Milwaukee Brewers News Clips Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Jsonline.com:

 Brewers’ minor-league report  Catcher Stephen Vogt eager to start his Brewers career  Reds 8, Brewers 6: On the wrong end of the stick Brewers.com:

 Anderson gets nod in series opener vs. Reds  Vogt set for first Brewers start  Braun, Villar activated from disabled list  Location, velocity concerns for Guerra  Brewers hit three homers in loss to Reds FOXSports.com:

 Corey Hart to join Brewers’ Wall of Honor  Thames not only Brewer to give Reds nightmares  Four Cincinnati homers power past Guerra, Brewers  Preview: Brewers at Reds BaseballProspectus.com:

 Thames, Sprints and a Hart Homage  Brewers Baserunning and Sprint Speed OnMilwaukee.com:

 Corey Hart will retire as a Brewer, be inducted into Wall of Honor BizJournals.com:

 Winning records lifts Brewers midseason attendance, TV ratings: Q&A with Rick Schlesinger SunHerald.com:

prospect Mauricio Dubon one step to MLB after promotion http://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2017/06/27/brewers-minor-league-report/430214001/ Brewers' minor-league report

Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Published 12:37 p.m. CT June 27, 2017 | Updated 17 hours ago PLAYER OF THE WEEK Jacob Nottingham, C, Biloxi: It’s been a long, slow climb for Nottingham, who hit .417 with a home and four runs batted in over four games in the last week. After dealing with a shoulder/upper arm issue in the spring, Nottingham got off to a slow start for the Shuckers and on May 1 was batting just .143 before reversing his fortunes. The backstop now has hit in eight of his last 10 games and has multiple hits in five games to up his average to .253. He also has three homers, 21 RBI and a .351 on-base percentage. OF THE WEEK Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Colorado Springs: Jungmann has turned his season around since moving from Class AA Biloxi to Class AAA Colorado Springs. He went 1-1 with a 2.45 earned-run average and a 1.00 WHIP in a pair of starts. He also struck out seven in over 11 innings. In five starts for the Sky Sox, Jungmann has gone 4-1 with a 1.67 ERA, WHIP of 1.02 and 31 in 32 1/3 innings. In 15 appearances between Biloxi and Colorado Springs (10 starts), Jungmann is 5-3 with a 3.03 ERA, WHIP of 1.30 and 62 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings. JOURNAL SENTINEL’S TOP FIVE PROSPECTS 1. , OF, Carolina: Ray hit .354 with two doubles and three RBI in five games for the Mudcats. He’s batting .262 with four homers and 29 RBI through 55 games. 2. Isan Diaz, IF, Carolina: Diaz had two hits and three RBI in three games last week. The Brewers’ reigning minor- league player of the year, Diaz is hitting just .217 with nine homers and 40 RBI through 69 games. 3. Lucas Erceg, IF, Carolina: In five games, Erceg singled six times and drove in a pair of runs. Through 68 games, Erceg’s average is up to .243 to go with six homers and 37 RBI. 4. Luis Ortiz, RHP, Biloxi: Ortiz, sidelined recently by a hamstring strain, returned from the disabled list Monday and allowed six hits and two earned runs while striking out five in a 3 2/3-inning, 60-pitch outing. Ortiz is 3-3 with a 3.14 ERA and WHIP of 1.13 through 12 starts (57 1/3 innings). He also has struck out 54. 5. Mauricio Dubon, IF, Biloxi: It’s been a memorable couple weeks for the young Honduran, who came to the organization last off-season from Boston in the trade. After being named a Southern League all- star last week (the game was rained out), Dubon on Monday was promoted to Colorado Springs. “He had a great first half and was ready for the promotion to -A,” farm director Tom Flanagan said of Dubon, who hit .276 with 31 stolen bases in 71 games for the Shuckers. Dubon started at shortstop in his first game and collected two hits, including a , and an RBI. AFFILIATES UPDATE Class AAA Colorado Springs: A 4-2 week left the Sky Sox at 44-30 and still atop the Pacific Coast League’s American Northern Division. Pitcher Bubba Derby has been moved up to Colorado Springs along with Dubon; it’s the right-hander’s second tour with the Sky Sox this season. Lewis Brinson is also back after being optioned out by the Brewers on Sunday, and he went 4 for 4 with a double, homer and three RBI in his first action Monday. Class AA Biloxi: The Shuckers went 2-3 as they began the second half of the Southern League season. Right- hander continues to deal; he’s 2-0 with a 0.76 ERA and WHIP of 0.63 after four starts for Biloxi. He also has struck out 26 in 23 2/3 innings. Right-hander , a Carolina League all-star for Carolina in the first half, has been promoted to Biloxi. He struck out nine in 3 2/3 innings in his first start Sunday but earned a no-decision. Advanced Class A Carolina: The Mudcats began the second half of the Carolina League season with a 3-2 record. Troy Stokes Jr., a fourth-round pick of the Brewers in 2014, has received little recognition this year but now leads the team with 11 homers, 43 RBI and a .242 average. Outfielder Monte Harrison is part of a stacked Carolina outfield after being promoted from Wisconsin. Closer Nate Griep is up to 15 saves and is 3-0 with a 1.48 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The right-hander also has struck out 25 in 24 1/3 innings. Class A Wisconsin: The Timber Rattlers are 2-3 to start the second half of the Midwest League season. With Harrison being moved up, Wisconsin’s leading hitter is catcher , who has sagged to .257. The Timber Rattlers’ next-best hitter is Tucker Neuhaus, who leads the team with nine homers and 34 RBI but has just a .238 average. Pitching has been a huge struggle as well since Trey Supak was moved up to Carolina. Advanced Rookie Helena: The Brewers went 2-5 in their first full week, and they sit at 2-6 overall in the North Division of the Pioneer League. Catcher Peyton Henry, a sixth-round pick by the Brewers out of high school last June, hit .318 with a pair of homers, nine RBI and an OPS of 1.059 in six games. http://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2017/06/28/catcher-stephen-vogt-eager-start-his-brewers- career/430198001/ Catcher Stephen Vogt eager to start his Brewers career

Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Published 8:01 p.m. CT June 27, 2017 | Updated 11 hours ago CINCINNATI - Normally Milwaukee Brewers manager makes it a point to get new acquisitions into the starting lineup the day they join the team. Stephen Vogt's case was a little different. Claimed off waivers from the Oakland A's on Sunday, Vogt instead watched his first game with the Brewers from the bench at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday night while Manny Piña caught Junior Guerra. That's not to spend his time eating sunflower seeds and chewing bubble gum. Vogt's head was pretty much spinning from the moment he arrived as he began to familiarize himself with a new pitching staff, a new league and a bunch of new faces in the clubhouse. "Obviously it’s not easy, but I’ve been through this before and I feel like I have a better understanding of how difficult it can be," Vogt said before the series opener against the . "I’m asking a lot of questions. I’m going to talk to the pitchers as much as I can tonight during the game, go around to the starters and ask them their tendencies, what they like to do. Just talk to them as much as I can. I already talked to Manny quite a bit about some of the pitchers as well, and he gave me the rundown on the bullpen, their best pitches and where to go from there. He’s been really helpful. "Everyone has been very welcoming so far, and the best thing I can do is ask a lot of questions and get to know guys as quickly as possible." It's been a whirlwind of a week for Vogt. He was home in Olympia, Wash., on Sunday morning when he learned he'd been claimed by the Brewers. Vogt quickly ordered some navy catching gear and spikes and then met his new team in Cincinnati, the second leg of a six-game trip for Milwaukee. Vogt earned all-star bids in 2015 and '16 during a four-year stint with Oakland but was hitting just .217 with four home runs and 20 runs batted in over 54 games before the A's decided to cut ties. He admitted it was tough moving on from where he established himself as a top-flight catcher but he is also looking forward to a new challenge. "I know how good a player I am and I know how much I have left in the tank, and I know I’m nowhere near being done," he said. "A change of scenery is going to be a good thing for me. "I‘m very grateful for Oakland – it’s such a great place and obviously it was a sad day for our family. But to me, it’s the excitement of a new opportunity. It’s an opportunity to come to a different league, a different franchise, a different division, and one that’s in the middle of a first-place run. And that’s something I am familiar with, although it’s been a few years. "I’m excited for the chance to get back to winning and excited to join a team that has such great chemistry." The 32-year-old Vogt said he was actually familiar with the Brewers already because he'd started watching games when former Oakland teammate and friend Eric Sogard was called up from Class AAA Colorado Springs. Vogt will get his first shot at catching Wednesday, according to Counsell, giving him a full week between appearances. "He knows what he’s doing," Counsell said. "I know he’s new and he doesn’t know our pitchers, but guys have been traded in the middle of the season before and they do fine. I’m not worried about that in the least. "He’ll do fine catching these guys and he’ll assimilate really well to the group. Really, it’s a fresh set of eyes for all our guys that can be helpful, if anything." Counsell also anticipates Vogt's left-handed bat will add even more balance to what was once a right-handed-heavy alignment. "I’m excited that we can add another left-handed bat to our lineup at catcher," he said. "We have the potential now to put five left-handers in the lineup against some pitchers, which I’m sure at some point we will. "Hopefully it’ll be a tough matchup for some pitchers." Welcome back: Before the game, the Brewers reinstated leftfielder and infielder from the disabled list and designated utility man Nick Franklin for assignment. Braun missed 31 games in his second stint on the DL as he recovered from a left-calf strain, while Villar was out for 16 with a back issue. Both played three minor-league rehab games over the weekend at Class A Wisconsin, and Braun was in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Reds. "I feel a lot better than I did last time," Braun said, referring to his returning too fast from his first DL stint. "Having an opportunity to play a few games, I think, is something that will give me that much more confidence." Counsell had been giving Braun pre-determined days off with the aim of keeping him healthy and fresh, and that's not likely to change. He said Braun likely will play two of the three games in Cincinnati to begin. "I think we'll see as we go," Counsell said. "We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. There’ll be some off-days in the beginning, certainly, but we hope to get him back to where he’s feeling good. "I think he’s in a really good place right now with how he’s feeling." Villar's status is more up in the air. Counsell said he'd like to keep him at second base, but with Sogard playing so well playing time might be tough to find. Sogard could slide to shortstop at times as well to give Villar some opportunities, but starter Orlando Arcia is als playing at a high level and that would make it tougher to sit him. http://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2017/06/28/reds-8-brewers-6-wrong-end-stick/430190001/ Reds 8, Brewers 6: On the wrong end of the stick

Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Published 9:25 p.m. CT June 27, 2017 | Updated 2 hours ago CINCINNATI - It was bombs away at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday night. Milwaukee came out on the wrong end of what was an impromptu home-run derby, however, with the Cincinnati Reds going deep four times off Junior Guerra in just four innings in handing the Brewers a disheartening 8-6 loss. Manny Piña, Orlando Arcia and all homered for Milwaukee, which came in having won six of seven against Cincinnati. But it wasn't enough to overcome Guerra's start, which easily ranked as the worst in his season- plus with the Brewers. "He's struggling with fastball location, first of all," manager Craig Counsell said. "I think he's struggling with all his pitches, a little bit. He shows flashes of getting them together. But he paid for his mistakes tonight. "He's been wiggling himself out of some things and surviving, but tonight they made him pay for his mistakes." Much of the offense came early in this one, with the two teams combining for six homers and 10 runs in the first three innings. Cincinnati tagged Guerra for a pair of round-trippers – a leadoff shot by Billy Hamilton and a two-run shot by Adam Duvall – and Devin Mesoraco added an RBI single in the bottom of the first to jump out to a quick 4-0 lead. Piña and Arcia each hit solo blasts off Tim Adleman in the second to cut the Reds' lead in half, then Shaw hit a three-run shot out to right in the third that gave the Brewers their first lead at 5-4. It was Shaw's 16th homer of the season. "That's just the identity of us all year," Shaw said. "Our offense usually, for the most part, doesn't go down quietly. We don't give away at-bats. We knew in this ballpark that it wasn't over. "Four (runs) is never going to be enough here." Ryan Braun, playing in his first game since May 25, contributed to the rally with a one-out double to right-center. He and Jonathan Villar were both reinstated from the disabled list prior to the game. Not to be outdone, Eugenio Suárez went deep off Guerra in the bottom of the third and tied it at 5-5. 's two-run shot to right-center in the fifth put the Reds back in front to stay at 7-5, and two batters later Guerra hit the showers. A Mesoraco sacrifice fly against Carlos Torres then upped the Cincinnati lead to 8-5. Guerra (1-2) has now surrendered 11 homers in eight starts compared to 10 in 20 starts in 2016. In four innings (76 pitches), he allowed eight hits, eight runs (earned) and three walks while striking out a pair. His earned-run average jumped from 3.11 to 4.54 with the outing. "I was getting behind in the count a lot today," Guerra said through interpreter Carlos Brizuela. "I was missing with all my pitches. When you get behind hitters, that's what happens." Guerra noted the velocity on his fastball has decreased from last season and his mechanics and release point "aren't there." He did say the strained right calf that cost him the first seven weeks is fine. "Everything is fine," Guerra said, referring to his health. He missed about three weeks with an elbow issue last year en route to a 9-3 campaign and 2.81 ERA. "I've just got to keep working and improve from this next time out." The Brewers trimmed the deficit to 8-6 in the sixth after Keon Broxton reached on an single, stole second and scored on an Arcia single. Their last big opportunity came in the eighth when they loaded the bases with two outs against Michael Lorenzen. But Stephen Vogt, pinch-hitting in his first game with the Brewers, popped out to shallow right field to end the threat. "Got a pitch to hit. Maybe just a hair up in the zone from where I like it, but you can't ask for much more than a chance to impact the game in that situation," Vogt said. "I was ready for it, but unfortunately didn't come through." BEHIND THE BOX SCORE * Corey Hart announced Tuesday that he will retire a Brewer. The former outfielder-first baseman will be inducted into the Brewers Wall of Honor on Friday at Miller Park. He is the 60th member to join the Wall of Honor since its inaugural class in 2014. A two-time all-star, Hart spent nine of his 11 major-league seasons with the Brewers. He hit .276 with 154 homers, 508 RBI and 83 stolen bases in 945 games. "Corey was a player that spent the best years of his career and the bulk of his career as a Brewer. Came up as a Brewer, played in All-Star Games as a Brewer," said Counsell, a former teammate of Hart's who was also an impetus behind the creation of the Wall of Honor. "He’s a player that, I think, the franchise should remember, and this is a little way of honoring him. It’s a way to keep names like that alive for generations of Brewer fans, really. "And he’s exactly the type of name that should be kept alive." * Utility man Nick Franklin was the casualty of the numbers game resulting from the reinstatement of Braun and Villar. Franklin was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay on April 5, with the hope he'd become a valuable bench player because of his ability to switch hit and play multiple positions. Instead, he hit just .195 with two homers and 10 RBI over a 53-game run with the team. "We ran out of space. That’s the bottom line," Counsell said. "We claimed Nick early in the season and just the way things worked out, there was never really an opportunity for him to gain traction with any playing time. "That’s just the way it worked out for him." STAT SHEET * It was the 22nd seven-homer game at Great American Ball Park. There have been three eight-homer games, one nine-homer game and one 10-homer game. * Milwaukee relievers have not allowed an earned run in the last seven games (22 innings). TAKEAWAY Guerra's performance was certainly disheartening from the Brewers' point of view. He'd put up quality starts in two of his previous three outings coming in, and then responded with the worst outing of his career. Making matters worse was the offense more than held up its end of the bargain early on, keeping the Brewers in the game despite Guerra's struggles. RECORD This year: 41-38 (21-22 home; (20-16 away) Last year: 35-44 NEXT GAME Wednesday: Brewers at Reds, 6:10 p.m. Milwaukee RHP (6-2, 2.92) vs. Cincinnati RHP Luis Castillo (0-0, 3.60). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: 620-AM. http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/239005024/reds-host-brewers-as-series-continues/?topicId=26688836 Anderson gets nod in middle game vs. Reds

By Jeremy Vernon / MLB.com | 10:44 AM ET Wednesday's game between the Reds and the Brewers at Great American Ball Park will put one pitcher who is trying to solidify a spot in the rotation against another who has been almost unstoppable over the last month. Manning the mound for Cincinnati will be Luis Castillo, who will make his second big league start after being called up from Double-A Pensacola earlier in the month. In his first outing, he threw five two-run innings in a no- decision against the Nationals on June 23. That might seem like a solid debut, but there were some issues that Castillo will have to iron out before he earns a permanent spot in the rotation. Both of the runs he allowed came off solo shots. He also walked five batters over the five innings after issuing 13 free passes in 80 1/3 innings with Pensacola this season. Chase Anderson will start for Milwaukee and will look for his seventh straight quality start. In five June outings, he holds a 3-1 record with a 1.60 ERA, going at least seven innings on three occasions. Anderson has the seventh-best ERA in the and has given catcher Jett Bandy a lot of credit. He will work with a new catcher beginning Wednesday in Stephen Vogt. "It's an opportunity to come to a different league, a different franchise, a different division, and one that's in the middle of a first-place run," Vogt said. "And that's something I am familiar with, although it's been a few years. I'm excited with the chance to get back to winning and excited to join a team that has such great chemistry. You can tell these guys absolutely just love each other in the clubhouse. I've been sitting back, observing the way they are and it really is a great group of people. And I know I can add value to that. But at the same time this is their team and I'm here to help any way I can and fit in where I can." Reds batters have a combined .233 career average against Anderson. Of the four that have at least five career at- bats against him, only Joey Votto (2-for-6, .333) is batting higher than .300. Anderson has struck out Billy Hamilton three times in eight at-bats. Things to know about this game • Reds shortstop Zack Cozart is eligible to be activated from the disabled list on Wednesday after a short stint with a right quad strain. Cozart is currently first among NL shortstops on the Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot, and looks poised to receive a donkey from teammate Votto once the All-Star rosters are announced on Sunday. • Eric Thames came into the series 11-for-25 (.440) with eight homers, 13 RBIs and 14 runs scored against the Reds this season. He had hit a in each of the four games played at Great American Ball Park. That said, he entered the series 3-for-29 (.103) over his last eight games overall. • In his MLB debut, Castillo averaged 98.1 mph with his four-seam fastball. Among starters this season, only Noah Syndergaard (98.7 mph) has a higher average velocity with that pitch. http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/239090502/stephen-vogt-to-play-for-brewers-tonight/?topicId=27118386 Vogt set for first Brewers start

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | @AdamMcCalvy | June 27th, 2017 CINCINNATI -- Stephen Vogt's change of scenery began with a series of handshakes in the visitors' clubhouse at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, as the new Brewers catcher got to work on learning a new pitching staff. With catcher Jett Bandy mired in a slump, the Brewers claimed Vogt -- an All-Star for the A's in each of the past two seasons -- off waivers on Sunday, taking a chance on his left-handed bat and reputation as a clubhouse presence. Vogt is expected to make his first Brewers start tonight when Chase Anderson takes the mound for Milwaukee. Vogt entered Tuesday's 8-6 loss to the Reds as a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth inning and flew out to right field. "He's already been over here asking questions about what I like to do," said Anderson, ranked seventh among National League starters with a 2.92 ERA. "I've heard great things about him from other teams. His moral makeup from what I've heard is really good. "Over half of my success is because of Jett and his presence behind the plate and how well he knows how I like to pitch guys. He'll be back, for sure. Obviously, I'm going to miss him. … but it's part of the game. I'm looking forward to this for Stephen. He's part of our team now." The A's designated the 32-year-old Vogt for assignment last week with a .644 OPS and four home runs in 54 games. He was more productive the past two seasons, posting a .746 OPS with 32 homers in 273 games and representing Oakland as an All-Star in 2015 and '16. "I know how good of a player I am and I know how much I have left in the tank, and I know I'm nowhere near being done," Vogt said. "A change of scenery is going to be a good thing for me." He said he'd been following the Brewers of late because of the success of former A's teammate Eric Sogard. But it will take some time to learn Anderson and the rest of Milwaukee's pitching staff, Vogt said. "I've already started watching some video, talking with guys individually around the clubhouse and the weight room," Vogt said. "I'm going to go catch some bullpens with some guys in a little bit, just to see the action on their pitches so I don't get completely blindsided. "It's obviously a lot of work, but I don't mind. With the video system that everyone has now, it's a little more time, a little more effort, but at the end of the day I can be well-informed. That's what I want to do." Brewers manager Craig Counsell knows it's a big change for the catchers, but he believes he will fit in well. "Guys have been traded in the middle of a season before, and they do fine," Counsell said. "[Vogt learning the staff] is the least of my worries. He'll do fine catching these guys, and he'll assimilate really fast to the group and to understanding what our guys are good at. Really, it's a fresh set of eyes for our guys that can be helpful, if anything." http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/239092010/ryan-braun-returns-to-brewers-lineup/?topicId=27118386 Braun, Villar activated from disabled list

Hart to retire, be inducted into Wall of Honor on Friday By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | @AdamMcCalvy | 2:02 AM ET CINCINNATI -- Jonathan Villar watched the flight of Ryan Braun's opposite field home run on Saturday night at Class A Advanced Wisconsin and said to himself, "Wow, that guy is ready to play." Both players were back with the Brewers on Tuesday in an 8-6 loss to the Reds. Braun went 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored, and Villar came on as a pinch-hitter, but went 0-for-1. The Brewers designated Nick Franklin for assignment to make room for Villar. They had already optioned outfielder Lewis Brinson back to Triple-A Colorado Springs to clear a spot for Braun. Asked about the impact of Braun's return to the lineup, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said, "I think our bench is full of good players. I know that. But certainly, [getting] a guy who has hit third and been a really good player for a long time back in your lineup, it's exciting to have that back. He's the kind of hitter who can win games by himself with good nights." Braun was 2-for-8 with a home run, two walks and two RBIs in three games with Wisconsin. Villar was 8-for-13 with six RBIs in four games. "The whole experience went really well," Braun said. "I got tested by getting some at-bats, getting some balls in the outfield, running the bases a little bit, doing a lot of the things you need to do to regain confidence when you're coming back from an injury." Braun is expected to play two of the Brewers' three games this week at Great American Ball Park, part of an effort to avoid a repeat of Braun's last return from injury. Last month, he re-injured his calf in his third game back following a 10-day stint on the DL. Since Braun first injured his calf on May 1 through Sunday, the Brewers went 28-24, while enduring a drop in offensive production. They ranked 23rd of 30 Major League teams in that span with 4.54 runs per game and 20th with a .755 OPS. After Braun went on the DL for a second time May 26, the Brewers three-hole hitters combined for a .775 OPS, 16th in the Majors over that span. While Braun resumed regular duty, Villar found himself on the bench Tuesday behind surging second baseman Eric Sogard. Counsell reiterated that Villar will have to compete for at-bats. "I'll be ready for everything," Villar said. Hart to be honored Friday Corey Hart, the two-time National League All-Star who was part of the wave of prospects which lifted Milwaukee to contender status during the late 2000s, will sign a one-day contract Friday to retire as a Brewer before the team inducts him into its Wall of Honor at Miller Park. Hart will become the 60th member of the Wall of Honor, which was dedicated in 2014 and includes players and staffers who meet a set of criteria for longevity and production. Hart manned right field and first base for the Brewers over nine of his 11 Major League seasons, and topped 20 home runs five times, including 30-plus homer seasons in 2010 and '12. Honorees on the Wall have a plaque with their photo and a brief synopsis of their career. The plaques are designed by Matthews International, who make the plaques for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/239186660/junior-guerra-looking-for-answers-on- mound/?topicId=27118386 Location, velocity concerns for Guerra

By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | @AdamMcCalvy | 12:30 AM ET CINCINNATI -- His walk rate is up, his rate is down, and are flying over fences with regularity. Was last year the real Junior Guerra, or is this? The Brewers' right-hander was looking for answers on Tuesday after allowing four home runs in four-plus innings of an 8-6 loss to the Reds. Guerra matched the most home runs allowed by a Major League pitcher this season and came within one dinger of a dubious Brewers record last set by Randy Wolf in 2010. Guerra has now surrendered more home runs this season (11) than he did in all of last season (10) in 80 fewer innings. "They were all fastballs they hit out. Bad locations," Guerra said through translator Carlos Brizuela. "Yeah, my velocity is a little lower than last year. I'm just hoping to get back to it. "But at the same time, I have to be able to locate it." Brewers manager Craig Counsell cited the same concern: Fastball location. "He's been wiggling his way out of some things and surviving," Counsell said, "but tonight they made him pay for his mistakes." Of Guerra's diminished velocity, Counsell said, "It's down a little bit, but that's not what I'm concerned about. The location is hurting him right now more than the velocity." Guerra, who has seven starts in the books since a six-week stint on the disabled list for a right calf strain suffered on , topped out at 93.6 mph on Tuesday and surrendered each of his home runs on four-seam fastballs that were between 90 and 92.7 mph. Guerra's four-seam fastball is averaging 91.9 mph this season compared to 93.8 mph a year ago, according to Statcast™. Of his 331 four-seam fastballs tracked by Statcast™ this season, the firmest has clocked in at 94.5 mph. Last year, Guerra threw more than a quarter of his four-seam fastballs (296 of 1,141) harder than that, and he topped out at 97.4 mph. And the issue may actually be worse than those figures suggest. A change from the PITCHf/x system to Statcast™, which measures velocities right out of a pitcher's hand, has led to a slight uptick in velocity readings across this season. Meanwhile, Guerra's velocity is noticeably down. "I don't really have an answer for that," Guerra said. "I feel like if I did have an answer, it would be an excuse. You can't really have excuses right now. You just have to keep working hard and try to improve from this." Guerra's strikeouts per nine innings have fallen from 7.40 last season to 6.26 this season while his walks per nine innings have increased from 3.18 to 5.40. Last year, 8.3 percent of fly balls against Guerra cleared the fence. This year, that rate is up to 20 percent. For those looking for more than ERA, fielding independent pitching (FIP) helps measure the events a pitcher can himself control, removing balls into the field of play and focusing on strikeouts, unintentional walks, hit-by-pitches and home runs. Guerra's FIP last year was 3.71. This season, it is up to 7.20, fourth-worst among pitchers who have logged more than 30 innings. That is one reason Guerra's results were cause for concern in spite of the respectable 3.11 ERA he carried into Tuesday's start. Guerra was clear about one thing: He is 100 percent healthy. "Everything is fine right now," Guerra said, emphasizing his point by answering in English. http://m.brewers.mlb.com/news/article/238938410/reds-hit-four-homers-in-win-against- milwaukee/?topicId=27118386 Brewers hit three homers in loss to Reds

By Jeremy Vernon and Adam McCalvy / MLB.com | June 27th, 2017 CINCINNATI -- A power surge struck Great American Ball Park on Tuesday night, as the Reds and Brewers combined for seven home runs over the game's first five innings. Cincinnati hit the last and most crucial, however - - a Joey Votto two-run shot that provided the winning margin in the Reds' 8-6 victory and snapped a four-game skid against Milwaukee. "I think we hit 15-16 balls right on the screws today," said Reds manager Bryan Price. "Really good offensively, I thought. There were certainly some big blows with the home runs, but just a lot of good, quality at-bats. A lot of barrel-on balls." A day after sinking into a 3-0 deficit in the first inning against the Cardinals, Cincinnati jumped on Milwaukee's Junior Guerra early. Billy Hamilton hit Guerra's third pitch for his first leadoff home run since June 15, 2014 (also against the Brewers), Adam Duvall hit a two-run homer three batters later and Devin Mesoraco picked up an RBI single for a 4-0 lead after one inning. Milwaukee stormed back over the next two innings with a trio of homers against Reds starter Tim Adleman. Manny Pina and Orlando Arcia hit solo shots in the second inning before Travis Shaw slugged a three-run homer in the third, his 16th of the season, to give the Brewers a 5-4 advantage. "Our offense usually doesn't go down quietly," said Shaw, who has homered in back-to-back games. "We knew in this ballpark it wasn't over. [A four-run lead] is never going to be enough here." The five runs allowed marked the most Adleman had given up in a start since the Rockies piled up six against him on May 20. "I made some pitches out over the plate, some bad pitches," Adleman said. "And they didn't just hit singles, they hit the ball out of the ballpark. So definitely a difficult lineup to navigate through." Votto and the Reds bailed out their starting pitcher with a three-run fifth inning, knocking Guerra from the game in the process. Cincinnati's last three relievers -- Tony Cingrani, Michael Lorenzen and -- gave up just two combined hits over the final three innings to help close out the game, with the help of making a great catch to cap it off. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Votto goes deep: After Scooter Gennett singled to open up the bottom of the fifth, Votto continued his push for the All-Star Game as he gave the Reds a 7-5 lead with a two-run homer to right center on a 2-0 fastball from Guerra. Votto's go-ahead shot had an exit velocity of 106.2 mph, a launch angle of 25 degrees and traveled 406 feet. Brewers blow opportunity: Trailing by two in the top of the eighth, Milwaukee strung together a walk and a pair of two-out infield singles to load the bases for Stephen Vogt, who was making his Brewers debut after being picked up off waivers on Sunday. On a 1-1 pitch from Lorenzen, Vogt popped out to shallow right, ending the inning and what would be the Brewers best chance to even the score. "That's going to be more my role here," said Vogt of coming off the bench for his Brewers debut. "I'm obviously going to get a chance to catch, but whenever I'm not starting, I'm going to come in and have a chance to impact the game like that. I got a pitch to hit -- maybe just a hair up in the zone from where I like it. … I was ready for it, but just unfortunately didn't come through." QUOTABLE "I don't really have an answer for that. I feel like if I did have an answer, it would be an excuse. You can't really have excuses right now." -- Guerra, on his drop in velocity from last season WHAT'S NEXT Brewers: Vogt is scheduled to make his first Brewers start when the series continues at 6:10 p.m. CT on Wednesday. He'll pair with right-hander Chase Anderson, who built the National League's seventh-best ERA at 2.92 in a battery with Jett Bandy. The Brewers optioned Bandy to Triple-A when they claimed Vogt off the waiver wire. Reds: Luis Castillo will try to solidify a spot in the starting rotation when the Reds and Brewers meet on Wednesday. Castillo threw five innings of two-run ball in his Major League debut on Friday, but walked five batters after walking just 13 in 80 1/3 innings with Double-A Pensacola this season. http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/milwaukee-brewers-corey-hart-wall-of-honor-retirement-062717 Corey Hart to join Brewers’ Wall of Honor

AP Jun 27, 2017 at 3:45p ET MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers will induct former outfielder and first baseman Corey Hart into the team’s Wall of Honor. Hart will be honored with a plaque at Miller Park and a ceremony before Friday night’s game against the . Hart said Tuesday he will retire as a Milwaukee Brewer. He also played for Seattle and Pittsburgh. He will become the 60th member to join the Brewers’ Wall of Honor since its inaugural class in 2014. The two- time All-Star spent nine of his 11 seasons with the Brewers, batting .276 with 154 home runs, 508 RBIs and 83 stolen bases. He had five 20-homer seasons in Milwaukee, tying him with four others for third most in franchise history. http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/milwaukee-brewers-eric-thames-cincinnati-reds-062717 Thames not only Brewer to give Reds pitchers nightmares

FOX Sports Wisconsin Jun 27, 2017 at 4:31p ET In case you’ve forgotten, Eric Thames owned the Cincinnati Reds in April. The Milwaukee Brewers slugging first baseman cracked eight home runs against Cincinnati — which is the most any Brewers player has hit against the Reds in any season and just one off the team record for most homers against any opponent in any year (George Scott with nine against Detroit in 1975). No one else in the major leagues has more than eight home runs against an opponent (the Yankees’ Aaron Judge had eight vs. Baltimore, but in 12 games). In seven games vs. the Reds, Thames is 11 for 25 with 14 runs, 13 RBI and seven walks. That’s good for a bulging slash line of .440/.576/1.400. But he’s hardly the only Milwaukee hitter to give Cincinnati’s pitching staff nightmares this season. Hernan Perez has been almost as deadly as Thames. He is 9 for 19 with two doubles, two triples, three homers, six runs and 11 RBI, giving him a slash line of .474/.500/1.263. Some other Brewers who have raked against Cincinnati in 2017: Orlando Arcia: 8- for 24 with a double, home run, five runs, four RBI and a slash line of .333/.385/.500. Ryan Braun: 7 for 25 with three doubles, two home runs, four runs, seven RBI, five walks and a slash line of .280/.400/.640. Braun might be coming off the disabled list at the perfect time. Manny Pina : 8 for 16 with three doubles, six runs, three RBI, three walks and a slash line of .444/.524/.611. Travis Shaw: 7 for 22 with a homer and a slash line of .318/.348/.455. No wonder Milwaukee is averaging 7.57 runs per game against Cincinnati this season thus far. One player who hasn’t faced Cincinnati yet in 2017 is Eric Sogard, who comes into the series at the Reds batting .353/.462/.529. Based on some of the above numbers, perhaps #NerdPower is about to be unleashed once again. Other notes: — Milwaukee is 10-3 (.769) in Junior Guerra’s road starts since 2016, the third-best winning percentage in the majors over that span. — The Reds are just 8-25 (.242) against teams with a winning record. — Cincinnati has a major-league best five players with at least 10 home runs and 40 RBI this season. The Brewers have three. http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/milwaukee-brewers-junior-guerra-cincinnati-reds-homers-power-past- guerra-brewers-062717 Four Cincinnati homers power past Guerra, Brewers

AP Jun 28, 2017 at 12:12a ET CINCINNATI — Joey Votto bolstered his case for the All-Star Game with another big swing. Votto hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth inning, helping the last-place Cincinnati Reds top the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 on Tuesday night. “I do think Votto should be on the All-Star team,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “I voted for him. I’m not that guy. I vote for the guys I think deserve it. Instead of looking at the statistics, we’re blessed to see him play every day. The power is great. There are so many parts to his game that I’m impressed with.” Billy Hamilton, Adam Duvall and Eugenio Suarez also connected for Cincinnati, which scored its most runs in 19 games since Scooter Gennett hit four homers in its 13-1 win over St. Louis on June 6. Milwaukee slugger Ryan Braun returned after missing 31 games with a strained left calf, but the NL Central- leading Brewers lost for the third time in four games. Braun went 1 for 5 with a double. He was robbed of another hit when Scott Schebler went to the wall to make a lunging catch for the final out of the game. “He swung the bat well,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He had to move around the field and throw. From my perspective, I wasn’t even thinking about it.” Travis Shaw’s three-run shot off Tim Adleman (5-4) gave Milwaukee a 5-4 lead in the third inning. But Suarez responded with his 12th homer in the bottom half, stopping a 0-for-13 slide. “My mechanics have been good,” Suarez said. “There was nothing wrong with my swing. It was more mental. When you’re not getting hits, you think too much. I have been trying to get a good pitch in the strike zone to hit. I tell myself if it isn’t in the strike zone, don’t swing at it.” Gennett led off the fifth with a base hit and Votto followed with a drive to right-center off Junior Guerra for his 21st homer. The 2010 NL MVP is batting .304 with 55 RBIs. Adleman (5-4) tied his career high by allowing three home runs in five innings. He surrendered five hits, struck out seven and walked three. Tony Cingrani and Michael Lorenzen combined for two scoreless innings before Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth for his 13th save. Guerra (1-2) set a career high by allowing eight runs in four-plus innings. He also tied his career high by giving up eight hits in his seventh start since returning on May 26 after missing almost two months with a right calf strain. “I was getting behind in the count most of the game and missing spots,” Guerra said through an interpreter. “When that happens and you get behind, you saw the results.” Hamilton lined Guerra’s third pitch into the first row of the seats in right for his second homer. Duvall hit a two-run shot and Devin Mesoraco added an RBI single as Cincinnati jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first. Manny Pina and Orlando Arcia homered for Milwaukee in the second inning. Arcia added a run-scoring single off Drew Storen in the sixth “We came back swinging the bats well,” Counsell said. “You kind of felt that fifth inning would be big with the middle of their order up. We fell hard and fast.” FAST PACE Shaw, the son of former Reds reliever , needed just 68 games to match his career high of 16 homers set last season in 145 games with Boston. FUSE LIGHTER It was Hamilton’s second career leadoff homer. The first also was against the Brewers, off Marco Estrada on June 15, 2014, at Milwaukee. NEW KIDS The Reds promoted right-hander Kevin Shackelford from Triple-A Louisville. If he pitches, Shackelford will become the 10th Reds player and seventh pitcher to make his major league debut this season. TRAINER’S ROOM Brewers: 2B Jonathan Villar was activated from the 10-day disabled list. He had been out since June 10 with a lower back strain. Reds: SS Zack Cozart is expected to be reinstated from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. He has been out since June 19 with a strained right quadriceps. UP NEXT Brewers: RHP Chase Anderson pitches on Wednesday night. He allowed two runs and two hits in six innings in a 4-2 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday. Reds: RHP Luis Castillo was in line to win his major league debut on Friday at Washington, but Cincinnati was unable to hold onto the lead. He pitched five innings of two-run ball against the NL East-leading Nationals. http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/milwaukee-brewers-cincinnati-reds-preview-stephen-vogt-chase- anderson-062817 Preview: Brewers at Reds

STATS Jun 28, 2017 at 6:00a ET CINCINNATI — Veteran catcher Stephen Vogt is expected to make his first start for Milwaukee on Wednesday night when the Brewers continue a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Vogt will be behind the plate for right-hander Chase Anderson, who has been among the team’s most consistent starting pitchers over the past 12 months. Despite an 8-6 loss on Tuesday, the Brewers (41-38) have won six of eight meetings this season against the Reds. Cincinnati (32-44) won 11 of 19 against Milwaukee in 2016. The Brewers have spent 38 days alone in first place. In his past 27 starts dating to last July, Anderson has gone 11-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 149 innings. He is 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA in five career starts against Cincinnati. Anderson (6-2, 2.92 ERA) hasn’t faced the Reds this season, but he went 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA in two outings against them last year. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said the difference is in the curveball and the cutter. “Chase has just become a better pitcher,” Counsell said. “He’s trusting four pitches. I think he started the season last year trusting two pitches. That’s a lot more options for hitters to defend and think about. That’s a big difference.” Vogt was claimed off waivers Sunday from the Oakland A’s, who designated him for assignment three days earlier. He flied out as a on Tuesday night in his Brewers debut. While manager Craig Counsell expects Manny Pina to be the Brewers’ regular catcher, the 32-year-old Vogt brings a veteran dimension to the team. “We can add another left-handed bat to our lineup,” Counsell said. “We have the potential to put five left-handed batters in our lineup against some pitchers, which I think we’ll do. He’ll assimilate really fast to the group. He’s a fresh set of eyes which could be helpful.” Milwaukee also welcomed back two key components off the disabled list on Tuesday, left fielder Ryan Braun and infielder Jonathan Villar. Braun was expected to play in two games during the Cincinnati series, but after starting Tuesday, it is unlikely he will be back in left field on Wednesday. Rookie right-hander Luis Castillo (0-0, 3.60 ERA) will make his second career start on Wednesday for Cincinnati. On Friday at Washington, Castillo was in line for his first major league victory before the bullpen melted down in a 6-5, 10-inning loss. Castillo allowed two runs with five walks and five strikeouts in five innings. Castillo, the Marlins’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2016, was acquired in a January trade that sent Dan Straily to Miami. In 169 minor league appearances, including 54 starts, Castillo went 21-22 with a 2.66 ERA. He had two complete games and 36 saves in 41 chances. Cincinnati hopes to have Zack Cozart back in the lineup Tuesday. Cozart, who has been on the disabled list since June 19 with right quad tightness, is leading all National League shortstops in the latest All-Star voting. Even without Cozart, the Reds boast one of the best defensive clubs in the National League, something that helped pick up their struggling pitching staff. “The pitchers trust us 100 percent to play good defense behind them,” center fielder Billy Hamilton said. “Our defense is going to be there at all times, even when we’re struggling hitting.” http://milwaukee.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/06/28/thames-sprints-and-a-hart-homage/ THAMES, SPRINTS, AND A HART HOMAGE

BY NATHAN DESUTTER JUNE 28, 2017 Remember early this season when everyone that didn’t think Eric Thames was on steroids (as John Lackey and the Cubs did) blamed the horrific Cincinnati Reds pitching staff for the success of the Milwaukee slugger? Well, it turns out they were mostly right. Eight of Thames’s first eleven homers were in his 7 games and 25 at-bats against the Reds in the month of April. Since then, Thames has managed nine total homers in 50 games and 172 at-bats. Plus, who could forget the 15 game and 45 at-bat homerless drought from May 10th to May 30th? Well, thirst no longer Mr. Thames, because the Reds are back on the schedule and they’re ready to help you engrain your spot in the MLB history books. Currently, Thames is on pace to put up the best home run season against one specific team in MLB history. Entering play Tuesday, here are the top long-ball five performers in seven (or fewer) games:

Player Year Games Home Runs Team Against

Eric Thames 2017 7 8 Cincinatti

Reggie Sanders 2001 7 7 Philadelphia

Shawn Green 2002 7 7 Milwaukee

Jose Bautista 2011 7 7 Minnesota

Barry Bonds 2001 6 7 Atlanta It’s actually pretty unbelievable that he’s the only one to average over one homer per game over a seven game stretch, but what’s even more unbelievable is that to break the all-time record it wouldn’t take much of a Herculean effort.

Player Year Games Home Runs Team Against

Lou Gehrig 1936 23 14 Cleveland

Roger Maris 1961 18 13

Hank Sauer 1954 19 13 Pittsburgh

Jimmie Fox 1932 22 13 Detroit

Joe Adcock 1956 17 13 Los Angeles Dogers Thames has twelve total games left against the Reds (two more this week, three in August, and six in September). If he were to maintain his eight homers in seven games ratio through those remaining games, he’d finish the season with 21 homers against the Reds. But, let’s say Thames regresses and can’t maintain his Ruthian ratio. On the season, Thames is averaging 0.26 HR/Game, and if one were to extend that ratio over a 12 game period, he’s likely to hit 3.38 homers. Now, let’s add a Reds multiplier. To keep things on a similar plane, the Reds pitching staff surrenders 1.65 HR/Game, and over 12 games it is likely they give up 19.8 homers. On the season, Thames is responsible for 18 percent of all Brewer home runs, so if the Brewers were to hit 20 against the Reds, Thames should account for 3.6. One more thing to look at is park factor. Since nine of the remaining games are in Miller Park, which boasts a .243 higher homer chance than Great American, the Brewers home run likelihood versus the Reds jumps to 23. And, Thames jumps to 4.14 homers. So, Thames should hit at least more four home runs against the Reds in 2017, and with a little extra Reds pitching magic, he could easily set the record and have the single best home run season against one single team in MLB history.

Now, let’s move from power to speed. On Tuesday morning, a chart measuring sprint speed from Baseball Savant gained a lot of traction on Twitter. Summed up, they measured all plays where a runner attempted to to advance two or more bases on a ball in play and calculated how fast that runner was going in feet per second. Here’s how the Brewers stand:

Player Sprint Speed (feet/second)

Keon Broxton 29.4

Hernan Perez 27.7

Eric Thames 27.4

Domingo Santana 27.2

Jonathan Villar 27.2

Orlando Arica 27.1

Eric Sogard 26.8

Ryan Braun 26.7

Travis Shaw 26.2

Manny Pina 25.9

Jesus Aguilar 25.0 Jett Bandy (RIP) 24.2 Clearly, the biggest surprise is Thames, who clocks in as the fourth speediest first baseman in all of baseball. Thames clocks in just behind Wil Myers, Eric Hosmer, and Jefry Marte, and he’s also the third fastest Brewer. Also impressive is Keon Broxton, who’s the fifth fastest player behind the game’s notorious speedsters Billy Hamilton, , Bradley Zimmer, and Franchy Cordero. The only disappointing measure from this list is the speed of the middle infield. Arica ranks 29th among 39 shortstops while Villar and Sogard are 24th an 30th respectively in the field of 39 second basemen.

Finally, the player of the week is Brewer great, Corey Hart, who will retire this Friday as a Brewer and land himself in the “Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor.” In honor of Hart’s illustrious career, here’s some of his greatest and somewhat random accomplishments. Hart might be the greatest substitute in Brewer history. In his 93 at-bats off the bench, he accumulated 8 doubles, 4 homers, 20 RBI. He also hit .333 off the bench. He’s also among the greatest right-fielders in Brewers history. I’ll give out the stats of the top three, you be the judge.

Player Years Games Slash Line OPS

Jeromy Burnitz 1996-2001 726 .258/361/.509 0.871

Corey Hart 2005-2012 730 .270/.328/.478 0.806

Sixto Lezcano 1974-1980 680 .275/.355/.459 0.814 Hart loved to feast on the first pitch. Over his Brewers career, he hit .390 with a 1.061 OPS and 31 homers while facing a 0-0 count. In the record books, that gives him the fifth highest batting average, ninth highest OPS, and sixth most home runs. Hart was also a pretty good lead-off hitter. His .856 lead-off OPS is the highest in Brewer history, 52 points ahead of the second place Paul Molitor. Also, his .522 as a lead-off bat easily crowns him as the most powerful lead-off hitter in Brewers history (66 points in front of second place Carlos Gomez). Aside from first pitches, Hart had two others loves: Miller Park and the month of June. At home, Hart had a .291 average, .891 OPS, and 94 homers. His OPS is the 10th highest in Brewer history and homers are the 3rd highest. Away from Miller Park, Hart dropped to .262 average with a .762 OPS and 60 homers. As for the month of June, Hart sported a .284 batting average, .886 OPS, and 34 homers. This is the sixth best June split in Brewer history. Hart’s June performance was far better than his second best month, September, where he put up a .265 average and .810 OPS. In fact, three of Hart’s six greatest games were in June. Take a look:

Date Opponent Result

June 11th, 2011 Cubs 4-7, 2B, HR, 3 RBI July 29th, 2012 Nationals 4-6, 2B, HR, RBI

July 30th, 2012 Astros 4-5, HR, RBI

June 23rd, 2011 Nationals 3-5, 3 HR, 7 RBI, BB

June 29th, 2010 Mets 2-4, 2 HR, 6 RBI

September 5th, 2006 Dodgers 2-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI Finally, Corey Hart finished his Brewer career with a 15.7 WAR, good for 16th best all-time, and his MLB career with a 14.7 WAR, good for 22nd overall among his 2000 draft class. That’s pretty good for an 11th round draft pick out of Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. http://milwaukee.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/06/28/brewers-baserunning-and-sprint-speed/ BREWERS BASERUNNING AND SPRINT SPEED

BY SETH VICTOR JUNE 28, 2017 Last season, the Brewers led all of baseball in stolen bases by a considerable amount. They were not, however, a particularly good baserunning team, at least according to BP’s BRR statistic, which calculates overall value contributed by baserunning rather than just being limited to percentage. In 2016, according to BRR, the Brewers were 15th in the majors in baserunning despite the aforementioned lead in stolen bases. Part of that drop was attributed to a good rather than great success rate; the Brewers were sixth in stolen base rate as a team even though they had 42 more successful steals than the second-place Reds. The rest of it is due to the fact that they were not particularly smart on the basepaths. BRR takes into account ability to advance on fly balls, hits, and all other opportunities, and the Brewers were so bad at advancing on hits that it dragged down their overall ranking despite being in the top ten in all other categories. It’s not that hard to come up with after-the-fact explanations for this discrepancy between stolen base rate and BRR; the most plausible explanation is that the team was full of fast players who were not particularly good baserunners. Jonathan Villar is a good example of this, as he led baseball in both stolen bases and times caught stealing. Orlando Arcia and Scooter Gennett were also bad baserunners despite good stolen base rates. Statcast released its sprint speed metrics this week, and that provides more information about exactly how fast players are, especially relative to league average and others at their position. In its current form, the measurements are not perfect. For example, acceleration and length of sprint are just as important as raw speed, particularly acceleration in the context of stolen bases. For the time being, though, sprint speed is what we have, and it is illustrative in this context.

Two additional caveats are necessary at this point: I do not know what sample size is needed for these numbers to stabilize, nor do I know what types of variations are normal. However, it seems logical that sprint speed would be relatively stable because running is not contingent on many external variables (assuming the player is actually sprinting). This is in contrast to, say, post-contact hitting or pitching results, which are dependent on what type of contact the batter made, defensive positioning, and defensive skills, among other factors. The most notable aspect of the two charts is that last year’s team appears to have had more top-end speed. Keon Broxton in center field is notable on both charts, but Hernan Perez at third base and both Villar and Arcia at shortstop are faster or roughly the same as the team’s second-fastest player this year, which is also Perez in the time he has spent in left field. The addition of Travis Shaw has drastically affected the team’s overall speed, as has Villar’s injury. Instead of having a series of speedsters in the lineup, this year’s Brewers team is more sandwiched around league average. What it has not done, though, is change the team’s overall baserunning performance. In fact, thus far in 2017, the Brewers are a better baserunning team than they were last year, as they currently sit fifth on the BRR leaderboard. Most notably, Arcia and Villar have improved greatly even as they have slowed down, and Travis Shaw has also been a positive despite his lack of foot speed. Much of the surface appeal of this data is entertainment; the graphics provide a clear visual that allows us to quickly compare players within their position and then across the league. However, it also has some informative value at this stage, both for individual players and for the team. Villar and Arcia are both slower this year than they were last year, and the rest of the team’s personnel is right about the same. Domingo Santana, Ryan Braun, and Keon Broxton haven’t changed much, and Eric Thames is faster than Chris Carter but not to the extent that he would be a massive upgrade. Overall, though, the team is better at baserunning. What this tells us about Villar and Arcia is that they are capable of being smarter baserunners than they were last year, but they are also capable of running faster than they are this year. Sprint speed and baserunning aptitude seem like they would be independent skills, both from each other and the rest of the game. Conflating these two together makes more sense than something like BABIP and home run rate would, for example, because BABIP is contingent on quality of contact and defense, while home run rate is partially luck- dependent. As for running, though, the players simply need to run fast and then take extra bases where possible. They are certainly contingent on opportunity, but such is the case for everything measurable in the game. Therefore, expecting that it is at least possible that the Brewers’ double play duo puts together the two skills is eminently reasonable. At the very least, what it tells us is that the two players have figured out how to be better on the bases, even if it meant sacrificing some opportunities to try for the next base with reckless abandon. On the team level, what it tells us is that the Brewers can squeeze extra wins from good baserunners without chasing speed. Shaw has been a good baserunner this year despite being slow, and, as mentioned above, Villar and Arcia have improved despite slowing down. The Brewers will need to win at the margins if they want to make the playoffs, and they appear to be exploiting baserunning to further that goal. https://onmilwaukee.com/sports/articles/corey-hart-brewers-wall-of-honor.html Corey Hart will retire as a Brewer, be inducted into Wall of Honor

By Jimmy Carlton Sportswriter Published June 27, 2017 at 11:05 a.m. Former Milwaukee outfielder/first baseman Corey Hart announced today that he will officially retire from Major League Baseball as a member of the Brewers. On Friday, the club plans to honor Hart with induction into the "Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor," commemorating his career with a plaque permanently installed at Miller Park and recognizing him during a ceremony before that night's game against the Miami Marlins. Hart will become the 60th member of the Wall of Honor since its inaugural class in 2014. The lanky, bearded power hitter was a two-time All-Star – in 2008, when he was voted in by fans, and in 2010, when he also participated in the – who spent nine of his 11 major-league seasons with Milwaukee. During that time, he batted .276 with 154 homers, 508 RBI and 83 stolen bases in 945 games. Hart had five 20-homer seasons with the Brewers, and among the 38 players in franchise history who had at least 2,000 plate appearances, his .491 slugging percentage ranks sixth all-time. Hart was one of the Brewers' much-hyped and highly successful position players that came up through their system in the mid-2000s, along with , J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun. Hart played in Milwaukee from 2004 to 2012, before missing the entire 2013 season following knee surgery. He played a couple more years, for Seattle and Pittsburgh, before retiring from the game. Unusually fast for such a tall player (6-foot-6), I'll always remember Hart as a smiling, autograph-signing fan favorite whose at-bat music was a Christian rock song. ADVERTISING The Wall of Honor commemorates Brewers players and broadcasters that meet a set criteria based on service to the club. It is a permanent display outside of Miller Park on the north side of the stadium adjacent to the Hot Corner entrance. Honorees on the Wall have a plaque with their picture and a brief synopsis of their career. The plaques are designed by Matthews International, designers of the plaques for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. There is also a Milwaukee Braves Wall of Honor at the site. http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2017/06/27/winning-record-lifts-brewers-midseasonattendance.html Winning record lifts Brewers midseason attendance, TV ratings: Q&A with Rick Schlesinger

SUBSCRIBER CONTENT: Jun 27, 2017, 1:56pm CDT Updated: Jun 27, 2017, 2:14pm CDT The Milwaukee Brewers surprisingly strong start to the 2017 season already is paying off for the team’s business with increased attendance at Miller Park and higher viewership on Fox Sports Wisconsin — and the Brewers top front-office executive predicts attendance and ratings will continue improving as the season progresses. With the Brewers approaching the season midpoint holding first place in the National League Central Division, chief operating officer Rick Schlesinger discussed the impact on the team’s bottom line in an interview with the Milwaukee Business Journal. Year-to-date attendance is up about 230 tickets per game, which would mark a slight improvement over 2016 attendance of about 2.3 million, but Schlesinger said tickets already sold for the full season show an increase of 100,000. Selling 100,000 more tickets would represent an increase of 4.3 percent over the 2016 figure, which Schlesinger had said before this season he considered a “low water mark” for Brewers attendance. Audience ratings on Fox Sports Wisconsin are up 7 percent from 2016 through the first 68 telecasts of the season. The average number of southeast Wisconsin households watching Brewers baseball is 31,350 per game so far compared with 29,113 at the same point in the 2016 season. Q: The Brewers are in first place and fans seem to be into this. There seems to be some excitement around the team. What is your take on how that bodes for ticket sales, merchandise sales and so on? “The best marketing message we have is saying ‘first place Milwaukee Brewers,' so there’s no question that the team performance, which has exceeded most people’s expectations — except some of the folks that work here and our maybe our owner (Mark Attanasio) who is always bullish on the team — it does translate. “We’re looking at total tickets sold for the entire season not just for games played (so far). We’re doing very well. We’re over a hundred thousand tickets ahead of last year at the same point, which is great news. I think that number is going to continue to increase because people are now thinking it’s summer, it’s time for baseball, school’s out. “We’re in first place in what has become a very competitive division, contrary to people who may have anointed the Cubs as the heir-apparent to win the division in the same fashion that they won it last year. The fact that the Cubs are struggling, the (St. Louis) Cardinals are struggling, the (Pittsburgh) Pirates are struggling — that’s great for competitive balance in the division and also great for us that we’re able to be at the top right now. “I think that has translated already and I expect further increases. I’m very bullish on attendance. One thing you can’t predict is how the team is going to perform, but there are a lot of great stories out there with the team and our individual players. It’s certainly been an amalgam of some really nice performances, some fun stories. “We also spent $20 million to renovate the food and beverage experience (at Miller Park). All that plays into attendance increases.” Q: As far as that 100,000 increase — is that driven mostly by single tickets, group sales? How does that break out? “In fact it’s disproportionately individual game tickets. The reason is coming into 2017 we were a little behind on our season tickets, which you’d expect in a year when you were 73 (wins) and 89 (losses) and the message to the fan base is we’re rebuilding. So we were behind in season tickets. Not materially but we’ve had to recapture that lost inventory and we’ve done it by a nice surge in individual game tickets which reflects the enthusiasm — the casual fan getting excited about the Brewers. The hard-core fans are always coming and they’re great. The casual fan is now getting engaged. “This spike in attendance is exclusively through individual tickets. Group sales are about on par with last year. They’re a little bit ahead.” Q: Can you say where you are in terms of season tickets? “We’re always pretty careful to keep that close to the vest. I can tell you that we average between 11,000 and 13,000 full-season equivalents. So we’re in that bandwidth. And we lost a few percentage points in that number from 2016 to 2017. "One season ticket is 81 tickets (number of home games) you have to make up. So if you’re losing a few percentage points, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s a fairly decent-sized number. So the fact that we’re trending where we are is a great surge of individual-fan tickets based on excitement for the team on the field.” Q: Just as the on-field performance relates to attendance, the same goes for TV ratings — they’re up almost 8 percent year-over year. “I’m expecting that number to continue going up. There’s an interesting trend line when summer hits and people focus more on baseball than other things. Obviously we had an exciting Bucks season, school and even though we have a roof people don’t necessarily think about baseball first and foremost. Now that we’re in the middle of summer and the team’s in first place, I expect those ratings to increase. “The trend has been the better the team plays, the more interest on all levels. We look at TV very carefully. It’s also a good barometer of the overall health of our brand. Obviously a lot of people for many reasons watch us religiously but can’t come to every game or can’t come to a lot of baseball games. That audience is important to us. We look at that and we track that. The attendance increases and ratings increases do tend to go hand in hand.” http://www.sunherald.com/sports/mlb/biloxi-shuckers/article158325919.html Milwaukee Brewers prospect Mauricio Dubon one step closer to MLB after promotion

BY PATRICK OCHS [email protected] It didn’t take long for Biloxi Shuckers shortstop Mauricio Dubon to earn a promotion. The versatile prospect who joined the Milwaukee Brewers organization following a trade with the has been promoted to Colorado Springs, the club announced Monday. In just 71 games with the Shuckers, Dubon hit .276 with a .338 on-base percentage, 14 doubles and a league-best 31 stolen bases in 40 attempts. His impressive first half earned him a spot in the Southern League’s all-star game, which was ultimately canceled due to weather. Dubon has also played well defensively. He has committed 11 errors at shortstop in 53 games with a .948 . In 20 games at second base, Dubon only committed one mishap and has a .989 fielding percentage. Dubon also made three assists in eight innings at third base. His respective range factors at the three positions are 3.81, 4.30 and 3.00. Prior to the season, Shuckers manager Mike Guerrero raved about the up-and-coming middle infielder. “He’s a supermarket,” Guerrero said in April. “He’s got everything to offer. He can do everything. There is no limit to him. I hope everyone stays healthy because there are a lot guys here that have a lot to offer. “Defensively, (Dubon) is really good. He’s a shortstop, but he can move around and play second, play center field. Offensively, he can hit. He showed last year that he can hit and steal bases.” Dubon got 2017 started right, earning 19 at-bats with the Brewers during . He hit .368 with a .400 on-base percentage, three RBIs and two runs scored in his limited action in front of the big league brass. “I learned so much from (manager Craig Counsell and bench Pat Murphy),” he said. “I learned a lot from Jonathan Villar and Jesus Aguilar. They taught me a lot by just listening to them.” Following Monday’s announcement, Dubon thanked the Shuckers in a tweet. MLBPipeline.com and Baseball Prospectus rank Dubon ninth in the Brewers farm system. Fangraphs has Dubon one spot lower at No. 10. Back in Colorado Dubon isn’t the only Shucker moving up the Brewers’ organizational ladder. Right-hander Bubba Derby is also getting bumped back up to Colorado Springs. Derby has mostly been utilized as a reliever this year in Biloxi. In 18 appearances, Derby is 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA. He has struck out 46 against 20 walks in 50 innings and has held opponents to a .223 batting average. The 5-foot-11 right-hander made one start for Colorado Springs on June 10. He held Iowa scoreless in six innings, allowing three hits while also striking out three. Corresponding moves The Shuckers also announced Monday that right-handers Luis Ortiz (3-3, 3.02 ERA) and Jon Perrin (2-0, 3.93) were activated from the disabled list.