Aguilar homers, Braun gets first hit in Crew win

PHOENIX -- The patient Padres built a lead with a parade of walks, but Jesús Aguilar and the Brewers answered with one big swing.
Aguilar, a candidate for Milwaukee's bench, hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the fourth inning, and Ryan Braun drove in a run with his first spring hit in the Brewers' 5-3 win Saturday at Maryvale Baseball Park.

"Really, it's just hard contact. A lot of hard contact," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of Aguilar, a waiver claim from the Indians. "Make it tough on us. That's what he's doing."
Against Brewers starter Matt Garza and Minor League closer Jon Olczak, the Padres batted around and took a 3-1 lead in a third-inning rally that included two hits, four walks and a hit batsman. Garza issued consecutive one-out walks before Wil Myers tied the game with a single. Olczak, on loan from Minor League camp for his Cactus League debut, was called upon to clean up the inning but hit one batter with a pitch and walked three others, including Franchy Cordero and Luis Torrens with the bases loaded.
The only Padres batter to make an out in the inning was Rafael Ortega, who grounded out against Milwaukee's third pitcher, Tyler Cravy. The other two outs came courtesy of Brewers catcher Jett Bandy, who threw out former Brewer Luis Sardiñas trying to steal second base and Erick Aybar trying to steal third.

Garza was charged with two earned runs on three hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings.
"It's your first time, you're a little amped," Garza said of Olczak, who closed games last season at Advanced Class A Brevard County. "I remember my first live BP [with the Twins], I nearly took Michael Cuddyer's head off with my first pitch.
"It's a huge culture shock for some guys. As soon as he came up, I went up to him and said, 'Keep your head up, dude. You're in High A last year, and now you're throwing with us.' He was just amped."

The Padres, who got two hits apiece from Myers and Hunter Renfroe, gave the ball to rotation candidate Trevor Cahill. He fell into an early deficit when Eric Thames walked and Braun followed with a line-drive double to left field, where Ortega bobbled the baseball in the corner. It was Braun's first Cactus League hit after he struck out and walked in his spring debut a day earlier.
Braun's RBI marked the first run allowed by Cahill this spring, and the right-hander would surrender another in the fourth. Cahill, who pitched in the bullpen over the past two seasons, is battling for one of the Padres two remaining rotation spots.
"The plan is to build me up," Cahill said. "Right now I'm just treating every game and every situation like I'm in the rotation until they tell me otherwise. That's the only way you can really go about it."
Padres Up Next:Jered Weaver will make his second start of the spring when the Friars play host to the Indians on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. PT on MLB.TV. The veteran right-hander appears to have a starting spot locked up. Righty Tyrell Jenkins and lefty Christian Friedrich -- who will follow Weaver on the mound Sunday -- are looking to join him in the rotation.
Brewers Up Next: After missing 10 days with a minor wrist injury, Scooter Gennett is expected back in action on Sunday when the Brewers travel to Goodyear, Ariz., to play the Reds at 3:05 p.m. CT. Gennett will lead off and play second base behind Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson in a game airing on the Brewers Radio Network. Veteran Bronson Arroyo starts for Cincinnati.
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