Today's lessons include the MLB Draft, what to do with a Rule 5 pick, and more.

This Weekend's Results

Brewers 11, Cubs 5

The Brewers wasted no time taking control of this game. They scored five runs in the first inning, and ended up with eleven runs in the game. Marco Estrada didn't have a good game, but recorded a quality start to keep the Brewers in good shape.

Cubs 8, Brewers 0

After a good offensive output on Friday, the offense went completely cold. They only managed four hits against Jason Hammel, who pitched a great game. Wily Peralta did well for three innings, but he injured his back in the second inning and started to unravel in the fourth. He ended up giving up six runs in the loss.

Brewers 9, Cubs 0

Once again, fortunes reversed in this game. The Brewers hit Jeff Samardzija for eight runs in three innings. Meanwhile, Kyle Lohse didn't need any help, pitching a complete game and driving in two runs in the process while holding the Cubs to three hits.

It's draft week.

The MLB First-Year Player Draft will take place this week, and we have plenty of coverage planned for you this week on Brew Crew Ball. Yesterday, Derek gave a quick intro to the week and some of what to expect. We will have plenty of coverage this week, and will even have draft threads up during the draft to discuss the Brewers picks. Make sure to check back in often this week and see what is going on.

There are different ways to handle Rule 5 players.

Wei-Chung Wang got in back-to-back games this weekend as two good opportunities came up for appearances. The Brewers still appear committed to holding on to him for the season, but what are their options? On Friday, Fred ran through the options that the Brewers have and the way they will likely play out. With the Brewers remaining in contention and leading a division right now, it's getting harder to use that spot on Wang. The Brewers could make a move, but they could risk losing him if they do.

Cram Session

The Offense

• Discussion has come out about batting the pitcher eighth in the Brewers lineup. Adam McCalvy has some details on the discussion in his Brew Beat blog.
• The Brewers have had some issues getting on base this season. Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker looks at it to see if it's a real problem or just an issue of perception.
• There's a lot of power in the Brewers offense. Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew analyzes how the Brewers are using that power this season.
• With him taking the #5 spot in the order, Khris Davis is bringing his own approach to it. Adam McCalvy looks at how Khris Davis is approaching the role.

Other Notes

• Will Smith has been good in relief this year, but is open to what his future role could be. Adam McCalvy has some quotes from Smith on his approach to this season.
• The Brewers have made a number of changes this month. The Brewer Nation blog recapped many of the changes that the Brewers have made through May.
• Ryan Romano of Beyond the Box Score looks at Carlos Gomez as one candidate who is using power to remain elite this year.
• Bill Berg of Reviewing the Brew notes that Kyle Lohse threw the 12th "Maddux" in Brewers history on Sunday.
• Miller Park Drunk looks at the career of Ron Roenicke, one that may be more about luck than anything else.
• Jim Henderson has been cleared to throw again, and Adam McCalvy has some notes on the progression of his rehab.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Aramis Ramirez played four innings and had two at-bats on Sunday for Wisconsin, and went 0-for-2 with 1 strikeout.  Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has a photo gallery of the game.
• Tom Gorzelanny pitched for Nashville on Friday, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk with 1 strikeout in 2/3 inning.
• Minor League Ball conducted a mock draft over the weekend. John Sickels has details on how the draft played out for the NL Central teams.
• The Brewers are set at catcher for a while, but there's still plenty of talent in the minors. Jay D of Reviewing the Brew looks at the current situation for the catcher position through the Brewers system.
• Jimmy Nelson returned to Nashville and picked back up where he left off. He struck out 11 in Saturday's game for the Sounds, and Adam Berry of MLB.com has some details on the start.
  
• The Brewers minor-league affiliates have been having some good seasons. Adam McCalvy runs down what the affiliates have done through the first two months.

Check out morineko's daily minor league update for a more in-depth look at yesterday's minor league results.

Division Update

• Giants @ Cardinals
  Friday:Giants 9, Cardinals 4
  Saturday:Cardinals 2, Giants 0
  Sunday: Giants 8, Cardinals 0
• Reds @ Diamondbacks
  Friday:Reds 6, Diamondbacks 4
  Saturday:Reds 5, Diamondbacks 0
  Sunday:Reds 4, Diamondbacks 3
• Pirates @ Dodgers
  Friday:Pirates 2, Dodgers 1
  Saturday:Dodgers 12, Pirates 2
  Sunday: Pirates 5, Dodgers 3

Today's Division Games

• Royals (Danny Duffy) vs. Cardinals (Shelby Miller) - 7:10 pm
• Pirates (Charlie Morton) vs. Padres (Tim Stauffer) - 9:10 pm
• Reds and Cubs have the day off.

Today's Action

The Brewers open a four-game home & away series against the Twins tonight. The first two games are at Miller Park, and Matt Garza makes the first start for the Brewers. On the other side, Kyle Gibson starts for the Twins. First pitch is at 6:20 pm tonight, and Caitlin Swieca of MLB.com has the preview.

A good ole interstate 94 battle begins in Milwaukee.

After taking two of three in the land that haunts, the Twins continue their road trip and begin a home-and-home series at Miller Park before returning back to God's country. Minnesota leads the all-time series against the Brewers, owning a record 230-215. Since the start of the decade the games have been split down the middle with the Twins and Brewers each winning 11 games. Minnesota won all four games against Milwaukee in 2013.

It will be former Twin Matt Garza taking the ball for the Brewers in Game One. Garza signed a four-year deal with the Brewers in January of 2014 and has not lived up to expectations to date. So far on the season, Garza has dangled an ERA of 4.84 and has posted his highest walk rate in five years.

The Brewers will go against Kyle Gibson, who's had a mixed bag of results this season. Gibby (your favorite nickname, right?) has six starts where he's allowed one run or less, the other four starts he's allowed 5 or more runs. Its been the starts away from Target Field where Gibby has gotten shelled, as shown here. What's really puzzled me is the lack of strikeouts from Gibson, who was never expected him to gas everyone but nevertheless pitch well, as he's had a tough time throwing strikes in general. (Get on it Tricky Ricky. That's Rick Anderson...)

Minnesota enters inter-league play with a 2-6 record in 2014. Milwaukee has had a great start to the season and still sits on top of the central division in the National League by four games. The Twins are one game out of second place and one game out of the basement in the division. We're two months into the season and June is here, so lets go Twins!

Series Schedule

Who's hot and who's not from May 26 - June 1

Pitchers
Brad Brach		Not his best week, as he allowed 7 hits and 3 earned runs in a little less than 5 innings.  Only two walks, though, combined with 6 strikeouts.
Zach Britton		Zach's first blown save of the year wasn't really his fault.  He was excellent as the closer in two other games, however.  His ERA remains below 1.00 for the season.
Wei-Yin Chen		Two starts - one shaky, one not.  He allowed three homers to the Brewers early in the week, but rebounded nicely against Houston.  Although he started twice, he only accrued 10 innings for the week.
Miguel Gonzalez		Migo has allowed 2 earned runs in his last four starts and now has a streak of three straight QS.  The offense, however, failed him and the O's still lost the game despite just 2 earned runs.  He'll face a much tougher test against Texas this week.
Preston Guilmet		I suppose the good news is that he didn't walk anyone all week, but the bad news is that he allowed 4 earned runs in three innings.
Ubaldo Jimenez		Like Gonzalez, Jimenez fell victim to the O's poor offense.  Jimenez allowed 1 earned run in 6 innings, yet the offense couldn't provide support.  Biggest (only) knock against his start was that he needed 112 pitches to make it through 6 innings (3 walks).
Brian Matusz		Not a ton of action - 2.1 innings and although he allowed a homer, it came against a RHB.
T.J. McFarland		Remember that time he gave up the game winning hit to the pitcher?  Yeah, that happened.
Bud Norris		#costafface does not appear to have had his best stuff in either of his last two starts.  While it's not terrible, he struck out just 1 hitter this week to combine with 4 ER.
Darren O'Day		Blew a save last week, but rebounded nicely.  Completed 3 innings (3 appearances) and gave up two hits and two walks.  Did not allow a run.
Chris Tillman		Got pounded for 6 earned runs by the Milwaukee offense, but mastered the Houston offense to the tune of just 4 hits (1 ER) in 6.2 innings.
Ryan Webb		He really should have stayed in after that 7 pitch inning....
Catchers
Steve Clevenger		Returned to Norfolk after 1 PH appearance this week.
Nick Hundley		Staved off the down arrow this week thanks to that GWH in his first game as an Oriole.
Caleb Joseph		Not entirely sure why the Orioles decided to keep Joseph over Clevenger.
Infielders
Chris Davis		A week after really pounding the ball, Davis fell off with a two hit performance.
Ryan Flaherty		Received just 3 ABs
J.J. Hardy		He's hitting the ball really well (10-27), but what's happened to his power?  He's slugging less than Markakis and that's not good.  On a positive note, his defense has been great and his OBP is currently above his career average.
Manny Machado		His bat has been lagging so far this season, but a thumbs up for his first career grand slam.
Steve Pearce		While his overall numbers weren't good, he provided a few timely hits, including the O's first PH homer in a long time.
Jonathan Schoop		Pretty good week at the plate including two homers and a three hit game yesterday.
Outfielders
Nelson Cruz		It's just a bruise, right?
Adam Jones		Had his OBP back over .300 for a just a moment before a poor week has him back at .299 for the year.
David Lough		He has more homers than J.J. Hardy...
Nick Markakis		In typical Markakis fashion, he added 10 hits (.345 BA), yet his SLG% actually dropped a point.  Still trying to get above that .400 mark.  On the plus side, his OBP sits at .354, which is pretty solid for your leadoff guy.
Delmon Young		Limited playing time, but he might get a start this week if Cruz has to miss any time.
Disabled List
Tommy Hunter		Had a successful bullpen session and might be ready for a rehab assignment soon.
Nolan Reimold		No updates.
Matt Wieters		A pretty big decision looms.  Will we see Matt again this season?

Identifying risers and fallers in head-to-head points' leagues for Week 10, including Phil Hughes and Denard Span.

Risers

Denard Span, Nationals

If you lost A.J. Pollock, who I recommended in this white space two weeks ago, Span can mend your broken heart. Pollock and Span are completely different players, but -- at the end of the day -- all that matters is how many points they're putting up. Span's 121 points are top-25 in the outfield, better than Shin-Soo Choo, Adam Jones and Carlos Gonzalez. I'm not suggesting Span over those proven studs because I'm not that nuts, but Span's ownership rates (18% ESPN, 13% Yahoo) suggest that owners aren't paying close enough attention. Over the last 30 days, Span is batting .317/.342/.430 with 16 runs, one home run, four RBIs and four steals. While he's a no show in the power department, he owns a .348 OBP in seven major-league seasons and can provide 80 runs and 20 steals in a full year. He won't wow you and you'll probably be tempted to drop him, but his most value comes to those who use him as a fourth or fifth outfielder in points' league. Give me Span over Leonys Martin, Matt Joyce and Rajai Davis.

Phil Hughes, Twins

It's hard to ignore Hughes (no matter how long and hard I tried), who tossed eight strong innings and earned his sixth win of the season against his former team in the Bronx on Sunday. Hughes walked two in that game, breaking a string of seven starts without allowing a free pass. His improved control has him squarely inside the top-25 starters in points' leagues, which was unimaginable in the preseason. Most of us -- including myself -- figured Ricky Nolasco would be the pitcher who benefited the most from Target Field, but it's been Hughes getting all the glory. I'm buying the 27-year-old's breakout, but it might be too late. He's now owned in more than 50% of Yahoo leagues, so check your waiver wires. Hughes' walk rate has improved remarkably from 6.5% to 2.9%, and he's still providing a solid 7+ K/9. The fly-ball pitcher is in the perfect environment for his skillset. He ditched his slider, which he relied heavily on in 2013, and the results have been much better. I think Hughes slips outside the top-30 starters, but he's here to stay. Hold on.

Fallers

Andrelton Simmons, Braves

Simmons hasn't shown any signs of offensive growth from 2013, slashing .267/.297/.398 (compared to .248/.296/.396 a year ago). Sure, his batting average is almost 20 points higher, but his strikeout and walk rates are trending in the wrong direction, making the highlight-reel shortstop hard to roster in any format. He's on pace for just 12 home runs, 41 runs, 38 RBIs and three steals, and there are no signs of an offensive turn-around coming. Simmons was an on-base asset in the minors, but he's had no such luck at the major-league level. Almost everything Simmons hits is on the ground, and his 13.8% line drive rate is among the lowest in the league. He's currently the No. 20 shortstop on Yahoo, so hopefully he's playing in a middle infield spot and not at short for your fake teams.

Matt Garza, Brewers

Garza has been extremely ordinary since returning to the National League Central. His 4.84 ERA might be a tad unlucky, but I'm not sure he gets it below 4.00 by the end of the year. Looking at his game log, there are a lot of crooked numbers on the board, and not in the places you want to see. Even his strikeouts have been so-so (56 Ks in 67 innings), and wins have been hard to come by. Garza's 8.3% walk rate is at its highest since 2009, and his velocity is down from 93 to 92. Opposing hitters are making contact on more pitches inside the strike zone against Garza, and we haven't even arrived at his biggest question mark: durability. If we're playing the buy-low game, I'm passing. His results have been all over the place from start to start, even his strand rate is unusually low.

BCB's Danny Rockett does Milwaukee, Laverne and Shirley style!

While driving back from my trip to Milwaukee with my bandmate Gary, I attempted to wrap my head around the festivities of the weekend. See, a lot happened in a very short time. My band and some fellow Chicago comedy musicians played a wild gig to some crazy train-hopping hobos. We hung out with a hot Russian bartender at a spy-themed restaurant. We sat all over Miller Park. We met a guy named Spider Mike. And of course, we did as the locals do in Milwaukee: We drank lots of beer with Brewers fans. But instead of some long blurry story about two immature man-children running around watching baseball, I made this....

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight

Schlemiel, schlemazel, Milwaukee inebriated

Cubs in Milwaukee!

Played music to crazy hobos

Found a Kent Hrbek signed photo

Met a guy with only one arm

Picture with Fonzie!

Sat far away from the bases.

Snuck down for the sausage races

Saw a man made out of balloons

Bernie the Brewer

Miller Park under Blue Skies

Eating Cheese Curds, Offensive T-shirts

Cops confiscating a sign.

Anthony Rizzo

Fooled around and watched the Cubs Win.

Paul, Gary, my sister's husband

Cub fans unfurl the "W"

And we found weird benches, made friendships

Selfie with Spider Mike

and we saw Bernie's bed, bobbleheads

This guy needs a new shirt.

Hey, it beats work!

Aramis Ramirez had two hits to wrap up his two-day rehab assignment with Wisconsin.

The weather has been somewhat challenging over the last couple of days for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers but the skies cleared this afternoon to allow them to complete two games today, losing the conclusion of Sunday's suspended game 7-4 and picking up a 4-3 win in the day's regularly-scheduled contest.

The big story for Wisconsin today was the second rehab appearance for Aramis Ramirez. He played four innings at third base and went 0-for-2 before rain interrupted Sunday's game and was the designated hitter for Monday's second game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. He was originally scheduled to play third base again today, but was moved to DH due to wet playing conditions after heavy rains fell overnight and this morning.

"You don't want to take a chance, especially because I injured my leg, so it was smart just to DH and get my at bats in," Ramirez said.

Ramirez got four at bats and three chances to hit with runners in scoring position today. He singled with the bases empty in the first inning, grounded out to short with a runner on second in the third, singled with two on in the fifth and lined out to first base with two on in the sixth.

"Hitting is all about timing," Ramirez said. "Yesterday was kind of rough, and today I had some better swings, saw some better pitches. And I'm right where I want to be right now."

With today's games delayed due to rain and Ramirez not scheduled to play until the second contest, the Brewers third baseman was able to come in a little later and work out with roving hitting instructor Don Money.  He reported no issues with the sore hamstring that landed him on the DL and appears to be ready to rejoin the big league team.

"I felt good about his approach and his swings today," Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson said. "I asked him after the game, 'Do you feel good?' And he said 'Yeah, I feel good. I'm ready to go. Thank you very much.' And he was great. Very professional. Just chatted with our players a bit before he left. He's healthy, and I'm sure he can help the Brewers out in that lineup. I wish him all the best."

Ramirez is expected to work out with the Brewers tomorrow and be activated off the disabled list when the team travels to Minnesota on Wednesday.

After Ramirez's final at bat, though, the Timber Rattlers still had some work to do. They went to bottom of the seventh (the final scheduled inning) tied 3-3 and scored a walkoff run on Clint Coulter's walk, Tayor Brennan's single and Francisco Castillo's sacrifice fly.

The rally made a winner out of reliever Trevor Seidenburger, who had an unexpectedly long day. He threw four innings on just one day's rest and allowed a single run on four hits, walking none and recording no strikeouts. It was his fifth win of the season and actually raised his ERA to 1.35 for 2014 with the outing.

"They told me to be ready. Saturday I threw six pitches for the one out and they just said, 'be ready, because you've got to get used to it whenever you move up,'" Seidenberger said.

The Timber Rattlers needed the lefty's services early when starting pitcher Preston Gainey was ejected from the game in the fourth inning for hitting a batter immediately following a home run. Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson said he didn't think Gainey was trying to hit Quad Cities left fielder Ronnie Mitchell, who had homered off of him earlier in the game, but did acknowledge they intended to reclaim the inner portion of the plate.

"Before that particular inning we discussed with him and (catcher Clint) Coulter that they're getting a lot of good swings, there's too much barrel and we're going to have to make somebody uncomfortable by getting inside," Erickson said. "And then it just so happens that the next guy hits a home run. I'm sure emotions were high and he was definitely going to get a pitch inside, and he did.

"But it was something that we needed to do. We need to pitch to both sides of the plate," Erickson said. "If you lay the ball over the middle of the plate you're going to get hurt. And we were getting hurt. I thought it was a knee-jerk reaction. I would completely understand a warning to both sides, but the umpire felt that it was intentional to throw at the hitter and he made a decision."

The ejection put Seidenberger into a spot where he had to warm up on the field instead of in the bullpen, but he stressed the importance of maintaining routine under unusual circumstances.

"You just prepare out there like you're down in the bullpen," Seidenberger said. "As a reliever you've got to come into tough situations sometimes. That was a tough one, but you've got to get prepared like you would out in the bullpen."

Seidenberger allowed a single tally on a solo home run in the sixth inning, snapping a scoreless streak of 21.1 innings. He hadn't allowed a run since his third appearance of the season on April 17. Today, Erickson said the team wanted to get him into the game to capitalize on Quad Cities' struggles against lefties.

"When we looked at their lineup we knew we were going to want to get him in there at some point in the game," Erickson said. "He matched up well with their lineup. They're the best hitting team in the league, and they find hits. They find ways to get on base, but they're significantly better against righties than lefties. And there's no doubt about it, Seidenberger's been the best in our bullpen up to this point so we knew at some point in the game we wanted him on the mound."

Wisconsin has the day off tomorrow, their first scheduled idle day since May 11, but many of them will still be spending the day together. The Timber Rattlers have a golf outing scheduled, and more than 20 players will take part.

"I told everybody in there, it's been a long stretch, thanked everybody for being a part of that. 20-some guys are involved in the golf outing. It's a great event for our community and it's a good day for them to be involved with the people around here. But for those that aren't going to be there, I asked them to get away from baseball, get a mental break, and if anyone asks me about baseball tomorrow I'm going to punch them in the mouth," Erickson said.

With the split Monday Wisconsin is now 26-31 on the season and ranks seventh among eight teams in the Midwest League West Division, but sits just four and a half games back of clinching a playoff spot by finishing in second place in the first half. They'll resume play on Wednesday when they open a three-game series with Cedar Rapids.

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

In a twist, only Daytona won.

My internet was down all evening, so I missed pretty much everything tonight.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were mute against the Nashville Sounds (Brewers), 4-1.

Dallas Beeler tossed a quality start, but he ended up saddled with the loss anyway. Beeler went seven innings and allowed three runs on five hits, including a solo home run in the sixth inning. Beeler struck out three and walked only one. He also went 2 for 2 at the plate, giving him two of Iowa's six hits.

First baseman Chris Valaika was 2 for 3.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies were vassalized by the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 10-5. It was Tennessee's eighth straight loss.

Dae-Eun Rhee got hammered tonight. He gave up seven runs, six of which were earned, in six innings. He surrendered nine hits and he walked one. Rhee struck out three Barons.

Third baseman Anthony Giansanti was 3 for 4 with a double. He scored once and batted one in.

First baseman Dustin Geiger went 2 for 4 with two RBI and one run scored.

Catcher Charles Cutler was 2 for 5 and scored once.

DH Kris Bryant did not hit a home run tonight. Instead, he merely went 2 for 4 with a walk and one run scored. He's obviously slumping.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs topped the St. Lucie Mets, 3-1.

Nathan Dorris had his best game as a Daytona Cub as he gave up only one run on four hits in a 6.2 inning start. Dorris struck out two and walked one.

Michael Jensen's first career save was one of adventure. He gave up a single to the first batter he faced and then struck out the next batter. Then he allowed a second baserunner on another single, but he struck out the next batter. Finally he walked the bases loaded with two outs and then struck out the next batter to end the game.

Left fielder Zeke DeVoss and catcher Chadd Krist were both 2 for 5. Krist had an RBI.

Bijan Rademacher led off the game with a single wand would come around to score on Krist's single. When he came to bat in the second inning, he was hit by a pitch. The third time he was due up in the order he was pinch hit for by Pin-Chieh Chen. Chen stayed in the game and was a perfect 2 for 2 with a walk.

Kane County Cougars

The Kane County Cougars were stopped by the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals), 5-3.

Duane Underwood took his second loss after he allowed three runs on five hits over five innings. Two of the runs Underwood allowed were unearned, however. Underwood walked one and struck out one.

Center fielder Jacob Hannemann was 3 for 5 with a double and two RBI.

Right fielder Yasiel Balaguert and second baseman Danny Lockhart both went 2 for 4 with a double,  Lockhart had an RBI.

Despite Joe's three-hit day, the Twins come up short in Milwaukee.

For the first time all season Joe Mauer roped two doubles. That's not a typo guys, I knew some time in Milwaukee can do a man good! Sadly the Twins went just 2-10 with RISP, dropping the opener of the border-battle with the Brew-Crew. It was Milwaukee's first win against the Twins since 2012. Minnesota was going against a familiar face in Matt Garza who may have delivered his best start of the season. Garza went 7.1 surrendering no runs and striking out eight. That's not to say the Twins bats did not get too him. The Twins had their chances against the former USA-Today Minor League player of the year. Joe roped a one-out double in the first inning but Plouffe and Arica grounded out leaving Mauer stranded in scoring position. Joe would rope another double to lead off the 4th, but once again the Twins weren't able to send him home. It was a tough day for Trevor Plouffe, who went 0-4, seeing only 13 pitches and committing two errors in the field. Brian Dozier also had a solid day at the plate and roped his ninth double of the year in the 5th, unfortunately Joe struck out to end another possible threat.

Kyle Gibson (Gibby) was in cruise control through the first three innings sending each Brewer down in order. He even collected a hit in the game as well. However the Brewers would answer in the 4th with runs batted in from Jonathan Lucroy and, who was it, Carlos Gomez? (who ever that is) Making it a 2-0 lead for Milwaukee.  Scooter Gennett would lead off the 5th inning with a double followed by a moon-shot from Mark Reynolds doubling up the lead. Gibby's would finish six complete innings before Anthony Swarzak took over the 7th. Milwaukee would add another run from Plouffe's throwing error making it 5-0 after seven.

Minnesota finally got on the board in the 8th when Joe and Oswaldo Arcia (of all people) reached on singles and the red hot Josh Willingham drove in Mauer on an infield single, putting Minnesota on the board. Willingham reached base safely in all four plate appearances and now has RBI in each of his last 5 games and his showing serious flashes of the 2012 Willingham that won a silver slugger. Danny Santana returned to the lineup too, having ANOTHER multi-hit affair. Alright Danny! Twins will play one more in Milwaukee before heading home to Target Field to complete the series.

Studs:

Joe (duh)

Willingham

Santana

Duds:

Plouffe

Twins hitting with RISP (for like the 20th time)

You may have gathered that the Rule 4 amateur draft starts this Thursday. Many eyes in the Cubs' world are turning to that event. Others have their eyes and ears on trade talks, the legend of Kris Bryant, Crane is going nowhere, Harry had a bar tab, and "Mega Earth" has been found.

I'm guessing your "Cubs Dream" for this week may differ slighly from that of John Arguello.

From Comcast SportsNet

• Jeff Samardzija says trade talk won't become a distraction.
• Jason Hammel says the same thing.
• Starlin Castro says Manny Ramirez can help young prospects like Javier Baez.
• Rick Renteria isn't calling for Baez or Kris Bryant to be promoted to help his squad.
• Crane Kenney says all musicians want to play at Wrigley Field.

From Cubs Den

• Cubs Den gathered some experts to do a first round mock draft. The Cubs choice was Aaron Nola. Which some "sources" are saying will happen while others say he's not in the mix. Read the comments and get confused.
• Some "fun" with numbers showed how bad the Cubs' offense really is.
• John Arguello lays out his "dream scenario" for the Cubs this week. Dream a little dream with me, eh?

• (Video) Shark says Sunday was just "one of those days."

From the Chicago Sun-Times 

• Crane Kenney isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Sigh.
• Shark hears the trade talk, but he won't listen. Reminds me of the movie White Men Can't Jump.

From the Daily Herald

• Len Kasper writes about the announcing skill of knowing when not to talk.
• Pitchers not going all-out is a win-win situation.

Miscellaneous

• Here's an interesting Harry Caray story about the broadcaster's bar tabs.

Today's food for thought

• A newly arrived astronaut rolled some dice in orbit, among other things.
• And astronomers think they have discovered a "Mega Earth", a new type of planet.

Aramis Ramirez on rehab and more

Nashville Sounds (AAA) 32-27
Won 4-1 vs Iowa Cubs (CHC) (box / pbp)

Huntsville Stars (AA) 39-19
Lost 9-4 (8 inn.) at Jackson Generals (SEA) (box / pbp)

Brevard County Manatees (High A) 29-27
Lost Game 1 2-1 (10 inn.) at Charlotte Stone Crabs (TBR) (box / pbp)
Won Game 2 3-0 (7 inn.) (box / pbp)

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low A) 26-31
Lost Game 1 7-4 vs Quad Cities River Bandits (HOU) (box / pbp)
Won Game 2 4-3 (7 inn.) (box / pbp)

Player/Pitcher Points of Interest

Today's lessons include the MLB draft, the batting lineup, and more.

Yesterday's Results

Brewers 6, Twins 2

Matt Garza finally put together a good start while getting some run support. He pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out eight and walking two while giving up six hits. Meanwhile, the offense came together,  taking a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning and expanding it to 4-0 from a Mark Reynolds home run. Jonathan Lucroy also added a solo home run in the win.

We got an intro to the MLB Draft yesterday.

We're now two days away from the MLB First Year Player Draft. There's a lot to know about the draft before it starts on Thursday. Yesterday, Derek ran down how the draft works and what to expect. There's a lot to know about the draft, including how the picks will work, how much the Brewers have to spend on signings, and the extra picks the Brewers will get. It's good to know all of this as you prepare for the draft at the end of this week.

Cram Session

MLB Draft

• As the 2014 draft approaches, Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects looks back at the 2013 draft and how the players from that draft are performing.
• Ron Roenicke took a little time to look in on the Brewers draft preparations this week. Adam McCalvy has some thoughts from Roenicke on the draft preparations.

The Batting Order

• Does batting the pitcher eighth make sense for the Brewers? Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker looks at how it could play out for the team.
• Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar also has some opinions on batting the pitcher eighth.
• Adam Weiser of Disciples of Uecker looks at how the Brewers have provided protection for Jean Segura in the Brewers lineup.

Power Rankings

• Fox Sports has the Brewers up one spot to #3.
• Sports Illustrated put the Brewers at #4, up four spots.
• MLB.com also has the Brewers at #4.
• Justin Schultz of Reviewing the Brew has the Brewers up one spot at #5.
• ESPN.com also raised the Brewers one spot, up to #6.

Other Notes

• Jordan put together a series preview for the first two games of the Twins series yesterday, previewing the first two starting matchups.
• Adam McCalvy notes that Aramis Ramirez is on track to return from the DL on Wednesday.
• What is behind Carlos Gomez's style of play? Matt Yallof of MLB.com took the opportunity to sit down with Gomez and learn more about his style.
• Paul Molitor is in Milwaukee for the Twins series as a coach for the Twins. Adam McCalvy has some quotes from Molitor on what it's like to see his number retired.
• Jesse Lawrence of Reviewing the Brew notes that ticket prices for the games at Miller Park are below average for the two games against the Twins.
• John & Cait has a review of the this series special food, a Cajun Seared Walleye Reuben.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Aramis Ramirez went 2-for-4 in the second game of a doubleheader for Wisconsin. Kyle attended the doubleheader and has a recap of the action.
• Jimmy Nelson took home pitcher of the month honors for the Brewers minor league system, and Jason Rogers got honors for player of the month. Marcus Young of Miller Park Prospects has more details on the awards.
• Meanwhile, Andy Moye got honors for pitcher of the week in the Southern League as Huntsville pushes towards a playoff birth.

Check out morineko's daily minor league update for a more in-depth look at yesterday's minor league results.

Division Update

• Royals 6, Cardinals 0
• Pirates 10, Padres 3
• Reds and Cubs had the day off.

Today's Division Games

• Giants (Tim Lincecum) @ Reds (Homer Bailey) - 6:10 pm
• Royals (James Shields) @ Cardinals (Jaime Carcia) - 6:15 pm
• Mets (Zach Wheeler) @ Cubs (Jake Arrieta) - 7:05 pm
• Pirates (Gerrit Cole) @ Padres (Jesse Hahn) - 9:10 pm

Today's Action

The Brewers conclude their homestand tonight with their second game in their series against the Twins. Yovani Gallardo starts for the Brewers and Samuel Deduno goes for the Twins. First pitch is at the traditional 7:10 pm start time, and Alex Smith of MLB.com has the preview.

Don't forget to make predictions for Prognostikeggers as well.

We've got video on Clint Coulter and impressive outputs from Jed Bradley and Michael Ratterree in our second system report of the season.

Pitching, pitching, pitching.

These three words sum up what was most impressive about the Milwaukee Brewers' minor league system in the month of May, a span of 31 glorious days that saw the system's top prospect -- Jimmy Nelson -- produce admirably in his 2014 debut while a former first round draft pick -- Jed Bradley -- made his jump to double-A ball.

It was a less noteworthy May for a handful of the system's more heralded position prospects (Tyrone Taylor, Orlando Arcia, Hunter Morris, just to name a few), but others certainly stepped forward and produced in noteworthy fashion. Find out who those and others were in out latest minor league report.

Previous Reports: April

Follow Alec on Twitter @alecdopp for daily prospect updates

Who's Hot: Pitchers

RHP Jorge Lopez (A+ Brevard County)

May line: 5 GS | 2.25 ERA | 2.97 FIP | 0.97 WHIP | 23 K/9 BB | 1.69 GO/AO | .499 oppOPS

The lanky (6-foot-4, 165 lbs.) right-hander Milwaukee took with its second round pick three years ago came into his own for the first extended period of time in his brief pro career this past month, holding opposing batters to a sub-.500 OPS while averaging 6.4 innings per outing. It's difficult to say his statistical improvements were anything close to a fluke, as he was effective at inducing soft contact (9% line drive rate in May compared to 19% in April) last month, which led to a .231 BABIP allowed compared to a .400 BABIP in April. Could it be that Lopez has developed a better feel for his curveball, which scouts projected to be an above-average offering prior to the 2011 draft? If so, look out.

RHP Jimmy Nelson (AAA Nashville)

May line: 5 GS | 1.36 ERA |1.95 FIP | 0.99 WHIP | 44 K/13 BB | 13.4% SwStr | .503 oppOPS

Nelson's most admirable quality -- swing-and-miss ability -- was on full display last month with Nashville, as the 6-foot-6 behemoth right hander garnered a 13.4% swinging strike rate over his five outings in May. To put that into some perspective, Felix Hernandez owns a 13.5% SwStr rate this season (and the major-league average pitcher holds true to a 9.9% rate). His 59.9% season ground ball rate would rank second-highest among qualified right-handed starters at the big-league level, too, and the .496 OPS he held batters to in May was right in line with the .490 OPS he allowed in April. Consistency? Check. Whiffs? Yup. Ground balls? You bet. This guy knows how to pitch.

LHP Brad Mills (AAA Nashville)

May line: 6 GS | 1.16 ERA | 2.36 FIP | 0.70 WHIP | 43 K/9 BB | 11.8% SwStr | .398 oppOPS

Splitting time between the 'pen and rotation in April, Mills transformed into the Sounds' second ace -- alongside Nelson -- this past month thanks in large part to the 1.16 ERA and 0.70 WHIP he accumulated over six starts. But ERA and WHIP only tell a small portion of the story written by the 29-year-old this past month; the veteran southpaw missed bats at a 11.8% frequency (up from 8.0% in April), and held opponents to a mind-boggling .398 OPS. It's unrealistic to expect the .188 BABIP he allowed in May to continue for much longer, but we can say definitively that he knows how to limit the long ball (1.8% HR rate this season) and rack up strikeouts -- two skills that could prove valuable to Milwaukee's bullpen (or rotation, if need be) down the line.

RHP Tyler Cravy (AA Huntsville)

May line: 6 GS | 1.22 ERA | 3.39 FIP | 0.84 WHIP | 27 K/6 BB | 11.1% SwStr | .567 oppOPS

The ever-difficult jump from high-A to double-A ball seemed anything but difficult for Cravy, who received an honorable mention in our 'who's hot list' last month for his 0.90 WHIP effort over 24.1 innings of work in April. The former 17th-round pick's production didn't fluctuate much in May, as he went on to post an even better WHIP (0.84) all while posting an earned run average of 1.22 and impressive 11.1% swinging strike rate exclusively out of Huntsville's rotation. Fielding Independent Pitching (3.39 this past month) isn't a big fan of Cravy, mainly in that opponents posted a feeble .222 BABIP against him last month, so we should obviously expect a dropoff in production sometime in the near future.

LHP Jed Bradley (A+ Brevard County)

May line: 5 GS | 2.65 ERA | 3.33 FIP | 1.06 WHIP | 24 K/5 BB | 5.82 GO/AO | .600 oppOPS

Two years of atrocious production coupled with nagging injuries in high-A Brevard had us all believing the future held little for Bradley, who Milwaukee spent a top-15 pick on back at the 2011 amateur draft. But the Georgia Tech product's efficacy this season has created at least some hope. This past month, Bradley performed to the tune of a 2.65 earned run average while producing soft contact in bunches, evidenced by an insane 5.82 groundout-to-airout ratio that raised his season ground ball rate to a healthy 68.2% (up from 52% last season). His strikeout totals decreased noticeably (6.4 K/9) in May compared to April (9.9 K/9), but his improved control allowed his 5.8 April K/BB ratio to stay relatively steady at 4.8 K/BB in May. Can he handle the jump from high-A to double-A? We'll see.

Honorable Mentions: Hobbs Johnson(2.10 FIP, 5 GS), Tyler Alexander (5.5 K/BB, 23 IP), Drew Gagnon (1.60 ERA, 6 GS), Ariel Pena (13.9% SwStr), Damien Magnifico (1.57 ERA, 6.3 K/9 after 3.46 ERA, 3.8 K/9 in April), Tyler Wagner (1.97 ERA, 5 GS despite 3.8 K% drop from April)

Who's Not: Pitchers

RHP Kyle Heckathorn (AAA Nashville)

May line: 14.1 IP | 7.53 ERA | 6.61 FIP | 1.74 WHIP | 8 K/4 BB | 10% SwStr | 1.066 oppOPS

Heckathorn's first month was a disappointment, and May wasn't much better. The former rotation prospect turned full-time reliever this season with Nashville logged 14.1 innings last month, and pitched to a 6.61 FIP in that span. Opponents OPS'd 1.066 against him in the meantime, and now hold true to a 1.027 OPS against Heckathorn this season. It's been rough.

RHP Zach Quintana (A Wisconsin)

May line: 16 IP | 6.19 ERA | 4.75 FIP | 2.19 WHIP | 9 K/14 BB | 3.9% SwStr | .863 oppOPS

Not many pitchers graduate high school with a sinking fastball sitting 88-91 MPH, but that's exactly the type of heat Quintana brought at several Perfect Game tournaments and showcases prior to the 2012 amateur draft. That, coupled with a good feel for his changeup and biting curveball, was a big reason the Brewers took him in the third round two summers ago; but the results aren't showing. In May, Quintana walked 14 and struck out just nine in 16 innings of work against low-A competition, leading opponents to accumulate an on base percentage of .450 against him. Just 20 years old, there's still plenty of time for Quintana to figure out his stuff; though he might have an extended stay in the Midwest League in order to accomplish that.

Honorable Mentions: Alfredo Figaro (12 ER, 12 IP), Jacob Barnes (5.68 ERA, 6 GS), Kevin Shackelford (.895 oppOPS, 15.1 IP)

Who's Hot: Position Players

C/DH Clint Coulter (A Wisconsin)

May line: 122 PA | .255/.393/.490 | 12 BB/25 K | .387 wOBA | .279 BABIP

The Clint Coulter who appeared overwhelmed by Midwest League and even Pioneer League pitching last season was nowhere to be found this April, when the 20-year-old slaughtered baseballs with a .608 slugging percentage to go along with an impressive approach (15 BB/12 K) in the batter's box. May unveiled a less dynamic version of what Coulter accomplished in the season's first month, slugging .490 and still managing a .387 wOBA. His biggest regression was to that of his eye at the plate, striking out roughly twice as often (25) as he reached base via base on balls (12). I captured some of his struggles last week in Cedar Rapids, and found that he was often knotted-up against soft stuff in the dirt. If he can regain his discipline at the dish -- which I think he will -- then we will see the Coulter of April very, very soon.

1B Nick Ramirez (AA Huntsville)

May line: 132 PA | .286/.348/.504 | 10 BB/37 K | .365 wOBA | .380 BABIP

Ramirez climbed the minor league ladder one step higher in each of his first three seasons in the system, but the scouting report remained the same with each passing year: Big kid; lots of raw power; impatient at the plate; can't hit offspeed stuff. Such is not the case this season, at least with respect to his plate discipline (career-best 0.34 BB/K ratio). As for Ramirez's power numbers, those improved slightly in May, posting a .506 slugging percentage (.489 SLG% in April). Perhaps the biggest reason Ramirez finds himself on this list is the fact that his BABIP skyrocketed to .380 this past month (.262 BABIP in April); however, I question his ability to maintain that number considering his season line drive rate stands at just 17.9%.

OF Michael Ratterree (A Wisconsin)

May line: 130 PA | .259/.315/.509 | 9 BB/41 K | .353 wOBA |  .342 BABIP

As the Most Valuable Player of last summer's Pioneer League, Ratterree embarked on his first full campaign in the system with heightened expectations. He in no way lived up to those expectations in April, a month in which he posted a .741 OPS in split time between low-A Appleton and double-A Huntsville. But he's absolutely raking of late, slashing .316/.369/.645 over his last 20 games of May. I witnessed his quick trigger and bat head speed in Cedar Rapids last week, and can tell you the loud contact he produced last season in rookie ball is officially back. Pitchers beware.

1B/3B Jason Rogers (AA Huntsville)

May line: 126 PA | .308/.413/.486 | 16 BB/18 K | .397 wOBA | .349 BABIP

No player/prospect included on our list produced a higher wOBA (.397) than Rogers in the month of May, so it makes at least some amount of sense for the 6-foot-2 first baseman to be named the system's 'hitter of the month'. Displaying less-than-impressive plate discipline (18 K/9 BB) in April, Rogers employed a more refined approach at the plate last month, producing a nearly even 16 walks and 18 strikeouts over 30 games. Couple that with his improved base-running numbers (2.4 BRR this season, -2.4 BRR in 2013, according to Baseball Prospectus), and it's clear that Rogers is improving in more ways than one as we inch closer to the All-Star break.

2B Christopher McFarland (A Wisconsin)

May line: 91 PA | .313/.367/.538 | 6 BB/13 K | .379 wOBA | .333 BABIP

In a lineup that features both Coulter and Ratterree, McFarland has quietly produced both with the bat and on the basepaths this season for low-A Wisconsin, owning a .468 slugging percentage and 15 stolen bases in 18 attempts. The month of May yielded even more magnified results in both respects for the former 18th round selection, slugging .538 with five more stolen bags, helping to raise his season speed score to a career-high 8.8, according to FanGraphs. I'm skeptical about McFarland's ability to maintain the power numbers he created last month, mainly because he's below-average at placing consistent quality contact on offspeed offerings. But at this rate, we could see him in high-A ball soon should he continue to nab bases at an impressive rate and hit for a high average.

Honorable Mentions: Victor Roache (.536 SLG%, 18 G) Adam Weisenburger (.416 OBP, 20 G), Mitch Haniger (.314 BA after .193 BA in April) Michael Reed (.500 OBP, 11 G)

Who's Not: Position Players

SS Angel Ortega (A Wisconsin)

May line: 97 PA | .211/.242/.300 | 3 BB/23 K | .234 wOBA | .269 BABIP

Milwaukee's fourth-round selection from two summers ago has a ways to go before he fills out his 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame, so it stands to reason that Ortega won't hit for much power to this point in his career. But there's really no excuse for such porous plate discipline (0.26 BB/K this season), especially in May, when he drew just three walks and struck out 23 times in 97 plate appearances for low-A Wisconsin.

3B Taylor Green (AAA Nashville)

May line: 79 PA | .240/.269/.373 | 3 BB/14 K | .276 wOBA | .283 BABIP

Green's offensive numbers in April weren't impressive by any stretch of the imagination, but he was able to post a .362 on base percentage in 19 games despite batting just .271. This past month, Green's OBP dropped to .269, mainly due to his three walks produced in 79 plate appearances.

Honorable Mentions: Taylor-Smith Brennan (.326 SLG%, 26.7 K%, 29 G), Johnny Davis (.264 BA despite escalated .343 BABIP, 24 G), Cameron Garfield (.247 OBP, 22 G)

How many of the Brewers picks from the first three rounds of the last ten drafts can you name?

The MLB First Year Player Draft is just two days away. As we head into it, it's time to test your memory on previous drafts. In the last ten years, the Brewers have made a total of 38 picks in the first three rounds of the MLB Draft. How many of those picks can you name in ten minutes?

If the quiz is not displaying correctly for you, click here to play the game on Sporcle.com.

Couple of notes for the quiz:

• In the clue, you will see a number that reads like this: "2-92". How that should be read is "Round 2 - Overall Pick #92".
• In addition to the 38 correct answers, there are 14 "bonus" answers that are close, but not quite there. These are players that were drafted in the fourth round the last ten years, or players drafted in the first four rounds of 2003.
• As usual, look at the comments at your own risk, Spoilers may be down there.
• Post your score in the comments. If you get all of the answers, post your time. There's no prize for the high score, so no reason to cheat.

A round-up of some of the personal PCL happenings you might have missed.

KTSM in El Paso did a story about a retired police lieutenant and captain named Connie Van Putten, who plans to visit every professional ballpark in America. She’s already visited every MLB park and every park in Japan, so she has turned her attention to Triple-A parks. She’ll be hard to miss if she pulls up at a ballpark near you because she’ll be driving a Volkswagen Beetle painted like a baseball. And she’ll be wearing a vest with pins from every park she has visited. For the record, she enjoyed her visit to Southwest University Park – home of the El Paso Chihuahuas.

Speaking of the Chihuahuas, two El Paso players – Jeff Francoeur and Jason Lane– are featured in a New York Times article that talks about their attempt to get back to the big leagues. As someone who is feeling his age, I smiled at what Lane, 37, had to say about the topic: "I look at the rosters and look at the birthdays and go, Sheesh, there’s no one else left from the ’70s, much less the early ’80s," Lane said. "So I don’t look at that. But I feel like the age thing is a nonissue."

Round Rock manager Steve Buechele was a pre-game show guest with Omaha broadcaster Mark Nasser recently. Buechele reminisced with Nasser, talking about Nolan Ryan (a former teammate and the namesake of the team he currently manages), and he talked about rooming with John Elway while he was at Stanford, whom he recently got together with for dinner. Buechele says if Elway had chosen the baseball route, he would have been an All-Star in the major leagues.

If you are a sucker for a good comeback story like I am, you might be interested in reading this article from the Fresno Bee about Fresno Grizzlies 31-year-old infielder Mark Minicozzi.

Las Vegas 51s manager Wally Backman made it clear where he stands when it comes to the PCL and the International League (its Triple-A counterpart) in an article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal: "The PCL, from what I’ve seen, is a much better league than the International League, with more professional hitters. You make mistakes in this league, you’re going to get hurt." I’m guessing that comment will draw a response or two.

In what is quickly becoming an article mostly about PCL managers, it was nice to see Oklahoma City RedHawks manager Tony DeFrancesco return to the helm recently after missing nearly two months of the season to undergo cancer treatments.

Nashville starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson was a pre-game show guest with broadcaster Jeff Hem recently. Nelson has had a couple of tastes of the big leagues with the Brewers– including a May 25 start against the Marlins– and he told Hem he sent the game ball and some tickets home to his middle school brothers. "It’s pretty fun for them to have that kind of memorabilia and to be able to show their friends and stuff like that. It makes me happy to see them enjoying that," he said.

That brings me to a photo that appeared on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. As fun as it is to talk prospects, there is a part of me that will always prefer the simple joys of the game – like seeing the wonder on a little girl’s face after a player goes out of his way to make sure she gets a ball. During the Iowa-Nashville game in Nashville, as Cubs first baseman Jonathan Mota came off the field at the end of an inning, he presumably saw the Cubs gear that a father and daughter were wearing, so he pointed to the girl (whose name is Gracie) and tossed the ball to her father. Here is the result:

@IowaCubs@IowaCubsGameDay got a ball already!! Who could turn this cute face away? pic.twitter.com/1E9AGD3WQR

— John Davis (@bologna1226) June 3, 2014

But it got even better when Iowa outfielder Ryan Kalish handed her another baseball:

@OmahaBaseball yes we are. Kalish thought she needed another. She loved it. pic.twitter.com/dNanH0S4CE

— John Davis (@bologna1226) June 3, 2014

It didn't take long for the Cubs to regret their offseason relief addition.

The Cubs announced a series of moves Tuesday, placing catcher Welington Castillo on the 15-day disabled list and designating right-handed reliever Jose Veras for assignment. Correspondingly, the team has added catcher Eli Whiteside and reliever Hector Rondon to the 25-man roster.

RHP Jose Veras was designated for assignment. C Welington Castillo was placed on the 15-day DL (retro 6/2) with left rib cage inflammation.

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 3, 2014

The Cubs signed the 33-year-old Veras back in December to a one-year, $4 million dollar deal that contained a 2015 option worth $5.5 million (it will almost certainly be declined). The hope was for him to be a reliable force at the back of their bullpen, leaving open the possibility to deal him at July's trade deadline. Instead, Veras has produced an 8.10 ERA (6.22 FIP) and 1.18 K/BB in just over 13 innings pitched. He has also spent time on the DL this season with an oblique strain.

Chicago is hoping to find a suitor to take Veras and his salary off their hands, though that seems unlikely. In 62.2 innings last season, he posted a 3.02 ERA, 1.4 WAR, and 2.73 K/BB with 21 saves for the Astros and Tigers.

Castillo, the Cubs's starting catcher, suffered a rib cage injury on Sunday. He felt pain following a swing in his first at-bat and was taken out of the game. Castillo had a breakout season in Chicago last year, hitting .274/.349/.397 with a 104 OPS+, .331 wOBA, and 4.5 WAR. While his defense has still been strong this year, his offense has not been up to par. He is currently batting just .242/.287/.385 with an 83 wRC+ and .299 wOBA.

John Baker should step in as Castillo's replacement, while Whiteside will likely fill in as his backup. The 34-year-old Whiteside last played in the majors with the Giants in 2012. He is a career .215/.273/.335 hitter in the majors.

Rondon, who was activated off the paternity list on Tuesday, has been the Cubs' best reliever this season, posting a 1.59 ERA, 1.92 FIP, 0.7 WAR, and a 25-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22 innings. Rondon, 26, will return having been named the club's closer.

The Cubs are off to a disastrous start this season, though expectations weren't high to begin with. At 20-34, they have the worst record in baseball and are already 13 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cubs figure to be sellers this summer, and appear to be willing to deal away key players such as Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija.

Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald was the first to report both the Veras and Castillo news via twitter.

The Reds returned home for their first extended stay of the season, and the arms, legs, whatever Hunter Pence is, and bats all seemed to shine.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

The Cincinnati Reds looked like they had some well-rested legs for tonight's game, and they put their bipedal abilities on display early and often against the San Francisco Giants in the first game of the series.  Not surprisingly, the leader of the pack was Billy Hamilton, who smacked a double, an infield single, scored two runs, swiped two bags legally, took two additional ones thanks to his accomplices Tim Lincecum&Hector Sanchez, and made a few long-run swell plays in CF to wrap up another JNMHSotG trophy.  Good on ya, Billy, and I'm dern glad your elbow isn't a serious problem.

Honorable Mentions are due to:  Jay Bruce who smacked a double and a single himself, drove in a pair of runs, stole a bag, scored twice, raised his average over the Mendoza line, and threw a laser of a near-out to the plate; Devin Mesoraco, who mashed a Moon Rock-o to deep LF as part of his assault on all-things SLG related; Todd Frazier, who walked twice, scored twice, smacked a single, and still likes Frank Sinatra; J.J. Hoover, who vacuumed his way through a spotless pair of relief innings; and Homer Bailey, who battled through early issues to log a quality start, make me write the word log as a verb, and squeak his season ERA under 5.00 (to 4.99).

Key Plays

• Hunter Pence goofpunked an eye-level fastball from Bailey over the LF wall in the Top of the 1st.  Goofed.  Punked.  Goofpunked.  Reds trailed, 1-0.
• Fortunately for the fans of the good guys, the Reds had their own goofy boots on tonight, and they commenced shaking 'em in the Bottom of the 1st.  Hamilton smacked an opposite field double to lead things off, and when Big Time Timmy Jim thought he had Billy picked off at 2B, we all cackled as his throw skipped into CF, which allowed Billy to take 3B, home, and our subcockle regions.  Frazier then walked, and he scored two batters later when Bruce roped an uve doble to the corner in RF.  Bruce thought it wise to take an easy jog 'round the bases to score his run, so he simply persuaded Mesoraco to launch a Mashoraco way into the LF stands so they could both cruise across home plate.  Great teammate, that Mesoraco.  Looking out for his RF's meniscus and all.  Reds led, 4-0.
• The pesky Giants scraped across single runs in both the Tops of the 2nd and the 3rd.  A super duper slight hit by pitch put Hector Sanchez on base with an out in the 2B, a Brandon Crawford double moved him to 3B, and a sac fly scored the Giants' catcher.  In the 3B, a heavenly walk to Angel Pagan turned hellish following a Pence double and a Panda sac-fly, but the holy puns were held in check after that thanks to some David Dewitty defensive puns.  Reds led, 4-3.
• The Reds then commenced streak preservation mode, and it was a reminder of the kind of offense this team was capable of boasting with a healthy and productive BP and Bruce in the lineup.  The Bottom of the 5th was when the good doinks did their doinking, and it once again started with Hamilton on the bases.  Speedy Hamiltones reached when his slow grounder wasn't timely fielded at SS by Crawford, and when he broke for a steal of 2B, the throw was once again rushed into CF.  Billy took 3B, Frazier walked again, and Beep Beeped a double to the corner in LF that scored them both.  Phillips then channeled his inner 2008 with a steal of 3B, and he scored on a single from Bruce.  Bruce then stole 2B, watched the throw go into CF, washed himself, repeated himself, drank to a Slyde reference, moved to 3B, and high-fived a Dusty Baker homage while scoring on a Brayan Pena grounder.  Reds led, 8-3.
• Bailey mowed, J.J. Hoover flipped, and Logan Ondrusek drove the bailer, and by the end of the Top of the 9th the Reds had made some mighty fine hay out of them rascally San Francisco Giants.  Reds win, 8-3!

More from Red Reporter

Follow @redreporterFollow @SBNationMLB

• Reds vs. Giants, Game 1: Previews and Predictions
• This Day in Reds History: Danny Ray throws a shutout inning in debut
• Series Preview: Giants at Reds
• Farmer's Only: Jurrjens leads a sweep
• Red Reposter - Homestand, Draft, & Giants

Hey! Everyone won today! Except Kane County, who had an off-day.

Congratulations to Kris Bryant and Chris Rusin, who were your choices for the BCB Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month of May!. The vote for Pitcher of the Month was quite close, as Rusin just edged out Paul Blackburn, with Starling Peralta not that much behind.

The vote for Player of the Month was not as close.

Also, late news tonight. C.J. Edwards says his latest MRI was clean and he's going to start throwing again on Thursday.

The Florida State League announced their all-star teams today and Bijan Rademacher, Gioskar Amaya, Felix Pena and Andrew McKirahan were all selected. The Southern League also named their all-star teams and six Smokies made the team: Kris Bryant, Stephen Bruno, John Andreoli, Corey Black, Rafael Lopez and Armando Rivero were all named to the team. Lopez was promoted to Iowa today so he'll miss the game unless he gets demoted back to Tennessee before the game. (entirely possible)

So congratulations to them.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs quieted the Nashville Sounds (Brewers), 4-2.

Tsuyoshi Wada turned in another good start as he allowed only one run on seven hits over six innings. Wada struck out five and walked only one as he improved his record to 5-3.

Blake Parker gave up a solo home run in the ninth inning, but he still locked down his 11th save anyway. He gave up two, two-out singles, but struck out the potential winning run to end the game. Parker pitched 1.1 innings and allowed one run on three hits. He had the one strikeout.

Left fielder Matt Szczur was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Iowa has an off-day tomorrow as they head home to Des Moines. Manny Ramirez is expected to be there waiting for them.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies shut out the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 3-0, ending their eight-game losing streak.

Matt Loosen threw the first six innings and he allowed four hits, all singles. Those were Birmingham's only four hits tonight. Loosen struck out seven and walked only one.

Hunter Cervenka pitched the next two innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Armando Rivero pitched the ninth for his ninth save. One baserunner reached on an error, but that was it. He struck out two.

The Smokies took the lead in the bottom of the fourth when third baseman Kris Bryant hit an opposite field bomb with a man on for his 19th home run of the season. Bryant was 1 for 2 with two walks.

Right fielder Rubi Silva was 2 for 4 and scored on Bryant's home run. DH Anthony Giansanti was 2 for 4 and scored Tennessee's final run later in the fourth inning.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs met the St. Lucie Mets and beat them, 6-5.

Starter Austin Kirk only lasted 3.1 innings and he gave up three runs on seven hits. Kirk struck out one and walked one.

Starling Peralta got the win in relief. Peralta pitched four innings and allowed two runs on three hits, including a solo home run to Eudy Pina in the sixth inning. When Peralta faced Pina again in the eighth, he hit him in the back and was promptly ejected. Peralta walked two and struck out one.

Stephen Perakslis went the final 1.2 innings for his first save of the season. He allowed a hit and a walk but no runs. Perakslis struck out one batter.

First baseman Daniel Vogelbach was 2 for 3 with a double and two walks, one intentional. He scored two runs and had one RBI.

Daytona had six hits tonight. They won because they walked ten times.

Kane County Cougars

Off day. I know at least Shawon Dunston Jr. spent the evening at Wrigley.

Jed Bradley's AA debut in a day full of Brewers losses

Nashville Sounds (AAA) 32-28
Lost 4-2 vs Iowa Cubs (CHC) (box / pbp)

Huntsville Stars (AA) 39-20
Lost 9-6 at Jackson Generals (SEA) (box / pbp)

Brevard County Manatees (High A) 29-28
Lost 6-4 at Charlotte Stone Crabs (TBR) (box / pbp)

Player/Pitcher Points of Interest

Today's lessons include more draft coverage, the All-Star game, and more.

Yesterday's Results

Twins 6, Brewers 4

Yovani Gallardo's struggles continue as he gave up six runs in five innings last night, allowing eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Most of the damage came on two home runs, a three-run shot in the third and a two-run shot in the fifth. The Brewers put up four runs and had the tying run at the plate in the ninth, but couldn't complete a comeback and fell to the Twins.

The Brewers have options for the first pick in the draft.

With the MLB Draft tomorrow, the Brewers have been doing their research for the draft. Of course, with the MLB Draft, no one really knows how anything beyond the first few picks will go. Derek has some thoughts on how it could play out, going through some possibilities for that first pick by the Brewers. There's no way to know for sure what the Brewers will go for with that pick. At least we know what some of the possibilities could be.

No Brewers are currently in the starting lineup for the All-Star game.

The second update for the All-Star game came out yesterday for the NL, and the Brewers currently don't occupy any starting spots on the roster. Adam McCalvy has the details from the last voting update, including current totals and positions. Ryan Braun fell from the starters in the outfield, but is still in striking distance, along with Carlos Gomez, who made some progress. Meanwhile, Jonathan Lucroy moved up to third, and Aramis Ramirez fell to third. It's surprising the Brewers don't have more for starters considering their record, but there's still time to make up ground.

Cram Session

MLB Draft

• How well do you know the Brewers drafts? Try this quiz from yesterday and see if you name early round picks from the last several Brewers drafts.
• Ben Tannenbaum of The Brewers Bar analyzed how the Brewers draft, their success in different rounds and some of their hits and misses.

Other Notes

• Aramis Ramirez is expected to return from the DL today, and will play DH for his first game back.
• During last night's game, a fan fell into the bullpen in the seventh inning, and he had to be taken to the hospital. Reports are that the fan is ok.
• What would the value of Kendrys Morales be to the Brewers? Jonathan Judge of Disciples of Uecker looks at what his value would be and if it would be worth it.
• Brandon Kintzler has been struggling this season, but the Brewers are letting him work through it. Adam McCalvy has some quotes from Kintzler on his situation.
• Yesterday some members of the Brewers took part in a groundbreaking event for Fisher House Wisconsin. John of the John & Cait blog has some coverage from the event.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Tom Gorzelanny pitched for Nashville last night, allowing a hit and striking out two in an inining.
• Alec posted his report of the Brewers minor league system for the month of May.
• Marcus Young of Miller Park Prospects went back through Bruce Seid's first five drafts with some of the best and worst picks in each.
• Lee Warren of Minor League Ball looks around the Pacific Coast League at some notes from the different teams, including Nashville.

Check out morineko's daily minor league update for a more in-depth look at yesterday's minor league results.

Division Update

• Royals 8, Cardinals 7
• Pirates 4, Padres 1
• Reds 8, Giants 3
• Cubs 2, Mets 1

Today's Division Games

• Pirates (Francisco Liriano) @ Padres (Ian Kennedy) - 5:40 pm
• Giants (Ryan Vogelsong) @ Reds (Tony Cingrani) - 6:10 pm
• Mets (Daisuke Matsuzaka) @ Cubs (Edwin Jackson) - 7:05 pm
• Cardinals (Adam Wainwright) @ Royals (Jason Vargas) - 7:10 pm

Today's Action

The Brewers and Twins change venues and continue their series in Minnesota tonight. Marco Estrada makes the start for the Brewers, and Ricky Nolasco opposes for the Twins. First pitch is at 7:10 pm.

The sweet blue jerseys were real cool, especially on Josh Willingham.

Josh Willingham continued his hot return to the majors last night, hitting his fourth home run in the last six days to propel the Twins to a 6-4 win over the Brewers on sweet retro jersey night.

Willingham's three-run shot game in the top of the third wasn't the only fun the Twins had, however. Two innings later, hot-hitting Rubix Cube solver Brian Dozierhit his own two-run blast off Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo to bring the score to 6-2. The two home-runs, in addition to an RBI line-drive by Josmil Pinto in the top of the second, were all the runs the Twins would end up needing for the win.

Twins starting pitcher Samuel Deduno was rather serviceable, going five innings while surrendering two earned runs on six hits and four walks. Since it's the national league, Deduno also hit, going 0-2 with two strikeouts at the plate, but at least he tried, and why do they make pitchers try to hit anyway? Geez Louise.

Matt "The Band: It's Getting Back Together" Guerrier and Jared Burton both pitched scoreless innings in relief, followed by Casey Fien and Glen Perkins, who both pitched not-scoreless innings, each giving up a run. Despite this, Perkins still got the save, his 15th of the year, and the Twins won.

P.S. - The Twins and Brewers will be wearing the same sweet retro jerseys at Target Field Thursday night.

ROLL CALL!

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	NoahRJ	107
2	SooFoo Fan	74
3	whiskeyplz	68
4	kenzertz	66
5	Panthers FTW	42
6	twinsgirl197	34
7	Devereaux	33
8	WestRiverTwinsFan	29
9	myjah	15
10	DerTwain	10
11	Sportsavenue	10
12	gonzobob	9
13	ThatsALoadofBM	6
14	MarkGerard	2
15	MNWildcat	1
16	Boot	1
17	ColossusOfRhode	1
18	Brananorama	1

STUDS

• Josh Willingham - 1 for 4, 1 home run, 3 RBI, 1 run.
• Brian Dozier - 3 for 3, 1 home run, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk.
• Jared Burton - 1 inning pitched, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts.

DUDS

• Eduardo Escobar - 0 for 4, 1 strikeout.
• Oswaldo Arcia - 0 for 4, 1 strikeout.