About the time the Brewers started the season 0-4 many of the naysayers or “nonbelievers” out there figured they could cash out on the season after just five days.

Well, the Reds did win the NL Central last season and are a damn good team, so those of us that know baseball and know you can’t get too up or down hung around for a full week of baseball and now have a 5-5 team on our hands with things looking to get better on this nine-game road trip to the East coast.

The Brewers showed what they were made of coming back to Miller Park and going 5-2 against the Braves and Cubs. Now it’s time for the Pirates and Nationals before heading to Philly to trade body blows with the Phillies.
What the Brewers showed during the homestand was what most people that know the team figured they’d show.

Yovanni Gallardo was great in getting the first win of the season and so-so Sunday as Casey McGehee belted a home run in the eighth to down the Cubs. Shaun Marcum showed improvement and should keep getting better when the rain ends and he takes the hill Wednesday in Pittsburgh. And let’s not forget Chris Narveson who could show he belongs with the Zack Greinke’s, Gallardo’s and Marcum’s with his not allowing a run in 13 innings thus far without allowing a run. And that’s just the starting pitching.

Prince finally hit a homer, Ryan Braun is hitting the long ball and in bunches and for the first time I can remember both seem to be absolutely hot at the plate right now. With both of them grooving together, the Brewers are almost untouchable. Yes, they need guys on in front of them and with Rickie Weeks off to the start he is off to and either Nyjer Morgan or Carlos Gomez doing just enough in the No. 2 slot, runners were finally on when they went yard over the weekend against the Cubs and it paid off.

During the homestand, the Brewers played the type of baseball most of us expected them to play. Well, everyone but Randy Wolf, but let’s not get too greedy here, people. And to think they will be getting Jonathan Lucroy back tomorrow night and Manny Parra and LaTroy Hawkins should be joining the team in the coming days in the bullpen. Then, attention can turn to the “Big Two” on the DL in Corey Hart and Zack Greinke who are both at least two weeks away from returning to the big league club.

Until then, getting to maybe a couple games above .500 would be where to expect this team to be and put themselves in a spot to rattle off some wins and make the move they have to in order to challenge the Reds for the division. At least, that’s what I see them being capable of.

For those that had written them off after four games, fans like that aren’t really fans at all. They look for a reason and an excuse to jump ship and just seem way too negative. Will the Brewers lose four games in a row again this season? Probably. But they’ll also win four games in a row a couple times, too, so you’re not supposed to get too high or low.

This team now is pretty good and when the pieces all return, will be one of the top teams in the NL both offensively and with pitching.

This post appears in a partnership with Wilber’s Way. To read the rest of this post, which includes a look at Edge’s retirement from WWE and Jordana Brewster on the cover of Maxim, be sure to check out Wilber’s Way.

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast

Duration: 36:02

Topics:

- NCAA Tournament Final Four preview

- Brewer talk with WST Brewer insider.  Get the latest on roster changes, injury updates and what to expect in the early stages of this MLB season.

Frustrating news for Packer Fans today as embattled defensive linemen Johnny Jolly was arrested again on drug charges. Jolly, a 6th round pick by Green Bay in the ’06 draft, was still serving a one year suspension handed down by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for similar charges dating back to a 2008 arrest.

The Packers, known as a “high-character organization,” had taken a risk in remaining in contact with Jolly during his suspension. Green Bay GM Ted Thompson had hoped to keep the star lineman out of trouble, and aid in a smooth transition back into the Pack’s roster.

This likely spells the end of Jolly’s tenure as a Packer. It will also likely put the Packers in a tough spot on the defensive line, where they are also expected to lose stellar DE Cullen Jenkins to free agency.

Johnny Jolly, 28, played in 48 games at DE  for Green Bay, amassing 113 total tackles and 77 solo tackles.

This story appears in partnership with The Daily Dope Sheet!

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.

This post appears in a partnership with Wilber’s Way. To read the rest of this post and see more opinions from Aaron, be sure to check out Wilber’s Way, here!

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast: NCAA Tournament Preview

Duration: 46:25

Topics:

Section 1-

- In depth breakdown of  4 Wisconsin’s first round match-up v.s 13 Belmont.

- In depth breakdown of 11 Marquette’s first round match-up v.s 6 Xavier.

- Break down of every 1st round, potential second and Sweet 16 round match-ups.

- Ali Farokhmanesh. Jordan Crawford.  Those were last year’s tournament players to watch.  Who should you keep your eye on in this year’s NCAA Tournament?

Section 2-

- Final Four and NCAA Champion predictions.

- A look back at ESPN’s Fab Five documentary.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke made the least shocking of official news today, naming Yovani Gallardo as the Opening Day starter on March 31 against the Reds. It was a move that made the most sense after Zack Greinke went down with cracked ribs and will miss 2-4 more weeks of the spring and also what would have been his first three starts of the regular season.
As Adam McCalvy quoted Roenicke on Brewers.com, the team didn’t lose ITS ace, it lost one of its aces and Gallardo is worthy and willing to step in. Things could also work out where Gallardo also starts Opening Day at Miller Park on April 4. But, at the moment that is looking like that start will go to Chris Narveson, who was tabbed to be the No. 5 starter before the injury.
As I wrote back in January on Examiner.com, splitting up the lefties would help keep the opposition off balance and would also split up Greinke and Gallardo. The move to have Gallardo start Opening Day at Miller Park would set that up down the road when Greinke returns and also break up Randy Wolf and Narveson.
As Roenicke told Tom Haudricourt this morning, the Brewers are not too concerned about splitting Wolf and Narveson up as many would think because “they are not the same prototype pitcher.” That makes sense. Either way, the team will have to decide on who fills in as the No. 5 starter then on April 5 or 6 against the Braves with a rotation of Gallardo, Shaun Marcum, Wolf, Narveson.
There is a chance Gallardo will start April 4 at Miller Park on regular rest, but judging by what Roenicke told reporters he thinks Narveson is up for the home opener, it would seem unlikely he would budge from that stance unless something changes and Narveson isn’t ready. The guy won 12 games last year and this would be a be shot of confidence for him to pitch on a big stage.
Right now that is looking like it is a battle between Mark Rogers, Willy Peralta and Amaury Rivas. All have question marks, but would just be spot starters.
There are some already hoping Rogers pitches well and then forces the Brewers hand to keep him in the rotation. The truth on that matter is, as was noted this morning by fellow Brewers blogger Big Rygg at Brewers Nation, Rogers has Minor League options and would no doubt be sent down in favor of releasing Manny Parra or Narveson regardless of how well he pitches.
SHADOW OF DOUBT
Of course, with all of this shuffling going on and things not setting up exactly how Brewers fans and everyone around MLB pictured the start of the season, comparisons are already being drawn to the 2010 Seattle Mariners, who traded for Cliff Lee before last season began.
Lee suffered an injury in March and missed time at the start of the regular season, too. That makes Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal put some of the pieces together and say the Brewers could be set up for a failure. Rosenthal touches all the bases in his story though and says there is a big difference in the Brewers in that they kept their offense in tact while making big pitching acquisitions. The Mariners certainly did not and could not hit at all last year. Obviously the Brewers are not perfect, but I’m feeling pretty good about the starting rotation once Greinke returns, and the offense. If the bottom of the order can pull their weight and the bullpen can hold up their end of the donkey, that would just leave the defense as an are that needs to perform. All three are concerns from Rosenthal and rightly so. It’s one of those things we’ll have to watch develop over the course of the season.

This post appears in a partnership with Wilber’s Way. To read more from Aaron and the rest of this post including Blake Griffin as Mars Blackmon, Pee Wee Herman on Conan and today’s Nussie Hunter pick of the day, click here!

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Show

Duration: 47:15

Topics:

Segment 1- All things UW, MU and UWM basketball. (00:00- 15:45)

Segment 2- Milwaukee Bucks basketball.  are you rooting for the Bucks to catch the Indiana Pacers and make the eighth seed on the NBA Playoffs or are you rooting for them to lose? (16:00- 35:50)

Segment 3- Milwaukee Brewers Spring ball update.  Zach Greinke’s injury.  What are the Brewers’ largest holes? (36:10- 47:15)

I was actually planning on writing something today on how injuries have been the only news coming out of Brewers Spring Training in Maryvale when I was in my car and heard Zack Greinke would miss 2-4 more weeks with a fractured rib.
That news, first broke by the Journal-Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt, adds a bit of insult to injury, literally. I know it’s still early and the odds all five starters would make it through the entire season without a minor DL stint from any of them would not happen, but to start the season with all this drama, puts the team behind the eight ball so to speak.
Maybe it’s the fact Greinke was hurt playing in a pickup basketball game and it has me a bit miffed about the whole ordeal. There’s nothing wrong with a guy playing other sports and basketball is a good one to work on endurance. But how he described his games and someone telling him he was going to get hurt, is not a good sign.
As Jaymes Langrehr wrote over on his The Brewers Bar blog, this isn’t something to get too worked up over. I see what he’s saying. He’s not missing the season or an extended period of time. That could be true if this doesn’t linger around. The team and the training staff knew of the injury and let him play with it. His control in his two spring starts were far from Greinke’s norm. We at least have that in hindsight. But he cannot rush back and has to heed the advice from the doctors at all turns to tread lightly. For the first time in his career he is playing on a team with extremely high expectations. He has made it clear he is a firey competitor and wants to be a part of things. But those expectations are nothing without him. At least, they’re not as high without him. He is the Ace of Spades so to speak and will lead the staff when he gets healthy.
As I said, I was planning on writing an injury post today before this news came out and the biggest news after Greinke is Corey Hart. He can’t even turn when fielding balls in the outfield, so it’s time to keep him shut down for a while. I’m not worried about him so much as Greinke. Yes, he needs at bats, but he doesn’t need extended time to build himself up to get his timing down at the plate. He can get 10 at-bats in a day on the Minor League side of the Spring Training complex in Maryvale and be fine. He is still on track to start Opening Day in Cincy.
With Mark Rogers, one of the likely candidates to make fill-in appearances in Greinke’s absence at the start of the season also shut down with an injury, the pieces are already falling out of place for the Brewers. At this point they are nothing too serious and can be overcome before the season starts, it’s just hard to build back up and get ready once the season starts. Games are every day and this team will be in a race throughout the season, unable to afford throwing a few games by the wayside while multiple stars are healing. That’s how seasons get lost.
Am I worried yet? No. I am concerned. News other than that of injuries is welcome. There is some I’m seeing, but the biggest has been the injuries. Hopefully things will start to work themselves out over the next three and a half weeks.

This post appears in a partnership with Wilber’s Way. To read the rest of this post and get more of Aaron’s opinions, check out Wilber’s Way!

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Show

Duration: 38 minutes

Topics:

Segement 1

- Wisconsin, Marquette and UWM Basketball bracketology, conference tournaments  and their chances in the big dance later this month.(0:00- 13:00)

Segment 2

- Milwaukee Bucks staying firm at the trade deadline.

- What can we expect from the Bucks the rest of the season and in the off-season.

(13:15- 25:35)

Segment 3

- Milwaukee Brewers spring training updates and players to watch.

- What are you worried about going into what’s supposed to be the Brewers’ best season in over 20 years?

(25:50- 38:00)

There was a lot of talk last week and I had a couple thing going on so I didn’t have a chance to get to it, but Yuniesky Betancourt stands to be at the center of a lot of controversy this season as the new Brewers starting shortstop. There was plenty written by the two man Brewers beat writers about him last week. Most of that downplayed his weaknesses with the team brass doing a bit of spinning the numbers and trying to sell the acquisition to the fans. Tom Haudricourt’s piece in the Journal-Sentinel had a different take: He’s no better than Alcides Escobar.
It was a bit different, but he’s right. Clearly the two players are at opposite ends of their careers, so us fans looked at what Escobar did last year a bit differently than Betancourt’s season, despite eerily similar numbers. Here they are, in case you were curious, courtesy of MLB.com. (Betancourt stats | Escobar stats)
That leads to a key question: How good does Betancourt have to be to satisfy Brewers fans?
To truly answer that question, it is clear he doesn’t have to lead the team in home runs. The top five Brewers hitters can jockey for that honor with the likes of Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee all capable of hitting the long ball. So, that responsibility is off the board.
He doesn’t have to lead the team in RBIs. Again, last year four of those five guys had over 100 RBIs and that one that didn’t many are expecting a career year as he nears toward free agency of the biggest payday of his life.
The answer is a tad complex, but straight forward. He just has to be a smart player. The team will win in spite of him if he has another season with a .299 on-base percentage and cannot live with his bevy of errors in the field. He will hit in the bottom-third of the batting order, but has been speculated already that he could he sixth. Still, odds are he will hit seventh or eighth and will need to take pitches in front of the pitcher and at least pretend like he has a clue. Expecting a drastic change from his erratic ways either in front of or behind another free-swinger in Carlos Gomez, may be too much to ask, but like Gomez, he must take the walks that are out there and not get himself out.
“Esky” as some fans in Kansas City called him, does have some pop and did lead the Royals in RBIs last season. They weren’t staggering numbers by any means, but it’s a start and he is capable of getting the big hit with runners on base. With manager Ron Roenicke thinking of hitting him sixth, he’s looking for a way to give some pop behind McGehee and offer him some sort of protection. If he’s hitting .238 that won’t be much help at all, but he’ll surely see pitches that will give him a chance to drive in runs. Roenicke may be onto something there. It wouldn’t be uncalled for to try to give him a shot in the No. 6 slot.
Of course, it could go sour and the worst case scenario is that Betancourt has to slide down the order to No. 7 or No. 8. Or, as Roenicke hinted on the first day of camp, No. 9 was he’s entertained the idea of hitting the pitcher eighth. He is a career .272 hitter and if he can have that average, the team will be overjoyed with him. It’s the 3.4 percent walk rate everyone wants him to improve on. The guy could get it up to 10 percent, still not good, but better, and those same people would be overjoyed. It seems that simple.
What about in the field for Betancourt? He had exactly the number of errors as Escobar last season. As the Brewers brass has said, better pitching will put fewer balls in play and make guys look like better fielders. That’s not a false statement and could help not only Betancourt, but everyone in the field for the Brewers are are marginal defenders. But for Betancourt in particular improving just slightly and not throwing the ball away, or throwing it at all for that matter, on close plays is what he needs to strive for.
Basically, no one is asking Betancourt to be great. Essentially, fans just don’t want him to be “bad.” Here’s hoping he can at least pull that off.

This post appears in a partnership with Wilber’s Way. To read more of Aaron’s opinions and the rest of this post (Including Mila Kunis from the Oscars) go to Wilber’s Way!