Around NL Central Spring Training, 3/10: Brewers Make Nice, Hendry Fires Back, And More Injuries

Brewers: Remember the shirt-untucking? The Prince Fielder bowling ball walkoff homer against the Giants? The Brewers say they’re done with that, and will be more businesslike this year. Meanwhile, lefty reliever Scott Schoeneweis is still trying to cope with his wife’s sudden death last year.

Cubs: Ex-Cub Milton Bradley took more shots at the Cubs, their fans and the city of Chicago in an interview with ESPN’s Colleen Dominguez. Cubs GM Jim Hendry finally broke the organization’s silence, saying, among other things, “We’re all brought up in life to accept responsibility when we fail, and to judge people by how they act and how they carry themselves when things don’t go well.” And if you’re a friendly, outgoing baseball fan looking for a job, call the Cubs. They’re hiring 25-30 “fan ambassadors”.

Cardinals: Uh-oh, Cardinals fans. You know Albert Pujols has been out for a few days with back trouble. Matt Holliday has now been scratched from today’s game with “soreness in his right rib cage”. And righthanded reliever Josh Kinney had an MRI for shoulder discomfort. A healthy Brad Penny threw four shutout innings against the Nationals Wednesday afternoon.

Reds: Cincinnati.com’s Reds beat writer John Fay examines his “top five questions about the Reds”, including comments on Aaron Harang, Jay Bruce, Homer Bailey, Drew Stubbs and the competition for left field.

Astros: Bud Norris, who showed flashes of brilliance in his 11 major league appearances last year, was pleased with his first appearance of the spring. And there’s plenty of competitors for Houston’s fifth outfielder spot, though not many of them have major league experience.

Pirates: The Bucs hope to have closer Octavio Dotel ready for Opening Day; he’s hoping to pitch in Grapefruit League action by next week. Speaking of Grapefruit League action, the Pirates play their only Bradenton night game of the spring Wednesday night against the Orioles; the game will air live on the MLB Network at 7 pm EST.