JohnBriggs12

What will they have to lose by promoting Strong at some point? He's 26 and a lefty reliever so it's not like you need to worry about arby years or team control. Teams that lose 100 games typically go through more than 20 pitchers in what amounts to trial under fire. He's not perfect. Neither is most of the staff in Milwaukee. As for Wagner, the object of pitching is missing barrels, not necessarily bats entirely. I wouldn't worry much about room on the 40 man if you want to give him a look in September. Those spots will be opening up too.

That's not the point Patrick. Lots of teams have injuries but they don't play .133 ball. You don't replace Roenicke with Narron who's attached to his hip and should be fired as well. You replace him on an interim basis with Sedar who predates Roenicke in the organization. You tell Melvin he's done after the trading deadline and if he wishes to stay on to shepherd the franchise, fine. If not let Ash handle those chores with the understanding he's done too later on.

They are 11-35 since last August 26, by far the worst 46 game stretch in the 45 year history of the team. Not only should he be throwing both under a bus publically, he should be driving that bus and backing up and doing it over and over. He even had the nerve to use the word "accountability" without holding anyone accountable.

I can't believe how out of touch MA is with his own fan base. The phrasing and tone of his vote of confidence or whatever that was sounded like, "Don't worry folks, I'm not here to fire the beloved Doug and/or Ron." Is he serious? Polls are what 4 or 5 to 1 in favor of firing both and he's completely oblivious to it. This after a game that was a classic example of Roenicke's in-game weakness as a manager. Gives up an out to move a runner to third with one out against the guy who led the league in strikeouts last year then brings in K-Rod, rather than Smith with Votto due up in the inning. Time to stop buying tickets folks and force his hand a bit.

Yes, Thornburg should be starting in AAA. It's the guys at AA, specifically Hall and Wagner, that are making a case for a look later this year though. The guy they had on last night, forget his name, but I believe his title was "player development administrator" (and who on here wouldn't love that job!), said something very revealing last night to the extent that he pays close attention to how guys do in AA because, "if a guy performs well in AA, then he can likely compete in the big leagues now". Why would he say that if they weren't at least open to fast tracking guys in a year when all heck has broken loose at the top?

I get optioning Thornburg. He hasn't been sharp at all. Wooten gets the nod over Knebel? Wooten should fit right in with that 7.11 ERA and 3 HR allowed in 6 1/3 innings.

With the rotations in Milwaukee and Colorado Springs being less than stellar, Hall has a chance to get to the big leagues faster than a lot imagined a month ago.

Quite a bit of similarity between this Brewer team and that Oriole team. You would have never have imagined that a lineup that included two future HOF could possibly struggle to that extent either. But their starting pitching proved to be woefully inadequate, and the guys they has surrounding Ripken and Murray while not horrendous were pretty non-descript. They had also stumbled in the year prior, going 7-24 in Sept/Oct. On a hopeful note the Orioles went from 54-107 in 88 to 87-75 the next year.

Agreed it's way too early to write him off as a potential trade asset. He's going to be in the rotation until All Star break regardless, but soon after he'll either be dealt if he's got any value or released. I don't think there's obvious name that he's blocking but lost seasons are great opportunities to audition guys and they have guys working now at both AAA and AA that should be vying for that opportunity: Jungmann, Cravy, Gagnon, Wagner, Hall, Johnson, Burgos (currently at high A). Look for the standouts at AA to eventually push out the AAA journeymen like Ely and Additon or flip flop if the other starters get shelled on a frequent basis.

I wouldn't completely discount guys currently at AA like Wagner, Brooks Hall, or Hobbs Johnson from debuting at some point this year and lets not forget Hiram Burgos, who's currently at Brevard, but who's got major league experience and could come around. Hey when the wheels come off like they have this year, teams go through a lot of pitchers. I can't see any way the pitchers you just listed get a shot at a starting gig. Thornburg, Crazy, and Jungman are all waaaay in front on the depth chart. They might be waaaay in front on the depth chart but pitching in Colorado Springs will inflate their ERA's to levels that might not justify promotions. Trust me, on teams that are 30 or so games under .500, it's not uncommon for guys you never expect to make their way to the big leagues Go back just to 2006. At the start of that year, Carlos Villanueva, was waaaaay down the starting pitching depth chart and starting for Huntsville behind guys like Dana Eveland, Zach Jackson, and Ben Hendrickson, who were at AAA and Jorge de la Rosa who was long man. Those guys proved so inept replacing some injured starters, that Villanueva got his shot by June, shut out the Reds for 6 innings and eventually made 6 starts that year. Guys like Jungmann and Cravy are no more highly regarded than the likes of Hendrickson, Eveland and Jackson were back then. The AA level isn't that far from the big leagues. Jumping from AA to the majors in the same season is quite common and the Brewers have some nice arms at Biloxi.

Juan Centeno has gunned down base stealers at a 41% clip in the minor leagues. His major league average is just 18% but that's over an insignificant sample size. The guy may fit right in offensively but he can throw.

Last year's great collapse is still very much a factor. Eventually they'll emerge from the darkness. The most famous collapse of all time was the 1964 Phillies. That Phillies team was 89-58 as late as Sept 17th that year. With essentially the same team the following season, plus the addition of a young Johnny Briggs I might add, they were 5 games under .500 at the end of May. Keep in mind that was a league with 2 very poor teams still growing from expansion so it was hard to be under .500. Closer to home, Packer fans remember the infamous gut wrenching playoff loss to the Eagles in the playoffs following the 2003 season. That team started the next year 1-4.

They can fire Roenicke now and still keep Melvin as a lame duck GM for a few months much like the Cubs did with Jim Hendry in 2011. He didn't get officially fired until after the draft and the trading deadline came and went but he knew it was coming and still did his job. Attanasio should just go to Melvin and ask him to shepherd the franchise through the draft and trading deadline. I think he can trust Melvin to do what's right for the long term. Melvin should know he's not going to be the one to pick the permanent successor to Roenicke. Counsell would be a fine choice as next GM. I would hope Attanasio goes that direction rather than recycle an older experience type like a Hendry for instance.

I wouldn't completely discount guys currently at AA like Wagner, Brooks Hall, or Hobbs Johnson from debuting at some point this year and lets not forget Hiram Burgos, who's currently at Brevard, but who's got major league experience and could come around. Hey when the wheels come off like they have this year, teams go through a lot of pitchers.

He has to have a fairly long leash if you hope to have any chance to deal him in July. Odds are he'll have a decent enough stretch that it'll make trading him possible. If he doesn't then he'll just be released in July and replaced by whoever among Thornburg or the guys are either AAA or AA are throwing the best.

Narron is kind of joined at the hip to Roenicke. If Roenicke is fired, I think and hope Narron goes with him. Don't be surprised if Sedar gets the interim job. Sedar is sort of the "house" coach in the way Harvey Kuenn was back in the day, Sedar is a holdover from way back in Yost's days and isn't that closely tied to Roenicke and yes he has managed for both Ogden and Helena in Brewer organization. Kuenn predated both Buck Rodgers and Bamberger as a Brewer coach. I think Sedar has paid his dues and would be a very popular pick in the clubhouse. Sveum would be a likely candidate for permanent job, but if Melvin goes, anything can happen.

Not saying the 8th spot is harder than the top of the order, but it's different. You don't get pitches to hit with men on base and two out. You just don't. At the top of the order, normally a pitcher is walk averse and will throw you more fastballs. Ramirez's has a history of slow starts, but my gosh he's gone well over 200 AB's going back to last year with a mere 2 HR and never has he talked about it being his last year when he's in one of his slow starts. His power outage is into it's 3rd month. That's not a slump, it's a trend that for an older player is often irreversible. I think it's pretty telling when a guy is talking about retiring. It tells me he knows or at least doubts he can't do it anymore.

Look no further than the GM. He built it and has his hand in all development Heard Jon Heyman on Chicago radio this morning (The Score). He was asked directly if any managers were on the hot seat. He did not hesitate and said Roenicke, based on the combination of the late season collapse and the awful start. Can't imaging him surviving another losing home stand. Would think a 4-3 record for the week is a must to buy some time. Who becomes the interim manager? Narron or is he joined at the hip with Roenicke? Sedar?? He's sort of the house coach and was here before Roenicke, kind of like Harvey Kuenn was back in the day. Whoever gets the interim tag is going to have a long year in that role.

Roache is repeating a level but is off to a good start, something that he's lacked in past seasons. With lack of power in the system he could catapult back up the prospect list if he gets promoted later on and continues to hit.

Rodgers plays QB for Packers. Rogers is on the Brewers. Jason Rogers is a better and more consistent hitter than Taylor Green who had one terrific year in 2011 but hasn't done much of anything lately.

1. Carlos Gomez: I didn't see any change in Gomez before he got hurt. He's the same guy and still should be once he returns. So there's hope there. Of all the Brewer hitters, he is least prone to press 2. Jonathan Lucroy: Without a doubt the most surprising struggler. Seems like he took last year's collapse hard and was pressing from the get go. Is taking stuff down the middle and swinging at stuff way out of the zone. He's got a lot on his shoulders. I think dropping him in the order might take some pressure off him. 3. Ryan Braun: We're 12 games in and he has zero extra base hits. Amazing. He's hit some balls hard but they are all to the opposite field. Personally, I think he changed his approach to compensate for his thumb and now that the thumbs not an issue he can't find his old stroke. Maybe it's time he finally goes to a smaller, lighter bat. 4. Adam Lind: They are getting about what they expected from Lind. But it's not enough to carry a team. 5. Aramis Ramirez: I had low expectations to begin with but he can't even reach those. Can still make contact and should get some hits with better luck but bat speed and ability to drive the ball are in his past. Maybe he should consider moving up his retirement date by a few months. 6. Khris Davis: On the positive side, he seems to be a more patient hitter and has made consistent contact to the opposite field. But is he sacrificing his long ball threat some by increased focus on going the other way? See Ryan Braun. 7. Scooter Gennett: Talk about a manager sending mixed signals to a player?? Wow. All offseason, they proclaim confidence in Gennett's ability vs. both RH and LH pitching, then for the most part he's relegated to unfamiliar and taxing 8th spot in the order after hitting at the top of the order most of last year and with the rest of the lineup so inept, the plan to let him play vs. LH pitching gets tossed out the window. No wonder Scooter too is pressing. 8. Jean Segura: Not the same guy as we saw last year. Looks a lot more relaxed at the plate and he isn't carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Too bad it's not carrying over to his teammates. Fielding problems not affecting hitting. Yet. Subs: Too little sample size to make sweeping statements. Hector Gomez made things a little interesting by getting 3 doubles early on. Maldonado and Schafer still 0 for April. Parra's defense great, but not looking like a $6.24 million player at the plate. We need to see more of both Jimenez and Rogers as neither can be worse than Aram at this point.

The two guys many wanted replaced in the lineup, Segura and Davis, have both swung the bat well and both are under control for a while and Nelson's been the best starter.

Amen.

Roenicke fiddles with the lineup but leaves the two guys who are clueless right now in the 3 and 5 spots. Anybody know the team record for consecutive innings without a HR? I was around during the expansion years and I don't remember this level of ineptitude on offense and those years with Rick Auerbach and Ron Theobald at the top of the lineup were pretty ugly. It's so hard to listen to Schroeder and his optimistic spin on this garbage.

Get on base regularly? On the Brewers?! I'd settle at this point for the old Brewers that might not have gotten on all that much but sent some balls over the wall on occasion. 3 HR in 9 games? Not too long ago they'd have 3 or 4 guys who'd have that on their own by now.