The Yankees are in Milwaukee to face the Brewers for a three game series. Masahiro Tanaka will take the mound in the first game tonight. He'll also bat. Yikes. Also, Happy Birthday to our very own mother of dragons, Tanya!

Mood Music: Africa by Toto

The Yankees are in Milwaukee to face the Brewers for a three game series in Miller Park. The Yankees have not been regular visitors to Milwaukee in some time, although Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers began visiting here in the late 16th century. Fun fact: Milwaukee is an Indian name. In fact, it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land."

5/9/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

What would you give Tanya for her birthday if money were not a factor? (Please be creative and respectful, thanks)

Best/favorite birthday present you've ever received? (It counts if you bought it for yourself too)

Birthday Cake: What kind of cake are you going with for your birthday?

What do you think of people who bring their friend to a restaurant then tells the restaurant it's their friend's birthday?

In case you couldn't tell by the theme of today's Fun Questions, it's our Khaleesi's birthday today. Rejoice! This should be a thread of celebration and joy, of glee and song, and most importantly one of victory and triumph. That last one is directed at the Yankees. A win on Waffles' birthday is the least you can give her. Thankfully, she has Masahiro Tanaka on the mound tonight in Miller Park. It's good that he's pitching. It's concerning that he's batting (see Chien-Ming Wang 2008). It won't be easy, as the Brewers are currently tied for the best record in the National League and the second best record in the majors.

Happy Birthday Tanya and Let's Go Yankees!

Welcome to interleague play! The Yankees are in Milwaukee for a three-game series of Bad Interleague, the kind where the pitcher bats. Good luck, Yankees pitchers!

Yankees lineup: Ellsbury CF, Jeter SS, Beltran RF, Teixeira 1B, McCann C, Solarte 3B, Gardner LF, Roberts 2B, Tanaka P

— wallace matthews (@ESPNNYYankees) May 9, 2014

The lineup looks pretty consistent with what we've seen before. Jacoby Ellsbury, Derek Jeter, and Carlos Beltran are at the top of the order. Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann, and Yangervis Solarte make up the middle. Brett Gardner and Brian Roberts round out the lineup for position players.

Tonight is Tanaka Night as Masahiro Tanaka takes the mound and will bat ninth. It's been said that he was a good hitting pitcher in Japan, since he was a catcher back in high school. Still, we've known the pain of pitchers running the bases, so don't swing Tanaka, and if you somehow make it on base, don't run. Just stand still and don't break anything. Please?

For you prospect hounds who may not have heard already, Peter O`Brien has been promoted to Double-A Trenton after destroying the Florida State League in the first month of the season. The 23-year-old hit .321/.353/.688 with 10 home runs in only 30 games, so the promotion is no surprise. Drafted as a catcher, it has long been believed that he will have to move out from behind the plate, so it will be interesting to see where they play him in the field.

The Yankees have already been experimenting with him at third base and right field and he's in tonight's lineup at DH. I imagine he'll bounce around from right field to DH to possibly first base (third doesn't sound like a real option) as Gary Sanchez will get the bulk of catching time. O`Brien's bat will power him through the minors, so they just need to find a place for him where he isn't a complete disaster. If he can play a decent right field (he has a strong arm) and first, he'll definitely have a place on the team as soon as 2015. 

Today is also Tanya's birthday, so feel free to wish her a happy birthday in this thread and in every other thread on this website!

Kane County is running away with the first half pennant.

Iowa Cubs

Rained out in New Orleans. They'll play a doubleheader on Wednesday, July 30.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies were vassalized by the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 6-4.

Corey Black had a really rough start to this game. He walked the first three batters he faced and then a bases-loaded error by second baseman Stephen Bruno gave Birmingham a 2-0 lead. Black allowed a two-run double to the next batter he faced to make it 4-0 before he had even recorded an out.

After that, Black struck out the next three batters to get out of the inning. He was pulled from the game after the leadoff hitter in the fourth inning reached on another error. His final line was 3+ innings, allowing five runs on three hits. Three of the five runs were earned. Black walked three and struck out five.

The Smokies scored two runs in the second inning on a double by DH Rubi Silva. Silva finished 2 for 4. They made it close when they scored two runs in the ninth inning on a double by catcher Charles Cutler. He was also 2 for 4, and he scored a run on Silva's double.

Jorge Soler will not bat 1.000 this season. Tonight he went 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs were tossed overboard by the Brevard County Manatees (Brewers), 5-2.

Starter Felix Pena continued his streak tonight of allowing one earned run or fewer in each of his seven starts this season. Unfortunately, he gave up four unearned runs and took his fourth loss. Pena pitched four innings and allowed five runs, one earned, on five hits. Pena walked two and struck out two.

Left fielder Pin-Chieh Chen was 2 for 2. First baseman Rock Shoulders was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored, but it was his error that opened the door to the four unearned runs on the third inning.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to topple the Burlington Bees (Angels), 5-2.

Starter Jen-Ho Tseng pitched 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits, including a home run to lead off the bottom of the first. Tseng struck out five and walked no one.

Gerardo Concepcion got his first win since 2012 with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. Concepcion struck out five and the only baserunner he allowed was an infield single.

Nathan Dorris pitched the bottom of the ninth and had a very interesting save. He walked the first two batters he faced, and then got two outs on a 5-4-3 double play. Then he walked a third batter in the inning before striking out the final batter of the game.

The Cougars took the lead in the top of the eighth when third baseman Jordan Hankins hit a two-run home run, his first of the season. Hankins was 2 for 3 with a walk and three RBI.

Shortstop Carlos Penalver was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

The Cougars are now 25-10 with a six-game lead in the Midwest League West Division.

Masahiro Tanaka continued to be awesome while Yangervis Solarte's three-run bomb was just enough to keep the Yankees in front of the Milwaukee Brewers.

It was that special time of week when Yankees fans got treated to a Masahiro Tanaka appearance with the bonus of getting to watch him hit. He would face a formidable challenge in the National League Central leading Milwaukee Brewers who sent out their own ace Yovani Gallardo to oppose him. Fortunately, the Yankees and their young ace were more than up to the challenge.

Not surprisingly, the first three innings yielded little offense. The teams managed only 4 baserunners but eight strikeouts between them . The Yankees broke the trend in the fourth with a big scoring inning. After a leadoff walk to Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann lined a one-out single. Yangervis Solarte then celebrated his 100th career MLB at bat with a three-run homer that just cleared the right field fence. A Brett Gardner infield single and Brian Roberts double brought in the fourth run of the inning.

It was all smooth sailing for Tanaka who looked well on his way to a sterling performance until the bottom of the sixth inning. Consecutive doubles from Carlos Gomez and Scooter Gennett ruined the shutout and a single from Jonathan Lucroy cut the lead in half to 4-2 Yankees. A double play coerced out of Aramis Ramirez and a strikeout of Mark Reynolds wrapped up the sixth before things got any worse. Tanaka's day would come to an end in the seventh with one out and runners on first and third. With the lead very much in peril, Joe Girardi went to Adam Warren to face former Yankees outfielder Lyle Overbay. Warren came through big time as he got Overbay to strike out swinging and Brian McCann gunned down Logan Schafer who was trying to steal second for some reason with Gomez at the plate as the go-ahead run.

The Yankees tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth. Beltran chugged out a double to lead it off and Ichiro Suzuki replaced him and stole third. A dribbler up the first base line by Mark Teixeira plated  Ichiro to extend the lead to 5-2. Warren continued with a perfect bottom of the inning and handed the keys over to David Robertson for the ninth. Robertson allowed a solo homer to Reynolds to make things slightly more tense but struck out the side for his sixth save and the Yankees' 19th victory.

It was just another normal performance for Tanaka. 6+ innings for the seventh straight time, two earned runs and seven strikeouts versus just one walk. In my head I know he's bound to have a performance that is less than good at some point, but it just seems so difficult to imagine. Most importantly, he didn't hurt himself swinging today. The other star of the game was clearly Solarte, who after weathering a slump that looked like might be his undoing has bounced back and been hitting very well again. RBIs are about as useful a stat as average during sunshowers on Thursdays, but it must make the young man smile to know that he leads the mighty Yankees in that category. Never forget: he barely beat out Eduardo Nunez for a roster spot.

Game Two of the series starts tomorrow at 7:05 PM Eastern even though it's in Milwaukee, so don't be an hour late. CC Sabathia and Kyle Lohse are your probables.

Box Score

Led by Bo Ryan, the Badgers were honored before Friday's Brewers game at Miller Park.

Wisconsin men's basketball team briefly took over Miller Park Friday night, as it was honored for its Final Four run before the Milwaukee Brewers hosted the New York Yankees.

Head coach Bo Ryan was joined by the rest of the team to deliver the first pitch to some Brewers players. Sam Dekker told the media before the game he wanted to impress the crowd with his fastball. Can we get any confirmation of the fireball on the radar?

We do have confirmation that Josh Gasser and Zak Showalter chatted with Derek Jeter.

Coach Ryan giving Derek Jeter tips on how to play shortstop. #SoftHandspic.twitter.com/5S0mfrkgD6

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) May 9, 2014

Highlight of the night: @ZShowbball333 asking Derek Jeter, "how's Minka Kelly?" Jeter replies, "Idk what you're talking about..."

— Zach Bohannon (@ZBohannon) May 10, 2014

Zach Bohannon also continued his stellar selfie game, though not with any members of the Crew. It should be no surprise; he's an Iowa native. Nonetheless, a pic with a future Hall-of-Famer, a Cy Young Award winner and a World Series-winning manager is an opportunity nobody can pass up.

Now this is truly hitting for the cycle! #Yankees#MLB#Selfies@SportsCenterpic.twitter.com/KJQHm8hZiU

— Zach Bohannon (@ZBohannon) May 9, 2014

UW's play-by-plan man Matt Lepay also got in on the fun, joining Wisconsin broadcasting legends Bob Uecker, Wayne Larrivee and Brian Anderson. Also a treat for Lepay: he called the game on Fox Sports Wisconsin, relaying Badgers action from a different realm. Uecker also got his chance to chat with the team.

Very cool seeing our very own @MattLepay on air for the @Brewers. pic.twitter.com/BJsnC0NdcQ

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) May 10, 2014

No @Brewers trip would be complete without a visit from Bob Uecker. @samdek1pic.twitter.com/gOLUcZt2UW

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) May 10, 2014

Thanks for having us @Brewers! pic.twitter.com/PBRBUnqP4Y

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) May 9, 2014

AN Contributor Phil Naessens answers a question about the A's Eric Sogard and suggests three 2B options from the waiver wire for this week.

We’re heading into week number seven of the Fantasy Baseball season and injuries to the Reds Jay Bruce and the RockiesWilin Rosario have owners scrambling to fill in the holes left by these two sluggers. Do you really care about these two today? If you do you can listen to my weekly Fantasy Baseball Show where Viva El Birdos Eric Johnson and I deal extensively with this and much more. The info for all that is at the bottom of this page.

That was shameless, huh?

The following question came in from an excited Eric Sogard fan.

Dear Phil,

I became familiar with Eric Sogard during the Face of MLB campaign and have been looking for more information about him. I’ve even written to a few baseball sites and they only laughed at the mere suggestion of his name. Why is that?

I surely won’t laugh at the mention of Eric Sogard. We LOVE him here at Athletics Nation and you should spend more time here than those other fugazi sites you’ve been hanging around. I’m also happy that a silly public relations campaign has you interested in Sogard and I hope that leads to a greater interest in the A’s as a whole. They have an awesome team this season.

From a Fantasy Baseball perspective Sogard doesn’t really offer all that much. He’s really struggling right now and I feel at some point either Nick Punto or Alberto Callespo will wind up replacing him in the lineup. As much as we love Sogard around here there really are much better 2B options right now than him.

If you play daily Fantasy Baseball games you might want to plug him in if the A’s have a day game at home against right-handers. Currently that’s when he’s been most productive and you will be able to obtain him real cheap AND you’ll probably be the only one in your particular game to do so! Outside of that Sogard won’t provide you very much. At least Fantasy wise he won’t. (Stats)

Here are a few 2B options you might want to consider this week.

Jedd Gyorko 2B: Gyorko came out of a season long slump on Friday and if this is an indication of things to come he won’t be available much longer. This is one of those high risk high reward type of deals but if it pays off you will be a very happy camper this season. (Stats)

Scooter Gennett 2B Brewers: Gennett has been one of the top 2B options in Fantasy Baseball thus far this season yet only 5.4% owned. He’ll hit the occasional bomb for you and his average of .284 sure won’t hurt you. He is a good guy to plug in there to replace an injured player and luckily for us he’ll be widely available all season long. (Stats)

Brian Roberts 2B Yankees: Roberts is another one who is widely available and most likely will be for the remainder of the season. Most nights Roberts will score for you straight across the board including the occasional bomb here and there. He’s no longer the hitter he once was but he’ll be a good stopgap for a week or two that’s for sure. (Stats)

On this weeks edition of Fantasy Baseball WeeklyViva El Birdos Managing Editor Eric Johnson joins Phil offer several replacement options for injured stars including Wilin Rosario, Jason Kipnis, Hyun Jin Ryu, closers on the hot seat and much more Fantasy Baseball talk. You can listen below or download the program from the site located here.

Good luck this week and if you have any questions or something you would like to see either here or on the show please feel free to email me at pnaessensshow@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Yankees 5, Brewers 3: Tanaka stars while Solarte shines
• The old Derek Jeter, or just an old Derek Jeter: Optimizing the Yankees lineup
• Yankees lineup vs. Brewers - Peter O`Brien promoted to Double-A Trenton
• Slugging prospect Peter O'Brien earns a well-deserved promotion to Trenton
• Daily Yankees Predictions 5/9/14: Tanaka Time in "The Good Land" and Tanya Time on Pinstripe Alley
• Yankees 2014 MLB Draft Preview: What kind of talent can they expect to find
• Baby Bomber Recap 5/8/14: Ramon Flores drives in three runs in RailRiders win

Yankees News

Fangraphs | Blake Murphy:Hiroki Kuroda and Masahiro Tanaka have the most wasted pitches in baseball.

NJ.com | Charles Curtis: Willie Randolph once heckled Derek Jeter and Jeter cursed him out.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: The Yankees recently released Ronnier Mustelier, but it isn't too surprising.

Baseball America | Ben Badler: Luis Severino makes the prospect Hot Sheet, while Mason Williams continues to disappoint.

It's About the Money | Michael Eder: A look into why Ichiro Suzuki is having a good season so far.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: A fan ran out onto the field and try to give Derek Jeter a hug.

Miami Herald | David Furones: Ex-Yankees prospect Eric Erickson is returning to college, but he still hasn't given up on a professional career.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Joe Torre talks about getting his number retired in Monument Park.

Sports Illustrated | Jay Jaffe: The Yankees should be giving a plaque to Bernie Williams before Paul O`Neill and Tino Martinez.

It's About the Money | William Tasker: Between Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Beltran, it's clear that the Yankee designated hitters are struggling again.

Friday's Brewers minor league action

Nashville Sounds (AAA) 19-16
Won 9-7 at Colorado Springs Sky Sox (COL) (box / pbp)

Huntsville Stars (AA) 23-12
Won 2-1 (13 inn.) vs Jackson Generals (SEA) (box / pbp)

Brevard County Manatees (High A) 19-15
Won 5-2 vs Daytona Cubs (CHC) (box / pbp)

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low A) 15-19
Lost 10-5 vs Cedar Rapids Kernels (MIN) (box / pbp)

Player/Pitcher Points of Interest

Tanaka pitched. Tanaka won. 24-0 is still attainable. The Yankees can go for the series victory today. CC Sabathia gets to start in his old stomping grounds. Meanwhile, the Daily Predictions results from yesterday were stunning. Find out why.

I don't want to get anyone's hopes up too much, but after the brutal slump last weekend, the Yankees have been forming their Pinstripe Megazord into a more cohesive unit. With the resurgence of Mark Teixeira and Brian Roberts, the continued contributions of Yangervis Solarte and the others, and the solid looking bullpen, this team seems like it's coming together. Masahiro Tanaka is still pitching well. Hopefully, the other starters can follow through. Looking at you, Sabathia.

5/9/14 Daily Prediction Answers

Pamela & Paula Platypus would like to wish Tanya a belated Happy Birthday, hence why they gave her the honorary Best Yankee of the night. It seems that Waffles' birthday brings all the points to the yard, as we have a PSA DP record. Nobody won yesterday, but long time listener, HighFlyers28, noonoo, and kshaw90 all tied with 4,000 points each. It's hard enough for one person to get 4,000 points, but four PSAers managed it in one night. Unbelievable. Lilly, Andrew, Elcruzter, and NoMahbles all tied for 2nd with 3,000 a piece. Points galore.

5/10/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

Favorite type of Sausage? (This question is sponsored by Duggan's House of Sausage)

Least favorite color?

Is there anyone whom you would wait on a 3 hour line to meet in person?

Apple Magic Mouse: Smooth & functional or garbage that's getting replaced ASAP?

CC Sabathia takes the mound tonight against Kyle Lohse. A while ago, this would have seemed like a pretty good pitching matchup. The Yankees will hope to guarantee a series win against the Brewers tonight.

Let's Go Yankees.

Brewers second baseman was asked if he would be willing to play left field but refused.

As tonight's game approaches, an interesting bit of news came out.  Earlier today, in a pregame session with Ron Roenicke, the topic came up of Rickie Weeks.  Ron Roenicke mentioned that Weeks was approached about the possibility of playing in left field.  However, Weeks declined the possibility and prefers to stay at second base.  Adam McCalvy has the details of this on his Twitter feed.

It's interesting that Weeks would turn down this opportunity to play left field.  When asked why he turned it down, Weeks said that he is a second baseman.  It's fair that Weeks doesn't want to make a position change, especially with free agency approaching for him.  However, with Scooter Gennett playing well as the regular starter right now, it is going to be hard for Weeks to get any time at second base.  Plus, Khris Davis has been struggling so far this season, putting up a batting line of .216/.238/.392 in left field.  There would be an opportunity to get regular playing time in left field if he could put together a passable defense with at least an average bat.

At the same time, Weeks has also been around long enough to see what has happened to several other players that changed positions for the Brewers.  It's not an easy thing to change positions, especially during the season.  However, Weeks isn't helping his case by sitting on the bench and getting pinch hit appearances with an occasional start.

Rickie Weeks is getting the start tonight at second base with left-handed pitcher CC Sabathia on the mound.  He is also batting fifth, which shows that Roenicke has some confidence in him.  If he wants to get some regular playing time at second base back, he will need to show them what he can do in a start like this one.

C.C. Sabathia made his not so triumphant return to Miller Park tonight.

Winning Pitcher: Zach Duke (3-0)

Losing Pitcher: Alfredo Aceves (0-1)

SV: Francisco Rodriguez (15)

HR: Carlos Gomez (9), Jonathan Lucroy (2), Aramis Ramirez (5)

Boxscore

C.C. Sabathia returned to Miller Park for the first time since he propelled the Brewers into the postseason in 2008. I cheered for him from home, but it sounds like his fan reception at Miller Park was tepid. Carlos Gomez greeted him rudely with a towering solo shot to left, bouncing off the top of the TGIF restaurant windows. It was pretty.

In the third inning Jacoby Ellsbury reached base on catchers interference. Brett Gardner doubled in the run and advanced to third on the the throw home. Carlos Beltran then blooped an RBI single allowing the Yankees to take a 2-1 lead.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the third inning Jean Segura grounded to the shortstop for what would have been the inning ending out. Instead, Brendan Ryan dropped the ball and Segura was safe. Jonathan Lucroy then hit a line drive to deep center that only stopped when it hit the wall just under the scoreboard. The Brewers regained the lead but it didn't end there. On the next pitch Aramis Ramirez hit a home run of his own putting the Brewers ahead 4-2. Rickie Weeks hit a line drive for a single and Mark Reynolds was able to drop one in shallow center but Khris Davis struck out to end the inning.

In the fourth inning Aramis Ramirez appeared to injury his leg making a play. Later Adam McCalvy reported it was a strained left hamstring. It will be reevaluated tomorrow. Jeff Bianchi came in to replace him.

Kyle Lohse was going good again until he allowed a solo home run to Mark Texiera in the top of the sixth. He retired the next 3 batters and the Brewers lead remained intact.

In the bottom half of the sixth Mark Reynolds drew a walk and Khris Davis hit a single. With runners at first and second and 1 out, Caleb Gindl hit a grounder that ricocheted off the first baseman's glove. No play would be made and the bases would be loaded. Joe Girardi opted to remove Sabathia for Dellin Betances. The night would be over for both starting pitchers as Ron Roenicke opted to pinch hit Scooter Gennett instead of having Loshe hit with the bases loaded. Gennett struck out on three pitches which was obviously unfortunate, but it was probably still the right call. Gomez would also strike out swinging and the bases loaded went for naught.

Tyler Thornburg took the mound in the 7th. He walked a batter and gave up a base hit. Roenicke then replaced him with Zach Duke. He got Ellsbury to pop out on 1 pitch. Girardi then pinch hit Alfonso Soriano in place of Bret Gardner. Soriano snuck a ground ball through the infield to tie the game at 4 a piece. The damage would stop there as the Brewers got a double play to end the inning.

In the bottom half of the 7th, Jonathan Lucroy hit a 1 out double. Jeff Bianchi popped for the second out. Rickie Weeks came to the plate and during his at-bat the home plate umpire called a balk, advancing Lucroy to third base. Weeks then shot a grounder through the left side of the infield and the Brewers retook the lead.

Will Smith didn't allow a batter to reach in the 8th and got two strikeouts.

The Brewers were unable to add insurance runs in the bottom of the 8th so Francisco Rodriguez would come on for the save with a 1 run lead. On the first pitch Brian Roberts made my heart skip a beat as he hit the ball about as far as one can to right field without it being a home run. Instead it landed in Gindl's glove. On two pitches Kelly Johnson did his best to murder me with a heart attack, but again, the ball found it's way to Gindl's glove. Ichiro Suzuki took pity on me and decided to pop-out to end the game.

The Brewers ended their losing streak, beating the Yankees by a score of 5-4. They're back at it tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 PM as Matt Garza faces David Phelps.

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Rickie Weeks won't play left field
• Minor League Notes, 05-10-14
• Brewers can't beat Tanaka, fall to Yankees 5-3
• Great moments from Wiki Answers: Did Derek Jeter ever play for the Brewers?
• What we learned: May 9, 2014

CC was bad, but the Yankees withstood that and were still in the game. Then the eighth inning happened.

The Yankees fell behind three times in this game. The first time they came back and took the lead. The second time they tied the game. A pair of mistakes from Carlos Beltran and Alfredo Aceves in the eighth put them in a hole for a third time. But there would be no third comeback. The Brewers took a 5-4 lead and wouldn't let the Yankees back in the game again.

The Brewers didn't take very long to get on the board. Carlos Gomez led off the game for Milwaukee with a monster home run off CC Sabathia. The next three outs were relatively uneventful, but the Yankees now found themselves in an early hole.

In the top of the third, Brendan Ryan led off the inning with a single. However, because NL, CC then came up and grounded into a double play. Jacoby Ellsbury came up next. On the sixth pitch of that at bat, Ellsbury reached on catcher's interference after Ellsbury's bat made contact with Jonathan Lucroy's glove. That kept the inning alive and allowed the Yankees to take a lead. Brett Gardner then came up and laced a shot down the right field line. Ellsbury scored all the way from first and Gardner made it all the way to third with a triple. Beltran then singled to score Gardner and give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

However, the Brewers took the lead right back in the bottom half of the inning. After the first two batters were retired in order, the inning was kept alive when Ryan made an error on what would've been the third out. That brought Lucroy to the plate. Lucroy made up for his earlier error by hitting a two-run home run to give the Brewers the lead again. Aramis Ramirez followed that up with another home run, extending the Brewers' lead to 4-2. Two more Brewers reached on hits, but the Yankees escaped the winning with no further damage.

After a quiet next two innings, the Yankees got a run back in the sixth when Mark Teixeira led off with a home run. That cut the Brewers' lead to just one run.

CC came back out for the bottom of the sixth. After getting the first out, Sabathia allowed a walk and two singles to load the bases. The second single would chase CC from the game. Sabathia was better than in his last outing, but still wasn't good. He went 5.1 innings allowing just one earned run (the other three were unearned due to Ryan's error) on eight hits and four walks. Dellin Betances came in and cleaned up CC's mess, striking out two hitters and keeping the score at 4-3.

Thanks to Dellin escaping that jam, the Yankees were able to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Pinch-hitter Kelly Johnson led off the inning with a walk. That was followed by another pinch-hitter, Ichiro Suzuki, who singled. After Ellsbury flied out, another pinch-hitter came to the plate. It was Alfonso Soriano, who singled to score Johnson and tie the game at four.

However, the Brewers would take the lead right back in the bottom of the seventh. Alfredo Aceves was brought in to pitch for the Yankees. With one out, Beltran misplayed a fly ball to right, allowing it to go over his head and Lucroy to get a double. Aceves then got Jeff Bianchi for the second out. Rickie Weeks came up next, and during the at bat, Aceves was called for a balk. That moved Lucroy to third, which would be huge as Weeks singled through the left side of the infield. That allowed Lucroy to score, making it 5-4 Brewers. Two huge mistakes had given the Brewers the lead right back.

After the Yankees couldn't get anything going in the top of the eighth, Aceves pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Francisco Rodriguez then came in to try and close out the game for the Brewers. Brian Roberts and Johnson both hit fly balls deep to right, but both died on the warning track for outs. An Ichiro fly out would end the game and give the Brewers a 5-4 win.

The series finale from Milwaukee will be tomorrow at 2:10 eastern. David Phelps will go for the Yankees and Matt Garza gets the start for the Brewers.

Box score.

The Smokies continue to win and the Cougars are unstoppable. The less said about Daytona and Iowa the better.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were blasted by the Nashville Sounds (Brewers), 10-1.

Eric Jokisch tossed the first four innings and allowed six runs on nine hits, two of which were home runs. One of the six runs was unearned. Jokisch struck out five and walked one.

Sounds starter Mike Fiers struck out 13 I-Cubs in the 6.2 innings he pitched.

Third baseman Christian Villanueva was 2 for 4.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies decommissioned the Jackson Generals (Mariners), 10-6.

Starter Ivan Pineyro got into some trouble in the second inning when he allowed a grand slam to Daniel Paolini. Overall, Pineyro was only able to go four innings and the first two batters of the fifth, allowing six run on nine hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Despite that, Pineyro still left the game with a lead, but he didn't get the win because he didn't go five innings. Luckily, P.J. Francescon deserved the win a lot more than he did. Francescon pitched out of the two on, no outs jam that Pineyro left him and then allowed only one hit in his three scoreless innings. Francescon struck out one and walked no one.

Second baseman Stephen Bruno hit not one but two home runs tonight. He hit a solo home run in the third inning and a two-run blast in the ninth. He now has three home runs this season. Overall, Bruno was 4 for 6 and also had a double. (That's 11 total bases) He also stole a base. Bruno scored three runs and had four RBI.

Bruno's night overshadowed third baseman Kris Bryant's tenth home run of the year, which came with the bases empty in the eighth inning. Bryant was 2 for 5 with a walk and two runs scored.

Shortstop Jeudy Valdez also hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, his third of the season. Valdez went 3 for 4 with a walk.

Left fielder John Andreoli went 2 for 4 with two walks and a stolen base. He scored one run. Center fielder Rubi Silva went 3 for 5 and scored one run.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs were shipwrecked by the Brevard County Manatees (Brewers), 5-2.

Starter Jose Rosario took the loss after he allowed four runs on six hits over five innings. However, only one of the four runs was earned. On the other hand, two of the six hits he allowed were home runs. Rosario walked three and struck out two.

Right fielder Bijan Rademacher was 2 for 4 with an RBI double in the seventh inning.  He scored on an error later in that inning.

Kane County Cougars

Jordan Hankins singled home Carlos Penalver in the top of the 11th inning as the Kane County Cougars downed the Burlington Bees (Angels), 2-1.

Paul Blackburn threw five innings and allowed only one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out two.

Jose Arias relieved Blackburn, pitched three innings and retired all nine batters he faced. He sent six of the nine down on strikes.

James Pugliese hit the second batter he faced, but that was the only baserunner he allowed in the three innings that he pitched. Pugliese did Arias one better by striking out seven batters,  including six in a row at one point. Pugliese was awarded his first win of the season.

Both Hankins and Penalver were 1 for 5.

Second baseman Danny Lockhart went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored, when catcher Will Remillard singled him home in the sixth inning. Remillard was 2 for 4 with a double walk.

With the win, the Cougars record on the season is a pretty incredible 26-10. They have a six-game lead over second-place Peoria.

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Yankees 2014 MLB Draft Coverage
• Yankees 4, Brewers 5: Eighth inning mistakes cost Yankees
• Yankees slumping outfield bats have caused a power outage
• Yankees lineup vs. Brewers - Shawn Kelley injury update and minor league promotions
• MLB Draft 2014: Yankees' recent high school vs. college trend history
• Daily Yankees Predictions 5/10/14: Sabathia returns to "The Good Land"
• Yankees prospects: Could Aaron Judge be up next for a promotion?
• Baby Bomber Recap 5/9/14: Tyler Wade leads RiverDogs to victory with four-RBI night

Yankees News

The Wall Street Journal | Daniel Barbarisi:Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann have reacted very differently to the shift.

The Star-Ledger | Jorge Castillo:Masahiro Tanaka talks about how impressed he is with Yu Darvish.

Double G Sports | Matt Kardos: Trenton Thunder manage Tony Franklin is the winningest manager in Eastern League history.

LoHud | Chad Jennings:Brendan Ryan talks about why he thought signing with the Yankees was a good career move.

NoMaas | Martin Riggs: Opposing pitchers aren't afraid to throw Derek Jeter high fastballs.

ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews:Yangervis Solarte truly belongs on this team.

Joc Pederson hits two of the Isotopes four home runs in their win, Corey Seager goes 3 for 4 and is hitting .400 since he returned from the disabled list.

Minor League Player of the Day

Joc Pederson, 2 for 5, 2 home runs, 4 RBI. Joc Pederson hit his 10th and 11th home runs of the season as he was trying to replicate his incredible April  Pederson hit 22 home runs in Chattanooga last year and he has matched half of that total in the second week of May.

Games

Triple-A Albuquerque: In the top of the first inning after a one-out walk to Mike Baxter,Joc Pederson hit his first home run of the game.  That was followed by a Clint Robinson home run to stake the Isotopes to an early lead over the Chihuahuas (Padres) that would lead to a 8 - 4 victory.

Back from his start for the Dodgers in Miami, Stephen Fifepitched 3 innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the 4th.  Fife gave up 6 hits, 2 runs and struck out 2.  Carlos Friaspitched next for 5 innings where he allowed 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. Yimi Garcia pitched a scoreless 9th inning.

Aside from Pederson, Clint Robinson was 2 for 4 with that back to back home run and a walk, Tim Federowicz had 2 hits in 5 at bats, Alex Guerrerohad a double in 5 at bats and Jamie Romak hit a solo home run.

With one on and two out, Joc Pederson did this in the 6th inning

That would close out the Isotope's scoring as Pederson enjoyed Albuequerque's first visit to El Paso.

Double-A Chattanooga:  Nick Struck went seven innings and only gave up 3 runs but it wasn't good enough as the Lookouts would go down 5 - 2 against Stars (Brewers). Struck gave up 5 hits, walked 2 and struck out 2 in his 7 innings, Mike Thomas pitched 1 inning and gave up 2 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks and a strikeout, Jarret Martin pitched a scoreless inning with one hit allowed.

The Lookouts didn't do much with the bats, Scott Schebler had two hits and Darnell Sweeney went 1 for 4.

Advanced Class-A Rancho Cucamonga:Julio Uriasand Corey Seagereach had an impact in the Quakes 8 - 3 win over the Storm (Padres). With two out in the first, Seager walked, Chris Jacobsdoubled Seager in, Steve Proscia singled home Jacobs, Aaron Miller walked and Jeremy Rathjen doubled home Jacobs to give the Quakes a 3 - 0 lead.That lead was narrowed to one run after the Storm was able to score two runs on back to back singles.

Seager doubled home a run in the second made in 4 - 2 and Urias settled down to pitch three shut out innings.  Urias would leave after 4, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.  Geoff Brown got the win as he pitched the final 5 innings, giving up 7 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 4 strikeouts.

Chris Jacobs added his 8th home run of the year to his first inning double and he went 3 for 5.  Seager had a  3 for 4 game with a pair of doubles and a walk.

Class-A Great Lakes: Greg Harris struck out three batters in the first inning but he also saw the Silver Hawks (Diamondbacks) score 3 runs that gave the Silver Hawks the lead in a game where they would also have a pair of 4 run innings in the Silver Hawks 12 - 5 win over the Loons.

Harris had a strange pitching line as his 5 strike outs made up his 1 2/3 innings pitched.  He also gave up 5 hits and 3 walks to 8 batters he faced that didn't strike out and 7 of those 8 scored.  Victor Araujo pitched a scoreless 2 1/3 inning but then Scott Barlow gave up 5 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.  Brandon Trinkwon, who went 2 for 4 as the starting second basemen, came in to pitch and he retired the two batters he faced.

Aside from Trinkwon, Joey Curletta and Paul Hoeneckeeach had 2 hits.

Coming up

Tyson Brummettwill start for Chattanooga against Huntsville at 11:15 a.mPT ...Red Patterson toes the rubber for Albuquerque at 12:05 p.m. at El Paso ... Jharel Cotton will takes the mound for the Rancho Cucamonga at Lake Elsinore at 1:05 p.m.

Minor League Transactions

No moves

Scores & Reports

Triple-A: Albuquerque 8, El Paso 4

Double-A:  Huntsville 5, Chattanooga 2

Advanced Class-A:  Rancho Cucamonga 8, Lake Elsinore 3

Class-A: South Bend 12, Great Lakes 5

Minor League Central - Daily Dodger Recap

Fiers and the lucky 13 strikeouts and more

Nashville Sounds (AAA) 20-16
Won 10-1 at Iowa Cubs (CHC) (box / pbp)

Huntsville Stars (AA) 24-12
Won 5-2 at Chattanooga Lookouts (LAD) (box / pbp)

Brevard County Manatees (High A) 20-15
Won 5-2 at Daytona Cubs (CHC) (box / pbp)

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low A) 16-19
Won 6-3 vs Cedar Rapids Kernels (MIN) (box / pbp)

Player/Pitcher Points of Interest

David Phelps takes the mound in this rubber match against the Brewers. This game will end their road trip. Let's come home with another series victory. Let's also find out if we have a PSA DP winner today.

CC Sabathia needs help. We need help when CC pitches. Hopefully CC gets help so that we won't need to get help. Our help costs more than his does. Plus, he gets paid for his help while we do not.

5/10/14 Daily Prediction Answers

After two times seeing CC Sabathia pitch, Pamela and Paula Platypus are starting to understand why the Aardvarks have gone off the grid. Needless to say, they are heading back to the West Coast after the game today. However, they are pleased to announce that we have a winner. Elcruzter55 has emerged victorious with 3,000 points. Congratulations. After today, the Daily Prediction questions change, so go for the gold..en brew, much like the Platypi plan to.

5/11/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Questions

What is your ethnicity/ethnicities?

Imagination: Have you ever had an imaginary friend or created your own character?

Did you get your Mom anything for Mother's Day? If so, what? If you're a mom, what did you get?

Besides baseball games, what are your favorite events to attend live? (Shows/concerts/conventions/etc)

David Phelps will take the mound for the Yankees today, as they try to head back to the Bronx with a series win over the Brewers. Hopefully, he has his good stuff tonight as the Brew Crew have shown they're a team to be reckoned with this year.

Let's Go Yankees.

The Yankees will try to make up for last night's loss with a start from David Phelps on Mother's Day.

Today's lineup: Gardner 7 Jeter 6 Ellsbury 8 Teixeira 3 Johnson 5 Solarte 4 Ichiro 9 Murphy 2 Phelps 1

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) May 11, 2014

Brett Gardner will leadoff with Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury making up the top of the lineup. Mark Teixeira will hit cleanup, Kelly Johnson is at third base, and Yangervis Solarte will play second base. Ichiro Suzuki is in right, John Ryan Murphy is behind the plate, and Phelps will swing the bat ninth. Thankfully, this is the last day of interleague play for awhile.

Rumor has it that the Yankees could still make a run at free agent Stephen Drew at some point after the MLB Draft in June. According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, "a major league source indicated the Yankees may change their thinking on whether to sign Stephen Drew (owner Hal Steinbrenner had said the Yankees didn’t need Drew) if they find Jeter can’t endure a full season at shortstop." According to this source, the Yankees did not want to give the Red Sox another draft pick this offseason from signing Drew, since they already gave up a pick to one of the top systems in baseball for signing Ellsbury.

While the Yankees might have needed Drew at one point, it seems like they have the situation under control at the moment. Of course, this could change; Yangervis Solarte could come crashing down to Earth, Brian Roberts could get injured, and Derek Jeter could continue to struggle at the plate and in the field. Luckily, they don't need to make any decisions at the moment and will have another month to evaluate what they have before making any contract offers.

A back and forth game, and a blown save for K-Rod, ended happily as the Brewers got their first walkoff win at home of the year.

W: Rodriguez, 1-0

L: Warren, 1-2

HR: Texeira (7)

Box

WPA Graph/Box

WPA MVP: Weeks .323; LVP: Overbay -.211

K-Rod finally blew a save, but it did not matter because Rickie Weeks and Mark Reynolds came through with hits in the bottom of the 9th to give the Brewers their first walkoff winner in 2014. Weeks was 3-5 on the day and drove in 2 runs. Remember when I said batting Weeks 3rd was putting him in a sink or swim situation where he would either earn more playing time or lose his job? Today, he swam.

Matt Garza had another Matt Garza start, walking 3 and giving up 3 runs in the first. He ended that inning with 40 pitches. It was so ugly that Wei-Chung Wang started warming in the first inning. Garza was able to turn it around and chug through 5 innings. His final line was 5 IP, 6 H, 4 K, 4 BB, 3 ER, on 106 pitches.

The Brewers had early baserunners in nearly every inning but only were able to get through in the 3rd against Yankees starter David Phelps. Garza doubled (?!) to lead off the inning and Carlos Gomez was hit by a pitch in the hand. Run producers Rickie Weeks (stay hot, buddy) and Lyle Overbay drove in runs with back to back singles, just as we predicted.

After a scoreless but shaky inning from Brandon Kintzler, the Brewers chased Phelps in the 6th by putting runners at the corners with no outs. Roenicke announced Scooter Gennett to pinch-hit but pulled him back for Jonathan Lucroy when the Yankees brought out LOOGY Matt Thorton. Lucroy singled up the middle to tie the game. After Carlos Gomez popped out on a bunt attempt (more on this later), Logan Schafer ripped a hit that Ichiro could not handle in right against tough righty Dellen Betances. With the infield in, Rickie Weeks hit a hard grounder to short that Jeter made a nice play on to hang up Schafer, allowing Lucroy to score. The 3-run inning gave the Brewers a 5-3 lead.

Zach Duke came on for the seventh to face a string of lefties and switch hitters and gave up his first run since early April (a home run in Philadelphia). Yangervis Solarte hit a fastball to center field to score Jacoby Ellsbury and bring the game within a run. With 2 out and a runner on, Roenicke went to Rob Wooten, who struck out Alfonso Soriano swinging on 5 consecutive sliders on the outside corner.

The setup crew that has been so good early on this year came within an out of doing it once again. Will Smith came on to hold the lead in the 8th, and backup catcher John Ryan Murphy led off with a weak grounder between Weeks and Overbay. Weeks charged and made a fantastic flip with the glove to Overbay, but the call was overturned to let Murphy stay at first. Expecting a bunt on the next pitch, Mark Reynolds fielded a chopper from Brian Roberts that bounced above his head and fired to Weeks at second, who turned the double play. Smith then struck out Brett Gardner, throwing a 95 mph high fastball for strike 2 and then burying a slider for strike 3.

In the ninth while the roof closed due to incoming rain, K-Rod got Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter to ground out to start the ninth, and was given a nice round of applause for doing so. Next, Ellsbury hit a line drive to right that Logan Schafer snagged with a running grab. But with 2 outs, Mark Texiera somehow hit a full count changeup on the outside corner (a pretty good pitch, I swear) well out to right field to tie the game at 5.

Logan Schafer led off the ninth ended a long at bat against Adam Warren (in his second inning of work) with a flyout to the warning track in deep right-center field. With an out on the board, Rickie Weeks broke his bat but snuck a ground ball past Texiera at first that allowed him to get to second base with a double, his 3rd hit of the day. Overbay swung and missed at the first two pitches from Warren, low breaking balls, but then took a wild pitch from that allowed Weeks to move to third. Overbay then struck out on a 2-2 changeup out of the zone.  Mark Reynolds took a slider for strike one and then inexplicably missed a bunt for strike 2. But it did not matter as he drove a low slider through a hole on the left side of the infield for a walk-off single on the 0-2 count.

*On Gomez: He walked and then bunted in consecutive plate appearances after the HBP in the wrist, but X-Rays came back negative and he swung away in his final plate appearance.

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Brewers 6, Yankees 5: Walkoff winner for Reynolds!
• Today's Lineups: Batting 3rd and Playing Second Base, Rickie Weeks (UPDATE: Ramirez to DL)
• Minor League Notes, 05-11-14
• Brewers snap losing streak, beat Yankees 5-4
• Rickie Weeks won't play left field

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Yankees 5, Brewers 6: Yankees lose on walk-off single
• Joe Girardi should loosen the leash on David Robertson
• CC Sabathia placed on the disabled list with fluid in his knee
• Yankees lineup vs. Brewers - Stephen Drew rumors
• MLB Draft 2014: What are the Yankees' chances of finding Top 50-caliber talent
• Daily Yankees Predictions 5/11/14: Last game in "The Good Land" and Happy Mother's Day
• Baby Bomber Recap 5/10/14: Greg Bird clubs first homer of the season in Tampa loss

Yankees News

Newsday | Gus Garcia-Roberts: There is now proof that MLB knew it was purchasing stolen evidence during the Biogenesis investigation to suspend Alex Rodriguez.

Brew Crew Ball | Noah Jarosh: Someone on the internet asked if Derek Jeter ever played for the Milwaukee Brewers.

MLB Trade Rumors | Zach Links: A look back at the trade that sent Dave Winfield to the Angels for Mike Witt.

New york Post | Joel Sherman: With Nolan Arenado's hit streak ending, it's clear that it has become incredibly difficult to collect hits since Joe DiMaggio's streak. 

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: What does CC Sabathia's injury mean for Vidal Nuno, David Phelps, and Alfredo Aceves?

The Times | Barry Federovitch:Yangervis Solarte is the biggest surprise to come out of the Yankees' offseason.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Neither Adam Warren or Dellin Betances are being considered as replacements for CC Sabathia, who will undergo further tests on his knee.