PHOENIX -- Dave Bush may have turned the tide in his battle to regain command of his fastball during a Monday morning "B" game against the Texas Rangers at Maryvale Baseball Park.

Bush pitched four innings and allowed three runs on one hit -- a three-run homer in the first by Marlon Byrd. Bush struck out four and retired 10 of the last 13 batters he faced. The right-hander walked two and hit three batters, but took the loss when the Rangers held on to win, 3-2.

"Matter of getting my fastball command back, which started a little bit today," Bush said. "The last two or three innings, I felt a lot better about keeping the ball down and throwing strikes, getting ahead with the fastball and then being to able to work on my other pitches along with it."

Getting command of the pitch has been something of a battle for Bush this spring.

"I felt significantly better the last two or three innings today than I have earlier on. It's just a matter of keeping my shoulder closed and staying on top of the ball and keeping it down."

Byrd's homer came when a Bush sinker meant to be off the plate came back across the dish. The hit batsmen are not a concern for Bush, who hit 18 batters last season.

"An important part of me being successful is being able to pitch in. The result is I'm going to hit some guys from time to time," Bush said.

Bush, 27, led the Brewers with 12 victories last season, but could have had several more. He missed out on a few when the bullpen blew five save opportunities behind him. He saw another opportunity for a win go by the boards when the Brewers were shut out in a game where Bush held the Giants to two runs in eight innings.

Unlike last spring, Bush isn't fighting for a rotation spot this year. Free from that distraction, Bush can concentrate on getting ready for the season.

"I feel good. Today was encouraging for me," he said.

Another zero for Cordero: Francisco Cordero notched another hitless inning -- his second of the spring -- though this one doesn't count since it came in a "B" game.

"For a second outing, I feel great," Cordero said. "I threw all my pitches -- one changeup, sliders, fastballs. Everything felt great."

After Freddy Guzman reached on an error and went to third on a sacrifice bunt, Cordero issued a walk to Texas designated hitter Jason Botts -- Cordero's first base on balls of the spring. The right-hander then struck out Matt Diaz and induced Byrd to ground out to get out of the inning. The walk had a purpose.

"Man on third, a left-handed hitter and a righty on deck with one out, you try to pitch around, and with the righty you might get a double play," Cordero explained. "I think my control right now is pretty good and it's been getting better the last four years."

Cordero, who was 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 16 for 18 in save opportunities after the Brewers acquired him from the Rangers last July, is still working on building arm strength, but is satisfied he is on track to be ready for the season opener.

"Right now, this is not the time when you want to throw your [best] velocity," Cordero said. "You just want to get healthy, you just want to get ready for Opening Day. That is something I'm not worried about right now. I believe I'm going to have my normal velocity before Opening Day."

Brewers manager Ned Yost was satisfied with Cordero's outing.

"Frankie threw the ball very well today," Yost said.

Estrada rolls on: Johnny Estrada was back in the lineup in the "A" game after getting a day off on Sunday. The catcher singled off Texas right-hander Kameron Loe and left-hander Paul Koronka during a 3-for-4 afternoon that raised his batting average to .577.

"You don't want to be locked in during Spring Training, but it's nice to be doing good," Estrada said. "I'm just taking advantage of this time of the year when a lot of pitchers are just trying to fine-tune their fastballs or work on their mechanics. I'm an aggressive hitter anyway, so it's all been kind of working in my favor."

Estrada has now hit safely in every game he's appeared in this spring.

Five is fine: Chris Capuano has pitched on short rest a couple of times during his career and a few times on five days' rest as a result of rainouts, but the Brewers lefty is a fan of the five-man rotation.

"I've pitched on short rest a couple of times, it's not bad, you just have to alter your routine between starts, maybe throw a light side session as opposed to a heavy one," Capuano said. "I think maybe that might be what has changed. When they had the four man, they probably weren't throwing full out, so the five man does allow us to practice between starts and actually work on some things.

"There are a few guys on our team that can do it. Dave Bush would be one guy that could do it -- he's kind of got a rubber arm. I know for my part, I need that time to recover."

Capuano said he knows some pitchers who don't like pitching with an extra day's rest because it throws them off. He believes the current prevailing sentiment of five-man rotations is the best way to go.

"I think in the five-man rotation there's a nice rhythm and harmony to our routine in terms of being at your peak every fifth day," he said.

Last call: Third baseman Ryan Braun, still being held from the field because of a sore elbow, was in the lineup at designated hitter on Monday. He singled and doubled in two at-bats against Kevin Millwood and finished 2-for-4 in the "B" game. Braun also served as DH in the "A" game, going 0-for-5 and stranding 10 baserunners. ... Several other Brewers prospects contributed in the "B" game, including first baseman Brad Nelson and shortstop Alcides Escobar, who both hit home runs off Millwood. ... Carlos Villanueva continued his impressive spring. The right-hander started the "A" game and gave up a run on two hits in four innings. Villanueva has allowed just three earned runs in 10.0 innings for a 2.70 ERA. ... Highly regarded pitching prospect Yovanni Gallardo had a forgettable afternoon. Gallardo gave up four earned runs with three walks and three hits in 1 2/3 innings. He also hit Nelson Cruz on the helmet with a pitch. Cruz was dazed for more than two minutes, but left the field of his own power. "It was just one of those days for him. He didn't go strike one on anybody, that's not like him," Yost said. "After he hit Cruz in the head he was done."

On deck: Right-hander Ben Sheets goes to the mound against Mariners left-hander Jarrod Washburn in a 3:05 p.m. CT game in Peoria, Ariz., on Tuesday.