MILWAUKEE, WI (LEARFIELD-WSAU) Old acquaintance was forgot at yesterday’s Brewers-on-Deck fan fest in downtown Milwaukee. Both the players and their fans appeared ready to erase the memories of 2014 — when the Brewers led their division for five months before they collapsed in September and failed to make the playoffs.
Outfielder Ryan Braun, whose batting average went down as the pain in his right thumb went up, said he feels much better. Braun said he’s been taking regular batting practice after an operation in which a bad nerve in the thumb was frozen to try and eliminate the pain. He said it’s “significantly better” than at this time last year.
Jimmy Nelson said he’s ready to prove his worth as a starter, after he was plugged into the rotation following the trade of Yovani Gallardo to Texas. Nelson went 2-and-9 for Milwaukee a year ago, despite winning the Pacific Coast League’s pitcher-of-the-year honors for his performance in the first half of 2014. Nelson said he got away from what worked in Triple-“A,” and he’s been working to fix that.
Also, Brewers’ owner Mark Attanasio confirmed that the team’s talking about bringing back closer Francisco Rodriguez for a third straight one-year deal. G-M Doug Melvin has tried bringing in Philadelphia closer Jonathan Papelbon, but those talks have stalled.
