The Brewers are still looking for a fifth starter. So far, nobody has stepped forward to grab the job.

Matt Kinney, who was acquired over the off-season from the Twins, has gone 0-1, with a 9.31 ERA, in four starts this spring. Francisco Campos, who spent most of last season in the Mexican League, is 0-0 with a respectable 3.38 ERA in four starts, but has pitched only eight innings.

Ruben Quevedo, who was in the rotation for part of last season, is 0-2, with an 8.31 ERA. He has trimmed down considerably, but has not been that much more effective than last season, when he went 6-11 before being sent to the minors. Dave Pember, who made four starts for the Brewers last season, has made only one this spring and doesn't seem to be in the running.

Veteran Dave Mlicki was cut rather early in camp, after he struggled to a 0-3 record and 12.46 ERA in three appearances. Nick Neugebauer also fell out of the competition early, undergoing yet another surgery on his right shoulder.

The Brewers' brass apparently would like to see big Ben Diggins, who was acquired from the Dodgers last season, get more seasoning in the minors. He was sent to AAA Sunday.

Manager Ned Yost and his staff received a setback in their evaluations of potential starters Sunday, when the Brewers suffered a rare rainout in Arizona. Ben Sheets had been scheduled to pitch, with Quevedo going Monday, but the rotation could be set back a day now. The weather is expected to return to more typical Arizona weather Monday.

While the search is still on for a fifth starter, Nos. 3 and 4 seem to be solidifying behind Sheets and Glendon Rusch at the top of the rotation.

Todd Ritchie, who was signed as a free agent in January, pitched five solid innings Saturday night and looks be settling into No. 3. "It doesn't really matter where I am fit into the rotation as long as I get the chance to pitch," Ritchie said in an interview Sunday. "I just want to go out there, do my job and get my team into the later innings."

Ritchie had two prior ties to Wisconsin before signing with the Brewers. He played one season for the now defunct Kenosha Twins in A ball, and had former Brewer Pete Vuckovich as a pitching coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"I remember it was real cold up there," Ritchie said. "It should be better with the roof at Miller Park though. Vuke helped me a great deal. He helped make be a pitcher, especially with setting up hitters."

Lefthander Wayne Franklin, who made four starts late last season after he was acquired from Houston, seems to be zeroing in on the fourth spot. Franklin is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in four starts this spring.

Sheets is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in three starts. Rusch has struggled to a 9.00 ERA with no decisions in three starts.

In addition to Diggins, catcher Cody McKay, outfielder Mark Budzinski and infielders Manny Alexander and Scott Seabol were sent to the minor league camp Sunday.

McKay and Diggins were specified for AAA Indianapolis. The other three players were not designated, but will likely also end up at Indianapolis.

Reliever Jayson Durocher said he hopes to be back pitching by the end of May, after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow Friday.

Also out of action are outfielder Geoff Jenkins (sprained left wrist), catcher Robert Machado (strained hamstring), outfielder Brady Clark (strained groin) and outfielder Alex Sanchez (strained abductor muscle). All are expected to return to action soon.

Hitting coach Butch Wynegar's real first name is Harold, but he has always preferred his nickname.

"My parents told me a grandmother gave me the name," he said. "I think I had one teaching who told me, 'in my classroom, you will be known as Harold.' Otherwise, it's always been Butch. It just stuck."

A group of 200 alums could have found better weather back in Wisconsin than they did at Maryvale Sunday. They dodged raindrops during a pre-game program for a game that was then cancelled.

Actually, most of the alums were Milwaukee transplants to the Valley of the Sun and welcomed the rain, since Arizona has been in drought conditions for three years.

None of them also seemed to mind when the organizers of the event suggested they all go to an area sports bar to watch the NCAA tournament selection show. The Panthers are going to the NCAA for the first time in school history.