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With Wainright and Pujols already on the DL, the Cardinals are waiting to find out the status of Yadier Molina and Todd Wellemeyer. Molina was carried off on a stretcher after a big collision this weekend, and Wellemeyer has inflammation in his elbow, he says his arm "Feels like a turkey leg." The team is saying Molina may have escaped with a minor concussion, and Wellemeyer says he expects to make his next start - but this could wind up being a very challenging time for St Louis.

I think Cain is in AAA to leave the AA roster intact. I wish Cain well, but as you've pointed out, the odds are stacked against a lot of the outfielders in the Brewers' system right now. Even in this draft, where the Brewers went heavy on pitching, they took three outfielders in the early rounds - the system is stacked out there. The team has finally reached a point where they can comfortably deal some real talent from the minor leagues. They need some arms to plug the gaps in the top half of the system right now, I'm sure we'll see some deals over the next twelve months. One team that stands out as a possible trade partner is Kansas City, their system is just the opposite, they're loaded with arms, but their best bats are in the low minors right now.

Certainly credit goes to Melvin for bringing the guy in, and sticking with him. McClung was an easy choice to be cut during the spring, his career numbers had been terrible to that point, but they saw something, so they stuck with him. Who knows how long McClung can do this, but I certainly think Doug Melvin and Mike Maddux deserve credit for getting him, and then helping him - he's helping the team right now.

Heinie Beckendorf, born this day in 1884, Peek-A-Boo Veach, born this day in 1862. I love funny player names, be it Dick Pole, "Pebbly Jack" Glasscock, Johnny Wockenfuss or even Diego Segui - these men deserve a place of honor. Who are your favorites?

Dillon should be at 3B, I don't even know why people are thinking anything else Only because we watched Hall at 2B over the last few days.

I see no possibility here, the Brewers are fine at the major league level, and they suddenly have catching depth filtering through the organization. Maybe if Kendall got hurt, and they didn't want to call Salome up this year.

The thing about Sheets is, if we can't afford to buy a #1 starter as a free agent, then we can't afford Sheets. He essentially is a #1 starter as a free agent at this point. Gallardo, I'm sure the Brewers will push hard to get him signed, but I would imagine they want to see a complete recovery from the injury first, he's so many years away from free agency, that's the approach I'd take. I would expect Hart to sign, I don't know anything about it, but he's obviously a talent worth keeping, and he's got kids, etc, which would make me think he'd want to get something locked in.

Yep, I lived in MN for eight years. Brewers-Twins, Packers-Vikings, Badgers-Gophers...these matchups are all very intense along the border. When I moved over there, I just hated the Bears, but in about two weeks, it had switched to the Vikings. I've been back over here for ten years, and I still hate the Vikings - living over there did that to me.

I just thought I'd pull this thread back from the preseason. I believe the Rays are actually ahead of this pace so far.

PECOTA thinks the Marlins will absolutely disappear, and gives much better odds for the Braves, Mets or Dodgers to win the wildcard. The Cards and Brewers are the top two for the wildcard, I hope that proves to be true.

Weird stuff happens sometimes, all last season, people were telling me here that AZ had no shot at the playoffs, because they had been outscored by their opponents. Nobody knows anything yet, injuries are changing the landscape, and will continue to do so, the interleague schedule isn't a level playing field, some teams have had a lot more home games than others, etc. Prior to the season, I absolutely thought the Brewers were the NL wildcard team, then when they lost Gallardo, I thought the season was over. As it stands, the Brewers look like they're in great shape, 4 games behind a team that has just lost perhaps its 2 most important players to injury, with a mountain of home games coming our way over the next six weeks. There are 29 games left before the All-Star Break - 19 of those are home games. Coming out of the break, the Crew plays 7 on the road, then closes July with 7 at home, including 4 with the Cubs. To me, the key date is August 1, the trade deadline will have passed, the home-road splits will be evened up, we'll have four more games done with both St Louis and Chicago, we'll know a lot more about who stayed healthy, etc. If the Brewers stay close like this, September should favor them. In September, the Brewers will play 16 home games, with just 10 road games - they close with 6 at home.

If I did my math right, the players chosen with the Linebrink picks are Evan Frederickson and Cutter Dykstra. To properly evaluate the trade, as these players develop, it's: Garrison, Inman and Thatcher for Frederickson, Dykstra and two months of Linebrink.

There were some concerns earlier today that the lake in Marshall might suffer the same fate. The dam is expected to hold, but there's just so much water, it's basically leaking right around the sides of the dam, which forced an evacuation of the area. I used to live on that lake, I just can't imagine where that much water would go if that dam is compromised.

Once you get past the obvious guys at the top of the draft, the player I'd most like to see the Brewers get signed is Kyle Winkler, Round 37. Something about this young man makes me think he just plain knows how to pitch.

I had to call the Brewers' ticket office to discuss something on the site last summer, the guy who took the call asked me my user name here, and immediately thanked me for some of the articles I've had posted here. I had no idea anyone there ever looked in on us, but he sure did, and he was very complimentary towards BF.net. It isn't just the Brewers either, I've heard from a writer at mlb.com, another at milb.com and the front office of one other major league team.

It figures that this would come up right now...how is Rickie's knee?

Welcome to Mosquito Heaven.

The Red Cross has opened shelters in Reedsburg, Richland Center and Elroy, Juneau County is forming new disaster response teams.

State of Emergency declared in 29 WI counties, National Guard activated to evacuate people from the village of Ontario in Vernon County. This is bad ugly.

The Powell with Lawrie link is not working.

Partly because the Brewers had the extra picks this year, and partly because I helped a little with the Official Draft Pick Thread, I really got into the draft this year. Obviously, with six early selections, this draft could have a significant impact on the team in future seasons. If you've taken the time to study those first six picks, I'd like to hear your thoughts, here are my own: 1. Brett Lawrie - This was the right pick. I don't think Lawrie had any business being available at 16, with his smashing success against tough pitching, with wood bats, I see this as a safer bet than some of the hitters who went ahead of him. Any 18-year-old has the potential to break a scout's heart, but this young man seems to have the confidence to match his obvious physical skills - I believe he will make it. Lawrie says he'll be catching in Milwaukee in "About a year and a half"...I doubt it, I think Lawrie will be playing second base in Milwaukee somewhere around July 1, 2011. 2. Jake Odorizzi - This young man has absolutely won me over, as with Lawrie, I think Odorizzi should have been taken higher than he was. It's a long way from high school to Milwaukee, but the talent here is obvious, I think Odorizzi will be very popular on this site in no time, and will eventually be a #2 starter for the Brewers. Hopefully Odorizzi will be a quick sign, if he's in the fold quickly, he'll come up in mid-2011 with Lawrie, at worst, he's here around June 1, 2012. 3. Evan Frederickson - This is the one that scared me when I heard it. Yes, I see the obvious talent, and yes, I see that the numbers have been trending in the right direction, but when you see control issues this severe, it seems like this may have been a reach. Lefties who consistently throw in the mid-90s, and who top out in the high-90s don't grow on trees, so I get it, but if the control never comes, you've just reduced the value of having the extra picks. This pick reminds me of the Mark Rogers pick, the young man lit up the radar gun, so he was chosen ahead of other, perhaps safer options. It's just my opinion, but I don't agree with that approach, I want as little doubt as possible in the early rounds. I'm rooting for you Evan, please make me eat my words. 4. Seth Lintz - I've read that he may be a tough sign, but of course I don't know if that's true. If it is, this is a gutsy pick, but I love the talent here. Like Odorizzi, this is a great pick for an NL team, a kid who can really pitch, who also hits, and should field his position well. Another high schooler, Lintz will need some time to develop, but here is another prospect with a nice combination of talent and self-confidence. If Lintz signs, I think he'll become another favorite on this site. I think Lintz will be a nice middle of the rotation guy as a major leaguer, I'll guess mid-season 2012 for his arrival date. 5. Cutter Dykstra - A very safe pick, Cutter fits Jack Z's pattern of drafting the sons of former major league players. I love this choice, if he has his father's "I don't care what you think of me" approach to the game, he'll be fine. I absolutely think this is a future major leaguer, but I won't predict his father's level of success. 6. Cody Adams - I believe the Brewers will begin grooming Adams as a reliever immediately. I think his skills match that assignment, and I believe Adams will be happy to be there, rather than grousing about not starting. If the Brewers have drafted a long-term closer, this may be your man. Adams is a college guy, who throws hard, but needs work on his secondary stuff...perhaps a perfect choice to groom as a future closer. If he continues as a starter, he's one of many in a suddenly crowded landscape, if he makes the switch to relief work, he could move very quickly if his off-speed pitches become more consistent. Overall, I think this was a very wise draft for the Brewers, there's a lot of talent here, and the picks fit the needs of the organization. I love the heavy slant toward pitching at this point, and I love the emphasis on athletic, confident, "I am a baseball player" types, over raw, "diamond in the rough" types. If, for once, these young arms can avoid injury, I think the Brewers will hit on at least four of these six picks. A typical "next wave" of young talent takes 3-4 years to assemble, the Brewers may wind up with one from 2008 alone.

Interesting about Tommy Collier, I read in two places that he had committed to TCU, now I see that he's headed to JUCO if he doesn't sign.

10th round pick, Greg Miller of Seton Hall, is very eager to sign and expects to be in Helena very soon.

OK already, where do the new draft picks fit?

Marcus Salmon, Round 48 is interesting. He was a 10th round pick out of HS, and is now committed to Jackson State, I don't know a thing about him, but there must be more there than your typical 48th round selection. The team doubled up a lot this year, I see two players from Virginia Military Institute, 2 from East Carolina, 2 from Hillscrest HS in Alabama, and of course, several Canadian players.