Brewer Roundup: Greinke sharp in a 7-1 win over Arizona

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PHOENIX - Zack Greinke struck out eight batters in seven innings yesterday, as the Milwaukee Brewers crushed Arizona 7-1 in a Cactus League exhibition.

The right-hander gave up a first-inning run, and then retired 19 of the final 23 hitters he faced. Greinke also drove in a run with a shot down the left field line in the fifth inning, when the Brewers scored six times. Later, he came up with the bases loaded and hit a double-play grounder to short. The throw was late to second, but the throw to first easily got Greinke – because he stopped running three-fourths of the way down the line. Manager Ron Roenicke smiled when he said he might talk to Greinke about that. Jonathan Lucroy continued his hot spring for Milwaukee. He fell a triple short of the cycle as he went 3-for-4 with three RBI’s. Lucroy is batting over .500 this month with 20 hits in 39 at-bats with nine runs driven in. Also, Norichika Aoki returned to the lineup after a hamstring problem on Tuesday. He walked and singled in three trips. The Brewers will play Cincinnati this afternoon, with left-hander Randy Wolf getting the start for the Crew.

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Brewers’ right-fielder Corey Hart went 2-for-4 yesterday in a minor league game at the team’s complex in Phoenix. Hart doubled-and-singled in his first game since having surgery on his right knee March sixth. He did not play in the field. Manager Ron Roenicke says Hart will bat in another minor league game – and then the coaches will decide whether he’s healthy enough to play in the outfield. Also, the Brewers sent outfielders Caleb Gindl and Logan Schafer down to Triple-“A” Nashville yesterday. That leaves 33 players on the big league roster. And the Brewers got some laughs when impersonator and Brewers’ fan Frank Caliendo visited the team’s clubhouse and took part in a morning workout. Actor John Gries – who played Uncle Rico in “Napoleon Dynamite” – also put on a uniform. He’s a neighbor of Brewers’ starter Randy Wolf.

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Left-hander Randy Wolf will start for the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon, when they play Cincinnati in an exhibition game in Phoenix. Wolf is 3-0 with a three-point-two-six ERA. He says his curveball has been working well this spring – unlike a year ago, when he didn’t get a good command of it until May. The Reds will put up hard-throwing left-hander Aroldis Chapman. He’s 1-and-0 with an ERA of one-and-a-half. Ryan Braun is expected to return to the Milwaukee lineup, after sitting out yesterday when the Brewers crushed Arizona 7-1. Braun insists he’ll be ready for the regular season opener a week from tomorrow, even though he’s only hitting .143 this spring. Braun says he remains confident, despite the fact he’s only had four hits in 28 at-bats, including a homer. Manager Ron Roenicke said Braun didn’t need a lot of at-bats last spring, on his way to an MVP season. But the skipper says he’ll play Braun more in the final six days of Spring Training, so he can get focused a little more. The Brewers are 10-13-and-2 in Cactus League exhibitions.

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