers' active career leader with 15 bad outs on the bases.

Gomez may need to cover a lot of ground this season with Ryan Braun adjusting to a new position in right field and Khris Davis being somewhat limited defensively in left. As part of their positional power rankings David Temple of FanGraphs credited the Brewers will baseball's 17th best situation in left field.

2014 will be Johnny Narron's third season as the Brewers hitting coach, and also his third season working alongside his brother Jerry. Tracy Ringolsby of MLB.com has a story on the brothers in the Brewers dugout.

We're over a month into spring training and Opening Day is less than a week away but some of us are still looking back: The Brewers tumblr feed has a short video with Scooter Gennett talking about his offseason.

In the minors:

• Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects was in minor league camp again yesterday and talked to Jason Rogers about moving to third base for the 2014 season. It sounds like the Brewers are going to go ahead and try it. Krause also has his daily photo gallery.
• Yesterday was Chris Mehring of the Timber Rattlers' final day in Arizona, and he talked to manager Matt Erickson about being ready to head north. They may want to stay in Arizona for a few more days, because it snowed again last night.

When the Brewers open Miller Park with this weekend's exhibition games, you may notice one longtime corporate sponsor is absent from the ballpark. BMO Harris has dropped their sponsorship of the team, although they say their contract came to a "natural end" and the decision wasn't related to Ryan Braun's 2013 issues.

If you'd like more Brewers coverage today but you're sick of reading, I'll be appearing on The Sports Den with Downtown Ollie Burrows on Sports Fan 100.5 in Wausau at 6:30 today.

If you haven't yet, please take a moment today to vote in our BCB Tracking Poll. It will remain open through the day today and results will be posted tomorrow.

Around baseball:

Astros: Released infielder Cesar Izturis.
Braves: Released pitcher Freddy Garcia and signed pitcher Aaron Harang.
Cubs: Re-signed pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada to a minor league deal.
Indians: Placed outfielder Michael Bourn on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Mariners: Pitcher Scott Baker has opted out of his contract and is now a free agent.
Nationals: Released catcher Chris Snyder.
Rangers: Catcher Geovany Soto will open the season on the DL with a torn meniscus.
Tigers: Signed outfielder J.D. Martinez to a minor league deal.
White Sox: Signed pitcher Jose Quintana to a five-year extension worth a minimum of $21 million with club options for 2019 and 2020.

Today in former Brewers:

• The Bourn injury listed above opened the door for Nyjer Morgan to make the Indians.
• Travis Ishikawa reportedly has a "good chance" at winning a job with the Pirates.

Finally, with help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd like to wish a happy birthday to 2004 Brewer Adrian Hernandez. He turns 39.

Today is also Gorman the dachshund's sixth birthday. Many of you know him better as the Rally Lobster.

On this day two years ago Scooter Gennett hit for the cycle in a spring training win over the Royals. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History last year. Today is also the anniversary of transactions that ended the Brewer careers of outfielder Chris Dickerson, Trot Nixon and Claudio Vargas. We covered those events two years ago.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find someone to take these.

Drink up.

The Brewers 25-man roster to open the season is set now with these last few moves from this morning.

With the final days of spring training here, the Brewers made a few more transactions today as they prepare to set their Opening Day roster.  They first optioned Rob Wooten to Triple-A Nashville, giving the last spot in the bullpen to Zach Duke.  Wooten had put together a good spring, posting a 3.86 ERA in 11.2 innings with 13 strikeouts to 1 walk.  While he may have performed better than Zach Duke (who posted a 4.00 ERA in 9 IP with 10 strikeouts and 3 walks), Wooten's option may have been the deciding factor since it allows the Brewers to maintain pitching depth.

The Brewers also made another move this morning, sending Elian Herrera to Triple-A Nashville as well.  With this move, the last bench spot will go to Jeff Bianchi.  Bianchi had a great spring, hitting .386/.413/.500 in 46 PA, and may have hit his way into that last bench spot.  It also helped Bianchi that Herrera had an option available, allowing the Brewers to keep depth available in the minors.

With these moves from this morning, the 25-man roster is set.  Barring any last minute changes, here will be the depth chart to start the season (projection taken from Brewers.com):

Tuesday's Frosty Mug: Juandering off

Catch up on all of the Brewers news from the off day with the Frosty Mug.

C: Jonathan Lucroy
1B: Mark Reynolds
2B: Scooter Gennett
3B: Aramis Ramirez
SS: Jean Segura
LF: Khris Davis
CF: Carlos Gomez
RF: Ryan Braun

BN: Martin Maldonado
BN: Lyle Overbay
BN: Rickie Weeks
BN: Jeff Bianchi
BN: Logan Schafer

SP #1: Yovani Gallardo
SP #2: Kyle Lohse
SP #3: Matt Garza
SP #4: Marco Estrada
SP #5: Wily Peralta

CL: Jim Henderson
RP: Francisco Rodriguez
RP: Brandon Kintzler
RP: Will Smith
RP: Tyler Thornburg
RP: Wei Chung-Wang
RP: Zach Duke

DL: Tom Gorzelanny

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Tuesday's Frosty Mug: Juandering off
• Vote in our Milwaukee Brewers Tracking Poll
• Monday's Frosty Mug: Pouring one out for Juan
• Double your pleasure: Brewers ride wave of doubles to win over Reds
• Juan Francisco's locker is empty, likely designated for assignment

Featuring Darryl Hamilton's Brewer radio debut!

The 25-man roster is set, the rotation is lined up and now we're mostly just waiting for Monday. Today's biggest news may be the Brewer radio debut of Darryl Hamilton, who told @AdamMcCalvy he expects to call around 35 games this season in place of Bob Uecker.

At 3:05 he'll be on the call as Wily Peralta (5.21 ERA this spring, 4.37/4.30 ERA/FIP in 2013) takes the mound in what's likely to be his final exhibition appearance. He last pitched against the Mariners on Wednesday, allowing five runs on eight hits over six innings.

Peralta is pitching with an extra day of rest today, and may not pitch on regular rest again for a few weeks. Peralta is projected to pitch the fifth game of the regular season, which is on April 5. Don't be surprised if the Brewers schedule some kind of intrasquad or simulated game to get him some work on Sunday, the off day before the open of the regular season. After that, he'll likely get another extra day of rest before pitching on April 11.

Peralta faced the Giants twice last season and struggled, posting a 5.23 ERA over 10.1 innings. No current Giants have faced him ten times or more.

He'll face Madison Bumgarner (0.00 ERA this spring, 2.77/3.05 ERA/FIP in 2013), who is looking to complete a shutout spring. Bumgarner pitched seven shutout innings against the Padres on Thursday, walking one and striking out nine, and has yet to allow a run in 17 innings this spring.

Bumgarner pitched a quality start in a loss against the Brewers last season, working seven innings on August 7 and allowing three earned runs on five hits in a game the Brewers eventually won 6-1. Four current Brewers have faced him ten times or more:

Today's lineup is as follows:

Still no Segura (shoulder) in #Brewers lineup RT @MikeVassallo13: pic.twitter.com/6CodQ9Nd9S

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) March 25, 2014

It's getting a little warm in Phoenix today, with temperatures in the mid 80's. Given yesterday's weather in Wisconsin, that seems like a weird thing to complain about.

The two sides discussed a deal, but had a sizable difference of opinion on the shortstop's value.

Long-term extension talks between the Milwaukee Brewers and shortstop Jean Segura have broken down, according to an industry source with knowledge of the negotiations. The two sides recently discussed an extension, but had a sizable difference in opinion on how to value the 24-year old shortstop.

At this time, the sides do not have any plans to re-visit talks in the near future, but could look to make a deal sometime down the road. Segura is not slated to become a free agent until after the 2018 season, so there is not too much urgency to lock him up on a long-term basis.

As Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported last week, the Brewers made an attempt to extend Segura in wake of the Braves' deal with Andrelton Simmons, another shortstop with just over a year of service time. Simmons recently received a seven-year, $58MM deal from Atlanta, continuing the trend of teams locking up young players for the long-term.

Segura hit .294 with 12 HR and 49 RBI last season, being named to the National League All-Star team for the first time.

TOP 20 BASEBALL PROSPECTS FOR 2014 BY ORGANIZATION

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Baltimore Orioles  (January 26, 2014)
Boston Red Sox  (January 1,2014)
New York Yankees (March 12, 2014)
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays   (January 18, 2014)

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox (March 1, 2014)
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals   (December 16, 2013)
Minnesota Twins   (October 15, 2013)

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Houston Astros (February 18, 2014)
Los Angeles Angels   (January 11, 2014)
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers (March 21, 2014)

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Atlanta Braves (December 4, 2013)
Miami Marlins (March 7, 2014)
New York Mets  (January 13, 2014)
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs   (January 8, 2014)
Cincinnati Reds   (January 22, 2014)
Milwaukee Brewers (January 30, 2014)
Pittsburgh Pirates (March 25, 2014)
St. Louis Cardinals

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks (February 24, 2014)
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers (March 18, 2014)
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants  (December 28, 2014)

Wily Peralta's home run was not enough today.

W: Sergio Romo (1-0)
L: Wei-Chung Wang (0-1)
S: Derek Law (1)

HR: Khris Davis (4), Wily Peralta (2), Carlos Gomez (3), Martin Maldonado (1), Pablo Sandoval (3)

Box score

Well, that'll take the wind out of your sails a little bit. Today the Brewers faced Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, who entered the day with 17 scoreless innings on the spring. They homered off him three times, but it was not enough as San Francisco came from behind for a  win.

Wily Peralta had one of those homers, his second of the spring. He's never hit one in 71 regular season plate appearances. He was also very good on the mound, holding the Giants to a single run on six hits over 6.1 innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out five in the contest.

Four solo home runs were the entirety of the offense today, and three members of the Opening Day roster joined Peralta in going deep: Khris Davis, Carlos Gomez and Martin Maldonado hit long balls today. The Brewers have now hit 28 homers on the spring, three more than they hit in a WBC-extended Cactus League season last year.

A 4-2 lead unraveled in the top of the ninth when the first four batters to face Wei-Chung Wang all got base hits, putting the winning run on third with none out. Wang induced a pop up to get the first out, but a sac fly drove home the eventual winning run.

The loss drops the Brewers to 12-15 on the spring and removes any hope of a winning season in the Cactus League. They'll head to Goodyear to face the Indians tomorrow, where Yovani Gallardo is scheduled to pitch against Justin Masterson.

We're talking about the final cuts of spring and more in today's roundup of all things Brewers.

Some things to read from another castle. (h/t PocketDoppler.com)

Today is the 40th day of spring training, and it's the first since the Brewers effectively set their Opening Day roster. Yesterday they optioned reliever Rob Wooten and infielder Elian Herrera to Nashville, leaving 25 healthy players in camp. That means Wei-Chung Wang, Zach Duke, Tyler Thornburg and Jeff Bianchi will make the team, barring a late change.

This will be the first Opening Day roster for Thornburg, who the Brewers have decided to keep as a reliever for now. Ben Tannenbaum of The Brewers Bar has a look at the decision to keep him in that role instead of sending him back to Nashville to work as a starter.

These final cuts leave the Brewers with an interesting situation in the bullpen, where they'll open the season with three lefties and could end up with four once Tom Gorzelanny is healthy. @AdamMcCalvy reports that the team is planning on using Zach Duke as a situational lefty, Will Smith as a set-up man and Wei-Chung Wang in long relief.

Back on the field yesterday, the Brewers entered the ninth with a 4-2 lead behind four solo home runs but couldn't hold onto the advantage in a 5-4 loss to the Giants. We've got the recap, if you missed it.

Other notes from the field:

• Jean Segura was out again yesterday with a sore shoulder, and hasn't played in a week.
• Wily Peralta homered yesterday for the second time this spring, but has never hit one in an MLB regular season game and has just one in 133 professional plate appearances. (h/t @AdamMcCalvy)
• With innings starting to get tight, the Brewers sent two members of the Opening Day roster to minor league camp to pitch in relief yesterday: Francisco Rodriguez pitched a perfect inning and Brandon Kintzler allowed a run on three hits in his. (h/t @BrewersPD)
• Darryl Hamilton made his Brewers Radio Network debut yesterday alongside Joe Block, and told @AdamMcCalvy he plans to call 35 or so games this season while Bob Uecker is away from the team. Hamilton is also on Twitter at @dham18.

The Brewers play their final spring training road game today, heading out to Goodyear to face the Indians at 3:05 Central time. Yovani Gallardo is scheduled to start for the Crew against Justin Masterson.

Today's game will be Gallardo's final tuneup before getting the ball to open the regular season on Monday. The Brewers finalized their April rotation yesterday, announcing that Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza will pitch the other two games in the Braves series before Marco Estrada and Wily Peralta pitch the first two games in Boston.

Wily Peralta had a pretty good day yesterday, and hopefully he can transition it into an improved start to the 2014 season. Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker has a look at the possibility that this could be a breakout year for the young righty.

Meanwhile, this is likely to be the final season in Milwaukee for Rickie Weeks, and if he continues to perform trade rumors will likely continue to swirl around him. Yesterday we heard a report that the Rangers could be interested after announcing Jurickson Profar will open the season on the DL.

It may be hard for the Brewers to deal Weeks if they feel like they can compete this season, but not everyone is optimistic about their chances. Stephen Loftus of Beyond the Box Score projected the 2014 season and has the Brewers with a median outcome of 77 wins, with a .500 season as their "maximum reasonable" outcome. Meanwhile, AZ Snake Pit has a look at nine candidates to win one of the NL's Wild Card spots, and didn't include the Brewers among them.

Jean Segura is still likely to be a member of the Brewers through the end of the 2018 season, but efforts to lock him up with a long-term deal appear to have reached an impasse. Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish is reporting that talks between the two sides have stalled, although they could always be revisited at some point in the future.

The Brewers will break camp in Arizona following tomorrow's game, but they're planning on bringing six minor leaguers along to Milwaukee to help fill innings in this weekend's Miller Park exhibitions: Infielder Irving Falu, outfielder Kevin Mattison, catcher Lucas May, pitchers Brad Mills and Dustin Molleken and outfielder Michael Ratterree. Ratterree might be the most interesting of the bunch, as he was the 2013 Pioneer League MVP.

We may see Jim Henderson in one of the Cactus League's final games and again in one of the Miller Park exhibitions as he continues to work to get ready for Opening Day on Monday. Tim Schaefer of Disciples of Uecker has a preview of the Brewers closer for 2014.

In the minors:

• Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects was in Arizona for one final day yesterday, talked to 2013 Wisconsin outfielder Michael Reed and shared his daily photo gallery.
• Chris Mehring of Rattler Radio has a look at the home runs BCB Community #3 prospect Victor Roache hit as a member of the Timber Rattlers in 2013.

Back in Milwaukee, work continues in an effort to get Miller Park ready for baseball on Friday. Lane Kimble of CBS 58 has a story on the grow lamps being used to help bring the grass along while there's still frost in the ground outside.

Today in predictions, projections, previews and whatnot: Miller Park Drunk has a casual preview of the 2014 season that touches on topics like "adorableness," "doucheness" and strikeouts.

Around baseball:

Cardinals: Are expected to sign reliever David Aardsma to a minor league deal.
Mariners: Released catcher Humberto Quintero and pitcher Randy Wolf.
Marlins: Released infielder Ty Wigginton.
Nationals: Are expected to sign infielder Kevin Frandsen and released infielder Jamey Carroll and pitchers Chris Young and Michael Gonzalez.
Padres: Signed outfielder Jeff Francoeur to a minor league deal.
Phillies: Released infielders Ronny Cedeno and Kevin Frandsen.
Pirates: Acquired pitcher Vance Worley from the Twins for cash.
Rangers: Signed catcher Chris Snyder to a minor league deal.
Rays: Released pitcher Erik Bedard.
Royals: Claimed Rule 5 pick Patrick Schuster off waivers from the Padres and designated outfielder Carlos Peguero for assignment.
Twins: Re-signed reliever Matt Guerrier to a minor league deal.

We're experiencing a bit of a flurry of free agent activity this week as players opt out of minor league deals and are released during the final roster crunch. MLB Daily Dish has a look at the players who have found new homes, and the ones that are still looking.

Today in former Brewers: There's at least one former Brewer on nearly every leaderboard on Plunk Everyone's list of career HBP leaders by position.

Today in baseball economics: Ronald J. Hansen of the Arizona Republic has a story on how Tucson and Chandler, Arizona have handled the transition now that spring training baseball has left their cities. The Brewers were one of the final teams to train in Chandler.

Meanwhile, in statistics:

• Drawing walks is a key part of good plate discipline, but not all free passes are created equal. Chris Moran of Beyond the Box Score has a look at the different ways hitters draw walks.
• Last week we discussed the challenges involved in asking players to bunt against the shift. Today Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams says he could start doing it.
• Not all statistical research is fruitful. Grant Brisbee of SBNation.com has a look at ESPN's effort to quantify clubhouse chemistry.

While the Brewers host the Royals at Miller Park for exhibition games this weekend, baseball will also be returning to Montreal for the first time in decades. The Blue Jays and Mets will play a two-game series at Olympic Stadium on Friday and Saturday.

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

• 2013 Huntsville Star Chadwin Stang, who turns 25.
• 2011 Brewer Josh Wilson, who turns 33.
• 1993-96 Brewer Kevin Seitzer, who turns 52. We covered his birthday in Today In Brewer History last year.

Plunk Everyone notes that Seitzer's 35 career HBP are the most ever for a position player born on March 26.

Today is also the 22nd anniversary of the trade that sent Gary Sheffield from Milwaukee to San Diego in 1992. We covered that event in Today In Brewer History two years ago.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm still being tortured.

Drink up.