Who starts Opening Day on mound for Brewers?

On the day Opening Day tickets were made available for those who won the ticket lottery (this writer was one of them!) it's time to seriously start getting ready for the big day, which is just 34 days away.

Manager Ron Roenicke has already been asked as to who will get the ball for the Brewers on that day and, as per usual, he is not making it public his throughts on who he will tap to start things off for the 2014 season against the Braves at Miller Park.

What he has mentioned is some clue that he has looked at the schedule and noted the Brewers will be part of three home openers in the first week of the season. First, in Milwaukee, on the actual Opening Day. Second, in Boston, when the Red Sox get their World Series rings on the first weekend of the season, and third, in Philadelphia the following Monday against the Phillies. 

That could play a part in things, as Roenicke is on record as saying that Friday "ring day" with the Red Sox at Fenway "is a big game." 

History tells us he is not one to skip guys in the rotation, even with off days between the Brewers Wednesday finale with the Braves and Friday's tilt in Fenway. 

It has to be between three guys for the Opening Day nod and it would set up the rest of the first 10 days of the season. Yovani Gallardo has started the last four openers, but he is coming off what many consider to be a rough year. It wasn't a bad year for him (minus the DUI which put a black eye on his season), but he didn't take the step forward many expected he would. 

Kyle Lohse pushed through a rough open of the season to be the best Brewers pitcher for all of 2013. He was the legit ace of the staff last year once he got dialed in. Many expect him to do the same this season.

Matt Garza was the big free-agent acquisition and was right in line with Lohse while a member of the Cubs last season. After he got traded to the Rangers and suffered an injury he was never the same the rest of the season. He could be a 1a to Lohse's ace-caliber stuff this season.

So who does Roenicke go with? It has to be Lohse for me and here's why. If Roenicke does not skip the guys at the back end of the rotation with the Thursday off day that first week of the season, the No. 1 will pitch the Sunday game in Boston with his No. 2 start of the season. The No. 2 guy would then pitch the opener in Philly the next day and the No. 3 would get an extra day off and start Game 2 of the series against the Phillies. With that in mind, I go Lohse, Garza, Gallardo out of the box. It lines the ducks up when you need them most and puts Gallardo in the best position to succeed.

That does leave out the Friday Opener in Boston. Does Roenicke trust Wily Peralta or Marco Estrada to start that game? The Sox will be throwing their No. 4 that day, too, so it won't be that big of a deal. 

What is a big deal is the start of the Brewers season. After these three Opening Days, the Brewers then play 21 of 24 games against teams from the NL Central. they can ill afford to get off to starts like they have seemingly every year Roenicke has been the manager.

Garza signing would shore up Brewers rotation, bullpen

It's not quite official just yet, but the Brewers and free agent pitcher Matt Garza seem destined to agree to a contract that will see Garza sign the richest free agent contract in Brewers team history. 

Did anyone see this coming? I know I didn't, but it's a coo for General Manager Doug Melvin that helps two of the most important part of the team; the starting rotation and the bullpen.

Last season it felt like the Melvin leaned on the young arms to carry the starting rotation and the result was an avalanche that burried the team in a 6-22 May that proved too much to dig out of. The Garza signing address that and and give the team the ability to slide one of the three being considered for the final two spots in the rotation to the bullpen. 

Marco Estrada, Willy Peralta and Tyler Thornburg will all have a shot at those final two spots, but the one that misses out (I'm leaning towards Thornburg) would be moved to the bullpen, where he could be a viable asset. In Thornburg's case, a possible set up man for closer Jim Henderson.

It would also clear things up with Will Smith, acquired from Kansas City in the Nori Aoki trade, and settle him in the bullpen, where he has experience.

Garza would fall in line behind Kyle Lohse and Yovani Gallardo in the starting rotation and add a potent arm to the No. 3 slot of the rotation. The Brewers are hoping they get the Garza who started 2013 6-1 with the Cubs, not the one who ended the season 4-5 with the Rangers and a strikeout-to-walk ratio that was the worst of his career after battling injuries. 

The 30-year-old Garza and his injury past is the concern circling the Brewers fan base, and it is a great concern, but it's a risk the Brewers have to take if they want to shore up the rotation. They are banking on him being healthy enough to log 170 innings at least and take the ball every fifth day and keep the ball in the ballpark, something that won't be easy considering his recent history. He has allowed 35 home runs in the last two seasons and he's coming to Miller Park which is one of the friendliest hitter's parks in the Majors.

As a whole I'm for this move, but there are some shaky parts of it. Instead of worrying about three years from now, I look at this season and it's a move that shores things up on the pitching front.

Race to fill Brewers fifth starter post is clear as mud

Sorry for being away over the last week or so. I don't get too worked up over Spring Training over positive things or negative showings, especially with guys that have been in the league for a bit. I suggest you do the same.
With the word last week that Zack Greinke was going to miss his first three starts of the regular season with that cracked rib, speculation then turned to who will man the No. 5 starter role with everyone else sliding up in the rotation for the first two weeks of the season? Today, that question got answered... Sort of.
We know the first of those three starts will not go to Mark Rogers. The reason? His injury set him behind most of the other pitchers who are starters and he is only able to go one inning while everyone else in the running is up to a full five innings at this point.
So who's left? Glad you asked. There are a couple familiar names and one we'll all have to learn. The man that now seems to be the front runner to be picked by Ron Roenicke is Wily Peralta, as Brewers.com's Adam McCalvy reports. Peralta's Spring stats are nothing to get real excited about, but he's a right-hander and has pitched the most innings and could be the most ready when the season starts in 15 days.
The candidate known by the team and fans is Marco Rivera. Of course, it's hard to forget his "questionable" injury he suffered last season before the Brewers tried sending him back down to Nashville. His stats last year weren't much to desire, but he was serviceable and did deliver some solid innings. In relief, he wasn't that great there.
Fellow rookie Eulogio De La Cruz is the third arm in the mix and he is probably on the outside right now because, as his stats show, he is not Major League material just yet.
These guys will not be asked to go nine innings. The bullpen will be on call after the third inning when the winner of this battle starts a game, so no need to put too much into how good these guys will do going deep into a game. Plus, guys like Manny Parra and Kameron Loe add long-relief options in the pen that could bridge the gap to the back end of the pen to close those games.
That said, to me, it seems it's between Peralta and Rivera at the moment to earn the job. Of course one may get the first one and the other may be the second and will be sent back down to Nashville following their game. That will bring a fresh arm back to the bullpen. I'm not decided on either guy and will have to take another week to let this thing sort itself out.


It's tourney time and while I have only completed one bracket, but have a few more I need to finish. Yes, it's a fun time of year when the girl who knows nothing about sports, but likes the Bullfrogs to beat the Blue Demons because she likes frogs and wins $300 in your pool.
Heard about the Wall Street Journal's blind NCAA tourney pick 'em. It's pretty cool. Be sure to check it out, here.
Got any pools you want me in? Shoot me a link on my FB or Twitter.

Irina Shayk may have landed the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, but it's very clear who the stunner of the publication is this year. The Nussie Hunter showed you to her a week before the issue was released and can't get enough of her. Her name is Kate Upton. And she's a bikini model that has been busy of late. Be sure so check her out on Guyism.com, with a sample below. Going to use a sturdy limb to predict she's got a shot at the cover next year!