JohnBriggs12

Because Melvin talked to Krivsky, it's assumed it was about Griffey? Please, people. Everytime GM's talk, it's not about the biggest names on their rosters. The talk show host is a moron. The Brewers have 124 home runs in 88 games. They don't have $20 million to throw around on an area that is not a need. Melvin was in all likelihood inquiring about David Weathers to bolster the bullpen not Griffey.

Who was dumb enough to ask him about Linebrink, Zambrano and Rowand? Of course those guys are unavailable. I've noticed this in the past about Melvin. He avoids interviews with anyone who might have a clue as to what he's doing. Regarding the Krivsky conversation, notice a. how dumb the reporters are by focusing on Griffey, and b. how Melvin was then able to deflect the name of the player he would likely be discussing with Krivsky (David Weathers), by just saying Griffey's name didn't come up. Doesn't that beg the question, well, then who's name did come up?

Actually Capuano has sandwiched pretty good August numbers between tough Julys and Septembers the last couple of years. So I would expect a turnaround at some point lasting 4-6 starts.

Zach Duke is young George W. Bush. I have a buddy that looks more like Yost than Jarvik though.

It's a pretty good list. I would have moved number 5 (the win over Texas) to number 2. Despite the no-hitter in between, I believe it was Jenkins blast in a game where they left an army on base following the collapse the night before that helped propel them almost as much as Hall's blast vs. Detroit. Had they lost that game in Texas, I think the Cubs would have already caught them. The Miller HR game was big, but they never really trailed in that game and it completed a sweep at home over a losing team.

What proof does anyone have that Vargas and/or Bush or Capuano and/or Suppan for that matter cannot pitch out of the bullpen as effectively as Villanueva? I also disagree that they won't gain by swapping Vargas and Villanueva's roles. The biggest weakness on this team the last month has been starting pitchers not getting past 5 innings much less 6. Not only will Villanueva wear down in the second half, but the rest of the pen will as well unless they can get starters to do their jobs. Fans have every right to expect management to at least attempt to fix obvious problems. But the Brewers seem content to keep the status quo while their lead dwindles nearly on a daily basis. Conversely, the Angels, a team 18 games over .500, just dumped 2 veterans for nothing in return because they were hurting the team.

How would adding Otsuka and moving Villanueva into the rotation "leave an enormous hole in our bullpen"?? On the contrary, replacing a 5 inning pitcher (Vargas) with a guy who could occasionally go 7, helps the bullpen. Besides, isn't Gallardo still out there if you need multiple innings? Just swap out Spurling for Balfour, and your pen would be Gallardo, Wise, Balfour, Otsuka, Shouse, Turnbow, and Cordero with Parra and Thatcher up Sept. 1 to give you a full complement of lefties.

There are 74 games remaining in 80 days. That's 15 starts for Sheets, 16 if you skip the 5th starter a couple times. As long as Sheets starts in the weekend series, he makes those same totals. Right now Bush has the best form of the rest so he should start this weekend along with Capuano, who needs to build his arm strength. I think his collapse Sunday (which should have been anticipated by Yost), had a lot to do with 3 weeks of inactivity, combined with heat. Suppan needs to clear his head and figure out what he's doing wrong. A few extra days might help.

"Seeing as how none of our relievers are completely stinking..I don't see any moves being made." Not completely stinking is not good enough. Mediocrity is not the goal. If you wait until someone is "completely stinking", you could cost yourself the season. Man I've been posting on here for 5 years now and I see there is still a mindset that average is good enough.

I think they could get Matt Stairs for a lot less to do basically the same thing.

Starting pitching depth is a nice thing to have in March when you are facing a 162 game schedule. But now that they're down to 74 games nursing a lead, starting pitching quality trumps quantity. Vargas has been a 5 inning pitcher all season. That has overtaxed an effective but fairly thin bullpen. They have better pitchers waiting in the wings in Villanueva and Gallardo. I'd move Vargas in a heartbeat but I'd look to land a quality veteran bullpen arm ala David Weathers in return. Then I'd start Villanueva the next 3 weeks. If he does well, he stays in rotation for the duration, and Gallardo takes a different rotation spot from the least effective starter who then becomes long man. If that happens to be the 40 million dollar man, Suppan, so be it. The team comes before the individual, and Suppan is man enough to know it. He can compete next year to get back in.

Guys that strikeout a high percentage of hitters are generally going to walk more than guys that don't strikeout guys for the simple reason is that hitters have a hard time putting balls in play off them and hence get deeper into counts. To be wringing our hands over Balfour's walk rate misses the point. The guy has been lights out for more than a month, fanning at least 2 hitters in 10 of his last 12 innings.

"I'm just curious what a large leap in walk rate means". Probably nerves Joe. He's 3 years older now, been through surgery and likely not nearly as easily rattled. Besides, before he pitched in the AL Central. A lot of heavy hitters over there in 03 and 04. "that he possibly won't be nearly as dominant as he has been in AAA". Well if he was, he'd be All Star caliber. Nobody is saying that but this is a guy who fanned a hitter an inning in previous major league stint. Plus he's putting up AAA numbers that are better than he did prior to his first major league stint. So it stands to reason he's progressed as a pitcher and he should be able to improve up his prior major league numbers which I would add weren't terrible by any means. The question is whether he's better than Spurling, and I think he is and if he's exhibits control, with the stuff he's reputed to have, well then he becomes a longshot closer candidate for 08 if Cordero walks. You can't say that about Mr. Spurling. What would I expect from him realistically in say 30 major league innings (the same as he has in AAA so far)? Maybe 22 hits (vs. 15 in AAA), 12 BB (vs. 8) , 36 K (vs. 46). That would be a 1.13 WHIP vs. Spurling's 1.52 WHIP. Plus he has strikeout ability, so he can strand runners on third a lot more easily than Spurling. The "ball four" nickname is ludicrous. Of course a guy named Balfour will be called that every time he walks a guy. If his name was Smith, nobody would pay much attention to his slightly high walk rate in a rather small sample. To wit: Balfour in his major league career has faced 13 batters with the bases loaded. He's never walked in a run while fanning 5 of those 13 batters. Spurling has already walked in the winning run in a game this season. Further, in his 68 major league innings, he's uncorked just 3 wild pitches. Turnbow already has 5 this year in 38 innings. Spurling has 4. (fixed accidentally posted emoticon --1992casey)

JoeHova, I think you have to trust Kyles' judgement here. Kyles may be the best pitching coach in the entire organization (Maddux included) if you ask me. If he were wild and just getting guys out just because they are impatient minor leaguers, would he have declared that Balfour was a "major league pitcher."? Heck a lot of major league hitters when overmatched swing at pitches out of the zone too. Still though his major league walk rate 5.03 BB/9 innings is actually better than Turnbow's 5.15 BB/9 innings and less than one walk per 9 innings worse than Cordero's 4.25BB/9 innings. Power relievers are always going to walk a few.

"Only Matthews, Killebrew, and Schmidt have hit more" Just shows the lack of respect Eddie Mathews gets. His name is constantly being spelled with an extra "t". Killebrew played more at first base than at third. Look, I saw Mathews play. I idolized Mathews as a kid. He was a great HR hitter. Probably would have hit 600 in today's ballparks. But he was a dead pull hitter and didn't hit for a high average though he took plenty of walks. Based on what I've seen of Braun, barring injury he will far outpace Mathews as a hitter. He uses the whole park, and can reach the fences all over. Sickels has Braun topping out at 40 HR and doing it once. He's light in his loafers if he thinks Braun will top out at one 40 HR season.

Haudricourt quotes Nashville pitching coach Stan Kyles: "Parra and Balfour are both capable of coming up and doing quality work". Parra is "sitting about 93, 94...I wouldn't be surprised if the major league club sees him sometime soon." On Balfour: "He's throwing the ball 94 to 96mph...firm...his fastball jumps at the end...he's definitely not a AAA pitcher...he's a major league pitcher." These two can't get there soon enough for me.

jwill535 is absolutely correct. Jenkins would have been traded perhaps even for straight up last year (after Lee signed) for Cordero as Texas wanted to unload him. Hall would still be in CF. Suppan would be elsewhere. Villanueva would be a starter. Hart would have started the year in RF, with occasional relief from Gross. Gwynn would still have been 5th OF. That lineup would have been awesome. Imagine a lefty seeing Hart, Hardy, Braun, Lee and Hall around Fielder?

I'm not sure Capuano is a true 4.00 pitcher. Since July 1, 2006, he's 7-14 with a 4.93 ERA in 184 1/3 innings.

I wouldn't call it "optimistic" based on what he's shown already. Only one of those years comes close to what he's doing now as a rookie. This is a special player. Those numbers, while good, aren't special.

I have long felt that Capuano is a "fine line" pitcher. In other words, it doesn't take much for him to cross from being effective to very mediocre. That's why I believe he should have been traded last offseason when he was coming off his 2 max years. He's not a guy I want to go deep into his arby years or give a long term big money deal to. He does have this going for him. He competes. So he will probably have another good stretch this year. Ultimately though (and perhaps soon), I think he'll end up as a reliever though "don't rock the boat" Ned isn't likely to make that move.

No hits with runners in scoring position. 40 million dollar starter fails. Same old story.

6th inning and none of the Brewers top 4 hitters has batted with a runner on base. Nice lineup construction there Ned.

I'm not sure Jackson is a prospect either, but maybe he could be sold as one. Someone suggested it wouldn't take as much to get him as I proposed. I don't know about that. My proposal just clears roster of guys who wouldn't be needed if they got Weathers. Actually because they're in the division, the Reds might ask for more. Instead of Spurling, they might want a guy like Balfour who has upside to replace Weathers as their closer.

It's an awful lineup the way it's constructed.. You don't construct a lineup with sluggers at the top and speed at the bottom. Simontacchi gets a complete breather every other inning.

The Reds are going nowhere. Weathers is signed through 2008. He can still pitch. How about packaging Vargas, Spurling and a prospect (Jackson?) for Weathers? Weathers could take over the 7th inning job, and allow Villanueva to start.