Today's lessons include the contingency plan if Khris Davis fails, the truth about Jim Henderson's current condition, and an alternative for planning baseball batting orders.

Yesterday's Results

The Brewers had the day off. However, if you missed the last two games, Noah has some GIFs for you.

The Brewers are in serious trouble if Khris Davis fails.

Entering the 2014 season, the Brewers placed a big bet on Khris Davis. This bet was so big that they also bet their backup plan to increase their odds elsewhere. We all hope that it will pay off, but a big question looms out there: What happens if the bet fails? That's the question Noah asked yesterday. The Brewers don't have a solid plan B available. It currently consists of either using a below average player or giving something up to trade for a better player. However, neither option looks good right now. It's only been seven PAs for Davis so far, but his first two games haven't generated much confidence.

There may not be a problem with Jim Henderson.

Jim Henderson is struggling with some lost velocity on his fastball right now. The problem is big enough that Ron Roenicke removed Henderson from the closer's role. Is this problem as bad as it seems? Jordan considered that question yesterday as he analyzed Jim Henderson. He noted that an early loss of velocity has been seen from Henderson before and it could return. It's another case of early results causing a panic, but Jordan is not concerned for now.

The Brewers may not be using their optimum lineup.

We've all heard the reasons behind the optimal lineup all the time. You put the high OBP guys in the early spots, then the heavy hitters 3rd and 4th to drive them home, and then arrange the rest so the best remaining hitters hit first. However, is that what is best for the Brewers this year? Fred Hofstetter asks this question and puts together an alternative to tradition. His idea is based on one simple thing: what a kid would do when setting a lineup. Could an unconventional lineup be better for the Brewers? Maybe, but it would be hard to convince other people of that.

Cram Session

Ryan Braun

• Jim Caple had a strong opinion of Braun and a suggestion for how to fix the problems with PEDs. Meanwhile, Badgernoonan of Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball also read this opinion, and decided to break it down point by point and problem by problem.
• Remember Trenni Kusnierek from her Brewers broadcast days? She has a question for people who don't like that Braun was cheered in his return to Milwaukee.

Early Brewers Analysis

• Nick Michalski of The Brewers Bar wonders why it feels so late this early in the season.
• Even though it's only been three games, Nicholas Zettel of Reviewing the Brew notices some early issues for the Brewers offense.
• Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew also wonders if it's time to worry about the offense.
• In a special to John and Cait, Tim Rappe breaks down the mechanics of a proper batting stance.

• When Zack Greinke went down with that cracked rib from playing basketball in 2011, there was a lot of pessimism about it. However, one good thing did come from it: the emergence of Marco Estrada. Adam McCalvy looks at the path Estrada has taken to this point and what 2014 holds for him.
• Todd Rosiak of JSOnline has a profile of Francisco Rodriguez as he steps into the closer role, noting that this change is nothing new for K-Rod.

Beyond the Game

• Ever wanted to propose at a certain ballpark? Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar has the cost of proposing at all 30 MLB ballparks.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• As part of Minor League Opening Day, the writers at Miller Park Prospects have some predictions for the season.
• The Brewer Nation has the complete final rosters for all four of the affiliates.
• Kevin Kimmes of Cream City Cables has some pregame notes for the Timber Rattlers, as well as a recap of the game.

Division Update

• Cubs 3, Pirates 2: Jason Hammel had an excellent debut as a Cub, and Mike Olt and Emilio Bonifacio led the offense as the Cubs got their first win of the season.
• Cardinals 7, Reds 6: After another long rain delay, both offenses came alive in the third game of the series, though it was the Cardinals that had a little bit more as they took a 7-3 lead and they held on to win 7-6.

This Weekend's Games

• Phillies @ Cubs
  Friday: Roberto Hernandez vs. Travis Wood - 1:20 pm
  Saturday: Cliff Lee vs. Jeff Samardzija - 1:20 pm
  Sunday: AJ Burnett vs. Carlos Villanueva - 1:20 pm
• Cardinals @ Pirates
  Friday: Shelby Miller vs. Gerrit Cole - 6:05 pm
  Saturday: Joe Kelly vs. Francisco Liriano - 6:05 pm
  Sunday: Adam Wainwright vs. Edinson Volquez - 12:35 pm
• Reds @ Mets
  Friday: Mike Leake vs. Jenrry Mejia - 6:10 pm
  Saturday: Johnny Cueto vs. Dillon Gee - 12:10 pm
  Sunday: Alfredo Simon vs. Jon Niese - 12:10 pm

Today's Action

The Brewers go back to work today in Boston for their first interleague series of the year, and their earliest interleague series ever. Here are the weekend matchups:

Friday: Marco Estrada vs. Jake Peavy - 1:05 pm
Saturday: Wily Peralta vs. Clay Buchholz - 6:10 pm
Sunday: Yovani Gallardo vs. Jon Lester - 12:35 pm

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Extra Hops: Gifs of the last two games
• If Khris Davis fails: A hypothetical worst-case scenario
• One opinion on the Brewers' lineup construction
• Do we have a Jim Henderson Problem?
• Matt Garza: Will he be worth the money?

It's the home opener, and this time around, that means championship rings.

Friday's game is the 2014 home opener for the Red Sox, and since they won the World Series in 2013, it's also championship ring presentation day. Find a television, leave work, open up MLB.tv, do whatever you have to in order to watch along with the festivities, which begin one hour before the game, at 1 pm.

As for the game itself, John Farrell has constructed a fairly regular lineup to take on Brewers' starter Marco Estrada.

Boston Red Sox (2-1)

1. Daniel Nava, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Mike Napoli, 1B
5. Mike Carp, LF
6. Grady Sizemore, CF
7. Xander Bogaerts, SS
8. A.J. Pierzynski, C
9. Will Middlebrooks, 3B

Starting pitching: Jake Peavy

Milwaukee Brewers (1-2)

1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Jean Segura, SS
3. Ryan Braun, DH
4. Aramis Ramirez, 3B
5. Jonathan Lucroy, C
6. Logan Schafer, RF
7. Khris Davis, LF
8. Scooter Gennett, 2B
9. Lyle Overbay, 1B

Starting pitcher: Marco Estrada

It's not completely normal for Boston, but that's the case in every game that occurs while Shane Victorino is on the disabled list. Carp's defensive deficiencies should be hidden by the Monster in left, while Nava's will be exposed more in right field. The two will flank Grady Sizemore, who had Thursday off, likely to keep him and his knees from playing a night game right before a day game at this early juncture.

The Brewers have taken this opportunity to put Braun in the designated hitter slot to get his glove out of the field. Getting Logan Schafer's bat in to the lineup likely does away with any positive from that, but Fenway's right field is expansive, so maybe not having Braun out there is worth it at any cost for Ron Roenicke. Old friend Lyle Overbay is batting ninth and at first base.

As for the players you might not recognize, Khris Davis isn't Chris Davis, but he does have plenty of his own power. Scooter Gennett has a great name, especially for a second baseman, but also had a solid 2013 debut playing in place of the perpetually injured/disappointing Rickie Weeks. Marco Estrada, today's opposing pitcher, has been very good whenever he's been on the mound the last couple of years: his low walk rates against Boston's vaunted patience are the game within the game for the day.

First pitch will be at 2:05 pm eastern, but remember to tune in an hour before then in order to watch the presentation of the rings as well as the rest of what the Sox have planned for their home opener.

Doug Melvin saved Marco Estrada from the major league trash compactor in 2010. Since then he's quietly become a very effective starting pitcher. When healthy...

I’m not going to lie to you guys, I love Marco Estrada. Last year he was the Brewers number 3 starter and I was happy with that. This year he’ll be the number 4 starter, not because he wasn’t good but because the rotation is deeper this year. That’s got me excited about the rotation’s potential. Unfortunately there are a few things that have gotten in the way of Estrada realizing his full potential.

Let’s look at the good news first, though. Marco Estrada is really good at two things: Striking guys out and not walking them. From 2011 to 2013 Marco Estrada’s 24% strikeout percentage ranked 10th among pitchers with a minimum of 350 innings pitched. Among those ten pitchers his 6% walk rate was the second lowest. Overall that walk rate was tied for 21st lowest. He also had the highest strikeout percentage and second lowest walk rate among Brewers regular starters. Anyway you look at it, that’s a special talent.

The biggest problem Estrada has is staying on the field. In 2012 with 21 games started and 6 games in relief he threw 138 innings and last year he only threw 138 innings in 21 starts. The further back in the rotation he is, the less important it is that he throws 200 innings in a year, but you still want a guy to go more than 2/3rds of a season.

The other big issue with Estrada is the longball. Here is his HR/9 for the last three years starting in 2011: 1.07; 1.17; 1.34. Because of his excellent strike out and walk rates Estrada doesn’t allow a lot of base runners, but those home run numbers are entering dangerous territory nonetheless. If that trend continues he might have to head back to the bullpen.

The last red flag I see is Estrada’s velocity. He’s never had a big fastball and it’s never mattered that much because he has great command of his pitches. However he’s lost a mile per hour on the pitch in 2 consecutive years now. Take a look at the average fastball velocity starting in 2011: 91.0; 90.2; 89.2. I noticed in his last spring training start that Estrada’s 4-seam fastball was hitting between 88-89 mph and occasionally hitting 90 mph. It was only spring training and it often takes guys a couple of starts into the regular season to start hitting their regular velocity so I’m not too concerned right now. It’s something I’ll be keeping an eye on though because even with pinpoint command an 87 mph fastball in the majors probably doesn’t cut it. That’s where Estrada’s fastball could be next year if this trend continues.

I’m not sure what to expect from Estrada this season. He really needs to figure out a way to stay off the disabled list. If he can do that, even with a fastball around 88-89, I think we’ll be pleased with the results. It’s next year that I’m worried about.

Statistical information courtesy of FanGraphs

A look ahead at the divisional foes we'll face this first weekend

Offense:Norichika Aoki - RF, Omar Infante - 2B, Eric Hosmer - 1B, Billy Butler - DH, Alex Gordon - LF, Salvador Perez - C, Mike Moustakas - 3B, Lorenzo Cain - CF, Alcides Escobar - SS

Unfortunately for teams interested in beating the Kansas City Royals, they've solved their right field problem after a few consecutive seasons of heading into April betting on Jeff Francoeur. Norichika Aoki, due to good discipline and truly special hand-eye coordination, strikes out less often than vintage Ichiro and figures to be a nasty pest at the top of the Kansas City lineup that will find himself on base pretty frequently. Aoki will be followed by Omar Infante in the batting order, and in 2013 these two ranked first and seventh, respectively, from the bottom of the league in strikeout rate (minimum 450 plate appearances). Even if pitchers can't bank on whiffs, they'll at least be able to count on Infante's Pierzynskiesque walk rate. You can expect roughly league average production from him, which is a boon for a position that has been a perpetual sinkhole in Kansas City.

It certainly looks like 2012 can be written off, because "Eric Hosmer: Stud First Baseman" looks like it's going to be a thing again. Hosmer took a gigantic leap forward last year on both sides of the ball, earning a Gold Glove and matching his solid rookie season's OPS+. The biggest development for Hosmer last year was figuring out how to hit lefties, as portsiders had previously rendered him rather useless. If you type in "Country Breakfast" into the search bar of Baseball-Reference.com, it will take you directly to the home page of Billy Butler, a man who looks and runs like he just wolfed down about 10 of those at Cracker Barrel. At age 28, we're pretty sure who Butler is: a doubles machine that'll give you homers in the high teens or low 20s, a .300-ish hitter, and a guy who should never ever ever play defense.

Once all the hype had thoroughly disappeared from baseball's former number one overall prospect, Alex Gordon turned himself into a pretty valuable player who smacks a lot of doubles and plays outstanding defense in left field. Pitchers tend to favor pitching him outside, but this is historically not a great idea. He's coming off a down year, but 20 homers and 40 doubles hardly seems like setting the bar too high for 2014. Salvador Perez has been a true, ahem, salvador for the Royals, who have had a particularly sad corps of catchers in this millennium prior to his emergence. Perez is an elite defensive backstop that Robin Ventura would be wise to not challenge with many stolen base attempts. The fact that he's also a .300 hitter with decent pop makes him one of the most valuable position players in the division, even despite his walkaphobia.

It would be a pretty massive failure on my part if I were to truck on through a preview of the Kansas City Royals without talking about disappointment of any sort, so this is probably a great time to bring in Mike Moustakas. Moose has been The Next Big Thing for years, but believe me, the hype wasn't about the arrival of a glove-first player. His defense and pedigree will keep him getting chances (heh...sound like any recent top White Sox prospects you know?), but showing little other offensive talent besides modest power in the form of mid-teens homer totals and a solid amount of doubles leaves quite a few questions for his future. Where's the massive power, Mike? Where's the on-base ability, Mike? Why do you hit more infield fly balls than Jose Quintana's opponents, Mike?

Lorenzo Cain doesn't get on base or slug at great clips, but he's not terrible enough at either to overshadow the work that he can do in center field. Cain is a critical piece of the outstanding Kansas City defense and has probably gotten injured by the time you read this. The third of the trio of defense-oriented players lining the bottom of the Kansas City lineup, Alcides Escobar spent most of 2013 doing his best Pedro Florimon impression and the result was getting banished to the nether regions of the batting order, where he'll likely stay until someone more interesting comes along. Escobar plays good defense, but he's not quite where the world thought he would be with the leather when he was a Milwaukee Brewers farmhand. Expect something of a rebound from Escobar in 2014 at the plate, because his value there is mostly tied up in how many singles he hits and the batted ball data from 2013 suggest that all he really needs is an infusion of "hitting 'em where they ain't."

Bench: Brett Hayes - C, Pedro Ciriaco - INF, Danny Valencia - 3B, Jarrod Dyson - OF, Justin Maxwell - OF

Pitching: Starting Rotation: James Shields - RHP, Jeremy Guthrie - RHP, Jason Vargas - RHP, Bruce Chen - LHP, Yordano Ventura - RHP; Closer: Greg Holland - RHP

The Royals had been aching for ace-quality starting pitching for some time, and whatever your thoughts on the Wil Myers trade, there's little question that James Shields was precisely what the doctor ordered. Shields brings to the table low-90's heat and a devilish changeup that makes him an extremely tough customer. He'll likely have an ERA in the low threes when all is said and done, which would be pretty great even with this defense, ballpark, and division. Jeremy "Big Train" Guthrie continued to make the White Sox hitters look useless (even for them) last year, even if not quite to the tune of the .455 OPS he held them to in 2012. Guthrie doesn't strike many guys out and has just decent control, so as you might imagine, his defense plays a pretty enormous role in what his ERA looks like at the end of a season. Fortunately for Guthrie, he'll be pitching in front of what will likely be the best defense in baseball. He's more finesse than power, so even at age 35 it's tough to predict that the wheels are going to completely come off as long as he has these gloves behind him

In an effort to kick-start the remade White Sox offense, Dayton Moore brought Jason Vargas into the AL Central. When pitching against most other teams, Vargas is a perfectly adequate Major League starter, a crafty lefty that doesn't hit 90 on the gun but mixes his fastball, curveball, and changeup well enough to keep hitters off balance. When pitching against the White Sox, he's like spinach for Popeye. 'Scuse me while I go find some wood to knock on.

There has been no shortage of words spilled about Bruce Chen (Twitter: @ChenMusic) here in Chicago, but the soft-tossing lefty continues to surprise everyone, so here we are again in 2014 talking about how good he's been. Chen is as extreme a fly ball pitcher as you'll find, so his extreme highs and lows are pretty contingent on whether those fly balls are leaving the yard. Last year, they most definitely weren't en route to a 3.27 ERA over 121 innings. Between Chen, Vargas, and Guthrie, there are going to be a lot of balls in play for the Kansas City defenders to gobble up. Have I mentioned yet that they are really, really good at that? Perhaps there was a method to the madness of building this starting rotation after all.

We follow one of the most velocity-challenged pitchers in the American League with one of the hardest-throwing starters you'll find in the form of Yordano Ventura. Ventura can touch 100 mph on the gun and comes packing a real snapdragon of a curveball. His changeup remains a work-in-progress, however, and Ventura will likely be vulnerable when hitters are facing him for the second or third time in a game until that crucial third pitch takes another step forward. Closing out games for Kansas City is Greg Holland, who enjoyed a breakout campaign last season for the Royals. Holland racked up 47 saves in 2013, and not the Jose Valverde kind either; opposing hitters mustered just a .170/.228/.251 line against him. The mid-upper 90's gas is nice, but it's Holland's wipeout slider that fueled his ascent into one of the best closers in the game.

Outlook & Prediction: I am more optimistic than most about the Royals' chances this year at sneaking into a wild card spot, though I wouldn't call them favorites to do so. I see the upgrades they made in right field and at second base outweighing the downside of swapping out Ervin Santana for Jason Vargas. Predicted record and finish: 87-75, second place - AL Central

It was a day for pomp and circumstance in Boston. Carlos Gomez and company put a little damper on it with a late rally and victory at Fenway Park.

W: Kintzler (1-0)
L: Mujica (0-1)

HR: Lucroy (1), Middlebrooks (1)

Gameday/Box Score

The Brewers took the field at Fenway Park for the first time since June of 2011 this chilly afternoon, where they witnessed the awarding of World Series rings to the 2013 champions. But the Brewers were likely more concerned with bouncing back after a series loss to the Braves and Jake Peavy's slider.

The Brewers took an early 2-0 lead thanks to a 2nd-inning leadoff homer from Jonathon Lucroy and a 2-out RBI single from Carlos Gomez. The Red Sox countered in the bottom of the frame with a run thanks to an errant throw from Logan Schafer, but it could have been worse; Schafer atoned for the error with a strike to home on an attempt to score on a sacrifice fly. Will Middlebrooks took a meaty first pitch fastball from Estrada over the monster in the 3rd inning to tie the game at 2.

The middle innings were a scoreless marathon of long at-bats and scoring rallies that went absolutely nowhere.

Marco Estrada was effective, perhaps more than his final inning count may indicate: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 6 K. Mike Napoli saw 20 of Estrada's 102 pitches in only two ABs which resulted in walks. Estrada finished the game recording only a single out on the ground, something he has only done once before as a starter.*

* Last August 25th in Cincinnati - 7 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 9 K. Technically, he did it as a starter in 2012 in a game he left early due to injury. 1 inning, so I'm not counting it. For you fact-checkers.

Ron Roenicke made a puzzling decision in the bottom of the 7th: with a runner on second and two away with Will Smith on the mound, Roenicke put Middlebrooks on for free to face Daniel Nava, a switch hitter who is much better as a right-hander (almost .200 in OPS better). Instead of then bringing in a right-handed pitcher, as probably everyone assumed, Roenicke left Smith in to face Nava. Thankfully, Nava swung at ball four on 3-1, grounding out to short to end the threat.

Everything changed very rapidly in the bottom of the ninth. Former Cardinal Edward Mujica must have stirred something in the Brewers' spirit. Khris Davis doubled on the first pitch. Scooter reached on a bunt attempt. Lyle Overbay lined a 2 RBI double into the right field corner, breaking the 2-2 tie. Gomez followed with his 4th hit in the game, a line drive single into right center, scoring Overbay easily. Aramis Ramirez piled on with a 2-out RBI single to make it 6-2.

K-Rod came on in a non-save situation to shut the door on the Sox for good. Believe it or not, there was neither twenty pitches or terror. All in all, an extremely satisfying conclusion to this one.

Tomorrow the Brewers look to take the series behind Wily Peralta, who will take the mound to face Clay Buccholz a few minutes past 6.

A horrific ninth inning by Edward Mujica and Andrew Miller cost the Sox's chance of a win in their home opener at Fenway.

Accompanied by a panoply of brass, the Red Sox unveiled their 2013 World Series championship banner to a packed Fenway Park Friday afternoon, followed by the presentation of the championship rings to the coaching staff and players. And any Opening Day ceremony which gives us a chance to see Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell, and Tim Wakefield is automatically a very, very good day.

The weather in April at Fenway Park is always a bit of a lottery—and today, it came up cold, cloudy, and windy, with a breeze blowing anything hit to center and right dead on the warning track. It made for a number of dying quails for well-hit balls, including those by Xander Bogaerts and Daniel Nava.

However, the weather favors neither team, and the Brewers were also susceptible to the stiff winds—when they weren't getting struck out by Jake Peavy, that is. Aside from a bizarre triple by Jean Segura that seemed to owe as much to poor positioning by Mike Carp as solid hitting by Segura—Peavy opened the game with three strikeouts (he had four on the day). In the second inning, however, Peavy would not fare nearly as well, as two runs scored in the second inning on a home run by Jonathan Lucroy and a Carlos Gomez single.

The Sox offense would begin to chip away at the lead, courtesy of some Astros-quality defense by the Brewers, as a failed attempt to gun down Mike Napoli at third following a Grady Sizemore single ended up with Napoli coming around to score and Sizemore at second, and then advancing to third on a failed Aramis Ramirez tag attempt. Bogaerts could have tied the score with a hit or a deep fly ball—unfortunately his ball ended up in shallow right, easily close enough to nab Sizemore at the plate.

The tying run, however, would come courtesy of Will Middlebrooks, who launched a ball on top of the Monster for his first home run of the year. And Napoli would do major, major damage to Marco Estrada's pitch count, having two separate 10-pitch at bats, including the walk that would end Estrada's day with two out in the bottom of the sixth. Will Smith would successfully strand Napoli, but at third, after a wild pitch and a passed ball, by striking out pinch hitter Jonny Gomes.

Unfortunately, after that, the game would become a messy miasma of missed opportunities for the Sox, with batters aplenty left in scoring position. (The anguished cries of our OTMers in the game thread was nigh palpable.)

Peavy shut down the Brewers for the remainder of his six innings of work, allowing only the two runs, and Burke Badenhop did well in his two innings of work, with only two hits and no runs.

But the real damage came in the ninth, when the wheels came off, with Edward Mujica's Fenway debut being about as bad as you could possibly imagine, with a questionable call about a pickoff at third base leading to outright disaster, as three runs would score courtesy of Lyle Overbay and Carlos Gomez, who was 4-for-5, before a single out would be recorded, leaving the score at 5-2. Overbay was particularly pesky on both sides of the plate, with strong defense that robbed the Sox of several would-be hits and delivering the killing blow in the ninth. Yet another run would score on a Ramirez line drive before Farrell way, way too late pulled the plug on Mujica's afternoon. Andrew Miller would fare little better, walking the first two batters he faced before getting Khris Davis to strike out. Francisco Rodriguez managed a 1-2-3 ninth to take the first game of the series.

Game two is Saturday night, with Clay Buchholz making his debut this season.

Tennessee brings home their first win of the year thanks to two top prospects. Iowa and Daytona are still looking for their first victory.

In some roster moves, Alberto Cabrera was activated and sent to Iowa. Casey Coleman was reassigned to Boise to make room.  (Which means going to Mesa at this time of year.) Judging from Coleman's comments on Twitter, he is considering his options.

Jorge Soler was put on the DL and Anthony Giansanti was activated to take his spot in Tennessee.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were thrashed by the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals), 9-0.

Carlos Pimentel started and took the loss after he allowed four runs on eight hits, including two home runs, over five innings. He did strike out six and not  issue a walk, so there were some positives.

There were no positives for Jonathan Sanchez's Cubs debut. He couldn't get out of the sixth inning and he gave up a grand slam to Greg Garcia, which was Garcia's second of the game. The grand slam came after Sanchez walked three batters and hit one. Sanchez did retire two batters, one by strikeout.

The only Iowa Cub who managed to get a hit was center fielder Matt Szczur, who was 2 for 3 with a double and two walks and a stolen base. The rest of the Iowa lineup was 0 for 26 with three walks

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies reeled in the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Reds), 1-0 for their first win of the season.

So far, so good for C.J. Edwards in Double-A. He pitched the first four innings and allowed only one hit. He walked one and struck out four. And since this is the first time I've gotten to watch him pitch, I can tell you he looked sharp. Very effortless motion.

P.J. Francescon got the win with three innings of scoreless relief. The Tennessee native allowed only two hits. He struck out two and walked one.

Armando Rivero threw the final two innings for the save. Rivero allowed only one hit. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.

The only run of the game came on a seventh inning home run by Kris Bryant, his second in as many days. Bryant was 1 for 4.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs were splashed by the Brevard County Manatees (Brewers), 4-3 in ten innings.

Starter Jose Rosario got into trouble early as the first four batters he faced reached base. He got out of that with only two runs scoring and then he allowed a third run in the second inning. He settled down after that. Rosario's final line was three runs on five hits over four innings.

Austin Reed took the loss when he allowed a run in the top of the tenth. Reed allowed the run on one hit and one walk. He pitched two total innings and he struck out three.

Right fielder Pin-Chieh Chenwas 3 for 5 with a double. He scored one run and had another RBI.

DH Bijan Rademacher was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars game at the Quad Cities was postponed because of bad weather. They'll play a double-header on Saturday.

A night of starting pitching prospects is here before you

Nashville Sounds (AAA) 1-0
Won 4-2 at Omaha Storm Chasers (KCR) (box / pbp)

Huntsville Stars (AA) 1-1
Won 5-3 at Jacksonville Suns (MIA) (box / pbp)

Brevard County Manatees (High A) 2-0
Won 4-3 (10 inn.) at Daytona Cubs (CHC) (box / pbp)

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low A) 0-1
Postponed vs Peoria Chiefs (STL)

Player/Pitcher Points of Interest

In the season's opening week, the VEB writers previewed the MLB season and more.

Fanposts

• hazel: 2014 Viva El Run Cardinals 5K Charity Information
• stlfan: 2013 Cardinals and RBI
• Notorious PSC: Who is the biggest homer in Viva El League?
• dr. how: Bourjos & Justice: Predicting the Cardinals Center Field
• dr. howl: Allen Craig: Predictive Most of a Season in 2014?
• stlfan: St. Louis Cardinals 2014 Projected Stats
• creepyholliday: Should Lance Lynn be in the rotation?

Saturday, 3/29

• Joe wrote about the amendments to the MLB and MLBPA joint drug agreement, and used his pharmacy knowledge to detail a new substance on the banned list.
• Fourstick introduced us to Keith Butler, who the Cards named as their final reliever.
• I continued our NL Central preview with a look at the Chicago Cubs, which featured a Q&A with Al Yellow from our SBN sister site Bleed Cubbie Blue.

Sunday, 3/30

• I took a gander at the opening day roster matrix.
• In the final installment of our NL Central preview series, I examined the Pirates, which included a Q&A with Charlie Wilmoth, the site manager of the SBN blog Bucs dugout and author of Dry Land, a book about baseball fandom.
• The Red Baron previewed every MLB team in two sentences.

Monday, 3/31

• In the farm report, ebo detailed Rob Kaminsky blanking his teammates.
• The VEB writers previewed the Cards season with over/under predictions.
• We also forecasted the MLB division races.
• Lil' Scooter gave us an opening day Hunt & Peck.
• Aaron analyzed the Cardinals' season-opening series vs. the Reds.
• Aaron recapped the Cardinals' opening-day win over Cincy.

Tuesday, 4/1

• I wrote about how the recent history between the Cardinals and Reds (and Yadier Molina and Johnny Cueto in particular) made the season opening win that much more meaningful.
• Fourstick examined the Pirates' farm system.
• Aaron broke down the fourth annual VEB predictions contest results with pie graphs.

Wednesday, 4/2

• RB gave us his tenth MLB draft preview, looking at high-school pitchers Cobi Johnson, Joe Gatto, and Dylan Cease.
• Joe broke down Adam Wainwright's opening day pitch usage.
• I explained by fan expectations for Michael Wacha might be a bit outsized.

Thursday, 4/3

• Rui recapped the Cards' loss to the Reds on Wednesday night.
• Craig advised that avoiding the use of middle relievers would behoove the Cards.
• Fourstick took a look at the Milwaukee Brewers farm system.
• Santiagofish broke down the Cardinals' Thursday win over Cincy.

Friday, 4/4

• Joe explained why Trevor Rosenthal is one of a kind.
• Aaron previewed the Pirates-Cardinals series.
• Lil' Scooter gave us her Friday Hunt & Peck.
• During the rain delay, I wrote about which starter to choose in a life-or-death game.
• dr. howl recapped the Pirates beating the Cards.

Wily Peralta has a few elite talents, but there are obstacles holding him back. Is this the year he rises above them?

The Brewers round out their rotation with their former number 1 prospect Wily Peralta. He’s only 24 years old now but this will be his second full year, third overall in the major leagues. Thus far the results have been mixed, but every so often he’ll pitch a game and you just know if he can put it all together he could be great.

Peralta’s standout skill is his fastball. In 2013 his average fastball velocity (94.8 mph) ranked 4th highest behind only Matt Harvey, Stephen Strasburg, and Jose Fernandez. Not that it matters all that much, but Peralta is the second youngest of that group. He also has the 12th highest groundball rate (51%) of qualified pitchers. That’s a unique combination.

Peralta’s problem, as with many pitchers in the Brewers system, is his control. He walks too many people. It’s hard to say what he needs to do to fix this problem, but it could be as simple as getting more experience. A lot has been made of his composure on the mound. He sometimes gets too emotional when he struggles, and he starts to overthrow. If that really is a large part of it, then experience can only help.

My hope is that Wily Peralta will eventually be able to strengthen his control. He’s young and there aren’t exactly a lot of prospects breathing down his neck, so you know he’ll be given a long leash to do so. If he can walk fewer and strikeout more, with his groundball profile, he can be a whole lot better than what we saw last year. He’s not the same caliber as Jose Fernandez or Stephen Strasburg, and you shouldn’t expect that, but I would compare him to Andrew Cashner. If you're uncertain, that’s a good thing.

Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Minor League Notes, 2014-04-05
• Spoiling the Party: Brewers 6, Red Sox 2
• Jean Segura, Khris Davis, Scooter Gennett and Lyle Overbay back in Brewers lineup
• Ryan Braun injury: Thumb still an issue for Brewers RF
• Marco Estrada: Pocket Ace?

Some gifs.

Wily Peralta's pre-game warmup (gif c/o Fred):

Jean Segura started off the game strong for the Brewers with a one-out triple, but failed to score in the first inning after Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez struck out.

Instead, it was Jonathan Lucroy who scored the first Brewers run when he launched a home run over the Green Monster.

The Brewers would score one more run later in the inning when Carlos Gomez singled. However, he would make the third out of the inning on the basepaths when he was caught stealing.

The Red Sox cut the lead in half when Grady Sizemore hit an RBI single in the bottom of the second on a play that featured a throwing error by Logan Schafer. Schafer made up for it on the next batter, though, preventing more runs from scoring.

Will Middlebrooks would tie it up the next inning on a hit no defender could have stopped.

Super-prospect Xander Bogaerts is good at defense, but had a blunder in the middle of the game.

Jonathan Lucroy decided that anything A.J. Pierzynski can do, he can do better.

With the game remaining tied 2-2 in the 9th, Khris Davis, Scooter Gennett and Lyle Overbay broke it open.

Doug Melvin stares into your soul and is at first amused, then disappointed.

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Wily Peralta: A shiny rock in the rough.
• Minor League Notes, 2014-04-05
• Spoiling the Party: Brewers 6, Red Sox 2
• Ryan Braun injury: Thumb still an issue for Brewers RF
• Marco Estrada: Pocket Ace?

It was an ugly game for the defense, but the offense was able to make up for it in extra innings as the Brewers make it back above .500 for the first time since opening day.

Winning Pitcher: Tyler Thornburg

Losing Pitcher: Burke Badenhop

HR: M. Reynolds 1 (1), C. Gomez 1 (2)

SV: K-Rod (2)

Boxscore

It was an interesting/weird first inning for the Brewers' offense. Jean Segura managed to reach base on a grounder that shot off opposing starter Clay Buchholz's leg. Jonathan Lucroy hit into a fielder's choice and on what was either a wise decision or an overly aggressive risk, Segura advanced to third on the throw to first from Xander Bogaerts. Whatever you call it, it worked as Aramis Ramirez would then drive Segura home on a grounder that just barely went under Bogaerts' glove. Khris Davis would also get a hit, but no more runs would score that inning.

In the second innings things started off with a blast...literally. Mark Reynolds got his first hit as a Brewers on a massive line-drive home run off the first pitch. Not to be outdone, with two outs, Carlos Gomez absolutely crushed a home run to left. For a moment you could actually see the fabric of spacetime start to rip. If it weren't for the light pole, I believe the ball would have left the park entirely.

Wily Peralta worked a quick first inning retiring the Red Sox in order but he got roughed up a bit in the second inning. After back to back hits, the Red Sox got their first run on a fielders choice. They would a second run on a grounder that was badly bobbled and kicked by Segura (At the time of writing this, the official scorer did not rule this an error so the run is earned which is ridiculous). Martin Maldonado would end the inning by throwing out Jonathan Herrera trying steal second.

The Brewers offense kept rolling in the third inning. Lucroy led off with a double and Ramirez moved him to third with a single. Davis followed with another single scoring Lucroy. Logan Schafer ground out on a dribbler back towards the mound, but the runners would advance to second and third for Mark Reynolds. He would strike out, but Scooter Gennett would double in the pair to bring the Brewers lead to 6-2.

Peralta started off the third inning with a strikeout but then allowed a walk. Another runner reached on an error by Aramis Ramirez. The defense again failed Peralta as Segura, with a chance for at an easy double play, bobbled and was only able to get the runner out at first. Mike Napoli made them pay with a 3-run home run to center field cutting the Brewers' lead to 6-5. Bogaerts would draw a walk, but no further runs would score.

Carlos Gomez led off the fourth inning with a single and Jean Segura quickly followed with a bunt single. With runners at first and second, Jonathan Lucroy struck out on 3 pitches.  The runners would have advanced to second and third on a flyout from Aramis Ramirez, but Gomez got caught trying to score on the throw and was out at home to end the inning. Ed Sedar did wave Gomez around, so it's not really on him. It was pretty close and for the life of me I don't know why Ron Roenicke wouldn't try to review that one.

Wily Peralta, sick of this *ahem* stuff, pitched a quick and clean 3-up-3-down 4th inning.

In the top of the fifth inning, Logan Schafer and Mark Reynolds would chase Clay Buchholz from the game with back-to-back one out singles. Former Brewer Chris Capuano would take the mound with runners at the corner. Roenicke opted to leave Scooter Gennett in versus the lefty to predictable results. He popped up to shallow left field and the runner was unable score. With two outs and Martin Maldonado at the plate I went to the bathroom because the outcome was obvious (I didn't really, but you just knew they weren't going to score). Maldonado struck out to end the inning.

Wily Peralta was still sick of this...stuff...in the 5th inning and once again did not give up a run. He allowed a base hit to Dustin Pedroia but otherwise struck out the side. This would end Peralta's evening. His final line was 5 IP, 5 R, 2 ER, 6 K, 5 H, 2 BB.

In the 6th inning the Brewers offense was retired in order. Jim Henderson entered the game for the Brewers and allowed a lead-off double to Bogaerts. He would then walk Jonny Gomes. Roenicke immediately replaced him with Zach Duke. On one pitch he induced A.J. Pierzynski to ground into a double play. The runner advanced to third base. The next hitter would ground into what should have been the third out, but once again Segura bobbled it allowing the Red Sox to tie the game. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, I did not have any alcohol in the house to dull the pain. Duke would get the next batter to strike out the next batter. For the time being I put the mouthwash back in the medicine cabinet.

Aramis Ramirez led off the 7th inning with a single. Khris Davis followed with a single of his own and Jonny Gomes did the Brewers a solid by bobbling the ball, allowing Ramirez to advance to third. The next three Brewers would strike out. I send the dog to the gas station with three dollars and a note that says "Steel Reserve." Hopefully she returns soon.

Zach Duke stayed in the game to face Grady Sizemore, retiring him on a pop-out. Brandon Kintzler would then replace him. He quickly retired Dustin Pedroia and Daniel Nava.

A crisis was averted in the 8th inning when I found some beer hiding in the back of the fridge. The dog hasn't returned, but the mouthwash stays where it is for now. The Brewers were unable to score though. Jean Segura at least made things interesting. With two outs he hit a single, then stole second base and went to third on a poor throw from the catcher. Lucroy scorched the ball but it went straight into the first baseman's glove.

In the bottom of the 8th Kintzler allowed a lead off single, but got the next batter to strikeout. After that he induced a double play to end the inning. Beer supply is running low and the dog remains at large. I have the mouthwash at the ready. At the very least it will help me forget.

Koji Uehara struck out the side in the 9th. The Brewers never stood a chance. It was brutal. Almost as brutal as this mouthwash. Will Smith pitched the other half of the inning. He struck out the first batter and got the next batter to ground out on 1 pitch. Then David Ortiz stepped to the plate for the first time this game. The "Papi" chants were loud, but Smith remained unfazed. Ortiz grounded to short and the game went to extra innings.

The Brewers showed a little sign of life in the 10th as Scooter Gennett hit a one out line drive double. With two outs Carlos Gomez drew a walk. Things were definitely getting weird. Jean Segura stepped to the plate and proceeded to strikeout. Jonathan Lucroy stepped to the plate. Sorry, I forgot to mention that Segura reached base on the passed ball. Unfortunately Luc would flyout to right to strand the bases loaded.

The Brewers sent out Tyler Thornburg to take the mound in the bottom of the 10th. He looked pretty good getting the first batter to strikeout on 3 pitches, hitting 94 on the radar gun. Then he got Pedroia to ground out on 1 pitch. He got the third batter to fly out. The whole inning took all of 8 pitches. It was an oasis of an inning in a game that saw such awful defense and such weirdness as runners reaching base on strikeouts and the very ripping of spacetime. Perhaps mouthwash should not be ingested. In fact, I recommend that no one ever do that.

Former Brewer Burke Badenhop started the 11th for the Sox. Aramis Ramirez immediately grounded out followed by a ground rule double tby Khris Davis that bounced into a fan's glove. Logan Schafer greeted his former teammate rather rudely by doubling in Khris Davis. The Brewers finally regained the lead! Mark Reynolds struck out and with Gennett coming up next, the Red Sox put in LHP Andrew Miller. Roenicke left Gennett in the game and he struck out. With the Brewers taking the lead prior to the move, even though Gennett can't do a thing versus LHP, I thought it was the right move. Defense probably mattered more than insurance runs and it's not like Rickie Weeks is a sure bet. I say that as a big fan of his.

Francisco Rodriguez came on for the save. The first batter struck out on 6 pitches. The second batter struck out on 4 pitches. Even though he had 20 pitches to work with K-Rod only needed 6 to strikeout the final batter of the game. The long national nightmare was over. The Brewers won, insuring they end their worst week with at worst a .500 record which, if you read this article, will know that that is pretty solid.

It was at this time that my dog finally returned, albeit a bit too late. Along with the Steel Reserve she had a note that simply read "Credo quia absurdum est." I have no idea what that means but it doesn't matter. The Brewers return to the field tomorrow at 12:35 pm CT. Yovani Gallardo will face Jon Lester.

Michael Ratterree: Yes! Jed Bradley: No! Rain: Yes, and oh, no!

Nashville Sounds (AAA) 2-1
Won Game 1 2-1 (7 inn.) at Omaha Storm Chasers (KCR) (box / pbp)
Lost Game 2 4-3 (7 inn.) (box / pbp)

Huntsville Stars (AA) 1-1
Postponed at Jacksonville Suns (MIA)

Brevard County Manatees (High A) 2-1
Lost 13-2 vs Daytona Cubs (CHC) (box / pbp)

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low A) 1-1
Won 8-4 vs Peoria Chiefs (STL) (box / pbp)

Player/Pitcher Points of Interest

What milestones could Brewers hit in 2014? We take a look at that today.

It happens every season. Several players have big milestones that pass as they collect stats. As the 2014 season begins, there are some more milestones that are coming. Earlier this week, I looked through Baseball Reference at milestones that are coming up. Here are some of those milestones that could happen this season.

Note: All stats are through Wednesday's game. Also, while I will factor in some injury time for certain players, most of the projections and probabilities assume a relatively healthy season.

Aramis Ramirez

Games Played: 1,927
Needs 73 games to 2,000
Probability: 99%

Only injury will stop Ramirez from playing 73 games in 2014. As long as Ramirez is healthy, he will play.

Ryan Braun

Games Played: 947
Needs 53 games played to reach 1,000
Probability: 99%

I don't see any reason that Ryan Braun will not surpass 1,000 games played this season.

Carlos Gomez

Runs Scored: 373
Needs 127 runs scored to reach 500
Probability: 1%

While Carlos Gomez may score some extra runs through batting in the leadoff spot, there have only been three times in franchise history where a Brewer scored more than 127 runs (twice by Paul Molitor and once by Robin Yount). It's possible, but I wouldn't count on it.

Jonathan Lucroy

Doubles: 67
Needs 33 doubles to reach 100
Probability: 1%

Jonathan Lucroy showed he is capable of recording doubles last year when he had a career-best 25. However, unless he has another big jump up, he won't get to 100 this season.

Rickie Weeks

Hits: 941
Needs 59 hits to reach 1,000
Probability: 90%

Even in a reduced role, I think Rickie Weeks can pass the 1,000 hit mark this season. Only Scooter Gennett completely taking over at second base will stop him.

Home Runs: 140
Needs 10 home runs to reach 150
Probability: 60%

This one could be a little tougher. I'm going to favor Weeks in this scenario because he still had 10 home runs last year, even through his struggles and injury. However, if Weeks loses playing time, his chances will drop even more. If it's a true platoon split and Weeks gets around 350 PA, I think he'll get to 10 home runs.

Doubles: 186
Needs 16 doubles to reach 200
Probability: 70%

Looking back to last season again, Rickie Weeks had 20 doubles in the reduced time. Going along with what I said for the home runs, if he gets around 350 PA, he should have at least 16 doubles.

Lyle Overbay

Home Runs: 147
Needs 3 home runs to reach 150
Probability: 75%

If you had asked me about this one last week, I probably would have gone lower. However, in the first few games of the season, it is obvious that Overbay will get time. He hit 14 home runs last year, and 2 the year before that (though only in 131 PA). If first base remains a platoon, Overbay will somehow collect 3 home runs.

Games Played: 1,468
Needs 32 games played to reach 1,500
Probability: 90%

Once again, I would have changed my prediction if you asked me this last week. However, after seeing how much Overbay is playing in the first few games on 2014, it's looking likely that Overbay will play at least 32 games.

Mark Reynolds

Games Played: 989
Needs 11 games played to reach 1,000
Probability: 99%

As long as Mark Reynolds doesn't get cut in the next two weeks, he will reach this mark.

Kyle Lohse

Strikeouts: 1,371
Needs 129 strikeouts to reach 1,500
Probability: 5%

Kyle Lohse doesn't focus on strikeouts, and his stats show that. For him to get another 129 strikeouts, he would be pushing levels he reached when he was a Cy Young candidate in 2012. I don't think he will get that far.

Francisco Rodriguez

Strikeouts: 934
Needs 66 strikeouts to reach 1,000
Probability: 95%

In a partial season last year, he still had 54 strikeouts. His lowest total in a full season was 67. There is a reason he is called K-Rod. As long as he is healthy, he gets this milestone.

That's it for milestones coming up this year. Most of these are easily within reach or too far out of reach, but that's some of the marks we could see happen this year.

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Minor League Notes, 2014-04-05
• Spoiling the Party: Brewers 6, Red Sox 2
• Ryan Braun injury: Thumb still an issue for Brewers RF
• Marco Estrada: Pocket Ace?
• What we learned: April 4, 2014

Ryan Braun is back in the lineup and Aramis Ramirez is at DH as the Brewers try for the series sweep.

Today, the Brewers attempt to do something that they have not done in a long time.  They will try to sweep the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Ryan Braun is back in today's lineup after taking yesterday off to rest his thumb.  In addition, Aramis Ramirez will take the DH spot to get a day off from the field.  Jean Segura is taking the day off, which means that Mark Reynolds, Lyle Overbay, and Jeff Bianchi are all in the lineup today.

Here is the complete lineup from the Brewers Twitter account:

Today's #Brewers lineup at Fenway. First pitch 12:35 CT on @fswisconsin and @620wtmj. pic.twitter.com/O7kVwLOGK8

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 6, 2014

Yovani Gallardo will make his second start of the season.  He pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  He has made one previous start against the Red Sox, and it was one to forget.  In three innings, he allowed eight runs (five earned) on nine hits.

On the other side, Opening Day starter Jon Lester will start for the Red Sox.  He has made one previous start against the Brewers, where he pitched eight innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits (3 of those home runs), 3 walks, and 8 strikeouts.  In his one start of this season, he pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 runs with 8 strikeouts, but took the loss.

Today's game is at 12:35 pm, and it wil be on FS Wisconsin.

No getting swept, m'kay, Sox?

So with the series already down in the books as a loss, it would be nice to avoid getting swept. Luckily, the Sox have Jon Lester on the mound today, so there's an excellent chance of little run action on the part of the Milwaukee Brewers. We now just need to hope that the Sox bats can put something together.

Unfortunately, it's another day, another not-exactly-optimal Sox lineup, as Will Middlebrooks is once again unavailable, and Grady Sizemore has a scheduled day off with a day game directly after a night game:

1. Daniel Nava, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Mike Napoli, 1B
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Jonny Gomes, LF
7. Jonathan Herrera, 3B
8. Jackie Bradley, Jr., CF
9. David Ross, C

plus the aforementioned Lester on the mound. However, there's no Placeholder sighting, so it's not nearly as suboptimal as it could have been.

Doing battle for the Milwaukee Brewers today:

1. Carlos Gomez, CF
   
2. Rickie Weeks, 2B
   
3. Ryan Braun, RF
   
4. Aramis Ramirez, DH
5. Jonathan Lucroy, C
6. Khris Davis, LF
7. Mark Reynolds, 3B
8. Lyle Overbay, 1B
9. Jeff Bianchi, SS

with Yovani Gallardo lining up against Lester.

So, just as a reminder, there is to be no sweeping during this game. OK, Red Sox? Good? Then:

GO SOX!

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 (March 29, 2014)
Toronto Blue Jays   (January 18, 2014)

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox (March 1, 2014)
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers (April 3, 2014)
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 (April 6, 2014)

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks (February 24, 2014)
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers (March 18, 2014)
San Diego Padres (March 31, 2014)
San Francisco Giants  (December 28, 2014)

With significant rain in the forecast for tomorrow and a rain date built in on Tuesday, the Phillies made an early decision to postpone the game.

In a bit of a surprise move, the Philadelphia Phillies have decided to postpone their home opener tomorrow against the Brewers to Tuesday.  The surprise is more from the decision being made so early, but with significant rain in the forecast for tomorrow and a rain date built in for Tuesday, the move was made this afternoon.

It's a smart decision for the Phillies.  Tomorrow's forecast for Philadelphia has a significant chance of rain all afternoon and evening, so the chances of the game being postponed anyway were high.  By doing this, they can save many fans and employees time and money tomorrow.  By Tuesday, the threat of rain will be gone from the forecast, and the next three days look good for baseball.

This will also give the few Brewers players who are dealing with early season injuries (Ryan Braun, Jean Segura) a day to rest.  Granted, the day was built in anyway, they just get it a day sooner now.

Tuesday'game will start at 3:05 pm, and will still be televised by FS Wisconsin.

Brewers sweep Red Sox for the first time since October 1993.

WP: Yovani Gallardo (2-0)
LP: Jon Lester (0-2)

HR: None

Box Score

Sometimes strange things happen in baseball.  The Brewers sweeping the defending champion Red Sox in Fenway Park would qualify as strange.  Winning two games at Fenway would have been a good series, but the Brewers entered today looking for a sweep.

The scoring started in the second inning for the Brewers.  Jonathan Lucroy led off the inning with a double, then Khris Davis reached on a bunt single.  Mark Reynolds followed and got the Brewers on the board with an RBI single that scored Lucroy, and right fielder Daniel Nava misplayed it, allowing Khris Davis to score as well and Mark Reynolds to get to second base.  However, the offense would be shut down after that with Jon Lester recording sixteen outs in a row.

The Brewers would score another run in the seventh inning after breaking Lester's streak of outs.  Khris Davis got on base with a double, followed by a walk to Mark Reynolds.  Lyle Overbay struck out, but Jeff Bianchi got an RBI single with two outs to increase the Brewers lead to 3-0.  Mark Reynolds got over to third (technically a steal) on a pickoff attempt to first base, but Gomez ended the inning when his attempt to bunt for a hit failed.

The Brewers added another run in the eighth inning.  Braun got on base with a one-out single, then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher David Ross.  Aramis Ramirez then followed with an RBI single to make it a 4-0 lead.  Lucroy walked to put runners at first and second, but weren't able to take advantage of it.

It was another scoreless start for Gallardo.  He pitched 6 2/3 innings on 109 pitches, allowing only seven hits and no runs.  He also had three strikeouts in the start.  He got into trouble by allowing hits to the last two batters he faced, but Zach Duke came in and got Daniel Nava to fly out to end the inning.  Jon Lester had another good day today.  He pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk with six strikeouts.  However, his offense didn't provide any support again, not scoring a run while he was in the game.

Tyler Thornburg pitched the last two innings and allowed a hit in each inning, but kept the Red Sox off the board to end the game.  He also had three strikeouts.

This is the first time the Brewers have swept the Red Sox since October of 1993.  Most of that is due to the league change, but it is still a long time.  This was something that none of us expected, and while we still saw plenty of problems, it also provides a lot of optimism for this season.

The Brewers were originally scheduled to play tomorrow, but the Phillies postponed the game early due to a lot of rain in the forecast.  They will use the scheduled rain day on Tuesday instead for their home opener.  Kyle Lohse is scheduled to pitch for the Brewers, and Kyle Kendrick pitches for the Phillies.

Speedy outfielder Johnny Davis and returning pitcher Preston Gainey were the stars in today's games.

The Midwest League season is still young for the 2014 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers but, if Sunday's doubleheader split against Peoria is any indication, they could get some major contributions from unlikely sources in 2014.

Wisconsin lost the first of two seven inning games 3-2 despite drawing nine walks, including seven against Cardinals top prospect Alex Reyes. One of those two runs came from speedy outfielder Johnny Davis, who reached on an error and came around to score. Davis had a pair of hits, stole two bases and scored a pair of runs in the two games today, which isn't bad for a player that hasn't actually spent much of his life playing baseball.

"He's a track guy trying to learn how to play the game and it's been amazing," Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson said. "Last instructional league I watched him play and was like, 'Wow, this is going to be a project.' But the way he's picked up on things through last fall and this spring, he's really put himself in a decent situation. He's learning, and with more game experience we anticipate him to get more baseball feel. Today he made two great catches in center field and if he doesn't make those catches it's probably a different game. And then you saw what he can do on the bases. His speed is a difference maker."

"Really, I'm just trying to get better every day," Davis said. "I just started playing this game and I'm just trying to learn."

The Brewers drafted Davis in the 22nd round last year after he had played just one season of collegiate baseball and he stole 17 bases in 30 games for the rookie-level AZL Brewers last season. His two today were his first of 2014, and both followed bunt singles.

"I'm trying to bunt at least one time a game," Davis said. "It's a good way to get on base and I can steal some bags."

Davis eventually scored the winning run in the second game, reaching on a bunt in the sixth inning, stealing second and scoring on an error as Wisconsin rallied for a 3-1 victory. Wisconsin was in a solid position to win because of the efforts of starting pitcher Preston Gainey, a 2013 Timber Rattler back for his second tour with the team.

"He's a guy that's repeating and you kind of hope that he'd come out like that and be consistent," Erickson said. "And we needed it, obviously. He pounded the zone and put us in a good situation to win that game."

Gainey, an eleventh round pick out of the Naval Academy in 2012, pitched five shutout innings and turned heads in the first by reaching 94 on the stadium radar gun. That's up a click or two from last season, and could change his fortunes as a prospect.

"This offseason I did a lot of work with my delivery and my mechanics and actually came into spring training throwing the ball pretty hard, as compared to what I did last year," Gainey said. "Everything feels good, I'm taking stress off my arm and trying to use my legs more."

Gainey posted a 5.11 ERA over 25 appearances with Wisconsin last season, but his increased velocity has drawn some attention within the organization.

"He's capable of mid-90's," Erickson said. "He was one of the guys that our pitching coordinator Rick Tomlin said, 'His arm strength is improving.'"

Gainey's control, though, could also be a significant factor in his future.

"Last year he'd get in trouble because he really didn't have much command or control of his off speed pitches and he'd fall behind and they'd just sit on his fastball," Erickson said. "Throughout spring training I saw a couple of his starts and he did a nice job of getting his breaking stuff over, and that makes your fastball a little better."

Gainey also recognized that his defense, including Davis, worked hard to help him out today.

"He's (Davis) just got incredible speed. With the defense I have behind me it's great to pitch for," Gainey said. "You know that if you get the ball put in play they're going to make a play behind you."

Today's doubleheader gave Wisconsin a chance to get a couple of players who have been waiting for a chance their first Midwest League opportunities. Infielders Francisco Castillo and Steven Holcomb saw the field for the first time today.

"We have some guys, even on the bench, guys that we haven't seen yet, and they're pretty good little baseball players and they can help us out," Erickson said. "I wanted to make sure they got involved at some point today, and it worked out that they got to play both games. Early in the year I want to make sure everybody touches the field, and then the game figures it out for you."

By winning the second game Wisconsin clinched a split with Peoria in the opening series. They're off tomorrow before heading out on the road to West Michigan and South Bend, and Erickson said wrapping up the brief homestand with a victory was big for this team.

"It's a lot better to leave the first homestand 2-2, as opposed to 1-3."

For more from Kyle, check out the new Frosty Mug at Milwaukee Magazine, follow him on Twitter @BrewFrostyMug and like his new Facebook page.