It looks like shortstop J.J. Hardy will be in the Milwaukee Brewers' opening day lineup Monday after all.

Hardy, who hadn't played since March 17 because of a bacterial infection, played five innings in a minor league game Wednesday at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix. He was 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.

"It will be touch and go,'' Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "But I think there is more of a chance of him being able to go.''

Hardy lost 10 pounds while he was out. "I feel much better now,'' he said.

Right-hander Yovani Gallardo pitched in the same game, his second outing since knee surgery last month, and allowed one hit and no runs in three innings.

Also, Ben Sheets struggled but the Brewers rallied for a 12-10 win over the Chicago White Sox in Tucson, Ariz. The right-hander gave up nine runs and eight hits, including four home runs, in five innings.

His next start is Monday in the season opener against the Chicago Cubs.

Sheets said the windy conditions didn't help.

"(Jim) Thome's would have gone 450 (feet) instead of 550," Sheets said. "The homers really didn't matter to me."

Despite the rough outing, Sheets said he's prepared for opening day. He had a 9.56 ERA in five starts this spring.

"There's no choice. I'm ready to go," he said. "I thought I had pretty good stuff, not great."

Last year, he surrendered eight hits in his spring finale, then pitched a two-hit complete game to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on opening day.

The Brewers also outrighted catcher Eric Munson to Class AAA Nashville, leaving Mike Rivera as the primary backup to starter Jason Kendall.
Rivera, who batted .286 in spring training but is considered a better defensive catcher than Munson, appeared in 57 games over the past two seasons for Milwaukee.