Time For a Lineup Shuffle?

The Brewers lost again yesterday despite an excellent outing by Chris Narveson (6 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K), pushing their record to a disappointing 0-4 to begin the season. Another tough loss for the Crew, who saw their 1-0 lead slip away in the eighth inning when Takashi Saito, a pitcher historically good at keeping the ball in the park, gave up two solo home runs to give Atlanta the lead. Surely most Brewers fans didn't expect their best performance by a starting pitcher to begin the season from Chris Narveson, and the Narve Dog indeed looked somewhat shaky in the first inning. He quickly overcame what I'm calling his "home opener nerves," settled in, and mostly made Braves' hitters look foolish for six innings.

Through those innings no Brave passed first base. Had the Narve Dog been more economical with his pitches he surely could have stayed in the game longer. Unfortunately, such performances sometimes go to waste, and Brewers' bats just couldn't provide enough offense for the bullpen to secure the win. It's far too early to start worrying, but it's probably time for Ron Roenicke to shuffle his lineup, if not only for the day.

For One Brewer, Japanese Tsunami Hits Home

Brewers setup pitcher, Takashi Saito, left camp today in response to Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami. He's from an area north of Tokyo that was hit by the waves. He managed to reach his wife and three daughters on the phone, but as of now has not yet spoken to his parents. The Brewers have given him clearance to return to Japan if necessary. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan as they deal with the fallout of this disaster.

UPDATE: I just saw on twitter that all of Saito's family has been accounted for.

Marcum Blanks Angels, Fielder Homers in 2-1 Win

Brewers fans got a glimpse of what the club traded Brett Lawrie for yesterday when Shaun Marcum threw three scoreless innings against the Angels. The changeup specialist threw his number one pitch especially well as he struck out three while giving up two hits and no walks. Said Craig Counsell of Marcum's outing: "That was impressive."

Meanwhile Prince Fielder, originally slated for a day off, batted fourth as designated hitter and provided the Brewers' sole runs with his first homer of the year, a two-run shot. Fielder asked manager Ron Roenicke if he could DH in order to get in a couple more at-bats. Roenicke was pleased with Prince's initiative and was happy to oblige the slugger.

Takashi Saito relieved Marcum, walked the first batter he faced and retired the next two on flyouts to right field. He then exited, having reached his pitch limit.

The Brewers play split squad road games today vs the Rangers and A's, both at 2:05 CST. Zack Greinke starts against the Rangers while Chris Narveson leads off against the Athletics.

Previewing the 2011 Season: Takashi Saito

The Brewers host the Los Angeles Angels today at 2:05 in a game that reunites manager Ron Roenicke with the club in which he spent the last 11 years. Newly acquired Brewers setup man, Takashi Saito, is scheduled to pitch after his first outing was delayed this week due to hamstring tightness. What a better time, I thought, to introduce Saito to my readers.

Brewers Down White Sox 3-1

Brewers pitchers put together a solid day on the mound today in a Cactus League victory over the White Sox. The Brewers struck first in the top of the third when Rickie Weeks batted home catcher Wil Nieves after he singled and stole second.