The Brewers fell in the series opener to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-5, but the relative closeness of the score can be attributed to a ninth inning RBI-double by Craig Counsell and a two-run homer by Ryan Braun in the ninth inning.  Braun's homer marked his first long ball in almost a month, with his last coming on June 25th against the Minnesota Twins.

Braun's home run aside, Milwaukee never held any momentum due to an absolutely horrendous start by right-hander Mike Burns.  The 31-year old journeyman had a promising start against the Dodgers last week, but still owned a 5.54 ERA coming into Monday evening's contest against the Pirates.  That ERA climbed even higher, as the Pirates torched Burns for six runs (only four earned) in only three innings of work.  That left the Crew working from a 6-1 deficit early, and they were never able to recover -- despite the late offense.

The real question is what the Brewers are to do about Mike Burns and his inadequacy on the mound.  There is almost no chance, nor should there be, of Ken Macha handing him the ball on his next turn through the rotation, which would be on Sunday against the Braves.  The search for a starting pitcher in Milwaukee just became more frantic.

What are the Brewers' options?

The Brewers could simply skip Burns' start.  An off-day on Thursday would allow the Brewers to get by without needing a starter until next Tuesday against the Washington Nationals.  Perhaps that would be enough time for Dave Bush to work back into the rotation from his "microtear" issue in his arm.  If not, however, it would allow Doug Melvin and Ken Macha ample time to find a suitable replacement for Tuesday's contest.

Milwaukee could also acquire a starting pitcher via the trade market in the next week.  With Felipe Lopez now manning second base for the Crew -- it should be mentioned that he went 4-for-4 with a walk on Monday -- the ever-popular trading piece J.J. Hardy could now be legitimately "expendable." 

At this point, I the most likely suitors for Hardy would be a team like the Seattle Mariners (Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn) or the San Francisco Giants (Jonathan Sanchez -- who threw the ball quite well again Monday).  Another possibility would be, of course, Roy Halladay, along with some under-the-radar arms such as Brad Penny, Brian Bannister (KC), Ian Snell, or even Cliff Lee. 

The likelihood that Melvin will address the starting rotation via a trade in the next week is doubtful, however, so the other option is for the Crew to fill the void internally.  Since Seth McClung has proven his inefficent (and recently ineffective) style will not be tolerated on the mound, Milwaukee will have to pull from the Nashville Sounds' rotation.  Who is available?

Tim Dillard is a popular option because he made an appearance with the big league club last season in the bullpen and has a nice 9-4 record with a 3.93 ERA.  Once delving past those superficial numbers, however, Dillard is no longer an attractive option as a starter.  He is actually walking more batters than he is striking out, and his strikeout rate is at a career low of 3.27 K/9 -- which is incredibly far below-average.  Opposing batters are also hitting .272 off the right-hander.

Milwaukee will probably look a different direction than Tim Dillard if they wish to avoid another Mike Burns-esque appearance in the big leagues, albeit one with fewer strikeouts and more walks.

Chase Wright was seen as a shrewd depth acquisition in the spring, but has pitched very much like Tim Dillard this season.  Going into Monday evening, Wright owned a 3.68 ERA in 85.2 innings.  That ERA jumped a bit after giving up four runs in six frames of work against the Memphis Redbirds for Triple-A Nashville.  Chase is also producing career-low numbers in the strikeout column (3.89 K/9) and is barely whiffing more opposing batters than he is walking.

With a 4.69 FIP in Triple-A, Chase Wright profiles very closely with Tim Dillard, which is not a positive for the Brewers' organization.  He is nothing more than a replacement-level pitcher at this point in the season.  Milwaukee would again be wise to look a different direction.

Another option is the soft-tossing Lindsay Gulin.  The southpaw struggled to begin the season, but has thrown the ball extremely well in his last ten outings, compiling a 2.85 ERA in that time frame.  Gulin's issue throughout his career has been control, and that remains an issue this season -- even during his recent hot-streak.  Still, it is difficult to argue against a starting pitcher who is keeping the ball in the ballpark, actually striking out more than he is walking, and has thrown the ball exceedingly well as of late.

The other legitimate option besides Gulin is Chris Cody, who is another soft-tossing lefty who has dominated the Pacific Coast League as of late.  Cody began the season in Huntsville, but has worked his way up to Triple-A and has not posted above a 3.00 ERA in any level along the way.  His strikeout rate has dropped to 5.36 K/9 since being promoted to Nashville, but his walk rate is still a solid 2.40 BB/9.  If going strictly on performance (and peripherals), Milwaukee would have a difficult time looking past Cody.

While Lindsay Gulin and Chris Cody have posted solid numbers in Nashville, the fact that those two southpaws are the Brewers' best options for the starting rotation at this point in the season is a bit depressing.  Gulin has never managed to conquer his control issues on the mound, while Cody only has about 50 innings in Triple-A ball.

Mend quickly, Dave Bush.