Update (12:04 PM):  As expected, Michael Brantley is being called the PTBNL in the CC Sabathia deal.  Tom Haudricourt reports.  That bothers me (akittell) quite a bit.  Taylor Green is a long way away from the bigs and Brantley possibly could contribute as quickly as next season.  That means both of the Brewers top stolen base threats at the beginning of the year are gone from the minors (Darren Ford if I remember correctly).  It also means we have to wait a few more years before we see a player from the minors come up with an idea of the strike zone.  Brantley will be missed in the long run and will have a fine career as either a fourth outfielder or probably a starting center fielder.  Good luck, Michael!

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Milwaukee's backs are against the wall.  Can they come back against improbable odds?

Sure they can.  Their backs were against the wall in the final week of the regular season, and the Crew came through in dramatic fashion.  Perhaps they'll put on a show this weekend as well.

We can only hope.

• Tom Haudricourt says something that my seven-year old cousin already knows.  Without home runs, the Milwaukee Brewers will rarely score meaningful runs.  The article also goes after Corey Hart a bit, who I'm seethingly angry at, by the way.  How can you swing at the first pitch 44% of the time?  How is it only 44% of the time, by the way?  I would have said 70%, easy.  Here's the quotation of the game:
  
  "I hit it off the end of the bat," said Hart. "It would have been nice if I could have gotten a hit or done something. You never know what the outcome of the game is going to be. That could have turned the game around."
  
  You know what, Corey?  It would have been nice if you would have gotten a hit or something.  You know how you do that?  You don't swing at a slider low and outside on the first pitch from a pitcher who had thrown only four strikes to the first five hitters of the game.  Jeez.
• When talking about how the games have been going, Prince Fielder responded, "I'm garbage."  While that is undoubtedly true at the moment, I cannot get mad at the player who has carried this team for almost all of September.  Prince Fielder is not the reason the Brewers have lost these two games.  It is the entire offense, who is hitting at a stellar .116 clip at the moment.  I threw up a little in my mouth when I saw that number.
• The main site says that the playoffs are still CC Sabathia's kryptonite.  No, he didn't pitch all that well yesterday.  Let me give the Phillies a little word of advice though.  It would be in your best interest to end the series at Miller Park.  If CC gets another chance to pitch in Game 5 in Philadelphia, he will have something to prove.  Sabathia may even throw a no-no.  He's upset, and it's scary when he's upset.
• The Brew Town Beat pleads with Brewers fans not to boo the Crew on Saturday night.  I completely agree.  These Milwaukee Brewers have brought playoff baseball back to Wisconsin for the first time in over two and a half decades.  Show them some respect.  Cheer them on and will them on to a victory tomorrow night.  Perhaps all the Brewers need is a little home cooking to get back on track.
• The Milwaukee JS says that Dale Sveum has an undying loyalty to Rickie Weeks, just like Ned Yost did.  Well, considering he has produced more than players like Corey Hart and Mike Cameron down the stretch, I think it's just fine that Rickie is still in the lineup.  Just because the majority of Brewers fans despise Rickie Weeks doesn't mean he deserves it.  Because that .250/.400/.477 line is not costing the Crew any games.  He may be the most common whipping boy on the team, but Rickie has been doing just fine.
• Ken Rosenthal from FOX Sports is reporting that J.J. Hardy knows he is very likely to be traded this offseason to make room for Alcides Escobar at shortstop.  Escobar must be showing something during pre-game warmups or something, as I find it hard to believe that Doug Melvin has already made up his mind to move Hardy this winter.  Then again, we know from this past winter that Melvin absolutely loves Escobar.  
• Chuckie Hacks asks for forgiveness from Jayson Werth, who has come out of nowhere to be an extremely productive player for the Phillies.  The article then makes the bold statement that says the Milwaukee Brewers miss Gabe Gross in the outfield.  Incorrect.  I do not miss Gabe Gross even a little bit.  Do I wish the Brewers would have gotten something better for him?  Sure, but Gabe needed to go.
• The Baseball Analysts ask a bunch of questions now that the playoffs are underway.  One of the biggest questions is: Has CC Sabathia thrown his last pitch as a Milwaukee Brewer?  Where will he end up next season?  Both are valid questions, but I'm still holding out hope that Milwaukee can make a dramatic comeback at home this weekend.