rotoherb

Believe it or not, Gomez actually has the third highest WAR on the Brewers right now, just behind Fielder and Braun. It's almost all from his defense, but his offense for a centerfielder isn't much below average. It's hard for me to believe that he'll keep it up for a full season, though, but I'm at a point where I don't think "who plays CF next year" is as big of a concern as "who plays SS next year". Gindl has been playing CF everyday at Triple-A and is hitting .273/.377/.455 and won't turn 23 until September. I'm guessing he's playing CF out of need and not because he's good at it. Does anyone know firsthand how he's doing? Is it brutal or passable? It seems to me that the Brewers front office really, REALLY wants Logan Schafer to be the next starting fielder. We've already heard them say that his defense is major league ready and he just needs some more experience at the plate. The fact that he was going to open the year at Triple-A says to me that they will give him a realistic opportunity next season.

Why are people acting like this is the first time Gallardo has been through a stretch like this? Here are some past six game stretches: 2010: 6 starts, 33.2 IP, 40 hits, 15 BB, 7.75 ERA 2009: 6 starts, 34.1 IP, 32 hits, 19 BB 5.24 ERA 2007: 6 starts, 31.0 IP, 42 hits, 10 BB, 7.55 ERA He still finished with an ERA under 4 in both 2010 and 2009. Maybe everyone is just overreacting because this stretch is early in the season and the others were later in the season?

First off, I love the deal. Convert the starts from Suppan, Parra, Estrada, and Davis to Marcum and the Brewers improved their team by a minimum 4-5 wins overnight. There is no doubt that the Brewers are a better team now than they were last season. Also, while it's possible, I doubt that the trade is simply Marcum for Lawrie. There's likely to be other players involved on both sides. I also think it's pretty safe to say that Fielder is not going anywhere this offseason.

The reality is that none of us know how he was pitching at Brevard County because we didn't see him pitch, and ten innings of stats isn't going to tell us anything. It's quite possible that he's still throwing 99 MPH has shown the stuff to move to Double-A. We really don't know what went on during the game where he walked four in 1.1 innings or his outing where he allowed five hits and three runs because we weren't there to see it. A scout at the game may come away with an entirely different picture than we get from looking at a box score. Then again, maybe he isn't ready for Double-A and this will be a debacle. My point is that making a statement either way after 10 innings at A+ without seeing the guy pitch is dubious at best. I'd go with the scouting report over what he actually did when we're talking about 10 innings.

Dunn will be 31 at the start of next season while Fielder will still be 26. 4.5 years is a big difference in age. Would you rather be paying for Dunn at 34 or Fielder at 29? The fact that Fielder doesn't turn 27 until next May is going to go a long way in getting him the contract that he wants.

Sabean once traded Francisco Liriano, Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser to the Twins for one season of A. J. Pierzynski. No GM is immune from making a bad deal. People also need to remember that any deal is very unlikely to be a one for one swap. While Bumgarner for Hart may seem out of place, it's possible that an agreement could be made around various players from both teams. The Brewers may even kick in money to even the salary differences or send a hitting prospect along with Hart. In any case, I'd be shocked if a deal involving Hart ended up being a one for one trade.

The current $33 million bullpen with a 5.38 ERA would beg to differ.

Hoffman gave up seven home runs over a 27 inning span in early 2008, so that part isn't unprecedented for him. The problem is that he struck out 30 over that span in 2008, while he's not missing as many bats this year. Balls in play is not a good thing when you throw 85 MPH.

I'll date myself by saying the ATM and/or debit cards.

it says that the pitcher was on deck and Hart is the only right-handed hitter on the bench. If Hart hits for Edmonds then you have to use another pinch hitter, who would be left-handed anyway, for the pitcher. You lose one of your pinch hitters and a left-handed batter has to hit anyway.

Melvin is going to continue to say that he hasn't made his mind up about the starting SS for next season because telling everyone that he's going to trade Hardy isn't going to help get the most in return. This move virtually guarantees that Escobar will be the starting SS next season and Hardy will be traded.

I don't think it's desperation. Desperation is trying to sign a bunch of veterans to salvage this season. This looks more like a wake up call with an eye towards next season. The only thing I really question is sending Hardy to Triple-A. I'm not sure that I see how it helps the team in the short or long term to have him there.

I agree with endaround, I'd rather score a lot of runs in any way than be consistently bad. The offense isn't the problem, it's almost entirely the pitching. The Brewers have already lost 13 games this season where they scored 5 or more runs, which is the same number of times they lost all of last season. They've scored 500 runs in the first 107 games this season compared to 499 last season and I'm guessing the offense wasn't any more consistent last year. They were 60-47 at this point last year and I don't think an inconsistent offense is to blame for being seven games worse. The Brewers have a 5.63 ERA since June 1st. I don't care how consistent your offense is, you are going to stink with that kind of pitching.

Jason Knapp is 18 and throws 98 MPH. His ceiling is much more than a number three starter. Now, he's still very young and has had some injuries, but his potential is much, much more than a #3 starter.

I'm going to call my shot right now... Hardy will get traded in the offseason to the Orioles in a deal for one of their young pitchers, not a top tier guy, but a young starter, probably something similar to the Overbay/Bush deal. The Orioles are desperate for a SS, have a plethora of young starting pitching, and have the ability to resign JJ if they wanted.