PHOENIX -- For the first time since camp opened in mid-Feburary, weather interrupted the Brewers' pre-season preparations Thursday.

Right-hander Carlos Villanueva was warming up to start the fourth inning against Colorado when heavy rain and pea-sized hail pelted Maryvale Baseball Park, sending spectators scurrying for cover and forcing the remainder of the game to be canceled.

"I was looking at my lineup card and all of a sudden something hit it," Brewers manager Ned Yost, whose team trailed in the game, 2-0, when the storm hit. "It was a big ol' hail ball."

Villanueva gave up two hits, including a two-run homer by veteran John Mabry, walked two batters and was charged with a balk during his three-inning stint, may throw an inning in a few days to make up for the work he missed Thursday. When the game was canceled, the coaching staff created a contingency play for right-hander Ben Sheets.

Sheets is slated to start a night game against the Rangers Friday night at Surprise Stadium, but weather forecasts call for more rain. If the weather is decent in the morning, Sheets may throw in a Class AAA game during the afternoon. If that happens, Zach Jackson will take his place in the evening game.

"You've got to be ready," pitching coach Mike Maddux told Sheets.

Beating the rain: Right-hander David Bush and lefty Brian Shouse got work in during an intrasquad game Thursday morning at minor-league camp. Bush worked six innings and allowed a run. Shouse, the first Brewers reliever to see game action on back-to-back days, faced mostly lefties and fared well.

Back in action: Outfielder Gabe Gross, bothered by a pulled hamstring early in camp, saw his first action in the field Thursday. On the first play of the game, he made a diving catch to take a hit away from Colorado speedster Willy Tavares.

Hooping it up: Harlem Globetrotter Anthony Blakes visited the ballpark Thursday to visit his friend, Brewers centerfielder Bill Hall. Blakes and Hall met while playing pickup basketball at a Phoenix-area health club. Amazingly, the two knew each other for awhile before they realized their professions.

"There are some unbelievable players there," Hall said. "There are guys from the Cardinals, like Anquan Boldin. It's pretty ridiculous."
Asked to assess Hall's game, Blakes, a former college star at Wyoming, didn't hesitate. "He's a good shooter and he can handle the ball, but he doesn't play any defense," Blakes joked. "You [reporters] can put that in there."
Quote of the day: "That's why I go to bed at 7:30." - Brewers manager Ned Yost, commenting about reports that St. Louis skipper Tony La Russa was arrested for DUI early Thursday morning.

Notebook: One of the players to get a hit off Bush was veteran infielder Jose Macias, who was released by Washington and signed with the Brewers. Macias last played in the big leagues with the Cubs.... Former Brewers star Jim Gantner is with the team this week, hitting fungoes and sharing laughs with coaches, players and reporters. Gantner will manage the Wisconsin Woodchucks in the independent Northern League this summer.... Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said that minor-league outfielder Kennard Bibbs is expected to miss the season with a knee injury. Bibbs was hurt during the off-season... Right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, the Brewers' top pick in the first-year player draft last year, was scratched from a scheduled appearance Thursday because he was recovering from a dental procedure.