Game Report: Brewers 7, Rangers 4

Thanks to five unearned runs Friday night at Surprise, Milwaukee swept the two-day home-and-home series between the clubs. The Brewers scored three in the first and three more in the fourth, both innings in which the Rangers made errors. It made a loser of RHP Kevin Millwood who made his second consecutive quality start this spring. Millwood allowed four hits and struck out six, but was charged with six runs (only one of which was earned).

The good: 1B Chris Davis is leaving any concerns about his swing in the Arizona dust. He hit his second home run in the last three games and was 3-for-4 with a double. In his last six games, Davis is 9-for-22 (.409) with three home runs and eight RBIs. He has raised his spring average to .292 with a .378 on-base percentage.

The bad: The revamped left side of the infield did not have a good day and RHP Kevin Millwood didn’t do a good job of minimizing the damage by a couple of errors. SS Elvis Andrus let a ball roll up his arm with one out in the first and then Millwood allowed a three-run homer with two outs. In the fourth, 3B Michael Young misplayed a routine grounder to start the inning. Milwaukee ended up getting a pair of runs on a Hernan Iribarren triple.

The enigmatic: RHP Josh Rupe has been so erratic this spring that he may be on the verge of pitching himself off the roster despite leading the AL in relief innings last year and having some of the best stuff on the staff. But Friday, he reminded the Rangers why they liked him in the first place. He threw a bushel of hard sinkers at Milwaukee hitters and got three ground balls. One went for an infield single, but was quickly erased by a double play.

On deck: The Rangers “visit” Kansas City at 3:05 p.m CDT Saturday for the sixth-meeting of the team’s nine-game spring series. The Rangers trail the series 3-2. RHP Scott Feldman is scheduled to start for the Rangers and could make an emphatic stand against being moved back to the bullpen with a strong start. The team is considering moving him back because of a weak group of middle relievers. RHP Jason Jennings, also a contender for the bullpen, is scheduled to follow him into the game.