Giants claim Burch Smith from Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers have been trying to figure out their pitching staff all season long. They lost an arm as right-hander Burch Smith was claimed by the San Francisco Giants on a waiver claim.

Smith was designated for assignment on August 9th to create space for Hernan Perez.

Milwaukee signed Smith to a minor-league contract back in January and he began his season in Triple-A. The 29-year old posted a 2.33 ERA across 15 starts and 77.1 innings while striking out 85 and walking 37.

The Brewers used Smith as a reliever during his time with the big league club. He allowed 11 earned runs in his 12.2 innings of work this season.

    Brewers send Mauricio Dubon to Giants for pitching

    The Milwaukee Brewers have made an upgrade to their pitching staff. They’ve traded for Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The San Francisco Giants will receive Mauricio Dubon.

    Pomeranz has had his troubles on the mound this season posting a 5.68 ERA and 2-9 record. He has since moved to the bullpen and been productive. He has allowed just one hit and zero runs in 5.1 innings through four appearances as a reliever. If he can continue his success in the bullpen, the Brewers could have an impact player down the stretch.

    Black doesn’t have a whole lot of experience in the major leagues but could play a role as a reliever.

    Milwaukee enters Wednesday in the playoff race, only 1.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. One of their biggest problems this season has been the bullpen. Outside of Josh Hader, the Brewers don’t have too many reliable options in relief. Adding bullpen help could be the key to success the rest of the year.

    According to MLB.com, Dubon is the Brewers’ No. 3 prospect. He hasn’t spent much time on the big league roster but has posted a .297 batting average and 16 home runs through 98 games in Triple-A.

      Giants 8, Brewers 3: Last takes

      MILWAUKEE | The Milwaukee Brewers fell to the San Francisco Giants 8-3 Sunday dropping the weekend series.

      What’s wrong with the bullpen?

      The series opened with the Brewers’ bullpen blowing up costing a loss Friday night. The pen surrendered a late lead in Saturday’s game which could’ve led to another loss if not for Ben Gamel’s walk off double. On Sunday, the bullpen was the main factor in another Milwaukee loss.

      Reliever Corbin Burnes allowed four runs in the seventh inning without recording an out. It started with a Donovan Solano double. Then, starting pitcher Tyler Beede picked up his second hit of the day with an RBI single. Brandon Belt followed with a single, then former Brewers’ catcher Stephen Vogt doubled giving the Giants a 4-2 lead.

      “We’re not having success,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s not working. The stuff is there but at some point, we’re losing execution, we’re making mistakes, we’re getting ahead in the count and making mistakes. We have to address things with Corbin.”

      The Giants tacked on more runs against Matt Albers turning what was a tie into an 8-2 lead. San Francisco sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning.

      Chacin puts together a nice outing

      “Our starters did a nice job in this series,” Counsell said. “There’s no issue with the length of our starters this series. Our starters did their jobs.”

      Jhoulys Chacin added to the nice outings the Brewers have gotten from their starters in this one. He allowed one earned run on four hits in his five innings of work. Chacin probably had more left in the tank to come out for the sixth inning, but the offense needed help so Counsell decided to pinch-hit for him.

      “I would have liked to send him back out there but we were trying to score right there because we were losing,” Counsell said. “He certainly would have been able to go back out there but we had to catch up.”

      HR #32 for Yelich

      One bright spot from the loss on Sunday came from the reigning NL MVP smacking his 32nd home run of the season. Yelich hit his 32nd on September 23rd in 2018.

      What’s next?

      The Brewers (48-46) turn their sights to the Atlanta Braves (56-37) beginning a three-game set on Monday. Adrian Houser (2|3, 4.01 ERA, 47 SO) will get the start opposite of Max Fried (9|4, 4.29 ERA, 97 SO). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm.

        Brewers lose to Giants 10-7 in 10 innings

        The Milwaukee Brewers didn’t get off to the second half start they hoped for. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Brewers Friday night 10-7.

        Closer Josh Hader blew his second save of the season allowing home runs in both the eighth and ninth innings.

        Milwaukee plated a run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings but the Giants quickly finished them off.

        Matt Albers gave up a grand slam to Buster Posey which wrapped up the victory for San Francisco.

        Next up, the Brewers (47-45) will look to take game two from the Giants (42-48). Zach Davies (7|2, 3.07 ERA, 63 SO) will get the start for Milwaukee opposite of Madison Bumgarner (5|7, 4.03 ERA, 115 SO). First pitch is scheduled for 6:15pm.

          Brewers avoid sweep, beat Giants 5-3

          The Milwaukee Brewers pulled off the Father’s Day victory defeating the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Sunday.

          Offensively, Eric Thames and Jesus Aguilar both homered. The bullpen was terrific as well. They pitched five shutout innings.

          Milwaukee jumped on San Francisco starter Jeff Samardzija early on scoring a run in each of the first two innings. The Giants responded in the second inning scoring two runs off Brewers starter Chase Anderson.

          Thames got the lead to 4-2 in the fifth inning blasting his 10th home run of the season. The Brewers now have five players with double-digit homers. Jesus Aguilar added to the damage in the sixth inning with a pinch-hit homer off reliever Derek Holland making it 5-3.

          Junior Guerra and Jeremy Jeffress followed Matt Albers with a scoreless inning each before Josh Hader got the call to close it out. Hader sent down all six batters he faced in the eighth and ninth to pick up his 17th save of the season.

          Next up, the Brewers (40-31) begin a three-game set with the San Diego Padres (30-39) on Monday. Jhoulys Chacin (3|7, 5.74 ERA, 44 SO) will get the start for Milwaukee opposite of Joey Lucchesi (5|4, 4.11 ERA, 73 SO). First pitch is scheduled for 9:10pm.

            Brewers fall to Giants 8-7

            The Milwaukee Brewers fell to the San Francisco Giants in game two of a three-game set 8-7 on Saturday. The Brewers had a 5-1 lead through the top-half of the fifth inning but couldn’t hold on to it.

            Jimmy Nelson and Adrian Houser walked four straight batters in the bottom of the fifth allowing San Francisco’s offense to find life. Milwaukee took back the lead in the seventh before giving it back in the bottom of the frame behind Junior Guerra.

            Christian Yelich hit a two-out home run in the ninth for his MLB-leading 26th of the year. However, that was as close as the Brewers could get as Will Smith shut the door after to pick up the save.

            Next up, the Brewers (39-31) will look to avoid the sweep by the Giants (30-38) on Sunday. Chase Anderson (3|1, 3.80 ERA, 46 SO) will get the start opposite of Jeff Samardzija (3|5, 3.72 ERA, 56 SO). First pitch is scheduled for 3:05pm.

              Brewers give up three homers, fall to Giants 5-3

              The Milwaukee Brewers lost the series opener against the San Francisco Giants 5-3 Friday night. Surprisingly, it was the offense that pushed the Giants over the top. They blasted three homers against the Brewers leading to the victory.

              Pablo Sandoval and Kevin Pillar each went yard off starter Zach Davies. Also, Mike Yastrzemski blasted a two-run shot in the seventh inning providing the Giants with some much needed insurance to secure the win.

              The Brewers failed to capitalize with the bats. They went 1-for-8 with RISP and stranded 11 on base. Giants starter Drew Pomeranz entered with a 1-6 record and 7.16 earned run average but Milwaukee couldn’t take advantage.

              Davies went five innings allowing three earned runs on six hits while striking out two. He picked up his first loss of the season dropping to 7-1 on the year.

              Next up, the Brewers (39-30) will look to take game two of the three game set against the Giants (29-38) on Saturday. Jimmy Nelson (0|1, 12.00 ERA, 2 SO) will make his second start of the season opposite of Madison Bumgarner (3|6, 3.83 ERA, 84 SO). First pitch is scheduled for 3:05pm.

                Report: Brewers trade Kratz to Giants

                Catcher Erik Kratz knew he wasn’t going to play in Milwaukee after the addition of Yasmani Grandal. The Brewers traded Kratz Sunday morning to the San Francisco Giants for minor-league infielder C.J. Hinojosa.

                Kratz played a major role in the Brewers’ run towards a World Series last season. However, with Grandal and Manny Pina, Kratz was not going to make the big-league roster. He played in 67 games for the Brewers, batting .236 with six home runs and 23 RBI. The Brewers were 33-21 in his 54 starts.

                At 38 years old, Kratz became the second-oldest player in MLB history to make his postseason debut as a starter in the NLDS last year. In nine playoff games, he batted .292 with three RBI.

                Hinojosa was an 11th round pick out of the University of Texas in 2015. He is 5-10, 175 pounds and bats right-handed and has played second base, third base and shortstop. He has played 347 games in the minors hitting .273 with a .334 OBP, .384 slugging percentage, 21 homers and 135 RBI.

                The city of Milwaukee will miss Kratz. He was a classy guy who was great for the clubhouse.

                  Report: Giants Have Had “Preliminary Talks” For Braun Trade

                  MILWAUKEE — The San Francisco Giants have reportedly inquired about the services of Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun after unsuccessfully finding a long term replacement for Hunter Pence.

                  USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale adds the designation that while the Giants and Brewers have discussed a trade, there is nothing imminent in the works.

                  The Giants will get a firsthand look at their potential new acquisition when they begin a series with the Brewers Monday night in the Bay. Braun is just two days removed from a 2-for-4 performance against the New York Mets in which both of his RBI came on home runs. Braun is batting .316 this season with 11 home runs and 36 RBI. His .919 OPS is better than three of his six All-Star seasons, but he’s playing on a part time basis as he recovers from offseason back surgery to fix a herniated disc.

                  The Brewers still owe Braun $105 million, so if it’s prospects Milwaukee is looking for, they’d likely stay on the hook for most of that contract cost.