35-42: Yovanni does it with his bat

Despite Yovanni Gallardo (8-3) giving up a non-typical 4 runs, he made up for it with the use of his bat. The rising star and future All-Star (one would think) recorded 5 SO's, giving up 7 hits and only 2 walks in his 6-inning outing. The win improves his record to 8-3 on the season.

Joining in the HR party was Prince Fielder (16, 17th HR) and Jonathon Lucroy (2), the latter seeing his batting average hover at the .290 mark since getting the call-up.

Rickie Weeks continued his hot streak by going 1 for 4 w/ 2 RBI.

Ryan Braun went 0 for 4 on the night; he saw his batting average dip below .300 for the first time this season! Yet he still leads the NL outfielders in All Star votes, rightfully so. His highest BA on the season was .417 on April 22nd (not counting the first week of the season).

The bullpen showed some vulnerability last night....again. John Axford recorded his 8th straight save of the season. It should be noted that he did give up a run on a nicely placed liner to deep center by Lance Berkman. But, on the flipside to that....he did get Hunter Pence to ground out. He's getting it done. However, Trevor Hoffman will probably be used today if there is a save situation. Basically, Macha is looking for an excuse to use the Hoff, which would work out well today because of the afternoon game OR tomorrow in St. Louis because of the travel. As of right now Trevor Hoffman is taking up a valuable roster spot that could be used on someone else. Yes, Trevor has worked nicely in 7th & 8th inning appereances...but that's not what he does.

Speaking of roster spots...what will Kenny Macha do with Chris Capuano? The guy hasn't thrown since their trip to Florida (June 3rd). That's approaching a damn month of him just sitting out there and rotting. What are they going to do? I mean, they have Doug Davis getting a start against San Fran. But Capy is just chilling out there in the bullpen. Are they going to package him in a trade and they don't want to risk any injury to him? Who in the hell would take him?

It's nice to see Prince Fielder break out his bat. The man has been ridiculous this month. It wasn't too long ago that I was bitching about him. Well, I stand here eating my words...or sit here doing so. He cranked out two long balls to the same EXACT spot of Miller Park (RF corner). You can simply tell with his approach and swing that he's far more confident than April-May.

Ever wonder what the hell a HOLD is, regarding relief pitching? Well, JSOnline.com broke it down as simple as one can get. Carlos Villanueva has 11 holds and leads the Brewers. Compare that to ex-Brewer Mike Adams (set-up man for Heath Bell) and his 21 holds. The record is 36 by Flash Gordon of the Yankees in 2004.

Remember LaTroy Hawkins? He's coming off the DL soon. My guess is that Todd Coffey is going to get limited use the remainder of the season (barring any injury). He just doesn't have it this season. Meanwhile, LaTroy will probably get worked in right away and take over Zach Braddock/Kameron Loe's set-up roles. Both have been effective, but 5.25MM is far too much money to let rot in middle-relief. He should return for the Cardinals series after he makes one last rehab start in Appleton tonight. Together, he and Davis account for 12.75MM in investments....unbelievable....throw in Randy Wolf's and you have a colossal failure.

Granted, THIS is a simple "BleacherReport.com" post....but it does discuss the idea of Cliff Lee getting traded to the Brewers. If anyone knows the prospects in the Milwaukee farm system, it's Jack Z. I just don't see this happening. If they hit .500 before the All-Star break, possibly. But that's even a long shot. Regardless, playing the 'what-if' game....
Mat Gamel & Brett Lawrie & cash for Cliff Lee?
Jose Lopez is their starting 3B. The guy shows glimpses of promise at time, like when he went yard twice in the Milwaukee series over this past weekend, but the guy is still batting a horrid .247 or so. Gamel could be a nice fit at 3B. Brett Lawrie could be a good addition because he is just doesn't fit in with Milwaukee's plans. He could play 1B, pending an exit by Prince Fielder. He could also catch, which I don't see happening either because kid-wonder Jonathon Lucroy is doing just fine. I'm sure Seattle would love to have him, especially since he was Jack Z's last 1st round pick before leaving. Plus, those two are both Canadians. I don't know if Lorenzo Cain can play LF or not, since that would be the best fit seeing that Milton Bradley is a head case if he were thrown in to the mix. Just shooting from the hip here. This trade has a 20% chance of happening.

Looking ahead to the Suds Series in St. Louis....
Milwaukee will not have to face Adam Wainwright!
They will have to face Carpenter and Garcia though.
HERE are the probable match-ups...

MLB.com writer Mike Bauman discusses the idea of the SF Giants trading for Prince Fielder. He talks highly of Fielder and only has one hang-up with him...his size. Other than that, he paints Prince as a stand-up guy who has plenty of up-side potential. The comments below the story, specifically the 3rd comment, sheds an accurateand balance light on the Prince. Yes, he's respected by his teammates...probably out of fear. Let's face it, Prince has had his fall-out with his old-man (not really his fault), a dug-out explosion between he and Manny Parra 2 years ago, going after Motto while playing against the Dodgers last season, the bowling pin incident, the St. Louis Cardinal feud of 2007. The list goes on. I still think he's a good guy, but I wouldn't say perfect. At any rate, he has the idea of the Giants giving up a frontline pitcher and a prospect (hurler) for Prince. Please sir, we'll take Matt Caine and Madison Bumgarner for Prince Fielder. Will that be enough? I truly don't think so. He's starting to heat up and he blasted 10 HR's in the month of June alone. We would need a corner infielder (low level) prospect as well or a RF.

Does it make sense for the Brewers to deal Corey Hart with no viable option to replace him? Well, here is one scenario....The Braves "are showing" interest in Corey Hart to replace Jason Heyward who is on the DL. Reading stuff like this makes me wonder just how serious Heywards injury is? That being said, Milwaukee would probably deal Corey Hart...if again....they don't hit .500 by the All Star break or at the very least by the trade deadline. Who is there to replace him though? There isn't a viable option at this point.

34-42: Parra gets shafted again....

34-41: Narv-Dog goes the distance!

Chris Narveson went the the distance in yesterday's game 3-0, thus improving his record to 7-4 on the season. Narveson pitched 8 shut-out innings with 7 K's and only 1 walk. Pretty impressive for a guy who's hanging on by a thread in the starting rotation. In fact, with Doug Davis coming back Kenny Macha has hinted at possibly creating a 6-man rotation. This, I feel, is a bad idea. Sure it allows plenty of rest, but it also throw Yovanni Gallardo out of sync. Adding another hurler to the rotation does more harm than good. In fact, I believe that it's easier to go to a 4-man rotation than a 6-man rotation. Of course, the play-off atmosphere certainly help the 4-man rotation and it's cause.

Rickie Weeks is the best lead-off hitter in baseball....or.....well.....he has been in the month of June. He leads all other lead-off hitter in the NL in RBI's (44). He blasted a long ball in the 1st inning to get the Crew off to a hot start.

Jonathon Lucroy added a double (1 for 4). It's pretty obvious that he should be the starting catcher and George Kottarus should be used sparingly. Hart, McGehee, and Weeks also added a double each.

Joe Inglett continued to have a hot bat coming off the bench. They guy hit a nicely-placed triple.

John Axford collected his 7th save of the season. He has now moved 2 saves ahead of Trevor Hoffman (5). Hard to comprehend....the all-time best saves leader is on the bench and seldom used. My guess is that this won't last too much longer. In fact, if the Milwaukee gets to a back-to-back game situation for a save....Macha will used Hoffman the second game and then blame "short rest" on his reasoning when Hoffman blows it. However, I don't think Hoffman will blow anything. My guess is that he will turn in to a viable option for the Crew and return to the Closer role. Axford will become the set-up and also be used in spot closing appearances.

Randy Wolf is sucking big-time at Miller Park. THIS piece contributes that to the spacious parks that he threw in while playing for the Dodgers.

Here is one thing I don't get....Melvin & Macha decided to keep Doug Davis down in the minors for one more rehab start (w/ the TimberRattlers); why does he automatically get to jump right back in to the rotation? Yes, I realize he has a sizable contract, but so did Jeff Suppan. Why fix something that may have finally been repaired? Or....why not toy with Doug Davis and Randy Wolf (two lefties) switching off starts, since it's those two who are the weak spots in the rotation?

The Brewers may have finally gotten over the slump/hump of the first half. The rotation is key and it needs to be one well-oiled machine.

As can be expected, the Brewers and Boras are not in-talks regarding Fielder's contract. Save it for the off-season. HE WILL NOT BE TRADED this season. If anything, it will occur during the off-season when all teams are in play for him.

33-41: Randy Wolf end Brewers win streak

33-40: Lucroy saves the day

The Time Is NOW

The time is now for the Milwaukee Brewers to wake-up and try to save this season. At this point in the season, as of June 25th, they need to put on a win-streak like none other and gain ground. Their schedule certainly favors them in the coming weeks:



Home vs Seattle (30-42)- 3 game series

Home vs Houston (28-45)- 3 game game series

@ STL (40-32)- 4 game series

Home vs San Fran (39-32)- 4 game series

Home vs Pittsburgh (25-47)- 3 game series

*All Star Break*

The weekend series with Seattle is going to be the return of Jack Z, who left before the 2009 season to take over the GM position with the M's. Both teams came in to the season with high hopes of finishing near the top of their respective divisions....however, Seattle is 12 games under .500 and the Crew is 8 behind.

Dave Bush (4.67/2-5) will take to the mound against LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith (5.98/1-6). What's nice about this match-up is that Bush was skipped during the Minnesota series, so therefore (one would think) that he should have a strong outting. Rowland-Smith came in to 2009 with some big expectations by Jack Z and the Seattle fanbase. Sadly enough, the guy has been one of the weakest spots in a rotation that has King Felix, Jason Vargas, and Clifford Lee. In fact, Milwaukee will have their hands full even without going up against Lee, Felix, and Vargas. Tomorrow Randy Wolf will face Doug Fister (3-3/2.45), although this is Fister's first start since coming off the DL. On Sunday the Narv Dog will face Jason Vargas (6-2/2.66).

32-40: Don't look now.....

Don't look now kids....but the lovable Brew Crew is in the middle of a hot streak. Coincidentally, this recent tear is unfolding in the midst of Bob Uecker coming back from Heart Surgery! Milwaukee has now won 4 straight and this was their first sweep over the Twins since 1996.

According to Madison.com, Bob Uecker made a surprise appearance in the booth with Corey Provos during the game. I was at work and was not able to tune in, so I don't know what what was all discussed. He had a great one-liner according Madison.com:

"I'm getting better, I'm feeling stronger," said Uecker who thanked the fans for the mail, cards, "and postage due on those cards".

Today's 5-0 beating of the Twins provides proof that the Crew might have turned things around and are on the up & up. They are with in striking distance of reaching the .500 point before the mid-summer classic arrives. Milwaukee swept the Twins right out of town this afternoon with the strong outing by Yovanni Gallardo (7-3), who saw his ERA drop to 2.36 on the season. He has a perfect game going in to the 6th inning. This was Yovanni's 2nd complete game shut-out. He recorded 12 SO's and no walks.....this only further proves to the MLB fans that Yovanni is one of the best in the league. He was always struggling with his walks, but he has recently kept this in check and he continues to dominate with his strike-outs.

Rickie Weeks continued his hot streak by blasting his 12 HR of the season, while Prince Fielder collected his 14th. Corey Hart went 1 for 3, driving in 1 RBI (56 RBI).

Jim Edmonds stranded 3 on-base while going 1 for 4 on the afternoon, a day after collecting 2 doubles in last night's win.

31-40: Milwaukee pulls to within 9 under .500

Fact: Manny Parra has proven to be the most reliable arm in the starting rotation (aside from Yovanni Gallardo) over the past month. This kid seems to have his poise back and his confidence is sky high. This of course was what held him back and eventually resulted in him being sent down to the minors last year.

Well....Manny version 2.0 is stronger than ever. He led the Crew to 5-3 win over the Twins last night, therefore Milwaukee won the series. If they win this afternoon they will have taken the season series....when was the last time that happened? Even still, a loss would result in a tie.

Don't let Manny's 2-5 record fool you, he has a 3.83 ERA right now. The man has been spot-on in his starts by not allowing more than 3 runs in a single game (which he did twice). Despite last night's unfortunate club record of throwing 4 wild pitches (ouch), the southpaw connected for 6 K's and only 2 walks. The neat thing about Manny is that he seems hungry (cliche, I know) this season. He was steaming mad when Macha took him out of the game in the 6th with Morneau up to bat. It proved to be a wise move because Braddock was able to finish him off to end the inning.

Now on to the bullpen. Aside from the melt-down that took place in Denver over the weekend, the pen has been pretty damn good. Most of the credit can be given to the young John Axford, who has recorded 2 saves in consecutive games. Most impressive was Monday's save thanks to him going 2 complete innings. John Axford now has 6 saves on the season.

On a side note, I was actually hoping that Macha would turn to Trevor Hoffman last night. This can probably be blamed on the fact that I have him on my fantasy baseball team. I now have to drop him because it's looking like Axford is now the full time closer; disregard Macha's words that say otherwise. He would be foolish if he messed up this momentum. Now, if there was a save situation in today's game one can look forward to seeing Hoffman out there.



Rickie Weeks has been on a bit of a hot streak as of late, going 8 for 22 (.275 average). Granted, this stat isn't ground breaking or anything...or is it? Rickie Weeks' average has been horrible this season (.260) and his OPB is at a horrific .360.

Corey Hart's value continues to rise! The man is on fire with 55 RBI's, 18 HR's, and his average has lifted to .272. Most critics coined him as a one-dimensional hitter (power), but Hart has been lighting-up all statistical categories.

Just the opposite of Hart is Prince Fielder.....
He showed signs of heating up earlier in the month, but he's hovered back to 17 for 74 and his average is at .257 on the season.

This being said, it makes sense to deal Hart rather than Fielder next month. But keep in mind, who will replace Hart in RF? Edmounds sure as hell can't, and Gerut is still on the DL...plus he butts. They should almost hang on to him, unless a team like San Diego can fork over a pitcher.

30-40: Narv Dog battles through horrific 1st inning

29-40: Crew salvages a win / Starting pitching starting to come around?

Yes, Milwaukee lost the series to the Colorado Rockies. The sad part is, they could've easily won it too. The starting pitching seemed to be clicking over the weekend.

Manny Parra (1-5): 6 innings, 2 ER, 0 walks, 2 SO's
Yovanni Gallardo: 6 innings, 1 ER, 1 walk, 9 SO's
Rany Wolf: 7 innings, 1 ER, 4 walks, 2 SO's

Had it not been for the bull pen melting down in the first 2 games of the series, Milwaukee could've pull off a series win. That being said, the starting pitching looked damn good. Aside from Randy Wolf walking more batters than he fanned, all three looked damn good.

The true test will come this week when the Crew takes on the Twins with Dave Bushs' start being pushed back a week; considering that he sucks badly against Minnesota. Chris Narveson (5-4, 5.79) will take to the mound tomorrow against Scott Baker (6-5, 4.41), followed by Manny Parra against Loriano and Yovanni Gallardo against _______. The Twins haven't announced yet who they'll pit against Yo.

28-40: Manny Parra pitches a gem...only to screwed by the pen

28-39: Yovanni gets little help

28-38: Back at .500 on the season...where they belong...

How many times have the Milwaukee Brewers been at 10 games under .500 on the season, one might ask?

11 seperate times Milwaukee has been 10 games under .500

Last night the Crew took their 2 game hot streak and rode it no-where. The team stunk to high-heaven last night.

Narv-Dog allowed 5 runs in 4.1 innings of work....super!

The only good news was the bullpen last night, which seems to be stabalizing as of late...
Villy, Riske, Braddock, and Hoffman were all spotless in their appearences. Most noteworthy being Trevor Hoffman who hasn't allowed a run in 5 of his last 7 appearences.
Pretty good news on that front. My guess is that Hoffman will go back to the closer role this weekend....or....at least get a shot (if given the chance).

Milwaukee was limited to only 3 hits and 1 earned run in 8 innings of work by Joel Pinnero.
Hart, McGehee, and Gomez were those that collected a measely hit.
Prince was fanned twice, while Braunie went down once on strikes.

Now for some promising news for this coming weekend series in Denver!
Milwaukee will not have to face Ubaldo Jiminez this weekend. Instead, Milwaukee will go up against Hammel, Francis, & Cook....who have a combined average ERA of 4.32 on the season.

Milwaukee will throw out Parra, Yovanni, and Wolf who have a combined average of 4.32 as well. So this is as close of an even match-up as you can get when it comes to the starters.

My favorite draft pick, Hunter Morris, a 1B from Auburn, was selected as a first team All-American. The 4th round draft pick will look nice at 1B once Prince skips town.

Speaking of which....Prince Fielder had his 250 game starting streak (at 1B) snapped last night. He was moved to the DH spot. Edmonds started in stead.

28-37: Bush (finally) has a good outing

Dave Bush has been horrible over his past 5 starts. I mean, let's not forget his horrific showing at Target Shopping Center in Minneapolis last month where the guy let open the flood gates.'

Well, last night he was game-tight and able to lead the Crew to a 7-1 win over the always dangerous Angels. Watching this game last night was like going back in time when the Crew was in the American League Central and they were playing Devon White and the rest of the LA team. Of course, back then they didn't have the silly faux rocks out in CF nor did they have rap music blaring over the loud speakers for every at-bat. But it seems like a pretty cool ball park to say the least.

Dave Bush lasted 7.1 innings last night, allowing 1 earned run on 7 hits and no free-passes!
Kamerson Loe & John Axford took care of the rest by not allowing a single hit.

Prince Fielder is in the midst of really heating up. The man has been lights out the last two weeks....when it comes to the long ball. Keep in mind though, every time he goes yard, it tends to be his only hit of the game. Last night he hit 13th HR of the season, but it was his only hit. Very similar to Corey Hart and his HR burst. Last night, Hart had a great hit down the LF line and drove in three runs on a triple.

Rickie Weeks went o'fer. He is now hitting .256 on the season.
Jim Edmounds filled in for the struggling Carlos Gomez. He collected two hits and his average is up to .270 now!
Jonathon Lucroy stayed hot by going 2 for 5 with a SB. The kid is hitting .344 so far in his brief stint.
*It's apparent that Lucroy is the catcher of the future for the Crew. He will probably start getting the majority of the starts over Kottarus by July. He has already been getting more starts in the last series with Texas.

-Doug Davis and Todd Coffey are starting their way back to the bigs. They both have rehab assignments in Nashville. So that means that Parra will probably get knocked from the rotation, even though he has been pretty decent. Parra tossed 14.1 innings total over his 3 starts while in the rotation; he went 2-1 and gave up 8 earned runs. You do that math, but that seems pretty decent (not stellar) to me. Especially right when the pitchers are starting (only starting) to show some signs of improvement.

-Cool story about an Antigo, WI bat maker who supplies Corey Hart.

27-37: Yet again, back to 10 games under .500

Milwaukee shined last night in LA! They also survived a 5.7 earthquake!

Randy Wolf actually tossed a damn good game; lasting 7 complete innings while giving up 2 (earned) runs on 3 hits and giving out only 3 walks. This is the Randy Wolf we signed. Now if he can just string together some consecutive solid starts!

Wolf-meister had a little help from Ryan Braun & Casey McGehee who both went yard in fashionable ways. Braunie hit his 3rd career grand slam while McGehee hit a long shot that went off of Torri Hunter's glove in CF. The man literally had the ball in his glove; making a spectacular play....all to see it flop out over the wall. The Crew scored 5 runs in both 3rd and 7th innings. Let's just hope this isn't their weekly ass-whipping that is followed by sub-par performances.

-Carlos Gomez continues to struggle since being dropped down to the 7-spot. He went 0 for 5 on the evening as did Prince (0-4). Joe Inglett is a Man-Bear Pig. The guy is on a pretty good tear as of late by going 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter last night. Talk about an excellent find by Doug Melvin (take note, haters).

-Villy and Chris Smith finished off LA last night by each going an inning and striking out two. Smith gave up the only hit.

-Draft pick Austin Ross signed with the Crew. He was going to be LSU's ace next year. Pretty nice considering that LSU is a solid SEC program.

-Dylan Covey, Milwaukee's top pick, met with the Brewers and the players last night for the first time. He's being represented by his dad during contract negotiations, in order to uphold his eligibility status for college. He does have a full-ride scholarship to SDSU. So this isn't a shoe-in by any means.

-Shhhh....quiet....do you hear that? That's Corey Hart's trade value rising! His 17 HR's are looking pretty damn good and should draw a good quality trade!

26-37: RISP is not a friend of the Crew

26-36: Ugh, RISP kills Crew

26-35: Crew dominates, Narv-Dog shines

25-35: Carlos Gomez is really fast

Carlos Gomez is lightening quick...I mean, I always knews the guy had wheels....but watching the replay of yesterday's game on FSWisconsin last night highlighted just how fast this guy was. Thanks to a beautiful bunt by Craig Counsell (the only Brewer who can bunt effectively) would've gotten the job done; it would've advanced Gomez to 2B and in scoring position with 2 outs remaining if Craig was thrown out. Instead, 1B Xavier Nady misfired a thow 3B that allowed Gomez to head home for the winning run. By far, it was the strangest ending to a Brewers game in quite some time. I can't remember another time this has happened. A runner on 1B scores on an infield bunt?!?! Insane. I would like to think this marks the turn-around of the Crew and luck was finally on the side of the Brewers. Needless to say, I won't get my hopes up. Nope.

Craig Counsell called the bunt-play,

"That's our Willie Mays Hayes play," Counsell said, referring to the movie "Major League." "I play Tom Berenger and he plays Wesley Snipes."

-JSOnline.com

Whatever it is....it worked.

Let's not take away from the horrible game this truly was. The Cubbies had 3 errors and they out-hit the Crew 9 to 7. Corey Hart was the ONLY Brewer to collect 2 hits, one of which was a sorry-ass blooper to Right-Center field that left Byrd looking like a re~tard.

*Prince Fielder & Ryan Braun both went o'fer.

Fielder went 1 for 10 this series

Braun went 0-11

That's a grand total of 1-21 against the hated rivals....AT HOME.

Dave Bush went 6 complete giving up 4 earned runs 3 walks and 4 SO's.

The bullpen was immaculate. All 4 relievers for Milwaukee did their job! No one allowed a run and in 3 2/3 inning's of bullpen work, they only gave up 3 hits and 2 free passes. John Axford (3-1) earned the win.

No need to elaborate on the news of Jeff Suppan signing with the Cardinals. Their sabatoge mission worked flawlessly! My guess is that Dave Duncan will right his ship and Soup will make some spot starts this season. Gotta love it.

24-35: Randy Wolf is Jeff Suppan version 2.0

Let's face it....the Randy Wolf signing is proving to be a colassal failure. It could end up being worse than the Suppan signing, by the looks of it. Honestly, at least Suppan had some good outting and wins back in 2007.

Milwaukee lost to Chicago last night, 9-5. The Cubbies hit 3 HR's in one inning. Unbelieveable. Why didn't Macha yank his sorry ass? Seriously? He crushed any hopes of a resurgence after Tuesday night's win.

Well then, let's compare Suckpan to Wolfdick....

Jeff Suppan's first games to today's date (2007):
13 Starts, 7-6, 86 innings pitched, 37 ER, 40 SO, 10 HR, 27 BB

Randy Wolf
13 Starts, 5-8, 78 innings pitched, 46 ER, 49 SO, 15 HR, 39 BB

As you can see, thus far in to the season Jeff Suppan pretty much crushes Randy Wolf's numbers. Wolf's only better stat is his 49 strike outs compared to Jeff Suppan's 40. It's apparent that Randy Wolf is having a horrible start to his season and he's not playing up to his contract.

Doug Melvin has a long list of failures when it comes to bringing on pitchers....
Eric Gagne: 10MM-complete debacle from the VERY START (remember opening day in Chicago?)
David Riske: Out for a 1.5 seasons
Trevor Hoffman: This is a wash, because he had a kick ass season in 2009.
Jeff Suppan
Randy Wolf: so far...horrible
Scott Linbrink
Claudio Vargas: a wash, he was stellar last season....but now I think he is cut or going to be.
LaTroy Hawkins: Extended stay on the DL
David Weathers: Horrible last season....horrible
Doug Davis: This is the biggest f-up. I was all for Milwaukee bringing him back though...I thought the douche would eat some eatting...all he's doing is spewing out earned runs. Still on the DL and Doug Davis is in no hurry to bring him back.

This is just the top of the list that I can think of right now. CC Sabathia was his only brilliant move. It truly was. Matt LaPorta is back down in AAA and Michael Brantly didn't have a roster spot with the Crew. And of course, the Crew made it to the playoffs.

This is a disturbing trend with no signs of relief. John Axford, Kameron Loe, and Broddick are all unproven or have minimal proven success. How could he let the pitching ranks get this depleted? And still have a job?

Sad thing is, I still think he's a decent GM who, if fired, would be tough to replace.

24-34: McGehee to the rescue

Holy Crap...is that emotion Kenny Macha is showing?!?!?!

Casey McGehee won the nailbiter at Miller Park last night in walk-off fashion. The 2nd year starter jumped to the top of the NL leader board in RBI's (again) when his hard-hit grounder drove in the winning runs.

Yovanni Gallardo got the no-decision in yet another brilliant outting. He tossed 6 shut-out innings and gave up only 4 hits. Yo only handed out 2 free passes over 110 pitches.

Carlos Villenueva, who has been pretty damn good thus far, allowed the Cubs to quickly go-ahead with a 1-0 lead in the 7th inning. After a Corey Hart solo-HR (15 on the season) the Brewers turned to their new go-to guy in the pen in John Axford (2-1) who was able to nail down the win. He did however give up a run that lead to the Cubbies jumping out in front 2-1 in the 10th. Regardless, AX-Man was able to escape the top of the 10th without any further damage.

That left it to the top 3 in the batting order. Weeks was beamed by Carlos Marmol with a wild pitch and then Gomez tried a pathetic bunt (yet again) that resulted in the first out of the inning. Fielder was walked and Braun advanced Weeks & Prince to 3rd and 2nd base. That lead to Casey McGehee's walk-off single. It made me think that there could still be life in this team...a far shot? No question about it, but let's face it....we still have 100 or so games to play.

Listening to Mark Attanasio in the booth with Brian Anderson and Rock made me think this team could still turn it around. Although it's in his best interest to not show his hand, but he did say that they wouldn't know if they were sellers or buyers until mid to late July. If the team gets to .500 he would then look to add to the payroll. Talk about a vote of confidence. I love this owner. Mark echoed this to the Journal-Sentinel.

Michael Hunt questions the idea of fans being patient enough for a rebuild....let's not get ahead of ourselves.

David Riske activated / Draft updates

David Riske was reinstated for tonight's game against the Cubbies. He will probably be called upon if the Crew falls behind late in the game, potential mop-up duties to ease him in (just a hunch).

As for today's draft picks:

Milwaukee selected a butt load of pitchers from the collegiant level and a popular pick in 1B Hunter Morris from Auburn. This kid was drafted back in 2007 by the Boston Red Sox in the 2nd round, but was not signed (opted for school instead). Everybody in Brewers Land is thinking the obvious....another Mat LaPorta pick? Well, let's hope not....he was sent down to AAA (thus making the CC deal look even grander...all you Melvin haters).
*also note Tom Haudricourt's reference to "someone commented" about drafting a 1B. That was none other than me!

So I will go ahead and say it....My favorite pick of the draft is Hunter Morris. This kid will crack the big league roster by 2013. I will now go back and see how my other "locks" have faired. I know I liked Kentrail Davis and Brett Lawrie in the past couple of years, both of which are still in the minors. I had Lawrie hitting the active roster this season (september) and Davis in 2012 (long shot at this point).

Here some more selections....

This kid has the power and is slated to be either a 1B or a corner OF.

The oth

Draft Day 1 completed

The Milwaukee Brewers decided to make a long-term investment by drafting Dylan Covey, an 18 year-old RHP who has drawn comparisons to Matt Cain and Chad Billingsly.

I commend Doug Melvin and Mark Attanasio for thinking long term here. Doug Melvin hit it on the head while being interviewed (video posted HERE) last night when he said that pitchers like Wainwright, Carpeneter, and Josh Johnson as successfull pitchers (today) who were drafted right out of high school.

Last night's 14th overall pick marks the 4th time (in the past 10 drafts) that the Crew selected a high school right-hander. So this concerns me a bit, considering that Jeremy Jeffress, Mike Jones, and Mark Rogers had their rounds of injuries (Jeffress and drug suspensions).

Hopefully Covey can right the ship down their in the farm system. Lord knows the Brewers need it.

I found it interesting that none of THESE mock drafts had Covey picked higher than #18...most having him higher than #20 (between 20-30). The Crew picked him 14th overall.

Peace out Jeff Suppan

Milwaukee finally cut ties with Jeff Suppan today. Doug Melvin cut him and therefore surrendered the 10.08MM that was owed to him.

As a result, Chris Smith was called up from AAA Nashville, where he was a closer for the Sounds.

Jeff Suppan was an excellent contributor to Milwaukee Area charities and he is apart of the "Strike Out for Troops" campaign. Sadly enough, he was unable to make any donations due to the lack of said K's.

Trevor Hoffman, take note.

23-34: Parra baffles Cardinals....and fans of Milwaukee

I couldn't believe me eyes last night....Milwaukee actually won a nationally televised game on ESPN! In extra-innings nonetheless, 4-3.

Manny Parra pitched his career-best game last night, even though it last all but 5 1/3 innings. He recorded a career-best 10 strike outs and even made a little history by striking out 4 batters in one inning. Parra gave up HR's to Colby Rasmus and Albert Puhols last night and also exited the game with the bases loaded. Dave Bush was able to record an out and then Kameron Loe took care of the rest.

Zach Braddock earned his first win of the season and his career (1-0). This earned him the ceremonious beer shower.

John Axford recorded 4th save this season.
Carlos Villenueva recorded his 2nd blown save of the season.

Prince Fielder went 3-4 on the night, all three hits were singles.
Rickie Weeks hit his 10th HR of the season.

George Kottarus can look pretty rough behind the plate. He and Lucroy are NOT the answers (full-time) at Catcher. On a part-time basis, both can get the job done.
He had an error that resulted in Albert reaching 3B during a key moment at the end of the game.

22-34: Brewers lose a close one

Brewers can't bunt....that's about it.

22-33: Randy Wolf is a horrible pitcher...Suppan type horrible

22-32: Back to 10 games under...where they belong

The way the Milwaukee Brewers are playing this week, they don't deserve to be in the elite category of being 9 games under .500 in MLB. Honestly, this team is just that bad right now.
Their latest debacle was stranding 12 on base in last night's 3-2 loss to the Fish.

Unreal.....

Chris Capuano did make his return and he showed some signs of age and the simple fact that he is coming off of his latest TJ surgery. All in all, I wasn't too disappointed with his performance. Yes, the man gave up 3 runs in only 3.2 innings of work....not a good ERA. But he also displayed signs of his old-self with some key strikouts and getting out of jams with RISP. He did have 4 strike-outs, which was nice to see him get down to work. But his change-up was ass-opposite of where it should be in the strike zone, thus resulting in a couple of doubles Uggla & Cantu. Capy will be fine, he should bounce back in his next start against the Cubs.
**A comment on THIS story says that the Crew has a 21 game losing streak when Capuano is pitching. If that's true....wow.....But you do have to consider the lack of run-support.
*I feel Uggla and Cantu should trade names....because Cantu is friggen really uggly....Uggla is medium ugly.

Josh Johnson was flawless last night. The co-face of the franchise (along with Hanley) had an excellent outting lasting 7 innings and only giving up 1 earned run on 7 hits, 8 k's, and 3 walks. Johnson had an impressive streak of 31 innings with out giving up an earned run...which lasted until the 7th inning. This kid is great.

The Milwaukee bullpen actually did a nice job of getting out of some jams (Kameron Loe) and keeping the Fish at-bay. Loe went 2.1 innings and gave up only 2 hits along with 2 K's. In 4.1 innings of work by the pen, they didn't give a single run.

22-31: Yovanni's weekly win

It seems as though Yovanni Gallardo delivers a Brewers win every week. It's been like that his past 5 outings. His record is now 6-2 after he pitched a hell of a game and even contributed a HR. Yo gave up 1 earned run (two runs) on only 4 hits while walking 4.

John Axford was summoned early and closed out the game with a 1.2 inning-long save (3). Carlos Villanueva got in a jam while in the 8th; knowing that Axford is a multi-inning hurler, Macha didn't hesitate to put him in early. Axford did give up an earned run on 2 hits; but he didn't walk a batter and he struck out 1. His era is now 2.79 on his young season.

The bats showed up to support Yovanni; Fielder is starting to heat up (finally) by going 2-4 at the plate with his 8th HR of the season. George Kottarus provided the other long ball on a broken-bat smash to DEEP right field for his 5th.

Carlos Gomez, proving that he's worthy of trading aways JJ Hardy this past off-season, went 2 for 4 with an RBI. His batting average is .266 now and he was batting 6th last night.

*I'm not gonna lie, I missed a good chunk of the Brewers game last night because I was watching the (near) perfect game going on in Detroit. I never witness one (on tv or in-person of course) so I thought I should tune in. There isn't enough kind words to say about Armando Gallaragga. Even when he saw the "safe" sign gestured by the infield umpire Jim Joyce, Armando simply smiled and accepted the call. He didn't argue or cry, or cuss. In fact, he just took the (mis)call like a man and went on to pitch a stellar 1-hit shut-out. Let me tell you, despite the call being a boneheaded move, I actually feel back for Joyce. He showed the fans through his body language immediately after the call that he made a mistake. FOXSports' morning show "Final Score" had post-game press conference (of sorts) where he publicly apologized for the miscall. He knew he screwed up and he took it like a man. Armando was even interviewed and he clearly stated that he accepted Joyces' apology. Look at it this way, Armando has a couple of free passes coming over the next couple of seasons....in my book. This guys strikezone is going to a gapping hole.

The only problem I have with Joyce is why would he even go down that road in the first place? The pitcher ALWAYS gets the call on this sort of play....even without the perfect game scenario. He was the home team pitcher. The call should always favor the home team in a close call. Always. Now you throw in the perfect game and it's a no-brainer. That being said, Joyce knows he made a colossal mistake and he'll probably now receive death threats from the Tiger faithful. Which is really too bad. He felt like he was just doing his job.

This leads me to say that this (early) season of MLB is one of the best in a long time. Hell, it's the best I have ever witnessed. Granted, it's only a couple months old....but we have already been treated to a "balk-off" win, 3 no-hitters, 2 perfect games, a walk-off HR celebration end in a leg break, and many other small tidbits. I just hope the remaining 4 months can keep it up the momentum. I love baseball.

* I think we all can agree on that Milwaukee will be a "seller" over the next 7 weeks. Much like the Cubs. I have a feeling that Corey Hart, Doug Davis, Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan, Trevor Hoffman, and probably even Prince Fielder will be on the trade block. Question is, who will want Hoffman & Suppan? My guess is that the Crew wouldn't get much in return. By packaging Corey Hart with one of them, now you have a potential big trade that could land the Brewers a couple of young arms. If Melvin deals Prince Fielder, you are looking at a bonified ace and possibly a #4 or #5 in return. Or you he could go all young, and aim at a number of young prospects that are a year or two away. The only place where Melvin will find that is in Boston or NY, both of which have pretty damn good 1B. They could, however, slot him in as a DH.

*Yea.......Doug Davis is back on schedule to return. Great.

21-31: Hoffman loses another game for Crew

I can't believe how fast Trevor Hoffman's decline unfolded. We all knew he was probably getting close to having his career come to a close. We just didn't think it would happen this fast.

The headlines in today's papers says it all. One read, "Marlins light up Hoffman in the 7th". First off, Trevor Hoffman being called upon in the 7th inning? Probably not since his days as a Marlin during the World Series year (rookie) was he called upon in the 7th.

Last night added to the soup sandwich that is Hoffman when he coughed up 3 runs on 2 doubles in the 7th inning. Dave Bush had a blister on his throwing hand that ultimately led to him exiting the game a bit early. As a result, the Crew turned to Hoffman to protect a 3-3 tie.
Well, that ended badly and Hoffman continues to destroy games for Milwaukee.

Corey Hart belted his 14th HR of the season. This guy is on fire and will make excellent trade bait for some young arms.

Prince Fielder hit his 8th HR
Ryan Braun added a double
Casey McGehee's batting average dipped below .300 (.299) by going 1-4 last night.
Batters 1-8 all had (at least) a hit last night. The 9th spot went 0-4 with Bushy, Inglett, and Counsell. The latter coming from the at-plate of the game with the tying run on 1B. Counsell whiffed when he tried to hold-back on a Nunez breaking ball.


There is no fixing Trevor Hoffman. Milwaukee has to face the facts. His change-up is no longer a threat to the young hitters of MLB. His fast ball is in the mid 80's and he has no other pitch that's effective. He's done. The more they put him out there, the more he's going to end up looking like a fool. You have to trade him. I realize he's a veteran and he probably has a no-trade clause, but I'm sure some team out there would like to take the chance with him. My guess is that they would only be able to free up some cash in return. But that's okay. Between him and Suppan, those two are taking up valuable space. Especially now that Kameron Loe having a good first-showing last night when he struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced. John Axford and Zach Bradock (despite his meltdown against the Mets) are two young pitchers who need to remain on the team and not be sent back down to Nashville. Not to mention Capuano is now back in the rotation, so that means Manny Parra is back in the pen. David Riske is soon to rejoing the Crew. NOW WHAT?!

Milwaukee has a major dilemma on their hand. Doug Melvin's idea of going in to the season with an abundance of pitching is a good thing (look at last year!), but this is going to blow up in his face. He needs to do something with Suppan now, Michael Hunt would agree! And then if need be, deal with Hoffman. You can't have both of them taking up roster spots.

Last but not least....Milwaukee has signed reliever Brian Bruney to a minor league deal. He was lit up this season while playing for the Nationals. I remember when he played for the Yanks.
The Crew WILL NOT look in to Dontrelle Willis.

21-30: Narv-Dog melts down in the 6th

The Good News: Chris Narveson tossed 5 excellent innings; Corey Hart kept his hot streak going by belting his 13 HR of the season; Ryan Braun collected a double (batting .318); and Rickie Weeks had 2 hits.

The Bad News: Chis Narveson gave up 5 earned run in the 6th; Estrada gave up 4 earned runs, Villy gave up 2 earned runs, and Suckpan gave up 1 earned run. Unbelieveable.

The Brewers' hurlers gave up a 4-run lead.....

How can Macha put in Jeff Suppan? Even in mop-up duties and there are no pitchers left....I don't care. This man doesn't deserve to see the dirt mound and throw in the bigs. He is a useless waste of money. Yes he's a nice go, or, so it seems. But this contract has proven to be the biggest bust in franchise history. Slightly beating out Teddy Higera's crap contract.

-Milwaukee is horrible in the 6th inning...absolutely horrid. Milwaukee has been outscored 36-17 in the sixth this season. Their team ERA is 5.36 on the season.

-Randy Wolf's contract is going to end up looking like Jeff Suppan's....a complete waste of money. He is just bad....unless he's facing the weak tits from Houston.

-Stern was sent back down and Edmounds was reactivated off the DL. I don't know where he's going to fit in with this current outfield. Hart is on a tear and Gomez has been solid as well. Braun is going to be an All-Star again this season.

-Chris Capuano is going to start against the Marlins on Thursday. He completely made me and others look like fools. I said that there was NO WAY he was going to crack the starting rotation...but then again, I never knew just how bad this rotation was going to get.

-With the recent resurgence of Corey Hart, he has now played his way in to being decent trade bait. All the blogs and boards are buzzing about the idea of Hart being a trade target. This of course is music to Melvin's ears. With his NL leading 13 HR's, he would make a solid addition to any of the division leading teams in the AL, especially the Yankees. I would imagine that the Crew would try to get a couple of young arms for him.

21-29: Jeff Suppan is completely useless

It's time for him to go.....cut your losses, or, see if you can work a trade with the NY Mets for Oliver Perez. MLBTRADERUMORS.COM (as always, taken with a grain of salt) had that scenario down as a possible trade.

Perez has far more upside than Suppan, who's at the end of the road. Perez just declined to be optioned down to AAA...which he's able to do under his contract. Talk about a colossal couple of busts....Perez and Suppan. Perez is younger though and could be reunited with Rick Peterson, the only pitching coach who could get him to perform.