The Milwaukee Brewers appeared to be closing in on a deal late Tuesday with right-hander Tomo Ohka that would avoid a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla. Assistant general manager Gord Ash negotiated late into the night with Ohka's agent, Jim Masteralexis, and expressed hope of reaching an agreement today. "There's no official confirmation of a deal but we're still talking," Ash said. In the absence of a deal, Ash was scheduled to fly to Florida this morning to prepare for the hearing. General manager Doug Melvin, in Phoenix where the Brewers are scheduled to officially open camp this weekend, made plans to join him.