I tried to find a silver lining in the Brewers' struggles as of late.  It was not easy, but at least Mike Cameron is beginning to turn it around at the plate.  Milwaukee's center fielder is hitting .316/.381/.737 over the past week.

Major League News

Ryan Braun went on a little rant after yesterday's loss to the Cubs.  He said:

"We need to find a way to throw the ball a little better to have success. When you're constantly behind in games, it's not easy. It's not fun. Their starting pitching was clearly a lot better than ours this series."

Braun normally gets praised for "speaking his mind" because he is one of the best players in all of baseball.  I am usually all for Braun calling out the team for a lack of effort and the like, but calling out your pitching staff in the media?  Not only is this not a classy move by Ryan, but it also does not tell the whole story.  I obviously agree that the starting pitching has been horrendous in general.  When guys like Yovani Gallardo and Jeff Suppan put together quality starts, however, the offense has not been their to support them (see the 1-0 loss to the Mets and the 2-1 loss to the Cubs).  Not everything is black and white.  The Brewers have just been playing bad baseball all around lately.

For those of you hoping Dave Bush will return before the All-Star Break, do not hold your breath.  Although Bush has been pushing his rehab to get back on the mound, Ken Macha said that the team will look elsewhere for a starting pitcher this Saturday.  Bush has been struggling with "dead arm" and "microtears" in his triceps that stemmed from a line drive he took off his arm from Hanley Ramirez.  A healthy Dave Bush will be a nice addition to this rotation.

News has surfaced over the weekend that the Atlanta Braves could be willing to part with Javier Vazquez this month.  Buster Olney suggests the Brewers could be a nice fit, as the Braves had previously coveted Corey Hart.  Olney does, however, admit that Hart would obviously not be sufficient on his own to land a pitcher of Vazquez's caliber, so another solid piece would have to be added.  One would think that Doug Melvin would entertain moving Mat Gamel in such a deal, as Javier Vazquez is signed through the 2010 season.  It would not be a rent-a-player type of deal.  Then again, Manny Parra would be an interesting addition to the package as well.

Here are the 2009 All-Star rosters.  Adam McCalvy reflects on the selections and notes that Yovani Gallardo and Trevor Hoffman both could have easily been selected.  I personally believe that Gallardo had better qualifications than Chad Billingsley, but the Dodgers' right-hander is still deserving of the trip to St. Louis.  Hoffman has outperformed most people's expectations in Milwaukee.  With only the eighth most saves in the National League, however, his chances were severely handicapped.

FanGraphs names the Defensive All-Star rosters.  Mike Cameron and J.J. Hardy both make the list, proving that a player can still provide significant value to an organization defensively when not seeing the ball well.  It is likely no coincidence that Milwaukee's new focus on defense has helped the organization field more competitive teams over the last two years.

The Junkball Blues proves that the Milwaukee Brewers have been league-average with runners in scoring position.  Even though the numbers clearly state that Milwaukee does not especially struggle with RISP, the average fan will still complain about it.  It is certainly frustrating to watch your team fail to score with a runner at second and no outs, but we tend to remember the failures -- not the times when Milwaukee scores all of its runs with two outs in a contest (which has happened this season).

Al's Ramblings wonders if the Brewers will acquire Russ Adams, who was recently DFA'd by the Toronto Blue Jays.  If the team wishes to option Mat Gamel to Triple-A to get regular at-bats (which they should), Adams makes a lot of sense.  He is extremely versatile on the defensive end and is a former first-round pick.  He is a guy with little pop, but will give you a good approach at the plate and can handle second base especially well.

In case you are wondering how Eric Gagne is doing this season in Canada, the right-hander has posted a 9.60 ERA in 20 innings.  Gagne should have simply undergone surgery and attempted a comeback again in 2010.  Instead, he has embarrassed himself in the Canadian independent leagues.

Minor League News

Baseball America names their minor-league All-Star team.  The Brewers, unfortunately, do not have a prospect who makes the roster.  On the minor-league All-Surprise team, however, the Brewers have Evan Anundsen and Rob Wooten.  Both right-handers have had extremely nice seasons for the Brevard County Manatees.  Wooten has since been called up and is now pitching for Double-A Huntsville.  He currently owns a 0.00 ERA.  Anundsen, of course, had that no-hitter on April 28th.

First-round pick Eric Arnett is adjusting to the professional baseball scene.  The right-hander had been a workhorse for the Indiana Hoosiers throughout the season, but is now being restricted to just an inning or two in Helena to lessen his workload.  Although he has struggled with his command thus far, Arnett is confident that he will find success in the minors.  It will all depend on his offspeed pitches, which need some work.

Brandon Ritchie is beginning to open some eyes in Appleton.  A left-hander who can bring it at about 92-93 MPH on a consistent basis will certainly grab an organization's attention, but Ritchie also has the sub-2.00 ERA to back up his stuff.  It will be interesting to see how aggressive the organization is with Ritchie over the second half.

LoHud.com has a nice article on Chris Cody and his quest to make the Brewers' major league squad.  Despite only sporting an 85-86 MPH fastball, a combined 2.80 ERA between Double-A Huntsville and Triple-A Nashville has him well on his way.  His strikeout rate has decreased over his last couple starts in Nashville, but he has still been largely effective.

Baseball America has some updates from the July 2nd International Signing Day.  As you all well know, the Brewers signed outfielder Jose Pena out of the Dominican Republic.  Check out the article to see some of the other signings by various teams throughout the majors.

Other Baseball News

The Oakland A's acquired Scott Hairston from the San Diego Padres for three minor-league pitchers -- one of which is yet to be named.  Some Padres fans have lamented that the organization is "giving up" on the season.  I suppose I did not realize that there was any hope to begin the year.  San Diego is loading up with prospects (and Tony Gwynn Jr.), as should any sub .500 team with no light at the end of the tunnel.

Baseball Musings opines that Nick Blackburn has been pitching like Roy Halladay as of late.  Since May 5th, Blackburn has averaged at least 7.1 innings per start.  Working deep into games is much easier in the American League, but that is still extremely impressive.  The Twins have a legitimate ace, and it is not Francisco Liriano or Scott Baker.  It is Nick Blackburn.

Randy Johnson left yesterday's game early with a left-shoulder strain and is scheduled to have an MRI sometime today.  Johnson has not been as effective as many projected this season, but it would still be a difficult loss for the Giants -- who sport perhaps the worse offense in the National League.

The Texas Rangers have activated Josh Hamilton from the DL and have optioned Chris Davis to Triple-A to make room.  I was one of the many people who thought Davis would have a monster 2009 season in Arlington, but the young man struggled to make consistent contact with the ball.  Hopefully, a stint in Triple-A will restore his confidence.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona attempted to pull a prank on Tim Wakefield.  Needless to say, it did not go very well.

Roger Clemens was apparently not one of the 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in the 2003 season.  While that may be true, that does not mean Clemens did not juice up another time -- as all the evidence suggests that he did.

Official BC-sanctioned Music Video of the Day

Kashmir -- Made of Chalk