Opening Day lineups, notes

It looks like you can get the lineups when they’re available right on the Brewers.com homepage — cool feature. But in the interest of tradition, I’ll blog them today and we’ll see how it goes.

BREWERS
Weeks 2B
Gomez CF
Braun LF
Fielder 1B
McGehee 3B
Kotsay RF
Betancourt SS
Nieves C
Gallardo RHP

REDS
Stubbs CF
Phillips 2B
Votto 1B
Rolen 3B
Bruce RF
Gomes LF
Hernandez C
Janish SS
Volquez RHP

The Brewers are beginning their 43rd season as a franchise and 14th in the National League. The franchise is 23-18-1 on Opening Day, 15-13-1 on the road and 7-5-1 overall since joining the NL. The tie was right here in Cincinnati, on April 3, 2000, when Davey Lopes’ managerial debut was called in the top of the sixth inning with the teams tied at 3.

This is only the team’s fourth regular-season game in March. Here are the others:

3/31/98 at Atlanta — Lost, 2-1
3/31/03 at St. Louis — Lost 11-9
3/31/08 at Chicago Cubs — Won, 4-3

John Axford, Zach Braddock, Brandon Kintzler and Erick Almonte are the first-time members of a Major League Opening Day roster.

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