Today's lessons include trade evaluations, bullpen regression, and defensive analysis.

This Weekend's Results

Brewers 7, Cardinals 4

The Brewers power trio of Jonathan Lucroy, Ryan Braun, and Aramis Ramirez came to play on Friday, driving in all seven of the Brewers runs. They were led by Ramirez, who was 3-for-5 and a triple away from the cycle. It backed a strong start from Wily Peralta, who pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks.

Cardinals 9, Brewers 7

Kyle Lohse had a rare bad start, giving up nine runs in four innings. However, the offense came to play, putting up four runs in those first four innings, and seven runs in the game total. They had a chance to tie the game in the ninth, but couldn't finish the comeback as they fell to the Cardinals.

Cardinals 3, Brewers 2

The Brewers got two early runs off of John Lackey, and Matt Garza was pitching great through six innings. However, Matt Garza was pulled at the start of the seventh due to injury, and the bullpen gave up three runs promptly in the seventh. The offense couldn't come back and the Cardinals won the game.

The Gerardo Parra trade isn't a game-changer, but it is an upgrade.

Unlike some previous years, the Brewers elected not to go with the blockbuster trade this year and instead went with a smaller trade, acquiring Gerardo Parra from the Diamondbacks. It's definitely not the flashy move that the Brewers have made in the past, but it will help the team. After thinking about the trade for a day, Jordan posted his reaction to the trade on Friday. Overall, he likes the trade and thinks that it will be good for the Brewers. However, he also notes that the Brewers should have made another move. There's still time to make another one, though it will have to happen through a waiver trade in August.

Will Smith has reverted to what he should be.

After Will Smith's strong start to the season, he has struggled more in recent weeks. This has led to many people saying that there's something wrong with Will Smith. However, Derek believes that the issue isn't that Will Smith is struggling, it's that he may be pitching to his true level now. He notes that despite being used often, Smith isn't showing any signs of breaking down. He may just be regressing to his normal career marks. If that's the case, the only thing that needs to be done is to switch Smith's "role" to a more appropriate one.

The Brewers are a great defensive team.

In the last several years, the Brewers have typically not been a good defensive team. They've had individual players that have been great, but overall, there have been seen as below average. This year, that perception is changing a little. Noah noted on Saturday that the Brewers defense has ranked above average this season. The number show that the offense is improving, and though it's a small sample size, it appears to be accurate. There are still a few holes in the defense, but it's not as bad as it has been in the past.

Cram Session

• Wily Peralta is one of the leaders in wins this season in MLB. Adam McCalvy looked at what Peralta could post this season if he keeps collecting wins.
• Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker notes that the Brewers decision to make a smaller upgrade is more reminiscent of recent moves made by the Cardinals.
• Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is confident that the Brewers will make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Tom Haudricourt notes that the Brewers have a tough August to get through first.
• Jess Lemont of The Brewers Bar found some ambient music featuring Craig Coshun & Davey Nelson.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Ever wonder how the minor league playoffs work? We took an in-depth look into the different systems and situations for all seven of the Brewers minor league affiliates on Saturday.
• Brevard County pitcher Mark Williams received a 50-game suspension for using amphetamines on Friday, just a few days after Nick Delmonico was handed the same suspension.
• Jim Henderson finished his rehab assignment on Friday, but was not deemed ready to return and was sent back to Arizona to strengthen his shoulder.
• Wei-Chung Wang has begun a rehab assignment with rookie level Arizona, and is going to be stretched back into a starter. He pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the AZL Brewers on Sunday.
• Taylor Williams of Wisconsin struck out 11 in his start on Friday, which is a career high. He has won seven straight decisions and is 8-1 with a 2.36 ERA this season.
• Reviewing the Brew continued their series of the top farm systems in Brewers history with the 2007 Nashville Sounds.
• Brad Krause of Miller Park Prospects has a photo gallery from Sunday's Timber Rattlers game.

Division Update

• Pirates @ Diamondbacks
  Friday:Pirates 9, Diamondbacks 4
  Saturday:Pirates 8, Diamondbacks 3
  Sunday:Diamondbacks 3, Pirates 2
• Reds @ Marlins
  Friday:Reds 5, Marlins 2
  Saturday:Marlins 2, Reds 1
  Sunday:Reds 7, Marlins 3
• Cubs @ Dodgers
  Friday:Cubs 8, Dodgers 2
  Saturday:Dodgers 5, Cubs 2
  Sunday:Cubs 7, Dodgers 3

Today's Division Games

• Reds (Alfredo Simon) @ Indians (Corey Kluber) - 6:05 pm
• Cardinals, Pirates, and Cubs have the day off.

Today's Action

The Brewers get a day off today before returning to Miller Park tomorrow. They will open a three-game series against the Giants on Tuesday night.

How does the reliever's arsenal compare to what it looked like when he pitched for the Brewers back in 2010?

Jeremy Jeffress threw 10 innings for the Brewers back in 2010 when he was still a reasonably well-regarded Brewers prospect. The following offseason he ended up being an important part of the package that went to Kansas City for Zack Greinke. I wrote a short post back in late 2010 to give something of a first look at Jeffress's stuff. My general prognosis then was that he could probably be an effective major league reliever by just relying on his big fastball and occasionally mixing in his curve to keep hitters off balance. At the time, people still saw him as a possible starter down the road. I said that probably wasn't going to happen without him adding some additional weapons.

We don't have a ton of information about Jeffress's pitch selection preferences in the big leagues but it's potentially worthwhile to at least see if much of anything has changed since those 10 innings in '10. The book on Jeffress hasn't changed much since then-- great stuff, command problems, and a lack of complementary pitches to the fastball were all that were preventing him from being an effective major leaguer. It was true while he was coming up through the Brewer system and it's true now that he's been bouncing between organizations as a journeyman reliever.

In the 2010 cup of tea, Jeffress threw his fastball 80% of the time, averaging about 96.7 mph. Almost all of the remaining pitches were curveballs, and he mixed in 7 changeups. In 8 innings in the big leagues this year, the fastball percentage is closer to 82%-- 107 out of 131 pitches have been fastballs. He's averaging about 97.3 mph, slightly better than his 2010 average. He also seems to have modified his grip somewhat to generate more movement. Pitch f/x categorized his main fastball as a straight 4-seamer then but it looks a lot more like a sinker now. Also interesting is that he appears to have canned the changeup, or at least not used it in his limited opportunities to impress the higher ups in Major League appearances this year. He's only thrown one pitch on the year between the velocity clusters of his fastball (upper 90s) and his curve (around 80).

The process for Jeffress has been tweaked, but once again the prognosis is essentially the same. If he can deploy his curve just enough to keep hitters honest, his fastball velocity is a good enough weapon that he can be effective at this level. There are only about 15 other pitchers in MLB that are capable of throwing as hard as he can. We haven't seen enough of him this year to get a good handle on his how good results of certain pitches are, but as we saw in yesterday's game against the Cardinals, continuously pumping fastballs out over the plate is not a recipe for success even if they're coming in at 97 with movement. On the year, Jeffress has yet to throw a curveball when he is behind in the count. Hitters notice things like that.

I'm pulling for Jeremy, but looking at him as the #1 right-handed option behind K-Rod in the pen right now is not putting him in a position to succeed. There's reason to think he's better-adjusted to his role as a reliever now than he was in 2010, but the problems we identified then haven't exactly disappeared.

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Cardinals 3, Brewers 2: Garza dominates, bullpen doesn't
• Brewers 7, Cardinals 9: Offense can't prevent a Lohse
• Let's talk about playoffs (in the minor leagues)
• Gerardo Parra making first start as a Brewer
• The Brewers are one of the best defensive teams in the NL

It's a quiet day of lessons today, with some lessons on Jeremy Jeffress, minor league meals, and power rankings.

Yesterday's Results

The Brewers had the day off.

Cram Session

Yesterday's Notes

• How has Jeremy Jeffress worked to improve his pitching? Jordan took a look at how Jeffress has developed between now and his first stint with the team.
• Will Smith's splits are catching people's attention now. This time, Adam Weiser of Disciples of Uecker breaks down the differences between how Smith pitched at the beginning of the season and how he's pitching now.
• Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis have been in the big leagues for over a year now. As they reach this occasion, Adam McCalvy profiles both and notes they are "not 'satisfied', but 'happy'".
• FOX Sports Wisconsin has decided to pick up the untelevised four games remaining in the schedule. There will be no more games untelevised through the end of the regular season.
• Tim Dillard gave some insight on his blog into how meals work when traveling in the minor leagues.

Power Rankings

• ESPN has the Brewers at #6, down one spot.
• MLB.com put the Brewers at #7.
• Jonah Keri of Grantland dropped the Brewers a spot to #7.
• Sports Illustrated also dropped the Brewers to #7.
• FOX Sports lowered the Brewers all the way to #11.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• Alec Dopp released his monthly report of Who's Hot and Who's Not in the Brewers minor leagues.

Division Update

• Indians 7, Reds 1
• Cardinals, Pirates, and Cubs all had the day off.

Today's Division Games

• Red Sox (Rubby De La Rosa) @ Cardinals (Lance Lynn) - 7:15 pm
• Marlins (Brad Hand) @ Pirates (Charlie Morton) - 6:05 pm
• Reds (Johnny Cueto) @ Indians (Josh Tomlin) - 6:05 pm
• Cubs (Travis Wood) @ Rockies (Brett Anderson) - 7:40 pm

Today's Action

The Brewers return to action today against the San Francisco Giants. Jimmy Nelson faces off against Tim Lincecum in the first game of the series. First pitch is at 7:10 pm.

Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Ariel Pena threw seven innings last night for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, giving up seven hits and three walks for four runs, fanning seven. This one start represents his season in microcosm: he's made 21 starts with a 4.41 ERA in 116 innings, allowing 86 hits with a 123/66 K/BB ratio.

You may remember Pena from his rough outing in the 2012 Futures Game. Acquired from the Angels in the Zack Greinke trade that summer, he is a 6-3, 240 pound right-hander born May 20, 1989. He has been clocked as high as 98 MPH and works consistently in the 93-95 range. He has a slider and a change-up, but both secondary pitches are erratic. Even the fastball gets hittable when it flattens out too high in the strike zone, although he's done a better job of avoiding that this year. He's maintaining a strong strikeout rate but his walk rate remains rather high.

The Brewers have used him as a starter and he's held up just fine to the workload, but ultimately the bullpen may be his destination. Keep a close eye on his K/BB ratio in any role. If you see an improvement, he could be breaking through.

The Giants strike me as kind of a weird team. I'm not sure if they're bad or good or something else entirely.

For me the Giants represent a strong example of cognitive dissonance. Their record obviously indicates they're a very good team, but I look at their roster and expect them to kind of suck. They don't suck though. In fact, they're tied with the Brewers in season record (61-51). But their offense kind of does suck (9th worst runs scored per game). I look at the names in they've had in their rotation and expect it to suck too. It doesn't though. But it kind of does. The pitching staff as a whole ranks 5th in runs allowed per game. The starting rotation on the other hand ranks 23rd in fWAR, but 10th in ERA, 9 in FIP, and 5th in xFIP. The bullpen ranks 22nd in fWAR, but 3rd in ERA, 4th in FIP, and 22th in xFIP.

Maybe the fact that the rotation is really top heavy is reason for the disparity in ranking? Madison Bumgarner has been excellent as usual. Tim Hudson has been good if not a little lucky. Ryan Vogelsong's ERA is a full point higher than Hudson's, but their FIP is almost exactly the same. Tim Lincecum has been mediocre. Jake Peavy doesn't have the ERA to show it, but he's been okay since the Giants traded for him. Yusmeiro Petit and Matt Cain were both pretty bad during their time in the rotation which has come to an end.

Their bullpen is mostly good, but a great example of why closers aren't things and managing that way can be very hurtful to a team's success. Sergio Romo was their closer for much of the season (22 saves this year). He's been, by far (-0.9 fWAR), their worst reliever. His year reminds me of the season the Brewers held onto John Axford as closer too long. Romo has given up a ton of runs (4.71 ERA) and a ton of home runs (1.71 HR/9). He's still in the pen, but has since been replaced as closer by Santiago Casilla. Casilla gets by with a modest K%, solid BB%, and excellent GB%. Brewers hitters do not want to face him. Yusmeiro Petit has actually found a great deal of success in the bullpen, but I believe he's being used as their longman. The rest of the pen is pretty solid too. Javier Lopez looks like their lefty specialist while Jeremy Affeldt has been successful facing both handed hitters.

I said their offense sucks, and it has struggled to score runs. However, when I look closely it's kind of surprising because 7 of their regulars have wRC+ above 100. Brandon Belt and Angel Pagan missed significant time this year so that certainly played a factor. Also, Brandon Crawford is just barely above 100 wRC+, but you play him for his defense anyway. They don't have more than one bat that's really scary and maybe that's enough to not be good? Hunter Pence's 137 wRC+ would actually rank 2nd on the Brewers (behind Lucroy) but the next highest on their team is 128 (both Bust Posey and Michael Morse) and that would rank 4th. They also have a steep drop off in offense after their 7th best. The Brewers are deeper than that.

Tuesday, August 5th 7:10 pm CT: Jimmy Nelson vs Tim Lincecum

Lincecum is not the pitcher he once was. A few years ago I'd have seen this pitching match-up and made other plans for the night. No longer. His K% is the worst of his career and his BB% is poor as well. His opponent batting average is slightly better than average but his 1.29 WHIP is exactly league average. Looking at his FIP suggest he has pronounced splits this year (4.29 FIP vs LHH; 3.67 FIP vs RHH) but that's entirely OBP driven. Opponent batting average and slugging percentage is higher for RHH. If he's cleared medically to play, I'd like to see Scooter Gennett play, but I'd much rather have Mark Reynolds than Lyle Overbay. It's a toss up for me between Gerardo Parra's defense and Khris Davis' slugging. I suppose I'd probably go with Parra and hope he can get on steal a base.

Of note for the Brewers: Jimmy Nelson is making his first start since being pushed back due to a blister. I haven't seen anything recently about his condition, but I expect with Garza potentially missing some time they wouldn't take any chances with Nelson. I'm sure he's good to go, but if the finger acts up, I wouldn't be surprised to see him pulled early. We shouldn't be worried about that though.

Wednesday, August 6th 7:10 pm CT: Yovani Gallardo vs Ryan Vogelsong

Here is some more cognitive dissonance. Ryan Vogelsong has a 3.36 FIP but a 3.74 ERA. His GB% is pretty low and his LD% as well as his FB% are kind of high yet his HR/9 and HR/FB are both really low. His .260 BAA is really high, but his 1.28 WHIP is right around league average. His ERA- is 110 and his FIP- is 97 (100 is average). I'd say he's a strangely average pitcher. Because that BAA is so very high I'm pretty excited for the Brewers offense to potentially tee off on him.

Thursday, August 7th 1:10 pm CT: Wily Peralta vs Jake Peavy

Jake Peavy was awful for the Red Sox this year. His two starts with the Giants actually saw his ERA go up slightly. His big problem in Boston was giving up the longball which he has yet to do in a Giants uniform. The smart money says that's no longer the case after Thursday. Peavy has had a solid K% and while his BB% isn't good, it's not too high either. He's just getting hit hard (.262 BAA). I only wish Jimmy Nelson was starting this game because he's the only Brewers starter I'm not sure about and I really think the Brewers could crush Peavy.

Conclusion

I know everyone's been really down on the Brewers so far in this second half. They've lost some tough games, but the optimistic view is that they haven't really been dominated by anyone. I still really like this team. I really like the pitching match-ups too. The only one I can't say favors the Brewers is Tuesday's game. However, this Giants offense is lacking so it's entirely possible Jimmy Nelson will beat out Lincecum. I feel good about the Brewers taking 2 out of 3.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $18,000 Fantasy Baseball league for tonight's MLB games. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. Jump in now.Here's the FanDuel link!

Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• What we learned: August 5, 2014
• Jeremy Jeffress then and now
• Brewers Minor League Report: Who's Hot and Who's Not, July 2014
• What we learned: August 4, 2014
• Cardinals 3, Brewers 2: Garza dominates, bullpen doesn't

Milwaukee has lost Matt Garza for the time being after the right hander tweaked his oblique during Sunday's game against St. Louis.

The Milwaukee Brewers will have to stave off the St. Louis Cardinals without Matt Garza for at least the next two weeks. Garza was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday after injuring his left oblique against the Redbirds over the weekend.

The designation is retroactive to Aug. 4 but the injury occurred in the middle of a one-hit pitching performance Sunday that Garza left after the sixth inning, a game which St. Louis eventually won 3-2. Garza had been pitching well before the injury, with a 2.13 ERA in his last six starts according to Brew Crew Ball.

This isn't the first oblique strain Garza has suffered through, and it took him seven weeks to recover from the same injury just last year, so he could end up missing more time even though he's eligible to return on Aug. 19. However, if his comments after the game are any indication, Garza removing himself from the game -- and the subsequent trip to the DL -- may be precautionary.

"It was bad enough where I had to take myself out of the game, and I don't do that," Garza told reporters Sunday, per ESPN.com. "There's too much left in the season, and I thought I'd make the smart play."

Regardless of how long he will actually be out, he's been replaced on the roster by Triple-A Nashville relief pitcher Robert Wooten for the time being.

Gerardo Parra had his first hit as a Brewer, first hit at Miller Park, first home run as a Brewer, and first game-winning hit as a Brewer.

W: Nelson, 2-2

L: Machi, 6-1

HR: Gomez (16), Parra (7)

Box

Fangraphs WPA Box

The Brewers really, really needed this one, and they got it.

Milwaukee jumped out to an early 3-0 lead but Jimmy Nelson gave it up with 2 quick baserunners and a home run to Pablo Sandoval in the bottom of the 6th. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, Gerardo Parra connected on on a slider and hit it out to right field for his first hit as a Milwaukee Brewer, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

The Brewers were shut down early by Tim Lincecum, but Jimmy Nelson (who had 0 hits in his minor league career) knocked a single to extend the inning for Carlos Gomez. Gomez hopefully broke out of his rough road trip with a home run that just cleared the left field wall. Then in the 5th, Rickie Weeks led off with a double but was stuck there after a couple of strikeouts to Segura and Nelson. With Gomez at bat and 2 out, Lincecum threw a pitch away and Weeks headed to 3rd base. Gomez then laid down a perfect bunt that scored Weeks and got himself to first base.

Nelson pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 runs, and 1 walk, with 5 strikeouts. He really only ran into trouble in the 6th. Joe Panik singled to lead off the inning, Brandon Belt followed with a double, and then Pablo Sandoval hit a deep home run to right center. Outside of that 3-batter sequence, Nelson was overpowering in a pretty encouraging outing.

After Parra gave the Brewers the lead back in the bottom of the 7th, the Brewers faced another shaky 8th inning with a lead. Will Smith got Brandon Belt to pop out but then walked Pablo Sandoval and was yanked in favor of Jeremy Jeffress. In a situation eerily similar to Sunday's meltdown, Jeffress couldn't find the zone with his fastball and walked Michael Morse to put 2 on with 1 out. Things shifted when the next batter, Brandon Crawford, hit a foul ball down the left field line that was snagged by Parra with a fantastic sliding catch. Jeffress then had to face pinch-hitter Buster Posey, who did not start tonight. He put a curve ball in the zone for strike one, then worked him with a few fastballs, and finally got him to swing through another curve for strike 3.

The 9th was a bit less stressful but not without drama. K-Rod got the 8 and 9 hitters out but then walked the leadoff man, Hunter Pence. With 2 outs, Panik hit a groundball toward 2nd that Rickie Weeks had to dodge Pence in order to field. He fired to first where Panik was called safe. After a lengthy review, the umpire crew received word that Panik was actually out at first and the game was over.

Regardless of whether he ordered his pitcher to hit Andrew McCutchen or not, Major League Baseball should make an example out of the Diamondbacks manager.

Make no mistake, Kirk Gibson is bad for baseball.

It's painful to say that. One of my first memories, perhaps the thing that cemented my life into place as a baseball fan, was watching him pump his arm as he rounded second base on October 15, 1988. More than almost any other baseball moment I've seen before or since, the drama of that moment and the triumph of the physically wrecked MVP willing himself to deliver the game-winning home run off of Dennis Eckersley, has stuck with me and continues to remind me of how exhilarating baseball can be at its best.

Now, as he drives the Diamondbacks into the ground, Gibson has become a reminder of how awful the game can be. How cold and calculating. How unempathic and how childish. Kirk Gibson has built a culture where head-hunting is simply an automatic response. It's a math problem. If one of our guys goes down, one of yours will too. It's dangerous and it's stupid.

He is not the only manager to be doing this, of course, and he won't be the last. One thing I'm convinced we will never run out of is idiots who think that putting other players in danger is a matter of pride. He is, however, the most prominent and the one who seems to be the most unapologetically proud of his players for risking the health and safety of their opponents. So when Paul Goldschmidt broke his hand on an unintentional pitch that sailed slightly high and tight, you just knew what would be coming.

Like Goldschmidt, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen is one of the brightest stars in the game today. He won the National League Most Valuable Player Award over Goldschmidt just last season. Pittsburgh has now lost him in the middle of the pennant race, which hurts the Pirates and has deprived the league of one of its most beloved and marketable players. That the Pirates subsequently lost McCutchen for an as-yet undetermined amount of time for apparently unrelated reasons to the HBP is beside the point. It would be a tragedy if any player had had his career altered by Randall Delgado's fastball, and to lose McCutchen or any player for reasons related to imaginary machismo would have been unforgivable.

Oh sure, Gibson played innocent, insisting that Delgado's fastball slipped. Miguel Montero and Delgado said the same thing. Goldschmidt claimed to understand that sometimes pitchers have to go inside, and that sometimes batters get hit because of it. While I'd love to believe that this is all a big coincidence, and I believe both in eschewing mind-reading and giving players the benefit of the doubt, the idiotic posturing of the Diamondbacks last year, during the offseason, and throughout this season have exhausted my entire supply of doubt. If Delgado didn't do it on purpose, D'backs leadership is still ultimately to blame for making such suspicions plausible.

Kirk Gibson (Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports)

Let's review. After the 2013 season, dead-GM-walking Kevin Towers told listeners of his weekly show that he wanted his pitchers to practice "an eye for an eye" in 2014. And for anyone who wouldn't toe the company line? "There's ways to get you out of here, and you don't follow suit or you don't feel comfortable doing it, you probably don't belong in a Diamondbacks uniform." While Towers would later try to backtrack and say he simply meant he wanted his pitchers to throw inside, you have to suspend a lot of disbelief to think he didn't mean exactly what it sounds like he meant. Then, in spring training, Wade Miley seemed to deliberately hit Troy Tulowitzki after Mark Trumbo had been plunked earlier. Then Gibson cheered when his rookie reliever, Evan Marshall, hit Ryan Braun to load the bases against the Brewers (though he cheered far less when Jonathan Lucroy followed it with a grand slam).

Sure, in this particular case, Gibson may not have given the order for Delgado to fire one at McCutchen, given that the  manager had already been ejected from the game. But the manager bears the responsibility for the environment he creates, and there is little doubt that the atmosphere Gibson has created is toxic, poisoned by his obsession with "grit" and toughness. He chased off Justin Upton and Stephen Drew because he questioned their toughness, and both deals have been disasters for the Diamondbacks.

Not that it's all Gibson's fault. Towers hired Gibson and let him off of the leash. Moreover, Gibson is only doing what has been expected of him. Towers made it perfectly clear what kind of club he wanted when he went on the radio last October. Towers, by the way, had 68 minor league plate appearances as a pitcher before earning his release. He was never hit by a pitch.

If there is to be any justice in the punishment that Major League Baseball will hand down, Gibson and Towers would share in it. Delgado doesn't deserve to twist alone given that he was only following the edicts -- overt or embedded in the clubhouse culture -- of his bosses to "protect" his hitters from clearly unintentional beanings. It will be impossible, however, to claim Gibson ordered the hit from the clubhouse, and of course suspending Towers would be without precedent. No, they're merely guilty of filling a room with bear traps, and making their pitchers to push opposing hitters into it, and Bud Selig doesn't hand down suspensions for making a macho, vindictive viper-pit out of a baseball team.

The good news is that Gibson and Towers' reigns of terror will soon be over. Tony LaRussa will clean house the moment the World Series ends and reassert some control over a franchise that has become a stain on the sport. I only hope that Gibson and Towers don't do more damage in the meantime and really get someone  hurt.

Today's lessons include injuries, developing players, and more.

Yesterday's Results

Brewers 4, Giants 3

Gerardo Parra made his first hit as a Brewer count, hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish. Jimmy Nelson pitched well, though he allowed a three-run home run in the sixth inning to Pablo Sandoval. Carlos Gomez also recorded three RBI in the Brewers win.

Matt Garza went on the disabled list.

Unfortunately, the Brewers had some bad news for us yesterday. The injury to Matt Garza was serious enough for a DL trip, and he was placed on the 15-day DL yesterday. In a corresponding move, Rob Wooten was recalled from Nashville to take his roster spot. This move would seem to suggest that Marco Estrada is returning to the rotation, but the Brewers have not announced their plans yet. It is possible that it could be a minimum DL stint and Garza would only miss 2 starts, but there's no official word yet on what the expected timetable will be.

Cram Session

• Derek released his preview of the Brewers/Giants series yesterday afternoon.
• After yesterday's win, Ron Roenicke said that he needs a reliever to pitch the whole eighth inning. Based on this comment, Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker went through the candidates for this job.
• Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis were out of the lineup again yesterday to deal with some nagging injuries.
• Jonathan Lucroy may be under control for a few more seasons, but he's done so much that a long-term extension may be a good idea. Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker asks if the Brewers should extend Lucroy now, and what an extension could look like.
• After years of struggling to develop pitchers in the minors, the Brewers may have a few developed now. Mike Bauman takes a look at the newest one in this group: Jimmy Nelson.
• Carlos Gomez now has a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles jersey after Caitlin Moyer of John & Cait found one used by a team in the minor leagues.

Minor League Update

News & Notes

• John Sickels of Minor League Ball has a quick profile on Ariel Pena.
• Over on Reviewing the Brew, Jay D has an update on Taylor Jungmann.
• The Brewers organization released their minor league awards of the month yesterday, and three players received the honors. Marcus Young of Miller Park Prospects has the details.

Division Update

• Cardinals 3, Red Sox 2
• Marlins 6, Pirates 3
• Reds 9, Indians 2
• Cubs 6, Rockies 5

Today's Division Games

• Red Sox (Joe Kelly) @ Cardinals (Shelby Miller) - 7:15 pm
• Marlins (Tom Koehler) @ Pirates (Jeff Locke) - 6:05 pm
• Indians (Danny Salazar) @ Reds (Mat Latos) - 6:10 pm
• Cubs (Jake Arrieta) @ Rockies (Jordan Lyles) - 7:40 pm

Today's Action

The Brewers continue their three-game series against the Giants tonight. Yovani Gallardo will try to extend his scoring streak against the Giants and Ryan Vogelsong. First pitch is at 7:10 pm, and Jackson Alexander of MLB.com has the preview.

Don't forget to predict in Prognostikeggers.

Today's lessons include a candidate for MLB commissioner, a reminder of how long Ron Roenicke has been here, and more.

Yesterday's Results

Giants 7, Brewers 4

Yovani Gallardo struggled through four innings yesterday, allowing four runs, with three of those coming in the first inning. Marco Estrada pitched a few innings of relief to keep the Brewers alive, but Brandon Kintzler and Tom Gorzelanny combined to allow three more runs, and it was too much for the Brewers to rally from. Aramis Ramirez drove in two runs to lead the offense, and Carlos Gomez and Khris Davis both homered in the loss.

Cram Session

• A report came out yesterday that Mark Attanasio has interviewed to become the new MLB commissioner. It's a long shot, but this means he's still under consideration.
• Noah notes that yesterday was Ron Roenicke's 600th game as manager.
• Marco Estrada's extended relief appearance last night means that Mike Fiers will probably start on Saturday (though it's not official yet).
• Khris Davis sat again yesterday to rest his sore elbow, but did hit a home run in a pinch-hit appearance.
• Bullpen management has gotten tougher for Ron Roenicke in the second half of the season. Caitlin Swieca of Brewers.com looks at how Roenicke is adjusting to it.
• Over on The Brewers Bar, Ben Tannenbaum analyzes what the Gerardo Parra move means for the Brewers.
• Steven Jewell of Reviewing the Brew takes a look at Carlos Gomez.
• How will Matt Garza's injury affect the Brewers playoff chances? David Lanser of Bleacher Report looks at how Garza's absence will affect the Brewers.
• Yesterday was team photo day for the Brewers, and the team got the traditional photo done, as well as some untraditional team photos.

Minor League Update

Division Update

• Red Sox 2, Cardinals 1
• Pirates 7, Marlins 3
• Reds 8, Indians 3
• Rockies 13, Cubs 4

Today's Division Games

• Red Sox (Brandon Workman) @ Cardinals (Adam Wainwright) - 6:15 pm
• Marlins (Brian Flynn) @ Pirates (Edinson Volquez) - 6:05 pm
• Indians (T.J. House) @ Reds (Homer Bailey) - 6:10 pm
• Cubs (Kyle Hendricks) @ Rockies (Yohan Flande) - 2:10 pm

Today's Action

The Brewers finish their series against the Giants this afternoon. Jake Peavy takes on Wily Peralta in the rubber match today. First pitch is at 1:10 pm, and Jackson Alexander of MLB.com has the preview.

Today's lessons include Wily Peralta, disagreements on performance, and minor-league promotions.

Yesterday's Results

Brewers 3, Giants 1

Wily Peralta became the first 14-game winner in MLB with another strong performance. He pitched 6 2/3 innings yesterday, allowing only one run while striking out nine. Meanwhile, the offense did not have a great day yesterday, but they had enough. Ryan Braun got the Brewers on the board early with a first inning RBI double, Khris Davis had an RBI double in the fifth, and Mark Reynolds also recorded an RBI with a sacrifice fly.

Cram Session

• Adam McCalvy & Caitlin Swieca have some minor league notes on Brewers.com. The Brewers made a small trade yesterday, acquiring minor league pitcher Jay Jackson from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash. He will report to Triple-A Nashville. Also, Hunter Morris is set to begin a rehab assignment at rookie-level Arizona, and Wei-Chung Wang is moving his rehab up to Class A Wisconsin.
• Brandon Kintzler and Ron Roenicke have some different view on how Kintzler has performed this year. Adam McCalvy has quotes from both on his Brew Beat blog.
• Wily Peralta became the first 14-game winner yesterday, and it surprised some people. One of those was David Schoenfield of ESPN, who took the opportunity to profile Wily Peralta.
• Peralta has been one of the keys to the Brewers success this season. Mike Bauman of MLB.com looks at how the Brewers need Peralta to keep pitching this well down the stretch.
• What famous dog best represents the Brewers? Jim Caple of ESPN has a suggestion, along with one for each of the other NL teams.
• Tim Dillard looks at some of the different promotions that teams put on during games.
• Are things better with Tony Bosch gone? Enrique Bakemeyer of The Brewers Bar asks how things have improved with him done supplying PEDs.

Minor League Update

Division Update

• Cardinals 5, Red Sox 2
• Pirates 7, Marlins 2
• Reds 4, Indians 0
• Cubs 6, Rockies 2

This Weekend's Division Games

• Cardinals @ Orioles
  Friday: Justin Masterson vs. Chris Tillman - 6:05 pm
  Saturday: John Lackey vs. Ubaldo Jimenez - 3:05 pm
  Sunday: Lance Lynn vs. TBD - 12:35 pm
• Padres @ Pirates
  Friday: Ian Kennedy vs. Vance Worley - 6:05 pm
  Saturday: Eric Stults vs. Francisco Liriano - 6:05 pm
  Sunday: Tyson Ross vs. Charlie Morton - 12:35 pm
• Marlins @ Reds
  Friday: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Mike Leake - 6:10 pm
  Saturday: TBD vs. Alfredo Simon - 6:10 pm
  Sunday: Brad Hand vs. Johnny Cueto - 12:10 pm
• Rays @ Cubs
  Friday: Chris Archer vs. Tsuyoshi Wada - 3:05 pm 
  Saturday: Jake Odorizzi vs. Edwin Jackson - 3:05 pm
  Sunday: Alex Cobb vs. Travis Wood - 1:20 pm

This Weekend's Action

The Brewers face off against the Dodgers for the first time this season tonight. While Brewers.com does not have the official matchups available, here is what is expected for this weekend:

Friday: Roberto Hernandez vs. Kyle Lohse
Saturday: Zack Greinke vs. Mike Fiers
Sunday: Clayton Kershaw vs. Jimmy Nelson

The Dodgers and Brewers meet for the first of two consecutive weekends, the first a three-game series in Milwaukee. Newly acquired right-hander Roberto Hernandez will make his Dodgers debut in the series opener on Friday night, and the Brewers on Thursday announced they would start Mike Fiers on Saturday in place of the injured Matt Garza.

Here is a look at the weekend schedule and pitching matchups in Milwaukee:

Friday, 5:10 p.m. PT (SportsNet LA)

Hernandez makes his second start at Miller Park in about a month. He allowed one run in eight innings in a win over the Brewers on July 9, with three strikeouts and five runners reaching base. Kyle Lohse is 4-2 with a 2.32 ERA in nine home starts this season, with 50 strikeouts and just six walks in 66 innings.

Saturday, 4:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA, MLB Network)

Zack Greinke is 15-1 and his teams are 22-2 in 24 career starts at Miller Park, with his only loss coming in 2013 with the Dodgers, allowing five runs in four innings last May 21. Fiers makes his first start for the Brewers this season after allowing two runs in seven innings in relief in June. He was 8-5 with a 2.55 ERA in 17 starts in Triple-A Nashville, with 129 strikeouts and 17 walks in 102⅓ innings.

Sunday, 11:10 a.m. (SportsNet LA, TBS)

Clayton Kershaw is coming off a no-decision and has only gone consecutive starts without a win just once this season (May 11-17). Rookie right-hander Jimmy Nelson has a 4.20 ERA in five starts, with 27 strikeouts and nine walks in 30 innings. He was destroying Triple-A, going 10-2 with a 1.46 ERA in 17 games with Nashvile, including 16 starts, with 114 strikeouts and 32 walks in 111 innings.

Sunday's broadcast on TBS will not be blacked out in Los Angeles.

The Brewers just won a series against one of the west coast's top teams. They can do it again, right? Right...?

Early on in the season the Dodgers looked like their millions and millions spent were for naught. They weren't exactly terrible, but at the end of May they were 6.5 games back of first place. Now they're leading their division by 3.5 games. They even have a better record than the Brewers and in fact are leading the entire National League. They're doing it with a pretty solid mix of offense and pitching.

They're 13th in MLB with 4.13 runs scored per game. Yasiel Puig gets crapped on a lot but he's leading the team's offense with a 167 wRC+. Matt Kemp too has seen his fair share of criticism but in spite of that he has a 134 wRC+. Aside from Puig, the only other regular with better offensive numbers is Hanley Ramirez with a 136 wRC+. He's had an awful time staying healthy this year though. Dee Gordon, Adrian Gonzalez, and Juan Uribe have all been solid contributors as well. Justin Turner and Scott Van Slyke have also shined in part time roles. Carl Crawford, Andre Eithier, and AJ Ellis have sucked though.

Their pitching staff as a whole ranks 7th allowing 3.64 runs per game. Kenley Jansen is dominant. He has a 37.6 K%. Brewers hitters are screwed if they have to face him. Brian Wilson on the other hand reminds me a lot of Sergio Romo. They both have that former closer sheen, but they're both having terrible horrible years. Wilson is still striking out at a solid rate (26.2%), but he's walking a ton (14.5%), and he's getting hit hard (.264 BAA) which has resulted in a deplorable 1.77 WHIP. J.P. Howell is a solid lefty capable of facing righties and lefties. After that the rest of the bullpen is pretty unremarkable.

Friday, August 8th 7:10 pm CT: Kyle Lohse vs Roberto Hernandez

Hernandez was recently acquired from the Phillies. Josh Beckett was originally slated to start this game, but he's been dealing with a hip injury for a while and apparently it's become a serious issue. The Brewers have faced Hernandez before. Early in the season the Brewers knocked him around for 4 runs in 5 innings but more recently he held them to 1 run across 8 innings. He might not be a terrible pitcher but he's not terribly effective either. His 14.2 K% is really abysmal and his 10.4 BB% isn't helping him any. He's been really lucky only to have allowed a .258 BABIP. The Dodgers infield isn't exactly top notch defensively so hopefully that BABIP meets some regression.

Saturday, August 9th 6:10 pm CT: Mike Fiers vs Zack Greinke

Yay! Zack Greinke is back in Miller Park. Oh crap, Zack Greinke is back in Miller Park... I don't have to tell you guys how good Greinke is. We all had the pleasure of witnessing that first hand for too short a time. He's even better now. He has a great 26.5 K% and 4.9 BB%. He's limiting home runs (0.86 HR/9). Even though his .244 BAA is close to league average, his 1.14 WHIP is well below because of everything else he's doing so well.

Of note for the Brewers: Matt Garza is on the DL and making the start in his place is Mike Fiers. I had hoped it would be Marco Estrada, but he pitched in relief recently making that an impossibility. Still, Fiers has been exquisite in AAA this year. He has a 27.3 K%-BB%, .297 BAA, and 0.95 WHIP. Don't fool yourself into thinking he's going to be anywhere near as effective at the major league level. He could luck into a few good starts though. He has good deception, but the book might already be out on him as he's made 40 appearances at the major league level. His 88 mph fastball means he has to be nearly perfect, even with good deception. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike him. In fact I'm very hopeful he can luck into those good starts. However, if he has to pitch for an extended period of time the rest of these season I'd be worried.

Sunday, August 9th 1:10 pm CT: Jimmy Nelson vs Clayton Kershaw

Do you have an elderly relative you keep putting off visiting? Is there a hobby you keep meaning to learn but put off because you're just too busy (read: lazy)? Well Sunday afternoon is a great time to take care of those things. The Brewers are going to lose. I love them. I still think they have a good team and are going to win the division. They're going to lose Sunday.

Clayton Kershaw is otherworldly. ERA (1.82), FIP (1.72), xFIP (1.91), SIERA (1.91), K% (32.5%), K%-BB% (29.0%), WHIP (0.85). Those are things Clayton Kershaw leads the major leagues in. Not the National League, all of baseball. He is fierce demon sent to destroy and that's exactly what he does.

Conclusion

Oh you guys. I'm usually pretty confident in the Brewers ability to win 2 out of 3. I absolutely think the Brewers can win Friday night. The pitching match-up is heavily in their favor. Things get pretty dark after that. The Brewers clicking on all cylinders can beat Greinke. It's happened before. With Fiers starting everything seems to be stacked against them. Then there's Jimmy Nelson vs Clayton Kershaw. Even if Nelson can hold off the Dodgers, I'll be shocked if the Brewers score multiple runs if any at all against Kershaw. He's just too damn good. Sorry, but I'm feeling a series loss is nigh.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $18,000 Fantasy Baseball league for tonight's MLB games. It's $2 to join and first prize is $2,000. Jump in now.Here's the FanDuel link!

Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Appreciating the effect Mark Attanasio has had on the Brewers franchise
• What we learned: August 8, 2014
• Brewers 3, Giants 1: Where there's a Wily there's a way
• What we learned: August 7, 2014
• Brewers 4, Giants 7: Roenicke's 600th a loss

Looking at the final score you might not know it, but the Dodgers led this game in the seventh inning. But an error-filled four-run seventh and a three-run home run in the eighth inning gave the Brewers a win on Friday night at Miller Park.

The Dodgers and Brewers meet for the first of two consecutive weekends, the first a three-game series in Milwaukee. Newly acquired right-hander Roberto Hernandez will make his Dodgers debut in the series opener on Friday night, and the Brewers on Thursday announced they would start Mike Fiers on Saturday in place of the injured Matt Garza.

Here is a look at the weekend schedule and pitching matchups in Milwaukee:

Friday, 5:10 p.m. PT (SportsNet LA)

Hernandez makes his second start at Miller Park in about a month. He allowed one run in eight innings in a win over the Brewers on July 9, with three strikeouts and five runners reaching base. Kyle Lohse is 4-2 with a 2.32 ERA in nine home starts this season, with 50 strikeouts and just six walks in 66 innings.

Saturday, 4:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA, MLB Network)

Zack Greinke is 15-1 and his teams are 22-2 in 24 career starts at Miller Park, with his only loss coming in 2013 with the Dodgers, allowing five runs in four innings last May 21. Fiers makes his first start for the Brewers this season after allowing two runs in seven innings in relief in June. He was 8-5 with a 2.55 ERA in 17 starts in Triple-A Nashville, with 129 strikeouts and 17 walks in 102⅓ innings.

Sunday, 11:10 a.m. (SportsNet LA, TBS)

Clayton Kershaw is coming off a no-decision and has only gone consecutive starts without a win just once this season (May 11-17). Rookie right-hander Jimmy Nelson has a 4.20 ERA in five starts, with 27 strikeouts and nine walks in 30 innings. He was destroying Triple-A, going 10-2 with a 1.46 ERA in 17 games with Nashvile, including 16 starts, with 114 strikeouts and 32 walks in 111 innings.

Sunday's broadcast on TBS will not be blacked out in Los Angeles.

Another day, another showdown series for the Dodgers, who travel to Milwaukee to face the National League Central-leading Brewers. The Dodgers take a three-game winning streak and the best record (66-50) in the NL into Miller Park.

Roberto Hernandez makes his Dodgers debut one day after the Dodgers acquired him. The starting pitchers acquired midseason under general manager Ned Colletti have fared generally well in their Dodger debuts over the last eight years.

Hernandez has averaged 6⅔ innings over his last eight starts and is averaging 5.95 innings per start on the season. If he can average around six innings for the Dodgers, I'm sure they would be delighted with that.

Josh Beckett on the season averaged 5.78 innings per start, but had gone only 12 innings in his last three starts since coming off the disabled list. He hasn't recorded an out in the sixth inning since June 26, while Hernandez has lasted six or more innings in six of his last eight outings.

Among the active Brewers, Lyle Overbay has faced Hernandez the most, going 5-for-19 (.263) with a double and two walks against him. Gerardo Parra is 2-for-9 (.222), Carlos Gomez is 2-for-8 (.250) with a home run and a double. Aramis Ramirez is 3-for-6 (.500).

Hernandez has faced the Brewers twice this season, with 12 strikeouts and three walks in 13 innings with a 2.77 ERA. One of those starts was in Milwaukee, a win on July 9 in which Hernandez allowed one run in eight innings to beat Kyle Lohse, who starts Friday night for the Brewers.

Lohse is coming off his worst start of the year, allowing nine runs in four innings in a loss to the Cardinals on Saturday. He has had two blow-up starts this season, also allowing eight runs in five innings in Pittsburgh on June 6. Lohse allowed two home runs in each of those starts, but in between was 4-3 with a 2.76 ERA in nine starts, with only three home runs allowed in 58⅔ innings.

Game info

Time: 5:10 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA

MILWAUKEE -- Roberto Hernandez makes his Dodgers debut taking Josh Beckett's spot in the rotation, and against the Brewers on Friday will throw to the catcher who caught 13 of Beckett's last 15 starts. Drew Butera gets the start at catcher, his first starts since Sunday ... when he caught Beckett.

A.J. Ellis started each of the last four games against the Angels.

Hanley Ramirez is 7-for-24 (.292) with three doubles, a home run, a triple and three walks against Brewers starter Kyle Lohse. a Adrian Gonzalez is 8-for-24 (.333) with four doubles, a home run and two walks.

Carl Crawford gets the start in left field; he's 3-for-16 (.188) against Lohse, but two of his three hits are home runs.

The Brewers are resting a few regulars in the series opener, with catcher Jonathan Lucroy and shortstop Jean Segura sitting.

Old friend Elian Herrera gets the start at shortstop for Milwaukee, his third start at the position this season. Herrera has started at six different positions for the Brewers this season: second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions.

Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez left Friday night's game after just a half-inning, departing with tightness in his right side after his one and only plate appearance.

Ramirez walked on six pitches in the first inning against Brewers starter Kyle Lohse with two outs, but appeared to tweak something while swinging and missing at the 1-2 pitch. Ramirez remained in the game for the rest of the inning, but did not take the field in the bottom of the first.

Miguel Rojas replaced Ramirez at shortstop.

After the game manager Don Mattingly said Ramirez would have an MRI exam on Saturday.

Ramirez has dealt with numerous injuries throughout the last two seasons for the Dodgers, including injuries to his shoulder, calf, thumb and hand in 2014 alone. He has started 89 of the Dodgers' 117 games at shortstop, but has only started 21 of the last 39 games at the position. Ramirez has also been removed late for defensive purposes the bulk of the time, with only eight complete games at shortstop in those last 39 games.

Ramirez is hitting .277/.367/.455 this season with 12 home runs and 27 doubles in 100 games.

It was a wild ride but the ending made it worth all my fretting.

Winning Pitcher: Jeremy Jeffress

Losing Pitcher: Brandon League

HR: Adrian Gonzalez (16), Rickie Weeks (4)

Win Expectancy Chart

Boxscore

Lohse got through the first inning without giving up a run despite allowing a double and a walk. The Brewers offense made more noise. Gomez flew out but Gerardo Parra dropped a single into the sweet spot in shallow center. Ryan Braun followed up with a liner to center. Parra advanced to third and Braun got to second on the throw from Yasiel Puig. Aramis Ramirez drove in the first run of the night on a liner to left. Scooter Gennett drove in the second run on a sac fly to center.

Adrian Gonzalez terrorized Lohse. In the first inning he almost knocked one over the left field fence, but had to settle for a double. His next time up Lohse walked him on 4 pitches. Then in the 6th inning Gonzalez gave the Dodgers their first run on a solo shot to right. Things were pretty dicey that inning. Matt Kemp made it all the way to third base and with Juan Uribe batting with 2 outs Lohse hit him in the face...but just barely. It seemed to ever so slightly graze his lips. He wasn't hurt at all and trotted to first base. Thankfully Drew Butera grounded into the last out.

That was the end of the night for Lohse. He threw a ton of pitches the first two innings and exited with over 100 pitches in 6 innings. He walked 2, struck out 2, and allowed 6 hits. It wasn't his best night but he still held the Dodgers to 1 run in those 6 innings which is totally solid.

Somewhat strangely, Don Mattingly removed Roberto Hernandez for a pinch hitter to lead off the seventh inning. It was strange because he had only thrown 65 pitches and had retired 17 batters in a row.

Rob Wooten came on in relief to pitch the seventh inning for the Brewers. He gave up a single and was promptly removed so Ron Roenicke could play match-ups. I wonder why he didn't just go with Zach Duke in the first place if he knew he was going to remove Wooten so quickly.

Duke was able to get Dee Gordon to to ground into a fielder's choice, but a wild pitch allowed Gordon to advance to second base with one out. Yasiel Puig drew a walk and Adrian Gonzalez stepped to the plate with runners at first and second. To this point Gonzalez had yet to be retired. He wasn't retired this at bat either. He lined in a run to tie the game. That would end Duke's night.

Jeremy Jeffress relieved Duke with 1 out and runners at the corners. The Dodgers' took the lead on an infield hit that drove in a run. The Brewers were given a swift reprieve when Matt Kemp lined a ball right into Elian Herrera's glove who was able to toss it to second in time for the double play. Still, the Brewers found themselves down 3-2.

With 1 out, Rickie Weeks hit for Scooter Gennett. He drew a walk and made it all the way to third base on a grounder from Mark Reynolds up the middle that was booted into the outfield. Martin Maldonado tied the game on a squeeze play that scored Weeks. Justin Turner had a chance to end the inning but bobbled a grounder up the middle for the second time of the inning instead. Bases were loaded with two outs for Carlos Gomez. This just wasn't Justin Turner's night. Another grounder to short. This time he was able to glove the ball, but Gomez's speed helped forced a poor throw from Turner resulting in another run scored for the Brewers. Gerardo Parra didn't waste much time lining a hit to center. Two more runs came in. Unfortunately Gomez was caught between second and third bases and tagged out to end the inning. The Brewers scored 4 runs that inning and took a 6-3 lead.

Ron's Eighth Inning Guy Will Smith did indeed pitch the 8th inning. The first out came on a strikeout that got away from Martin Maldonado. He had to throw to first in order to secure the out which he did but tip your cap to Mark Reynolds for catching an uncharacteristically poor throw from Maldonado. The second out was an easy grounder to first. The third out was a lazy fly to center. It was a much needed shutdown inning for Smith (and if I'm being honest, more so for me because I was getting pretty frustrated at the continue bullpen woes).

The Brewers weren't done rocking the Dodger's bullpen. Two consecutive batters reached in front of Rickie Weeks who showed a glimpse of his old self with a big time 3-run home run to deep left center. The Brewers would head to the 9th inning with a 9-3 lead.

With a six run lead the Brewers sent out Brandon Kintzler for 9th inning mop up duties. He retired all three batters in order on grounders.

Brewers will send Mike Fiers to the mound tomorrow to face Zack Greinke and the Dodgers. Start time is 6:10 pm CT.

Other notes:

• Because of all the errors by Justin Turner, the losing pitcher tonight, Brandon League, didn't allow an earned run. I think it's funny that he get's a loss while putting up a 0.00 ERA for his appearance. Speaks to the limitations and/or outright stupidity of both those statistics.
• Hanley Ramirezleft the game after batting in the first inning. He's been dealing with a number of health issues this year. If he misses either of the next two games that's a big bat out of the Dodgers' lineup.
• The Pirates won 2-1 against the Padres. They remain 1.5 games back of the Brewers.
• The Cardinals were routed 12-2 by my new favorite American League team the Orioles who hit 6 home runs in that game. Cards fall to 2 games back of the Brewers
• The Reds lost the Marlins and find themselves 5 games back of the Brewers.
• The Cubs lost too but who cares?

More from Brew Crew Ball

Follow @BrewCrewBallFollow @SBNationMLB

• Life isn't fair sometimes: Dodgers series preview
• Appreciating the effect Mark Attanasio has had on the Brewers franchise
• What we learned: August 8, 2014
• Brewers 3, Giants 1: Where there's a Wily there's a way
• What we learned: August 7, 2014

The seventh inning began as one of triumph for the Dodgers, but quickly broke bad as the Brewers out-rallied the Dodgers for a 9-3 win in the opener of a three-game weekend series at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

The central figure in the seventh inning tug-of-war was Justin Turner.

In the top of the inning, Turner led off the frame with a pinch-hit single, putting the tying run on base in a 2-1 game. Dee Gordon hit into a fielder's choice, then advanced to second on a wild pitch, then after a walk to Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez singled to right field to tie the game at 2-2.

It was the second RBI in the game for Gonzalez, who launched his 16th home run of the season one inning earlier and also doubled.

Up next would normally be Hanley Ramirez, but he left after just half an inning with tightness in his right side. Miguel Rojas, by far the best defensive shortstop on the roster but hitting just .207/.262/.261, was lifted in favor of pinch-hitter Andre Ethier, who delivered with an infield single to shortstop to give the Dodgers their first lead of the game at 3-2.

After the game, manager Don Mattingly said Ramirez would have an MRI exam on Saturday.

That substitution left Turner at shortstop, which looked just fine after a diving grab of a line drive by Aramis Ramirez gave Jamey Wright one out in the inning. But after J.P. Howell walked Rickie Weeks, Brandon League was brought in. Mark Reynolds followed with what looked like a perfect double play ball to shortstop to end the inning, but a bad hop allowed the ball to scoot past Turner.

From there the inning was a nightmare.

Martin Maldonado tied the game with a squeeze bunt, and reached safely because League tried to get the out at home with a poorly executed jai alai-style flip with his glove. After a fly out to center field for the second out of the inning, Khris Davis grounded to Turner, who booted the ball, loading the bases.

Carlos Gomez followed with another grounder to shortstop, and Turner threw low to Gonzalez, who couldn't dig it out, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Gerardo Parra followed with the cleanest hit of the inning, a line drive to center field plating two more runs, putting the Brewers up 6-3.

It overshadowed what was a very effective Dodgers debut by Roberto Hernandez. The right-hander allowed three hits in the first inning, leading to two runs, but recovered to retire the final 17 batters he faced, including five by strikeout.

The only reason Hernandez, who threw just 65 pitches in his six innings, was lifted is because the Dodgers trailed and his spot in the batting order led off the seventh.

Hernandez even got a single at the plate, his third career hit (in 56 at-bats).

Carlos Frias pitched in his second big league game on Friday, asked to get face the Brewers in the eighth inning, but a walk and a hit were compounded when Weeks took him deep for a three-run home run to left center field, putting the game out of reach.

Up next

Zack Greinke gets the call for the Dodgers on Saturday, when the two teams start an hour earlier than on Friday. Mike Fiers, who made his first major league start against the Dodgers in Los Angeles in 2012, makes his first start of the year for the Brewers in the middle game of the series.

Friday particulars

Home runs: Adrian Gonzalez (16); Rickie Weeks (4)

WP - Jeremy Jeffress (1-1): ⅔ IP, 1 hit

LP - Brandon League (2-3): ⅔ IP, 2 hits, 3 unearned runs

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez drove in the Dodgers' first two runs on Friday night against the Brewers, continuing his hot streak since the All-Star break.

Gonzalez was 3-for-3 with a walk and a home run, a no-doubter to left center field that pulled the Dodgers to within 2-1 at the time. Earlier in the game Gonzalez doubled, and that he hit it to left field was a good sign, as Gonzalez is usually at his best when he's driving the ball to all fields with authority. That double was pretty close to a home run:

Game of inches. pic.twitter.com/Ix590dx5oN

— Daniel Brim (@DanielBrim) August 9, 2014

He was hitting the ball hard everywhere in April, hitting .317/.377/.644 with eight home runs, though at the time he insisted, "I'm not a power hitter," usually with a smirk or some hint of sarcasm.

The problem was for the next 2½ months Gonzalez did his best to prove it, hitting only six home runs while batting .223/.286/.343 with six home runs in 67 games from May 1 through the All-Star break.

But since the All-Star break Gonzalez has been hot, hitting .333/.402/.528 with two home runs, eight doubles and 16 RBI in 20 games, with eight multi-hit games.

Gonzalez has 76 runs batted in on the season, just one behind Giancarlo Stanton for the National League lead. Gonzalez has a decent chance at joining Tommy Davis (1962) and Matt Kemp (2011) as the only Los Angeles Dodgers to lead the NL in RBI.

Stanton is on pace for 108 RBI, which would be the lowest total for a league leader since Gary Carter and Mike Schmidt tied for the NL lead with 106 RBI in 1984. Even the strike-shortened seasons in 1994 and 1995 had more prolific RBI men.

Dating back to Thursday, Gonzalez has reached base in each of his last six plate appearances, with two singles, a double, a walk and a home run.

His next double will give him 30 on the season, a mark he has reached in four straight seasons and seven of the last eight. He's on pace for 40 doubles, something he has done three times, including a career high 47 two-baggers in 2012.

In 22 career games at Miller Park, Gonzalez is hitting .393/.466/.753 with eight home runs and 22 RBI, the third-highest batting average in Miller Park history, minimum 50 plate appearances, trailing only Lastings Milledge (.4154) and Jeff Baker (.4151).

Gonzalez is 0-for-1 with a strikeout against Mike Fiers, starting for the Brewers on Saturday night.

Game info

Pitchers: Zack Greinke vs. Fiers

Time: 4:10 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network