Wei-Chung Wang Wednesday 2nd Edition

Today the Brewers bullpen released their second edition of "Wei-Chung Wang Wednesday", and with the third best bullpen ERA (2.16) in the majors there is a lot to celebrate. In addition to being great all year, the bullpen has been especially good in the first two games of this series against the Cardinals. In the series they have put together 11 innings while only allowing one run and racking up 17 punchouts of Cardinal hitting. K-Rod has been absolutely lights out once the Brewers get the lead and has tied the major league record for saves in April (13), with a chance to set his own tonight. Clearly the pressure of maintaining status as the best team in the league is not affecting the Brewers with the bullpen making ridiculous videos and Jonathan Lucroy taking "selfies" with his starting pitchers before games. They look to continue their winning ways this afternoon as they seek their first road sweep of the Cardinals since 09'.

Brewers Look To Steal Game 2 With Depleted Lineup

Kyle Lohse has a tall task tonight as he takes on the rival redbirds with three of his biggest bats out of the Brewers lineup: Braun, Ramirez and Segura. I would think Segura should be in the lineup tonight if not tomorrow, while Roenicke says Thursday is more likely. Segura himself said there's no pain and he feels like he can see just fine, so get him in there. Bad luck found Ramirez last night as a wild pitch somehow missed his elbow guard and got him on the bone, making him a straight no-go for tonight. Braun's injury is a little bit different as he is day-to-day with his oblique injury, but he did make an appearance in the on-deck circle last night. Although he ultimately ended up not batting, that would indicate that he should be able to play tonight in a worst-case scenario or as a pinch hitter. In addition to the injuries Martin Maldonado is starting for Jonathan Lucroy, who hasn't had a day off in over a week. The Brewers have a tough task with tonight's makeshift lineup, especially since haven't taken a series in St. Louis since September of 2012.

Khris Davis Plays Hero

Khris Davis turned what looked to be a night to forget into a night to remember in arguably the Brewers best win of the season Monday night. The 12-inning battle with the Cardinals turned in the Brewers favor when Davis knocked in Jonathan Lucroy by fighting off a two-strike pitch down the right field line for his first career triple. Nights like Khris Davis had are why baseball is the greatest game on earth. After collecting four strikeouts and leaving the bases loaded in the 6th and 7th inning it was not surprising that the spotlight found him again in the 12th. Anyone who has played baseball knows that when you're not going well at the plate everything seems to go against you. Cardinal pitching just kept pounding the strike zone against Davis and he almost looked in disbelief that he kept swinging through pitches, which is why it is no surprise Davis quickly fell to 0-2 against Seth Maness in his final at-bat. After choking up an inch and just looking to get the bat on the ball, Davis fouled one off, took a ball, then slapped the fifth pitch down the line in right field. The fact that Davis was able to put together the at-bat that he did in that situation would make you think he's been in the league ten years. The baseball gods gave Davis one last shot at redemption last night, and he made the most of it.

Brewers - Cubs Preview

With injury trouble and suspensions looming the Brewers limp into their series with the Cubs which starts tonight. Maldonado is out for the series while still serving his suspension, and Gomez is still in the appeals process. The Brewers are already on a short bench with Logan Schafer on the DL until May, so if Gomez is forced to serve his suspension Elian Herrera would be the starting center fielder. Herrera wouldn't even qualify as a poor man's version of Gomez as he is only 2-10 at the plate in this young season. Herrera in center field could create some problems in a worst case scenario because he is also the emergency catcher behind Jonathan Lucroy as Maldonado serves his suspension. The good news for the Brewers is that the pitching continues to be stellar. The entire staff's 2.52 ERA is second in the majors only behind the Braves. They look to continue their recent success against the Cubs winning 33 of the last 45 meetings between the two teams. Ryan Braun has also enjoyed his own success in these teams last 10 meetings hitting safely in every one and batting .525 with five homers and 17 RBIs. Jean Segura also looks to remain hot after collecting two hits in his last game, one being a big three-run homer.

Brewers - Cubs Storylines

Battle of Familiar Pitchers: Carlos Villanueva (1-4 10.93 ERA) comes back to the Brew City where his career was the epitome of a roller coaster experience. One game he would be getting Albert Pujols out in a big situation and the next he would be giving up late game hits to the likes of Reed Johnson which just left me scratching my head. Something to keep in mind: Aramis Ramirez is a career .500 hitter (4-8) against Villanueva dating back to his Chicago days and he has been on fire early this season. On the other side the Brewers send out Matt Garza (0-2 4.50 ERA) who had strong feelings when asked about pitching against the Cubs this season after being traded last year at the deadline. Garza did not mix words when he said he was going to "try to kick [the Cubs] teeth in" every time he's given the chance. It's no secret he is one of the most competitive players on the field so a little added fire should be interesting. Garza has had tough luck but pitched well in this season and looks to get going on the right track against the Cubs who have been cold offensively.

Cubs Make a Mess of Wrigley's 100th Birthday

Wrigley celebrated its 100th birthday today and the Cubs decided to make it microcosm of the last 106 years. They started the embarrassment by not inviting one of the most storied players in franchise history. Sammy Sosa, who led the Cubs to two postseason appearances in his time in Chicago was not in attendance. That's big considering they have only made the playoffs a total of six times since they last lost the World Series in 1945. Apparently his 545 career homeruns for the Cubs must have slipped the minds of whoever was in charge of the invites. As if that wasn't enough they then decided the maintain suit and blow the game in the 9th. Instead of slamming the door they gave up five runs to the d-backs who have been less than stellar this season too at 6-18. Can't think of a better way to remember the last 100 plus years of Cubs baseball.

Chipper Jones: Closet Carlos Gomez Fan

The Brewers have gotten off to the best start in the majors with a 15-6 record, however that is not the reason they are making headlines. The Brewers are in the news with Gomez being labeled a "thug" for standing up for himself against the smart-mouthed youngster Gerrit Cole. Former Braves great, and arguably the greatest switch hitter of all time Chipper Jones took offense to this negative publicity Tuesday.

Jones is absolutely right when he says people would love Gomez if they just appreciated him for the player he is instead of listening to the media portray him as a hothead or thug. People and the media should focus on the fact that his success as an elite five-tool player has led the Brewers early to the best record in the bigs. Who knew Chipper Jones was such a closet Carlos Gomez fan?

Brewers Jump To #1 in the MLB Power Rankings

After stealing the last two games in Pittsburgh and taking the first game against the Padres, the Brewers find themselves in the midst of a three game winning streak.  Not only have the Brewers won their last three, but 13 of their last 16 contests have been victories as well. The jump to number one is not surprising as they have played well in every facet of the game. Aramis Ramirez has been a revelation at age 35 leading the league in batting with runners is scoring position. Ryan Braun has silenced boo birds on the road by hitting timely bombs, and the pitching has been stellar whether it's the starters or the bullpen. The Brewer's rotation has posted an ERA of 2.71 and the bullpen has posted their own 2.55, which lands them at 5th and 6th best in the league respectively. Just for thought: they are unbeaten (12-0) when they score four or more runs, a stat that speaks for itself.

Brewers - Pirates Brawl Appreciation

Today Major League Baseball dealt suspensions for Sunday's scuffle between the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates. Gerrit Cole, who decided he needed to be the enforcer of baseball etiquette, took it upon himself to tell Carlos Gomez how fast he needed to get out of the box on what he thought was a homerun. This ignited a brawl that Cole wasn't even punished for in the end. Ultimately suspensions were given to Carlos Gomez (3 games), Martin Maldonado (5 games), Travis Snider (2 games) and Russell Martin (1 game). Lost in the slap on the wrists from Major League Baseball is the appreciation of good competition. Sunday's brawl showed us in an era where star players run the league, being a team trumps everything. Cole and Gomez who started the brawl weren't even the ones finishing it. It came down to Snider and Martin defending their young stud pitcher and backup catcher Martin Maldonado standing up for his start center-fielder coming in as the enforcer with a haymaker on Snider, who will be sporting a black eye for the next couple of days. I for one am excited to watch these two teams battle it out for the rest of the season. Every inside pitch, hard tag, and bat flip will have extra meaning, ultimately leading to great finishes like we saw with Khris Davis' go ahead homerun in the 14th inning Sunday. These two teams will see each other for four more series throughout the summer. Let the games begin.