Milwaukee Brewers Microbrew

Snoop Dogg! Brewers reporter Curt Hogg and host JR Radcliffe spent quite a bit of time talking about the rap legend in the house Saturday, but they did find some time to talk about a 4-2 week of Brewers baseball, chock full of exciting endings. That included Sunday, when Blake Perkins' throw home helped atone for a big-time miscue earlier in the series. Plus: Freddy Peralta is struggling, and so is Sal Frelick. Does the former mean the team is more likely to trade for a starter, and is the latter a pre-cursor to a trip back to Nashville? Jackson Chourio is heating up, and Three Up/Three Down starts with "generational player" Joey Ortiz.

Remembrew When looks back at a wild moment in Brewers history that included Bill Schroeder, the longtime announcer who was celebrated Friday for his 30th year on the mic.

Then, JR sits down with Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen, an Appleton West native reaching an interesting juncture in his career as free agency looms. They talk Rowdy Tellez hosting his wedding, his Bears fandom and his close connections to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers franchise.

Musical cues (in order of use): "Strobes" by Epocha, "Ricketts Glenn" by Roy Williams and "Rock is Back" by Got Happy. Royalty-free music available at EpidemicSound.com. 

An injury to Robert Gasser has further thrown the Brewers starting rotation in flux, with another top prospect in line to make a start Tuesday as the Brewers return home. All things considered, a 2-4 week isn't terrible considering the Brewers faced two and maybe three Cy Young contenders. Brewers reporter Todd Rosiak and host JR Radcliffe recap the six games and again find themselves wondering how the team is supposed to hold the pitching staff together, though Aaron Ashby and Tobias Myers delivered some encouraging performances. The offense has another double-digit scoring performance, but there are a couple red flags: The homers have vanished, and William Contreras is slumping.

Rhys Hoskins' return to Philadelphia is among the topics in Three Up, Three Down, and after a huge Myers start, Steve Woodard's gem is the topic in Remembrew When.

Then, JR chats with Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Gordon Wittenmyer, who follows the Reds but also previously covered the Cubs and knows both teams intimately. The Reds just snuck past the Cubs in the standings; are they suddenly the team to beat? What's his take on how Chicago is reacting to the early struggles of the Cubs under Craig Counsell?

Musical cues (in order of use): "Strobes" by Epocha, "Ricketts Glenn" by Roy Williams and "Rock is Back" by Got Happy. Royalty-free music available at EpidemicSound.com. 

What a wild week of baseball in Milwaukee, with both Chicago teams coming to American Family Field and leaving with only one win. The Brewers went 6-1 and in the process got one over on former manager Craig Counsell, and not without some voiced displeasure from the home fans. Brewers reporter Curt Hogg and host JR Radcliffe discuss the many twists and turns of the week, including the heroics of Blake Perkins, Gary Sánchez and Willy Adames, the 23-hit game against the White Sox and another dust-up Sunday.

 Remembrew When looks back at a 31-hit onslaught against Toronto in 1992 and Curt Blanche takes issue with one particular stat measurement.

Then, JR is joined by Brewers pitcher Colin Rea, who discusses his connection to a country musician with the same-sounding name, the unusual circumstances that brought him to Japan (and back again) and the evolution of his fastball arsenal.

Musical cues (in order of use): "Strobes" by Epocha, "Ricketts Glenn" by Roy Williams and "Rock is Back" by Got Happy. Royalty-free music available at EpidemicSound.com. 

Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and host JR Radcliffe have a nice weekend bonus episode for you looking entirely at the Brewers minor league system (we know the Brewers took three of four from the Cubs; we're saving that for the normal Monday episode). They're joined by Spencer Michaelis of Brewers Fanatic to discuss all things minor leagues, from the top-tier prospects (Jacob Misiorowski, Brock Wilken, Cooper Pratt) to the litany of pitching standouts (Carlos Rodriguez, Brett Wichrowski, Logan Henderson) to players who might still help this year (Bradley Blalock, Craig Yoho?).

Then, JR is joined by Nashville Sounds play-by-play announcer Jeff Hem (43:00) for more prospect talk, but also about the way the Sounds interact with the Nashville community, the relationship with the Brewers and the umpire ball/strike challenge system in the minors. Did you realize there are two versions of the system, and most players strongly prefer one to the other? What has Jeff seen from Aaron Ashby?

The Brewers split six games in Miami and Boston, but the attention quickly turns to what's ahead, with the Chicago Cubs and Craig Counsell coming to Milwaukee for a four-game set. How has Pat Murphy proven to be different than Counsell (in ways that even manifested this week). Brewers reporter Curt Hogg and host JR Radcliffe discuss. William Contreras continues to look like an MVP; how serious is that candidacy? Plus: Some interesting comments from Josh Hader illustrating what many suspected about his time in Milwaukee, and Joe Ross heads to the injured list.

In Three Up, Three Down, we've got popcorn flying, a fight in Boston and Jared Koenig's back-to-back starts. Remembrew When riffs on Christian Yelich's steal of home and a look back at a sensational 2003 rookie season. And Curt Blanche explores a stupid MLB rule that cost the Brewers early in the week.

Musical cues (in order of use): "Strobes" by Epocha, "Ricketts Glenn" by Roy Williams and "Rock is Back" by Got Happy. Royalty-free music available at EpidemicSound.com. 

William Contreras continues to look like an MVP candidate, with his 13th pitch-homer off future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander the latest example. Brewers reporter Todd Rosiak and host JR Radcliffe discuss the unreal season from the Brewers backstop and revisit a trade that seems destined to live forever.

In general, the power was there for the Brewers this week, but the patchwork starting rotation is barely getting by. Will that come back to haunt Milwaukee, or can the team remain on its first-place path thanks to its cadre of effective relievers? Plus: Joey Ortiz steps up, Rhys Hoskins in lost with injury and Remembrew When looks back at another 13-pitch blast.

Then, JR is joined by rookie starter Robert Gasser (48:45), who now has two strong outings on his MLB resume. After that, JR chats with Jared Koenig (55:30), a reliever whose winding path to the big leagues took him to five different independent leagues, including one in New Zealand.

Musical cues (in order of use): "Strobes" by Epocha, "Ricketts Glenn" by Roy Williams and "Rock is Back" by Got Happy. Royalty-free music available at EpidemicSound.com. 

Brewers reporter Curt Hogg and host JR Radcliffe revisit a 4-3 week for the Brewers, one with a number of highlights, including an excellent debut start from pitcher Robert Gasser on Friday. Plus, Rhys Hoskins and Willy Adames deliver big-time home runs, Christian Yelich is back and mashing yet again, and the St. Louis Cardinals look ... bad. What's up with Jackson Chourio (and Joey Ortiz) getting held out of the starting lineup. Remembrew When looks back at the Happy Youngster and Curt's Take of the Week is tackling a Sunday send.

Then, JR is joined by Joey Ortiz, who discusses the circumstances that brought him to Milwaukee and the origin of his Packers fandom.

Musical cues (in order of use): "Strobes" by Epocha, "Ricketts Glenn" by Roy Williams and "Rock is Back" by Got Happy. Royalty-free music available at EpidemicSound.com. 

The Brewers were in Wrigley Field to take on the Cubs and old manager Craig Counsell, but by then the story of the week had been written. Brewers reporter Curt Hogg and host JR Radcliffe discuss a turbulent Rays series featuring some controversial umpiring, a brawl, a debut for top prospect Tyler Black and Rickie Weeks as manager. Then came the Cubs series, a somewhat dispiriting series loss.

Remembrew When and Curt Blanche are also discussing brawls before JR has an interview with rookie pitcher Tobias Myers (49:00) on his first couple appearances in the big leagues and a fascinating minor-league career arc. After that, it's Verona High School alumnus Ben Rortvedt (58:00), who started all three games for the Rays at American Family Field and has found a big-league footing after a litany of injuries sidetracked him.

Musical cues (in order of use): "Strobes" by Epocha, "Ricketts Glenn" by Roy Williams and "Rock is Back" by Got Happy. Royalty-free music available at EpidemicSound.com. 

The Milwaukee Brewers were able to finish the week 3-4, but it wasn't a great overall stretch, if for no other reason that the team is down yet another starting pitcher (and this time for the whole season). Brewers reporter Curt Hogg and host JR Radcliffe once again try to figure out how Milwaukee can piece it together, especially with Joe Ross struggling, too. The offense has a slow week but does enough for a split in Pittsburgh, followed by a thrilling walk-off win against the Yankees, but then a lot goes wrong (including a mis-Judged play by the umpires Sunday).

Remembrew When goes back to 1979 for another unforgettable walk-off against the Yankees, and Curt Blanche reminds us what's ahead: the Brewers' first games against the Chicago Cubs and former manager Craig Counsell.

Then, JR chats with reliever Bryan Hudson, one of the biggest bright spots of the 2024 season thus far. They discuss his Illinois upbringing, his sidearm delivery and, yes, about his height.

Musical cues (in order of use): "Strobes" by Epocha, "Ricketts Glenn" by Roy Williams and "Rock is Back" by Got Happy. Royalty-free music available at EpidemicSound.com. 

The Milwaukee Brewers offense had another breakout day Saturday, part of a week that featured a series win in St. Louis. Brewers reporter Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel joins host JR Radcliffe to discuss the success, including the excellence of Brice Turang and Blake Perkins moving closer toward that elusive "sustainable" category, plus the MVP-caliber start by catcher William Contreras. But what about the pitching, specifically embattled starter DL Hall? And is it a problem the way new manager Pat Murphy deploys his bullpen dissimilarly from his predecessor, Craig Counsell?

Remembrew When (52:50) revisits a bullpen game that nearly turned into a no-hitter in 1988, and Curt Blanche (54:10) looks at the Cardinals ... just what are they doing, exactly?

Then, JR sits down with outfielder Blake Perkins (1:04:15), who's off to a hot start. They discuss his unusual path to the big leagues, his elite center-field defense and his fully updated LinkedIn page.

Musical cues (in order of use): "Strobes" by Epocha, "Ricketts Glenn" by Roy Williams and "Rock is Back" by Got Happy. Royalty-free music available at EpidemicSound.com.