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Brewers beat 6/24
Weeks’ surge helps get Crew going
MILWAUKEE — With his three RBIs on Wednesday, Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks pushed his season total to 41 and took the Major League lead in RBIs from the leadoff spot.
Weeks’ 11 homers as the team’s leadoff hitter also ranks second behind Kelly Johnson of the D-backs, who has 12.
With right fielder Corey Hart batting behind Weeks, the Brewers have 29 home runs and 95 RBIs from their leadoff and No. 2 hitters, though much of Hart’s production has come from the No. 6 spot.
Brewers manager Ken Macha has said in the past that Weeks’ production is the true key to the club’s offensive success, even more so than sluggers Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. But like the club’s sluggers, Weeks struggles at times with consistency.
“He’s like all the other guys, they ride the roller coaster a little bit,” Macha said. “You try to avoid the big dips. He had a pretty big dip there for a while.”
Weeks’ performance over the past month has been an offensive resurgence from the Brewers second baseman, who had been struggling when the club faced the Twins at Target Field in Minnesota last month.
That slump for Weeks came after he opened the season with a career-high-tying 10-game hitting streak, making him only the fifth player in franchise history to begin the season with a hit streak of at least 10 games.
“At the beginning of the year, he was extremely hot,” Macha said. “If I remember right, we played a Pittsburgh series where they pitched him a little differently, and it kind of got him off his game. He was trying to make adjustments and it wasn’t working.”
Over the past five games entering Thursday, however, Weeks had a five-game hitting streak in which he’d collected seven hits in 17 at-bats while scoring five runs and driving in seven runs with two doubles and a home run.
“As of late, he’s done some real good things. The double with the bases loaded in Colorado was a huge hit,” Macha said. “I keep preaching this: Up the middle and opposite field always is a good way to go. That big hit last night went up the middle.”
Macha has confidence in Lucroy’s defense
MILWAUKEE — When rookie catcher Jonathan Lucroy was called up a month ago, the Brewers were concerned with his ability to stop sharp breaking balls.
Though he let five wild pitches get by him on Wednesday night in a 5-3 win over the Twins, manager Ken Macha said he’s been satisfied with Lucroy’s defense since taking over the starting role.
“What were there, five wild pitches? He had a tough time with them,” Macha said. “But he’s been pretty good up until yesterday as far as stopping balls. He caught [Yovani Gallardo] up in Colorado and did a great job as Yo was throwing that hard breaking ball in the dirt.”
In addition to four wild pitches by left-handed starter Manny Parra, reliever Kameron Loe saw one get by Lucroy in the seventh. According to Lucroy, both Parra’s splitter and Loe’s two-seam fastball are plus pitches with a lot of break.
With that in mind, Lucroy was not worried about being unable to stop those five pitches.
“Sometimes those things happen. There’s not really anything I could do to stop them,” Lucroy said. “It’s hard, because they were on his splitter, and when he throws that thing you don’t know where it’s going. That’s why it’s so good, because it’s unpredictable.”
Macha acknowledged before Thursday’s game that he thought one of the wild pitches led to Parra being tentative with his splitter for a stretch, but Macha did not think it had a significant impact on the game.
“I think Manny just got a little streak, maybe three or four hitters where he got tentative,” Macha said. “He came back after that inning and threw the ball well.”
As for the Loe wild pitch, Lucroy said his two-seam fastball is even harder to stop than Parra’s splitter.
“His two-seamer is a hard, sinking fastball,” Lucroy said. “It just bit and went straight down to the ground. That happens. I can’t do anything about that and I can’t block a fastball. I can’t get down quick enough for that. All I can try to do is pick it, and I couldn’t grab that one.”
Braddock tends to have initial advantage
MILWAUKEE — One thing about the matchup between lefty reliever Zach Braddock and pinch-hitter Jim Thome in the Brewers’ 5-3 win over the Twins on Wednesday really stood out to manager Ken Macha: Thome had not previously faced Braddock.
Since calling Braddock up before the series finale at Target Field on May 23, the Brewers have seen the 22-year-old hard-throwing lefty enjoy plenty of success against hitters the first time he faces them.
“If you haven’t faced Braddock, you don’t realize how the ball jumps up on you,” Macha said. “The first time you face somebody like that … he hides the ball, it jumps on you.”
In Thome’s first at-bat against Braddock, the left-handed slugger went down swinging at a 1-2 slider.
After getting Thome to strike out to end the sixth, Braddock struck out another batter who had not previously faced him in center fielder Denard Span. Braddock followed that up with his third strikeout of the game, getting Orlando Hudson — who doubled off Braddock in Minnesota — to go down swinging.
Similar to Braddock has been reliever Kameron Loe, whose movement on his fastball has surprised even his manager at times.
“The movement of Loe’s fastball is off the charts,” Macha said. “I remember back to an at-bat somebody had in Florida and I thought they were all sliders — they were moving so much — but they were all fastballs.”
Loe saw some adjustments by hitters in his second inning on Tuesday night, but impressed by striking out third baseman Michael Cuddyer for the second straight night on Wednesday.
According to Macha, the key for Loe is to get the first-pitch strike.
“The at-bat against Cuddyer, strike one was very important,” Macha said. “That kind of forced Cuddyer to swing, because he took strike one. They know the ball’s sinking a lot, so strike one was very important for him.
“We’ll see how these guys progress as they get out there a little more in the scouting report.”
Worth noting
With a win Thursday, the Brewers would tie a season-long winning streak of four games. The club previously won four consecutive games from May 18-22. … A win would also give Milwaukee a sweep of the Minnesota, something the club has not done in a series of three or more games since May 17-20, 1996, at the Metrodome. … The Brewers’ last sweep of the Twins in Milwaukee came Aug. 24-27, 1995, when they took a four-game series at County Stadium. … The game on Saturday, July 3 at the St. Louis Cardinals has been changed to a 5:35 p.m. CT first pitch and has been added to the FS Wisconsin broadcast schedule. It was previously scheduled to begin at 3:10 p.m.
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Weeks helps Crew overcome wildness
MILWAUKEE — To be effective, Manny Parra has to be wild, to some degree. That was certainly the case for the Brewers lefty on Wednesday at Miller Park.
Despite throwing four wild pitches, Parra (2-5) effectively limited the Twins’ offense, giving up two runs during 5 2/3 innings as the Brewers took the 5-3 victory over the Twins.
Parra tied a club record with four wild pitches in a game, set by Ed Sprague on May 14, 1975, against the Rangers. According to both Parra and catcher Jonathan Lucroy, however, with a splitter like Parra’s, wild pitches are going to happen.
“With my split-finger, I’m bound to throw wild pitches,” Parra said. “I think last year, I shied away from it a little bit … but I’ve got to keep throwing that pitch, that’s the way I’m successful. I get guys swinging at some of those pitches.”
But as Lucroy was quick to point out, Parra only allowed two runners to score following a wild pitch — Twins first baseman Justin Morneau and third baseman Michael Cuddyer in the fourth.
“He did a good job of getting back in control and throwing some strikes,” Lucroy said. “The one thing you can take away from that is the way he bounced back and minimized the damage.”
Perhaps most importantly for Parra, though, the Brewers’ offense made the most of its opportunities, giving the lefty just enough run support to earn his first win since May 23, also against Minnesota, and his first win as a starter since Sept. 25, 2009, against the Phillies.
While the Brewers entered the game with a 5-19 record when not hitting a home run, they played small ball on Wednesday night to get the victory.
After both were stranded following a pair of singles to lead off the first, Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart combined to drive in four of the Brewers’ five runs. Weeks, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, played a role in all five Brewers runs on the night.
“We hustled to get our runs, we scrapped to get our runs,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “Sometimes, you have to do that. It’s not always on the big boys to do everything.”
Following a Weeks walk in the third, Hart ripped a double to the left-field corner, which scored Weeks from first.
One inning later, Weeks drove in a pair when he came up with a big two-run, two-out single to put the Brewers up, 3-2.
With Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Casey McGehee combining for a 0-for-10 night, with a lone RBI from Braun in the seventh on a fielder’s choice, the top of the Brewers’ order showed its run-producing potential.
“I don’t know if we would be 1-2 in most lineups, but we are in this lineup,” Hart said. “We try to get on base for the guys behind us. It’s nice to drive in runs, as well, but I think our goal is to get on as much as we can for Prince and Brauny.
“I’m not a power hitter. … I see myself as a guy that I role play to try to get going for those guys.”
Behind Parra, the Brewers’ bullpen was effective once again, giving up one run over 3 1/3 innings on four hits, while striking out five and walking just one.
Lefty Zach Braddock — who returned to the team after missing Tuesday’s series opener due to a death in the family — got a huge out for the Brewers in the sixth, entering in place of Parra to strike out pinch-hitter Jim Thome.
According to Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, the decision to remove starter Francisco Liriano, who had thrown only 77 pitches over five innings, was done to try to take advantage of a big opportunity in a National League ballgame.
“Got to try to win a ballgame. We’re losing. He’s probably got one more inning left in him, anyway,” Gardenhire said. “You’ve got a couple of guys on. Try to get him in a situation where, if he hits a double, score a couple runs.
“This National League stuff is different than it is over in our league. Have to take a chance when you can.”
After Braddock, the Brewers used Kameron Loe for one out in the seventh, Carlos Villanueva in the eighth, and John Axford closed it out in the ninth, earning the save.
“We got some big outs from the bullpen tonight,” Macha said. “Braddock coming in in the sixth inning, striking out Thome. Loe getting the strikeout on Cuddyer in the seventh. Good inning by Villa … and Ax made good pitches. He put the ball right where he wanted to.”
Brewers beat 5/23
Brewers’ wildness sets dubious club mark
MILWAUKEE — Brewers hurler Manny Parra tied one club record for wildness on Wednesday and played a key role in breaking another.
Parra tied a 35-year-old record by throwing four wild pitches during a 5-3 win over the Twins. An inning after Parra exited, reliever Kameron Loe also threw a wild pitch, giving the team five during the game, which broke the previous record.
Parra threw wild pitches in the second and fourth innings, then threw two in the sixth inning. Only once, however, did a wild pitch occur in an inning that featured a Twins run. First baseman Justin Morneau and third baseman Michael Cuddyer scored on a Delmon Young single to left in the fourth after advancing one base on a wild pitch one batter earlier.
“With my split-finger, I’m bound to throw wild pitches,” Parra said. “Obviously, it’s not good, but at the same time, I can’t stop doing that.”
While attempting to intentionally walk Young in the sixth, Parra threw the ball over the head of catcher Jonathan Lucroy, allowing Jason Kubel to advance from second to third base.
With Kubel on third, Brewers manager Ken Macha changed tactics and elected to have Parra pitch to Young. The strategy paid off when Young grounded to third baseman Casey McGehee, who threw to Lucroy to get Kubel for the out.
Parra’s four wild pitches tied Ed Sprague’s record, set on May 15, 1975, in Texas. As a team, the Brewers last threw four wild pitches in a game on Sept. 20, 2004.
“Those things are going to happen,” catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. “The two pitchers both have real good pitches. The split is unpredictable for Manny, and then Kameron’s pitch is his two-seamer, and that moves a lot.
“Those are two plus pitches, and they’re both really good but unpredictable. It’s going to happen, but both Kam and Manny did a great job of minimizing it.”
Braun will open second restaurant Thursday
MILWAUKEE — Nearly three months after opening his first restaurant in downtown Milwaukee, Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun is set to open his second on Thursday, Ryan Braun’s Tavern & Grill, in Lake Geneva, Wis.
Braun is scheduled to be in attendance on Thursday night, greeting guests, family and friends after the Brewers’ day game at Miller Park against the Minnesota Twins.
“I’m really excited about it,” Braun said. “It’s a great group of people. The chef’s great, the décor is cool, and I love Lake Geneva, so I’m excited to have an extra excuse to get down there as often as possible.
“I’m excited to get down there on Thursday and see what it looks like. I haven’t been there in 2 1/2 weeks, so I’m sure it’s really come together since then.”
According to a press release issued by Braun’s agent, the restaurant, located at 430 Broad Street, was extensively remodeled and will feature a comfortable, casual dining experience. It will serve Italian-American cuisine.
Additionally, the release notes that Braun has been involved every step of the way, from development to design to ambiance, and he is thrilled to open the Tavern and Grill doors to the Lake Geneva community.
As for the differences between Ryan Braun’s Waterfront, his downtown Milwaukee restaurant, and the new establishment, the budding restaurateur said each would reflect the surrounding community.
“I think they’re both specific to the demographic,” Braun said. “The one here in Milwaukee is a little more modern and contemporary. The one in Lake Geneva is a little more rustic, maybe a little cabin feel if you will.”
Macha would tweak Interleague slate
MILWAUKEE — When asked before Wednesday’s game what he would do to change Interleague Play, Brewers manager Ken Macha had one idea: Balance the schedule.
“This is my suggestion, [though] I don’t know if it’s possible: two 15-team leagues,” Macha said. “Each league has three divisions with five teams in it. You’d have an Interleague series every series throughout the season. That’s my suggestion.”
Macha’s suggestion came after he was informed of an idea from Twins manager Ron Gardenhire in the visiting dugout for changing Interleague Play: Play by American League rules in National League parks and NL rules in AL parks.
Though the Brewers’ manager did not give an opinion on that idea, he was very much in favor of balancing the schedule. As an example, Macha pointed to the geographic rivalry series. The A’s, who Macha used to manage, played the Giants annually. That meant facing outfielder Barry Bonds, then an elite offensive threat.
“For years, with Barry Bonds playing for the Giants, I was in Oakland,” Macha said. “And Seattle, who had a very good team, they were playing San Diego. And at that time, [the Padres] weren’t very good.”
A more recent example that Macha discussed was the Texas Rangers this season. The Rangers have been red hot during Interleague Play, but have not faced the top two teams in the NL Central. Oakland, on the other hand, has faced both Cincinnati and St. Louis.
In addition to balancing out Interleague Play, having six five-team divisions would make the playoff races more equitable, Macha said.
“You don’t play the same schedule, and sometimes, one team runs roughshod over another,” Macha said. “One year in Oakland, we were 17-2 against Seattle. So you have a four-team division, and you’re playing each team 19 times, if you have a couple teams in that division that are bad, you may finish second in that division.
“Then [you win] the Wild Card, instead of coming out of the East, where those teams may be better because their record may not be as good.”
Loe putting together dominant run for Crew
MILWAUKEE — Since being called up from Triple-A Nashville on June 1, reliever Kameron Loe has been nothing short of dominant for the Brewers, allowing only one earned run in 10 outings.
Including his strikeout in the seventh inning on Wednesday, Loe has pitched 13 1/3 innings over those 10 outings, giving up seven hits. Against the Twins on Tuesday, he tossed two scoreless innings and did not give up a hit while walking two and recording three strikeouts.
Though the 6-foot-8 right-hander was not as strong in his second inning of work on Tuesday, he managed to get through the top of the Twins’ lineup and escape with an impressive outing.
“In the second inning when he went out there, their hitters were going back in saying, ‘This ball’s sinking unbelievably,'” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “So they started laying off some pitches that were down. We’ll see how that goes as we proceed.”
It was Loe’s third outing of two or more innings this season, with his season-high coming on June 3 at Florida, when Loe pitched 2 1/3 innings without allowing a run.
Over his two innings on Tuesday, Loe faced eight Twins hitters, with the three strikeouts coming against Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young and Jason Kubel.
According to Macha, the sink on Loe’s pitches has been excellent.
“I watched some of the first inning he pitched [again], and his ball just disappears,” Macha said. “He struck out Cuddyer and he probably thought he was going to barrel the ball up and it was almost on the ground. The sink on his fastball’s been off the charts.”
Second-rounder among three picks to sign
MILWAUKEE — Three additional Draft selections, including second-round pick Jimmy Nelson, were signed this week by the Brewers, the club announced Wednesday.
Nelson, a right-hander from the University of Alabama, joins two other draft picks and three undrafted players in the Brewers’ latest round of signings.
Additionally, the Brewers have signed 21st-round pick Kevin Shackelford, another right-hander from Marshall University, and utility player Derrick Shaw, who was drafted in the 41st round out of Florida A&M.
The three new undrafted signees are lefty Charlie Bashara, right-hander Travis Stortz and center fielder Reggie Keen.
With the six new signees, the Brewers have now signed 34 players, 29 of which were draft picks from the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.
Worth noting
Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Wednesday’s game. … Lefty reliever Zach Braddock rejoined the Brewers before Wednesday’s game after leaving the team and missing Tuesday’s series opener due to a death in the family. … The Brewers, who came back from three runs down on Tuesday night to win, 7-5, tied a season high for their biggest comeback.
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Narveson recovers from slow start to win
MILWAUKEE — With the Brewers beginning a stretch of 20 games in 20 days on Tuesday, manager Ken Macha talked prior to the opener against the Twins about avoiding a game that taxed the entire bullpen. He also discussed needing to get long reliever Chris Capuano some work.
Six batters into the first inning against the Twins, it looked like he might get both.
After hitting the leadoff batter and walking two men, Brewers starter Chris Narveson allowed three consecutive singles, giving up three runs without recording an out. That prompted Macha to get Capuano warming up in the bullpen.
Narveson promptly retired 14 of the final 16 batters, and he picked a man off, escaping with an improbable 7-5 victory at Miller Park.
With the bases loaded and three runs already in, Narveson induced a popup to center field from Twins third baseman Danny Valencia. From there, the lefty settled in and turned the game around, avoiding a disastrous start.
“It’s a mentality a lot of times,” Narveson said. “It was kind of one of those things where you said, ‘Hey, you’ve got to step up and pitch the way you can. You’ve got a good game plan. You know how to attack these hitters. Go out and execute it, and go from there.'”
Narveson (6-4) got the start against the Twins because right-hander Dave Bush was pushed back to Friday due to poor career numbers against the club, including a career-worst outing at Target Field earlier this season when Bush was unable to escape the first inning.
Through six batters, Narveson appeared destined for the same fate. The rest of the way, he nearly faced the minimum number of batters. First-inning struggles have been common for Narveson, whose ERA in the frame jumped to 12.27 for the season. But he rebounded against the Twins to earn his sixth victory of the season, tying him with Yovani Gallardo for the team lead.
“He threw the ball over a little better, and he used his breaking ball and changeup a little bit better,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He did a good job of hanging in there because we could’ve put him away in the first inning, and he got out of it. And then he did a really nice job of hanging in.”
Narveson also contributed some timely hitting in the fourth inning, driving in the go-ahead run to complete a four-run rally.
The Brewers opened the inning with four hits in a row, including a three-run homer to right field by Casey McGehee that tied the ballgame, 3-3. But it was the fifth hit of the inning, off Narveson’s bat, that put the Brewers ahead for good.
“I was able just to stay inside of it and get it down the line,” Narveson said. “There was definitely luck and skill involved, but I think you’re just trying to help the team win the game any way you can.”
After trailing early against Twins starter Scott Baker (6-6), who has had a history of success against the Brewers, tagging him for four runs in the fourth was a big boost for Milwaukee. Baker won both of his starts against the Brewers in 2009.
“They’ve got a quality starting staff. That was big for us to be able to come back on a guy of his quality,” McGehee said. “He’s given us some fits. I know last year, he was tough on us, so it was definitely nice to be able to get something going against him.”
The Brewers scored three more runs in the sixth and seventh, including a Rickie Weeks solo home run, giving them breathing room. The insurance came in handy when reliever Todd Coffey gave up two runs without recording an out during his first appearance since May 29.
With the tying run at the plate in the eighth inning, though, closer John Axford came in and shut the Twins down, recording six outs for his fifth save of the season. He surrendered only one hit, to Joe Mauer with two outs in the ninth inning, but he recovered to fan Justin Morneau and end the game.
The Brewers hope that they can make up some ground during their nine-game homestand, and taking the first game was a positive first step. When asked about it after the game, Macha said the club just needed to get back to .500 first. Milwaukee’s win against the Twins improved its record to 30-40. The Brewers trail the NL Central-leading Cardinals by nine games.
“When you’re this far behind … it would be nice to get within the tail lights of .500,” Macha said. “They’re around the bend right now. It’s still a long way off, but a good homestand would help that out.”
Lawrie selected to 2nd Futures Game
MILWAUKEE — Second baseman Brett Lawrie, the Brewers’ first-round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, will represent the club at the 12th annual XM All-Star Futures Game, it was announced Tuesday.
“It’s an incredible honor for him to receive,” Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said. “He’s very well-deserving of the honor. He’s worked hard, and he’s made some necessary adjustments that have allowed him to become more consistent on offense and defense.”
A British Columbia native, Lawrie was listed as a member of the World Team and is the Brewers’ lone representative in the game.
The Futures Game, which features many of the top Minor League prospects in the league, will begin at 5:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 11. The game will air live on ESPN2, ESPN2 HD and MLB.TV. Additionally, XM will provide satellite radio play-by-play coverage on XM 175.
Each Major League organization is represented in the game, and the World Team features players from 10 different countries and territories.
The selection is Lawrie’s second in a row; he joins just 58 players to have played in the game at least twice.
Lawrie joins current Brewers shortstop Alcides Escobar as the only current Brewers player to make two Futures Game appearances.
Through 69 games entering Tuesday, Lawrie batted .297 with six home runs and 40 RBIs for Double-A Huntsville.
Brewers scouting director Bruce Seid, who was the club’s West Coast cross-checker when Lawrie was drafted in 2008, has not seen Lawrie play in nearly a year but remains impressed with the young second baseman.
“We feel he has the potential to be an everyday Major League player for us,” Seid said. “He’s had a really good year. Being named to the Futures Game means being recognized as someone who has the potential to play at the next level, and we certainly see that in Brett.”
Current Brewers who played in the All-Star Futures Game include Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Chris Narveson, Rickie Weeks, Escobar, Yovani Gallardo and George Kottaras.
Braun, Fielder and Hart are among 62 players to have played in both the Futures Game and the All-Star Game.
At just 20 years old, Lawrie is one of the Brewers’ most highly regarded prospects. Ash said he was impressed with the way Lawrie has “excelled with the challenge” of playing for the club’s Double-A affiliate at his age.
“He’s got unlimited potential,” Ash said. “He’s a great athlete, and he could play anywhere on the field for us.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Lawrie selected to second Futures game
MILWAUKEE — Second baseman Brett Lawrie, the Brewers’ first-round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, will represent the club at the 12th annual XM All-Star Futures Game, it was announced Tuesday.
“It’s an incredible honor for him to receive,” Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said. “He’s very well-deserving of the honor. He’s worked hard, and he’s made some necessary adjustments that have allowed him to become more consistent on offense and defense.”
A British Columbia native, Lawrie was listed as a member of the World Team and is the Brewers’ lone representative in the game.
The Futures Game, which features many of the top Minor League prospects in the league, will begin at 5:00 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 11. The game will air live on ESPN2, ESPN2 HD and MLB.TV. Additionally, XM will provide satellite radio play-by-play coverage on XM 175.
Each Major League organization is represented in the game, and the World Team features players from 10 different countries and territories.
The selection is Lawrie’s second in a row; he joins just 58 players to have played in the game at least twice.
Lawrie joins current Brewers shortstop Alcides Escobar as the only current Brewers player to make two Futures Game appearances.
Through 69 games entering Tuesday, Lawrie batted .297 with six home runs and 40 RBIs for Double-A Huntsville.
Brewers scouting director Bruce Seid, who was the club’s West Coast cross-checker when Lawrie was drafted in 2008, has not seen Lawrie play in nearly a year but remains impressed with the young second baseman.
“We feel he has the potential to be an everyday Major League player for us,” Seid said. “He’s had a really good year. Being named to the Futures Game means being recognized as someone who has the potential to play at the next level, and we certainly see that in Brett.”
Current Brewers who played in the All-Star Futures Game include Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Chris Narveson, Rickie Weeks, Escobar, Yovani Gallardo and George Kottaras.
Braun, Fielder and Hart are among 62 players to have played in both the Futures Game and the All-Star Game.
At just 20 years old, Lawrie is one of the Brewers’ most highly regarded prospects. Ash said he was impressed with the way Lawrie has “excelled with the challenge” of playing for the club’s Double-A affiliate at his age.
“He’s got unlimited potential,” Ash said. “He’s a great athlete, and he could play anywhere on the field for us.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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