SB Nation - Jesus Colome

Felipe Paulino, what will become of you?

HighLeveragePerformer — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:32 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Uncle Drayton needs some money. Well, he sort of needs some money. Ok, fine: he needs money like Michael Bourn needs to work on his baserunning. That being said, why isn't he going to spend some of that cash on improving our Astros? To Dickie J, it all boils down to:

Drayton understands that businesses must operate within their means. If one of his businesses starts operating at a loss, it could begin a downhill slide.

You know who also thinks along those same lines? Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Not that I can speak for billionaires, but I guess I really don't understand why someone would own a team in order to make money. Yes, one can never have enough of the green stuff...but aren't there other more profitable ventures a man (or woman) of means can engage in to increase their bank accounts? Sitting in a half empty MMP on the day after the Home Opener most likely won't please our owner. So maybe those extra millions will be of some consolation.

Sidenote: I think I'm going to refer to Drayton McLane as simply, "Dray" from now on. Sounds better, it's shorter, and it makes me chuckle a little when I think of calling him that.

Miggy Tejada is awesome. Not so much at baseball anymore, but at motivating. The latest recipient of his positive outlook on life is one Felipe Paulino:

"He showed today how good he can be in the future for this team," Tejada said of Paulino. "I think he's going to be learning how to pitch. By the power that he has in his arm, I think he just needs to learn how to pitch and learn how to pitch in the big leagues. I think that kid is going to be like (Justin) Verlander or (Zach) Greinke later on his career because he throws. He just needs to learn how make the location like the way he did today."

I'd settle for him being Brad Penny circa 2004, but Verlander or Greinke wouldn't be bad I guess. In all seriousness though, what should we make of Felipe Paulino? Fangraphs had an idea last week, which was fairly praiseworthy of the young right hander. Anderson seems to wonder if the Astros are going to give Felipe the opportunity to continue to grow into the starter's role in 2010, or would they relegate him to the bullpen where his power stuff may be better suited. With Wes Wright slated to compete for a starting slot next season, I wouldn't worry about Paulino not being given a chance to continue honing his craft.

The most comparable player to Felipe Paulino, says Baseball Prospectus, is Jesus Colome in his 2003 season. It's a not a pretty comparison for Astros fans, but hopefully Felipe can muster stronger seasons in his mid to late 20s than did Colome.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:05:23 -0000

by Morry Gash - AP

Despite his struggles last night, Trevor Hoffman has still been great as a Brewer this season.

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Some things to read while searching for respect.

Sorry this morning's Mug is a little late: I was at last night's game and got home shortly after 1:30, so my normal 6:15 alarm was out of the question. The Mug will be back at its regular time tomorrow.

It's possible I just have terrible luck. Including yesterday's game, I've attended three this season, and now I've seen Corey Patterson start in center field and lead off twice. Joe Posnanski wonders if batting Patterson leadoff on back-to-back days is a felony. Walkoff Walk has a shirt we may all need to own. Patterson went 0-for-3 with three swinging strikeouts, and still has yet to hit the ball out of the infield as a Brewer. By the way, the Brewers are now 0-3 in games I've attended this season.

Last night's game wasn't big on results but it was high in excitement. Manny Parra left the game after just one inning with neck spasms, and the Brewers ended up tying a franchise record by using eight pitchers in a nine-inning game. Carlos Villanueva pitched three brilliant innings in relief, prompting Casa de Machado to wonder if the Brewers were better off without Manny. It was also the first time I'd seen Trevor Hoffman pitch in person, and no matter what Joe Posnanski says, that's cooler than seeing REO Speedwagon at the State Fair.

With that said, it ended up being just another loss for the Brewers, who now need to win their last 24 games to match last season's 90-72 mark.

Corey Hart was activated from the DL yesterday (and added to the roster along with Mat Gamel), but was unable to start due to "heavy legs" after playing the full game in New Orleans the night before. Hart will likely start today, freeing up Jody Gerut to take over in center. I'm not sure what I'll do if Corey Patterson gets a third consecutive start.

As I mentioned above, Mat Gamel was recalled yesterday, but don't expect to see much of him in the remaining weeks. Casey McGehee will see most of the time at third down the stretch, and while he's probably earned that right, it'd be nice for the Brewers to get Gamel some ABs in an effort to evaluate his ability to contribute next season.

It appears the Brewers won't call up a third catcher after all. Adam McCalvy says the Brewers never had plans to call up Angel Salome, and doesn't feel like he's part of the plans for 2010, either. Every day I feel like we get a little closer to another 120+ starts and sub-.300 slugging percentage for Jason Kendall.

Michael Hunt talked to Doug Melvin, who says he's going to be more aggressive in his pursuit of pitching this offseason. Normally that's the type of information Melvin would keep close to the vest, so I wonder if he's starting to feel internal or external pressure.

Did the Brewers make a mistake by releasing Jesus Colome earlier this week? Zach Sanders of Baseball Digest Daily thinks someone will be happy they gave him a shot in 2010.

Mike Cameron still isn't expected back until Friday at the earliest, but he'll have some work to do when he gets back: Baseball Reference's leaderboards have him 20 behind Jim Thome for most strikeouts this decade. Jason Kendall has a 17 plunk lead on Jason Giambi for most '00 HBPs.

In the minors:

Brevard County finished the season with the fifth best record in all of minor league baseball, but also canceled 13 games this season due to rainouts or wet grounds. With that said, they're down 1-0 in the first round of the FSL playoffs and face an elimination game tonight. Wisconsin finished 58-81, winning just one of their last ten games to finish tied for the ninth worst minor league record.
Josh Butler is the prospect of the week over at Between the Green Pillars.

Around baseball:

Nationals: Designated reliever Jorge Sosa for assignment.
Tigers: Closer Fernando Rodney has been suspended for three games for firing a baseball into the press box over the weekend.

Dusty Baker gets a lot of blame for destroying the careers of young pitchers, but does Nationals interim manager Jim Riggleman deserve it too? Fire Jim Bowden has a look at Riggleman's history with Geremi Gonzalez and Kerry Wood, and more recent statements and actions with Jordan Zimmermann and Craig Stammen.

This is the kind of buy-low opportunity the Brewers should be all over, if it becomes available: DRaysBay thinks the Rays might non-tender catcher Dioner Navarro this offseason. Navarro is having a terrible year at the plate in 2009, but was an All Star in 2008 and is still young enough to bounce back.

As if the Blue Jays didn't have enough problems with baseball's toughest division, financial issues and inept management, new aviation rules have left them seeking alternatives to their charter plane service, and forced them to find alternative transportation to a recent series in Detroit.

On this date in 1992, Robin Yount went 1-for-5 with a single, the 3000th hit of his major league career. On this date in 2007, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun went back-to-back-to-back to start the game against the Reds, and the Brewers won 10-5.

Happy birthday today to Todd Coffey, who turns 29, and happy belated birthday to Logan Schafer, who won the Florida State League batting title this season and turned 23 yesterday.

Drink up.

Tuesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:44:03 -0000

by Morry Gash - AP

Yadier Molina is hit by a pitch during the second inning Monday, extending Bush's lead on the franchise HBP list and moving him back into first place in the NL in 2009.

View full size photo »

Some things to read while being resourceful.

So, I took the day off yesterday to catch a game in Milwaukee, only my second of the season, but arrived to find a starting outfield of Frank Catalanotto, Corey Patterson and Jody Gerut, with Patterson, who has no business being on a major league roster, leading off. Rotoworld cited Patterson's presence in the leadoff spot as a suggestion that Ken Macha "either has no idea how runs are scored or he simply doesn't care any longer." Patterson went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and a GIDP in the ninth. Miller Park Drunk has ten links that should tell you everything you need to know about him.

At one point in the early innings, I turned to TheJay and said, "If ever there was a lineup begging to be no hit, it's this one." I think yesterday's lineup is right up there with the one Justin Verlander no-hit in 2007. Thankfully Jody Gerut was able to drop a double into left field. Brewer Paradise Lost thinks the Brewers should save a few million by allowing him to replace Mike Cameron in center field next season.

Of course, Carpenter hasn't needed much help to dominate the Brewers this season. As a team, the Crew has hit .173 against him and scored three runs in 23 innings.

At least Dave Bush pitched pretty well. He also hit Yadier Molina with a pitch, regaining a tie for the NL HBP lead.

Ryan Braun got a day off yesterday, but their appears to be a difference of opinion on the need and/or reason for it. Either way, expect Braun to start tonight against John Smoltz.

Fans in attendance tonight should also expect to see Corey Hart, who will be activated from the DL sometime today. After being held hitless in his first couple of days with Nashville, Hart collected five hits in the last two days, including a home run.

They should not expect to see Mike Cameron, however. Cameron strained his hamstring during a pinch hit appearance on Saturday and is expected to be out until Friday at the earliest.

Of course, the Brewers' reaction to Prince Fielder's walkoff home run on Sunday continues to pour in. If you haven't seen it yet (really?), here's a link to the video. I've added a new poll to the sidebar asking for your opinion, but here are some others:

D.J. Short of Circling the Bases says "don't be surprised to see Fielder catch one in the back or worse when he faces them next season."
Rob Neyer thought it was clever.
The Intricate Mess says "The Milwaukee Brewers might just be the coolest, hippest baseball team in the majors."
David Weathers said the Brewers were just trying to have some fun.
Giants bench coach Ron Wotus played the "disrespect" card.
Angels outfielder Torii Hunter spoke out against it, though why any of it is his business is unknown.
Giants beat reporter Andrew Baggarly has reactions from several people in the Giants' clubhouse.
MLB Notebook had no problem with it.

Meanwhile, there's a debate going on about Fielder's "clutchiness." In a note on the walkoff, David Pinto of Baseball Musings mentioned that Fielder doesn't hit many home runs late in games. Cyril Morong responded by crunching the numbers to show that Fielder's home run rate in the late innings is about on pace with the rest of baseball.

All the hubbub over the celebration overshadowed the Brewers' first triple play since 1999, and a great effort from both Braden Looper (who allowed one run over seven innings) and the bullpen (five pitchers each threw one scoreless inning to take the game to the 12th). One would think Looper would have plenty to tweet about, but his Twitter page has been inactive since his first Tweet on August 6.

For the last couple of days, the Brewer pitchers have finally held up their end of the 2009 bargain. UmpBump has the Brewers' WAR Pie from 2009, and it's pretty light on pitching contributions. Adam McCalvy wonders how much the Brewers miss former pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Meanwhile, the Brewers have added another reliever to the bullpen, calling up John Axford from AAA (FanShot) and releasing Jesus Colome to make room for him on the 40 man roster (FanShot). Aside from getting hurt, I'm not sure what Colome did to merit his release. David Pinto says they're tempting eternal damnation.

For the next few days, the Brewers will only go as far as the bottom half of their rotation can carry them. Yovani Gallardo is going to skip a start in an effort to keep his innings down this season. Thursday's day off means the Brewers can use a four man rotation for two turns and bring Gallardo back on his regular day against the Cubs next week.

Alcides Escobar was one of many Brewers to have a rough day yesterday, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Has your opinion on his 2010 outlook changed at all? Brewers Daily doesn't think he's the right choice for this team.

Again, there's no excuse for cheering against the Brewers at this point, but there is an upside when they lose: Andy Seiler's updated draft projections have the Brewers picking 13th.

In the minors:

John Sickels of Minor League Ball has a review of his top 20 preseason prospects in the Brewer organization.
FanGraphs has a preview of the AFL Peoria Javelinas, including Brewers Zach Braddock and Jonathan Lucroy. Also worth noting: AFL players will be required to wear the S100 helmets.
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers closed out their season with a loss in Beloit yesterday, but several players are headed to instructional league.
The Appleton Post-Crescent has a look back at the Timber Rattlers' first season as a Brewer affiliate, which was successful pretty much everywhere except on the field.

On Power Rankings:

WhatifSports dropped the Brewers two spots to #18.
Baseball Digest Daily's ASTRO Rankings also dropped them two spots to #19.

Around baseball:

Cubs: Claimed pitcher Thomas Diamond off waivers from the Rangers.
Rockies: Released Russ Ortiz.
Yankees: Released catcher Kevin Cash.

Things could always be worse. Remember when the Brewers used to be consistently mentioned in the same breath as the Pirates? They clinched their 17th straight losing season yesterday.

I complained a lot about yesterday's lineup, and continue to do it today, but at one point BrewHaHeather turned to me and made an excellent point: "Would you really rather have Bill Hall in there?" Hall has looked a little better at times as a Mariner, but is still one of just five players in baseball this season with at least 200 at bats and more strikeouts than total bases.

Former Brewer farmhand Michael Brantley is having a pretty good September, and has hit safely in each of his first six games. The all time record for hitting streaks to start a career belongs to Juan Pierre, who hit in 16 straight in August of 2000. A hit in his next game would tie Trent Durrington and dozens of others for the 34th longest streak in major league history.

One more "could be worse" note: Aramark, the food services company that has found itself in hot water multiple times over labor issues, is also bad luck for several teams who use them. The Brewers do not.

On this day in 1999, three Brewer pitchers appeared in the game (Hideo Nomo, Mike Myers and David Weathers), and each allowed a home run to Steve Finley as the D-Backs beat the Brewers 9-1.

Happy birthday today to Mike Rivera, who turns 33. Hopefully he'll get the start tonight.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:39:22 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Ryan Braun, Jody Gerut and Frank Catalanotto celebrate after completing a sweep of the Pirates Sunday.

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Some things to read while waiting for a bartender.

The Brewers have a day off today to prepare for what might be their last opportunity to prove themselves relevant in the NL Central in 2009: A nine game stretch against the Cardinals, Giants and Cardinals again. Ken Macha says the Brewers have to be realistic about their position in the standings (which is why he's passing on the opportunity to skip a spot in the rotation this week), but also acknowledges that things could change if the Brewers can get hot this week and next. The Brewers are 23-24 this season against teams they'll see in September.

With roster expansion on the horizon, J.J. Hardy is expected to rejoin the team tomorrow, and we'll see if the issue with him blows over or boils over. Mike Seal, Hardy's agent, obviously appears to disagree with the decision to demote Hardy, but also called it "a shrewd move" by the Crew to send Hardy down and delay his free agency. J.J. Hardy's Nashville bio picture says a lot about his thoughts on the situation.

As you may have noticed, Hardy is swinging and missing a lot this season. In fact, he's also consistently failing to make weak contact: Plunk Everyone noticed that Hardy has the eighth lowest foul ball percentage in baseball. Jody Gerut, by the way, was tenth.

The Brewers are only expected to call a handful of players up from AAA, and they're expected to stagger the callups over the next few days. With that said, the Brewers also have three players getting ready to return from injury, as Corey Hart is getting ready to go out on a rehab assignment and Seth McClung and Jesus Colome both threw off a mound this weekend. If the Brewers call up six players from the minors and these three all return, they'll have 34 players on the active roster.

The Cardinals have opened up a ten game lead on the Cubs, and it's hard to imagine a scenario where they don't win the NL Central at this point. Murray Chass has a look at what happened to what was one of baseball's closest divisions a few months ago.

This race might be closer: With one month left to play, the Brewers rank 24th in wins in the 2000's. They're four games behind the Reds for 23rd, and 13 games ahead of the 25th place Tigers.

As hopes of contending in 2009 drift away, Doug Melvin is continuing to take a fair amount of heat for not assembling his roster differently, fair or unfair. Melvin responded to critics over the weekend, asking what they would have done differently. He's right, to a point: There weren't really any quick fixes available to the Brewers this offseason that would have dramatically improved this team. With that said, as many commenters have previously noted, Melvin was also responsible for the drafting and developmental strategies that left the Brewers with this hole in the first place.

Felipe Lopez had a rough weekend at the plate (2-for-17) but is continuing to try to play through a sore tendon in his foot. The most recent Elias rankings are out, and they have Lopez as a Type A free agent for the first time. If Lopez continues to struggle and the Brewers aren't careful with him, they could cost themselves a compensation pick next year by allowing him to play his way back down to Type B status.

The Brewers got a pretty good outing out of Jeff Suppan yesterday, as he gave up just one earned run in six innings and lowered his 2009 ERA to 5.20. In a world where we make near daily jokes about Sidney Ponson and Livan Hernandez, mgl wonders if Jeff Suppan is the worst veteran pitcher you never hear about. Meanwhile, Rob Iracane of Walkoff Walk says the Pirates, who couldn't beat Jeff Suppan, Manny Parra or Braden Looper over the weekend, will win the NL Central in 2011.

How much impact will Chris Bosio have on the Brewer pitching staff? Casa de Machado was at Thursday's game and saw Bosio doing some things with pitchers he never saw Billy Castro doing. The results haven't necessarily shown up yet, but that doesn't mean they won't.

Coaches are also working with Manny Parra to develop a cut fastball. As TheJay noted in this Fanshot, that's a bit of a philosophical switch from the past coaching direction.

In the minors:

Chris Capuano is taking one small step back up the ladder to the major leagues. Now that the season has concluded for the Arizona League Brewers, Capuano is moving up to Helena to get a few more innings in before the minor league season concludes.
Several Brewer farmhands are getting ready for the Arizona Fall League. Prospects Paradise has an AFL preview, and lists Zach Braddock, Lorenzo Cain and Jonathan Lucroy among the top prospects on the Peoria Javelinas.

I mentioned The Book Blog's Fan Scouting Report once before as an opportunity for you to weigh in on the defensive abilities of individual Brewers. I'll mention it again, because so far only 35 Brewer fans have added their opinions. Take a moment to do so today, if you're so inclined.

On Power Rankings, playoff odds and miscellany:

Baseball Digest Daily ranked the Brewers #17 in their ASTRO Rankings.
CoolStandings has the Brewers' playoff chances holding steady at .3%.
Justin Inaz of Beyond the Box Score ranked Jason Kendall as the 22nd best catcher of all time.

Last week I mentioned Trent Durrington's 34th birthday, but forgot to acknowledge that he was the last Brewer position player to pitch in a game, back in 2004. Recondite Baseball has updated the full list of the last position players to pitch for each team.

Around Baseball:

Angels: Acquired Scott Kazmir from the Rays for two minor leaguers and a PTBNL that could be Brandon Wood.
Astros: Placed reliever Alberto Arias on the DL with a hamstring strain.
Dodgers: Acquired Ronnie Belliard from the Nationals for a minor league reliever.
Indians: Acquired minor league pitcher Johan Pino as the PTBNL in the trade that sent Carl Pavano to the Twins.
Mariners: Placed Russell Branyan on the DL with a herniated disc.
Pirates: Signed Jorge Julio to a minor league deal.
Rangers: Signed Ryan Freel to a minor league deal.
Red Sox: Acquired Joey Gathright from the Orioles for a PTBNL or cash.
Twins: Claimed Ron Mahay off waivers from the Royals, acquired Jon Rauch from the D-Backs for a PTBNL and designated R.A. Dickey for assignment.

Today, they're reserved for making up rainouts, but at one point doubleheaders were a key part of the baseball schedule. Seamheads has a look back at September 7, 1903, when all 16 major league teams were scheduled to play two.

If you watched the Cubs play over the weekend, you might have seen Ryan Dempster trying on the new helmet MLB is promoting to help decrease head injuries suffered via HBP. Player reviews of the new helmets have been almost universally negative, but baseball is going to require all minor leaguers to wear them next season.

The Brewers had pretty good luck convincing draft picks to sign this season, including one player, fifth rounder D'Vontrey Richardson, who had to be convinced to give up football at Florida State. Jonathan Mayo has a look at the decision two sport athletes face.

Ever wonder what broadcasters do to prepare for games? Alyson Footer has the details and pictures.

Before you go any farther, take a moment today to be happy for what you have and to remember how quickly it can all go away: Jonah Keri has the story of a rollover car accident he somehow survived over the weekend. Keri is due to become the father of twins sometime in the coming weeks.

Apparently it's been a good week for harrowing experiences: Hal McCoy has the story of Aaron Harang and a Reds' equipment manager's drive from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati prior to Harang's appendectomy.

Hall of Very Good recently interviewed Jeff Cirillo, who spent many years as a Brewer position player and one day as an opposing pitcher. It's a good read.

Speaking of Jeffs, if you need a Jeff Sackmann fix, he's got three posts up on his personal blog previewing the US Open, which begins today.

On this day in 1996 the Brewers made a pretty good trade, sending Kevin Seitzer to the Indians for Jeromy Burnitz, who hit 165 home runs over six season as a Brewer. On this day in 2002, though, they made a pretty bad trade, sending Mark Loretta (who would go one to become a two time All Star) to the Astros for Wayne Franklin and Keith Ginter.

Happy birthday today to former Brewers Gabe Kapler (34), Hideo Nomo (41) and Tom Candiotti (52).

Oh, and with summer coming to a close, you're running out of opportunities to use your car as a dehyrdrator.

Drink up.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:58:38 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Alcides Escobar talks with Willie Randolph during the first inning Wednesday.

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Some things to read while searching for a signature sign-off.

So, yesterday morning I skipped out early for an appointment, got back home, ate some breakfast, mowed the lawn, then sat down at my coffee table to check the comments on the Mug and discovered what might have been the biggest news day of the season, as the Brewers demoted J.J. Hardy to AAA, promoted Alcides Escobar, fired Billy Castro, designated Bill Hall for assignment and called up Jason Bourgeois. Adam McCalvy has reactions from the clubhouse, and here are several more reactions from around the web:

J.J. Hardy has until Friday to join the Sounds, and says he's looking forward to a few days off.
Brewed Sports was not pleased with that response.
Brewer Paradise Lost is one of many who suspects this move might have been made to prevent Hardy from becoming a free agent following the 2010 season. Hardy would have to remain in the minors past September 1 for the demotion to count against his service time, and it seems unlikely the Brewers will leave him there once rosters expand.
R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs isn't sure the Escobar-for-Hardy swap helps the Brewers this season, or helps Hardy's trade value down the road.
Meanwhile, Cash Kruth caught up with Bill Hall, who seemed upbeat about his situation and expects to be on a team again soon. With that said, this is the same guy who still thought he was the best third baseman in baseball a few weeks ago.
Ken Rosenthal is reporting that at least one NL team is interested in trading for Hall.
Cincinnati Reds Blog sees the Hall situation as "a big opportunity for the Reds to pick up a talented player."
Billy Castro, who had been with the Brewers as a coach for nearly 18 years, left with no regrets. He may not get another chance to be a pitching coach, but it sounds like he'll always have a spot in the Brewer organization, if he wants it.
A Girl's View of the Brewers wonders if these moves will be enough to get the Brewers back on track.
Big League Stew accused the Brewers of waving the white flag on the 2009 season.
PocketDoppler says the Brewers are pushing the panic button.
Aaron Gleeman of Circling the Bases says the move likely came too late for the Brewers' playoff hopes.
Keep Turning Up the Heat says "these are some dark times in the Brewers organization," and doesn't agree with the decision to call up Escobar or fire Castro.
Quevedo at the Buffet doesn't get the timing or the logic behind the moves.
The Bucky Channel wonders why Alcides Escobar was only used sparingly and Jason Bourgeois wasn't used at all last night.

Meanwhile, the Brewers did actually play a game last night, and lost their second straight to the Padres, dropping their playoff chances to 2.9%, the first time all season they've fallen below 3%.

Things could get worse today, as they play a day game against the Padres, who are sending Cesar Carrillo to the mound to make his major league debut today. The Brewers are 0-4 this season in games where the opposing pitcher is making his debut. And, of course, they haven't been good in day games either, or in games played in June, July or August.

Doug Melvin may not be done dealing. The Brewers claimed Doug Davis off waivers from the D-Backs (h/t FanShot), giving the two teams 48 hours to work out a deal to bring him back to Milwaukee. Davis says it would be fun to return to Milwaukee, but Tom H. says it's unlikely to happen.

A bunch of news got lost in the shuffle with everything else that happened yesterday. Here are the important notes that got buried in today's game preview:

Both Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan are expected back before September 1.
Jesus Colome was available to pitch last night despite his bruised pinky finger.
Nick Green cleared waivers after being DFA'd and will remain in Huntsville.

One other minor league note to pass along today: Matt Hagen of The Hardball Times nominated Jeremy Jeffress for most disappointing minor leaguer in 2009.

On power rankings:

The Brewers jumped from 23rd to 20th in WhatifSports' rankings.
MLB FanHouse has the Brewers holding steady at 19.

Around baseball:

Angels: Released reliever Justin Speier.
Cardinals: Placed Todd Wellemeyer on the DL with elbow inflammation.
D-Backs: Placed Scott Schoeneweis on the DL with depression and released Tom Gordon.
Giants: Placed Rich Aurilia on the DL with ankle tendinitis.
Indians: Claimed R.J. Swindle off waivers from the Rays.
Mariners: Erik Bedard is expected to undergo shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the season.
Marlins: Signed Esteban Yan to a minor league deal.
Pirates: Placed reliever Evan Meek on the DL with an oblique strain and claimed reliever John Meloan off waivers from the Rays.
Reds: Placed Scott Rolen on the DL with a concussion.
Royals: Acquired pitcher John Bannister from the Rangers.
Twins: Placed Glen Perkins on the DL with shoulder trouble and released Mark Grudzielanek.

By shuffling the deck in the bullpen a little bit this offseason the Brewers created some new problems, but at least they're done with this one: Reflections of Blue has had it with Guillermo Mota, who posted a 0.26 ERA over one 35.1 inning stretch and a 10.32 ERA since.

Here's something to ponder for all of you who want to make the case that J.J. Hardy should be moved to second or third base, Rickie Weeks should be moved to center field and Mat Gamel should play first base or right field: Will Carroll says a player playing out of position has a 30 percent greater chance of getting injured, based on unfamiliarity with the position.

Brian Anderson wants your help to raise money for the I Back Jack Foundation. Follow the link for more info on how you can help Jack Bartosz, a young man fighting neuroblastoma.

Speaking of causes that could use your money, UW-La Crosse, alma mater of former Brewers Jerry Augustine and Vinny Rottino, has raised enough money to keep the program alive for one more season, but is still on the chopping block.

On this day in 1987, Paul Molitor homered in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 28 games, but the Brewers still lost to the Orioles, 5-4.

Happy birthday today to Corey Patterson, who turns 30, and former Milwaukee Brave Tony Cloninger, who turns 69.

Drink up.

Wednesday's Quick Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:33:20 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Dana DeMuth listens to Ken Macha as he wonders aloud if this is the low point in the Brewer season.

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Morning everyone,

I have a doctor's appointment in a bit, so instead of making you wait all morning for a Mug I don't really have time to write, I've got a quick Mug today. I promise a full return tomorrow.

Yesterday's loss dropped the Brewer playoff chances to 3.9%.
Tom H. called the game a low point. Every day seems like a new low point lately.
Jesus Colome left the game after taking a liner off his hand, but it's just a bruised pinky.
Sheffield's House did not enjoy Bill Hall's performance.
Felipe Lopez drew some attention by failing to get to a couple of ground balls, but doesn't appear to be injured.
Brewer Paradise Lost gives us reasons to expect David Weathers' ERA to rise.
Nick Green was DFA'd to make room on the roster for him.
Doug Melvin says J.J. Hardy was never placed on waivers, so forget those rumors.
The Brewers signed 15th round pick Del Howell. There's only about a week left to sign picks.
Angel Salome is hitting .306 in AAA since May 1.
Jonathan Lucroy is the Prospect of the Week over at Between the Green Pillars.
The THT Dartboard has the Brewers at #17.
Inside the Majors has them at #18.
Scouting the Sports has them at #17.
Cubicle GM has them at 19.

Drink up.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:57:25 -0000

More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP

Jason Kendall, on one of the rare occasions when his "out making" was a good thing.

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Some things to read instead of hanging out with The Least Interesting Man in the World.

Coming off another series loss that dropped their playoff chances to 4.9%, the Brewers have a day off today to travel home and get ready to resume play tomorrow. When they get there, they'll be joined by new Brewer David Weathers, who was acquired from the Reds for a PTBNL yesterday. Some notes on the move:

Jesus Colome was the 20th Brewer pitcher to appear in a game over the weekend, meaning Weathers will likely be the 21st sometime this week. Before the season, 88% of readers in the Over/Under contest said the Brewers would use more than 19.5 pitchers this season. Congratulations to all of you.
Ken Macha suggested Weathers will be used as an occasional fill in for Todd Coffey in the setup man role.
Weathers and his family don't sound too excited about leaving Cincinnati.
This move could be more than a rental: Weathers has a team option for next season. Exercising that option would be a nice way to get rid of $3.7 million without clogging a toilet.

Another day, another story about Jason Kendall's ineptitude: Mike Rivera got into a game on Saturday and responded by hitting a three run double as part of a night that saw him get on base three times. The Bucky Channel makes the case once again that Kendall should be sitting and Rivera should be playing more.

With that said, Kendall was hit by two pitches yesterday, the 240th and 241st of his career. Plunk Everyone has a bunch of statistical nuggets related to that.

Entering play tomorrow, Mike Cameron has been worth 2.8 Wins Above Replacement on the season, third most on the team. Should the Brewers make an offer to bring him back for next season? The Junkball Blues makes the case for it. Baseball Digest Daily says Cameron is the third best defensive outfielder in the NL.

In the minors:

Fifth round pick D'Vontrey Richardson signed his contract Friday night and is expected to report to Arizona to spend a few weeks with the Rookie Brewers before their season concludes.
Over at The Hardball Times, Jeff continues to look at the average age of minor league teams, and finds the Huntsville Stars are one of the oldest teams in AA. The average probably falls a bit if you remove Vinny Rottino, who is a Dodger now.

Around baseball:

Astros: Placed Doug Brocail on the DL with a strained shoulder.
A's: Released Jason Giambi.
Cubs: Placed Carlos Zambrano on the DL with back spasms.
Dodgers: Placed Jason Schmidt on the DL with shoulder trouble.
Mets: Acquired outfielder Jason Dubois from the Cubs.
Phillies: Released infielder Pablo Ozuna.
Pirates: Placed reliever Donnie Veal on the DL with a sprained index finger.
Rangers: Designated Vicente Padilla for assignment.
Rays: Acquired Gregg Zaun from the Orioles for a PTBNL or cash, claimed Russ Springer off waivers from the A's, and designated Joe Dillon, R.J. Swindle, reliever Jonathan Meloan and catcher Michel Hernandez for assignment.
Red Sox: Designated reliever Enrique Gonzalez and John Smoltz for assignment and placed Jed Lowrie on the DL with forearm irritation.
Yankees: Designated Josh Towers for assignment.

Yesterday's Brewer game wasn't the only one over the weekend impacted by poor umpiring. As is becoming customary, here's your Umpiring Roundup from the weekend:

Ed Rapuano ejected Shane Victorino for complaining about a strike call in center field. (h/t Al)
Lance Barksdale ejected Padres manager Bud Black after missing a call at home plate Saturday.
Jerry Crawford ejected D-Backs manager A.J. Hinch after missing a call at first base.

This morning's Mug is probably a little late because I got hooked on this story and ended up reading the whole thing: Gary Smith of Sports Illustrated has an incredible profile of Mpho "Gift" Ngoepe, the South African shortstop in the Pirates organization, and the incredible path he's traveling in an attempt to become the first African-born major leaguer. (h/t Bucs Dugout)

The economy may suck, but if you're the official manufacturer of baseballs for MLB, you'll probably always have a job. MLB Daily Dish estimates the major leagues will go through about 220,000 balls this season.

Playing a Timber Rattlers game at Miller Park seemed to work pretty well for all involved, so maybe the Brewers should try this: The Red Sox have an annual Futures at Fenway doubleheader, featuring games with two of the team's affiliates. I'd pay to see that.

On this day in 1987, Paul Molitor went 2-for-4 with two walks, extending his hit streak to 25 games as the Brewers beat the Rangers 4-3 in 12 innings.

Happy birthday today to Chuckie Carr, a 1996 Brewer and first-ballot entry into the "Don't Be That Guy" Hall of Fame, who turns 42 today.

Oh, and please, for your sake and ours, stop dressing up your cat.

Drink up.

Astros 6, Brewers 3

KLSnow — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:45:23 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

Craig Counsell is tagged out at home plate by Ivan Rodriguez in the first inning Friday.

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W: Bud Norris (2-0)
L: Carlos Villanueva (2-9)
S: Jose Valverde (14)

HR: Jason Kendall (!!), Jason Michaels 2 (3), Miguel Tejada (10)

MVP: Jason Kendall (+.189)
LVP: Carlos Villanueva (-.202)

Win Expectancy Graph
SBNation Coverage

Yes, you read that right. Jason Kendall hit a home run tonight, prompting Tom Haudricourt to tweet this:

Jason Kendall and I are no longer tied for number of HRs. He just hit No. 1 in his 368th plate appearance.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only unlikely event tonight, as Jason Michaels, who has hit a home run roughly once every 42.3 at bats in his career, took Carlos Villanueva and Mark DiFelice deep tonight. In fact, the Astros entered tonight's game with two hitters in their lineup (Darin Erstad and Jason Michaels) batting under .200, and the Brewers gave up three extra base hits to them in the first six innings. All told, Villanueva allowed four runs on six hits and a walk in 5.1 innings of work for his ninth loss. He hasn't won since May 25, and has now lost six straight decisions.

He was followed to the mound by Mark DiFelice, who allowed one inherited runner and two others to score on Michaels' second home run. After a scoreless inning from Claudio Vargas, the crowd in Houston was treated to the Brewer debut of Jesus Colome, who allowed a leadoff single to Carlos Lee (who was promptly thrown out trying to take second), a pop up that fell into short left for Geoff Blum, then got Ivan Rodriguez to ground into a double play in his only inning of work.

The Brewers managed just three runs despite having 14 men on base including six walks, two each for Craig Counsell (who was on base three times), Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron. Frank Catalanotto went 0-for-4 and struck out three times.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:16:16 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron and Jody Gerut celebrate the Brewers' win over the Dodgers Wednesday.

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Some things to read while working on a poem.

Will Prince Fielder be suspended today? Disciplinary action for Tuesday's incident is expected to be announced today, and I've heard anything from no suspension to ten games suggested. I guess we'll find out. Meanwhile, Ken Macha was on damage control yesterday, attempting to explain to reporters some of the misconceptions involved and make sure people were aware of the root cause.

How much of the blame for overblowing this incident belongs to Anthony Witrado? Despite admitting earlier this season to being a Dodger fan and a Manny Ramirez fan, plus the fact that he wasn't actually present to witness what happened, Witrado appeared on SportsCenter yesterday and buried both Fielder and the Brewer organization. Brewers Daily, who has had some personal interaction with Witrado in the past, is calling for his firing. It's a shame that, in an era where so many hardworking and talented journalists are losing their jobs, Witrado still has one.

Are the Brewers getting ready to swap someone out in the bullpen? Buried at the bottom of Adam McCalvy's story on Carlos Villanueva was this note:

The Brewers are expected to promote newly signed reliever Jesus Colome from Triple-A Nashville as early as Friday. Colome, released by the Nationals last month and scooped up by the Brewers, pitched two more scoreless innings on Tuesday to preserve his perfect ERA. He struck out 11 batters in seven innings over his first four appearances for Nashville.

One would have to assume R.J. Swindle will be the one to depart, again. Swindle will probably be back in September, but might not get another chance to pitch significant innings this season, or as a Brewer.

Another day, another note on the ineptitude of Jason Kendall: This time it comes from The Daily Drink, where Christian Schneider argues that Kendall is no longer a major league player. As of this writing, Kendall is 2-for his last 27 (.080/.140/.080 over that span), and his OPS has dropped to .584.

Is Ryan Braun an underrated defender? He hasn't looked great in the outfield the last few days, but Baseball Digest Daily ranks him as the fifth best NL left fielder, defensively. I think you can make a solid case that he should be playing in right, not left.

In the minors:

Over at The Hardball Times, Jeff takes a look at AAA roster composition across baseball, and finds that the Brewers have one of the youngest squads, with an average age of 26.4.
Baseball America listed Roque Mercedes as an honorable mention in their list of the top ten prospects traded at the deadline.

On Power Rankings and other stuff:

Beyond the Box Score dropped the Brewers two spots to #24 in their Power Rankings.
MLB FanHouse moved the Brewers up one spot to #19.
The Ghost of Moonlight Graham listed the Brewers among their five losers at the trade deadline.

Around baseball:

Astros: Signed reliever Roy Corcoran.
A's: Signed Brett Tomko to a minor league deal.
Cubs: Released relievers B.J. Ryan and Jason Waddell.
Mets: Jonathan Niese will undergo surgery to repair a torn hamstring tendon and miss the rest of the season.
Nationals: Placed Austin Kearns on the DL with a thumb contusion.
Red Sox: Signed Paul Byrd to a minor league deal.
Royals: Designated Ryan Freel for assignment.
Yankees: Designated infielder Cody Ransom for assignment and signed Russ Ortiz to a minor league deal.

I had a couple of Twitter-based links this morning, but Twitter appears to be down so I'll post them here and maybe they'll work later:

With the win last night, Cool Standings has the Brewers' playoff chances back up to 7.7%.
Jon Heyman is on vacation in Wisconsin this week, so if you see him...I don't know, do whatever it is you do when you see Jon Heyman.

Happy birthday today to Luis Vizcaino, who appeared in 224 games as a Brewer between 2002 and 2004 and turns 35 today.

Drink up.

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:22:52 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Ken Macha reacts as Prince Fielder is escorted to first base after being hit by a pitch during the ninth inning Tuesday.

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Some things to read while ~~ogling~~ reevaluating the economy. (h/t Daily Drink)

So the Brewers had a pretty full day yesterday. A day that started with an appearance on the Price is Right (but no Plinko) ended with Prince Fielder trying to force his way into the Dodger clubhouse to confront former teammate Guillermo Mota, who hit him with a pitch under exceptionally questionable circumstances in the ninth inning of a 17-4 game. Craig Calcaterra called it "a scene out of late-80's WCW."

If you missed it (and odds are most of you did), Tristarscoop has a recap of the event and an abnormally heated Ken Macha press conference afterwards. Dodgers catcher Russell Martin probably didn't do Mota or Joe Torre any favors by acknowledging the pitch was intentional after the game, claiming it was retaliation for Chris Smith grazing Manny Ramirez (his 100th career HBP, by the way) earlier in the night.

I got this email from TheJay this morning, related to the incident, which makes a valid point:

Just wanted to note something my dad mentioned that I think has gotten lost in the shuffle. A big deal is being made about how Torre must have ordered the hit since a reliever was warming with two out in the ninth in a 13 run game. At first blush, I thought it was pretty classless, too, but in Torre's defense, Mota had already thrown nearly 40 pitches, more than he had all season, and Troncoso might have been staying loose down there just in case Mota ran out of gas.

With the loss last night, Cool Standings dropped the Brewers' playoff chances to 4.9%, below 5% for the first time all season. They had never dropped below 10% before last week. With that said, Michael Street of Baseball Digest Daily says Hiroki Kuroda, who beat the Brewers last night, is baseball's best Asian starter.

Moving on, the off day tomorrow gives the Brewers an opportunity to skip one spot in the starting rotation this week, and Ken Macha has decided to skip Mike Burns and start Carlos Villanueva on Friday. By the time the Brewers need a fifth starter again, Jeff Suppan may be ready to return. Adam McCalvy reported yesterday that both Suppan and Dave Bush had successful bullpen sessions yesterday. Sounds like Suppan will return directly to the rotation, while Dave Bush will be sent down for a minor league rehab appearance.

There's also good news today for Corey Hart: He's expected to be released from the hospital today, and will likely fly home to Milwaukee.

Here's a silver lining, if you're into silver linings: Andy Seiler has a projected draft order for the 2010 June draft, and the Brewers' recent struggles have moved them up to the 15th spot. Because picks 1-15 cannot be taken away for compensatory reasons, having pick #15 would mean the Brewers would only lose their second round pick if they sign a Type A free agent this offseason.

Jason Kendall, meanwhile, is doing his best to keep the Brewers in the top 15. Dugout Central named Kendall to their NL All-Stink Team, and Brewers Daily credits Kendall with having "that extra something ... hype by the media to make a bad player look like he helps a team."

As young as the Brewers are, they're getting a large chunk of their production from two aging veterans. As Al noted yesterday, there are only four players in all of baseball over age 36 who consistently play the field and have accumulated enough ABs to qualify for the batting title, and the Brewers have two of them: Mike Cameron and Craig Counsell.

The Brewers are one Trevor Hoffman appearance away from witnessing history. As TheJay noted over at Recondite Baseball, Trevor Hoffman's next game finished will be his 803rd, passing Lee Smith for the all time record. To put that in perspective: Since the Brewers began play in 1969, only 31 pitchers in all of baseball have appeared in 803 games. Soon, Hoffman will have finished that many.

In the minors, Jesus Colome continues to build his case for a major league callup. He's only been with the team for a little more than a week, but Colome racked up two more scoreless innings and his second save for Nashville last night, giving him seven scoreless innings in four games as a Sound. Meanwhile, R.J. Swindle got knocked around again last night and has now surrendered 12 earned runs in 6.2 innings as a Brewer.

In another minor note, FanGraphs rated Cole Gillespie, sent to Arizona in the Felipe Lopez deal, as the 24th best prospect among 35 traded at the deadline.

Around baseball:

Cubs: Placed infielder Andres Blanco on the DL with a calf strain.
Indians: Designated reliever Jose Veras for assignment.
Mariners: Designated infielder Chris Woodward for assignment and announced that reliever Roy Corcoran, designated for assignment last week, has elected to become a free agent.

Someone could probably design and market a calendar based on obscure baseball roster rules and the time of year when you need to know them. August's page would be a refresher on waiver trades from former Blue Jays assistant GM Bart Given.

Giants rookie Joe Martinez, who hasn't pitched since being hit in the head by a line drive from Mike Cameron in April, will start for the Giants today against Houston. It's good to see him back on the mound.

On this day in 1994, the Brewers were one-hit by future Brewer Ben McDonald. David Nilsson collected the only Brewer hit off McDonald, who threw 145 pitches in the game.

I wasn't able to find any Brewer birthdays today, but Tommie Aaron, who played for the Milwaukee Braves in 1962, '63 and '65, would have turned 70 today. Also, Menasha, WI native Eric Hinske turns 32.

Drink up.