With a full week of Cactus League games now under their belt, Milwaukee Brewers players are starting to settle into routines. The fake games can beget unrealistic enthusiasm, as starters play a few innings, then give way to the minor-leaguers trying to see if they can hang. The Brewers finally allowed a pitcher to go more than one inning, but they continue to take it slow to begin the exhibition season.
As a reminder: Don’t take anything too seriously in this recap. It is only spring training, where exhibition games often devolve into minor-league scrimmages. The information below is meant as basic news, not necessarily hardcore analysis.
For the Brewers as a whole, they won three of the four games to improve to 3-4. They fell to 0-4 after dropping a 7-5 decision to the Padres on Monday, before bouncing back by beating the A’s 10-0 Tuesday, the San Francisco Giants 13-12 Wednesday and the Texas Rangers 5-1 Thursday.
Who’s Hot? ?
Brandon Lockridge: Could he be making a push to start Opening Day in center field? If he continues to hit this way, you have to consider it. Lockridge went 4-for-8 while starting three games in center and right. He homered, doubled, was hit by a pitch and scored four times. Lockridge figured to be a lock as a backup outfielder, but depending on how Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins do, he could have a bigger role come Opening Day.
Tyler Black: I like to distribute the kudos evenly whenever possible, but when you have two games like Black did, it is impossible to set him aside. Black went 3-for-3 with a double, a homer, a stolen base and six RBIs vs. the A’s, then followed that up two days later by going 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and two more RBIs. That made him 8-for-12 this spring, a sizzling .667. He started at first base in both games. Black’s homer came off A’s right-hander Mason Barnett, who has five games of MLB experience. Black, who does have a minor-league option remaining, is competing for a bench spot and is a younger version of Jake Bauers, a left-handed hitter able to play first base and left field.
Craig Yoho: After being a cult figure as a prospect, Yoho lost a little luster with one really bad inning in his debut season, in which he made eight appearances in four call-ups. But after two Cactus League appearances, the changeup specialist is off to a good beginning to his spring. He faced the minimum three hitters in a perfect inning against the Giants, throwing 12 pitches (nine strikes), then facing five batters against the Rangers, allowing a single and a walk on 16 pitches (seven strikes).
Who’s Not? ?
Jackson Chourio: This is actually a mixed result. Chourio went 0-for-5 in two games to drop his spring performance to 2-for-12 (.167). But Chourio, who famously hasn’t shown enough patience to draw walks, earned three free passes in those two games, all against pitchers with MLB experience, two of whom are veterans. Pat Murphy was “excited” about one of those walks, a 10-pitch grind that showed real engagement. Chourio is set to depart for the World Baseball Classic to play for Venezuela, so his bat is likely to get going while representing his country.
David Hamilton: It’s impossible to know the upheaval a player goes through when traded during spring training. But Hamilton, expected to be the top backup infielder after coming over from the Boston Red Sox in the Caleb Durbin deal, has yet to find his groove. He went 1-for-9 in three games, getting a double, driving in a run and scoring once, while walking twice and striking out just once. He started twice at third base and once more at short, positions he figures to see a lot of time at this season. Hamilton, who is now 2-for-12 this spring, is known more for his defense anyway, so no reason to hit panic here.
Peter Strzelecki: You never can make a judgment on one outing, and I am not doing that here. Just chalk this one up to a bad game. Strzelecki, who has made 66 of his 77 MLB appearances out of the Crew’s bullpen, is back after bouncing between three teams last season, all spent in the minors. He was the second pitcher in the Giants game and allowed two runs in his one inning. He hit the first batter he faced, struck out the next, then got Harrison Bader to pop out in foul territory before his second four-seam fastball to top Giants prospect Bryce Eldridge was drilled for a homer. He gave up a single to Jung Hoo Lee before striking out former Brewers catcher Eric Haase to end the third inning.