The Reality

The Milwaukee Brewers lost again today, losing the 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Do I need to say that again? Yes, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pittsburgh Pirates that have a roster of Triple A caliber. I mean, Delwyn Young? Garrett Jones? Ramon Vazquez? The Brewers had won 17 games in a row and had not lost a series to the Bucs since early 2007. Well this Bucs team completely hammered Brewers starting pitcher Jeff Suppan today, at one point hitting three home runs in one inning. Catcher Ryan Doumit slugged one in the first inning and then hit the first of three in the third. Suppan was completely shelled, but its not like it was anything new to the Brewers starting pitching; it has been downright dismal as of late. The Brewers have no business being only 2 games back in the NL Central with the starting pitching that they have had as of late. Mike Burns should be nowhere near a major league roster with his 85 mph fastball that travels right down the plate. With Suppan out there, you never know what you are going to get. He has a 3.8 ERA on the road and a 6.12 ERA at home. But after getting rocked in a road game today by the Pirates, it is impossible what to expect. Looper has been solid and has grown into the second best pitcher on the team. Parra is looking to get one track, but he needs to find out how to do it consistently. And suddenly, the Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo has had some trouble with his command and walking batters. The addition of Dave Bush from the DL may help a little, but he was probably worse than Parra was back in mid-June when both were at their lows.



On the other side, the offense is too downright inconsistent. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun can't be relied on to carry the load themselvels day in and day out. While Casey McGehee has been a surprise, he looks like he is coming back to earth a little since the All-Star Break. Craig Counsell has been good, but he would provide more value being the first option off of the bench. Jason Kendall is old now and his .244 batting average should be nowhere near the top of the order. Corey Hart is just not a good baseball player. He has so many holes in his swing and has no plate discipline whatsoever. To think that he was an All-Star last year completely baffles me. JJ Hardy may be a fan favorite to the ladies, but he is the slowest shortstop in the league, he has been streaky all year, and all he is doing is blocking Brewers top prospect Alcides Escobar. Mike Cameron is another streaky hitter whose only value to this club is his defense. Just face it Brewers fans: This is not a playoff caliber team. Winning 23 of 28 games was great in late April/early May, but the truth is that was then and this is now. Back then the starting pitching was exceeding expectations, the hitting was clutch, and Rickie Weeks was in the everyday lineup. Now the starting pitching is pitching well below expectations, the hitting is inconsistent, and Rickie Weeks is out for the year. Another loss to the Braves tonight put the Brewers at .500 and back to fourth place in the NL Central. As much as it hates me to say it, this team is done. Trading for Roy Halladay would be stupid because one starter who pitches every five days will not help the Brewers out. On those other 4 (maybe three if you count Gallardo), the Brewers cannot expect what they are going to get out of their starting pitching. Selling the farm (Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel) would be stupid because one guy will not put this team over the hump. This is not a World Series team, Milwaukee; there are way too many other weaknesses on this team and adding one guy will not solve any of the other problems this team is having. And the offense will continue to just flaunder and underperform as they have done since the beginning of June. Doug Melvin, please sell Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy, and Bill Hall and get anything you can in return. The reality is that this team should be selling, not buying.