Cravy’s day up and down
Reliever quickly returned to AAA
CHICAGO - There are short stays in the majors, and then there are very short stays.
Reliever Tyler Cravy experienced the latter Sunday when he was returned by the Brewers to Class AAA Colorado Springs, one day after being called up from that club. Cravy was optioned to make room for leftfielder Ryan Braun to come off the 10-day disabled list after recovering from elbow and calf issues.
Cravy was summoned after the Brewers covered five innings out of the bullpen during the raininterrupted game Friday against the Cubs. But the game Saturday was postponed – a decision the Brewers questioned – so Cravy wasn’t needed after all.
It has been that kind of year for Cravy, who was cut on the final day of spring training and lashed out at management in frustration. He backed off that criticism later that day on social media and said he and general manager David Stearns hashed things out at some point, with help from Cravy’s agent.
“Everything’s fine now,” he said.
All things considered, Cravy handled the oneday call-up as well as could be expected.
“I’m not upset about it,” he said. “It took a lot to even be considered to be called back up. So, that was nice. Obviously, this is different circumstances. A first-place team really playing well, so I can’t really argue with any moves now.
“Hopefully, I’ll be back soon.”
“Tyler has been through this before and understands how this works,” Stearns said. “I don’t expect him to be happy about it. We called him up expecting to play baseball yesterday, and he very likely would have gotten into the game.”
With a scheduled day off Monday, the Brewers could have waited until Tuesday to activate Braun but he went through some drills on the field after Saturday’s postponement and tested out OK.
“He’s ready to go, and we’re glad to have him back,” Stearns said.
Braun went 0 for 5 with a RBI groundout.
As for the Brewers going 7-2 during Braun’s time on the DL, Stearns said, “It really speaks to how guys stepped up. We have a lot of depth on this roster. It showed in our record.”
Guerra to return: Right-hander Junior Guerra got hit around a bit (6 1/3 innings, 11 hits, four runs, three earned) in his rehab assignment Saturday night for Colorado Springs in Albuquerque, but the important part was he felt healthy. Guerra has been on the DL since suffering a right calf strain in his opening day start.
Manager Craig Counsell said Guerra would return to the starting rotation later this week but didn’t specify the day. With the off day Monday, they don’t have to use a fifth starter until Saturday against Arizona. Mantilla honored: Former Milwaukee Braves second baseman Felix Mantilla, who lives in Milwaukee, was awarded an honorary degree Sunday at Cardinal Stritch University’s commencement ceremony at the Wisconsin Center.
Mantilla, a 1965 allstar and member of the Braves’ 1957 World Series champion club, was honored for his long commitment to youth sports and education.
“I can’t think of a more deserving individual than Felix Mantilla,” said Michele Bria, CEO of Journey House, which administers The Felix Mantilla Little League and serves a predominantly Latino community.
Mantilla, 82, and son Tony helped develop a youth travel program featuring educational and cultural opportunities. Last summer, a group of 14 Journey House student-athletes traveled to Puerto Rico for a four-day experience focused on educational activities but the trip also included playing baseball.
This summer, a group of Puerto Rican children will travel to Milwaukee for a similar experience. And there are plans to expand the program into other markets in the U.S.
Cardinal Stritch president James P. Loftus said: “For more than four decades, Felix has provided unprecedented leadership and support of the Little League, and he’s always stressed the importance of education. He remains committed to supporting the Milwaukee community and exemplifies the Franciscan values we espouse at Stritch.”