Kuzul

The Brewers wrapped up a tumultuous July in losing fashion against the Astros on Sunday.

In a three game series against the mediocre ‘Stros, the Brew Crew scored only two runs and gave up 16 runs. Starting pitching has plagued the Brewers all season, but July might have been the worst month yet.

The Brewers went 12-14 in the month and gave up five or more runs in 16 games, including more than 10 runs in seven games. It’s hard to win ball games when the opposing squad is trotting across home plate that much.

The problem with Milwaukee’s pitching is they only have five pitches with more than 10 starts. And of those five pitchers, only Yovani Gallardo (9-5) and Chris Narveson (8-7) have winning records.

The team’s ERA is ranked 26th in the MLB at 4.96 and the average batting opponents batting average is ranked 27th at .279.

If the team’s starting pitching has been suspect, it’s relief pitching has been just as questionable. The Brewers have found a small pitching bright spot recently in John Axford, who racked up 15 saves and a 6-1 record (zero starts.)

With the passing of the trade deadline, the Brewers aren’t going to get any help this season. Worse yet, the Brewers hitting is reliant on the home run, which is in consistent, and don’t have a starting player batting over .500.

What the Brewers need to do is cut the expensive and under producing players and trade for young prospects and proven veterans. Jeff Suppan is 1-6 this season and is making $12.7 million this season.

The 42-year old Trevor Hoffman has only five saves this season and is making $7.5 million. Chris Capuano won 18 games in 2005, and is 17-25 in the three seasons he played in since.

Even if it is swallowing the remaining contracts, cut them all and make room for talented youth.

The Brewers became prominent again by patiently grooming minor league talent inside their own system. Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Yovani Gallardo were all drafted by the Brewers and brought up through the minors by the team.

If the Brewers don’t want to lose those talented players to free agency and trades in the future, they need to protect their success by fixing their pitching.

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We’ve seen a lot of questionable decisions in the run-up to this year’s non-waiver trade deadline.

The Nationals have refused to move the soon-to-be-gone-anyway Adam Dunn without a getting an elite prospect in return. The Twins traded away one of the game’s top future backstops for an overrated closer. And the Rangers reportedly tried to get the Marlins to add ace Josh Johnson as a throw-in in their deal for Jorge Cantu.

But the most ridiculous, self-delusional announcement I’ve heard all year came last night, when the Milwaukee Brewers announced that they were canceling their fire sale because they decided they were close enough to be contenders after all.

The Brewers currently sit in third place in the NL Central—certainly a respectable standing, especially considering that theirs is the biggest division in baseball. The Red Sox, Tigers, and Dodgers are all taking the bronze in their respective divisions, and certainly none of them have given up on the playoffs.

The problem is, no other third-place team is seven games below .500.

At 48-55, the Brewers don’t seem to be eating their Wheaties this season. They’re nine games behind the first-place Reds and 8.5 games in back of the Cardinals, the unanimous preseason favorites to win the division.

They shouldn’t be looking for any solace in the Wild Card race. The Brewers are in eighth place for the consolation spot, 10 games behind the Giants.

According to BaseballProspectus.com’s playoff odds (calculated by playing the rest of the season a million times), the Brewers have a 0.3838 percent chance of making the playoffs. In other words, the odds are 261:1 against.

So why on earth do the Brewers think they have a chance?

That’s not meant to be a rhetorical question, but it is one because I can’t think of a single possible rational reason for GM Doug Melvin to wake up in the morning and say his team is in it to win it.

If Milwaukee wants to have its delusions of grandeur, that’s fine. It’s not my problem and hey, nothing wrong with optimism.

But if the Brew Crew doesn’t sober up fast, they’re going to regret it for years to come.

The Brewers have two of the best trade chips in the baseball in Prince Fielder and Corey Hart (assuming he returns from his wrist injury tonight, as expected). Both of them are among the game’s most coveted power hitters and are due to hit the free agent market after next season—in other words, they probably won’t be around long enough to see the Brewers make a serious playoff run.

With most of the other frequently discussed available outfielders (Cody Ross, David DeJesus, Jayson Werth) now off the market, Hart could spark a last-minute bidding war between a half-dozen teams tomorrow if he proves himself healthy tonight. If Matt Capps got the Nats Wilson Ramos from the Twins, Hart could certainly fetch at least a couple B-plus prospects.

Then, of course, there’s Prince Fielder. While Milwaukee’s initial demand from the White Sox—Gordon Beckham—was obscene, the Brewers wouldn’t have to settle for much less if they were willing to eat a substantial chunk of his salary.

The fat lady is singing in Miller Park, no matter what the front office says. The only race Brewers fans should care about at this point is the one involving anthropomorphic sausages.

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Coming into the 2010 season, I was sure of three things:

1. The Milwaukee Brewers would improve their record from last season.
2. Trevor Hoffman would reach 600 saves.
3. Ken Macha would eventually be fired as manager.

This season, I’m 0-3, but I’ve got a shot at No. 3 still going down.

Trevor Hoffman, who totaled 34 saves against just three blown last season, has five blown already. He’s been replaced by rookie John Axford, who’s really come on strong for the Brewers.

Hoffman sits in the bullpen after his garbage start to the season, currently sporting a 2-4 record, five saves, a 7.26 ERA, and just 20 strikeouts.

But Axford is learning plenty from the all-time saves leader and long-time Padres closer.

“Ax-Man” has leaned on Hoffman for information about batters, strategies on the mound, and general know-how compiled over 17 years in the bigs.

For Axford, early success has been huge. He’s 15/16 in save opportunities, with his first blown save coming against the Washington Nationals today.

But the oh-so visible banner over the Miller Park outfield for Hoffman’s countdown to 600 saves stands at 596.

Will it ever reveal 600?

I really don’t think so. And it’s not a knock against Hoffman. It’s a reflection of how well Axford has pitched since being named the primary closer. 

I wrote about how the countdown in the outfield might mess with Hoffman’s good mojo , but who would have thought he’d fail to reach just 10 saves after last year? I certainly didn’t.

Hoffman may have a heartbreaking end to his career, after being among the best at his craft ever, yet falling just short of a tremendous milestone.

As for my hope that oft-sleepy manager Ken Macha would be fired before too long: That hasn’t gone so well. Macha’s seen support all around, from both GM Doug Melvin and Owner Mark Attanasio, but the fans are pleading for his release. 

Replace him with hitting coach Dale Sveum or bench coach Willie Randolph, both who connect well with the players. Macha’s careful/conservative approach has stunted the speed game of Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, and Carlos Gomez, to name a few.

Finally, I turn to Milwaukee’s pitching staff.

This is really more of a 50/50. 

For the most part, besides down years by Hawkins and Hoffman, the Brewers bullpen has been a tremendous bright spot. They have perhaps found a long-term solution in Axford at closer, Kameron Loe in the eighth, and Chris Capuano, who has worked strong innings since his return from Tommy John surgery.

However, with the good you must take the bad.

The Brewers sucked the poison from their veins by finally, nay, mercifully releasing Jeff Suppan, but the pitching staff as a whole, aside from Gallardo, has been a black eye.

Starters Randy Wolf and Doug Davis have not lived up to the expectations showered on them after their offseason signings. Project lefty Manny Parra has struggled to keep a spot in the rotation, while inconsistent Chris Narveson picks up his duties.

All in all, 80 wins would be a blessing in Milwaukee, as their record stands at 45-53.

For the Milwaukee Brewers to make any ground in the NL Central, the starting pitching must drastically improve over the second half.

But will it?

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The Milwaukee Brewers had high expectations going into the 2010 season, but their starting pitching let them down again.

At 43-52 heading into last night’s action against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Brewers look to be sellers instead of buyers at the trade deadline.

One of the more attractive trade chips the Brewers have to get an influx of pitching into their organization is right fielder Corey Hart. Let’s take a look at the pros, cons, and the teams that might be interested in the two-time All-Star out of Kentucky.

It sounds so easy. Just lower your hands and good things will happen. That is what Hart did in the offseason and now he is having a career year.

After having a miserable 2009, Hart adjusted his batting stance in the offseason by lowering his hands, and the rest is history. Hart went into last night’s action second in the NL in HRs (22), fourth in slugging (.562), second in RBI (70), and 10th in OPS (.910).

He is currently on pace for a .290/.343/.562 with 39 HRs season. Those are big boy numbers.

Hart is doing a lot of damage against lefties this year. He is hitting .352 with an OPS of 1.115 against lefties. He could be attractive to a team like the Tampa Bay Rays, who might face John Danks, Mark Buehrle, C.C. Sabathia, or Andy Pettitte in the playoffs.

Hart also has a pretty affordable contract moving forward. He will make $4.8 million this year and won’t be a free agent until after the 2011 season, so the team trading for him will get him for a year and a half.

Cons

Perhaps the biggest con against Hart is his asking price. Apparently, Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin is asking for the moon.

Would I trade Madison Bumgarner for Hart? Not a chance.

If that is the asking price for Hart, then he might be staying in Milwaukee for a while.

Another negative against Hart is that he has never been the greatest of fielders. Over the last three years, he ranks towards the bottom of right fielders in terms of UZR, which could be a factor if he goes to a bigger ballpark.

A team also has to wonder about Hart’s home and road splits. Hart’s OPS is over 100 points higher at home than on the road. What happens when he leaves the friendly confines of Miller Park?

Interested Teams?

Now that we have looked at the pros and cons, let’s look at the teams that could be interested in acquiring the 28-year-old.

San Francisco Giants: This is the logical destination for Hart. The Giants need a bopper in the middle of their lineup. The issue though is that the Brewers are asking for Bumgarner and I don’t think that is going to happen.

San Diego Padres: Like their division rival, the Padres need more offense. Hart would be nice protection for Adrian Gonzalez.

Atlanta Braves: The Braves are looking for outfield help and Hart could move over to left. How deadly would a Jason Heyward-Troy Glaus-Brian McCann-Corey Hart middle-of-the order be?

Tampa Bay Rays: Hart could be what Pat Burrell should have been for the Rays—a power-hitting right-handed batter in the middle of the lineup. Hart could DH too.

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox are hell-bent on getting a left-handed power hitter like Hart’s teammate, Prince Fielder, or Adam Dunn. But if Ken Williams fails to get those lefties, Hart might be a fall-back option.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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The Milwaukee Brewers find themselves at a pivotal crossroads as a franchise.

Unlike most mid-market franchises, the Brewers woes aren’t the surefire sign of a fire sale and lengthy rebuilding process. Although there are structural issues with this team that point to bolstering their talent pool by trading some major league talent to this year’s contenders. 

However, some selling could mean being a strong contender next season.

The hot rumor, of course, has Prince Fielder available and several teams in hot pursuit of his services. The power hitting Fielder is viewed by many as a middle of the order cornerstone. A view shared by super agent, and mid-market nemesis, Scott Boras.

With his outlandish demands and thirst for the biggest deal, Boras is almost certain to steer Fielder to a bigger market and more lucrative contract than the Brewers could offer.

It appears Fielder’s greater value to the Brewers is the bounty of major league ready prospects he would net for Milwaukee. One potential scenario could have him going to the Chicago White Sox for some combination of second baseman Gordon Beckham, starting pitcher Daniel Hudson, third baseman Dayan Viciendo, and other prospects. It is no secret that White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams always gets his man even if it means overpaying so there is a good chance the Brewers could get the best value from Williams.

Is that the only move?

No.

While this means they would acquire great talent with huge upside, but it would create a log jam in the infield. This means the Brewers could sell high on Rickie Weeks, Casey McGehee, and possibly Mat Gamel. These players could help bulk up on lower level minor league talent, back-of-the-rotation starters, or relievers.

Speaking of selling high, there is the matter of Corey Hart. The outfielder is having the classic trap year for those who think he is going to hit at this pace for the rest of the prime years in his career. His numbers year to year suggest he is far from a sure bet and it behooves the Brewers to sell him to the highest bidder immediately. With the Giants, Rays, and Padres rumored to be interested, there is no doubt Hart could increase depth for the Brewers on the major league level. 

How about Hart for Matt Garza or Ben Zobrist or B.J. Upton? That sounds like something that could happen.

Other veterans like Craig Counsell, Randy Wolf, LaTroy Hawkins, or Jim Edmonds could also bring back players that could provide organizational depth in key areas of need.

Using the current payroll $90 million and project their current obligations, with potential deals being taken on by trades, at about $30 million to spend. That is enough space to add significant talent to reload for a serious run.

It could mean making a free agent splash and signing Adam Dunn. Dunn makes sense for the Brewers and his price tag will be significantly less than Boras’ bonkers asking price for Prince Fielder.

The rest could be used to grab workhorse Javier Vazquez for significantly less than many teams are expected to offer Cliff Lee. They could also invest in some bullpen help like Jon Rauch or Matt Guerrier.

The Brewers moves at the deadline could feel like a rebuilding project, but with proper foresight this could retool this team for a more serious run over the next five years.

So let the rumors run wild, but please don’t stand pat. Milwaukee is ready to see a true contender.

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Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker will be returning to the broadcast booth Friday after a three-month absence recovering from heart surgery. The 75-year-old voice of the Milwaukee Brewers had surgery on April 30 to replace his aortic valve, aortic root, and part of his ascending aorta.

His first game back will be a home game when the Nationals come to Miller Park, and Uecker is scheduled to hold a news conference prior to the game. It will be Uecker’s first time in the booth since an appearance June 24 in the second inning of the Brewers’ game against the Minnesota Twins.

This is Uecker’s 40th season behind the mic for Brewers games. For non-Brewers fans, he was the voice behind the mic in the movie “Major League.”

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This will be quick.

Caught word today of some potential specifics regarding the rumored “seriousness” of the Tampa Bay Rays’ interest in acquiring Milwaukee Brewers right-fielder, and 2010 All-Star starter, Corey Hart.

As everyone knows, the Brewers are looking for pitching in return for moving any pieces right now. Well, the Rays are said to be offering that and another piece.

The other piece is said to be a minor-league infielder named Matt Sweeney who currently plays for the Rays Double-A affiliate. The supposed sticking point in negotiations? The name of the pitcher that would be going from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee.

The two names that were given to me were Wade Davis, who is currently in the Tampa Bay rotation, and high-A starting pitcher Matt Moore.

What’s more, I was told that the Rays would prefer to move Davis while Milwaukee would choose to have Moore included in the deal.

Davis’ departure would clear space for Tampa Bay’s top pitching prospect to perhaps join the rotation for the balance of the 2010 season in Jeremy Hellickson. Hellickson, of course, starred during the Futures Game played just a couple of days ago.

That being said, the Brewers prefer Moore for a few reasons, to be sure. I have no direct knowledge of the reasons for that preference, but if I were to speculate it would be because of the following things:

• Moore’s service-time clock has not ticked even one minute yet, giving the Brewers a full six-years minimum out of him. Davis, conversely, is pitching in his second big league season already.
• Moore is billed as a hard-throwing, strikeout pitcher. He has amassed 122 strikeouts in 91 innings pitched so far.
• The Brewers might be positioning themselves for another run at the postseason in a few years. This being when much of its best pitching prospects, currently in the lower levels of the minor leagues, might reach the majors together.

That this information is coming down following the reports from credentialed sources as well about the Rays’ increase in interest comes as no surprise to this writer. I have long been saying that it wouldn’t shock me in the least if Corey Hart’s last at-bat tonight in the 2010 All-Star Game is his final at-bat in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform.

The philosophy of buy low/sell high only works on the sales end if you actually pull that proverbial trigger when the value of the player is at its highest.

Corey Hart is the quintessential sell-high candidate for the Milwaukee Brewers in that he is playing quite a bit above his level of play from the past couple of years.

The counter-argument, naturally, is that this is the real Corey Hart so why would you want to move him? What if he turns into an offensive force for another team? My response to that is a simple one: If he brings back a pitcher that helps us win next year or down the road, then the deal works out for both sides and I’m fine with it.

After all, I’d rather play the odds of regression, trend, and past-performance and take my chances that Hart won’t stay this hot going forward.

This Milwaukee Brewers team has had offense to spare in recent seasons with its Achilles’ Heel having been a lack of pitching. There is no arguing that point.

It’s high time to flip the script a bit and move a bat to get an arm.

We have to hope that it’s a quality arm but at least we have the unknown to look forward to with that hope instead of the fear based on the past that we’ve seen out of Hart.

It’s a gamble worth taking.

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37-48.

11.5 games out of first place.

Those are the numbers Brewer fans were forced to endure this morning when opening their papers or looking online to see the current position of their favorite team.

After a 15-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants, it’s clear that the Brewers won’t be sniffing the playoffs in 2010.

The problems for the Brewers start with their payroll. Of the team’s $90-plus million in player contracts for 2010, over $23 million of that is owed to players no longer with the team. It’s virtually impossible for a mid-market team to compete for the playoffs when a quarter of their payroll is dead money.

Brewers’ management called in all their major scouts to Milwaukee in order to determine if the team would be buyers or sellers in this year’s trade market. As optimistic as GM Doug Melvin and owner Mark Attanasio may like to be, there’s no doubt the Brewers need to come up with a new plan for success.

That means they must begin trading off some of their valued trading chips.

In fact, any player not named Braun, Gallardo, Escobar or Lucroy should be available via trade if the price is right. 

Ryan Braun’s name has been mentioned by some Giants’ beat writers as a trade target, but he has a full no-trade clause until after the 2011 season. Besides, the Giants wouldn’t liking be willing to give up Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, which is what the Brewers would desire to part with Braun.

Gallardo is the only consistent pitcher on the pitching staff this year. Even with his current stint on the disabled list, he is still slated as the team’s ace for the next several years.

Alcides Escobar and Jonathan Lucroy may be going through some rough times, but that is normal for rookies. Having a good shortstop and catcher for the next six years are key components for any team looking for sustained success.

Obviously Prince Fielder and Corey Hart are the top candidates that could bring a lot of talent back to Milwaukee. While Fielder could bring the largest haul, he isn’t likely to be sent packing until this winter.

Hart has received interest recently from almost every team currently in the playoff hunt. The Giants and Braves have shown the most interest, and both have the young pitching that the Brewers are sorely missing on their roster at the moment.

The Brewers have some good, young talent, both on their 25-man roster and in the minors. Getting a look at these players should be the Brewers’ top priority for the remainder of the 2010 season.

Lorenzo Cain, a speedy outfielder, was just promoted to Triple A. With Carlos Gomez and Ryan Braun, Cain would be a third of one of the fastest outfields in baseball. Cain’s defensive prowess will also help improve the struggling pitching staff.

Brett Lawrie, the team’s top draft pick in the 2008, is having a banner season in Double A. Lawrie won’t turn 21 until January, and could play any position needed on the Brewers. His bat is already Major League-ready, he just needs the opportunity to get the call to Milwaukee. 

In addition to Hart and Fielder, Trevor Hoffman, Jim Edmonds, Craig Counselland Dave Bush are all legitimate possibilities to be traded before the July 31 deadline.

Each could help a contender down the stretch. Although they wouldn’t bring back the talent of a Fielder or Hart, they could still strengthen the team’s minor league system for 2011 and beyond. 

The Brewers have enough talent that other teams are looking at. They will need to get rid of some of it in order to rebuild a team that made the playoffs just two seasons ago.

A philosophical change must be made by the management if it is going to do that. The Brewers need to shift away from a power team and incorporate more “small ball” in order to achieve greater success.

The Brewers had their run of success over the past few seasons, but now is the moment for Melvin and Attanasio to realize that time has passed for the current batch of Brewers.

If that means trading away Fielder, Hart, Rickie Weeks, and more, then it needs to be done in order for the Brewers to compete in the coming years. 

To read more by Jesse Motiff, click here . 

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On Monday night the sluggers of the MLB will be swinging for the rocks in Anaheim during the 2010 Home Run Derby.

As of Wednesday afternoon, six out of eight slots have been filled. The list filled with household names such as David Ortiz, Miguel Cabrera, Matt Holliday, and Corey Hart.

Wait…Hart?

That’s no typo; Brewers outfielder Corey Hart is adding to his renaissance season by accepting an invite to slug away in Anaheim.

Coming into the season, Hart was flooded with criticizism by fans and media alike for his lackluster play in 2008. The words grew even harsher when he won arbitration and his contract grew.

The frustration mounted even further when he played beyond poorly in spring training and  earned himself a spot on the bench on Opening Day. Hart plattooned with veteran Jim Edmonds in right field for the first month of the season, then in mid May he picked it up.

Currently sitting with a team high 19 home runs and 61 RBI, Hart was selected to his second All Star Game as a reserve outfielder. His first selection came in 2008 as the Final Vote winner.

Going into the Derby, he is an underdog. But then again, teammate Prince Fielder was a 3:1 underdog last year when he took home the title in St. Louis.

As for the Brewers, they hope the popular event doesn’t ruin his swing.

Yankees skipper Joe Girardi said, “Physically, I think it is somewhat of a grind,”. The Bombers’ hitting coach said that he would rather Robinson Cano not do it.

This is the fourth consecutive season a Brewer has been selected, joining Fielder in 2007, Ryan Braun in New York, and Fielder again last season.

Corey Hart’s season just continues to get better after his dismal in 2009 performance. 

If you had told me that in 2010 he’d be hitting .288 with 19 homers, be an All Star, and participate in the Home Run Derby, I would have thought you insane.

But now, all is good in Milwaukee with Corey Hart as the city will root him on in Anaheim on both Monday and Tuesday.

Don’t hit too many rocks, Corey.

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Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers has been officially placed on the disabled list retroactive to July 5 with a strained left oblique he suffered in the bottom of the third inning on Sunday. Fantasy baseball owners will greatly miss the 8-4 Gallardo with his 2.58 ERA and 9.83 strikeouts per nine innings.

Jordan Schelling of Brewers.com noted that despite being recently named to the National League All-Star team, Gallardo will not take part due to the injury. He will miss a minimum of two starts, and if all goes well, will be eligible to come off the disabled list July 20.  

In the meantime, if you need to fill the void left by Gallardo, or even Clay Buchholz, who was also recently sent to the disabled list, consider these ten options:

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