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Hart’s walk-off HR lifts Brewers to sweep
MILWAUKEE — It was the perfect ending to a great week for Corey Hart.
A week after being named to his second All-Star Game, the Brewers right fielder capped the first half of the season with his second walk-off home run on Sunday.
Hart, who had struggled through his first four at-bats of the game, crushed a 1-0 slider out to left off Pirates closer Octavio Dotel, giving the Brewers the 6-5 victory at Miller Park.
“I was trying to see something and get a hit,” Hart said. “When I hit it, I didn’t want to be one of those guys that put my hand way up in the air, so I gave it the half finger because I thought I got it.
“I knew it was going to be over his head, so I knew the run would score.”
Hart’s blast put an exclamation point on what is sure to be a memorable day for him, as he was named to the starting lineup of the National League All-Star squad as a replacement for injured Braves outfielder Jason Heyward.
Afterward, Hart was all smiles after his team-leading 21st home run saved the day for Milwaukee and sent the Brewers into the All-Star break on a positive note.
“They were giving Corey a lot of breaking balls,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “He finally got one up and didn’t miss it. That’s a nice ending to the first half.
“The climate in [the clubhouse] is a 180 [degrees different] from the end of the [previous] series.”
Not only did Hart give the Brewers the win, but the two-time All-Star also picked up the slack of closer John Axford.
With the Brewers having tied the score at 4 in the eighth on a pair of singles by Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez, the game was placed in Axford’s hands with the expectation that he would give the home team a chance to win in the bottom half of the ninth.
Axford (5-1), who was pitching for the third straight game, gave up a pair of singles to open the inning, which was followed by a sacrifice fly to right, putting the Pirates ahead by a run.
The first single, which came on a bunt by Ronny Cedeno in which he narrowly avoided a tag by first baseman Prince Fielder, was a call which Axford did not agree with afterward.
“I thought Prince got him right on the heel, so did Prince,” Axford said. “I’m sure if you ask the umpires, they’ll say, ‘No,’ but if you ask them without a paper and pen and maybe a recorder, they might say that he was tagged.
“It was right there. I was standing right in front of it, and it looked pretty good. I even thought I heard it.”
Axford escaped the inning when he snagged a ball hit back through the middle and started a crucial inning-ending double play.
Though he was frustrated when he returned to the dugout, Axford reminded himself that his club was certainly capable of coming back again.
Three batters later, he was right.
Lefty starter Randy Wolf was not as sharp as he might have liked to have been, but he did just enough to keep the Brewers in the game. Wolf allowed four runs on seven hits over six innings while walking three and recording five strikeouts.
For the second straight outing, Wolf had a solid start except for one bad inning — a three-run second frame. The only other blemish was a solo homer in the sixth by rookie third baseman Pedro Alvarez.
“One rough inning,” Wolf said. “I left some balls over the plate, and they had a three-run inning. That last run. … I was successful all day with fastballs to Alvarez and he just finally caught up to one and he barreled it.
“I’m not happy with it, but I’m glad we ended up winning in the end.”
Despite his lack of success early on — Alvarez was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts going into the at-bat — he stuck with it and gave his team the 4-3 lead.
“You never know when you can get a big hit,” he said. “It’s a matter of not giving up, and I just kept with it. I was fortunate enough to put a good swing on the ball.”
Along with Hart’s big blast, the Brewers got two more homers, solo shots by Braun and George Kottaras.
For Braun, who continues to break out of a prolonged slump, the home run was his second in as many games as he went 5-for-8 with two home runs, five runs and three RBIs in the three-game sweep.
After dropping five straight with some of their worst performances of the season, the Brewers head into the All-Star break riding a wave of momentum.
“We feel better about ourselves, that’s a good thing,” Braun said. “It’s irrelevant to think about whether we’ve won four or five games in a row or lost four or five in a row.
“We just need to focus on the task at hand, go inning to inning, at-bat to at-bat, pitch to pitch and try to put ourselves in the best position to be successful.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Brewers beat 7/11
Hart joins Braun as All-Start starter
MILWAUKEE — What a week it has been for Corey Hart.
A week ago, Hart was named to the All-Star Game for the second time as a reserve outfielder for the National League.
One week later, he has been added to the starting lineup.
Hart, who will participate in Monday’s Home Run Derby, was announced Sunday as the replacement for injured Braves outfielder Jason Heyward, joining teammate Ryan Braun in the starting outfield for the NL.
“I was excited, then I got really excited when Brauny came in and kind of like jumped on me,” said Hart, who hit a two-run walk-off homer, his 21st, to cap the Brewers’ 6-5 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday. “We haven’t had two position players in the starting lineup for I don’t know how long. So it’s a pretty good moment for us.”
It’s the first time in 27 years that the Brewers will have two position players in the starting lineup as Braun and Hart share the outfield in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Anaheim.
The last pair of Brewers position players to start together in the All-Star Game were catcher Ted Simmons and shortstop Robin Yount for the American League in 1983.
Braun, who is the first Brewers player to start in the All-Star Game three straight years, joined Ben Sheets in the starting lineup in 2008, as Sheets was the starting pitcher for the NL.
For Hart, the starting nod just adds to an already impressive first half of the season.
After struggling for much of the 2009 season, Hart had a poor Spring Training, leading to his benching on Opening Day.
Hart expressed his displeasure with being taken out of the Opening Day starting lineup but used that move as the motivation behind his surprising resurgence.
It has paid off so far as he has moved from the No. 7 spot in the batting order to No. 2, becoming one of manager Ken Macha’s most reliable hitters.
More importantly, though, Hart earned the respect of the rest of the league, as he was voted into the All-Star Game by his peers.
“It’s pretty nice,” Hart said of being added to the starting lineup after all he has been through this season. “It’s an extra stamp on the, ‘I told you so,’ I guess. I love it here, and I wanted to prove to them that I could be the guy again.
“I’ve always told them I wanted to be here and I want to stay here as long as they’ll let me. Obviously they were down on me, so I wanted to prove them wrong so they could get a good feeling about me again.”
Hawkins’ rehab stint starts Thursday
MILWAUKEE — After two months on the disabled list, LaTroy Hawkins finally will return to game action on Thursday, for the Brewers’ rookie league team in Arizona.
Hawkins is scheduled to pitch one inning in Arizona against the Cubs’ rookie league squad. If all goes according to plan in that outing for Hawkins, the veteran reliever will go to Nashville to continue his rehab with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate.
“I don’t know exactly what the schedule is, but he’s going to get back-to-back days and he’s going to get a two-inning stint also,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “Hopes are that he may be back around the Cincinnati series [on July 26-28].”
The true test over the next two weeks for Hawkins will be the back-to-back days he pitches with Nashville, Macha said based on his conversation with pitching coach Rick Peterson.
“It’s broken up into back-to-back days and then a two-inning stint, and I think the back-to-back days are right before the Cincinnati series,” Macha said. “Rick’s feeling is if he’s fine after the back-to-back days he should be ready to join us.”
No slowing Axford’s surprising rise
MILWAUKEE — If anyone said they saw this coming from John Axford, they’d be lying.
Since being called up on May 15, Axford has emerged as the Brewers’ closer, something no one would have expected in Spring Training with the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, on the roster.
Axford, a 27-year-old native of Ontario, Canada, hasn’t just taken hold of the closer’s role for the Brewers either. He’s been consistently dominant in the late innings for the Crew.
“Who knew he was going to come and do this?” manager Ken Macha said of Axford.
With his save in Saturday’s win over the Pirates, Axford maintained his perfect mark, having converted 10-of-10 save opportunities. Along with that impressive streak, Axford is 4-1 with a 2.88 ERA.
Axford made his 22nd appearance of the season Saturday, and finally surrendered the first home run — a solo shot by catcher Ryan Doumit — of his Major League career.
“We got the win, we got the save, that’s all that matters,” Axford said. “Obviously I don’t want to give up that home run, the first one of my career. It was going to happen at some point or another if I want to keep going in this game, obviously.
“It’d probably be a miracle if I didn’t give up one if I kept playing.”
Axford has quickly become a fan favorite, due in large part to his facial hair.
When first called up, Axford sported a handlebar mustache, the ends of which he occasionally curled, giving him a look reminiscent of former Brewers closer and Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers.
He has since switched to a different look with the mustache, but remains a favorite among Brewers fans as he continues to impress in the ninth. After being called up in September 2009, Axford’s goal was to return to the big leagues in 2010 out of Spring Training.
He had to wait until May, but his first two months in the big leagues this season have been better than anyone could have predicted.
“It’s been great, it’s been fun,” Axford said. “Coming out of that ‘pen, obviously the emotions are going and everything like that. But on the mound, I try to calm it.
“Outside those lines, everything’s been fantastic, it’s been great. I’m feeling happy all the time no matter what’s really going on. I’m happy to be here, especially in the situation I’ve been put in to have the confidence and the trust of the staff. It’s been a blessing.”
Braddock becomes reliable source of relief
MILWAUKEE — Three rough outings aside, Zach Braddock has been as reliable as any Brewers reliever since being called up in late May.
Braddock surrendered four runs in the ninth inning of a 10-4 loss to the Mets on May 30, one run in an inning against the Cubs on June 9 and three runs to the Rockies in just two-thirds of an inning on June 19.
In his other 16 appearances through Saturday, Braddock had not allowed a run.
It adds up to a 1-1 record with a 4.32 ERA in those 19 appearances for Braddock, who also had allowed five of 13 inherited runners to score.
“I’ve had my struggles, but I’ve also had my successes,” Braddock said. “Learning this road is keeping those as evenly keeled as possible. You never want to have those bad days, but it’s how you pick up off them and how you come out the next day and get right back at it.”
Since giving up three runs in Colorado on June 19, Braddock entered Sunday having pitched 6 2/3 innings over eight appearances without allowing a run. He also has given up just six hits and one walk over the same stretch while recording seven strikeouts.
In his time with the big league club, Braddock has been fortunate to spend every game in the bullpen alongside all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman. The experience has been invaluable for Braddock.
“A lot of the older guys have helped me, but obviously, the no-brainer is Trevor Hoffman,” Braddock said. “His experience speaks volumes over my time here. And I don’t even have to seek out help. Sometimes all it takes is to observe his daily routine.”
In addition to the veterans on the club, though, Braddock has benefited from playing alongside a couple young players like himself in catcher Jonathan Lucroy and closer John Axford.
For Braddock, the familiarity with Lucroy and Axford has only made his experience in the Majors that much better.
“It’s always great to have friends with you, and it’s always great to have guys who you can bounce the experience off,” Braddock said. “We’re all going through this together.
“With the bond that Jonathan and I have, it can only strengthen that between us as a battery. And with Ax and I, it can only make us better to share our experiences out there with each other.”
Manager Ken Macha named fellow relievers Kameron Loe and Axford as “pleasant surprises” before Sunday’s game.
As for Braddock, however, his performance has been about what Macha and the Brewers had expected out of the lefty.
“He’s been in some games where he’s done extremely well,” Macha said. “He’s gotten hit hard here, too. Kameron Loe, he’s an invitee to Major League camp and then he comes in and has the impact he’s had. I’d say that’s a bigger surprise.
“We all knew Braddock had great stuff.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Big game has Braun turning corner
MILWAUKEE — It’s safe to say Ryan Braun’s recent slump is a thing of the past.
Before the game against the Pirates on Saturday, manager Ken Macha said he didn’t think Braun had ever experienced such a slump in his life at any level.
From the looks of this series, he won’t have to worry about that anymore.
After a game-winning single in the 10th inning on Friday, Braun broke out in a big way on Saturday night, homering, doubling and scoring three runs to lead the Brewers past the Pirates, 4-3, at Miller Park.
Macha said that players are judged based on the way they respond to adversity, which Braun has had quite a bit of over the past month.
“Hopefully he’s working his way out of it,” said Macha.
Braun belted his 12th home run of the season and his first since June 28, a solo shot to left-center field in the third. Prince Fielder followed with a shot to right, giving the Brewers their fifth set of back-to-back homers this season.
“On 3-2, I challenged Prince, and he made me pay, and Braun hit a fat slider out,” said Pirates starter Jeff Karstens, who was tagged with his fourth loss of the season. “[Braun] has kind of hit me well, so I have to figure that out.”
Braun added a double in the fifth as he went 2-for-4 and scored three of the Brewers’ four runs.
Going back to his final at-bat on Friday night, Braun is 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored. Before singling in the sixth inning on Friday, he had been 0-for-19.
“I wouldn’t say I’m locked in, [but] I feel better than I did a couple days ago,” Braun said. “It’s a gradual process. You’ve got to walk before you can run I guess. I’m headed in the right direction and starting to feel better.”
Braun wasn’t the only Brewers starter with an impressive performance.
Right-handed starter Dave Bush delivered his fifth consecutive quality start, giving up just two runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings while walking one and striking out five.
Bush (4-6) picked up the win, his third in his past four decisions. In 18 appearances and 17 starts this season, Bush has 11 quality starts with a 4.14 ERA.
Since getting roughed up for seven runs in just one-third inning in Minnesota on May 21, Bush has gone 3-1 with a 3.37 ERA, with six quality starts. Bush’s performance lately has been as good as it has been since suffering a triceps injury in June 2009 after being struck on the arm with a line drive in Florida.
“The last month or so, I’ve had good command and quite honestly, I’m just feeling stronger,” Bush said. “I feel like I’ve kind of gotten back to the point where I was before I got hurt.
“At the beginning of the year, I was still struggling a little bit with arm strength. It was just a process to getting back to where I felt comfortable. I feel like I have a little more life on the ball now and that sets up my pitches better.”
If not for two bad outings — April 25 vs. Chicago and May 21 at Minnesota — Bush would have a 2.95 ERA with just 30 runs allowed in 91 2/3 innings outside of those two starts.
“The other thing is we really haven’t scored a whole lot of runs for him,” said Macha, whose club is 6-11 when Bush starts. “He’s been a little bit of a tough-luck guy. He came out of a game the other day [with the score] 1-1, pitched very well.
“What’s that [17] starts now? He’s probably given us a chance [to win] in 14 of them.”
Bush allowed two baserunners with just one out in the first, but he settled down nicely the rest of the way, retiring nine of the next 10 batters and 14 of the next 18 before finally giving up a run in the sixth on a Garrett Jones homer to lead off the inning.
Behind Bush, the Brewers got another strong performance from the bullpen as reliever Kameron Loe and Zach Braddock combined for 1 2/3 scoreless innings before handing it off to John Axford.
The closer gave up a home run to lead off the ninth — the first he has allowed in his Brewers career — and proceeded to retire the next three hitters, recording his 10th save in as many chances
With the victory, the Brewers won consecutive games for the first time since winning five in a row from June 20-25.
“The back-to-back wins for the team were more important than the back-to-back homers,” Braun said. “Obviously yesterday was a good win for us, today’s a good win, and it’d be real nice to come out and win tomorrow and go into the All-Star break with some momentum.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Bucs blow lead, lose on walk-off in 10th
MILWAUKEE — Even All-Stars have an off night once in a while.
If there was one thing Pirates manager John Russell thought he could count on, it was the performance of relievers Joel Hanrahan, Octavio Dotel and Evan Meek.
Unfortunately for Russell and the Pirates, those three were the ones that surrendered the lead over the final three innings on Friday night as the Pirates lost, 5-4, to the Brewers at Miller Park.
“The three guys that we bring in in the eighth, ninth and 10th are guys that have done that job for us all year long and each one of them gave up runs,” Russell said. “It’s not something we see very often. Unfortunately, it happened. It’s a shame.”
With a 4-2 lead in the eighth, Hanrahan came on in relief of left-handed starter Paul Maholm, carrying an 11-inning scoreless streak with him. Brewers slugger Prince Fielder ended that streak with one swing of the bat, crushing a 1-2 slider deep into the second deck in right field.
In the ninth, closer Octavio Dotel came on looking to end it and snap the Pirates’ four-game losing skid. Dotel had converted seven consecutive saves since June 13, but he struggled after starting the inning with a groundout to third base.
Despite a bunt single, stolen base, throwing error, triple and wild pitch — all with one out — Dotel escaped with the game tied, leaving the contest in the hands of Meek, who entered the game with just a 0.94 ERA.
Meek (4-3) battled for two outs through the first three hitters, including an impressive strikeout of fellow All-Star Corey Hart. With that, it looked like Meek would escape unscathed.
But Meek was bested by fellow All-Star Ryan Braun, who drove a first-pitch slider to the wall in right, plating Rickie Weeks and giving the Brewers the walk-off win.
“To put it simply, the No. 1 priority with Braun was just to keep the ball down, and it was a bad pitch,” Meek said. “It was a breaking ball and it was up right where he was looking to hit it, and that’s really it.
“It was just a poor pitch. You’ve got to keep the ball down with all these guys, especially Braun, and the ball was up. And he did what he should’ve done to it.”
Braun got the opportunity to deliver the game-winning hit after the Pirates chose to walk Fielder with first base open.
“Of course, you always want to make the team pay when they walk Prince,” Braun said. “I’m just glad to contribute.”
Perhaps most disappointing about the bullpen’s performance on the night were the good performances that it wasted.
Before Friday’s game, Russell talked about the need for good pitching and extra-base hits to change the Pirates’ fortunes on the road.
They got some of each in the series opener against the Brewers, but unfortunately, the hitting faltered after the fifth as did the pitching following the seventh.
Maholm overcame early struggles to toss seven strong innings, allowing just two runs on three hits while giving up two walks, hitting three batters and recording four strikeouts.
After walking Weeks to lead off the game, Maholm surrendered a two-run opposite-field blast to Corey Hart, his 20th of the season. Aside from some issues with hit batters, Maholm effectively limited the Brewers the rest of the way, giving up just two hits.
“I just got [upset] and started throwing, that’s what it boils down to,” Maholm said. “It wasn’t any mechanical change. I’ve had a couple bad outings, but I just told myself that was going to be it. It was going to stop there and I was going to get deep into the game.”
Maholm had plenty of support early, as the Pirates picked up five extra-base hits — three doubles and two home runs — the first four of which contributed to the club’s four runs on the night.
They couldn’t score after the fifth inning, though, as the Brewers’ bullpen combined to toss five scoreless innings to pick up lefty starter Doug Davis, who struggled in his return from a nearly two-month stay on the disabled list.
The Brewers may have caught a break in the eighth inning, when Lastings Milledge’s single struck second-base umpire Chris Guccione in the foot on its way to center field. Garrett Jones might have tried to score from second on the play had it not struck the ump and been moving fast enough to elude second baseman Weeks, but Jones instead had to return to his base and was stranded there.
Brewers closer John Axford (4-1) picked up the win, throwing a scoreless 10th.
As the home team walked off to victory, snapping a five-game losing streak, the Pirates added a fourth game to their losing skid, and Pittsburgh came out on the losing end for the 22nd time in its last 24 road games.
“It’s just frustrating to play well and not be able to close it out,” Maholm said. “But you give those guys the ball every night and they’re going to have an off night. But you come back tomorrow and expect them to do well.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs
Brewers beat 6/25
Zduriencik returns to Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE — For the first time since leaving to become general manager of the Seattle Mariners, former Brewers director of scouting Jack Zduriencik returned to Miller Park on Friday for the clubs’ Interleague series.
“It’s great walking back in here,” Zduriencik said. “It’s nice to see these guys doing so well. All the guys are great. We came in from the right-field line and a lot of the guys came over and said hello.
“It’s good to see so many of them doing so well.”
Zduriencik, who joined the organization in 1999, has been credited by many for putting together the talented young core that the Brewers have been built around for several years.
During his time in Milwaukee, Zduriencik was the first non-general manager to receive the Major League Executive of the Year Award from Baseball America in 2007.
Some notable selections during Zduriencik’s time with the Brewers include Corey Hart in 2000, Manny Parra in ’01, Prince Fielder in ’02, Rickie Weeks in ’03, Yovani Gallardo in ’04, Ryan Braun in ’05 and Jonathan Lucroy in ’07.
Since leaving the Brewers, however, Zduriencik has not enjoyed as much success in Seattle as he, or anyone else in the organization would have liked. In particular the club’s offense has struggled quite a bit
Of late, though, the team has been on a hot streak, winning six of its last seven.
“We’ve played well lately, unfortunately the club ahead of us has played a little bit better,” Zduriencik said. “[The Rangers] have won 11 in a row. We play good and we lose ground. So we’ll see what happens, though … there’s a lot of season to be played.”
While he’ll finally get to see his former club in person this weekend, Zduriencik said he keeps up on the Brewers quite a bit along with his duties as the Seattle general manager.
Zduriencik also said he hoped to face the Brewers again after this weekend.
“I watch the Brewers all the time,” Zduriencik said. “I told all these guys out here today that I’m proud of what they’ve done. I pull for them all the time. I’d love for them to win this division and go on.
“It would be a dream come true to be able to play this club in the World Series.”
Davis takes next step toward return
MILWAUKEE — While lefty Doug Davis made his second of two planned rehab starts on Thursday, the Brewers do not plan to make a decision on his next step until Saturday.
Pitching in his second rehab start for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, Davis quieted the Memphis Redbirds over an impressive five-inning outing. Davis threw 82 pitches, giving up just two hits and one walk while striking out nine batters.
“Everything went well,” Davis said. “I don’t know what their plan for me is yet. All I know is, I’m ready, so it’s up to them now when they’re ready for me.”
Manager Ken Macha said that he planned to meet with pitching coach Rick Peterson, bullpen coach Stan Kyles and general manager Doug Melvin on Saturday to discuss the future of the pitching staff and in particular, their plan for Davis.
“We’re going to have a huge summit tomorrow,” Macha said. “Rick, Stan Kyles, myself and Doug will sit down and probably talk for five minutes. So it’ll be a huge summit. It’ll be along the lines of the Russian president and Obama, the meeting they just had.
“We’ll try to figure it out, it’s nice that he’s healthy and he threw the ball well last night.”
Macha added that he had his own idea for what might happen, but was unsure whether it would be the consensus opinion.
Additionally, he noted one part of the plan that he knew for certain.
“He pitched the same day that [Yovani Gallardo] pitched,” Macha said. “So I don’t think he’s going to pitch on Yo’s day.”
Gerut takes batting practice
MILWAUKEE — Nearly a month after going on the disabled list with a bruised right heel, outfielder Jody Gerut took batting practice on Friday for the first time since the injury.
Gerut, who went on the disabled list on June 7 — retroactive to May 27 — said everything felt fine in his first session at the plate in more a month.
“I’m finally making some improvements, I’d say I’m probably about halfway there,” Gerut said. “It was nice to be back on the field again and break a sweat.”
Despite the positives that came out of his session, Gerut remained unsure of when he would be able to return to the active roster.
“I really don’t know, I wish I could be more specific, but I can’t do it,” Gerut said. “It’s been a month and they were targeting two to three days. So with that wide of a range, how could I possibly put a date on it in the future?”
Brewers manager Ken Macha said that he too was unsure whether Gerut would return anytime soon, but seemed to think it would be later rather than sooner.
“I can’t tell you where he is,” Macha said. “I’m sure he’s going to have to go play some games. He’s going to have to run, too. I’d say he’s a while yet, but we’re all happy that he at least he took some BP today.”
After sitting for more than a month, Gerut certainly is eager to get back to game action.
“I’m bored, I find this whole thing uninteresting,” Gerut said. “I’m not having fun not playing. I’d rather be playing.”
Braun dines with fans at new restaurant
LAKE GENEVA — As Ryan Braun opened his second restaurant on Thursday, he was greeted by a huge crowd of fans who had traveled near and far to meet the left fielder.
One family drove more than 10 hours from their Michigan home to meet Braun. The reception was a bit of a shock for Braun.
“This is far more people than I expected to see come out here tonight,” Braun said. “I was expecting more of a low key, quiet, private gathering. But it’s great, I’m really impressed.”
Ryan Braun’s Tavern and Grill, located at 430 Broad Street in Lake Geneva, Wis., saw an impressive turnout as it opened its doors for the first time.
According to Tom Romano, who owns the restaurant along with Braun, the restaurant seated an estimated 400 customers, while an additional estimated 600 patrons were in attendance to see Braun throughout the night.
After arriving just after 7:30 p.m., Braun finally managed to get a bite to eat around 9 p.m. It was the first time Braun had tried anything on the menu, and the budding restaurateur was impressed once again.
“It was great, I got to take some time and try a few different appetizers and desserts along with my meal,” Braun said. “I had the filet, and everything I had was just great. Our chef does an excellent job.”
Braun, who said he used to get down to Lake Geneva on every Brewers off-day, expects to make more trips down to the city now that his restaurant has opened.
Though much of his night was filled with almost constant requests for autographs and photographs, Braun said one of the best parts of the night was getting to meet his fans.
“It’s awesome, the community here in Lake Geneva is great,” Braun said. “I’ve been here a lot, but I’ve never really met many of the people who live in the area. They’ve all been very nice and given a lot of feedback, both about the Brewers and the restaurant.”
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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.
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