Last call

• With Lohse pitching against the Rockies on Thursday, right-hander Marco Estrada will work in a Minor League game instead. That works out well, because Estrada is lined up to start the second game of the regular season, also against Colorado, and the Brewers prefer not to "show" him so close to a real game. Closer John Axford will also get work in Minor League camp for the same reason.

• All 28 players still active in big league camp, plus some others, will make the trip to Milwaukee on Thursday for the Brewers' weekend exhibitions against the White Sox. Some of those players, including catcher Anderson De La Rosa, have already been informed they will not make the Opening Day roster.

• Minor League coach Al LeBoeuf, who shared his story of perseverance to MLB.com earlier in camp, achieved a personal milestone on Wednesday morning. Struck by a form of blood cancer last year that caused his legs to go numb from the knees down, he walked from his hotel room to the elevator to the lobby on only one crutch.

"That was my goal and I actually did it today for the first time, and I was really excited," LeBoeuf said. "I know some people have said I've been an inspiration to them, but believe me when I tell you, they've been an inspiration to me."

LeBoeuf will take a leave of absence at the start of the season to undergo a stem cell transplant, a previously-planned procedure that is part of his road to recovery. He is aiming to be back on the field by July.