General manager Doug Melvin was non-committal as to whether he is contemplating any changes for the team's bench. The three younger players who made the club with big springs, outfielders Brad Nelson and Chris Duffy, and infielder Casey McGehee have not been productive offensively with irregular playing time.
Combined, Nelson (0-for-20), Duffy (2-for-21) and McGehee (3-for -15) were 5-for-56 (.089) with no home runs and two RBIs (both by Duffy). "It's tough for a young guy on the bench," said Melvin. "It's really more of a role for a veteran. Duffy can perform in different roles."
Nelson, who is 0-for-13 as a pinch-hitter, came within a foot or so of socking a ninth-inning homer Thursday night off Cincinnati closer Francisco Cordero.
"That would have been a good one to start with," said Nelson. "I'm hanging in there. What else can you do?"
The Brewers don't have any veteran types on their Class AAA Nashville roster who might serve as a bat off the bench. Asked if Nelson's status was in jeopardy, Melvin said, "He's here. Everything's subject to change.
"We felt Brad deserved every opportunity. He had a great spring."
BREWERS 3, CUBS 2: Some players have a flair for the dramatic. Brewers LF Ryan Braun certainly belongs in that category. Braun socked a two-run homer off reliever Aaron Heilman in the eighth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit and give the Brewers a victory in a spirited pitching duel with their chief NL Central rival. The blow was somewhat reminiscent of the two-run homer Braun hit in the eighth inning against the Cubs on the final day of the 2008 season that propelled the Brewers to their first playoff berth in 26 years. "It wasn't quite as dramatic as last year but definitely a lot of fun," said Braun. "The energy, the excitement in the crowd was something that made it feel a little bit like last year."
