5 Things to Hope For in a Brewers New Year, Part 1

With the new year upon us I've come up with a list of five things, in no particular order, to hope for from the Brewers in 2013. I will serially publish each post over the next week or so.

1. Continuation of last year's offense

Brewers Narrowly Miss Series Win in Cincinnati

Last night as Joey Votto came to the plate against Kameron Loe I thought to myself that the next two matchups (Loe vs Votto, Jay Bruce) would likely decide the game. If Loe can keep the ball away from those two bats the Brewers would probably win the game and the series. Unfortunately for the Brewers, Votto's success against Loe continued (4-7, 3 HR) as he blasted a game-winning two-run home run. All that stood between the Brewers and a hard-fought series win at Great American Ballpark were the bats of two of the hottest hitters in baseball in Votto and Bruce (Bruce hit a two-run homer in the seventh).

Hart Makes History and the Crew Keeps on Rollin'

Corey Hart found his power stroke in dramatic fashion Monday night against the Nationals, hitting three home runs and adding another in his first at bat last night. His three home run night tied a franchise record, as did the seven RBI that came with it. The Brewers are firing on all cylinders right now and have won 12 of their last 15 games. They even managed to overcome a poor start by Chris Narveson (3.1 IP, 6 ER) by scoring two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings yesterday, the winning run coming from a two-run two-out single by Jonathan Lucroy.

What a Difference a Week Can Make

I've been busy the last few days and haven't had time to post. I'm glad to be back at it today, but with everything that's gone on over the past week that also means that this will be a long one. Bear with me, though; there's a lot of good stuff in here that will make you feel great about the Brewers.

Last Tuesday Brewer fans found themselves lamenting an 0-4 start with their team facing the tough Atlanta Braves for three more games. Yovani Gallardo took the ball that day, put the team on his shoulders, and delivered a two-hit complete game shutout in which he also scored the Brewers' only run. That game started a stretch by the Brewers that left them 5-2 on the home stand and 5-5 overall, moving them back to .500 quicker than even the most optimistic Brewer fans likely hoped.

Brewers Starting Pitchers Coming Into Focus; Opening Day Roster Set

Some good news on the pitching front this week. Shaun Marcum pitched for the Brewers yesterday and experienced none of the shoulder tightness he felt his last time out. He threw 68 pitches, so he's slightly behind schedule, but he'll be able to start vs the Reds on Saturday, with a likely pitch limit of around 80-85.

John Axford to Make His 2011 Debut Today vs San Francisco

The Brewers play the San Francisco Giants for the second time this spring today at 2:05 CST. Tim Dillard leads a pitching staff that will include appearances by some of the team's best bullpen arms of 2010, including closer John Axford, whose debut was delayed by a bout of food poisoning at the beginning of camp. Axford tweeted this morning that he's "SUPER PUMPED" for his first Cactus League appearance.

Injury Bug Bites Brewers

Greinke: That guy's finger looks like it hurts

The injury bug bit the Brewers camp today. Jonathan Lucroy broke his right pinkie finger this morning during drills. He'll have a pin inserted in his finger tomorrow and will miss four weeks. It's uncertain as to whether he'll need to start the regular season on the DL. This must be a huge disappointment for him as it's the first spring he's entered as the Brewers full time catcher. He's bound to lose some of the time he'd have spent catching new Brewers pitchers and he'll enter the regular season with little, if any, at bats under his belt. Here's hoping he's ready for opening day.

More Pics From Spring Training

Prince Fielder arrived in camp today, leaving Mark Kotsay as the only Brewer yet to show up. Here are some more pics of this week's workouts (again courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

Jonathan Lucroy: Hard Working, Humble, Awesome

Last week the guys at the Bernies Crew fan blog spoke with Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy as part of a podcast. For those who haven't had a chance to listen to the podcast, I've included here some excerpts and summarization. The main thrust of the interview reinforces our perception of Lucroy-- a humble, hard working individual who doesn't take anything for granted.

Previewing the 2011 Season: Jonathan Lucroy

At the beginning of 2010 Jonathan Lucroy could not have imagined that he'd be the Brewers everyday catcher by the second week of June. Yet that's just what happened, despite beginning the year in AA and having no less than three players blocking his path to the starting role in the Milwaukee.