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The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Seattle Mariners on Monday, as Prince Fielder had two RBI's in the contest.  Corey Hart helped to life Milwaukee into the lead with his solo home run.  Final Score Milwaukee six, Seattle two. Manny Parra had three scoreless innings, after struggling early.  Today, the Brewers face the Chicago Cubs.      

Some say that Miller Park was the largest building project in Milwaukee.  Perhaps the reconstruction of the Marquette interchange is a close second.  When driving along the interstate, one can see Miller Park from as far away as five miles away.  The most notable feature is the retractable roof. 

The Miller Park roof has required unexpected repairs.  Those repairs are now complete, and the roof should open and close with ease.  Another interesting roof issue, is the shadow that it casts upon the field.  The grass has had trouble growing with so much shade on the infield areas.  At this time, we still see natural grass at Miller Park. 

Now famous, and often copied is the Sausage Race.  Five costumed people run a race in the middle of the 6th inning.  The costumes are of the sausage variety.  The most popular attraction aside from the team is Bernie Brewer.  When the home team hits a home run, Bernie slides into a splash zone.  Years ago, Bernie the mascot was part of a beer promoting event.   

You don't have to wait until Februrary 27th to purchase Milwaukee Brewers single game tickets.  We already have a great selection of Brewers tickets for the 2010 season.  Click on this Milwaukee Brewers tickets link, and brouse our inventory. 

Bobblehead games are some of the most popular dates on the schedule.  The first Bobblehead game is April 11th, when the Brewers face the St. Louis Cardinals.  On May 16th, it's the Hank Aaron Bobblehead game.  One of my favorites, the Italian Sausage will be the featured bobblehead on August 8th, when the Astros come to Miller Park. 

In the past 11 seasons, Scott Schoenweis has made 93 starts, over 562 pitching appearances.  This 36 year old leftie just agreed to a minor league contract with our Milwaukee Brewers.  His overall record stands at 46-57.  Schoenweis was also invited to the Brewer's training camp for 2010.

The New York Yankees tickets are now available through our secure ticket checkout page.  From the bleachers to the luxury boxes, Yankees tickets are a great gift idea.  Some folks look down on the Yankees, because they win so many times.  Jump on the Yankees bandwagon, and root for them too.  You will enjoy the fun of the best team in baseball.

www.MilwaukeeBrewersticket.net now has PNC Park tickets.  Take a trip East and stop at PNC Park for a Pirates game.  You can have PNC Park tickets in hand before you leave your house.  Ordering tickets is as easy as clicking on the link above or placing a call to our sales staff.  (800)334-5434  Whether it's Pirates, Brewers, Cubs, Twins, or any Major League baseball ticket you need, MilwaukeeBrewersticket.net can get you in the game.

Baseball fans will be happy to know that we have a few new ticket pages.  If you are heading down to Houston, feel free to check out our Houston Astros tickets page.  The Astros feature Lance Berkman, who hit 29 home runs last season.  Their best pitcher, Roy Oswalt is coming off of a 17 win season.  Another powerful slugger for the Astros is Carlos Lee.  Lee had 26 home runs, and batted .300.  The Houston Astros are looking to shore up pitching for 2010.

When traveling to Pittsburg, consider Pittsburgh Pirates tickets.  PNC park is in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh.  The Pirates have struggled in recent years, but hopes are high for a solid season.  The Pirates hitting crew includes McLouth, LaRoche, and Bay.  Their best pitchers include Maholm, Snell, and Grabow.      

The Milwaukee Brewers signed Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez to one year contracts, covering the 2010 season.  Weeks will earn $300,000 more than last season.  Carlos Gomez, the former Minnesota Twin, agreed to a contract that will pay him just over one million for the season.  Brewers fans would love to see another starting pitcher come to the team. 

Brewers tickets are available 24/7 online, or call (800)334-5434 for the best tickets at Miller Park.

The sun is out today, but we are still in the middle of winter.  Can you believe that we're just three months away from the Milwaukee Brewers Miller Park Opening day game?  Yes, it's going to get warm and sunny in short order.  The first home game for our Milwaukee Brewers is April 5th.  Milwaukee Brewers tickets for that game are on sale now.  Call our Milwaukee office at (800)334-5434 for personal service.  Go Brewers Go!

After taking a look at the Brewers schedule, Milwaukee fans have a great first month of baseball to look forward to. Opening day at Miller Park will take place on Monday, April 5^th where the Brewers will face a three game series against the Colorado Rockies. The Monday and Wednesday games will be afternoon games while the Tuesday game will take place in the evening.

After that exciting kick start to the season, one of the biggest series will be the Brewers VS Cubs three-day homestand will start 4/23, and  run through the weekend. The Friday and Saturday games will take place in the evening and the Sunday game will be in the afternoon. Hopefully we get some great weather for this weekend as many fans come out to tailgate. It is always an entertaining sight to see the banter between the loyal Milwaukee Brewers fans and the many Chicago Cubs fans that come up to enjoy the tailgating fun before the game. 

The Milwaukee Brewers added another pitcher to their relief department.  LaTroy Hawkins signed a two year deal worth 7.5 million.  The Houston Astros is where Hawkins came from.  He's 37 years old, and last had an ERA of 2.13.  He's got 15 years of MLB experience.  He feels that his many years in baseball have given him the ability to handle the pressure of closing out games for the Brew Crew.

If you are scrambing for that last minute holiday gift, why not consider 2010 Milwaukee Brewers tickets?  Our friendly sales staff will be happy to help you find the right date, time, and Miller Park seat locations.  From the upper deck to the diamond box, we have a vast selection of Brewer tickets.

We can ship your Brewers tickets overnight.  Why not dream of warm days at Miller Park, as this winter covers the outfield with snow.  Have a great holiday season, and let's hope for a winning Milwaukee Brewers season!

Randy Wolf buttoned up his new Milwaukee Brewers jersey during his first press conference.  He had passed the pyhsical exam, signed the deal, and told the press that he's happy to be in Milwaukee. He was a bit sad that the Dodgers wouldn't match the offer, but this is major league baseball, and you have to take what you can.  He claims that he didn't expect to be a lock for the Dodger's roster.

Brewers managament felt that Wolf was one of the top three prospects in the free agent market, when it comes to pitching. It didn't hurt Milwuakee's chances to have Trevor Hoffman in their corner.  He took some time to speak with Wolf, and reassure him that the Brewers would welcome him with open arms, and a nice payout.  Taking a short look at his numbers we see that Wolf held his opponents to a batting average just above .230 in the past 45 starts. 

The Brewers have been busy in their offseason with several new signings and possible trades all in the name of a new and improved bullpen next season. The most dramatic deal thus far was with Randy Wolf, a left-hander who has pitched previously for the Phillies and the Dodgers. His three-year contract with the Brew Crew will be paying out around $10 million per season.

It is also projected that the Brewers will close a one year deal with free-agent Claudio Vargas soon. In 2007 he was a starter for the Brewers but has now been dropped down to a relief option. He made his second appearance with the team in July Dodgers and pumped up his value to the team in his 28 appearances by posting a 1.78 ERA.

The results of the National League MVP Award are out and for the sixth time in NL history, the Cardinals Albert Pujols took home the award. Though the prize was swept unanimously by Pujols, the Milwaukee Brewers very own Prince Fielder held his own and finished in fourth place. Fielder finished the event with 203 points overall and was listed as second choice on five ballots. Left fielder Ryan Braun finished this years event with 43 points, putting him in 11^th place. Many voters left Braun out of the top ten completely, a drastic change from his third place ranking in 2008.

Each of the star players had great personal achievements during the 2009 season. Braun batted .320 and hit 32 homers and 114 RBIs and was the leader of the NL with 203 hits. Fielder pumped up his batting average to .299, a career best for him and a 23 point jump from the previous season while he finished his season off with 46 home runs, putting him only one homer behind Pujols. He appeared in all 162 games and was the only player this year to do so and walked a career-best 110 times. Though the personal successes are great, the team success is the ultimate goal. Each player will be back next season, Fielder entering his second season of a two-year contract and Braun's contract is until 2015.

Did you know that you can buy your Milwaukee Brewers spring training tickets right here at MilwaukeeBrewersticket.net?  Just click on the Milwaukee Brewers tickets link, and you will be on your way to Arizona!  The Brewers, Miller Park opening day tickets are going fast, even though we have months of winter weather ahead of us.  Why not dream of a warm April day in Milwaukee?

Let the snow fall on Miller Park as you wait for the Milwaukee Brewers 2010 Spring Training games to start.  Maryvale Baseball Park is a small venue that holds just 8000.  The Brewers snow birds flock there each season.  It's a short drive from the Phoenix airport. 

The Milwaukee Brewers start their spring training games on the road at Scottsdale.  From there, they play Oakland just across town.  The first Milwaukee Brewers "home" game is on March 6th at Maryvale.  They play 14 games at Maryvale in March.  There are two more home games in April, then it's on to Miller Park. 

Some of the Brewers opponents during spring training include the Chicago Cubs, L.A. Dodgers, White Sox, and Royals.  The road games are mostly in Arizona.  Other towns that the Brewers travel to include Glendale, Tucson, and Tempe.     

Right handed pitcher Braden Looper filed for free agency this past Friday after the Brewers rejected their $6.5 million option on him.  Instead, the Brewers settled for a $1 million dollar buyout.  Last season, the Brewers tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the worst combined ERA of the 30 teams in the major league at 5.37.  The Brewers GM is looking to secure some high quality starting pitchers in order to improve the Brewers' standings.  In order to secure such a pitcher, Melvin has to move around some more expensive players to be able to offer attractive salaries to much sought after pitchers such as Lackey.

Speaking of Lackey, Brewers management has met with Lackey's agent.  Other pitchers of interest include left handed pitcher Randy Wolf who pitched a season with the LA Dodgers; left handed pitcher Doug Davis, whom the Brewers tried several times last year to acquire from Arizona but to no avail; left handed pitcher Jarrod Washburn, whom the Brewers tried to obtain from Seattle before the July 31^st trade deadline, but instead went to Detroit; Class B right handed pitchers Jon Garland and Jason Marquis;  and left handed pitcher  Mark Mulder,  who pitched for the Oakland A's under the new Brewers pitching coach, but hasn't pitched in a few years. 

The Milwaukee Brewers schedule includes 32 exhibition games for 2010.  As early as March fourth, we will see the 2010 Milwaukee Brewers performing on the field.  Just under half of the games will be played at Maryvale. 

Milwaukee will play two games at Miller Park.  Miller Park tickets for those two games will most likely be in high demand. The first regular seaon game will be against the Rockies on April 5th. In all, The Brewers will play 12 home games in the month of April.  

The Milwaukee Brewers Pitching roster for 2010 might include Jeremy Jeffress.  According to Gord Ash, he expects Jeffress to be in a major league Milwaukee Brewers uniform within the year.  The farm club might be key to a Brewers playoff spot in 2010. 

As Rick Peterson fills the role of pitching coach, he plans to guide young players such as Jeremy Jeffress.  Early in 2010, a series fo meetings will take place between Peterson and all farm club managers.  It is key that the Brewers cultivate or buy some solid pitching for the new season. 

With the season wrapped up, we can take a look at what worked for the Milwaukee Brewers, and what did not.  The low hanging fruit would dictate that we talk about the lack of solid pitching for the Brewers.  Losing Sabathia to the deep pockets of the Yankees was certainly the first blow.  If one were to just take Sabathia's record for 2009, and plug it into the Brewers win-loss record, we would be in the playoffs right now. 

Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan both incurred injuries that "hurt" the team big-time.  It's hard to get our hitters to rise above lousy pitching.  That pressure is too great.  When you have two solid .300 hitters in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, that's a plus, but they can't bring a team back from a three or four run deficit every time our pitchers tank.

We could also say that losing Rickie Weeks early in the season certainly hurt the offensive production.  Parra was sent down to the minors, and for good reason.  Dave Bush took that line drive to his pitching arm, literally killing his strength.  Finally Braden Looper revealed that he had a knee injury for the entire season.  That could be a contributing factor to his bad numbers.

The hitting is still strong, the defense was good enough, but the pitching killed the Milwaukee Brewer hopes of getting to the post season once again. 

For Milwaukee Brewers fans a loss to the Chicago Cubs can be especially tough.  The first loss was a close game.  The Brewers put up a big goose egg.  Chicago scored two runs.  Last night's game was a barrage of Cubs runs, verses the usual smattering of runs by the Brewers.  Cubs win 13-7.  Part of that run production came from the 12 walks that the Brewers gave up.  Yovani Gallardo allowed seven runs in the evening.  He was responsible for four of the walks.  

What's left for the Brewers at Miller Park?  They are about to start a long home stand on Friday, September 18th.  Houston comes to townfor three games, and the Cubs follow.  The Phillies play four games at Miller Park, and that's it for games in Milwaukee. 

Brewers VS Astros Septmember 18-20

Brewers VS Cubs September 21-23

Brewers VS Phillies September 24-27

Here you can find our Miller Park tickets for all remaining home games.

It's too bad that this upcoming series doesn't mean that much for Milwaukee.  After losing two games to the Giants, Prince Fielder blasted a 12th inning home run to salvage the series.  The St. Louis Cardinals come to Miller Park tonight.  The Cardinals are most likely the division winners, come October.  Who thinks this game is important?  The Chicago Cubs certainly want our Milwaukee Brewers to win.  They still have a chance.  We have games left to play in Milwaukee, and Brewers tickets are still available. 

Brewers VS Cardinals September 8

Brewers VS Cardinals September 9, 1pm

Brewers VS Houston September 18th-20th

Brewers VS Chicago Cubs September 21st-23rd

There is still time to catch a Brewers game this season.

The Milwaukee Brewers will host the Cincinnati Reds tonight at Miller Park.  Quality Milwaukee Brewers tickets are still available for the game tonight, adn for the entire series at Miller Park.  The weather should be perfect for the game tonight. 

Jeff Suppan is expected to start the game this evening.  Suppan injured his ribs back in late July.  He had a shaky start in AAA Nashville, so who knows what we Brewers fans will see.  He goes up against Bronson Arroyo.  Arroyo is 11-12 with an ERA of 4.56.  The reds are 18.5 games out of first. 

Milwaukee Brewers fans still hope for a miracle.  They are ten games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Wednesday game starts at 7:05, and the Thursday start time is in the afternoon. 

Have you been out to see the Brew Crew yet this summer? It's the second half of the baseball season and we still have so many great Milwaukee Brewers Tickets in our office now. From the on deck circle to Bernie Brewer's Dugout, we can supply any ticket you're looking for to get the best fan experience. Come get your tickets now before the summer weather leaves us and the season is over! You can check out our constantly updated inventory online or call us for more information. 

The Brewers host the San Diego Padres tonight, tomorrow, and Thursday.  The game starts at 7pm.  Tickets still available now.

Milwaukee Brewers were soundly defeated by the best team in the National League last night.  The L.A. Dodgers scored 17.  It had been 30 years since they scored that number.  Milwaukee continues to struggle, and is losing ground to Chicago, and St. Louis. 

The frustration was evident when Prince Fielder stormed over to the Dodgers clubhouse after the game.  Fielder was hit by a Guillermo Mota pitch, in what some would call retaliation for a wild Brewers pitch that connected with Manny Ramirez in the seventh inning.

Sometimes a fired up player can turn that anger into home runs, and Milwaukee Brewers batters need some sort of spark. Most of the Milwaukee Brewers players felt that the intentional pitch was uncalled for.  The Dodgers were one out away from winning the game.  Some chalk this up to the situation going back to the post season drubbing that L.A. received from the Phillies.  

Milwaukee plays the Dodgers tonight at 9pm Central time.  If the Brewers can come away with the win, that's the statement most fans would be happy with.  There are four more games remaining on this road trip.  The Brewers will come home to Miller Park on August 11th, to face San Diego.  In other news, Corey Hart has been put on the 15 day disabled list after having his appendix removed.  He will miss a month. 

Prince Fielder continues to impress local and national Milwaukee Brewers fans, as he won the Home Run Derby in St. Louis last night. It was a close contest between Fielder and Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers, with the two tying in the first round at 11 runs.

Fielder toughed it out though in round two, hitting six runs while Cruz hit five. Along with winning the Derby, Fielder also hit a 503 foot homer making it the first time he broke the 500 foot measurement. Brewers fans are looking forward to the All Star Game tonight (7/14) and the return of the team to Milwaukee against the Atlanta Braves the weekend of July 24^th.

Yovani Gallardo had one of his best games ever.  He struck out a dozen batters, and lost the game.  The Mets scored one run in the seventh inning, and that was all they needed to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers. 

"The Brewers are still in first place, and that's the most important thing right now," said Ryan Braun.  Gallardo's teammates tried to keep his spirits high.  Two weak hits, and the Mets scored a run in the sixth inning. 

Milwaukee had seven hits in the game, with New York at five hits overall.  Milwaukee left thirteen men on base, and that killed their chances.  It's on to Chicago for the Brewers this evening.  McClung faces Dempster at Wrigley field.  The Brewer's home stand came at the same time as the Summerfest run.  This road series against the Cubs means that Milwaukee won't be competing against Marcus Amphitheater ticket sales. 

Yovani Gallardo shut the Giants down after the first inning at Miller Park.  Pablo Sandoval hit that one homer, and that was just about all the Brewers had to worry about.  Gallardo struck out nine, and pitched into the eigth, and had great stuff on his breaking ball. 

Milwaukee took the lead in the bottom of the first inning, with a triple from Craig Councell and RBI's from Bran and McGehee.  Milwaukee scored again in the thrd and fifth innings, but didn't need those insurance runs.  Gallardo had the game in his control after the run scoring first.

Councel was 3-2 at the plate, and JJ Hardy contributed with a pair of hits and one RBI.  Ryan Braun had two RBI's in Friday's game as well.  Milwaukee faces the Giants again this evening. Seth McClung faces Barry Zito. 

The Brewers have hit a rough patch, with their eight losses in the last 12 games. The series against the Colorado Rockies at home was a hard fought but essentially null battle. For the Tuesday game, the Brewers picked up an early advantage. Braden Looper, had six shut-out innings in that game. The seventh inning was unkind to the team though, and three runs were scored. The Brewers continued to fight through the Wednesday game when the Rockies hit three consecutive doubles in the fifth inning and contributed to the loss. Though the outcome of the game was unfortunate, Miller Park hit a stadium milestone with the one millionth fan entering the park. In an attempt to bring at least one win to the series, manager Ken Macha mixed up the starting lineup but it appeared to be too little too late, and the team lost yet again.

The weekend series against the Chicago White Sox, the Brew Crew got a taste of victory with the win on Friday night but the confidence was quickly shot back down with Saturday's game as Manny Parra surrendered six hits before the second inning. The game ended in a loss of 1-7.  Advantage White Sox. Sunday was a bittersweet game as the Brewers lost but some great strides were made for individual players. Corey Hart hit two home runs and Casey McGhee scored the first homer of his career.

Leaving home for the series at Cleveland, it went well for the Brew Crew with the team sweeping all three games for the first time in nearly three decades. Prince Fielder saved the team on Monday night with an awesome comeback and a first time accomplishment, hitting the first grand slam in his career.  Another milestone he hit was 6 RBIs in a single game. The series continued well, with some great hitting on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Any confidence the Crew may have gained during the Cleveland series was dismissed with yet another losing streak at Detroit, against the Tigers. Pitcher Dave Bush struggled through this series, surrendering runs and hits and not making it through the fourth inning in any game. Though the Brewers have been losing frequently, the players are still in good spirits, with Braun stating, "Everybody had higher expectations. But keeping things in perspective, we're a third of the way through the season, we're in first place and, offensively, we probably can't get too much worse." We look forward to seeing the Brewers back in Milwaukee again against the Minnesota Twins this week and hope for some great playing and great weather.

Jorge Julio pitched himself right out of a job on Monday night.  He came in to the game in the sixth inning with a two run cushion.  He hit two batters, walked a man, and earned four of the five runs in that inning. 

Julio's ERA as he leaves the Brewers ball club is 7.79.  He did a much better job in Atlanta, with a 3-0 record and an ERA under1.0.  Milwaukee brought in Mike Burns from Triple-A Nashville to take the place of Julio. 

Milwaukee went on to lose the game on Monday, and again lost to Florida the next night.  The Marlins are struggling to get fans in the seats.  Playing the first place Brewers was no help in the last two games.  I would guess that fewer than three thousand made it to game.

The Brewers have had a number of rough outings. Last weekend, the Brewers went up to Minnesota to play The Twins and were crushed in all three games. Their opener of the series was a downer to say the least. Parra surrendered nine runs in less than four innings, leaving the Brewers too far behind to catch up.

Things never got any better, with Milwaukee losing every game in the dome. The new week started with a win at home against the Saint Louis Cardinals. That win on Monday would not be enough to carry them through the series though. The next two games were both losses, with Jeff Suppan allowing three home runs in one inning on Tuesday, and the team stranding runners way too many times throughout. The team had a break on Thursday to regroup and we hope their weekend series at home versus the Cincinnati Reds goes better.  The warm weather predictions have fans scrambling to find seats.

Our Milwaukee Brewers forgot about the trip to Minnesota when they won in ten innings last night.  St. Louis lost to our Brew Crew by a score of 1-0 when got Bill Hall his first hit in 28 at bats.  Hall needed the boost.  It was hard enough to "replace" Rickie Weeks, but then to go 0-27, surely the fans were concerned.

Both pitchers had no hitters going into the sixth inning; Chris Carpenter had his going until the seventh.  That's when Craig Councell slapped a hit past the St. Louis second baseman. 

Yovani Gallardo tripped up in the first inning, and then got white hot, retiring 14 in a row. 

Milwaukee's win puts them one-half game above St. Louis.  These two teams meet again tonight at Miller Park.  Brewers tickets are selling at a brisk pace for the remaining games this week. 

Joining the Brewers will be Frank Catalanotto.  Catalanotto was called up yesterday.  He bats lefty, and that will help the club in this series.  He spent 12 years in the majors, playing for three other teams. 

Rickie Weeks went under the knife today.  He is out for the season after a major tendon injury popped up during game play.  Sadly, Ricky was having a solid season.  He had nine home runs in just over one month of play.  This leadoff batter will be missed.

The surgery went well, and his wrist is now in a cast.  He will not be able to move it for the next two months.  This is the second time his wrists have failed him.  Injuries have plagued this young man over the past four years. 

The Milwaukee Brewers have managed to keep up with the St. Louis Cardinals.  They are two games ahead of St. Louis at this time.  Milwaukee is ten games above .500, and has won eight of the last ten games.  The bats are hot.

Tonight, they face Houston.  It is game three of the series, and Milwaukee hopes to bounce back from the loss.  Bill Hall will lead off the Brewers batters tonight.  He needs some kind of spark to get his batting back in order. 

Veteran closer, Trevor Hoffman is now ten saves into the season.  He has yet to blow a save for the Brewers.  The pitching has been solid to say the least.  On the batting side, Ryan Braun was named Offensive Player of the week.  He is batting a solid .321, and has hit eight home runs.

Prince Fielder has nine home runs, and is batting .272, with 37 runs batted in.  Prince had a slow start this spring.  He is coming around, and bringing his numbers back in line with 2008.  Milwaukee comes home to play St. Louis on Monday, May 25^th.  They stay home at Miller Park through the month of May upon their return. 

In the first week of May, the Milwaukee Brewers hosted the Cubs for a three game series.  While they were hoping for a sweep, the third game broke their brief streak. 

Game One was a Friday night match up.   Miller Park was full and the Cubs fans had streamed in from the southern border.  The Brewers took a 3-2 win over the Cubs.  Overall it was an exciting game, scoreless until the sixth when the Cubs pulled ahead.  The eighth saw Ryan Braun sock in a two-run homer to cinch the deal for Milwaukee.

Saturday's meeting at Miller Park was very eventful and high scoring.  In the fifth Ryan Braun nearly took a headshot from Cubs pitcher, Ryan Dempster.  There was certainly a lot of tension from that near miss.  In the seventh, the Brewers took their 3-2 lead up to 9-2.  At the top of the eighth, the lights went out at the ballpark, literally.  For about 20 minutes power was down, stopping play.  Once they were back up, the Brewers closed out a 12-6 stomping of the Cubs. 

Mother's Day didn't turn out to be the sweep that the Brewers were hoping for.  By the third inning, the Cubs drove in 4 runs for a lead that the Brewers weren't able to break.  On a positive note, to show their support for MLBs breast cancer fund raising program, several Brewer players used pink bats: Rickie Weeks, Jason Kendall, Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy and Bill Hall.    These bats are being auctioned off with proceeds to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.

A great wrap-up for the series was Ryan Braun being named the National League's Player of the Week.  He took a blow to the helmet, before smashing a home run out of the park in game two, and he hit a home run in game one.  

Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman walked to the mound last night, while Hells Bells by AC/DC played over the loudspeaker.  A large number of the Milwaukee fans stood up and cheered.  Hoffman was activated on April 26^th, and played his first game in a Brewer uniform.  He pitched just one inning, and retired the side. 

It was nice that Hoffman had a five-run lead to work with.  Rickie Weeks hit a three-run home run in the second inning.  He ended the night with four RBI's.  Mike Cameron continued to stay hot, hitting a home run in the eighth as well. There was tension in the game after Ryan Braun was hit by a pitch.  He slapped a home run in the first inning, and that may have prompted Pirates pitcher Karstens to go inside with a pitch the next time he came up to the plate.

The Pirates tied the game in top of the eighth, but our Milwaukee Brewers responded in the bottom of that same inning, scoring five runs.  Milwaukee continues to dominate the Pirates.  They have a 13 game win streak against the Pirates right now.  Game two of the series starts at 7pm tonight. 

Milwaukee Brewer's pitcher Dave Bush should be feeling great about his performance in Philadelphia yesterday. He was working on a no-hitter in the eighth inning when Matt Stairs smashed one against the foul pole.  In fact, he gave up only two hits the entire game.  Milwaukee went on to win this contest by a score of 6-1.  Bush may struggle at times, but this game was completely in his control.  He claimed that he had a fun time on the mound.  We witnessed another Ryan Braun home run.  His slump continues, but the home run lifted the spirits of the Brewers dugout. Prince Fielder drove in three runs with his double.

Speaking of slumping Milwaukee Brewers, Jason Kendall would like to lift himself out of the hitting drought when the Brewers play in Houston tonight.  Jason has been stymied by opposing pitchers since the season started.  Currently sporting a lowly .132 average, he is certainly feeling the pressure.  Jason admits that he did not do as well as others did in spring training.  He will have to work out the kinks as spring turns to summer.  Milwaukee plays the next three games in Houston, and that his one of Kendall's favorite parks.  Let's hope that the cure is on the way.

The Brewers avoided a sweep by the Mets.  Milwaukee's batting average is near the bottom of the pack in baseball.  Brewers fans are well aware of that problem.  Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder need to get out of their funk.

J.J. Hardy is sporting a lowly .114 batting average after forty-four trips to the plate.  Prince Fielder's batting average is just slightly better at .175.  Brewers favorite, Ryan Braun has hit only one home run in forty-five at bats.  His average is .222 at this time.

The hottest Brewers bat on the team would be Mike Cameron's.  He has a .316 average, with four home runs to date.  He certainly enjoyed this Brewers/Mets series.  Playing his old team has allowed him to shine. 

What the Mets seem to be doing well is leaving men on base.  If it weren't for the lucky hit here and there by the Mets batters, the Brewers could have easily been at .500 by now.Todd Coffey put together a solid save, sending eight men back to the dugout without a hit.

All eyes are now on Trevor Hoffman.  He begins his rehab in Nashville today by pitching for the Sounds.  If all goes well, he will be available by Sunday.  After that, he can start earning the $6 million that the Milwaukee Brewers put up for his services.  He is part of the reason why Brewers tickets have sold so well this year.   

Aside from the Milwaukee Brewers opening day victory, there has not been much to cheer about.  The Brewers lost the next four games, all against division rivals.  The Cubs won game two of the three game series in similar fashion as the Brewers did the day before.  A two run home run in the ninth inning was too much for the home team to overcome.  The third game of the series featured a fantastic catch by Chicago outfielder Reed Johnson.  Had that ball gone over his glove and into the stands, Milwaukee might have topped the Cubbies.

Milwaukee Brewers fans hoped for better luck against the Reds.  Their hopes were dashed, as Cincinnati took the first to games of the series.  Four losses in a row quieted those rabid Brewers fans.  Game three of the series became a must-win for Milwaukee.

The timely hitting of Mike Cameron lit up the scoreboard.  Cameron hit two home runs, and a double which scored another run for the slumping team.  In the sixth inning, Milwaukee blew the game open, and never looked back.  The Brewers head to New York to play the Mets after defeating the Reds 9-3.

Veteran closer, Trevor Hoffman is working back from an injury.  The good news is that he has felt no pain when throwing pitches in the bullpen.  He will do the same in New York, and then if things go well, he will begin to rehab in AAA Nashville.  The rib soreness has subsided, but a real game scenario will help Hoffman find the strike zone. He has yet to pitch a regulation game for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Prince Fielder watched the ball sail over the Miller Park fence and drop into the glove of Reed Johnson.  Had Johnson missed the catch, Prince would have tied the game with a grand slam home run.  The Brewers lost the series to the Cubs.

That sacrifice fly was indicative of Prince Fielder's current drought.  Fielder is hitting a lowly .250 with twenty at-bats to his name right now.  He has hit one home run, and amassed four RBI's so far.  His eight strikeouts are a team high for the season.

Prince Fielder will go up against the Cincinnati tonight at Miller Park.  The season is early, and there is no need to worry about the Brewers batters.  It is hard to lose to divisional rivals thought.  Milwaukee batters will face Reds pitcher Volquez at 7:05pm tonight.

The Milwaukee Brewers home opener is in just thirty minutes.  A cold north wind is blowing, but that won't matter much.  Miller Park has a roof, and it will be warm inside.  The San Francisco Giants defeated our own Brew Crew again last night.  I would guess that our team is happy to be home in Milwaukee.

 The Brewers need to come out strong and defeat the Chicago Cubs.  Hopefully, the team will coast to victory.  These two teams may be facing each other in the playoffs come fall.  It would be great if Milwaukee had homefield advantage.  That's another reason why it is so very importand to win these early games.  You don't wan early season losses to come back to bite you.

Milwaukee Brewers fans are tailgating in the sun right now.  Yes, the temperatures are not quite as high as they could be, but the sun is out.  The smoke from the grills will not be burning anyones eyes today.  With this wind, I would guess that the ticket holders will head into Miller Park with plenty of time to spare.   

The Brewers will also need Yovani Gallardo to come out strong, and be the ace pitcher for Milwaukee.  The young pitcher is strong and healthy, and that is a plus.  His inexperience could be a concern, but he has a solid strikeout ratio already.  Some young pitchers don't need too much time on the mound in order to feel comfortable.

Switching over to the older pitcher on the Brewers squad, Trevor Hoffman will be on the disabled list for the next 15 days.  He strained a muscle in his right side nearly three weeks ago, and the healing process is slow to develop.  The "Six Million Dollar Man" will not see action on opening day.

The Brewers have one hot batter in Rickie Weeks.  Weeks is riding a 15-16 streak right now.  Milwaukee needs Weeks to bring up his .234 batting average for sure. 

The Milwaukee Brewers' 2009 season has not started, but they already set a record.  That record is the "single day" ticket sales.  Milwaukee topped the 100,000 mark for sales of tickets in a single day.  On Saturday, the fans crawled out of their tents and stood by the box office windows, ready to buy up the remaining opening day tickets. 

The Brewer's website had nearly crashed in the first thirty minutes of the sale.  Visitors to the site were greeted with the "unable to process your request."  Those that braved the cold and lined up outside of Miller Park seemed to get first crack at the tickets, as well they should.  The local police had to turn away some of the most crazed fans who tried to camp out in front of the box office eight days prior to the sale date. 

When Milwaukee Brewers tickets finally became available on Saturday morning, over one thousand people had lined up.  You can bet that the Cubs series has long since sold out. 

On the player side of the ball, Tony Gwynn Jr. was to keep from using his right arm in a throwing situation until doctors can figure out what is wrong with his shoulder.  Gwynn is scheduled for an MRI today. 

Not that the spring training record means anything, but the Brewers find themselves at 2-2 in the standings.   Today, Jeff Suppan faced 14 batters and gave up three runs in the first inning.  He struck out two batters, and gave up a home run.  

It has been three years since Ken Macha has coached a major league baseball team.  Bobby Crosby commented that it is interesting how things continue to spin around in the world of baseball.  You never know where a coach will end up.  Even more interesting is how Macha decided that the other contenders for the coaching position now work under him.  Rarely do you find someone willing to bring in the best man for the job, when it happened to be someone who might have run the team themselves.  That can also bring about tension, if Macha does not do a great job this first season.  You have a potential replacement as your right hand man.

Spring training starts today, with Jeff Suppan taking the mound for the Brewers.  Tomorrow Milwaukee faces the Chicago Cubs in Mesa Arizona.  Early predictions have the Brewers making a playoff run, wild card style.  Yes, this is just a guess, but it would be great to have the Brewers play in the post season yet again?  Let us not assume that it will take another 26 years for that to happen. 

All is quiet on the pitching front.  Milwaukee has not made any moves since the Ben Sheet's surgery.  If anything, Milwaukee will probably name Yovani Gallardo as their ace.  Will Milwaukee find another ace in the free market?  There are slim pickings out there for sure.

Gallardo is young, has pitched very few innings in the majors, and missed nearly the entire 2008 season.  Milwaukee Brewers management is not in panic mode when it comes to pitching, so they must feel very confident that Yovani could serve as their ace.

At this point, it looks like there will be five starters playing the role of two, unless something changes.  Bill Castro is busy coaching the Dominican Republic in the inaugural Classic, so he is not available for comment until that event has passed. 

The Classic can make fans nervous.  Will the MLB players come away from that event without injury?  Am I jinxing that for the fans of the Brew Crew?  I hope not. 

Switching gears, Milwaukee faces the Cubs for their home opener.  It may be premature to call that series crucial, but if either team sweeps that series, it could make the rest of April a pressure cooker.  Milwaukee begins their season in San Francisco, so they will have a few games under their belt by the time the Cubs come to Milwaukee.  Let us hope that Milwaukee works out the kinks during the west coast road trip.  One can expect a deluge of Cubs fans in Miller Park for the home opener.  The "dome-less" Cubbies fans would love to come to see some early season baseball in a heated ballpark.  Let's hope that Milwaukee sends them south of the border after their Cubs lose all three games.

If the Cubs fans tune into local Milwaukee radio for the Brewers games, they will hear a familiar voice.  Cory Provus, the former Cubs announcer will join Bob Uecker in the press box.  Jim Powell has moved to the Atlanta market.  Provus will get his first crack at Milwaukee baseball when he announces during the first preseason game on February 26^th against the Oakland A's.   

Bill Hall tore a calf muscle on Friday the 13^th.  For you folks that are superstitious, yes it happened on the big, scary day.  He should be back in action before the regular season.  The tear should heal within six weeks.

Mat Gamel would be a great fill-in for Hall if only his defense were better.  He is too error prone right now to bring up to the majors.  We fans looked past Ryan Braun's errors, but Gamel is all hitting and terrible on defense.  He commits an error every 2.93 games right now.  That is unacceptable for any ball club.

Ben Sheets put the breaks on the Rangers deal now that he decided to have surgery on his elbow.  One would imagine that during the exam, this problem would have come to light.  Ben decided to do the right thing and go in for surgery.  Milwaukee may have to pay the price of the workers comp he plans to cash in.  Casey Close, Sheet's agent confirmed that he is going to have the surgery.

Texas could still try to complete the deal, requiring that he play for Texas after he rehabs his arm.  That does not look like it is going to happen. 

Sheets did not play in the post season of 2008.  The medical staff in Milwaukee felt that he needed rest and rehab.  There was no talk of surgery at that time.  Sheets declined the 2009 offer from Milwaukee, and went out to the marketplace.  It will take time for all the kinks to be worked out on the rehab.

Who knows where Ben Sheets will play after he heals up.

As time goes on, the Brewers fans don't see another option but to make Ben Sheets a solid offer.  We have a new closer, and keeping Sheets in a Milwaukee uniform could certainly help keep the Brewers in playoff contention for the new year.

He injured his arm this past September, but prior to that, he pitched enough innings to make him worthy of a contract that is heavy on the incentives.  That type of contract would eliminate some of the financial risk, should he bow out once more. 

Serious sports writers put Milwaukee out of contention if they don't sign Sheets, or a player of similar caliber.  Imagine a combination of Yovani Gallardo and Ben pitching away in Milwaukee.  That keeps McClung around for the bullpen role if Sheets can stay in Milwaukee. 

Ben wants a multi-year deal.  He has been hurt in four of the past five seasons.  We can see that other teams around the league feel that what he wants is too much of a risk.  Milwaukee should offer up the best one-year deal that they could muster.  Reports from the farm show that the Brewers don't have any pitchers that they could count on for 2010. At the very least, we have another season to cultivate, trade, or sign a worthy pitcher if we take a shot on Ben.

Doug Melvin is not optimistic about signing Sheets, and he is the voice that we should be listening to with the most gravitas. 

Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart both showed up for Bob Uecker's show at the Riverside Theater this past weekend.  They seemingly had a great time, despite the fact that their contracts will go to arbitration.  The Brewers and Weeks are nearly one million dollars apart, and Corey Hart is looking for 1.1 million more than the current offer from Milwaukee.

Although Mark Attanasio would consider looking at multi-year deals for both players, it is more than likely that both men will see one-year deals come across the table.  Prince Fielder signed a two-year deal worth eighteen million.  Prince got a one million dollar signing bonus.  He looks to earn 6.5 million in the first year, and over eleven million in the second.  Some incentives might put another quarter million in his pocket, should he make it to the plate over five hundred times.

The ghost of Eric Gagne will blow out of Miller Park the moment Trevor Hoffman walks on to the mound.  The Milwaukee Brewers are well on their way to acquiring Hoffman with a six million dollar, one-year deal that includes incentives.  He played for San Diego last season, and their offer was a four million dollar, one-year contract. 

It was well known that Hoffman preferred to play for a team on the West Coast, but the Brewers organization seemed to impress him enough to give up on that idea.  At age 41, Hoffman spent sixteen years with San Diego.  The Padres have been preparing Jonathan Broxton for the closer position.  That certainly had an influence on Trevor's plans. 

With Saloman Torres retiring and Eric Gagne failing, the offer was a serious attempt for a proven closer.  Hoffman had his troubles early in 2008.  He managed to have thirty saves after that struggle.  The man still has the touch. 

Eric Gagne is still on the roster.  So are Guillermo Mota and Brian Schouse.  The fact that they are free agents compelled Milwaukee to lock in this veteran.  Hoffman has over five hundred saves to his name.  Drafted by Cincinnati, Hoffman did not hit the major league pitchers mound until he was playing for the Marlins. 

Milwaukee beat out the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had hopes of acquiring Hoffman.  This two-time Cy Young runner up helped San Diego take the 2006 NL West championship position.  All that is left is the physical, and Hoffman is a Milwaukee Brewer.

Hoffman's salary peaked in 2003, when he was paid over nine million dollars.  That year, he saw very little action.  He played in only nine games that year after being sidelined with shoulder surgery.  Scouts consider him to have one of the best change-up's in the majors.  He is known for forcing opposing batters to swing early.  Hoffman's wife was a former cheerleader for the Buffalo Bills.  His mother was an athletic ballet dancer.

As my family gathered for the holiday season, there were discussions about the loss of CC Sabathia to the New York Yankees.  My nephew said, "I pretended that the Brewers had a chance at keeping him in Milwaukee."  Another asked me about the status of Ben Sheets.  Sheets might go to a team that can pay big money.  Eventually, we discussed the amount of money that the New York Yankees spent on three players. 

New York snagged Mark Teixeira on December 23^rd.  With the signing of Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, their payroll commitment for those three players is topping $420 million.  Milwaukee's entire 2008 team payroll was over 80 million.  How can a team compete when their payroll is less than one quarter of what another team is willing to spend on just three players?  Will small market teams become glorified minor league teams that happen to play in the majors?

One thing is for sure, a salary cap would take care of that problem in short order.  With the Yankees spending ungodly amounts of money this year already, the salary cap talk has started yet again.  Major league baseball is still the only team without a cap.  To be clear, there is a penalty against teams that go beyond a threshold.  That penalty money is redistributed to smaller market teams.  New York has single handedly contributed ninety percent of the penalties imposed. 

The small market owners are the ones clamoring for a salary cap.  The well-funded, large market owners are less inclined to say anything.  The Minnesota Twins are a small market team that has had four division titles in the past eight years.  The Milwaukee Brewers made the playoffs in 2008.  Small market teams can reach the playoffs from time to time, but they just can't keep up with the likes of Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. 

Milwaukee's salary ranked 17^th in all of baseball.  Minnesota ranked 25^th.  Six of the top ten teams paying out the most money went to the playoffs in 2008.  Money will put you within reach of the pennant, but it is not a guarantee.  The Brewers will most likely pay out something similar to last year's 80 million for the 2009 season.  One can hope that we fans won't have to wait another 26 years for the Brewers to go to the playoffs. 

Mike Cameron is staying in Milwaukee.  After initial conversations between Doug Melvin and Mike Cashman took place on December 11^th, neither men have attempted to speak to each other since that time.  Milwaukee has three right handed batters in the outfield.  Finding solid left handed batters will not come from trading Cameron to the Yankees. 

The ten million dollars spent on Cameron will make it just a bit tougher to land a free agent pitcher, but Doug Melvin is happy to have Mike on the squad.  He's a veteran player, who didn't play up to his full potential in Milwaukee in 2009, but it wasn't a total loss.  He served out his 25 game suspension to star the season, and then went on to have a solid defensive season in center field. 

Some fans will not forget his error in game one of the first playoff game against Philadelphia.  That dropped ball allowed two runs to score, and changed the completion of the game.  Mike ended the 2008 season with 70 RBI's.  There is room for improvement on that end, but the Brewers are happy to have a solid center fielder for 2009.

In other news on the outfield front, Gabe Kapler may be moving on to another team.  Kapler was a strong fourth man in the outfield rotation, but Milwaukee is thinking left handed batters right now.  Gabe may be picked up by Boston, or another team.  Cincinatti would put him in their rotation as the fifth outfielder.  Kapler batted .301 for the season and was a fan favorite in Milwaukee.  As the Brewers only signed Kapler to a one-year deal in 2008, he's free to take any offer that comes his way.

What will be the state of Brewers pitching when the 2009 season starts?  Ben Sheets has had his injury issues.  When he is healthy, he's proven to be a solid starter.  The odds of Sheets staying in Milwaukee are slim, so let's just put that item aside for now.

Dave Bush came around later in the 2008 season, but had a shaky first half.  Bush's final ten game stats show that he had five wins, one loss, and 28 strikeouts.  His overall ERA improved from 2007, but 4.45 is not something to cheer about.

Bush won 9 of 19 decisions and pitched in 31 games.  When his win-loss record was in the tank, many lost faith in Dave.  His strong finish was a welcome sign that he will stay in the starting rotation for 2009.  The Brewers don't have much of a choice; they need Bush to perform well.

Yovanni Gallardo injured his knee early in the 2008 season.  After rehabbing, he made it to the mound on September 25^th and pitched four innings.  He struck out seven, and gave up a home run that game.  Just having him back in the rotation lifted the spirits of the ball club.  You can't take his ERA seriously when it's comprised of the four games he pitched.  1.88 ERA in a full season of pitching would rival the efforts of CC Sabathia.

Manny Parra finished the year with a 10-8 record.  His ERA is similar to Dave Bush's, and in need of improvement. 

Chris Capuano will stay with the Brewers, albeit in the minors.  If he makes it back to the roster, he will be paid a base salary of $500,000.  He could make well above that mark in performance based pay, but the jury is still out in regards to his elbow injury from last year.  The free agent market is the next stop for Milwaukee.  Finding replacements for Sheets and Sabathia will be a tall order.

Milwaukee signed a one year deal with Jorge Julio and will put him in the closing rotation.  The 29 year old pitcher has not had a stellar year since 2003.  He spent 2008 playing for Cleveland and Atlanta.  He had a 3.60 ERA in his 27 games.  Brian Shouse is looking for a two year deal with Milwaukee.  The Brewers picked up R.J. Swindle, a left handed pitcher who could replace Shouse in the rotation, should Brian sign with another team.  

Another Brewer that might wear Yankee pinstripes for 2009 is Mike Cameron.  There are talks in the works for a deal where Cameron would go to New York in exchange for Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera.  Cameron didn't live up to his prior seasons while he played in Milwaukee.  He ended up the 2008 season batting .243 and hit 25 home runs.  He is slated to earn ten million in 2009, so the trade will help free up money for Milwaukee.

It was too much money, with too many options.  CC Sabathia will soon be a New York Yankee.  The deal pays Sabathia over 161 million over ten years, with an option to drop out of the contract after three.  This is the richest contract in baseball history for a free-agent pitcher. 

Reports have come out that Milwaukee did offer more than the 100 million for five years, but it was not enough to keep CC in this small town market.  In an interesting twist, The Milwaukee organization tried to show that it was to Sabathia's advantage tax-wise to stay here with the Brewers.  I suppose that it mattered very little, when you are going to earn tens of millions of dollars overall. 

Couple the huge offer with the chance to play in the highest of profile teams, and Milwaukee had little chance to keep this young master of the mound. 

The winter meetings will focus on pitching, now that CC is gone.  Two areas of focus came to light on the first day of the meeting.  The starting rotation needs support, and the bullpen is lacking.  Ken Macha hinted that a closer is a priority to him

As the winter meetings close, and with CC off the table for all teams interested, the other free agents will start to ink deals. 

Russell Branyan is headed to Seattle.  He leaves the Brewers with a .250 batting average over 132 at-bats.  His injury left him sidelined for the last month of 2008, and he didn't get to play in the playoff games against Philadelphia.  The Seattle deal is for one year, where Branyan will collect 1.4 million dollars.

CC Sabathia will most likely get the largest contract for any 2009 pitcher this season in the free agent market.  With that, Milwaukee has offered salary Arbitration to CC.  This might bring a good draft pick to Milwaukee in the end.  Hopes are high that Sabathia will stay in Milwaukee, but that remains to be seen.

Former Brewer, Don Money is reportedly moving to AAA ball in Nashville.  This is Don's twelfth year in the Brewers organization as a coach. 

As the first blanket of snow covers Miller Park, the spring training schedule is out for the 2009 season.  The Oakland A's will face the Brew Crew on February 25^th, in Arizona.  The 36 game schedule includes two games against Chicago. 

As Milwaukee is coming off of a playoff season, they feel confident that the increase in ticket prices won't stop fans from sitting in the seats.  It has been reported that a number of teams have frozen their pricing for 2009, but Milwaukee was not one of those teams. 

Most notably, the Boston Red Sox have frozen their prices for the first time in fourteen years.  Milwaukee is bumping up prices from one to two dollars per game.  Other teams such as the New York Yankees, are marking up premium seating .  

Spend some time walking around Summerfest this summer and one thing was clear.  Everyone likes to wear the Brewers gear.  For the first time in years, people are supporting their team by wearing jerseys, t-shirts, caps and more.  My nephew came in from Seattle wearing his Milwaukee Brewers cap.  When I took him to Miller Park for a game, he headed straight for the pro shop to buy a Ryan Braun t-shirt.

When teams win, the sales of merchandise follows suit.  One thing is clear; the Brewers' winning ways have put money in the cash registers for Major League Baseball and the Milwaukee franchise.

Since 2005, sales have improved three-fold at Miller Park.  The fan favorites are the various t-shirts.  This added revenue stream helps to pay for the contracts of the players.

Milwaukee was awarded "Club Retailer of the Year." 

For next year, the team will have a larger and improved team store.  New additions will focus on women's wear and tailgate extras.  If the frenzied trip to the pro shop with my nephew was any indication of what will be a repeat for 2009, the Brewers were wise to capitalize on the strong support of the fans.

CC Sabathia is looking at another offer from yet another ball club.  The San Francisco Giants are preparing to make Sabathia an offer.  That makes two West Coast teams that are tempting CC to leave Milwaukee.  San Francisco is considered to be home turf for Sabathia.  As much as he enjoyed his stay in Milwaukee, it will be hard to stay in a town that is 1400 miles from home. 

The Giants were thought to be unable to afford to offer Sabathia a deal while they are still paying Barry Zito.  The Giants have little to worry about when it comes to the rest of the squad, so they feel that there is room to work with. 

On the pitching front, Milwaukee brought in four more minor league pitchers.  Omar Aguilar, Alex Periard, Mark Rogers and Cody Scarpetta all join the roster.  There is still hope that Mark Rogers will come back strong from the surgery he has undergone, but Rogers was drafted two years ago, and the young right hander has not come back to top form since going under the knife.

Aguilar had shown some promise as a closer, and Periard is still working on the fundamentals.  There is not much news about Scarpetta since his contract was voided after the Brewers discovered a finger injury that precluded his signing.

In a surprise move, Salomon Torres retired on Tuesday.  He cited his need to devote more time to God as a major factor in leaving baseball.  A quick glance at his lifetime stats reveals that Salomon made more trips to the pitching mound than any other major league player. 

His season with Milwaukee was his fourteenth in baseball, and he felt that it was time to end things on a high note.  He tipped his hat to Milwaukee fans, Brewers coaching and management before calling it a career.  He now has time for his family back in Pittsburgh, where he spent seven seasons before coming to Milwaukee.

Salomon leaves the game with a career number of 540 strikeouts, 406 earned runs, and he pitched in 847 games.

Later in his career, he was pegged as a closer, so his saves came only in the past four years.  For the Brewers, he compiled 28 saves, double the amount he had in his last season with Pittsburgh. 

The Milwaukee Brewers will have to find a closer to take his place.  Eric Gagne didn't get the job done last year, and Salomon saved the day many times.  Salomon leaves Milwaukee in a strange position when it comes to his pay.  His decision to retire leaves management wondering if they have to pay him the $300,000 buyout, or his $3.75 million option for 2009, or nothing at all.  The Brewers will leave that up to the Commissioners office to decide. 

The iron is still hot, so the Brewers struck.  They offered CC Sabathia a contract that pays at least 100 million.  The details have not been disclosed, but it is estimated to be a four or five year deal.  Milwaukee is going up against offers may come from large markets like New York or Oakland.   Sabathia enjoyed his time in Milwaukee, and that could have a small influence on his decision, but since he's building a house out on the West Coast, an offer from the A's could easy move.

 As expected, Guillermo Mota and Craig Counsell both filed for free agency.  After the Milwaukee Brewers declined his option, they took the natural step of free agency. 

On the management front, Dale Sveum will stay with the Brewers organization.  He will be their hitting coach. 

Ken Macha had his first press conference last Thursday.  He fielded many questions, but many of them were centered on the reports that he had problems with players before leaving Oakland.  Brewers' catcher Jason Kendall was among the players who had concerns back when he was an Oakland Athletic. 

To counter the questions, Macha sited that he has the hard task of making the right decisions of team over player.  He feels that a player needs to be benched when they hit a slump, giving them time to work on fundamentals.  When questioned about his past comments, Jason Kendall had positive things to say about Macha after all.  He cites the conflict between Macha and the GM in Oakland as being the main issue.

Ryan Braun stated similar feelings about the Macha decision.  He is confident that the Brewers organization is making the right moves. 

Mr. Ken Macha is now the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.  Macha and Melvin have a relationship going all the way back to the early 1970's.  He had four good years as manager of the Oakland Athletics, making the playoffs twice.  In his first year as the Athletics manager, the team was thirty games above .500. 

Macha was highly regarded by other managers he had worked with in Boston and Tampa.  Jeff Suppan had worked under Macha, and gives him high marks.  

The Brewers admit that they wanted to bring in a manager with a fresh outlook.  Since Ken took a year off of coaching to work in the broadcast booth, it sounds like he has the desire to make it work again as a manager. 

Doug Melvin has finished his search for a new manager, but he didn't want to annouce the pick until after the World Series ended.  The Philadelphia Phillies won the series in just five games, so I would suspect that the new manager is flying here today and suiting up for a press conference shortly.  Bob Brenly was Melvin's last interview, after he spent time with Ken Macha, Willie Randolph, and Dale Sveum.

Melvin has meetings staring November 1^st in Dana Point California, so it is likely that the announcement will come today or tomorrow at the latest. 

As for any other moves, he has plans to replace the amateur scouting director next week.  The idea is to hire from within for that post.   

The Brewers pulled Casey McGehee off waivers, and plan to add him to the third base mix of players.  McGehee had a solid season of Triple-A ball in Iowa.  His average was .296, and he hit 12 home runs last season for the Iowa Cubs. 

He felt the pressure when called up to play in the big leagues, but Milwaukee has enough faith to give him a shot for next season.  This 2003 draft pick performs well on the road, with a .393 batting average away from home. 

During his time in the minor leagues, he put together a 21 game hitting streak, batting .325 for the Tennessee Smokies.  He also played in 61 games for the Tomateros de Culiacan team in Mexico. 

This move by the Brewers came after Bill Hall struggled at the plate this past year.  Russell Branyan and Craig Counsell were also tapped to play third base in 2008.  Craig Counsell might move to free agency, if the Brewers don't exercise his option, and Russell is already a free agent. This move was needed, should both players leave the club.

To clear a space on the roster, Joe Dillon was moved to assignment.  Dillon batted just above .200 for the season.

Who will manage the Brewers in 2009?  Dale Sveum was passed over, but we don't know who will be at the wheel just yet.  The Brewers met with Willie Randoph this past week.  The Brewers owner grew up as a Yankees fan, so Randolph could have a slight edge, but it is silly to think that his choice would be ahead of others if someone more suited for the position were available.

The scuttlebutt about the next manager includes the former Arizona Diamondbacks Bob Brenly. 

Bob was well liked by his team, and his dismissal came after key players left for better pay in bigger markets.

Now that Ned Yost is gone, some insiders claim that his personality could have put the players on edge.  Brenly has stated that he would like the job of Brewers manager. 

The Brewers play the waiting game for now.  Milwaukee will announce the new manager after the World Series.  Until then, we can only guess who the Brewers will pick buy the people that they interview for the job.

Some say that if the club can sign CC Sabathia, then Brenly will take the management position.  Since CC is building a house in Los Angeles, I don't think the prospects are good. 

The Milwaukee Brewers television ratings got a boost with the playoff appearances.

As most markets saw their ratings drop, the team who had not been in the playoffs for 26 years had fans tuning in.  That should be no surprise.  Perhaps the fact that the New York markets did not make the playoffs had a negative impact on TV. ratings. 

For those of us in the small Milwaukee market, we could not have been happier to see our Brewers on national television.  The games where Milwaukee did make a national appearance during the regular season were times that most fans would like to forget.  The Brewers looked terrible when going up against the Cubs and the Boston. 

Not much can be said for the first two games against the Phillies, but the solid win in game three in Milwaukee was a treat. 

Meanwhile, Dale Svuem broke bread with Doug Melvin last week.  They discussed the open Managerial position, to be sure.  Dale would love the chance to manage the team in 2009.  Doug has not made the decision as of this date. 

CC Sabathia is laying roots in Los Angeles, and if that's any indication of where he would like to pitch, the Brewers should be looking for an ace that they can afford. 

CC was kind when he said that he would consider playing another season for Milwaukee, but we all know that it would require an outlay of major cash.  Can Milwaukee come up with the money to keep Sabathia in Milwaukee?  Who knows?

The Brewers ownership is also looking to lock in Doug Melvin in short order.  Doug was working out the details of his contract with Milwaukee, after the open position at Seattle was clearly not going his way. 

Settling the issues of Manager and GM come first, then locking in player's contracts are a close second.  Ben Sheets was again injury prone, so who knows what direction Milwaukee will go in that regard.  I would suspect that CC Sabathia will receive an offer from Milwaukee.  Ben may be a second choice for the Brewers, but could easily wind up as their go-to guy yet again. 

Of the twelve free agents on the squad, it is pretty clear that Mota, Mike Lamb, Ray Durham, and Craig Counsell will stay.  On the way out could be Russell Branyan, Gabe Kapler and Brian Shouse, along with the afore mentioned Sheets and Sabathia. 

The Brewers became the wild card team for the NL Central when Ryan Braun hit the two-run home run against Chicago on Sunday afternoon.  CC Sabathia had to retire three more Cubs batters, but you could feel the tide turn when Braun hit the homer.

What is most important is winning that first game of a five game series.  Mike Cameron tried his best to catch a fly ball heading his way, but it dropped out of his glove.  Two runs scored on that hit, and one more would cross the plate when Gallardo walked his fifth batter. Yovani did not have his stuff, and he was pulled from the rain-soaked mound.

Game two was nearly as bad.  CC Sabathia gave up a grand slam home run in the second inning, tearing out the hearts of Milwaukee fans.  Three days rest was not enough for the steady pitcher.  It had finally caught up with him.  The Brewers lost game two.

Most Milwaukee fans knew that the uphill battle was almost insurmountable before the Brewers came home to play game three.  This night, the Brewers looked like the ball club we fans had come to know.  There was steady defense, some of the lucky breaks went our way, and finally, the pitching was solid. 

The Brewers went into the ninth leading 4-1, and then gave up a run during a double play that was executed perfectly.  Victorino was called for interference, and the run was taken off the scoreboard.  There were two outs and it was back to a 4-1 lead for the Brewers.

One out later, and Milwaukee had its first post-season win since 1982.  Hopes were high

going into game four.  Suppan, a pitcher known for his post-season play was supposedly the man to help the Brewers win in big fashion.  Sadly, Jeff gave up three home runs in the second inning.  The 4-1 lead was too much for the Brewers to overcome.  The game came to and end, as well as the season. 

The year was fantastic in the eyes of this old fan.  As Old Jimmy B. says, "That's why game number one is so very important."  Now we look forward to good trades, locking in key players, bidding high to keep CC Sabathia on the roster, and finally spring training.

The Milwaukee Brewers open up their season against the Chicago Cubs.  We have that to look forward to, while we watch the playoffs from the sidelines.  There will certainly be a new hitting coach when the snow melts.  That new hitting coach will need to teach the Brewers how to manufacture runs.  The long ball is nice, but when those home run hitters go cold, there is little to do to score runs each and every game.

If Mike Cameron would not have dropped that fly ball, the score would have been tied going into the ninth inning.

Instead, the Milwaukee Brewers blew the first Wild Card game against Philadelphia.  Yovani Gallardo could not control

his curveball, he walked five batters, and the Brewers pulled him from the game after the damage was done.

The Phillies bats were no threat if you take away the error by Cameron.  It was a freebie, given up by the Brewers.

Game two is tomorrow, and these Brewers better heat up those bats.  Game time is 4pm, in Wisconsin.

Now, all we can hope for is a split in the first two games, according to a Milwaukee Brewers fan favorite.

It was eleven innings into a tie game.  With two outs and bases loaded, Ryan Braun came up to the plate, facing a pitcher that had thrown only two strikes in his last eleven pitches.  Would Ryan chase some of those outside pitches and strike out?  Braun smashed a grand slam home run into left center field.

It was a repeat of the night before.  It just took a few more innings to make the magic happen.  Braun has been struggling with the long ball.  He reported that pain in his right hand has kept him from following through on his swing.  At the most crutial time, he forgot about the pain and crushed it.

This was also his first grand slam, ever.  It keeps the Milwaukee Brewers in a tie with the Mets for the wild card playoff spot.

Ned Yost will get paid throughout next year.  So there is nothing to worry about as far as that goes. He will get paid to do something other than coach the Milwaukee Brewers into a late season slump.  It's up to Sveum to find a way to get the Brewers back into the playoff hunt.  Robin Yount is sitting around the dugout providing inspiration as best he can.  Robin stated plainly that "Sveum could get the job done without me."  Whatever the case, Robin will be there for the next 11 games.

Where did Neddy go wrong?  Getting swept by the three most likely playoff opponents during the regular season almost assures that any playoff wins will be a supreme struggle.  These teams had the Brewer's number already.   You never know if a playoff team would look past the Brewers and mess up big time.  The Brew crew could squeak out a win or two just because the Phillies or Mets were asleep at the wheel. 

Perhaps that was another issue facing Yost.  He blew a wild card spot lead, and he can't win games against playoff caliber opponents. 

Those of us who follow baseball in a sober fashion knew these facts all along.  I recall with pain those sweeps during the regular season.  Who is to say that it won't happen again.  Being swept by the cubs in Chicago this week would further prove that the Brew Crew would fold like a lawn chair in the playoffs.

On the sunny side of things, the Brewers could take two of three in Chicago, and win 9 of 11 games, pulling back into the wild card lead off spot.  Sveum claimed that the Brewers played better this last night against Chicago.  I'm not sure what the TV announcer was seeing.  Perhaps it was Prince Fielder hitting two home runs.  The team with the most "last out" wins in major league baseball had two men on base at the bottom of the ninth.  Prince was up to bat for the third time, and he struck out

Sveum is partially correct.  As each inning passed, I think that the Brewers understood that their job is to score, not lead.

Prince Fielder had is shirttails out by the time he rounded first base.  He just slammed the winning homer in the bottom of the ninth inning.  The Brewers are still alive in the playoff hunt.  The Mets beat the Cubs as well.  Nobody moves forward or back.  Sveum is making moves like shortening the time between outings for CC Sabathia, and putting Mike Cameron in the leadoff spot.

I am excited for this young club, but I cannot help recall that this team had a 5 ½ game lead in the wild card race just a few weeks ago.  I can't let it go when I think about the blown opportunity to put this away.  I can't help but think that the Brewers could have been resting key pitchers by now, if they had made it statistically impossible for others to move ahead of them in this playoff hunt. 

That did not happen, so here we are, hoping that our team will somehow not be swept yet again by the Cubs when they come to Milwaukee.  As the Mets face Chicago and the Brewers play against the Pirates, there might be a tie in the playoff spot in short order.

The mountain that Milwaukee has yet to climb is beating the Cubs and hoping for more Mets losses.

Fielder, working on a 13 game hitting streak, and hitting over .400 right now is getting red hot at a crucial time.  Ryan Braun is getting hits, but not the long ball.  Fielder is happy to pick up the slack, as Braun has been getting on base first. 

The Brewers were waiting at home plate and happy to greet the hero Prince.  Let's hope that this lift in spirits keeps the bats hot.

In other news Yovani Gallardo has been activated.  The knee injury he suffered back in spring was supposed to keep him benched for what was thought to be the entire 2008 season.  That may still be true, but it is good news to see Gallardo working his way back into shape.  He has pitched in a simulated game just a few days ago, but has not used his legs to run bases or cover first base for infield work.  It is one thing to keep your arm in shape, but the knee might keep him off the field until 2009. 

Should the Milwaukee Brewers make the playoffs, and go deep, this is an outside chance that Gallardo could be called into a game, but that really depends on what team doctors say.  Yovanni has yet to even try running bases or doing infield defense.  This could be wishful thinking to hope that Gallardo would be ready before the season ends.

Andy LaRoche hit a dribbler to Sabathia's right, just off the pitcher's mound.  Sabathia reached for the ball with his pitching hand, dropped it, and LaRoche made it to first base.  Had CC Sabathia reached for the ball with his glove hand, umpire Bob Webb would have probably called CC on an error.  However, the grab with the throwing hand, followed by a drop, was not an error.  The no-hitter was dead.  It was early enough in the game where Brewers fans were not devistated.

Ned Yost requested a review, but overturning the call will most likely not happen.  Even after a video replay on the spot, Webb refused to change his call.  CC Sabathia threw over one hundred pitches yet again.  He struck out eleven, and walked three.  At least there is no one else to blame for the missed no-hitter.  As it gets later into a possible no-hitter, the defense can get tight, nervous, scared.  Nobody wants to be the one that blows the no hitter. 

Sabathia claims that the ball was still rolling, and that he should have tried to pick it up with his glove.  Perhaps it would have rolled into the webbing, and his body would have been parallel to the plate, making it easy to turn and fire the ball to first.  Juan Nieves still holds title to the Milwaukee Brewers only no-hitter. 

On the bright side, no other batters even came close to making a hit.  There were no spectacular defensive plays needed to preserve the potential hitless performance.  At the end, the Pirates went one for eleven against the Brewers this season.  At this time, the Brewers are 4 ½ games within reach of the Cubs. 

Sabathia is certainly in line to be the Cy Young award winner yet again.  A no-hitter would have helped to bring that to be a reality.

Our Milwaukee Brewers swept the lowly Pirates.  The New York Mets are not the Pirates.  This home series would be tougher to be sure.  Ben Sheets opened the series, and pitched five innings before leaving the game in his left groin.  He tried to play though it, but the pain proved too much to continue.  The bullpen took over, and things were running just fine.  That changed when Eric Gagne took the mound.

Gagne threw an ugly 0-2 pitch that Carlos Delgado smashed over the fence, scoring two runs.  Gagne gave up a double to the first batter he faced, struck out David Wright, and then came the smash from Carlos.  "He just didn't make it," said Yost, after the game ended in a loss.  Gagne gave up another run in that same inning, before getting out of the jam. 

The Brewers batters only managed to score two runs against the Mets ace pitcher, but that was enough until Gagne blew the lead.

Santana had his changeup working very well.  It is said that the afternoon shadows at Miller Park had an effect on the vision of the batters. 

Eric Gagne did not stick around to talk about what happened.  In the post game banter, fans called for his head.  On Tuesday, Ned Yost told the media that Gagne is still the "go-to" guy in the eighth inning, if conditions call for it.    

This was the fifth win in a row for the Brew Crew.  The team faces St. Louis one last time tonight, and a split is the worst this Milwaukee club can achieve.  Ben Sheets is now 12-7, but he had a 1-5 record before going into last night's game.  On the eight occasions where St. Louis put runners in scoring position, Sheets buckled down and pitched is way out of each situation. 

The fourth inning was the tipping point for Milwaukee, when St. Louis batter Skip Schumaker hit a triple with only one out.  After a walk to Ludwick, Pujols came up to the plate.  Pujols hit a fly ball for an out and Ankiel popped out to first.  The inning ended in a fizzle for the Cardinals.  The next two innings St. Louis went down in order.

Milwaukee had a four run lead going into the ninth.  The floodgates opened with a pinch hit homer by Bill Hall.  Those two runs were part of a seven run barrage the humiliated St. Louis. 

Ryan Braun feels that his team is in control.  With a 4 ½ game lead in the wild card race, he might be right.  The Brewers would further stretch the lead against St. Louis with a win tonight.   

Let's play around with the Milwaukee Brewer's numbers.  If they were in any other division, The Milwaukee Brewers would be in first place.  This does not include the American League East and West, but the numbers could put them within easy reach. 

As of August 24^th, the Chicago Cubs have the best record in baseball.  It's tough to be running along side the best team in the Majors. 

If you believe anything about the Power Rankings, one would see that Milwaukee has been in the top five for weeks.  Looking over the attendance figures, the Brewers have had a fantastic year so far.  They rank sixth in all of baseball, with 2.3 million fans in the seats at Miller Park.  As it would happen, the next two teams with better numbers are in the NL Central.  St. Louis and Chicago are enjoying great numbers this year as well.  It is a given that the Cubs would have great attendance figures, but St. Louis can have fluctuations. 

On a player by player level, Ryan Braun's batting average is just a shade above .300, despite the nagging back injury.  Mike Rivera's numbers are peaking, but with a measly 57 at bats, those figures could swing in any direction.  Corey Hart is putting in another strong season with 140 hits and 79 RBI's. 

On the pitching side, Dave Bush, along with Jeff Suppan are peaking at just the right time.  In the past thirty days, both pitchers have gone unbeaten.  CC Sabathia has pitched is first no decision since coming over from Cleveland.  On August 24^th, CC allowed one run in six innings, with eight hits by Pirates batters.  On that same day, Pittsburgh put up 16 hits, scoring only three runs compared to Milwaukee's 15 hits that scored four.  Mike Cameron went five for five on that day. 

The key games against St. Louis coming up these next two days won't lock in the wild card playoff spot, but it will surely put some distance between clubs if the Brewers sweep.         

Ryan Braun came back from injury this weekend.  His two-run homer in the top of the ningth brought the game to a tie.  Sadly, Dodgers batter Andre Ethier responded with his own two-run homer.  A four-run Brewers rally hit the skids, and the Brewers headed home to Milwaukee having taken only one of three games in L.A.

Gabe Kapler created the best highlight video of the series.  He lept into the stands to keep a Russel Martin smash inside the park.  The defensive battle that night provided high tension for both teams.

The Brewers should be playing in front of a full house this evening.  As I write this, there are just a few standing room only tickets available.  The same holds true for the Tuesday night game.  The roof should be open for both contests.  The weather is perfect, and it's time to sweep the Astros. 

Ryan Braun is sidelined with a back injury.  In his place, The Milwaukee Brewers brought in Gabe Kapler.  In previous situations, Kapler did not perform at a spectacular level.  Batting well below .200 in place of Mike Cameron, it was safe to assume that his return would yield similar results.  That couldn't be further from the truth.

Kapler is hitting nearly .325 in the last 44 games he has played.  He doesn't like the role of pinch hitter.  He is better suited as a game-per-game replacement.

Kapler came out of retirement to play for the Brewers, and that sparked something in him.  In this case, it is replacing the hottest bat in the Brewers lineup.  Kapler smashed a game winning homerun on Sunday night.  That 13 game marathon was number four of the current seven game win streak.  

Kapler is the first person to say that he is ready for any situation that he may be called upon.  His expectations for 2008 were held in check from day one.  That outlook keeps Gabe from being disappointed with his performance from day to day.  As of now, nobody is disappointed with his play on the field.  Kapler has 30 RBI's for the season, along with six home runs. 

Kapler was also part of the very rare, walk-off/leadoff home run combo.  His home run on Sunday night was immediately followed up with a leadoff home run by Rickie Weeks the next day.  This makes the fifth time in Brewer history where that has occurred. The last time we saw that happen was 17 years ago, when the Hall of Fame duo of Paul Molitor and Robin Yount both slapped homers.        

After sweeping the Nationals, the Brewers hit the road for PETCO Park, where they managed to take the first game of the series.  The Chicago Cubs game was stalled out by rain.  They will make it up with a double header vs. Atlanta today.  For the next few hours, the Milwaukee Brewers are three games within first place in the NL Central. 

The Brewers got a taste of first place, and then kissed it goodbye.  The Brewers looked like chumps in the Cubs series, and if you look further back to the Houston series, you can see that it all started there. 

Then, the Cubs fans came to Miller Park by the thousands for a huge four game series.  It goes without saying that there were disgruntled Brewers fans throughout the ballpark.  Loud, proud, and decked in Cubbies blue, the Chicago fans when home happy every single night. 

Timely hitting was to blame for most of the losses.  Add the mental mistakes, and you have four games to make up, just to tie the first place Cubs. 

The trouble continued in Cincinnati. As I watched the replay of Prince Fielder shoving Manny Parra over and over, the Brewers announcer claimed that this is "is no big deal."  He claimed that the altercation is a normal thing between players that have been together all season.  Losing seven out of ten games since late July can cause major frustration. 

A visibly frustrated Fielder blew off a bit of steam on Parra.  Was it because Parra looked like he was going to make a hasty exit to the clubhouse after giving up six runs?  Was it a back-and-fourth that wasn't picked up by the cameras and microphones?  The lockdown Yost put on the matter after the game leaves Brewers fans guessing.

The road record in Cinncinati for the Brewers is respectable.  Milwaukee is 7-4 against the Reds at their ballpark.   

The series win in Atlanta didn't seem to placate the frustrated Brew Crew.  As I see it, the Brewers knew that they blew a huge chance to push the Cubs into second place.  Atlanta had come home after losing five of six.  The Brewers were lucky to play against a team that has been demoralized and now stands 9.5 games back from first place.    

The next night at The Great American ballpark, Prince smashed two home runs.  Ryan Braun was 3-5 with two RBI's, Corey Hart was 2-3 with three RBI's and the list goes on.

The Brewers went on to crush the Reds 8-1.  Thirteen hits throughout the game produced those eight runs.  Timely hitting is back.  The fight from the night before is forgotten, and the Brewers can concentrate on the work ahead.  This Brewers club wants more than a wild card spot.  They want the division title.

The Brewers get a day off after today's game.  The lowly Nationals come to Milwaukee on Friday.  Milwaukee will face a team with a road record of 19-38 for the weekend, while the Cubs host the St. Louis Cardinals.

What kind of positive can we pull from this sweep?  Nothing.  Mistakes hurt the Brewers chances.  The Cubbies bats did the rest.

Rickie Weeks gets the gold medal in the "stupid mistakes" department.  On both sides of the ball, Weeks left his head in the clubhouse.  A blown catch by Braun in game two started a Cubs rally.  Leaving men on base was also the norm this series.  The Brewers left their boys out to dry inning after inning.  The Cubs and their fans came to Miller Park, and went away with a five game lead in the NL Central.

 The Brewers head out to Atlanta after losing six of seven games here in Milwaukee.  Atlanta has lost five of six, and could be the itching for a fight.  With lots of time left in the season, there is no need to lose hope, but this was not the performance anyone expected out of the home team.  The Brew Crew faces the Reds as well as the Braves before coming home to play against the Nationals. 

When it came time to bury the Cubs at Miller Park, the Milwaukee Brewers fell far short.  With two games down, the Brewers face another night of playing at "Wrigley North."  Carlos Zambrano threw a whale of a game last night, in front of a mixed crowd.  Again, the game went down to who would make the fewest mistakes.  Ryan Braun missed the chance to keep the Cubs in check when he failed to catch a ball that dropped into shallow left field.  That started the Cub's fifth inning barrage.  After it was over, the Brewers were down by six runs. 

The Cubs had 15 hits in game number two of this four game series.  The Cubbies certainly didn't fear Ben Sheets.  Zambrano had his best stuff going last night, as his pitches nibbled the corners and dropped off the table with accuracy.  It didn't hurt that the Chicago fans came in the thousands yet again.  The kids should stay away from these games.  The crowd gets ugly when the Cubs fans rub it in the faces of the hometown fans.

The loss leaves Ben Sheets with a 10-4 record and an ERA of 3.14.  Tonight, the pressure is on the Brew Crew to produce a win.  Ray Durham will be in the line up for tonight.  After Weeks caused an error that produced two Cubs runs, coupled with an 0-4 night, Yost finally saw the light, and gave Durham a try at second base. 

Bill Hall has made an impressive turnaround since Independence Day.  Including last night's dramatic ninth inning home run, Bill Hall is batting over four-hundred.  He has hit four home runs, and over one dozen RBI's. 

Hall mentioned that the change in his batting stance has made an enormous impact.  As he found himself on his back leg when swatting at pitches, he has found a better balance.  Hall's upward surge in hitting might influence Ned Yost when he decides which third baseman to play.  Yost mentioned that his decision on who plays first base is directly related to who is pitching against the Brew Crew. 

Hall is the current hero of the last two games against the St. Louis Cardinals.  With two outs in the top of the ninth, Hall hit the game leading home run.  On Tuesday, Hall started the three run ninth with yet another home run.

Sweeping the Giants, the Milwaukee Brewers extended their win streak to four games.  At this time, the Brewers are within three games of first place, as the Cubs have gone 6-4 for the last ten games.  The only obstacle is the St. Louis Cardinals who are working on their own five-game win streak. 

In a strange twist, Ray Durham sat in the Giants dugout for the first few innings, knowing that he was about to put on a Brewers uniform.  By the forth inning, Durham left for the clubhouse.  The trade involved Steve Hammond, and Darren Ford from the minors. 

Rickie Weeks has been struggling at the leadoff spot, and Durham should bring needed power to the lineup.  Durham stated, "The Brewers are a great team.  I just want to fit in and do things I can do to help the team."

The powerful arm of CC Sabathia has already brought the Milwaukee Brewers two wins.  As the All Star break is in full swing, we can reflect on the acquisition of one of the best pitchers to play in the majors.  Trades like this are normally in reverse when it involves the Brewers.  This time the ace was coming our way, in exchange for a few solid AAA prospects such as Matt LaPorta. 

As they say, CC is basically on loan for the next three months.  Nobody thinks that the Brewers can find a way to keep two fantastic pitchers in Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia after this season comes to a close.  This was a deal that should help bring the Brewers into playoff contention. 

CC's first game as a Brewer was a win, a sellout, and a statement to the NL Central opponents, the Brewers are for real.  In his second game, CC not only got the win, but he hit a home run to help the Brewers beat the Reds 3-2. Bailey's tossed a creampuff 0-2 pitch in the third that CC hit over the wall in right field. Sabathia also blasted one over the fence on June 21.

Realistically, CC will contribute greatly, but it's not the final piece of the puzzle that gets the Brewers to the World Series. It is one really big piece though.

J.J. Hardy has finally come around.  The stats on J.J.'s last 18 games include a 16 game hitting streak, 6 games with multiple hits, 2 games with multiple home runs, and a batting average of .448.  On June 28^th, his batting average was .259.

As of July 7^th, his average has jumped to .295.

That skyrocketing batting average was helped by his 21 hits in his last ten games.  His performance on July 6^th was stellar.  Hardy went 3 for 4 with two home runs, and four RBI's. 

His 16 game hitting streak ended on July 5^th, when he laid down a bunt to advance Rickie Weeks to second base.  Weeks scored the winning run on a single that brought him home. 

During this hot streak, J.J. Hardy is making great contact with the ball.  He is hitting the pitches on the barrel of the bat, which shows that he is seeing the ball very well.  J.J.'s turnaround comes at a time when Prince Fielder is still struggling. 

Two of the Milwaukee Brewers biggest bats are in a slump.  At one point in mid June, Braun was hitting below .225.  His four home runs were coupled with a lackluster nine RBI's over 15 games.  It has been up and down for Braun this season.  He started hitting below last year's average, he spiked above .350 for a time, and in his last ten games, he is batting below .189.  Ryan sprained his hand trying to make a diving catch, and that has further messed things up for the young man.

Sadly, Prince Fielder has also had a terrible time at the plate.  A visibly frustrated Prince went 2-27, and was given the day off on Tuesday. 

Conversely, J.J. Hardy is working on a 14 game hit streak going into the July 3^rd contest against the Diamondbacks.  After a slow start, Hardy is back to 2007 form.  In the past ten games, J.J.'s batting average is .425. 

Corey Hart's .333 for the past ten games has also been a bright spot on the Brewers roster.  He has struck out only six times in 39 at bats. 

Meanwhile, Jason Kendall has inched his average up to .274, and he's hoping to make the All Star team for 2008.  It's been 8 seasons since Jason made the All Star game.

Seth McClung said that "Jason Kendall is the best catcher I have ever thrown to."

Any MLB player that goes up to the plate without gloves and bats a .274 is an All Star in my book.

Milwaukee Brewers ace Ben Sheets might get a chance to pitch at Yankee Stadium for the first time in his career.  That would be during the All Star game on July 15^th.  Sheets could easily have a 12-1 record, if it were not for the spotty performance of those coming in to relieve him.

Sheet's last performance against the Braves was stellar.  He allowed for only one run, four hits, and struck out seven of the final 16 Braves batters to win the game.  The four-run cushion did not keep Ben from being aggressive.  Sheets threw a few sliders against along with his other pitches. 

From the first moment of the outing, his approach is to pitch a complete game.  His philosophy is somewhat opposite to other pitchers who just look to get to the sixth inning.  Having Ben pitch a complete game gives the bullpen relief, and thus the team benefits.  Ned Yost stated that the was not even thinking about bringing someone up to come in and finish the game.

In the past three games, Sheets has brought his ERA down from 2.72 to 2.59.  In his last two outings, opposing batters have had only eight hits in total.  His worst outing in the past ten games came on May 15^th against the Dodgers.  Since then, he has five wins in seven games.  He is scheduled to pitch on June 29^th in Minnesota. 

Last night at Miller Park, Craig Councell hit his first homer since July of 2007.  As Councell made his way back to the dugout, his teammates had plenty of things to say.  The ribbing was good natured, and long overdue.

Craig hit one over the right field wall, just a few rows into the bleachers.  Russell Branyan drilled one over the fence in the fourth inning, making it his eight of the season.

Speaking of homers, Ryan Braun hit 34 home runs last season.  As of today, he has 20 homers.  If doesn't go into a slump, he might top 40 for the year.  Since Braun was called up after the 2007 season had already started, my math might be a bit off, but it is safe to say that his bat is as hot as it was during his rookie year.  Being almost one month away from the mid season All Star break, his numbers should be great. 

Braun's youth could be a factor when you see him chasing the outside pitches, but that early season issue seems to have faded. 

Ryan is second only to Utley in home runs in 2008; he's fifth in RBI's, and in fourth place for extra base hits.  For those statistics fans, Ryan Braun has reached 150 RBI's faster than any other player since the well known Walt Droppo of the 1951 Boston Red Sox set that record.  It's tough to compare those two players, since Walt's record was part of a 144 RBI season.  That followed up by a 57 for the next year.  Braun should shatter that record barring any injury. 

As for last night's performance against the Blue Jays, Braun hit home run number 19 and 20.  After the game, Braun said that he was seeing the ball well.  Batting 4-3 with 3 RBI's is certainly "seeing the ball in high def", as he put it.  Prince Fielder smashed a 430 foot homer in last night's game as well.  That makes homer number12 for Fielder.

Ryan Braun and his stats reveal that this youthful hitter is firing on all cylinders again this season.  After signing a long term contract with the Brewers, Braun keeps doing what he did in his rookie year, hit the ball.  A brief look at his stats as of today, show that he is in the top ten for home runs, RBI's, hits, triples, and slugging percentage.  Braun hit his 17^th home run last night.  It was a bright spot that continues to shine even when the road trip losses continue. 

With a .293 average that is currently climbing, Braun's numbers are moving in the right direction for someone who just locked in to a multi-year deal.  His performance in early May might have been hindered by an inner ear infection.  Judging from the power of his bat in the last few outings, he seems to have recovered.  For the first three days in June, Braun batted .400.

His comments after the Boston Red Sox debacle may have sparked some hunger in his team mates.  The Brewers, including Braun stepped up and went 8-1 after coming home from Boston.  Although a young man, and with only one full season under his belt, Braun might have helped the team to turn it around with a few choice words at the right time.

One of Bruan's highlights came against Randy Johnson.  Ryan smashed a towering blast over the left field wall to put the Brewers ahead of the D-backs.  After the game, Ryan had praise for the shoe in Hall of Fame pitcher who set a record for strikeouts that night.

The Milwaukee Brewers completed their second series sweep in bold fashion.  The Arizona D-Backs had that deer-in-the-headlights look by the end of the fourth inning.  When it was over, the only Brewer that didn't get a hit was Jason Kendall's.  Even Manny Parra had a pair of hits in the game.  Parra got the win, along with eight strikeouts.  He gave up only two walks and four hits in his seven-inning performance.  Gabe Kapler had four hits in the game, and got the Brewers on the board with the first RBI of the day. 

The player of the game was Corey Hart.  Three of his four RBI's came with his inside-the-park home run.  Hart slapped one out to right field, the ball got past Upton and rolled into the corner, and Sveum waved Hart home.  That was the first inside-the-park home run at Miller Park.  Russell Branyan added insult to injury with a homer over the center field fence. 

The Brewer win makes an even dozen since being swept by the Red Sox.  At a glance, the home schedule after the Sox debacle looked tough.  All three opponents were solid teams with winning records.  Ryan Braun felt that this homestand was a turning point in the team's confidence level.      

The latest win, along with the end of the Cubs nine game win streak, puts the Brewers within six games of first place.  Milwaukee hit the road for Denver today, having gone 8-1 against those winning teams.    

Seth McClung had never gone six innings since joining the Milwaukee Brewers.

He did that last night, and much more.  He went toe-to-toe with Randy Johnson.

For the icing on the cake, McClung went two for two at the plate.  As much as McClung had praise for the Hall of Fame lock, he bested the aging pitcher in all facets of the game last night. 

McClung gave up only one run to the first place Diamondbacks.  That came in the fourth inning on a double, hit by Reynolds.  The Brewers took their sweet time in the scoring department.  The first two runs didn't come until the sixth inning.  Ryan Braun smashed a two-run homer off Johnson, who secured second place on the all time strikeout list last night.  The next two batters hit solid fly balls that came up just short of going over the fence.  Johnson was finished for the evening.  He left the game with eight strikeouts.

The Brewers didn't need anymore offence than that, but they came up with two runs in the seventh, and three in the eighth to crush Arizona. Prince Fielder hit his tenth home run in the eighth, along with J.J. Hardy. 

Fielder made some solid defensive plays at key moments in last night's game.  In the sixth, he made a basket catch of a foul ball that could have easily made it into the stands.  The Brewers caught some breaks such as Weeks' catch of a line drive in the seventh inning that surely would have gone for extra bases.  Yost had to choose between Kapler and Dillon to face Johnson.  Kapler's lifetime against Johnson is 1-11, so Yost figured Dillon might have a fresh perspective.  He slapped a double down the left field line. 

On the relay throw from left, Hardy knocked the ball out of Montero's hands and was safe at home.  The ball rolled to the backstop, and Dillon ran to third.  Rickie Weeks hit a sac fly to bring Dillon home, and the rout was on. 

To have Seth McClung go for six solid innings gave the bullpen a break.  Dillard and Shouse pitched the final three innings.  They didn't give up a hit, struck out two, and walked only one batter.  McClung got the win, and Shouse got the save.    

The ground balls spilling off of Brewers bats were too many to count.  Tim Hudson's slider was so hard to hit, that he stayed in the game well past 115 pitches.  Yes, the lack of a closer had something to do with Hudson's marathon outing, but it had more to do with his ability to hold the Brewers to a goose egg going into the 6^th inning.  JJ Hardy put it best when he said "He's one of the best in the game and when he throws that sinker." The Milwaukee Brewers had 12 hits in the game, but nine of those hits couldn't bring a Brewer to home plate.

The Braves brought in Jeff Bennett to start the ninth inning.  A base hit, sacrifice bunt, and stolen base set the stage for Cameron to be part of a fantastic finish.  Cameron drove a ball to shallow left field; Bill Hall tagged up third, and blazed for home plate.  Braves catcher Brian McCann couldn't hold on to the ball, and Hall slid his hand in to touch home plate.  The 28,000 Milwaukee Brewers fans were already on their feet, and cheering could be heard as far away as the Mitchell Park Domes.  This all started with Hall's broken bat single, and ended with his emotional press conference where he stated "I want to play." 

His comment is related to the fact that he didn't start the game against the Braves pitching ace.  Hall is batting under .160 against right handed pitchers.  Dave Bush gave up two home runs early in the game, but settled down nicely.  He gave up only four hits after the two homers.  He struck out three in the seven innings he was on the mound.  Game two will feature Suppan vs. Reyes.         

The Brewers look to add Julian Tavarez to the pitching roster as soon as today.

The signing is pending a physical.  With Eric Gagne sidelined, and struggling while healthy, this addition may bring some veteran relief.  Although Tavarez hasn't pitched since the second week of May, he claims that he is ready to slide into the rotation as needed.  The 6.39 ERA Tavarez put up early this season was high enough for Boston to release him. 

The Milwaukee Brewers have youthful pitchers stepping in to help, but Doug Melvin thought that a veteran would round things out.  This would make it Julian's ninth team in Major League Baseball that he has pitched for, should he pass the physical.  Milwaukee brought up three pitchers this week.  Tavarez flew back to Milwaukee with the Brew Crew from Washington.  It's safe to say that Julian will be in a Brewers uniform this week.

His 1995 season with the Cleveland Indians stands out as his personal best.  His had a10-2 record, and an ERA of 2.44 of 85 innings pitched.  He placed sixth in the votes for Rookie of the Year.    

Eric Gagne will be out of action for at least three days, with rotator cuff tendonitis. 

They shot his shoulder up with cortisone.  He will not be put on the DL.  The Brewers hope to bring him back into rotation after this injury clears up.  He left during game one of the current three game series at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.  The Brewers went on to win 7-2. 

Adjusting his throwing style and attempting to get back into form required that Gagne pitch between games.  Overworking that arm might have done the damage.  Solomon Torres will take his place. 

Ned Yost is still satisfied with the current bullpen situation, but one has to wonder if that is true.  Cordero is gone, Gagne is struggling, and the Brewers have few alternatives but to hope that Eric Gagne heals up and throws some heaters. 

The Milwaukee Brewers will have a hefty number of draft picks for 2008.

A stand out option could be Garrit Cole.  Cole pitches right handed, and has serious velocity on the ball.  He signed on to play at UCLA for now. 

The Brewers have five picks of the first 50 slots.  Already a young ball club, this should help keep that youthful talent pool deep.  Cordero was part of the reason that Milwaukee aquired the number 49 and 50 spots.  Brewers fans may not be too happy with the Cordero departure when they watch Gagne blow save after save, but all will be forgiven if they can managed to bring in a few marquee players from the draft. 

Milwaukee's 2007 pick, Matt LaPorta is in Huntsville and had to learn a new position since Prince Fielder has a lock on first base.  LaPorta was the SEC player of the year in 2005 and 2007. 

Others pick Josh Fields.  Fields could ramp up and play before September, replacing Gagne, if needed. 

Jason Castro's name came up in the mock drafts.  Although the Brewers catcher Jason Kendall is playing great ball right now, he signed a one-year deal, with an option to play one more.  That would give Castro time to come up from the minors and slide in at the end of the Kendall era. 

Who says that PNC Park is an unhappy place for the Milwaukee Brewers?  Just because the Brewers can't seem to win there, doesn't mean that fortunes can change.  They did just that last night in Pittsburgh.  Going into the 8^th inning, the Brewers had a commanding lead and a shut out against the Pirates.  In the ninth, Gagne came in to pitch.  He coughed up two runs, pitched 26 balls, struggled as usual, and was pulled off the mound.  Mota replaced Gagne and ended the game in quick fashion.    

Manny Parra pitched a great game.  He gave up only four hits during his 5 and 2/3 innings.

Parra threw 116 pitches in total, and ended up on the positive side of a couple of marathon at-bats against Nate McCloth, Adam LaRoche.     

Mike Cameron noted that "the team needed this win."  The Brewers moved up two spots in the standings.  No longer in the NL Central basement, the Brew Crew can use that jump to boost their confidence.  It's early enough in the season where winning a series or two can bring a team back into the top position.    

The Brewers bats are coming alive.  Against the Pirates, their 14 hits were spread across seven Brewer batters.  Rickie Weeks went 2-4, and Cameron managed to go 3-4 at the plate.  Milwaukee had nine hits in each game against the Red Sox, but got swept.  Timely hitting could have changed the outcome for at least one of those games, but it was not to be.  Were the young Milwaukee Brewers intimidated by the 2007 World Series Champs?  Boston certainly showed that they have what it takes to dominate other teams.      

Eric Gagne was happy to hear the Milwaukee Brewers fans cheering as he strode to the pitcher's mound last night.  In a close game against the Dodgers, Ned Yost decided to show his faith in Gagne, and sent him in as closer.  Ned wanted to relieve the pressure Eric Gagne has put upon himself.  He allowed him to take a self imposed break.  That break was surprisingly short, lasting only three days.  He is an important man on the pitching roster.  The Milwaukee Brewers can't afford to put a strain on the rest of the pitching staff if Gagne is not getting the job done.  Eric had to get back into the game and see where things stood. 

He gave up one run, battled a pinch hitter, but ultimately got save number 10.  Ned Yost hinted that Gagne had to make an adjustment on his pitching style, noting that he was "tipping" his pitches.  What that tipping was is not something you make known; for fear that opposing hitters will find him out.  When in a jam, the meeting on the mound was made up of the pitching coach, and infielders all showing their confidence in Eric to get the outs and close the game.

The bats of Fielder and Braun helped put the Brewers in the lead.  Ryan Braun went 2-4 with a two run double.  Fielder had two hits in three at bats, and is positioned to bring his numbers back to where they were in 2007.  Fielder's at bats had the look of someone with control as opposed to desperation.    

Eric Gagne was putting too much pressure on himself.  So much so that he feels that it was effecting his pitching.  Some say that he has lost his power for other reasons.  He feels that he needed to step down, and step back so-to-speak, and that is just what he did.  Before speaking to Ned Yost, Gagne decided that he could not be a closer for the Brewers until he got his head back into the game.  I watched Gagne give up two runs in the ninth on Saturday.  We have all watched him struggle since joining the Milwaukee Brewers.  Ned Yost, went along with Gagne's wishes, and told Eric to take a break.  Yes, Gagne has nine saves this season, but add the blown saves and he is not playing up to par. 

Solomon Torres has played the role of closer before.  David Riske has also been in that position over the years.  Even Mota has been in the closer mix.  With that, Yost is going to use a number of pitchers in order to get the job done.  In the meantime, Gagne can find out where his head is at.  Tonight, the Brewers finish off their four game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.  If they pull off a win, they end the series at 3-1.  Most fans would consider that record something of a turnaround from the losing streak and a positive change from cold bats to hot.  Ryan Braun's two home runs on Mother's day might signal the start of something good.  Milwaukee Brewer's fans just need to see if their closer can bring things back on track. 

Things are not brewing for the Brewers right now.  This might be the low point, with the Brewers being shut out last night against the Florida Marlins.  Marlins pitcher Scott Olson struck out 8 Brewer batters in the game.  Jeff Suppan gave up a home run to Jacobs with two men on base.  This has turned into a losing streak of four for the Brew Crew.  It might be time to consider some pitching changes, if there is any way to improve the line up.  Gagne has put 26 men on base in just under 15 innings.  GM Doug Melvin is standing behind his man, but the fans may not be in the same position.  Melvin had to replace Cordero, but Eric Gagne is not the answer.  Giving up the two-run lead on Sunday was the hardest thing to watch.  It's time to make a change if you ask me. 

The 12^th inning heartbreaking loss capped off a sweep by the Houston Astros. Hunter Pence hit the homer that put Houston ahead for good.  Winning 8-6, Houston put the faltering Brewers in their place.  Gagne could not hold the 6-4 lead in the bottom of the 9^th, and gave up two runs.  Scoring early is not the problem for the Milwaukee Brewers, scoring late or responding to their opponent's runs is their problem right now.  Brewers pitching, despite losing a young ace and closer, managed to keep the Astros in check in each of the three games played, but Houston managed to score at the right time in every game.

A five-run inning was all that the Astros needed to defeat the Brew Crew on Saturday. If the Brewers can manage a win tomorrow against the Florida Marlins, they will put an end to the losing streak at 4 games.  The bats going up against the Brewers have managed to hit above the .300 mark.  Brewer pitchers have also given up 16 home runs in the past ten games.  Despite the hits that totaled a bakers dozen, the Brewers blew an important win yesterday.  The Brewers are going to have to bat better than a collective .246 to see the playoffs this year.  If this keeps up, I'm afraid that I will have to lump this team in with the lowly Milwaukee Bucks. 

The Brewers lose Gallardo for the season after Chicago Cubs Reed Johnson tried to slide into first base.  Reed and Yovani collided in a strange fashion, with Gallardo rolling his right leg and tearing his ACL.  Although Gallardo finished the inning, Yost replaced him in the sixth.  To anyone watching the replay, it was a shock to see Gallardo get up and finish the fifth inning.  Did he do more damage to his right knee in his effort to finish the inning?  Who knows.  His arm will be missed.  Gallardo's ERA of 1.80 will be hard to replace.  Speaking of replacements, David Bush was called up from AAA Nashville to fill his position.  Will Gallardo need surgery?  First, the swelling must go down. 

 Derrick Turnbow may have played his last game for the Milwaukee Brewers.  After struggling yet again on Tuesday night against the Cubs, the Brewers could no longer take a risk on Turnbow.  The Crew brought up Joe Dillon from AAA Nashville, and placed Derrick Turnbow on assignment.  Who will pay the lofty 3.2 million to pick him up?  Anyone willing to take the risk also has to pay the price.  The clock is ticking, and The Brewers have ten days to trade Turnbow.  With an ERA hovering above 9.0 for most of this season, and an astonishing jump to 15.63 after Tuesday's debacle, the rumors started to fly.  Turnbow's lack of control was killing him.  His throwing early in 2008 disappointed Brewers management enough to send him on his way.  Turnbow's performance made it easy to move him along.  In eight appearances, Derrick gave up eleven hits, over a dozen walks, and batters just don't fear his arm.  The days of glory have passed.  In 2006, he was untouchable.  Yost was unwilling to take risks with Derrick when the score was close.  Each time that Turnbow came out to pitch at Miller Park, the boo birds came out.  It was time for him to go.

Picture this:  Mike Cameron, two minutes into his first game as a Brewer, hits a double off the left field wall at Wrigley.  Mike goes on to bat 3-4 and gets a walk.  That was just part of the 17 hit barrage that the Brewers put up in Chicago last night.  On a cold evening, the Brew Crew scored 10 runs and defeated the Cubbies 10-7.  Sheets pitched a solid five innings, and the win put the Brewers within reach of sharing first place in the NL Central standings.  The "Triple H" threat of Hall, Hardy, and Hart put up three hits a piece.  Cameron admitted to having some pre game "jitters", but he got in the groove three pitches into the game and did not look back.  39,000 fans sat in 38 degree weather, and watched the Brewers take the first game of this three game series.  Sheets had a bit of rust on his throwing arm.  He walked many, but those walks didn't turn into runs for the Cubs.  His fastest pitches were off by 3-4 m.p.h., but solid enough to keep the Brewers in the game until it broke open late.  It's on to the second game of the series, where Suppan throws from mound at 7:05 tonight. 

Milwaukee Brewers bats are pretty cold right now.  With a record of 14-11, the Brewers need to get that win cushion back.  Going 10 innings in the last game, the Brewers only managed five total hits.  With 26 runners in scoring position, over the last three games, the Brew Crew could not get a man to touch home plate.  Bill Hall leads the team in home runs.  That should tell you something right off the bat.  Fielder is second with four homers, but after that, the numbers drop like a stone off a bridge.  The team average for hits is currently .240.  I suppose it is better to have a hitting slump early in the season, if you have to have a slump at all.  The boys need to get the lumber warmed up, and make those timely hits count. 

Meanwhile, Dave Bush has been sent to AAA Nashville.  A noticeably stunned Bush will be replaced by Mike Cameron.  Cameron is coming off a 25 game suspension from last year.  Someone had to go down to the minors, and it looked like Bush was not getting the job done.  An ERA of 6.75 and going 0-3 puts a target on your back.  After Sheets healed up and is now ready to play, it's goodbye Bush. 

Geoff Jenkins received a standing ovation upon his return to Milwaukee this week.  Although he now wears a Phillies uniform, it didn't much matter.  Geoff kindly thanked Milwaukee by placing a full-page ad in the local Milwaukee newspaper noting how much he loved his time here.  At Miller Park, a two-minute video played highlights of his career.  Yes, the red carpet was rolled out, if only for the past accomplishments.  The Brewers split the two game series.  Now the Florida Marlins come to town for a weekend series.  At 12-9, the Brewers need to pull off a few wins to stay in the hunt for the top spot in the NL Central

The Milwaukee Brewers are off to a solid 5-2 start.  The Brewers won the opening series against the Cubs in Chicago, they swept the Giants in Milwaukee, and are 1-1 against the Reds at Miller Park.  A combination of lousy pitching by three Brewers pitchers made for a nasty night of baseball for my first visit to Miller Park this year.  Dave Bush walked three, was charged with five runs, and six hits.  This was followed up with two-run homers given up by both Derrick Turnbow and Seth McClung. 

On a bright note, Bill Hall hit is fourth home run of the season.  The Brewers had a 3-2 lead half way through the game, but the floodgates opened after that.  The Reds scored 10 runs, and the game was all but over.  Fogg likes Brewers batters.  His pitching style is a perfect match against Milwaukee's batters.  Fogg earned four hits over the five innings he worked.  The final game of the series today will have Carlos Villanueva vs. Aaron Harang.   

The Milwaukee Brewers released pitcher Claudio Vargas on Tuesday. This puts the Brewers closer to finalizing there starting rotation.

With Vargas' release and an elbow injury to left-hander Chris Capuano, the final three spots in the rotation likely belong to right-handers Dave Bush, Carlos Villanueva and left-hander Manny Parra-at least until Yovani Gallardo returns from the minor knee operation he had early in spring training.Gallardo could return in mid-April.

Ben Sheets and Jeff Suppan will be the first two pitchers in the Brewers' rotation.

The right-handed Vargas went 11-6 with a 5.09 ERA in 29 games for Milwaukee last season. He was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in five starts this spring training.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Chris Capuano has a torn ligament in his left elbow and will probably need surgery for the second time in his career.

Capuano injured his elbow in an exhibition game last Monday against Seattle. He had an MRI on Thursday and team physician confirmed the diagnosis of a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Capuano plans on getting a second opinion in the next couple of days. Capuano's first elbow ligament replacement surgery was in 2002, when he was pitching in Arizona's farm system. It took Capuano 11 months to come back from that first surgery.

Capuano won 18 games in 2005 and made the National League All-Star team in 2006. He bolted to a 5-0 record last season but lost his last 12 decisions and pitched in 18 consecutive losing games by the team before being moved to the bullpen.

Capuano is the second Brewers' player to get injured since the start of camp. Right-hander Yovani Gallardo had arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee and is expected back some time in April for the regular season..

Brewers manager Ned Yost already announced that right-handers Ben Sheets and Jeff Suppan will be the first two pitchers in the rotation. Right-handers Dave Bush, Claudio Vargas and Carlos Villanueva, and left-hander Manny Parra, are competing for the remaining three spots.

Milwaukee Brewers closer Eric Gagne is going at his own pace in spring training. He has not been dominating, but testing what works with his new team.

Gagne did not play with his usually authority Tuesday, allowing three hits and two runs in one inning against a bunch of Angels bench warmers. He has an 11.25 spring ERA. However, spring training does is not a meter of how a player will do in the regular season.

Eric Gagne no longer throws his fastball in the 90 mph range, as he did before arm and back problems disabled him for most of the 2005 and 2006 seasons. However, Ned Yost is optimistic about Gagne when the season starts. With Gagne's adrenalin and focus and intensity, he's going to be up to reach the 90 MPH.

A former Brewer closer Francisco Cordero also paced himself last spring, then went out and set the club record with 44 saves. Gagne is using a similar approach to getting ready for the season. Veteran closers know that a baseball season is long and pacing oneself is key for a successful season.

Opening Day is near; all you have to do is count last remaining days in March until you smell peanuts drink beer and hear the roars in Miller Park.  So the question looms, who is starting the season for the Brewers. Ben Sheets is the easy choice given his experience in that position. If he starts he is on pace to start his sixth season opener in the last seven years.  So far this spring he has looked sharp. He threw three more scoreless innings in Thursday's loss to the Mariners, and an every-five-day schedule lines him up to pitch on March 31, when the Brewers begin the regular season against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The official home opener is Friday April 4th1:05 pm. Get your tickets while they last.

The Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day is less than a month away, but it has already brought about broken records.  On February 23, 98,000 Brewers tickets were sold for the big day, which is a 15% increase from last years numbers.  Fans certainly did show their team appreciation; starting as early as Tuesday, fans were lining up outside the stadium in freezing temperatures in hopes to be one of the first in line for Saturday's ticket sales.   

As part of the Arctic Tailgate, the first 2,000 fans at the Box Office received a free Arctic Tailgate t-shirt, a Klement's hot dog, a Pepsi and chips.  Hard to believe a hot dog and a t-shirt were the consolation prizes for standing in line for days at a time in the harsh Wisconsin weather, but the pay off will be truly realized on Opening Day, April 4, 2008. 

Those attending opening day will be the first to see the "new" team play together in the first home game of the Brewers season against the San Francisco Giants.  The Brewers first game of the season will be at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs on March 31, 2008.

With the loss of some players and the acquisitions of others, Brewers fans are hoping for a season ending in the playoffs.  However, hopes for the beginning of this season may emulate how last season began; with a winning streak.  In 2007, fans had high hopes for the Brewers to make it to the playoffs and with good reason.  Throughout the season, and particular at the beginning, the Brewers certainly looked to be a playoffs sure thing.  Sadly, in the last few remaining games of 2007, hopes were dashed, but with the end of a disappointing season, comes higher hopes for 2008.

Is Jeff Suppan overpaid baseball player? You bet; however, I believe the Brewers pay him to be a journey man who can give the Brewers some legs to walk. According to the Brewers website, Suppan is an innings-eater who consistently gives the team opportunities to win games and a veteran with postseason experience. He will not be a Johan, Maddux, or Beckett but will get the job done. He has consistently made 30-plus starts in nine straight seasons. Suppan also led the team last year with over 206 innings pitched. He is what I would call an Ironman, just like a famous retiree...Brett Favre. There is something to be said for having a Suppan style pitcher in the starting rotation, someone who goes to the post every five days and provides a steady presence in the middle of the rotation and is dependable. Those types of players tend to make everyone else on the staff just a little better.

When it's good it's good. The success the Milwaukee Brewers had last year was just wonderful and so great for the city of Milwaukee, but with success comes some new "issues". Issues like the scarcity of April 4th Opening Day tickets. Issues like the increased price of Milwaukee Brewers ticket both at the box office and in the secondary market, not to mention the area bars that put group outings together. There aren't enough tickets around for some of these bars. Check out Drew Olsen's article posted today on OnMilwaukee.com on this subject, as always it's a good read.

The Brewers had fans lined up outside the Miller Park ticket office days before the single-game tickets went on sale. Even though the Brewers said there would only be 2,500 Opening Day tickets made available, the fans lined up didn't care. They were hopeful. I am sure a number of them went away disappointed. Gang, there is plenty more to the Brew Crew than what happens early in April. It is a LONG season. Hopefully one that goes in to October!!!

The Milwaukee Brewers starting right-hander Dave Bush avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal Tuesday for $2.55 million. Now the next piece of business for David Bush is to win a spot in the starting rotation. Melvin noted right-handers Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan and Yovani Gallardo have starting spots in the rotation fort he 2008 season. Bush will compete with four other pitchers - Chris Capuano, Carlos Villanueva, Claudio Vargas and Manny Parra for the last two starting spots available.

Bush wanted $3 million, but the Brewers offered $2.25 million. Eventually both parties settled at $2.625 million.

With that done with, the Brewers have only shortstop J.J. Hardy remaining in arbitration. Hardy wants $3.05 million, but the Brewers are offering $2.4 million.

Bush, who made $450,000 last season playing at Miller Park, when he went 12-10 with a 5.12 earned run average in 33 appearances (31 starts). In 186 1/3 innings, he allowed 217 hits and 44 walks and posted 134 strikeouts.

Milwaukee Brewers decided Mike Cameron would be a great fit for the Brewers organization even tough he has to sit out his first 25 games for banned substance abuse.

Though Mike Cameron can't play in the Brewers' first 25 games, general manager Doug Melvin concluded that the 35-year-old could make an impact on the Brewers.

Milwaukee Brewers Manager Doug Melvin announced today the $13 million contract written for righthander David Riske. "He's a strike-thrower," Brewers manager Ned Yost said of Riske. "A guy who, as it stands today, probably will contend for one of our spots for our closers. Right now, we don't have a clear-cut one. Derrick will probably have a head start because he's been an All-Star closer." This deal could prove very profitable for Riske if he ends up being a successful closer for the Milwaukee Brewers.

November 28 the Brewers introduced their new catcher, Jason Kendall, who was the first overall Draft pick in 1992 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jason Kendall signed a one-year contract that guarantees $4.25 million and includes an option for 2009

At 33 years old, he may a grandpa compared to some of the other Brewers, but the team is hoping that Kendall's experience will be a positive influence on a young and inexperienced core of talent that led the Brewers to a second-place finish in 2007.

Kendall was a free agent for the first time and was coming off a six-year, $60 million contract he signed with the Pirates in 2002. He chose the Brewers because he considers them a contender.

The Brewers are hoping that Kendall is an upgrade over Estrada, who was recently traded to the Mets for reliever Guillermo Mota.

The Brewers will look to stay within the club for Kendall's backup. Mike Rivera has had some success in late-season stints with the Brewers over the last two years, and our Wisconsin native Vinny Rottino, a utility player who can be used anywhere on the diamond.

It appears the Brewers will not pursue Damian Miller, a free agent who spent the last two years with Milwaukee, including 2007 as Estrada's primary backup.

Johnny Estrada's grand slam was one of four homers hit by Milwaukee Tuesday as the Brewers blew past the Houston Astros 9-1.

Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer, and Geoff Jenkins and Rickie Weeks each hit solo homers for the Brewers, who have won four in a row to pull into a tie with the Chicago Cubs atop the NL Central. Chicago lost to the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 Tuesday.

Brewers starting pitcher Ben Sheets lasted just one inning, having to leave with a tight left hamstring. He was lifted after warming up in the second inning, having already allowed one run on two hits. Claudio Vargas (11-4) got the win by pitching four innings of two-hit ball.

The Milwaukee Brewers released information today for fans looking to lock in playoff tickets for post-season play at Miller Park.  Orders are due in by this Friday for current Milwaukee Brewers season ticket holders. After the folks sift through that, they are extending a package to Brewers fans who are able to commit to a block of tickets for the 2008 season and then finally the last option will be getting super lucky can register from online at Brewers.com to add their name to a drawing.  If your name is chosen, you will have a shot at buying Milwaukee Brewers Playoff tickets.  Brewers' administrators estimate that the quantity of tickets available for lottery winners will be a couple of thousand or so.  IF this ballclub makes it to the Championship Series or, ssshhhhhh, the World Series, this same pool of lottery names will be used for any additional tickets available.

Fair is fair.  Milwaukee Brewers season ticket holders have put their credit card down year after year and now is there time to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

The Milwaukee Brewers aren't getting the help they need from the Chicago Cubs, who are winning tonight's ballgame against the LA Dodgers as I write this, so instead they put 14 runs on the board against the Houston Astros in the final game at Miller Park in the series.  The home runs kept coming as I sat in the bleachers out near Bernie Brewer. With each home run came the fireworks, both the sparkly ones and the ones that come from a frightened two-year-old. That is ok. Small price to pay for a Milwaukee Brewers win!

Pretty cool when you buy a Milwaukee Brewers ticket for $2 from Amoco and wind up seeing Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Corey Hart EACH hit a three-run home!!!  With the comfort of a 14 run lead, the Brewers put in Ray King at the mound. The team just picked him up from the Washington Nationals yesterday.  King had a shakey start allowing a home run and a base hit with his first couple hitters.  

The famous sausages raced. The Brewers faithful sang, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".  The Milwaukee Brewers ball club looked focused and intent on playing major league baseball on in to October.  Now that's what I'm talkin' about.

The Milwaukee Brewers are even in the series against the Houston Astros as they just pulled out a 5-3 win in tonights game at home at Miller Park.  Sure the crowd at the ballpark is down from the sellouts of a month ago, but with a few more Brew Crew wins and a few more Chicago Cubs losses (they are down 9-2 as I write this), the Brewers hopefuls will be back.  They just had to save a few bucks up for the Milwaukee Brewers Playoff tickets!!

It looked for a bit that tonight's game was going to repeat last night's mess, but Francisco Cordero pulled out the save striking out the very player he was traded for a year ago, Carlos Lee.  Rickie Weeks had a tough night at second base.  Carlos Villanueva, allowing only one hit in six innings was the player of the game.

Looks like the St. Louis Cardinals are playing to win as they just won tonight's game. 

The 2007 Milwaukee Brewers can win at home, most of the time. Thank goodness.  They traveled 80 miles south earlier this week to take on the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and couldn't manage to win the series. They had EVERY chance to. Including bases loaded at the bottom of the 9th inning. ERRRRRR. A bad call at the plate earlier in the game while Corey Hart was batting turned things in the wrong direction for the Milwaukee Brewers.  At least they won one of the game. As I write this the Brewers are 1 and a half games out of first. But they need to keep an eye on the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The Brewers won last night at Miller Park and have a few more winnable games in the coming days.

Milwaukee Brewers tickets are priced lower than they have been earlier in the season, but I would suspect that might change as folks get back on the train that is the Brew Crew and head straight in to October!!

Earlier this year there were plenty of reasons for the Milwaukee Brewers and their fans to be excited about this season.  They had just completed a sweep of Houston Astros as the end of June, they had won their 8 of nine games, they were 7.5 games ahead of the second place Chicago Cubs, fourteen games over .500 and their playoff odds were quite strong at 83.5% according to Vegas. It looked like Milwaukee Brewers was a virtual in to make their first postseason appearance since 1982.

Now go forward two months later and the Brewers are fighting for their playoff hopes.  As of Yesterday, Milwaukee are 66-67 and 2.5 games behind the Cubs.  Making things more embarrassing is the fact that Saint Louis Cardinals have decided to step up their game and are in a playoff race in N.L. Central; they trail the Brewers by a single game.

These next few weeks would be interesting in the N.L. Central and should come down to the last game of the season. Hopefully the Brewers can get out of their current slump and make things happen.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb saw his scoreless innings streak end at 42 when the Milwaukee Brewers scored a run in the first inning. Brandon Webb's streak came seventeen innings shy of Orel Hershiser's MLB record of 59 consecutive scoreless innings.

Gabe Gross led off the game with a single, stole second base, went to third on a groundout, and then scored on a single by Prince Fielder.

The Milwaukee Brewers baseball team of 2007 has a split personality. Now is the time for the team we all saw earlier this year, starting the season off with such a bang, to return. They have now won two games on the raod against a darn good Arizona Diamondbacks team, keeping them even in first place with our rivals to the south, the Chicago Cubs. We were sure close to a solo first place position, but the Cubs rallied late in their game, scoring five runs, to come up on top in their game last night. 

Well boys, gametime is just a few hours away and let's see if those fans in the 110 degree heat can bring their brooms to Chase Field.  Let's give Milwaukee a reason to get in line for their Milwaukee Brewers tickets! Let's have September mean something for fans who have waited 25 years!

What will the Brewers do with Yovani Gallardo when Ben Sheets returns?  Will they return him to the bullpen or skip a few starts if he remains in the rotation?  It's quite a pickle since the pennant race may come down to the wire and Yovani is the team's best starter beyond Sheets

But if Gallardo does make ten more starts, he'd reach around 193 innings this year  That would represent a somewhat frightening 37 inning increase over last year for Gallardo, undoubtedly more if the Crew makes the playoffs.  I have to label him Risky but I'll change my tune if the Brewers hold true to their word.  Today's thrashing at Coors might make it easier to shift him back to the pen.

Speaking of Sheets, he should return in mid to late August based on the initial timeline.  We probably will not see Sheets throwing off a mound until mid-August, which would push his return to the first week of September.

The 2007 MLB All Star game, which marks the middle of the baseball season, has come and gone and for just the fourth time in Milwaukee Brewers team history there were four representatives from Milwaukee's Own Brew Crew sent to San Francisco to play in the All Star Game.  Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, Francisco Cordero and Ben Sheets all were selected for the game Monday. In fact, Cordero received more votes cast by players in the league than any other player. 

Unfortunately, the American League won the game, leaving them with home field advantage for the World Series.  The one year it actually could impact the Brew Crew! It is never an easy road for Wisconsin teams.

The Brewers now back from the season's longest stretch away from Miller Park are prepared to kick off the second half of the season with three series at home against the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the San Fransisco Giants.  Wins at home are now expected by the fans, while losses on the road are too.  I think the Brewers can use this home stand to get some momentum going for the road games. We need to get a few more games up on the hated Cubbies a few miles to the south.

The Milwaukee Brewers go into the All-Star break with a two-game losing streak, after falling at Washington Sunday 7-2. The Nationals scored six runs in the sixth, highlighted by a two-run homer from Ryan Zimmerman and a three-run pinch-hit double by ex-Brewer Ronnie Belliard. The Brewers took the lead in the top of the same inning with a two-run double by Prince Fielder, but that was all they could muster. Ryan Braun went 3 for 3 with a double and a run scored as Milwaukee finished a 3-7 road trip. Also, the Brewers failed to homer for the first time in 17 games, breaking their longest streak in 11 years.

Chris Capuano took the loss and falls to 5-6 after giving up seven runs in 5.33 innings. Tim Redding picked up his first win in almost three years, when he was with Houston. He gave up two runs on five hits in six innings, as the Nationals won their second straight for the first time since June 14. The Brewers are 49-and-39 and it's the first time in 25 years they've led their division at the break. Milwaukee remains 4.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs.

Prince Fielder will be in Monday night's All-Star Home Run Derby in San Francisco and he'll be joined by J-J Hardy, Ben Sheets, and Francisco Cordero in Tuesday night's Mid-Summer Classic. The rest of the Brewers are off until Friday when they host Colorado.

The injury to Milwaukee Brewers' Center Fielder, Bill Hall came July 5th as the Brewers lost yet another series at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.  Hall is a great player offensively and defensively and any other season this loss, however long it will end up being, would have been devastating for the Brew Crew.  With the depth the team has this year, losing Hall to an injury will stink for sure, but the team has very capable Tony Gwynn Jr. in their back pocket who is now up from Triple-A in Nashville.  At this point Hall is listed on the 15-day DL. 

Gwynn was sent back to Nashville as he hit a 4-for-24 slump.  He understood why the team made the move they did, but now is very excited to be back playing with the Milwaukee Brewers.  Hall said to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "I think this is another opportunity for me to hopefully get to stick for the rest of the season and try to hold the fort down until Billy gets back."  On his first game back as the Brewers took on the Nationals in RFK Stadium, Hall had two hits in four at-bats. Not bad.

Unfortunately, the Brewers lost the game.  On the glass-is-half-full side of things, the Chicago Cubs also lost their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  As I write this, the Cubs are 4-1/2 games behind my Milwaukee Brewers.  The All-Star break is here and the Brewers have two big opportunities coming up with home stands against the San Francisco Giants, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies.  Here we go Brewers, here we go!

On Wednesday, four members of the Milwaukee Brewers, J.J. Hardy, Bill Hall, Chris Capuano and Jeff Suppan, made their small-screen debuts on The Young and the Restless.

Like most athlete actors, the Milwaukee Brewers was completely awkward during their big scene debut. What makes things even worse for the wannabe soap stars is that they were playing themselves. You'd figure that if anyone could play the Brewers, it would be the Brewers. Then again, J.J. seemed pretty relaxed when he spoke these word "She can warm up with me anytime"

The Detroit Tiger/ Milwaukee Brewers series ended on a happy note for Milwaukee, as the Brewers came back from being no-hit by Justin Verlander on Tuesday night to win the final two games of the series. This was a severe test for the young Brewers, who began the season 24-10, but then went 10-20. The test was passed.

A remarkable emergency start by Carlos Villanueva, followed by an eighth-inning home run by Bill Hall got Milwaukee a victory on Wednesday night. And then a solid enough pitching performance from starter Ben Sheets and four relievers, along with the kind of timely hitting that Milwaukee had missed for much of a month, brought it a 6-5 victory in the series finale on Thursday. And even this did not occur before the Tigers had rallied for two runs in the ninth. The game ended with the tying run on third base, but it also ended with Francisco Cordero recording his 24th save, tops in the National League.

With the seventh overall pick, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Matt LaPorta in this years 2007baseball draft. A senior from the University of Florida, Matt should make an immediate impact in the struggling Brewers lineup. According to the Milwaukee Brewers, they  intend to sign him quickly and place him in the starting lineup. Thou, he was a first baseman in college, the Brewers plan on moving him to left field as the Milwaukee Brewers already have a solid first baseman, Price Fielder.

At the University of Florida, Matt LaPorta, quickly joined the ranks of the elite college ball players. He received Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors in 2005 and 2006. This is a quite an accomplishment taking into account that the SEC is considered one of the best college baseball conferences in the nation. On that note, he only struck out 15 times his last year at Florida.

Things were looking up for the Milwaukee Brewers as they won their last two games, getting them back on the track they started the 2007 major league baseball season on. Unfortunately, the Brewers fell short in this afternoon's game against the Atlanta Braves.  The Milwaukee Brewers were up 2-1 in the seventh inning, only to lose the ball game 9-3. Not a typo. 9-3!

There are (were?) high hopes for this team as the season got under way.  Certainly the baseball season is a long one and by no means is the Milwaukee Brewers season over, but momentum is a factor. Home field is a factor and as fans quickly cool to the performance on the field, the Brewers need to strike while the iron is hot.

What has happened in the last few weeks? The Brewers haven't won a series in weeks.  Does the lineup need to be examined? Pitching? Will Brewers Coach Ned Yost have the answers to get this team back on track?

Milwaukee Brewers ticket sales have been record-setting which is great news as revenue in can only help build for the future, but