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Brewers Notes: Infield, McKinney, Lauer, Cain, Williams

By Anthony Franco and TC Zencka | March 21, 2021 at 9:15am CDT

The most likely scenario for the Brewers at shortstop is turning back to Orlando Arcia while giving third base to Travis Shaw, per the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Luis Urías, meanwhile, could begin the year in Triple-A. Urías has been hampered by a left hamstring injury, which could account for a potential early-season demotion. The Brewers were hopeful the former top prospect would show enough to claim a starting job in the infield this spring, going so far as auditioning Arcia at different spots around the diamond. If Urías isn’t totally full speed, the Brewers can use his minor league options as a means of keeping Daniel Robertson and Billy McKinney, each of whom they’d have to expose to waivers if they don’t start the season on the roster. McKinney wasn’t a lock to stay in Milwaukee, but he has done his part with a strong spring, writes Andrew Wagner of the Wisconsin State Journal. The Brewers don’t have an outright need for McKinney, although it helps that the left-handed outfielder can play first base as well.

More out of Milwaukee:

  • It has been a tough Spring Training for Eric Lauer, note Tom Haudricourt and Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Over five innings between three appearances, the left-hander has issued seven walks and given up three home runs. The Brewers optioned Lauer to Triple-A Nashville Friday, taking him out of the mix for a season-opening rotation spot. Acquired from the Padres as part of the deal that also brought in Urías and sent out Trent Grisham and Zach Davies, Lauer suffered through a brutal first season in Milwaukee. He allowed sixteen runs in eleven innings last year, issuing nine walks while striking out twelve.
  • Lorenzo Cain and Devin Williams made their Cactus League debuts in last night’s game against the Reds, Haudricourt and Rosiak were among those to relay. Cain, delayed by a quad injury early in camp, took three plate appearances and played some center field. He’ll rest today but expects to be back in the lineup tomorrow. The Brewers have proceeded cautiously with Williams, who missed their playoff series last year with a shoulder injury. The reigning NL Reliever of the Year says he’ll have “three or four” more tune-up appearances before Opening Day, per Haudricourt and Rosiak.
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Milwaukee Brewers Notes Billy McKinney Devin Williams Eric Lauer Lorenzo Cain Luis Urias Orlando Arcia

Jonathan India And The Reds’ Grand Experiment
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View Comments (29)
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29 Comments

  1. kripes-brewers

    4 years ago

    Gonna be a fun season watching the Crew. I figure they’re at about 85 wins. I don’t think they have enough in the tank to win the division, but they won’t be a pushover. The NL central is just going to beat each other up all year and it’ll come right down to the last week again.
    Opening games against the Twins will be brutal, as usual. They just love playing the Brewers.

    Reply
    • its_happening

      4 years ago

      All depends on how well they play in their division. It is not far-fetched to think they can pull off 45 wins in-division and play .500 ball outside of the Central. That would give them 88 wins.

      Reply
      • paddyo furnichuh

        4 years ago

        45-21 within their division? Maybe it’s not far-fetched, but that record within the division does not seem likely.

        1
        Reply
        • paddyo furnichuh

          4 years ago

          As a follow up: 66 intradiviional games, 96 games outside the division.

          But I won’t be too surprised if the Brewers win 88 games.

          Reply
        • paddyo furnichuh

          4 years ago

          Pardonme for my error( bad math for me) 45-31 from 76 intradivsional games.

          Reply
        • Herc33

          4 years ago

          It wouldn’t be 45-21, there’s 76 divisional games so if would be 45-31.

          It’s possible although I don’t think I would say it’s probable. To me it depends on how bad they can beat up on PIT. If they play ~.750 ball against the Pirates and then go .500 against everyone else in the division that would get them to about 42-34. I’d say about ~40 wins is probably more likely.

          Reply
        • SoxRewl

          4 years ago

          19 games against the pirates helps

          2
          Reply
        • paddyo furnichuh

          4 years ago

          Indeed, and I think the Reds may be a horror show on defense. The Brewers-Red series will be interesting, to say the least.

          Reply
        • pdxbrewcrew

          4 years ago

          15-4 vs Pit, 10-9 vs the other three. 45 wins.

          Milwaukee does have a history of beating the crap out of Pittsburgh.

          Reply
  2. Barkerboy

    4 years ago

    I think they are better than 85 wins with their pitching and defense. 90 plus. Burnes is awesome.

    1
    Reply
    • kripes-brewers

      4 years ago

      They’ve got to find a way to put some early runs on the board. Last year they were down 2-3 runs in the first inning waaaay too often and it put the pitchers in a bad position. Wong and Cain should help that. Pitching is tough – I just don’t have as much optimism about the starters. I don’t think there is enough offensive firepower to put up the crooked numbers they’ll need.

      Reply
      • paddyo furnichuh

        4 years ago

        The lack of in-game video as a tool seems to affected many hitters in the very short 2020 season.

        Reply
  3. Bud Selig Fan

    4 years ago

    Urias to the ATS/AAA to get lots of AB’s and hopefully get his confidence back at hitting a baseball sounds good to me. He’s only 23, and since acquired from SD has been injured or Covid’d. Arcia is tolerable at least till the deadline if Urias isn’t ready to help by then.

    I’m not expecting much from Lauer, at least for this season, since the true severity of last years ST injury (torn shoulder capsule vs the impingement we were told it was) was recently revealed by Lauer himself just a couple of weeks ago. That’s the type of injury that could affect his career moving forward. Hope he can regain the increased velocity he showed last ST (95/96) and command at some point again.

    With Freddy Peralta’s devastating 4 pitch mix and improving command, it looks like finally we’re going to see what Brewers fans have been waiting for since Woodruff, Burnes and Peralta were unleashed on the baseball world back in 2018, and that’s 3 of the top prime-aged starters in the game, all in the same rotation.

    Then add the hardest to hit and 45%+ K backend duo of Williams/Hader with 11-13 K/9 arms of Topa, Perdomo to go with multi-inning arms of Rasmussen and Suter, with a 7-10 arm stable of arms that shuttle and you get a pitching staff that can easily be the most dominant in the game, and few outside of MKE have a clue what’s getting ready to be unleashed on the baseball world.

    To bad the offense isn’t nearly as strong.

    1
    Reply
    • brewcrewfan75

      4 years ago

      Peralta is terrible. Fastball Freddy is all he is, and they sit on it.

      Reply
      • pmollan

        4 years ago

        @brewcrewfan75 You’re outta your mind. Freddy also has a curve, and now a slider to go with his FB, which plays a couple different ways. He’s pitched 3.2 innings so far this spring and has recorded 10 of his 11 outs via K. That doesn’t happen by accident.

        theathletic.com/2410349/2021/02/25/freddy-peralta-…

        2
        Reply
        • brewcrewfan75

          4 years ago

          Dude, it’s spring training, and you are facing AA guys. He’ll be out of rotation by May 1st, and sent down.

          Reply
  4. AHH-Rox

    4 years ago

    Pet peeve: the word is “shoo-in”. Has nothing to do with footwear.

    2
    Reply
    • n888

      4 years ago

      Some people just don’t get horse analogies

      Reply
    • Mrtwotone

      4 years ago

      My pet peeve is that pet peeve has nothing to do with pets!

      Reply
  5. HubcapDiamondStarHalo

    4 years ago

    I know ST stats don’t mean too much, but when you surrender seven walks in five innings, it’s gonna be tough to snag a roster spot…

    1
    Reply
    • Herc33

      4 years ago

      It’s even worse when the walks are coming from a crafty lefty who doesn’t have a high velocity fastball or nasty breaking pitches.

      He’s reliant on good command to succeed and if he doesn’t even have good enough control to avoid walks then that’s not a good sign.

      1
      Reply
      • HubcapDiamondStarHalo

        4 years ago

        True that… and then the homers. Walks + homers is just not a recipe for MLB success if you’re a pitcher…

        Reply
  6. tonysbrewcrew00

    4 years ago

    A lot of people thought the Padres were getting ripped off in that trade with the Brewers but unless Lauer and Urias figure something out this season or next I feel the Brewers made a mistake giving up Grisham so soon.

    1
    Reply
    • KCJ

      4 years ago

      Yeah that deal is not working out too well for the Brewers. It sounded good at the time but has been nothing short of a disaster so far.

      1
      Reply
  7. pdxbrewcrew

    4 years ago

    Lauer sent down? Impossible!?! Why there were some on Brewer fan sites that thought Lauer was going to slot right in the #3 starter spot and be a vital member of the team. Meanwhile, I was banned for calling that moron a moron.

    Reply
    • KCJ

      4 years ago

      I live in Milwaukee and I never heard that #3 talk….maybe it was one individual who said that but it’s certainly never been a serious consideration from the team or any majority of the fans. I think almost all Brewer fans and the team understand that they’d be lucky if Lauer made it as the #5 guy

      Reply
      • pdxbrewcrew

        4 years ago

        There was one moron (well, I called him harsher than “moron”; I have zero patience for stupidity) that would say that, but most of the others there considered Lauer a full-time starter and a vital member of the pitching staff. I was universally derided for saying Lauer would be lucky to make the bullpen as the third lefty and was in danger of being cut if he didn’t have options.

        Reply
    • 2id

      4 years ago

      Never heard of Lauer being considered a 3 either. Looks like it’s going to be Woody, Burnes, Peralta, Anderson, and either Hauser or Lindblom. Good depth outside the top 2

      Reply
  8. brewcrewfan75

    4 years ago

    Dude, it’s spring training, and you are facing AA guys. He’ll be out of rotation by May 1st, and sent down.

    Reply

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