SB Nation - Mark DiFelice

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:16:15 -0000

Mark DiFelice hopes to pitch for the Brewers again in 2011.

Some things to read while choosing carefully.

Well, this was bound to happen eventually: There's virtually no Brewer news today. Today's top story is the $100,000 minor league deal given to Mark DiFelice, who will spend the 2010 season rehabbing with Brewer trainers in the hope of returning to the mound with the Crew in 2011 (FanShot).

Elsewhere, Marc Hulet of FanGraphs has a look at the last few Brewer drafts, from a somewhat pessimistic point of view. The Brewer organization is down a bit and there's certainly not a lot of depth to speak of, but I think they deserve a little more credit than that.

I recently contributed to a discussion on the NL Central's moves at the Winter Meetings over at The Nats Blog, along with seven other NL Central sites.

We're continuing to plug away at the BCB All Decade Team. You have until 4 pm today to vote for our final starting outfielder, and 4 pm tomorrow to vote for our first bench infield spot. Geoff Jenkins has a pretty commanding lead in the former, but Craig Counsell's lead is much smaller in the latter. A new vote will open at 4 today.

Around baseball:

Royals: Are expected to sign former Twins pitcher Phil Humber to a minor league deal.
White Sox: Acquired Juan Pierre and cash from the Dodgers for two PTBNL.

Meanwhile, side deals are being struck to go along with the not-yet-official Mariners-Phillies-Blue Jays deal involving Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay: When/if the deal becomes official, the Blue Jays will send outfielder Michael Taylor to the A's for third baseman Brett Wallace, recently acquired in the Matt Holliday deal.

In a financially larger transaction, the Rangers are one large step closer to having a new owner, as Tom Hicks has selected a group of investors including current team president Nolan Ryan to begin negotiations.

Not much else going on, so I guess we can talk about a couple of former Brewers: The B-Ref blog has a look at some of the unique facets of Mike Cameron's career. He's in elite company on some relatively significant all-time lists. The Transaction Oracle projects him to hit .252/.349/.442 in 2010.

Meanwhile, I know I said I'd try to go the rest of the week without mentioning Jason Kendall, but this Transaction Oracle quote is a little too good to pass up:

Seriously, if the Royals gave me $1 million to me to kick Moore in the crotch, they'd be better off from both a financial and a baseball standpoint.

How about a note about a former Brewer catcher that was actually pretty good? Cardboard Gods has a post where at least a couple of paragraphs are about Darrell Porter.

Here's a study I'd like to see someone duplicate for the Brewers: DRaysBay has a look at variations in the 2009 Rays' attendance based on starting pitcher. There's a lot of factors to consider (opponent, day of the week, position in the standings), but I wouldn't be surprised to discover the Brewers lost a fair chunk of attendance on days when Jeff Suppan or Braden Looper pitched down the stretch last season.

Speaking of things someone could duplicate for the Brewers, FishStripes has a Marlins add-on for Firefox. I'm not sure what exactly that entails, but if someone made a Brewer one and it didn't get in the way while I'm trying to work, I'd use it.

It's possible it's just something to do for the sake of pretending to do something, but Bud Selig has formed a committee to consider and address on-field improvements for the game, and one writer (Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune) thinks it might be the first step towards a legitimate challenge of the DH rule. (h/t BBTF) Craig Calcaterra, however, threw some cold water on the theory.

On this day in 1999, the Brewers signed Jose Hernandez to a three year, $10 million deal. Hernandez had one very good season as a Brewer and made the All Star team in 2002, but also struck out 498 times in three seasons, leading the NL in two of his three years.

On this day in 2002, the Brewers traded Ray King to the Braves for Wes Helms and John Foster. Helms spent three years as a Brewer, hitting .268/.335/.425. Somehow, I remember him being much worse than that.

Happy birthday today to:

Alcides Escobar, who turns 23.
2003-2004 Brewer Matt Kinney, who turns 33.
Former Brewer first round pick and 1975 Brewer Tommy Bianco, who turns 57.

Drink up.

Late-Night Weekend Mug

morineko — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:57:54 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

Hopefully Mike Rivera will end up as a backup with a team with a catcher willing to rest every fifth day.

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This weekend's big news is related to the non-tender deadline. As seen in this FanShot, Mark DiFelice, Seth McClung and Mike Rivera were not tendered contracts by the Brewers. Adam McCalvy's article implies that the team was crowded with options for the bullpen and behind the plate and McClung and Rivera were squeezed out. DiFelice may later be signed to a minor league contract in order to rehab with the team, but this hasn't happened yet.

Tom Haudricourt spoke with McClung about the situation. He also notes that the Brewers have a tentative agreement to bring back Craig Counsell for 2010.

Matthew Pouliot believes that the Brewers should have non-tendered Jody Gerut and David Bush in order to save the team money that could go towards a better starting pitcher.

Our general non-tendered players open thread is here; there are loads of players set adrift for various reasons. The helpful bloggers at MLB Trade Rumors have compiled a big list of players. Circling the Bases has another list, pointing out injured players. One of the non-injured non-tenders happens to be Gabe Gross, just in case the Brewers may need yet another 4th outfielder to add to the amazing collection of them that's being built up this offseason. The 40-man will probably be at 40 after Counsell and Vargas sign, however.

The Brewers made a stealth minor league signing when we weren't looking, per Baseball America's weekly minor league transactions; it's A.J. Murray, a left-handed pitcher who has spent his entire career in the Rangers organization. He has major league experience and has been a starter before but he spent 2009 as a reliever. He missed all of 2004 and 2006 with shoulder injuries.

Around the Brewers blogosphere:

View from Bernie's Chalet thinks the Brewers have more work to do after the Winter Meetings, especially in regards to the starting pitching.
A Girl's View of the Brewers is happy with the Winter Meetings pitching moves but believes the Brewers need to upgrade the fourth outfielder position.
Lange at Wisconsin Sports Tap will be missing McClung, remembering the 2008 playoff run.

Kevin Correia, constant object of our delight and speculation, re-signed with the Padres on a one-year contract. Doug Melvin asked the Padres about trading for him but they decided to keep him.

If there's one thing in which the Brewers players in winter ball are exceptionally skilled, it's being hit by pitches. Carlos Gomez, Brendan Katin and Adam Heether look like worthy successors to Jason Kendall if their winter performance is any indication.

Speaking of Kendall, Joe Posnanski sees his signing as just one of the invariably bad moves the Royals could have made with the catcher position for 2010.

Don't forget to vote for the BCB all-decade team's center fielder before 4PM today.

I don't have a baseball book of the week this week, as I haven't read any baseball books since my last Mug. I did pick up a copy of Bill James' The Baseball Book 1990. The 1990 Draft Adviser section is a definite precursor to all the snarky comments in the Baseball Prospectus books. The only comment relevant to current players is the one about John Smoltz: "There is every likelihood that Smoltz will win 200 games in the major leagues." Well, that was right on. If you're more interested in current baseball, Keith Olbermann has an advance review of Dirk Hayhurst's new book (release date March 2010.)

Today in Brewers history, back in 1980, they acquired Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich in a trade with the Cardinals.

Happy birthday to Gorman Thomas, who turned 59 on the 12th.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:36:15 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

Today's Frosty Mug is so full, I didn't even have time to caption this picture of Randy Wolf.

View full size photo »

Some things to read while evening out the teams.

It turned out to be a pretty active first day of the Winter Meetings. The Brewers were the talk of the late night rumor mill, based on reports that they're close to signing a three year deal with Randy Wolf (also noted in Rumorville). Tom H. says the deal is rumored to be in the $25-27 million range, and is also quantifying the amount of smoke surrounding it.

With that said, the deal mustn't be done yet, because Arn Tellem, who represents Wolf, is meeting with the Mets this morning. Jon Heyman says the Mets aren't willing to offer Wolf a three year deal.

Is this the move you were hoping for from the Brewers? I'd be happy with it at this point, as long as the price isn't much above $27 million. There's always some risk involved, but this is almost certainly a better deal than, for example, the four year deal Joel Pineiro is seeking.

Wolf might not be the only starting pitcher the Brewers acquire this week. They've reportedly discussed a deal with the Mets that would send Corey Hart to New York for John Maine, a former student of Rick Peterson who has missed most of the last year with shoulder issues (FanShot). It's unclear how much fire is behind this smoke, but the Mets are also rumored to be discussing a similar trade with the Angels, with Juan Rivera taking Hart's place.

The Brewers also added a little depth to their middle infield yesterday, claiming shortstop Luis Cruz off waivers from the Pirates (FanShot). Cruz played seven positions (everything but pitcher and catcher) last season in AAA, but has virtually zero ability with the bat (a .274 OBP in AAA last season), and Adam McCalvy confirmed the move was made for minor league, not major league depth. The Brewers don't have a true shortstop prospect in the minors above Brent Brewer and Josh Prince, neither of whom played above A-ball last season.

The Brewer bullpen suffered a blow yesterday, as Mark DiFelice underwent surgery to repair damage to his labrum and rotator cuff, and will miss the entire 2010 season (FanShot). DiFelice is 33 and undergoing his second major shoulder procedure, but intends to try to pitch in the majors again in 2011, telling Adam McCalvy "I don't want it to end like this."

This raises the stakes a little bit in the search for additional bullpen help, but the Crew won't be getting said help from Rafael Betancourt. Late in the day yesterday it was reported that the Brewers were unlikely to lure Betancourt away from a return to the Rockies. I haven't seen it confirmed, but I'm pretty sure he accepted arbitration late last night.

Looking back at a rumor from the weekend, In-Between Hops has come out against a Jeff Suppan-for-Juan Pierre deal, fearing the extra $4 million in salary the Brewers would have to take on would make it difficult for them to sign a pitcher like Randy Wolf.

And, looking back even farther, Dave Allen of FanGraphs has a look at the pitch-blocking ability of Gregg Zaun. Ken Macha is making me crazy: I should see this as a positive, but instead I see it as the excuse that might be used to keep an underperforming/overused Zaun in the lineup and a more deserving catcher on the bench.

In the minors, Brewerfan.net has a new Power 50 up. It's always interesting to see how guys move up and down the charts during the offseason. This edition's big gainers were Kentrail Davis, Jake Odorizzi and John Axford, with Hernan Iribarren, Chris Cody and Max Walla losing significant ground.

And around here, we're looking for your help to select a Brewer All-Decade Team in a series we're calling Making Your '00 Face. That link will take you to the voting for first base, where Prince Fielder has opened up what will likely turn out to be an insurmountable lead. Voting for second base will open at 4 pm today.

Around baseball:

Braves: Reliever Rafael Soriano has accepted the team's offer of arbitration.
Cardinals: Have agreed to a one year, $7.5 million deal for Brad Penny, pending a physical.
Nationals: Signed Ivan Rodriguez to a two year deal worth $6 million, acquired reliever Brian Bruney from the Yankees for a PTBNL, and released reliever Saul Rivera.
Pirates: Signed reliever Vinnie Chulk to a minor league deal.
Rangers: Acquired pitcher Clay Rapada from the Tigers for a PTBNL or cash.
Red Sox: Signed pitcher Fabio Castro and re-signed Kason Gabbard.
Rockies: Released outfielder Matt Murton, who is expected to spend 2010 in Japan.
Tigers: Re-signed Adam Everett to a one year deal, and signed reliever Brad Thomas, who has spent the last two seasons pitching in Korea.
Twins: Carl Pavano has accepted the team's arbitration offer.

The Rule 5 Draft is on Thursday, so I'm almost done burying you in links like these: Harry Pavlidis of The Hardball Times and Lisa Winston of MiLB.com have a look at several players who recently played in the Arizona Fall League and were left unprotected in the draft.

Competition is heating up in the market for Edwin Jackson. One report yesterday had the Tigers receiving 12 offers for his services. I guess that's what you get when you put a pitcher who threw over 200 effective innings last season and is due about $5 million on the market.

Speaking of pitchers the Brewers might be interested in, Justin Duchscherer declined the A's offer of salary arbitration.

I think most of us will be happy to see these former Brewers sign elsewhere, and keeping one of them in the division would be a double bonus: Jason Kendall is reportedly drawing interest from the Royals, and Braden Looper has expressed interest in pitching for the Cubs.

In case you were wondering, Keith Law has an explanation of how the Winter Meetings, usually held in a warm vacation spot, ended up in Indianapolis. The cold temps and snow haven't kept people from exchanging some tidbits of info you probably would never have known without the internet (and might not have missed):

There was apparently a small tiff between Scott Boras and new Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog over comments Herzog made about Matt Holliday, a Boras client.
Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez didn't shoot anything while out deer hunting with Bobby Cox last week.
Former D-Back, Indian, Ray and Ranger Nick Bierbrodt, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2004, is a ttempting a comeback.
New Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous is battling a cold this week, so he's not shaking anyone's hand.
Speaking of the Blue Jays, radio reporter Mike Wilner has an annoying ring tone and left his phone in the media workroom yesterday.
Craig Calcaterra brought an airport card to the meetings, making him one of the few writers not reliant on slow internet service.

And, of course we're all having fun this week, but Paul DePodesta has a reminder for all of us that many of this week's rumors will be just that, and not to get too worked up over them. Of course, no one ever gets too worked up around here, right?

Away from the meetings, here's a strange story. After months of investigation, Major League Baseball has concluded that new Twins prospect Miguel Angel Sano, who claims to be 16, is somewhere between 16 and 18. Sano also recently changed his name to Miguel Jean. If he turns out to be Miguel Tejada in disguise, the Twins will probably be very upset.

On this day in 1991, Brewer reliever Julio Machado was arrested for murder after shooting a passenger in a car that had just been involved in an accident. Machado was later found guilty and served 12 years in prison.

I don't have any Brewer birthdays today, but it is a Woot-off day, so there's that.

Drink up.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:12:48 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

This could be the end of the line for Mike Burns as a Brewer. Now that he's off the 40-man roster, Burns will be eligible for minor league free agency this offseason.

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Some things to read while getting a text from Batman.

The Brewers have started the offseason roster shuffle, outrighting Mike Burns to AAA to clear a space on the 40-man roster (FanShot). Yesterday I suggested that the move might have been made to clear a roster spot for a minor leaguer (like Adam Heether), but as Adam McCalvy notes, the Brewers will also need to make room for Rickie Weeks, Mark DiFelice and David Riske, who are currently on the 60-day DL.

It hasn't been announced publicly, but in a mailing to season ticket holders the Brewers mentioned February 20 as the day pitchers and catchers will report to Maryvale for spring training in 2010. If you're looking for a to-the-second update on the countdown, look no further than the sidebar to your right, where TheJay has installed a countdown clock. I'm not sure where I'd be without TheJay on this one: I broke the site twice yesterday trying to install one of my own.

In the meantime, Doug Melvin has 128 days to assemble a winning team and/or bemoan the perils of small market economics. Fire Doug Melvin has a flow chart to predict his decision-making process.

That chart does not, however, include an answer to this question: i94 Sports looks at the Brewers' current situation with Prince Fielder, and wonders if they should be looking to trade him.

The Championship Series round of the 2009 playoffs opens tonight but, before the first ball is thrown, we have weather issues to discuss. Tomorrow and Saturday's scheduled games in New York are both questionable due to predictions of rain, and the schedule could get messy if either or both games have to be postponed.

Speaking of things that could get messy, the Dodgers are less than 24 hours away from their first game in the NLCS, but the biggest news surrounding the team might be the separation and pending divorce of owners Frank and Jamie McCourt. This could be even messier than the situation in San Diego, as Jamie McCourt was just named CEO of the Dodgers in April.

On to brighter topics: Even with the playoffs back in action this weekend, a lot of eyes will be turned towards Arizona, where Stephen Strasburg is expected to make his professional debut Friday night. Meanwhile, the Javelinas dropped their second straight game to Surprise yesterday. You can check out today's Fall League Update for more on that game.

Certainly, Ryan Braun has had one of the better early careers in Brewer history, and one can make a case for his inclusion among the best in major league history. But was he the best player drafted in 2005? The Beltway Boys make the case for Ryan Zimmerman.

As the 2009 Rule 5 Draft approaches, Bucs Dugout has a look back at how the Pirates handled 2008 Rule 5 pick Donnie Veal, who was the subject of some "aggressive" placements on the DL and some extended minor league rehab assignments that don't seem to fit within the spirit of the rules regarding the draft.

Meanwhile, Matt LaPorta will be behind schedule in spring training in February after having surgery yesterday on his left hip and big toe. His rehab is expected to take 4-6 months.

On this day in 1982, Willie McGee homered twice as the Cardinals beat the Brewers 6-2 in Game 3 of the World Series.

I couldn't find a Brewer birthday today, so you'll have to settle for Jim Palmer, losing pitcher in the final game of the 1982 season that sent the Brewers to the postseason, who turns 64 today.

That's all I have for you today, unless you wanted to read about Ben Sheets' number getting retired.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:09:07 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Mat Gamel is congratulated Mike Cameron and Alcides Escobar after hitting a three-run home run during the sixth inning Sunday. Somehow, I skimmed over 1000 posts on over 300 baseball sites this morning and didn't find a single mention of it.

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Some things to read while getting the baby to smile.

The Brewers have a day off today to reflect on the 2009 home season, which saw them draw 3,037,197 fans, down just 31,000 from last season, despite posting their first losing record at home since 2004. Seth McClung was sad he didn't get to pitch in the last game, but also offered some insight into what the clubhouse is like on the final day at home. And tristarscoop has a photo of the carnage in the final sausage race.

For at least three Brewers, the off day will be an opportunity to see a doctor. Casey McGehee (knee), Mark DiFelice (shoulder) and Mike Burns (shoulder) will all see specialists today in the hope of firming up a prognosis and offseason plan. McGehee isn't sure if he'll need offseason surgery to repair a knee that's been sore for months, DiFelice thinks he'll be fine but wants to make sure, and Burns recently revealed he's had shoulder soreness for several days now.

Has Ken Macha managed his last game at Miller Park? He doesn't seem to think so. If he does return next season he could have a new pitching coach, as the team is reportedly considering making an offer to former A's and Mets coach Rick Peterson (FanShot).

Dave Bush had another rough outing yesterday, including hitting opposing pitcher Joe Blanton with a curveball while Blanton was attempting to bunt. That HBP put him back in the major league lead at 15. That's the fifth highest single season total in Brewer history, which is pretty impressive considering Bush has only pitched 114.1 innings this season. No pitcher has ever plunked more than 16 batters while pitching fewer than 120 innings: Bush will likely get one more start to attempt to become the first.

Josh Butler also pitched in yesterday's game, and his rough outing will be his final Brewer appearance this season. While the team is headed out on the road today, Butler is headed back to Huntsville, then to the Brewers' training facility in Arizona to get ready for the Arizona Fall League.

Speaking of HBPs, Jason Kendall picked up his 247th on Saturday on a pitch from Kyle Kendrick. Plunk Everyone has, among other things, the full list of every player with double initials that has hit Kendall. Unfortunately, plunkings mustn't be weighted very heavily in the Elias rankings, as Kendall is starting to slide down the charts and now sits near the bottom of Type B free agents.

Prince Fielder is up to 42 home runs this season, and Plunk Everyone ranked him third in all of baseball in home run difficulty. Follow the link for an explanation: I think the stat has some merit.

Ryan Braun picked up his 30th home run in dramatic fashion on Saturday night. The Dugout Doctors list him as one of their current players to build a franchise around, but Fake Teams asks if he's getting overhyped.

In the minors:

Project Prospect has ranked pitchers from each level of the minors by out %. In AA, Donovan Hand, Bobby Bramhall and Mike McClendon cracked the top 50, and Dan Meadows, Efrain Nieves, Nick Tyson and Wily Peralta made the top 50 for the Timber Rattlers. No Brevard County Manatees or Nashville Sounds made the lists.
Maverick Lasker (11th) and Max Walla (20th) both appeared on Baseball America's rankings of the top 20 prospects in the Arizona Rookie League this season.

If you're already feeling nostalgic for 2009, Big League Stew has a look back at the Brewers season that was.

Baseball Digest Daily has the Brewers holding steady at #17 in their power rankings.

Around baseball:

Mets: Claimed pitcher Jack Egbert off waivers from the White Sox.

Ever wonder what 2009 would have looked like if the Brewers had somehow found a way to hold on to all the pitchers they've discarded over the years? The rotation might have included Justin Lehr, who was getting ready to give up on baseball before the Reds called him up this season. His numbers as a Red haven't been fantastic, but he might actually be an improvement over some of the guys the Brewers have trotted out there this season.

If the Brewers decide not to retain Mike Cameron this offseason, here's another name to add to the list of potential replacements: Oakland's Rajai Davis. A's Nation thinks the Brewers might be a candidate to acquire him, but also thinks they might be willing to give up Brett Lawrie in exchange, and that's absolutely ridiculous. Elsewhere in center field, Rick Ankiel doesn't expect to return to St. Louis. And if the Brewers end up needing another gritty utility infielder to replace Craig Counsell, Omar Vizquel wants to play another year.

If you're already looking ahead to the fall and winter seasons, get your calendar out: The Baseball Zealot has a list of important dates for you.

Or, if you're looking forward to the hot stove season, here's something for you: Circling the Bases has the top ten free agents for this offseason. Ben Sheets, who still hasn't pitched since last September, checks in at #10. Given his extended absence and his history regarding work ethic and rehab, I'm guessing he's going to show up in someone's camp next spring out of shape and/or unable to pitch. In fact, I'll be surprised if he passes a physical.

Speaking of guys who are out of shape, stop back later today for a special surprise. That's all I'm saying about it.

How long can you extend your career, based purely on the ability to get on base? Ken Griffey Jr. is batting .210 this season for the Mariners, but leads the team in walks and drew the 1300th of his career yesterday. That's over 22 miles in walks.

I have two email addresses that get constant emails from MLB.com which I typically delete without reading. It's good to know that's unavoidable: MLB has reportedly been ignoring requests to be removed from their mailing list. That's always a solid business practice.

Finally, after months of rumor and panic, we have a definitive list of the symptoms associated with Royals Fever.

Can you imagine Miller Park being used for this? Seamheads has the story of Milwaukee's Athletic Park being renovated in 1892 to become the home of "The Last Days of Pompeii." Interesting stuff.

Happy birthday today to Brian Banks, who turns 39, and Mike DeJean, who also turns 39.

Oh, and today's Mug probably would have come out ten minutes earlier if Rob Neyer hadn't introduced me to Worldometers.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:50:04 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

The Brewers kept both Alcides Escobar and J.J. Hardy on the bench yesterday so Craig Counsell could play short. Is that enough to get Ken Macha fired?

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Some things to read while running down from the attic to answer the door.

Ryan Braun was out of the lineup yesterday for the second time in seven games, but this time Braun and Ken Macha had their story straight, and referred to it as just an off day. Braun was hit by a pitch in a pinch hit appearance, raising his season total to 12. Plunk Everyone notes that Braun had only been hit 13 times in his first two seasons, and could double his career total in 2009.

Prince Fielder had a rough day yesterday at the plate, but continues to be the focus of speculation regarding offseason trade possibilities. Buster Olney thinks Fielder could be a fit for the Red Sox next season. Tom H. thinks the Brewers would need to get multiple pitchers in return for Prince, and MLB Daily Dish isn't sure where the Red Sox would find the financial flexibility or playing time for him. Meanwhile, Bob Brenly, ever the pompous douchebag, compared his jersey to an infield tarp.

Meanwhile, there's a new J.J. Hardy rumor out there. Prospect Insider is citing "a source close enough to the situation" as saying the Brewers fully expect to trade J.J. Hardy this offseason. That's not really surprising in the least, but it is something like a confirmation of what we expected.

The Brewers may have a roster move to announce before tonight's game: The Contra Costa Times is reporting that Josh Butler, possibly the fastest rising pitcher in the Brewer organization this season, has joined the team in Chicago and is expected to be in uniform today. (h/t Brewerfan.net) Butler could be a candidate to start on Friday if Manny Parra still can't go. Before that can happen, though, the Brewers will have to clear a 40 man roster spot to make room for him. If anyone who's not Corey Patterson is DFA'd, I may break something.

Yovani Gallardo will return to action tonight for the first time since skipping a start last week, and for the first time at Wrigley Field since that thing I'd prefer we didn't talk about. He's looking forward to getting back out there, and Quevedo at the Buffet is looking forward to watching him take on Carlos Zambrano tonight.

Here's something I never, ever would have expected to say: The Brewers can only hope Gallardo's performance tonight will compare to Jeff Suppan's performance last night. Suppan pitched very well despite continued soreness in his oblique which is preventing him from swinging the bat. Suppan bunted with the bases empty in both at bats last night, which is a really puzzling decision...even if he just stood there and took three strikes, he at least would have forced Ryan Dempster to throw six pitches.

Miller Park Drunk has video and a thought-by-thought breakdown of Alcides Escobar making one of this season's greatest defensive plays over the weekend. After Escobar made that play, Ken Macha responded by sitting him on the bench yesterday so Craig Counsell could start at short.

Two weeks ago, I was indifferent on Macha. Now, I'd applaud the move if he were fired today. Macha checks in at #5 on Jon Heyman's list of managers on the hot seat. Heyman also notes that the Brewers have a replacement in waiting in Willie Randolph. If you didn't shudder when reading that, you should have. Dale Sveum is also still on the staff, and at the moment he'd be my first choice.

As great as Felipe Lopez has been as a Brewer over the last couple of months, it feels like there's a new story about his lack of hustle every couple of weeks. Last night he didn't run out a dropped liner that might have changed the complexion of the game in the late innings. Everything Lopez has done this season would suggest he'd be a solid long-term investment, but these little lapses (along with his performance after his last big contract) make him a major candidate to disappoint someone next season.

Mark DiFelice got some good news yesterday, as an MRI showed no structural damage in his sore shoulder. With that said, there's no reason he should pitch again in 2009: The Brewers have more than enough arms in the bullpen, and getting some rest can't possibly hurt at this point.

You'd never guess it by looking at this winter's prospective free agents, but FanGraphs says we're witnessing the golden age of center fielders. And yes, the Brewers started Corey Patterson in center for back to back games during said "Golden Age."

In the minors:

Matthew Pouliot of Circling the Bases has the OPS leaderboard from the PCL, and Adam Heether checked in at #9 this season, significantly ahead of both Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar.
Brett Lawrie went 1-for-5 with a walk as Team Canada fell to Australia in 10 innings in Baseball World Cup play yesterday. The Canadians are now 0-2 in second round play. (h/t Rattler Radio)

On power rankings and whatnot:

WhatifSports has the Brewers holding steady at #18.
The Sporting News dropped the Brewers one spot to 19th.
Andy Seiler's draft projections have the Brewers picking 12th next June.

Even when they're not winners on the field, the Brewers are winning at the box office this season: Beyond the Box Score has a chart showing that the Brewers are drawing over 40,000 fans per win in 2009, the second highest total in the National League.

Around baseball:

Indians: Placed reliever Joe Smith on the DL with a left knee injury.

I'm working on starting a new trend, feel free to help me out. Every time someone stops by the comments section to complain about strikeouts, I plan on posting the following quote from this Circling the Bases post:

Among all hitters with at least 400 plate appearances this season, the 10 guys who strike out most often have an average OPS of .938 and the 10 guys who strike out least often have an average OPS of .753.

Read it over and over again if you have to.

Yesterday I mentioned that Brewer cleanup hitters (see Fielder, Prince) have the highest OPS in all of baseball. On the other end of that list are the Kansas City Royals, whose cleanup spot is the third worst held by a position player in all of baseball. I'll agree with the theory that most lineup tinkering doesn't create a huge difference, but the Royals are proof that, if you try hard enough, you can really screw it up.

As this season draws to a close, so does the career of Hall of Fame beat writer Hal McCoy. Today's story is about his relationship with Aaron Boone, and how it extended his career. It's worth a few minutes of your time.

On this day in 2007, Prince Fielder hit his 46th home run, setting a new franchise record. The Brewers beat the Reds, 5-3.

And, of course, today is the one year anniversary of the firing of Ned Yost. Celebrate accordingly. This year's parade plans fell through. Instead, I'm planning on leaving something in the toaster until it starts on fire, then attempting to put it out with gasoline. When the police come to investigate the fire I'll tell them, "Toasty really battled today."

I don't have a Brewer birthday today, but isn't the Yost anniversary enough? If you need a birthday, Gaylord Perry is 71.

Drink up.

Brewers 5, D-Backs 3

KLSnow — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:27:38 -0000

More photos » by AARON J. LATHAM - AP

Prince Fielder hits a solo home run in the fourth inning Sunday.

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W: Carlos Villanueva (3-10)
L: Daniel Schlereth (0-4)
S: Trevor Hoffman (32)

HR: Prince Fielder (39), Chris Young (13)

MVP: Claudio Vargas (+.288)
LVP: Mitch Stetter (-.203)

Win Expectancy Graph
SBNation Coverage

Hey look, a sweep!

Seven Brewer pitchers combined to hold the D-Backs to three runs today, and the Brewer bats came together to make it stand up. Chris Narveson started and pitched very well through three innings, but allowed the first three batters he faced in the fourth to reach, forcing Ken Macha to go to the bullpen early, and the problem got worse when Mark DiFelice left with a shoulder strain.

After that, though, the bullpen held the D-Backs in place the rest of the way. Chris Smith and Carlos Villanueva combined to pitch 2.2 scoreless innings, and after Mitch Stetter allowed three hits in the seventh, Claudio Vargas came in and pitched out of a bases loaded, one out jam. Trevor Hoffman pitched a scoreless ninth for his 32nd save.

At the plate, Prince Fielder gave the Brewers an early 1-0 lead with a solo home run, tying Cecil Cooper's franchise record with 126 RBI. That was all the offense the Brewers could muster until the seventh, when Alcides Escobar hit a two run single to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead. The Brewers went on to score four in the seventh and the game was decided.

The Brewers had eight hits in the game today, but Fielder, Escobar and Felipe Lopez accounted for six of them. Ryan Braun went 0-for-5, going hitless for just the second time in eleven September contests.

Reds 8, Brewers 5

KLSnow — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:04:47 -0000

More photos » by Jeffrey Phelps - AP

Dave Bush has great new facial hair, but wore out today in the fifth inning.

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W: Justin Lehr (3-1)
L: Dave Bush (3-5)
S: Francisco Cordero (28)

HR: Prince Fielder (35), Mike Cameron (19), Joey Votto (20)

MVP: Prince Fielder (+.178)
LVP: Mark DiFelice (-.410)

Win Expectancy Graph
SBNation Coverage

Just when you thought the Brewers had found rock bottom, they went ahead and got swept at home by the Reds.

Things started off pretty well for the Brewers today against Justin Lehr, as they scored four runs in the first inning on Prince Fielder's 35th home run and Mike Cameron's RBI double. Dave Bush no-hit the Reds into the fourth inning, then all of a sudden the wheels came off.

Six straight Reds reached base off of Bush and Mark DiFelice in the fifth inning as the Reds scored six times to take the lead. Justin Lehr, who was nearly bounced from the game in the first inning, held the Brewers scoreless until the eighth inning, when Mike Cameron hit a solo home run.

All told, Bush allowed five earned runs on four hits and three walks in 4.2 innings, picking up his fifth loss.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:00:55 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Mike Cameron dives into third for a triple during the 12th inning Tuesday.

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Some things to read while not sleeping.

After staying up to catch the end of last night's game, I didn't get much sleep and for some reason all I can think of is breakfast. At least one Brewer blogger isn't having this problem, as Miller Park Drunk left the game early.

Felipe Lopez also left early last night, but the news might not be as bad as you'd think. Initial reports were that Lopez had aggravated a hamstring injury, but Adam McCalvy says he actually injured the arch of his foot rounding third base in the ninth inning last night. Lopez was checked out by a doctor but declined an X-ray and is expected to be reevaluated today.

One would think Lopez would want to do everything he can to get back in the lineup for the next couple of days: The Reds have announced Kip Wells as tonight's starter, and will start former Brewer Justin Lehr tomorrow. Lehr has made five starts for the Reds this season, his first major league appearances since posting an 8.62 ERA for the Brewers in 2006.

With last night's loss, the Brewers dropped to eleven games back of the Cardinals, their largest deficit of the season. Doug Melvin says he's not inclined to trade veterans at this point, but Ken Rosenthal is reporting that six Brewers were placed on trade waivers yesterday, including Felipe Lopez, Braden Looper and Mike Cameron.

What should the Brewers do with Prince Fielder? Dave Cameron of FanGraphs thinks the Brewers should trade him this offseason before he gets too expensive and patch some of the other holes in the roster. Meanwhile, David Pinto of Baseball Musings thinks the Brewers should offer Prince $20 million per season to buy out some of his free agent years. Either way, it's a tough spot for the Brewers: Fielder's incredible season means he could be worth significantly more than they can afford when he's eligible for arbitration again after next season, but it also makes him very difficult to trade, as few teams have and are willing to part with pieces that be worth fair market value for one of the NL's most productive hitters.

Jody Gerut went 0-for-1 last night, but is still hitting .345/.406/.552 since July 26, raising his season OPS by 51 points. Tony Gwynn, for whatever it's worth, is hitting .225/.317/.270 over the same time frame. Casa de Machado is willing to admit that Gerut might not be "complete trash."

Before the season it was almost an afterthought, but re-signing Craig Counsell might be one of the best moves Doug Melvin made this offseason. Sky Andrecheck of Baseball Analysts included Counsell as Best Team a Reasonable Amount of Money Can Buy.

Amidst everything else that's been going on the last few weeks, we haven't talked much about Corey Hart or Seth McClung, who are both getting closer to healthy. Hart hopes to head out on a rehab assignment next week, but the Brewers are taking things a little slower with Seth McClung's elbow. McClung has already had Tommy John surgery once.

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this one: Jason Kendall has a six game hitting streak going, is hitting .340/.415/.457 since August 4 and is among the leaders in Plunk Everyone's new BACON and Beans statistic.

In the minors:

Mike Jones had one of the biggest nights of his career last night, rebounding from a rough debut by allowing just one earned run in 7.2 innings in Nashville's 4-1 win over Albuquerque. Jones allowed four hits and three walks while striking out seven, and threw 108 pitches while earning his first AAA victory.
The Brewers have added two outfielders to the roster in AAA, signing Tike Redman and Jon Knott.
Hernan Iribarren will join them in AAA sometime in the next few days. He was optioned to make room for Jeff Suppan.

If you've got nothing else going on this afternoon and want to spend more time discussing Brewer minor leaguers, then you might be interested in The Official Site's chat with Amateur Scouting Director Bruce Seid at 1 pm. I have a date with some yard work, so I'll be unable to attend.

Here's an interesting note from Lookout Landing: Carlos Villanueva and Mark DiFelice are among the unluckiest pitchers in baseball when it comes to getting strikes called on pitches in the zone, and the Brewers are the unluckiest team in baseball in the same category.

Following last night's loss, CoolStandings dropped the Brewers' playoff chances to .6%.

I usually do my best to avoid the restrooms at Miller Park, but if you must use them, Casa de Machado has a guide to etiquette that you should read first.

Around baseball:

Giants: Placed Freddy Sanchez on the DL with a shoulder strain.
Nationals: Signed Livan Hernandez and will start him today.
Rangers: Placed Andruw Jones on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Red Sox: Acquired Billy Wagner from the Mets for two PTBNL, one of which is rumored to be AAA slugger Chris Carter.
Reds: Signed Lew Ford to a minor league deal.
Rockies: Placed Dexter Fowler on the DL with swelling in his knee.

How much of being a good manager is simply perception? Rays manager Joe Maddon said this on Twitter yesterday:

On the road Ive asked guys 2 think about doing better by talking about playing better Has 2 begin w/ mental effort b4 it shows up physically

If Ned Yost had said something like that, we might have mocked it mercilessly. But when Joe Maddon said it, it somehow seems less nonsensical.

The Brewers officially named eight players to the Arizona Fall League yesterday, with Mark Rogers, Omar Aguilar, Zach Braddock, Josh Butler, Rob Wooten, Jonathan Lucroy, Taylor Green and Lorenzo Cain getting the call (FanShot). This year's AFL will have some significant star power as Stephen Strasburg will make his professional debut in the league, and will be joined by Mariners #1 pick Dustin Ackley, Giants pitcher Joe Martinez and catcher Buster Posey, Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata and Reds infielder Yonder Alonso, among others.

It's been at least a few days since the last time I had to mention an umpiring incident, but there's another one to report today: Several Rockies players complained that umpire Bill Miller called catcher Yorvit Torrealba a derogatory name in the late innings of a game Monday.

Ever wonder what it's like inside Bud Selig's office? Hal McCoy spent half an hour there yesterday and details much of the furniture, including a couch made entirely of baseball bats. (h/t Dear Ken Macha)

Do you enjoy Chuck Norris Facts? If so, you might be incredibly disappointed by these Ed Sprague Factoids, but you might enjoy these Rollie Fingers pictures.

On this day in 1987, Paul Molitor's 39-game hit streak came to an end as he was standing on deck when Rick Manning hit a walk-off single to beat the Indians 1-0 in ten innings. On this day in 1998, Phil Garner became the first Brewer manager to record 500 wins as the Brewers beat the Rockies 6-5.

Happy birthday today to Ricky Bottalico, who made 40 appearances as a Brewer in his final major league season in 2005, and turns 40 today. Alex Sanchez, first ballot "Don't Be That Guy" Hall of Famer, also turns 33.

Oh, and if you're a pro wrestling fan looking for a place to keep up to date on the latest news and rumors, SBNation has a blog for you.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:31:45 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

Manny Parra delivers a meatball to the Nationals Sunday.

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Some things to read while streamlining tech support.

There was a brief period of time this weekend where it looked like I'd be writing about a three game winning streak this morning and wondering if the Brewers could get back to .500 later today. Then, Bad Manny showed up and ruined all of that. 63% of the voters in the poll at that link think Parra will never be a productive major league pitcher. I went the other way, because Parra is still pretty young and could put it together, but it seems clear he's unlikely to develop consistency anytime soon.

The Brewers still have a pretty good chance to earn a series victory in Washington, as Yovani Gallardo takes the mound today. He needs 29 more strikeouts this season to become just the fourth Brewer ever to reach 200. He also needs two more wins to become just the third Brewer since the 2000 season to win 13 games.

If you missed it yesterday, and the site stats would suggest you did, TheJay and I both had notes on Prince Fielder: I took a look at the historical significance of Fielder's walks and TheJay speculated on Fielder's potential performance in the Midwest League. Of course after we spent half the day talking about him he went 0-for-4, just the second time in his last 14 games where he's failed to earn his way on base.

The Brewers open a three game series with the Reds tomorrow, and both teams will enter play with their rotation in a state of upheaval. For the Brewers, Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush will start on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, making their returns from the DL. The Reds, meanwhile, have yet to name a starter for Wednesday, but it won't be Aaron Harang, who underwent an emergency appendectomy over the weekend and could miss the rest of the season. Kip Wells is the likely candidate to replace him.

A quick side note: Is there such a thing as a non-emergency appendectomy? Why would a surgeon remove your appendix if it wasn't an urgent situation?

Roguejim has a look at the latest Elias rankings, with the Brewers still projected to have one Type A free agent and four Type B's. Felipe Lopez's recent play, though, has pushed him up to the edge of Type A status.

In the minors:

The Timber Rattlers drew 5459 fans to yesterday's game and set a new franchise record for single season attendance. With Brett Lawrie bobblehead day still remaining on their schedule, the Rattlers could surpass 250,000 fans this season.
The Rattlers also have (or, in the case of Brett Lawrie, had) two of the 50 youngest players in Low A ball, according to Project Prospect. Efrain Nieves is the other one.
What the Timber Rattlers don't have, though, is one of the Best Team Names in the Minors, at least according to Wezen-ball. The Brevard County Manatees do, though.

With back to back wins on Friday and Saturday, CoolStandings had upgraded the Brewer playoff chances to 1.8%, but they fell back to .7% with the loss yesterday. If that stat wasn't enough for you, Tyler Maas has ~~ten~~ nine signs your team is falling out of playoff contention.

Around baseball:

Astros: Signed Armando Benitez to a minor league deal.
Cardinals: Placed Kyle Lohse on the DL with a strained groin.
Mariners: Released reliever Luis Pena.
Marlins: Placed Brendan Donnelly on the DL with a calf strain.
Mets: Designated infielder Andy Green for assignment.
Phillies: Placed third baseman Greg Dobbs on the DL with a strained calf.
Red Sox: Designated reliever Fernando Cabrera for assignment.
Rockies: Placed Aaron Cook on the DL with shoulder soreness and signed Russ Ortiz and Jason Giambi.

Albert Pujols is batting just .279 since the All Star Game, and (gasp!) his OPS over that time is under 1.000. Clearly, without question, we should abolish the Home Run Derby.

If you're looking to read some in-depth analysis to get your brain working on Monday morning, then reading the Mug was clearly the wrong decision. Instead, you should check out Baseball Analysts' look at batters' decisions to swing at 3-2 pitches, and the possibility they're doing it too often.

On this day in 1993, Kevin Reimer went 6-for-6 as the Brewers beat the A's 7-6 in 13 innings. Reimer also drew an intentional walk to reach base a seventh time.

Happy birthday today to Everett Stull, who appeared in 22 games as a Brewer in 2000 and 2002 and turns 38 today. Happy belated birthdays to Mark DiFelice (33) and Zach Braddock (22), who celebrated their birthdays yesterday.

Oh, and long before he threw the banana, Orlando Hernandez had everyone doing The El Duque.

Drink up.