Brewer Daily News for August 13th: Ramirez’s return, Crew faces Rangers

Hello again everyone and welcome to the Tuesday edition of Brewer Daily News. Later today, the Milwaukee Brewers’ third baseman Aramis Ramirez will be returning to the line-up after battling a left-knee problem on the disabled list. Secondly, tonight the Brewers (51-67) will take on the Texas Rangers (69-50) in Arlington for a two-game series.

The Brewers hope that Aramis Ramirez can stay healthy for the rest of the season. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

With the state of the Brewers’ offense, Ramirez’s return may be what the club needs to start producing more runs. Ramirez, 34, will be coming off of the disabled list for the third time this season as he is penciled in to hit clean-up tonight.

"“I know he’s been out a long time and it’s probably not ideal [to immediately reinstate Ramirez to the cleanup spot],” manager Ron Roenicke said. “It’s not ideal that he doesn’t go out on rehab, either. But, sometimes, that’s what we do.” – via Brewers.com"

This season, Ramirez has seen a bit of a dip in his production, compared to last year’s .300 batting average with 27 home runs and 105 RBIs. Regardless, Ramirez has been able to belt out 16 extra base hits in 2013 alongside driving in 26 runs with a .273 average.

Tonight, the Brewers will start a short two-game series with the Rangers in Texas. Coming into this game, Rangers have won eight straight and starter Yu Darvish flirted with a no-hitter in yesterday’s 2-1 win over the Houston Astros. Aside from the ace Darvish, the Rangers have stacked up well in their rotation with Derek Holland , Matt Garza and Martin Perez. The bullpen has been lights out thanks to efforts by Robbie Ross, Tanner Scheppers, Neal Cotts, Jason Frasor and closer Joe Nathan who has 35 saves.

The Rangers’ addition of starter Matt Garza adds a lot of firepower to their rotation. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Offensively, the Rangers have rallied behind the big bat of Adrian Beltre who is currently hitting .324 with 25 home runs and 72 RBIs. The team did lose right fielder Nelson Cruz to a 50-game suspension and have filled the void with Alex Rios. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski has done well not only behind the plate but with the bat as well, hitting a solid .281 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs. Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus have been in a little bit of a funk this season while Mitch Moreland and David Murphy continue to struggle.

For the Brewers, they head into this game after winning a series against the Seattle Mariners 2-1. Leading the way in the rotation is the 34 year-old veteran Kyle Lohse who is 8-7 on the year with an ERA of 3.26 in 24 starts. The relievers have been consistent all season, something that the team wanted to improve on from last year and Jim Henderson continues to mow down the opposition with 16 saves and a low ERA of 1.88. Rookies relievers Rob Wooten and Donovan Hand have also been strong in their efforts.

The Brewers’ offense has been hit or miss in the past few series, either blowing out the opposing team or barely scoring one run. All-Star shortstop Jean Segura has continued to hit well as he’s batting .311 on the year and leads the team in stolen bases with 33. His All-Star teammate in Carlos Gomez has fallen off a little as his batting average has dipped to .286, but he does lead the team with 18 home runs. Recently, the Brew Crew lost second baseman Rickie Weeks for the season due to a hamstring tear in his left leg.

Projected pitching match-ups:

Tonight: Marco Estrada (4-4, 4.96 ERA) vs Alexi Ogando (5-3, 3.28 ERA) at 8:05 p.m. ET / 7:05 p.m. CT

Wednesday: Tyler Thornburg (1-0, 1.72 ERA) vs Matt Garza (8-2, 3.23 ERA) at 8:05 p.m. ET / 7:05 p.m. CT