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Brewers prepare for “Blue and Gold World Series” (AUDIO)

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Craig Counsell

The Milwaukee Brewers are looking to spice things up for the final week-plus of summer camp.  The team will play a best-of-seven “Blue and Gold World Series,” starting Tuesday evening at Miller Park.

Manager Craig Counsell told reporters on Monday that he has selected Avisail Garcia and Omar Narvaez as his captains for the series.  They’ll will pick the two squads on Monday afternoon.

The series will allow players to get a competitive atmosphere flowing, as the Brewers prepare for their July 24 season opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Counsell said things have gone well for the Brewers in summer camp so far, but he knows this season is going to have its challenges and he would welcome a bump or two in the road along the way.

AUDIO: Craig Counsell on the plans for the intrasquad world series :19

AUDIO: Counsell on the competition this week :18

AUDIO: Counsell says things have gone well so far :14

AUDIO: Counsell said while things are going well, he’d welcome a bump in the road :22

 

Brewers pitcher Eric Lauer hoping to be ready for season opener (AUDIO)

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Eric Lauer

Newly acquired left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer is one of three players on the Milwaukee Brewers injured list, joining former San Diego teammate Luis Urias and left-handed pitcher Angel Perdomo, all related to COVID-19.

Urias and Perdomo both tested positive for the coronavirus and are in quarantine.  Lauer was forced to delay his return to the team because he came into close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus.  According to protocol, Lauer had to quarantine despite not testing positive himself.

Lauer is expected to pitch a bullpen on Tuesday and both he and manager Craig Counsell said he could remain on track to be on the team’s opening day roster. [Read more…]

Brewers make first round of Spring Training roster moves

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The Milwaukee Brewers made their first round of roster reductions, including prospects Corey Ray and Trey Supak who are both on the team’s 40-man roster.

The Brewers reassigned to minor-league camp were right-handers Jesus Castillo, Thomas Jankins, Drew Rasmussen and Miguel Sanchez, left-handers Clayton Andrews and Ethan Small, catchers Mario Feliciano and Payton Henry and third baseman Lucas Erceg.

“This is a group that, in our meetings, kind of knew they were on this path,” manager Craig Counsell said.  “They’re  here to help during spring training.  It’s a performance thing for a lot of these guys…just go have great years and then put (yourselves) on the radar.

“Obviously guys that are on the (40 man) roster are a little bit closer.  But for the rest of those guys, that’s the message, performance gets our attention.  I think we had a more extreme case of that last spring with Trent Grisham, who wasn’t even in our big-league camp at the start of spring and made a pretty big impact on us.”

Brewers win

The Brewers got solo home runs by Lorenzo Cain and Luis Castro to pull out a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in Cactus League play.  The Brewers will face the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.

Brewers sign Peralta to contract extension

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Freddy Peralta – Photo Courtesy of Scott Paulus/Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers have reached agreement on a five-year contract extension with pitcher Freddy Peralta that guarantees him $15.5 million with team options for 2025 and 2026 that could take the deal to $30 million.

The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic and Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

The 23-year-old Peralta came to spring training with a slider added to his pitch repertoire.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Peralta and left-hander Eric Lauer are competing for the fifth spot in the starting rotation behind Brandon Woodruff, Adrian  Houser, Brett Anderson and Josh Lindblom.

The five-year deal would reportedly buy out all three of Peralta’s arbitration years.  The club options, if the Brewers choose to exercise them, would buy out the first two years of free agency.

Peralta finished last season with a 7-3 record and a 5.29 ERA.  He made eight starts and 39 appearances in relief.  In 55 career games, Peralta is 13-7 with a 4.79 ERA.  He recorded 211 strikeouts in 163 1/3 innings.

Counsell finishes second in Manager of the Year balloting again

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Craig Counsell

Despite getting more first-place votes, Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell finished second in the National League Manager of the Year balloting.

Counsell received 13 first-place votes to 10 for St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, but the Brewers skipper lost to Shildt by seven points in the balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Shildt received 14 second place votes, while Counsell received just six.  It’s the second straight year that Counsell finished second in the balloting, last year losing to Atlanta’s Brian Snitker.  Snitker finished third this year.

Minnesota’s first-year manager Rocco Baldelli won the American League Manager of the Year in a close outcome over New York Yankees skipper Aaron Boone.

Counsell led the Brewers to a strong final month, overtaking the Chicago Cubs for second place in the division and the second wild card spot.  The Brewers lost that wild card game to eventual World Series Champion Washington.

Baseball award winners to be unveiled next week

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Craig Counsell

The Baseball Writer’s Association of America’s MLB awards finalists are out and the Milwaukee Brewers have two finalists.

Christian Yelich, despite missing the final two weeks of the season with a broken kneecap, was named a finalist for the National League Most Valuable Player award.  He’s joined by Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals as finalists.

Yelich claimed his second straight batting title after finishing with a .329 average.  He also topped the National League with a .671 slugging percentage, a .429 on-base percentage and a 1.100 OPS.  Yelich clubbed a career high 44  home runs, drove in 97 runs, scored 100 runs and stole 30 bases.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell is a finalist for National League Manager of the Year.  He’s joined by Atlanta’s Brian Snitker and the Cardinals Mike Shildt.

Counsell finished second in the NL Manager of the Year award in 2018.  He guided the Brewers down the stretch, going 18-2 over a three week period to come from five games behind the Cubs to nail down the second wild-card spot.  It gave the Brewers back-to-back playoff appearances for just the second time in franchise history.

The award winners will be announced Monday through Thursday of next week.

 

Brewers drop heart breaker to Nationals in wildcard game

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Josh Hader – File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

The Milwaukee Brewers jumped out to a 3-0 lead and dominated the National League wildcard game until the eighth inning.  Manager Craig Counsell had his pitchers lined up just the way he wanted with Josh Hader coming on for a six-out save.

But a little wildness, a controversial hit batsman, a broken bat single and a outfield fielding error turned around a 3-1 deficit and gave the Washington Nationals a 4-3 win and the right to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a National League Division Series.

After a leadoff walk in the first to Trent Grisham, Yasmani Grandal lined a home run to right to put the Brewers up 2-0.  Eric Thames increased the lead to 3-0 in the second inning with a long solo home run. [Read more…]

Brewers fall short in Denver, settle for NL Wildcard game (AUDIO)

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Craig Counsell

The Milwaukee Brewers missed a golden opportunity to tie or win the National League’s Central Division and capped the regular season by being swept by the Colorado Rockies in Denver.

The Chicago Cubs beat St. Louis twice on Friday and Saturday, but the Brewers failed to take advantage.  Then Sunday, with the Cubs being blown out by the Cardinals (9-0), Brewers manager Craig Counsell called off the dogs, resting his regulars by removing them from the game and putting all focus on the wildcard playoff game in Washington on Tuesday night.  The Brewers fell to the Rockies 4-3 in 13-innings when Jake Faria allowed the winning run to score on a wild pitch.

The Brewers led 3-0 in the seventh on home runs by Yasmani Grandal and Hernan Perez, but manager Craig Counsell had already started the process of pulling players.  Adrian Houser started and tossed four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with one walk and five strikeouts. [Read more…]

Brewers in the playoffs but want more (AUDIO)

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Josh Hader – File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

The Milwaukee Brewers clinched a wildcard playoff spot on Wednesday night.  After celebrating the victory, they got up Thursday morning and beat the Reds again, this time 5-3.  The Brewers kept pace with Washington for the top wildcard spot and moved to within a game of the idle Cardinals in the Central Division.

With three games to play, the Brewers are hoping to keep winning and get the Cardinals to slip up in the division.  St. Louis closes with three home games against the struggling Cubs.  The Brewers finish with three games in Colorado against the Rockies. [Read more…]

Brewers clinch second straight post season playoff berth (AUDIO)

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It’ll go down as a September to remember.  The Milwaukee Brewers clinched at least a wildcard playoff spot for the second straight year, capping things off with a 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on Wednesday night.

It’s the 6th straight win, the 17th in the last 19 games and a 19-4 month of September for the Brewers, who came from five-games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League wildcard race.  They also did it after losing Christian Yelich to a season ending knee injury, improving to 12-2 since losing their MVP.

The division leading Cardinals lost again on Wednesday as the Brewers climbed to within a game and a half of St. Louis.  If the Brewers can win today, they’ll move to within a game of the Cardinals, who have the day off.  The Brewers also trail the Nationals by one-game in the chase for the top wildcard spot. [Read more…]