Prospect Watch: Jeremy Jeffress

Now that Will Inman has been traded and Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra are in the big leagues Jeremy Jeffress has become the Brewers' top pitching prospect. He's pitching his first season of pro ball at Low-A West Virginia and is turning in a solid season.

Jeffress, 19, is 6-4 with a 3.54 ERA and has an opposing batting average of .211. In 56 innings pitched he's allowed just 43 hits and has struck out 58 batters. He has walked 32 batters however so he does need to work on his control. The way he's pitching though he will most likely begin next season at High-A Brevard County.

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Rant: Brewers Drop First Game of Double Header

The Brewers were leading the Cardinals and 6-0 and still lost! The Brewers need to learn how to hold the lead. This is getting very tiring. It seems like they are always doing this.

Many Parra's first career start was wasted. Parra went 6 innings allowing only 1 earned run and also had 2 RBI. Nice game Manny, too bad the bullpen couldn't hold down the game.

Francisco Cordero blew his second straight save and hasn't been the same pitcher since the All-Star break that he was in the first half. His ERA is now at 3.38 and every time he takes the field seems to be an adventure, especially on the road. I really think Yost should just sit him for a while, maybe a week to rest his arm. He seems tired. We need him to be good to go for the stretch run.

The Brewers cannot continue to blow games in which they have such a big lead. Today's loss was ridiculous. When you're only in first place by 3 games at the end of July you need to lock down games and the Brewers aren't doing a good job of that. Hopefully Capuano comes out for the night game and just shuts the Cards down. This is a game the Crew needs to win.

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Brewers Acquire Linebrink

The Brewers acquired relief pitcher Scott Linebrink from the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitching prospects, Will Inman, Steve Garrison, and Joe Thatcher. Linebrink is considered one of the top relief pitchers in the game. Through 44 games this season he has an ERA of 3.80 and a .240 opponents batting average.

Right now I'm not sure how much I like the trade. This does strengthen the bullpen and makes the crews pen arguable the best in the national league but it came at a pretty big cost. Will Inman was the Brewers top pitching prospect now that Yovani Gallardo is in the show. Joe Thatcher was a solid left-handed relief pitcher and Steve Garrison was no slouch either. Both Thatcher and Garrison were putting up solid numbers in the minor leagues but I don't think losing either of them is that big of a blow.

Trading Inman for a relief pitcher who will be a free agent at the end of this season is kind of puzzling though. I figured if Inman were to be traded it would be in a deal that would bring the Brewers a big time corner outfielder. We will just have to trust in Doug Melvin. He hasn't been ripped off in a trade yet since becoming the Brewers' general manager. Many complained when Melvin traded Dana Eveland but Eveland hasn't done anything this season to show that it was a mistake. Linebrink does make this team's bullpen very strong and this trade definitely shows the Brewers are in it to win it this year. If Linebrink walks at the end of the season the Brewers will receive draft picks as compensation since Linebrink will be a Type A free agent.

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Salome Suspended

Angel Salome, the Brewers top catching prospect has been suspended for 50 games for violating the drug prevention and treatment program. Salome was batting.318 with six homers and 53 RBI in 68 games with High-A Brevard County.

This is really disappointing news. He's the Brewers top catching prospect and the Brewers don't have a ton of catching depth in their farm system. Suddenly Salome's future doesn't look as bright as it once was. Hopefully he returns clean and can put this behind him.

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Prospect Watch: Mat Gamel

Now that Ryan Braun is in the show someone needs to take his place as the organizations top third base prospect. That someone is Mat Gamel. Gamel, 22, is currently playing for High-A Brevard County and is having a great season. The left handed hitting Gamel is currently batting .306 with a very nice .380 on base percentage. He has 4 home runs, 40 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 30 doubles in 337 at bats.

Gamel is definitely becoming one of the Brewers top prospects. At one point of the season he had a 33 game hit streak going. A promotion could be coming soon. This is a prospect to watch out for.

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Ann Carroll Canned

Everybody's favorite host is gone. Ann Carroll is no longer working with the Milwaukee Brewers. The following was posted on jsonline...

Jeff Grayson has been hired as host for "Brewers Live" pre- and post-game shows on FSN Wisconsin, the cable channel that produces and airs Milwaukee Brewers telecasts.

Grayson, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, replaces Ann Carroll, who has been the host of the shows on Brewers road games. Grayson has been a sports anchor for the last 12 years at KMSP-TV, the Fox affiliate in Minneapolis.

FSN Wisconsin management was not dissatisfied with Carroll's job, according to Brian Peterson, a spokesman for the regional cable network. He said Carroll was holding down the role until a permanent replacement could be found. Carroll's primary job is to handle a weekly Minnesota Vikings studio show and other Vikings reporting duties for the FSN regional that serves the state of Minnesota.

"The plan all along was to find someone to be that consistent face and we think we have found that with Jeff," Peterson said.

Grayson has worked at WITI-TV (Channel 6) as a sports producer and at WBAY-TV in Green Bay.

The roles of Craig Coshun and Davey Nelson remain the same on "Brewers Live" for all Brewers home games.

What a shame, no more Ann Carroll. I'm sure everyone in Wisconsin is very disappointed. She was a heck of a host known for her excellent execution and professionalism. One last time here's one of her memorable performances doing a Timberwolves post game show.

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Bonds Chasing History This Weekend

The Brewers pummeled the Diamondbacks in the season finale today 10-1. Yovani Gallardo pitched 6 innings allowing only 1 run. This outing supports my previous article on how the there shouldn't be a big drop off from Sheets to Gallardo. Next up for the Brewers, Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants.

Bonds is chasing history. He hit two home runs against the Cubs today and now has 753 for his career, just two away from tieing Hank Aaron. All the weekend games are sold out and the crowd will be merciless towards Bonds. He's going to be booed every time he steps up to the plate. If he hits 754 in Milwaukee expect the boos to grow even louder for his next at bat. It should be a wild atmosphere in Milwaukee as no Brewers fan wants to see Bonds break Hank Aaron's record.

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The Effect of Losing Ben Sheets

Ben Sheets is out 4-6 weeks which is a a big blow to the Brewers. The Cubs are only 3.5 games behind the crew and losing your ace cannot possibly help but I don't think it will effect the Brewers too much in the standings.

Yovani Gallardo replaces Sheets in the rotation and since being called up he has been lights out. Through 26.2 innings of work Gallardo has a 2.83 ERA, opposing average of .202, a WHIP of 1.05, and is striking out 8.48 per 9 innings. Gallardo has done better than Sheets in all of those categories. 26.2 major league innings isn't a huge sample size but Gallardo hasn't really shown any reason why he isn't capable of finishing the season with an ERA of around 3. He destroyed minor league hitting and hasn't had much of a drop off since joining the Brewers. While Sheets is out, you shouldn't expect it to effect the standings much because Gallardo is a very good replacement who should be able to hold down the fort until Big Ben returns.

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Prospect Watch: Angel Salome

Angel Salome, the Brewers #1 catching prospect who is currently in High-A Brevard County is having a solid year hitting the baseball. Salome currently has a .301 average with 6 home runs and 51 RBI. He also has 19 doubles. Angel sure knows how to hit.

If there's something he needs to work on though it's his plate discipline. While he's hitting .301 his on base percentage is only at .326. He reminds me of Johnny Estrada because they're both contact hitters that do not draw a ton of walks. Salome is still young though as he only turned 21 last month and he should gain more plate discipline in time.

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Sheets to DL; Parra Called Up

Things just keep getting worse for the Brew Crew. Bill Hall was already on the disabled list, the starting rotation has been struggling and now the teams ace, Ben Sheets is headed for the 15-day disabled list. Sheets sprained his middle finger in a start on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies.

This is a major blow to the Brewers who are currently leading the national league central by 3.5 games. The Cubs are on fire and the Brewers have been holding them off. Without Sheets it's going to get tougher. Yovani Gallardo will replace him in the rotation.

With Sheets headed to the DL the Brewers have called up Manny Parra from Triple-A Nashville. Parra has had a breakout season down in the minor leagues. He started the year in Double-A and then moved up to Triple-A. Parra has 26 innings of work at Triple-A and had an amazing 1.73 ERA with a 3-1 record. He also threw a perfect game.

That wasn't the only move the Brewers made today. Chris Spurling was placed on the bereavement list to tend to a family matter and Grant Balfour has been called up in his place. Balfour has been lights out in relief for the Sounds. He's struck out 47 batters in 32 innings and put up a 1.69 ERA. It'll definitely be interesting to see Parra and Balfour in major league action.

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Brewers Defeat Rockies, Win Series

The Brewers defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-3 today the take the series. Jeff Suppan rebounded after a few rough starts as he pitched 6 innings allowing only 2 runs. Francisco Cordero locked down his major league leading 28th save in the 9th inning. It was a huge win for the crew as the Cubs are in the midst of a hot streak and are breathing down their necks.

The big news this series was the injury to Ben Sheets in Saturdays victory. Sheets left the game in the 4th inning with a sprained finger.The injury doesn't seem too series and it doesn't appear he'll be headed for the DL. Hopefully he's ready to go for his next start, if not Yovani Gallardo will slide into the rotation to take his place.

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ALERT: Ryan Braun is Really Good

The Brewers lost to the Colorado Rockies 10-6 Friday night but focusing on the positives Ryan Braun is insane. He had another two homer game and has 13 home runs on the season. Braun has homered in his last six games. His average is up to .353.

We all knew Ryan Braun could hit but what he's doing as a rookie is amazing. Being in the major leagues just doesn't phase him. He seems like he's been in the show for a while the way he goes about his business. Now the rotation just needs to get their act together so Braun's amazing hitting doesn't go to waste.

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Mid-Season Grades

We're already halfway through the baseball season so it's time to grade the brew crew. I've graded each player on the team.




Rotation

Ben Sheets A- - Sheets has had a strong season so far and was elected to his third all-star team. He got off to somewhat of a slow start and his strikeout numbers were down but he's really turned it on in the last few months. He's 10-4 at the break and it looks like he'll easily set a career high for wins.

Chris Capuano D+ - It's been a pretty disappointing season for Cappy. He got off to a really good start and then began to slip. Then he got hurt and hasn't done well since he returned from the disabled list. His ERA currently stands at 4.78 and with Cappy I expect something more like 3.78. He'll need to improve in the second half.

Jeff Suppan D+ - When you're a starting pitcher and you're making $12 million a year, the richest contract in Brewers history you're expected to have better than a 5 ERA. Suppan looked well worth the money in the first two months of the season but since he's been absolutely horrible. No expected Suppan to be a Cy Young pitcher but an ERA in the high 3's or low 4's would be nice. He's not even performing at his career averages right now.

Dave Bush C - Overall Bush has pitched pretty well this season, his downfall however has been the big inning. He does fine the entire way and then just explodes. Lately he hasn't been doing much of the exploding. I think he's performed better than his 4.86 ERA would indicate.

Claudio Vargas C+ - Vargas has been pretty good for a #5 starter but has been lucky at times. Many have been calling him the magic man because of his ability to leave runners on base. He's 6-2 with a 4.52 ERA. The ERA is about what I expected. He'll need to improve though if he wants to keep his spot in the rotation because Yovani Gallardo is too good to be left in the bullpen the entire 2nd half.

Bullpen

Francisco Cordero A - Cordero has been fantastic this season closing games for the crew. He leads the National League with 27 saves and has a 2.86 ERA. Through the first two months of the season he was practically untouchable. Recently he's been giving up a few runs here and there. Hopefully it's nothing to be concerned about.

Derrick Turnbow B - Turnbow is quietly turning in a pretty decent year. I think some of the fans expect too much from Turnbow after he gave us that 1.74 ERA season in 2005. He struggled in 2006 but for the most part has been solid this year. He seems to give up his runs in bunches. When he's on though, he's dominant. Turnbow has only allowed 24 hits in 38.2 innings pitched and has struck out 48. That's a pretty nice strikeout per innings ratio. He has an ERA of 3.49.

Matt Wise A- - Matt Wise has been solid. He just goes out there and does his job. I'll take a setup man with a 2.87 ERA any day.

Brian Shouse B - Shouse has done a good job in his left handed specialist role . In 35 appearances Shouse has a 2.95 ERA.

Carlos Villanueva A - Villanueva has been just amazing. He's definitely a starting pitcher but he's just so valuable in the bullpen. He flat out knows how to pitch. He's thrown in 60.1 innings and has a 2.83 ERA. Villanueva is also 6-0.

Yovani Gallardo A - You can't expect much more than what Yo's done since receiving the call. He was dominant in his outings as a starter. His ERA stands at 3.38 ERA and he will be used in the bullpen to keep his arm fresh for the stretch run.

Chris Spurling C+ - Spurling has a nice looking 3.25 ERA but he is not that good. He's been pretty lucky. None of his numbers really stand out besides his ERA, it's just that the base runners he's allowing haven't been scoring yet. Unfortunately, in the 2nd half I believe they will and his ERA will balloon.

Outfield

Corey Hart A - I thought Corey Hart would do well. When I say well I mean average production for a corner outfielder. He's done better than that, he's the total package. Hart does it all, he hits for average, power, and can steal bases. When you compare his production to Aaron Rowand, who was an all-star the numbers are very similar. If he hadn't been platooning with Menchkins in the early going the Brewers might have had five all-stars.

Geoff Jenkins B- - For the most part Jenkins has been solid but he's fallen off recently. He still hits for decent power and a respectable average. I really hope the Brewers make a run this season because if they don't Jenkins might not have another shot, at least not as a starter.

Bill Hall C - Billy had a tough time making the transition to centerfield and that may have hurt him at the plate. His power is down big time from last season but he still has a decent average. When he returns from the DL the Brewers will hope for big things from Hall.

Kevin Mench D+ - Mench is not nearly worth the amount of money he makes. He's walked TWICE the ENTIRE season and one of the walks was intentional. Ignore his .278 average, his production hasn't been that good. Mench was also considered a power hitter before coming to Milwaukee and he currently has 5 home runs. I don't think there's any question anymore that he's simply a role player. As a role player he's okay.

Tony Gwynn B+ - Gwynn has done much better than anyone could have expected and has been a solid player off the bench. In the 1st half of the season he put up a .297 average with a .354 on base percentage.

Gabe Gross D - Gross is batting .200 but has managed to put up a .330 OBP despite the terrible average. He gets so few AB's I think it's hard for him to get going. He's a very capable player but on this team he just doesn't get the playing time he should be.

Infield

Prince Fielder A+ - Prince has turned into a king this season. He leads the National League with 29 Home Runs and became the first Brewer to be voted a starter in the All-Star game since Paul Mollitor in 1988. I didn't even know what the Brewers or what baseball was in 1988. If there was a 1st half MVP for the NL it would be Prince. He's been unbelievable.

Rickie Weeks D- - I hate to give Rickie such a low grade but he's just been very disappointing. He's been battling the wrist injury and it seems to have really taken its tole on him. Lately all he's been doing is striking out. Weeks is batting only .222 with 5 home runs in 222 at bats. Hopefully he rebounds in the second half otherwise some people will begin to wonder if he was worth drafting.

J.J. Hardy A - Nobody expected J.J. to hit as many dingers as he has. 18 Home Runs and a pretty good average at .280. Not to mention his amazing defense. Hardy earned a very well deserved all-star selection for his stellar play.

Ryan Braun A+ - When you look at Ryan Braun the word professional comes to mind. He just looks and acts like a pro out on the field. He's a rookie but acts like he's been there before. Braun has a quiet confidence and has been mashing at the plate. Braun is batting .350 with 11 dingers and and 32 RBI. The NL Rookie of the Year race will definitely be an interesting one between Braun and the Astros' Hunter Pence.

Tony Graffanino D - Graffy has been a disappointment. Last year he was very solid pickup at the trade deadline and did a bang up job. This season he has just been below average.

Craig Counsell D+ - He's been slightly better than Graffy but is still only hitting .239. He has shown good discipline at the plate drawing a good amount of walks though.

Catchers

Johnny Estrada B- - Estrada came over in a big off-season trade that sent Doug Davis to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Johnny can hit, there's no denying that, but his ability to draw walks is Shrek like. Estrada is hitting .293 but his OBP is only .311. When he's hitting I love Estrada, when he's not he's worthless because you know he won't walk.

Damian Miller A- - Damian "Wheels" Miller, also known as Jake Taylor has been on fire in recent weeks. Damian is an old banged up catcher and he can still play at a high level. Miller is batting .312 with a .356 OBP. You can't ask for anything more from your backup catcher. Not many teams have a backup catcher that outperforms their starter.

Overall

I had high expectations for the crew and they've lived up to them. I thought this was definitely a first place team and they've proven it. The Brewers are currently 49-39 and have a 4 1/2 game lead over the Cubs for 1st place in the NL Central. The Cubs have been hot lately but I think the Brewers are too good to let their lead go. The Crew started off on fire but then had a horrible month and then started playing well again. Overall I'd give the crew an A- for the first half of the season. Well done, now lets get to the World Series!

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Hall to DL; Gwynn Recalled

Bill Hall has been placed on the 15 day DL after spraining his ankle Thursday in Pittsburgh. He sprained it when he attempted to catch a Ryan Doumit home run. He landed awkwardly and sprained his ankle. This is a tough blow for the crew but at least it's only the 15 day DL so he won't miss much time.

Tony Gwynn has been recalled from Triple-A Nashville and will replace Hall in center field. Gwynn hasn't exactly been tearing it up in his stint at Triple-A. Gwynn only put up a .258 average with a .315 on base percentage in 66 at bats. He had 3 RBI and 3 stolen bases. It'll be interesting to see if Yost sends Gwynn out to center field everyday or if he'll share time with Gabe Gross.

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Prospect Watch: Brent Brewer

Brent Brewer, the Brewers 2nd round pick in 2006 is having a pretty good year for his first season in pro ball. The 19-year-old shortstop is batting .270 with a .338 On Base Percentage for Low-A West Virginia. He has 4 Home Runs and 29 RBI. One of his greatest strengths is his ability on the base paths as he's stolen 27 bases this season.

Right now the biggest hole in his game offensively seems to be his inability to hit left handed pitching. He's only batting .202 versus southpaws. Meanwhile he's posted a .297 average and a .359 OBP against right handers. His defense also needs a lot of work as he's committed 31 errors. Overall, Brewer seems to be a pretty promising prospect though.

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It's Miller Time

The Brewers defeated the Pirates last night 10-3 in front of an amazing 14,455 fans at PNC Park. Damian Miller lead the way for the Crew with 2 HOME RUNS AND 7 RBI. The 7 RBI's tied a Brewers record. Nicely done Damian. He's really caught fire as of late.

Now the question is, should Miller get more playing time? I think the answer is yes. It might be time that he should be splitting PT with Estrada nearly 50-50. On the season Damian is batting .287 with a .330 OBP and has a .778 OPS. Meanwhile, Johnny Estrada is batting .281 with a .301 OBP and has a .727 OPS. Estrada has had a lot more at bats but currently Miller is outperforming him, not to mention Miller is probably better behind the plate. It will be interesting to see how much more playing time Damian gets from this point on.

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Brewers Send Four to All-Star Game

Four Brewers are going to the All-Star Game including Prince Fielder who becomes the first Brewer to be voted into the starting lineup since Paul Mollitor in 1988. Ben Sheets, Francisco Cordero, and JJ Hardy were also selected. The Brewers and Mets led the way with four players each being selected.

When I start thinking about snubs there's a Brewer that kind of sneaks up on you. No one really mentioned him as an all-star but he could have a legit gripe about being left off the final vote. That player is Corey Hart. Hart hasn't started the entire season but definitely has a good number of AB's under his belt. Currently Hart is batting .317 with a .388 OBP, he has 11 Home Runs, 32 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. He's doing just as good or better than Aaron Roward, who made the all-star team in all those categories except RBI's where he's 3 behind and On Base Percentage where he's only down 2 points. Had Hart played everyday we'd probably be seeing five Brewers in the All-Star Game. Still, sending four players to the game is impressive. Not bad for a "small market" baseball team.

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Capellan Traded

The Brewers traded disgruntled reliever Jose Capellan to the Detroit Tigers for Chris Cody, a 23-year-old left handed pitcher. Cody was the Tigers 8th round pick in the 2006 draft. Cody started the 2007 season in Low-A but was recently promoted to High-A. He's 5-6 with a 1.89 ERA in 15 starts on the season.

Capellan turned out be a total bust for Milwaukee. He was acquired in a trade for Danny Kolb. At the time Capellan was considered the Atlanta Braves top pitching prospect. It was said his fastball could reach up to 101 mph but with the Brewers it was usually in the low 90's. Capellan became frustrated after not making the Brewers Opening Day roster and demanded a trade. The trade now makes room for Chris Capuano when he returns from the disabled list.

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