Last call

• Micah Owings is a pitcher turned hitter whom the Brewers hope turns into something in the middle.

"He is the reincarnation of Brooks Kieschnick," assistant general manager Gord Ash said.

Kieschnick found a cult following with the Brewers as a power-hitting relief pitcher in 2003-04, posting a 4.59 ERA with eight home runs in those two seasons. Often he would pitch the top of an inning and then bat, saving then-manager Ned Yost a bench player.

Owings signed a Minor League contract with the Brewers after opting out of his Triple-A deal with the Nationals, for whom he had been working exclusively as a hitter. He was expected to make his first appearance as a pitcher since 2011 on Friday night at rookie-level Arizona, but the outing was pushed to Monday because of what Ash termed minor arm soreness.

When he has built sufficient arm strength, Owings will be assigned to Double-A Huntsville, Ash said.

"The appeal with us is we wanted him to do both [pitching and hitting]," Ash said.

• Roenicke said he'd heard no major complaints following Thursday's voluntary workout about the condition of center field at Miller Park, where a huge stage was constructed and then taken down for a Paul McCartney concert on Tuesday. The grounds crew replaced about 2,800 square feet of sod after the show.