The star outfielder has hit the disabled list for the second time in as many seasons.
The Milwaukee Brewers have placed star outfielder and 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique, the club has announced. To replace Braun on the active roster, the Brewers have also activated outfielder Logan Schafer from the DL.
Braun had missed the six games prior to the announcement dealing with the injury. In correspondence with the time already missed, his placement on the DL is retroactive to April 27th, so the right fielder will be eligible to return on May 12th, though him being healthy by then is no guarantee.
Braun, who played in just 61 games last season due to a thumb injury and 65-game suspension for violating MLB's drug policy, has gotten off to a hot start this year. He was hitting .318/.361/.591 with a .402 wOBA and 156 wRC+ at the time of the injury. He is currently 10th in the NL with a .952 OPS.
The injury, which was announced on Saturday, received quite a reaction from the fans at PNC Park in Pittsburgh:
Cheers erupt at PNC Park when scoreboard news shows Ryan Braun went on 15-day DL today.
Schafer had been out since April 18th after suffering a hamstring strain. He started in Braun's place Saturday night against the Reds, and went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts. He is hitting .194/.219/.323 in 11 games this season.
The Brewers, who are a major-league best 21-10 following Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Reds, figure to use 25-year-old Caleb Gindl as their primary right fielder during Braun's absence, with Schafer also seeing considerable playing time.
The Cubs are employing some familiar scouts looking for draft help, getting the club to focus their eyes on the field, and is taking a glass half-full approach to April struggles.
Thanks to Al for filling in on Thursday. But you still missed me, right?
Late drama caps a game full of comebacks as the Reds send the Brewers away with a series loss.
The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
You get the walkoff, you get the goods!
Todd Frazier walloped a 2-out double to the corner in LF in the Bottom of the 10th that scored Chris Heisey and won the game, and that's the kind of flying to the moon that wins trophies, so today's JNMHSotG gets handed to Frazier so he can put it in his cabinet. Thanks for that, Todd; it turned a lazy Sunday afternoon into a cheery one.
Honorable Mentions are due to: Brandon Phillips, who mashed a huge solo dinger in the Bottom of the 8th that tied the game as as some sweet icing on top of his tasty series cake; Brayan Pena, who went 2 for 3 with a dinger of his own and sports the best double ear flap helmet the Reds have seen in at least a few months; Zack Cozart, who went 2 for 3 with a walk; Sam LeCure, who tossed another scoreless inning on his 30th birthday (Happy Birthday, Sam!); and Joey Votto, who went 2 for 5 with a ground rule double and several other loud outs.
Key Plays
Scooter Gennett started the scoring today with a solo scoot over the wall in RF with 1-out in the Top of the 1st. Reds trailed, 1-0.
The Brewers played add-on in the Top of the 3rd thanks to - who else - Carlos Gomez. Gomez hit a 1-out double off the wall in left-center, moved to 3B following a productive ground out from Gennett, and scored on a single up the middle from Jonathan Lucroy. Reds trailed, 2-0.
NERTS nert'd his 3rd NERT of the season to lead off the Bottom of the 3rd, a long solo shot into the RF stands that got the Reds on the board. Unfortunately, Khris Davis khrushed a Simon pitch for an opposite field solo shot of his own in the Top of the 4th to once again give Kyle Lohse and the Brewers a two run lead. Reds trailed, 3-1.
Phillips led off the Bottom of the 4th with a leadoff double to the wall in LF, moved to 3B on a productive ground out from Chris Heisey, and scored on a deep sac fly to RF from Todd Frazier. Reds trailed, 3-2.
The Reds strung together some solid PAs in the Bottom of the 6th beginning with a smoked ground-rule double from Votto that cleared the wall in left-center with one out. Phillips walked behind him, Heisey followed with a single that was hit too hard for Votto to score, but with the bases loaded, Frazier hit a liner right to Gennett at 2B that was flipped to second to force a double play and end the threat. In the Bottom of the 7th, Pena and Cozart had back to back 1-out singles that left runners on 1st and 3rd, but Pena was pulled with what appeared to be a slight hamstring tweak. Billy Hamilton was brought on to pinch-run, and Jay Bruce was brought on to pinch hit for Simon, but Bruce struck out against reliever Will Smith, and Smith then got Skip Schumaker to fly out to end the threat.
Phillips took matters into his own hands in the Bottom of the 8th, launching a game-tying uni-dinger off the batter's eye in CF. Game tied, 3-3.
After LeCure escaped trouble in the Top of the 10th with a big strikeout of Carlos Gomez with runners on 2B and 3B, the heart of the Reds order came to the plate in the Bottom of the 10th with a win on their mind. Votto struck out looking, however, and when Phillips popped out in foul ground to Lyle Overbay at 1B, it seemed as if the Reds were set for an 11th inning of play. ALL OF A SUDDEN, Heisey walked, and Frazier smacked his second double off Tyler Thornburg in as many days, propelling Heisey around to score from 1B. Reds win, 4-3!
Jay Bruce was a late scratch from today's lineup due to some knee soreness, and Heisey got the start in RF in his stead. Bruce, of course, pinch-hit late in the game, and will likely be back in the lineup again on Tuesday.
Brandon Phillips went 7 for 16 in the series with 2 doubles, a dinger, a walk, and 2 RBI, and seemingly minutes following the collected death knell of his season was expected, Phillips now has a higher batting average than Joey Votto and is out-slugging Jay Bruce.
NERTS NERTS NERTS NERTS NERTS NERTS NERTS NERTS! NERTS stole our hearts again today with another nerty performance, but he was lifted in the Bottom of the 7th following what appeared to be a hamstring tweak. Dang.
The Reds have tomorrow off before starting a Bud Selig Totally Awesome Two Game Series Sandwiched Between Two Off Days in Boston against the Red Sox. Yep, the Reds play a total of two baseball games between Sunday afternoon and Friday night at 7:10 EST. Thanks, Bud!
The Reds, at 15-16, now have the best run differential in the NL Central at +17, and are tied for 2nd place behind the Brewers.
Eric Jokisch started and took the loss. Jokisch allowed four runs, three earned, on nine hits over six innings. Jokisch struck out four and didn't walk anyone.
Iowa's only run came on left fielder Josh Vitters' third home run in the fifth inning. Vitters was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Corey Black had a rough time finding the plate today. Black pitched five innings and allowed six runs, five of which were earned. He surrendered four hits but issued five walks. Black struck out four.
Center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha was 2 for 4 with two runs scored. Catcher Rafael Lopez went 1 for 2 with two walks and a two-run single in the eighth inning.
Starter Felix Pena had a great start, allowing only one hit over six shutout innings. Pena struck out three and walked one.
Stephen Perakslis got the win after tossing the final three innings without allowing a run. Perakslis allowed two hits, but no walks. He struck out three.
Daytona scored one run in the first inning, one run in the twelfth and a whole lot of nothing in the middle. Second baseman Gioskar Amaya led off the bottom of the first with a double and Candelario ended it with a home run. The Cubs had two hits in the ten innings between those two events.
It was Candelario's third home run this season. He was 1 for 5. Amaya was also 1 for 5.
Center fielder Albert Almora was 0 for 2 with a sac fly in the first inning, scoring Amaya. But in the fourth inning, he drew his first walk of the season.
It was an easy win for starter Paul Blackburn, who was spotted seven runs in the bottom of the first inning by the Cougars offense. Blackburn pitched six innings and allowed three runs on six hits. He struck out six and walked one.
It was another two scoreless innings of relief for Gerardo Concepcion, allowing only one hit. He struck out three.
After the Cougars fell behind 1-0, center fielder Jacob Hannemann led off the bottom of the first inning and tied it up with his second home of the year. Hannemann was 1 for 5 with a walk.
Second baseman Danny Lockhart had four hits, including two doubles, in five at-bats. He scored twice and had two RBI. Lockhart also stole a base.
Shortstop Carlos Penalver went 3 for 5 with a double and a walk. He had two RBI and scored once.
Catcher Will Remillard continued to stay hot with another two hits today. Remillard was 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored once and had one RBI.
Third baseman Jordan Hankins went 2 for 5 with a pair of two-run doubles for four overall RBI. Hankins scored three runs.
Jay's meniscus joins Mat Latos' meniscus in the Cincinnati Reds' Intensive Meniscus Care Unit, and it's the kind of blow that a team already dealing with injuries to Latos, Aroldis Chapman, Devin Mesoraco, Billy Hamilton, and Brayan Pena can ill afford. Despite Jay's rather pedestrian start to the 2014 season (by his standards, at least), the stalwart RF has at least been getting on base at a superb rate (.352 OBP), and his power potential is one that the Reds will struggle to replace.
The fact that Jay will miss May is also bummer worthy, as May Bruce has reached something of a cult status in the Queen City. Jay's made a history of having rather slow starts to seasons (his career .774 OPS in March/April is his lowest of any month), but he's also made a habit of rebounding to have dominant Mays (his .911 career OPS in May is his highest of any month). That he's set to miss the part of the season where he's usually the most amazing just adds salt to a already painful wound.
Also, this announcement makes today's pinch-hit appearance all the more odd. Bruce was scratched before this afternoon's game against the Milwaukee Brewers due to knee soreness, he emerged for a late-game pinch hit performance (an ugly 3 pitch strikeout), and several hours later he's set for meniscus surgery that will shelve him for a month. Curious, that.
I would expect Chris Heisey to get the bulk of the playing time in RF in Bruce's absence, and while it's unfortunate that Roger Bernadina was Designated for Assignment to open a roster spot for Skip Schumaker just a day ago, there is some solace to know that Donald Lutz is already on the 40-man roster and is mashing to the tune of .387/.439/.733 with 5 HR for the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos so far this season. It would not surprise me at all to see the Reds turn to Lutz to fill the vacated spot on the 25-man roster, but I suppose we'll all get to that news once we stop bawling our eyes out.
Just keep reminding yourselves that the Reds have the best run differential in the NL Central right now. Then find a funny cat .gif and hug a teddy bear.
Can you name the longest tenured Brewers by letter?
While doing the research for tomorrow's Frosty Mug, I came across a cool Sporcle idea on an SB Nation sister site: AZ Snakepit wants you to name the longest-tenured Diamondback by letter. Four former Brewers are among the correct answers, but none of them are also correct answers in the Brewers version.
Kyle's daily roundup of all things Brewers has a new home for 2014 at Milwaukee Magazine.
The Brewers have had at least one player with a last name beginning with 25 of the 26 letters (they're still looking for the first X). How many of the games played leaders by letter can you name in ten minutes?
The quiz also includes ten bonus answers: Players who have appeared in at least 700 games as a Brewer but who do not qualify for the list.
The next Brewer to qualify for this list might be Aramis Ramirez, but he'd have to stick around for another year to make it. He played career game #271 today and is 155 away from taking over a spot.
Arizona tries to continue its run of success on the road as they continue their road trip to the midwest to face one of baseball's brightest stories, the Milwaukee Brewers.
What's New?
The Diamondbacks appear to have some hope and fight left in them, as they took two out of three in San Diego to secure just their second series win of the year. Arizona has now split their last ten games, and have improved to 8-8 (.500) on the road. They also had their second three-game winning streak in a span of two weeks, taking the opening two games of the Padres series after closing off the series against Colorado with a walk-off. The improvement of the starting pitching for Arizona has appeared to solidify itself as more than just a trend, especially with the turnarounds of Bronson Arroyo and Brandon McCarthy.
Arroyo was stellar in Arizona's 2-0 win Friday night, giving up just three hits in seven shutout innings, and McCarthy almost led the team to their second straight shutout, mirroring Arroyo's performance with seven shutout innings, giving up just three hits. Arizona also reached double digit wins for the season during the last series, moving to 11-23 on the season. Despite their strong performance in San Diego, the Diamondbacks still dropped to 10.5 games back of the Giants, who have won five straight.
For all the disappointment that the Diamondbacks fans have suffered through this season, the Brewers fans have experienced just as much success and surprise. After bottoming out to a disappointing 2013 season marred with the Ryan Braun Biogenesis scandal and suspension, the Brewers have jumped out to a 21-11 start and a five game lead in the NL Central. The reason why? Pitching. The Brewers have baseball's third best team ERA (3.01), surrendering just a .226 batting average and striking out 269 batters. They're even better at home, with a league-best 2.28 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP.
The Brewers come into Monday's series after dropping three of four games in Cincinnati and having split their last ten games. They'll host Arizona to open up a nine-game home stand against the Diamondbacks, Yankees, and the Pirates. Milwaukee is 9-6 at home this season, and will look to expand their lead in the NL Central, where they currently lead the second-place Cardinals by a wide margin (five games).
On The Mend
Diamondbacks right hander Trevor Cahill is day-to-day while dealing with flu-like symptoms that kept him unavailable for Sunday's 4-3 loss, according to the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro.
Arizona center fielder A.J. Pollock missed his third straight game on Sunday, and is day-to-day with a groin injury, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Right fielder Gerardo Parra is playing through the pain but day-to-day with an elbow injury after being hit by a Rex Brothers pitch Wednesday, according to Dbacks.com.
Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with an oblique strain. Braun is hitting .318 on the season with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 22 games.
Roster Moves
The Diamondbacks recalled outfielder Alfredo Marte from Triple-A Reno Friday; in response, they optioned outfielder Tony Campana to Triple-A Reno.
The Brewers recalled left fielder Logan Schafer from the 15-day disabled list Friday, taking Ryan Braun's spot on the 25-man active roster after Braun was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique strain.
Can't Close The Brewery (Or Can They?)
Despite the Brewers' strong starting pitching, the return of Braun and the emergence of Carlos Gomez (.280/.338/.538 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs, four stolen bases), the lurking issue of late has been the team's bullpen. The Brewers have had one of the best bullpens in baseball so far this season, posting a 2.99 ERA with a league-leading 15 saves on the campaign. Closer Francisco Rodriguez has been by far the best closer in baseball, posting an ERA of 0.00 with 14 saves and 24 strikeouts (12.71 K/9) in 17 appearances in 2014.
Yet, the Brewers bullpen seemingly fell apart during their last series in Cincinnati, as they dropped three of four games. Entering Sunday, the Brewers bullpen had given up ten earned runs in their last 11 innings pitched, losing two of three games in that span. On Sunday, the bullpen gave away the lead in the eighth innings, then lost the Brewers the ballgame in the tenth inning to close the series with consecutive losses. While the bullpen is expected to return to its elite-level norm, it will be interesting to see how they can bounce back against Arizona when they return to Miller Park.
Pitching Matchups
Game 1, Monday 7:10 CT: RHP Mike Bolsinger (1-1, 5.79 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Garza (1-3, 5.00 ERA)
Bolsinger will be making his fourth major league start on Monday after giving up four earned runs on nine hits in five innings and picking up a no decision his last outing against Colorado. He won in his only other start against an NL Central opponent, tossing 6.2 shutout innings against the Cubs on April 24th. Despite the high ERA, Bolsinger has had a solid start to his MLB career, positing a fielding independent pitching (FIP) stat of 3.30 in 18.2 innings pitched this season. Ever since giving up one run on two hits in eight innings on Opening Day, Garza has struggled. The free agent acquisition this offseason is making his first start since lasting just three innings before being removed with a thumb injury against the Cardinals. Garza has posted a FIP of 3.92 so far in 2014, but has been walking batters at his highest rate (3.0 BB/9) since his 2010 season with Tampa Bay. The right hander is 3-1 with 2.84 ERA in four career starts against Arizona.
Game 2, Tuesday 7:10 CT: RHP Josh Collmenter (1-2, 3.77 ERA) vs. RHP Marco Estrada (2-1, 3.13 ERA)
Collmenter ground his way through seven innings his last time out, giving up four runs in his first three innings but rebounding with four shutout innings to close out the ballgame. It marked the third straight solid outing for Collmenter, bumping his ERA below four and his FIP to 4.33 on the season. Collmenter has had great success against the Brewers in his career, with a 1.23 ERA. Estrada has been among the great starting pitching for the Brewers this season, reaching the sixth inning in all but one start this season and giving up less than three earned runs in each outing in 2014, posting a FIP of 4.64.
Game 3, Wednesday 12:10 CT: RHP Bronson Arroyo (2-2, 6.03) vs. RHP Wily Peralta (4-1, 2.04)
Arroyo has bounced back to his strong form in his last two outings, finally looking healthy and giving up just two earned runs in his last two starts, including giving up three hits in seven shutout innings and striking out a season-high six batters. Arroyo has bounced back to a 5.15 FIP, and has reached at least the fifth inning in his last three starts. Peralta has been lights-out in 2014, giving up three earned runs or less in every start this season, holding batters to a .218 batting average and a 3.92 FIP in 2014. Last time out, he three eight shutout innings and drove in the only two runs in the Brewer's shutout win.
Series Pick'em
It's tough being optimistic for the Diamondbacks as they (with Major League Baseball's worst record) take on the team with the best record in baseball, but I do think that the Diamondbacks can sneak a game out of this three game set to keep up their solid road trip. I think their best shot should come Tuesday with Collmenter taking the bump, as he has been solid in each outing he has had this season. While Estrada has done well this season, I'm confident that Collmenter can go up against this Braun-less Brewers lineup and give up just two or three runs over six innings, which always puts your team in solid position to win the ball game. While Garza has had his struggles this season, I feel his history against the Diamondbacks means something and that he is due for a solid outing. While Arroyo has looked great in his last two outings, I'm simply not convinced that this Diamondbacks lineup can get anything going against a guy with Peralta's nasty stuff.
The Brewers return home this week after a tough end to a mostly decent road trip. Let's take a look at the kind of *ahem* challenge they face in the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Kirk Gibson really wants to have a one-on-one with Ryan Braun. Unfortunately for him Braun is on the DL so he'll have to "overcome cheaters" elsewhere. If I was Gibson I'd be more worried about my team having the worst record in baseball. The D-Backs' offense sits at a 83 wRC+ which ranks 27th in the MLB. They only have 4 active batters (Paul Goldschmidt, Miguel Montero, Chris Owings, and A.J. Pollock) with a wRC+ above 100, two of which are sitting at 104 (Pollock) and 109 (Owings), one of those (Pollock) is dealing with a groin strain.
Their pitching staff is kind of the inverse of the Reds. Their rotation has been awful, ranking 29th with 5.73! ERA and 4.54 FIP, which is good for 0.6 fWAR. Francisco Rodriguez (0.8 fWAR) has been more valuable than the entire D-Backs rotation. Their bullpen, however, has been perfectly serviceable. It ranks 12th in fWAR with a 3.68 ERA/3.25 FIP, and it's 25.4 K% ranks 5th best. Unsurprisingly this bullpen has seen the most innings (115 IP) in baseball.
Who? He's a rookie who I assume is seeing time because Patrick Corbin is on the DL and Kevin Towers thought it'd be cool to trade away most of his top pitching depth in the minors. His results have been mixed to say the least. He has a 5.79 ERA but his 3.29 FIP reflect his solid 21.4 K% and 5.6 BB%. He's only made 3 starts so it's probably too soon to make any real judgments based on his statistics. I find it kind of odd that he basically only throws fastballs (that sit in the high 80's) and curveballs. Sounds like a bullpen guy to me.
Of note for the Brewers: Matt Garza makes his first start since leaving early after suffering a thumb contusion while batting in his last start. He didn't miss any time so hopefully this won't be an issue.
Josh Collmenter is the Diamondbacks' Mike Fiers, or vice versa. That's how I always thought of it anyway. He started in the pen this year, but it seems he and Randall Delgado have switched roles. Collmenter throws mostly fastballs around 86-87 mph and changeups around 78 mph, with an occasional curveball. If I remember correctly he has good deception which helps him survive. I feel like this is one of those guys with mediocre stuff that the Brewers just never do well against. Maybe it's the deception in his delivery. Maybe the Brewers just can't handle changeups. I don't know what it is, but I'm just not confident in the Brewers ability to score runs off this guy.
Of note for the Brewers: I love Marco Estrada.
Wednesday, May 7th 12:10 pm: Wily Peralta vs Saturn Nuts
I can't find it right now, but I remember shortly after signing Garza, Doug Melvin gave an interview where he basically alluded to the fact that had he not got Garza he was going to sign Bronson Arroyo. If you think Garza has had his struggles this season, wait until you get a load of Arroyo's stats. Innings eater Arroyo is averaging 5 IP per start. His 6.03 ERA would rank 2nd among qualified starters, but he hasn't pitched enough innings to qualify. His 5.14 FIP doesn't offer much hope either if you're a D-Backs fan. Arroyo was never a pitcher looking to strike guys out, but his current 11.3% strikeout rate is laughable. He's also, unsurprisingly, having HR issues.
Of note for the Brewers: Wily Peralta's fastball is purported to have done the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs. Shut up. I had some unused jokes from this weekend and I couldn't think of anything else to put here.
Prediction
This is a series match-up of the current best team in baseball and the current worst team in baseball. The Brewers have to win at least 2 out of 3 in this series. Braun is out and the offense hasn't been clicking, but the starting pitchers they're up against here are pretty mediocre and that's being kind. If I was ever to legitimately say the Brewers should sweep a series, this is probably the one. Even against awful teams that's easier said than done, so let's just call it 2 out of 3.
Mike Bolsinger takes on Matt Garza, as the Arizona road-trip continues, rolling into Milwaukee, for a three-game set against the Brewers, which kick off tonight/
Well, going by the early showing, it doesn't look like Bronson Arroyo has quite been the worst free-agent acquisition of the winter. That would seem to go to the four-year contract, worth fifth million or so, handed by the Brewers to Garza. He certainly hasn't done much to justify it so far, but it doesn't seem to have stopped Milwaukee from roaring out of the gates like a nitro-propelled dragster. Through 27 games, their 20-7 record was tied (with 1987) for the best in franchise history,, going back to their origins in the sixties as the Seattle Pilots. Since then, however, they've lose four of five, so maybe they're coming back to earth a bit?
Diamondbacks go with the all Latino outfield tonight: I was almost going to say, all Venezuelan, but I checked and realized that Marte is from the Dominican Republic. It's funny how they seem to cluster. We have had four Venezuelans this season (Prado and Montero being the other two), but that pales beside the Giants, who have used no less than seven already. The Rockies have three, while the Dodgers have none at all. All told, the most international team is a three-way tie between the Giants, Brewers and White Sox, who have all used 12 players born outside the US. We have nine; the least are the Athletics and Orioles, with two apiece.
Bolsinger will be trying to do a better job after the first time through the order tonight: There, he had been almost impeccable, opposing hitters going just two-for-24, with a .310 OPS. Second time around, that balloons to a line of .370/.370/.593, and third time a worse still .444/.444/.667. Maybe we need to make him a piggyback starter with Randall Delgado, Bolsinger working the first three innings, then Delgado taking over for the next three. Unconventional, but those numbers are almost so extreme as to belie the small sample size. Besides, unconventional is good. Just ask Jack Bauer....
Well, going by the early showing, it doesn't look like Bronson Arroyo has quite been the worst free-agent acquisition of the winter. That would seem to go to the four-year contract, worth fifth million or so, handed by the Brewers to Garza. He certainly hasn't done much to justify it so far, but it doesn't seem to have stopped Milwaukee from roaring out of the gates like a nitro-propelled dragster. Through 27 games, their 20-7 record was tied (with 1987) for the best in franchise history,, going back to their origins in the sixties as the Seattle Pilots. Since then, however, they've lose four of five, so maybe they're coming back to earth a bit?
Diamondbacks go with the all Latino outfield tonight: I was almost going to say, all Venezuelan, but I checked and realized that Marte is from the Dominican Republic. It's funny how they seem to cluster. We have had four Venezuelans this season (Prado and Montero being the other two), but that pales beside the Giants, who have used no less than seven already. The Rockies have three, while the Dodgers have none at all. All told, the most international team is a three-way tie between the Giants, Brewers and White Sox, who have all used 12 players born outside the US. We have nine; the least are the Athletics and Orioles, with two apiece.
Bolsinger will be trying to do a better job after the first time through the order tonight: There, he had been almost impeccable, opposing hitters going just two-for-24, with a .310 OPS. Second time around, that balloons to a line of .370/.370/.593, and third time a worse still .444/.444/.667. Maybe we need to make him a piggyback starter with Randall Delgado, Bolsinger working the first three innings, then Delgado taking over for the next three. Unconventional, but those numbers are almost so extreme as to belie the small sample size. Besides, unconventional is good. Just ask Jack Bauer....
I took a slice out of my finger this afternoon preparing dinner. I'm having to type this left-handed. Like Matt Cain, I think Al is going to have to put me on the disabled list.
Dallas Beeler was successful in what was both his first start of the year and his first start ever in Triple-A. Beeler got the win after he allowed one run on six hits over six innings. He struck out three and walked no one.
It's hard to believe it in a game that Iowa won by nine, but Blake Parker collected his fifth save of the season. Parker entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning, a man on second and Iowa holding a 5-2 lead. He allowed a double to the first batter he faced to make the score 5-3, but then got a strikeout to end the inning. Then Iowa tallied seven runs in top of the ninth and the close game became a laugher. Parker retired the side in order in the ninth, including his second strikeout of the game.
Iowa jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first when shortstop Chris Valaika homered with two men on. It was Valaika's third home run this year. Overall, he went 2 for 5 with a double, the home run and two runs scored.
In the third inning, left fielder Josh Vitters hit his second home run in as many days and fourth overall. Vitters was 1 for 4 with two RBI.
The final home run for Iowa came when center fielder Brett Jackson led off the top of the ninth with his second this year. Jackson was 2 for 5 with a double and two RBI.
Second baseman Arismendy Alcantara was 2 for 5 with a double and a stolen base. He scored twice and had one RBI. Catcher Luis Flores was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. Flores scored once. Third baseman Christian Villanueva was 2 for 5 with an RBI double in that seven-run ninth.
Starter Ivan Pineyro only lasted 4.2 innings, falling just short of qualifying for the win. Pineyro allowed five runs on seven hits. One of the runs was unearned. He walked four and struck out five.
P.J. Francescon relieved Pineyro and was awarded the win after not allowing a run over 2.1 innings, although he did permit an inherited runner to score. Francescon allowed one hit and one while while striking out two.
Armando Rivero struck out the side in order in the top of the ninth in a non-save situation.
The Smokies put this game away with an eight-run third inning, highlighted by Rubi Silva's three-run home run, his third of the season. Silva was 1 for 3 with a walk and four RBI.
DH Charles Cutler was a perfect 4 for 4. He scored once and had one RBI.
Stephen Bruno hit two doubles in a 2 for 5 game. He scored two runs and had two RBI,
Kris Bryant went 2 for 5 with a run scored and two RBI. He scored once. Rafael Lopezwas 3 for 5 with a double. He scored three runs and had one RBI. Wes Darvill was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Jose Rosario pitched five innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits. He struck out six and walked two.
Zach Cates took the loss in relief. Cates pitched 2.1 innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits. Cates walked one and struck put two,
Bijan Rademacher hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first to get Daytona off to a good start. It was his third home run this season. Rademacher was 2 for 2 with a walk, as stolen base and three runs scored. He was also hit by a pitch.
Tyler Skulina threw the first four innings, allowing only one unearned run on two hits. Skulina walked three and fanned four.
Because Skulina didn't go five innings, the win went to Nathan Dorris, his fourth of the season. Dorris gave up two runs, one earned, over three innings. He allowed three hits and issued one walk while striking out three.
Zach Godley had a two-inning save, his seventh of the season. He did allow a run, however, the first run that Godley has allowed since the second game of the season. Godley was touched for two hits. He walked two and struck out one.
Yasiel Balaguert hit his first home run this season with the bases empty in the seventh inning. Balaguert was 2 for 3 with a walk.
Catcher Cael Brockmeyer was a perfect 3 for 3 with a double and a walk at the plate. Behind the plate, however, he made two errors. Brockmeyer scored twice.
Shawon Dunston went 2 for 4 with a two-run triple in the eighth inning. He scored one run.
What started out as a back and forth battle between the Brewers and the Diamondbacks quickly turned sour for Arizona fans in the middle innings. Mike Bolsinger didn't put up an exceptional outing in his latest start, only going five innings and allowing four earned runs for the Milwaukee offense, including two early home runs. But the Diamondbacks bats kept themselves in the game, taking an early lead in the first on an Aaron Hill RBI single, and tying up the game in the third on RBIs from Montero and Hill again.
The game got away from Arizona in the sixth inning, though, as Randall Delgado's appearance from the bullpen went south, allowing an RBI single to Carlos Gomez and a two run home run to Jean Segura. After that, the Arizona offense went quiet, only reaching on walks in the seventh and eighth before singles from Paul Goldschmidt and Hill in the ninth. But a strike out from Montero and a fly ball from Cody Ross ended any attempt at a rally, and Arizona fell to Milwaukee by five runs.
Anyone who spent their evening watching Jack Bauer probably made the right decision. But the important info they missed from the game: Chorizo won the sausage race on Cinco de Mayo.
Record: 11-24. Pace: 51-111. Change on 2013/10/04/1998: -9/-3/-3/+3
This one at least started with some bright flashes of hope for Arizona. Top of the first, Gerardo Parra started the game off with a single. Two outs later, and a Miguel Montero walk moved him to second, and Parra came in to score on a single by Aaron Hill. Hooray, 1-0 lead! Maybe our recent successes haven't been entirely fueled by beating up on weak teams!
Then Carlos Gomez led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to tie it up. Jean Segura tried to add some more for Milwaukee, with a single and a stolen base, but that was all the damage the Brewers managed in the first. Unfortunately, after a 1-2-3 top of the second, Milwaukee added on. It started with a lead-off single from former DBacks and potentially blind player, Mark Reynolds. One out later, and Martin Maldonado launched a homer to deep left, triggering more indoor fireworks (really, Milwaukee?) and putting the Brewers up 3-1.
Hey, but that lead didn't hold up long! Top of the third, Gerardo Parra started off by reaching base again, this time by being hit by a pitch. Ow. He looked awkward on the bases that inning, like it was still lingering. After a K looking by Martin Prado, Paul Goldschmidt lined a single to right, moving Parra to third. Montero followed that with a single, bringing in Parra, and then Aaron Hill followed that with a single of his own to score Goldschmidt and tie the game. The DBacks tried to add on, with Chris Owings drawing a walk to load the bases. But strike outs by Alfredo Marte and Ender Inciarte stranded everyone where they were and ended the top of the inning, tied 3-3.
The next couple innings went back and forth for each team, letting runners reach, but not letting anyone score. Until the bottom of the fifth. That inning started with Scooter Gennett, the Brewer named after a Muppet (really), doubling off Mike Bolsinger to start the inning. Gennett took third on a line out by Aramis Ramirez, the Brewer named after a musketeer (maybe?), and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Khris Davis, the Brewer named after the Kentucky state human resources department (almost certainly not) to give Milwaukee a 4-3 lead. Bolsinger got the last out and was pulled for a pinch hinter in the top of the sixth, but a one run deficit is manageable, right?
Well, maybe. But bullpen happened.
Randall Delgado replaced Bolsinger in the bottom of the sixth, and got a fly ball from Caleb Gindl for his first out. But his control seemed a bit suspect out of the bullpen- Moldanado drew a walk, as did Rickie Weeks, pinch hitting for Matt Garza. Both of them moved up a base on a wild pitch and scored on a single from Carlos Gomez. Follow that up with a home run from Jean Segura, and Delgado had let the Brewers stretch the lead to 8-3 before he managed his second out.
After that, it was all done but the shouting. Or the uninspired muttering. Whichever. Trevor Cahill came in and gave us two hitless innings, but the DBacks bats went quiet until the ninth. Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Hill singled in the last inning to try to make a half-hearted rally, but pinch hitter Cody Ross flied out to right field to end the game and give Milwaukee the win.
Pitching Mound of Despair: Randall Delgado (-22.6%), Mike Bolsinger (-21.7%)
Reverse that graph and that's pretty much what this game felt like to DBacks fans.
Pretty quiet thread, wrapping up around 200 comments. Muu led the muttering, with onedotfive and TolkienBard in second and third. Also making a showing: AJV19, AzDbackfanInDc, AzRattler, Circa4life, DbacksSkins, Diamondhacks, GODSCHMIDT, GuruB, JoeCB1991, JoelPre, Makakilo, RaizAl, SenSurround, The so-called Beautiful, Zavada's Moustache, asteroid, blank_38, cheese1213, hotclaws, kishi, makattack71, piratedan7, preston.salisbury, soco, and txzona.
Another game tomorrow night, with Josh Collmenter taking the mound against Marco Estrada. Maybe we'll have better luck next time? Who knows! Stop by to find out!
It should be noted that this was at Colorado Springs, which has a similar altitude as Coors Field in Denver.
The Redbirds faced Tyler Matzek, who pitched against them in his previous start on April 30th. While he had solid K:BB numbers last time (7:1), he still picked up the loss thanks to 4 ER on 6 hits in 6.0 IP. This time his peripherals were not so strong. In 5.0 IP he allowed 8 ER, plus 3 "unearned", on 11 hits, including 2 homers, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts.
Ramsey is still striking out 20% of the time, but that's still down from 26% at AA last year, and his BB rate is still over 11%, similar to last year's 12.7%. He also leads the Texas League in home runs, and second in OPS. Teammate Jonathan Rodriguez is the leader in both OPS and Slugging.
Carson Kelly (C), 0 for 4, Passed Ball, Threw out 2 would-be base stealers
Ronald Castillo (RF), 0 for 3
Kenneth Peoples-Walls, 1 for 4
Alex Reyes, 6.0 IP, 5 Hits, ER, BB, 8 Ks, WP, Throwing Error on a pickoff
Jhonny Polanco, 2.0 IP, 4 Ks
Zach Loraine, 1.0 IP, 2 Ks
Notes:
The opposing starter was Dylan Covey , a former 1st round pick by the Brewers in 2010. He went to college after being diagnosed with diabetes, and was drafted in the 4th round by the Athletics in last year's draft. His professional track record hasn't been great but Jon Sickels ranked him as the 11th best prospect in the system, and Baseball America has him 7th.
After walking 12 in his first 8 innings this year, Reyes has walked just 4 in 15 1/3 IP. What's more, his K% in those first 8 IP was 27.5%, and in his last 15 1/3 IP it has risen to 36.2%.
Last year the Brewers had the worst production from first base in the majors. It was historically bad and so it couldn't be worse this year. Let's see how it stacks up to the rest of baseball in the early going.
During the winter I'm sure most of us viewed first base as the Brewers biggest weakness. I know I did. I was squarely in the "re-sign Corey Hart" camp and was pretty disappointed when they didn't secure his services. After that I was convinced the next best move would be to sign James Loney. Again, I was disappointed. Shortly after he signed with the Rays, the Brewers signed a deal with Mark Reynolds. I thought for sure that meant they'd platoon him with Juan Francisco. Yet again I was disappointed when, instead, they chose Lyle Overbay. We're a little over a month into the season and while "short sample size" still applies, I have to admit that I'm pleasantly surprised with the production the Brewers are getting out of their platoon.
Mark Reynolds' offense has been about what I expected. As I'm writing this he's hit 233/309/512 which is good for a 123 wRC+. His career slash line is 233/328/465 so I think we should probably expect that slugging to drop a bit, but that OBP could also be higher. The 123 wRC+ could drop too, but it's actually exactly what ZiPS predicts for him, so there's some hope it'll remain.
The truly surprising aspect of Reynolds' season thus far has been his defense. He has a 0 DRS but his 1.8 UZR and 13.8 UZR/150 (at first base) is a career high for him. The crazy thing is, I think it's for real. Watching him field has been a treat. On several occasions I've seen him do the splits stretching for a low throw and I've seen him make outstanding picks compensating for poor/short throws. He might not have the range of an elite first baseman, but I think everything else is there.
Lyle Overbay has more or less been what I expected. His 84 wRC+ leaves much to be desired although he's much better solely vs RHP where he has a 116 wRC+ and he's had the occasional hot streak. He has a .333 OBP so at least he's getting on base at a reasonable clip. His fielding so far has been average which is mildly surprising considering he's been a better than average fielder his whole career. He is seeing the least amount of playing time at the position, so we should be careful about reading too much into any of this.
Together their production has hovered around the top 10 in baseball. Their combined 108 wRC+ ranks 20th but their 2nd place defense makes up for it. Right now their 0.8 fWAR (all of which comes from Reynolds) is tied with 3 other teams (Cardinals, White Sox, Yankees) for 10th best. As I mentioned above, small sample size applies this early in the season. It applies doubly so when evaluating each individual, as platoon players by their very nature see less playing time than a regular starter. I'm not trying to convince you that the Brewers first production will continue to be among the best in baseball, but I don't see any reason to believe their production will noticeably drop off either.
If the two continue producing at roughly the same percentages, the Brewers could be helped by replacing the Overbay part of the platoon. I see three alternatives. They could cut Overbay and give Reynolds the job full time. His 110 wRC+ vs RHP is about as productive as Overbay's. They could cut Overbay and promote Hunter Morris. I'm not enamored with him, but maybe he can hold his own against RHP and be the power lefty off the bench the Brewers are missing. Or finally, they could make a trade. The options will likely present themselves with time. All of this is thinking a month or two down the road of course and while Overbay may have a 0.0 fWAR right now, he is certainly contributing more than Rickie Weeks and Wei-Chung Wang. I think one of those guys will go before Overbay does.
I'm curious what you guys think. Are you satisfied with the current platoon? Do you think they will need to, or should make a change at some point? If so, what option do you endorse? Let me know in the comments.
Since April 8, every losing streak the team has had, has lasted four or more games. Guess we've got another couple of defeats to get through then....
Recaps
[Dbacks.com] Hill catches fire, but shaky pitching haunts D-backs - "We didn't execute pitches from the first pitch of the game," Gibson said. Bolsinger needed 88 pitches to get through five innings in his fourth start of the season. The right-hander gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three. Gibson was not complimentary of Bolsinger's performance. "Tonight was his worst start I would say," Gibson said. Bolsinger said he was frustrated that he was struggling with his best pitch, his curveball. "It's something that I'm just hanging up," he said.
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks' Mike Bolsinger battered by Brewers - With the count 0-1, Bolsinger threw a curveball, and it, too, fluttered over the plate, almost perfectly in the center of the strike zone. It landed in the left field seats. That it came on a curveball, his best pitch, is what Bolsinger finds most maddening. He's struggled to command it consistently since coming to majors after relying on it throughout his minor-league career. "It kind of blows my mind a little bit," he said. "It is my best pitch and it's something I'm just hanging up there. It's almost like when I get into those counts, I'm trying to do too much."
[AP] Diamondbacks overpowered by Brewers - "We didn't execute pitches from the first pitch of the game," Gibson said. "We walked seven on the night, and we needed to make pitches and we couldn't make them. We couldn't keep the ball down." That included starting pitcher Mike Bolsinger (1-2), who took the loss after giving up four runs and seven hits in five innings. It was the fourth time in his five major league starts that he has been hit hard. "I knew he was a first-pitch guy," Bolsinger said of Gomez. "But I didn't know he would swing like that at the first pitch of the game."
[Arizona Sports] D-backs' young pitching skewered by Brewers on road: By The Numbers - Hill's 4-for-4 night at the plate helped raise his batting average by 22 points, from .252 to .274. The Diamondbacks second baseman is hitting .409 with 12 RBI and six extra-base hits over his last 12 games. Miguel Montero has reached base safely in all but one of his last 15 games, going 1-for-4 with a walk on Monday. The Diamondbacks catcher now has a team-best .381 on-base percentage among players with at least 25 plate appearances.
Team news
[AZ Central] Putz headed to DL with right forearm tightness - Gibson said Putz had been dealing with the issue in recent outings and hadn't been improving. In his most recent outing, on Saturday against the San Diego Padres, Putz gave up two runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning. "His last outing in San Diego, it was bothering him more than it had been," Gibson said. "It kind of trended the wrong way. We waited today to see how he was. He came in and it wasn't very good, so we're going to DL him."
[FOX Sports] How do Arroyo, Collmenter, Bolsinger get by? Call them the craftsmen - "Pitching is big-time feel, especially for me. I'm not going out there rocking and firing 95," said Collmenter, who has a severe overhand delivery. "I want to make sure I am on the corners and especially locating down. With my deception, my angle, if I can pitch down, a lot of times I get those high pop-ups. A lot of guys say they try to hit the ball level, but they end up underneath it. So if I can throw down in the zone from that angle, it helps me out quite a bit. I'm comfortable in what I can do. The toughest pitch to hit, no matter what, is a well-located fastball. It doesn't matter the speed."
[dbacks.com] Pollock remains sidelined, could return in corner spot - "He's getting closer every day," Gibson said before Monday night's game. The D-backs' manager said Pollock might make his return as a corner outfielder for awhile to put less stress on his injured groin. "If there's an option other than center field that might help," he said. Pollock first felt tightness in his groin last Tuesday against Colorado.
[Inside the 'Zona] More than a Year Later, the Justin Upton Trade Looks Worse - The fact that Delgado hasn’t really worked out as a starter is, in large part, why the trade looks much worse in hindsight. But if Julio Teheran was actually an option for Towers instead of Randall Delgado, that’s some serious egg on the face of Towers — not just because he guessed wrong, but because of why he did so. Given that Towers bailed on Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs when they needed fixing, is failing to insist on Julio Teheran another example of Towers thinking that his organization couldn’t "fix" pitchers?
And, elsewhere...
Various craziness yesterday. Tied for the major-league lead in wins is Giants' reliever Jean Machi, who picked up his fifth last night, as SF came back from 8-2 down to beat the Pirates (who may have surpassed us as the most disappointing team in the majors this year). Machi bunted in the winning run, and then stole a base. Jeff Samardzija pitched nine innings against the White Sox, giving up 3 hits with no earned runs, and also scored a run - but the Cubs still lost. And Laz Diaz continues to make a good case for robotic umpires everywhere, basically provoking the Yankees' Shawn Kelley into getting ejected.
[Bangor Daily News] NCAA’s only female baseball pitcher overcomes harassment, pursues dream - Last summer, Sailors pitched for the San Francisco Seals of the Far West League, a collegiate wooden-bat league. She had a 1-1 record in four outings. Sailors, whose ultimate goal is to play in the Japanese women’s professional league, admits it has been difficult dealing with prejudice and sexism. "I want to make a difference and that’s why I chose to stay in baseball," she said. "The battle is fought on the field with your glove and your bat. It’s how you play the game."
Baseball road trip: How to visit all 30 MLB stadiums in 30 days - "There are 30 Major League Baseball teams and there are 30 days in a month. Baseball is our national pastime. Driving is our other national pastime. According to my friend Ben Blatt, the logic was simple: Completing a 30-day journey that would take us to all 30 ballparks, entirely by car, was basically our duty as young Americans."
I think it would be kinda cool to see both Marshall and Anderson in the game. We have had two major-league debuts in the same contest a few times for Arizona, but it hasn't happened for a while. You've got to go back almost five years, to May 13, 2009: that game say the first major-league appearance of both Gerardo Parra and Bryan Augenstein. One of those has proved rather more successful than the other, Augensten being limited to 12 appearances, seven with Arizona and five for St. Louis. He's now in the Tigers' organization, but is on the DL with an oblique strain. It seems particularly appropriate for a double debut, since tonight is also Parra's 27 birthday.
Good to see Pollock back in the line-up, having barely been seen since the series against Colorado - his last start was on April 29, so a week ago today. As was rumbled about in Gibson's comments, Pollock will be in left field, in an effort to help nurse his groin, which would suggest that's still not 100%. I'm not sure: part of me would rather he have been DL'd and given a chance to get completely fit, rather than potentially risk a more serious injury. However, I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, so I'll presume the Diamondbacks know what they're doing. But between Mark Trumbo, a still-rehabbing Cody Ross, and now a sub-par Pollock, RF hasn't seen the best of health for us.
The other interesting thing is the promotion of Owings to second spot in the order, with Prado dropping down to sixth. Clearly, this is a reward for Owings going 0-for-3 last night. It'll be his first game in the majors as a #2 hitter: he had one outing starting in the lead-off spot earlier this year, going 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts on April 21st against the Cubs. Curious to see how this works: Owings' walk-rate, deemed a weakness in the minors, hasn't been disastrous this year: at 7.4%, it's a little lower than you'd like (major league average is 8.0%), but his overall OBP of .355 has been more than acceptable.
Billy Hamilton's hand injury may keep him out for several weeks, the latest in a long line of disappointment and injuries for the Reds' struggling outfield. But is this injury, and the resultant return of Roger Bernadina, just too much for the team to overcome?
With word on Tuesday that Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamiltonmay be headed to the DL with two sprained knuckles, the Reds' outfield may have reached a tipping point that leads to the team's season capsizing before it truly has a chance to begin.
The injury occurred on a diving catch against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and is just the latest in a long line of injuries that have totally decimated what was already a struggling unit.. Even before losing its best hitter -- slugger Jay Bruce -- for four-to-six weeks and now its most gifted athlete in the speed demon Hamilton, the team ranked near the bottom of the league in OPS and at the bottom of the league in slugging percentage as of Monday night's games.
However, even with almost no production from their outfield, the Reds have managed to keep the Brewers -- presuming they eventually stop being a world-beating juggernaut sometime soon -- within striking distance, just six games behind with 130 games to go.
So it's not outside the realm of possibility that they would be able to withstand these injuries. But considering the other options are Roger Bernadina -- a player they just outrighted to Triple-A for hitting .143 -- and Skip Schumaker with his -1.4 Wins Above Replacement last season, the Reds may soon learn that there is actually something worse than nothing when it comes to outfield play.
Even if Ryan Ludwick bounces back from his disastrous 2013 season and Chris Heisey turns into something above replacement level, it's hard to see them being able to compensate for the drag that Bernadina and Schumaker will put in the sails of their seriously struggling offense. The team is 24th in runs scored so far this season, nestled right alongside teams like the Cubs, Astros and Phillies, all of whom occupy the basement in their respective divisions.
All this is even more remarkable when you consider that they play in the Great American Band Box, with a ridiculous park factor of +121 making it an "extreme hitters park". The only thing keeping the Reds afloat at this point has been their dominant pitching, ranked in the top ten in ERA and WHIP and in the top five for opponents' batting average and quality starts.
Which might mean if they can just figure out a way to sequester the staff so they can avoid whatever curse the outfield has on them, they may have a chance after all.
