48-54: Yovanni gets slapped around

One would think that the Crew would show up last night and give it everything they had to gain a whole game on the Reds and a 1/2 game on the Cardinals. I mean, they're on a hot streak as of late and in a position to close the gap even more. Instead, Yovanni Gallardo might have been thinking too much about his planned boycott of Arizona next year (if he is an All Star) and not on the task-at-hand. Gallard (9-5) got shellacked last night by a pesky Reds line-up.

Right out of the gates Yo clearly didn't bring his "A" game to the park....especially when the Crew needed him most. Brandon Phillips rocked a double that almost ended up as a triple had Rickie Weeks not fire-armed a rocket relay throw to 3B Casey McGehee. I felt good after that....I felt like this should throw-out should set the momentum of the game. Umm...no.
Instead, the Reds walloped Yovanni left and right through his 2.2 innings. The bullpen didn't fair any better when the two Tommy John revitalization projects (Capy & Riske) gave up runs that only added to the stockpile beating. Capuano allowed 4 earned runs while Riske gave up a run. At least Joe Inglett did his part....he pitched a perfect 9th inning. This was the first time Ken Macha has EVER used a position player in a relief role, even in the minors.

Rickie Weeks is on a tear....he collected his 22nd HR of the season and also added a hit. Meanwhile, Ryan Braun went o'fer.....AGAIN, while Prince Fielder finally hit a double.

Casey McGehee is starting to heat up again, thankfully. Only 2 games after he hit a HR and a Double, he recorded two more much-needed hits.

It's getting to the point where I can't handle Jerry Augustine. I mean, the guy is probably very nice and means well....but he's not made for TV. I actually stomached the pre-game show and watched him taste-test a hotdog with some Wisconsin made Mustard (that the Reds love) and the Special Stadium Sauce. He looked lost, until he found the wiener in his mouth.

Rickie Weeks will also become a free agent after next season; so it seems that he's the only one who's "untouchable" in trades. That term used to be used for Prince and Corey. Well, not anymore. Milwaukee's #1 goal should be to lock him up in a contract. Despite the fact that it took 6 seasons for him to "get it", he's got it. Now if only there was a crystal ball that could ensure that he'll stay healthy.
*LaTroy Hawkins is coming back for the Houston series this weekend. Nice timing, going up against his old team.

Imagine if you will Milwaukee fans, a life with out Prince Fielder....if he was traded at the end of the week.....all those jerseys at Kohls would just sit there and collect dust.

We all know it's going to happen....Corey Hart will try to return to the batters box this weekend to show the league that he's worth it in a trade. But no team will fall for it. Hart's injury is serious...don't let the propaganda fool you. Most, if not all teams are uninterested at this point. That means one thing, he will return to the line-up in August (full-time) and start his downward slide. Any team that is stupid enough to trade a young prospect for Hart...is risking the idea of Hart failing a physical and having the deal blow up. So they could decide to do the deal hush-hush and not let the press know until (if) he passes the physical. So we may not even know if a a preliminary trade was worked out at all if he fails the physical.