Today's lessons include a roster move, an official signing, and news to prepare you for the weekend.
Yesterday's Results
A nightmare series came to an end last night with a complete bullpen implosion. Matt Garza put together another great start, pitching into the seventh inning with a no-hitter and putting together 7 2/3 innings of great baseball. He did allow two runs, but both of those scored as part of the bullpen implosion. Will Smith came in and allowed all five batters he faced to reach base, allowing five runs in the process. Brandon Kintzler came in and allowed two more hits to score an additional two runs before finally getting out of the inning. Wei-Chung Wang pitched the ninth and allowed a two-run home run as well. The only offense the Brewers could put together was a solo home run from Carlos Gomez.
Jimmy Nelson's chance in the rotation starts now.
Following the game, the Brewers make a few moves, and this one was the biggest. Marco Estrada was demoted to the bullpen, and Jimmy Nelson was brought up to take his place in the rotation. It's a move that fans have been wanting to happen, and now it is finally here. Nelson has been dominating the competition in Nashville, and while he probably won't do quite that well with the Brewers, he will hopefully help stabilize the rotation. Meanwhile, Estrada heads to the bullpen, which is a role he is familiar with. There's no indication on how he will be used yet, so we will have to see how he is handled.
To clear the space for Jimmy Nelson, the Brewers placed Wei-Chung Wang on the 15-day disabled list with a tight shoulder. Wang has struggled all season as a Rule 5 pick jumping to the majors, being limited to mainly relief duty in blowouts. The timing of this may be called into question, but injuries like this aren't uncommon for pitchers to have. Some teams may choose to wait a few days to see if it heals, but when a roster space is needed, the smaller injuries can go on the DL since the spot would be needed right away.
Cram Session
- The other big news of the day yesterday was that the Brewers officially announced the Gilbert Lara signing. Details on the contract aren't known, so we don't know what penalty the Brewers will end up paying on it.
- With the Brewers needing some help on their roster, Ryan Topp of Disciples of Uecker came up with some ideas for the trade deadline.
- After yesterday's game, Enrique Bakemeyer of Reviewing the Brew came out with five new questions for the 2014 Brewers (though two were rendered moot minutes later).
- Mike Fiers was named to the All-Star roster for the Pacific Coast League.
Minor League Update
| Team | Level | Record | Yesterday | This Weekend |
| Nashville Sounds | AAA | 49-46 | Memphis 1, Nashville 0 | Fri: Round Rock @ Nashville Sat: Round Rock @ Nashville Sun: Round Rock @ Nashville |
| Huntsville Stars | AA | 55-36 | Chattanooga 5, Huntsville 3 | Fri: Huntsville @ Chattanooga Sat: Huntsville @ Chattanooga Sun: Huntsville @ Chattanooga |
| Brevard County Manatees | A+ | 47-36 | Brevard County @ Lakeland (SSPD) | Fri: Charlotte @ Brevard County Sat: Charlotte @ Brevard County Sun: Charlotte @ Brevard County |
| Wisconsin Timber Rattlers | A | 46-43 | Cedar Rapids 7, Wisconsin 5 | Fri: Quad Cities @ Wisconsin Sat: Quad Cities @ Wisconsin Sun: Quad Cities @ WIsconsin |
| DSL Brewers | R | 18-17 | DSL Brewers 8, DSL Braves 1 | Fri: DSL Braves @ DSL Brewers Sat: DSL Angels @ DSL Brewers |
| Helena Brewers | R | 9-14 | Helena @ Orem (SSPD) | Fri: Helena @ Orem (DH) Sat: Helena @ Grand Junction Sun: Helena @ Grand Junction |
| AZL Brewers | R | 9-8 | AZL White Sox 7, AZL Brewers 3 | Fri: AZL White Sox @ AZL Brewers Sat: AZL Brewers @ AZL D-Backs Sun: AZL Rangers @ AZL Brewers |
Check out morineko's daily minor league update for a more in-depth look at yesterday's minor league results.
Division Update
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Brewers | 52 | 41 | - |
| Cardinals | 50 | 43 | 2 |
| Reds | 49 | 43 | 2.5 |
| Pirates | 49 | 44 | 3.5 |
| Cubs | 39 | 52 | 12 |
This Weekend's Division Games
- Pirates @ Reds
Friday: Jeff Locke vs. Mat Latos - 6:10 pm
Saturday: Charlie Morton vs. Mike Leake - 6:15 pm
Sunday: Francisco Liriano vs. Johnny Cueto - 12:10 pm - Braves @ Cubs
Friday: Alex Wood vs. Jake Arrieta - 3:05 pm
Saturday: Mike Minor vs. Edwin Jackson - 3:05 pm
Sunday: Julio Teheran vs. Travis Wood - 1:20 pm
This Weekend's Action
The Brewers head into the All-Star break with a three game series against the Cardinals. Here are this weekend's pitching matchups:
Friday: Joe Kelly vs. Yovani Gallardo
Saturday: Adam Wainwright vs. Jimmy Nelson
Sunday: Carlos Martinez vs. Wily Peralta