Milwaukee Brewers Blog - Bernie's Crew : Chris Cody

The Mike Burns Experiment

Jim Breen — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:03:59 GMT

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.

Round 'em Up: Monday 7.6.09

Jim Breen — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:06:40 GMT

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

Round 'em Up: Tuesday (11/11/08)

Jim Breen — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:29:24 GMT

Be sure to check out The Case for Joe Beimel in the post below this. Aaron will surely be posting his weekly Player Evaluation in the coming days as well. Stay tuned.

The Junkball Blues asks six questions about the young players of the Milwaukee Brewers. There are a couple points that I would like to add from Radio's already fine work. Brewers fans can almost certainly expect J.J. Hardy's walk rate to decrease a bit in 2009, as he collected a fair amount while batting in front of the pitcher early in the season. He was getting pitched around far more often than he will be batting in front of Ryan Braun.

Corey Hart's stats suggest he was victim of a bit of bad luck. He put more balls in play than he had previously in his career, but his BABIP went down dramatically. While that is undoubtedly slightly caused by unfortunate luck, it should also be noted that Corey was not driving the ball with any authority. Those weak grounders to the pitcher and shortstop do not help the BABIP very much.

The analysis on Rickie Weeks is spot on. If he begins to put the ball in play more, his OBP will almost certainly regress. Since he is most likely Milwaukee's leadoff man next season, the young second baseman should continue to walk and get on base. Fans need to realize that while they are not as glamorous as home runs, they remain quite effective.
Ned Yost and Wilie Randolph are not on the Seattle Mariners' short list for manager in 2009. It seems that Jack Zduriencik wishes to hire someone with a more intimate knowledge of the American League, which makes plenty of sense. Randolph will be coaching from the bench in Milwaukee next season. Welcome to Milwaukee, Mr. Randolph.
The CC Sabathia situation this offseason has gotten so much attention that an economist from Vanderbilt University determined CC's monetary value to the Milwaukee Brewers. Is it $20-25MM per year? That is likely what it will require to convince Sabathia to sign with the Brewers. The study says no, not for the small-market Brewers. Just another reason why the Crew should simply collect the two draft picks and move on with their offseason plans.
Baseball Digest Daily believes the Milwaukee Brewers have had the fourth best offseason thus far in the MLB. It seems that some believe that Casey McGehee has enough skill to make a positive impact on the 2009 Brewers at third base. After all, the young man has been killing the ball during fall ball. I also agree completely with this comment on Mike Cameron: “Bad fit for club’s left/right balance but a good, under appreciated player.” - Rob McQuown (h/t Brew Crew Ball)
Brew Crew Ball has some updates from the Fall/Winter Leagues from yesterday. Lorenzo Cain had a monster night at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, and a walk. He will be attracting more attention no matter where he goes if he keeps raking like this. Brent Brewer is actually chugging along quite nicely in the AFL. He went 1-for-4 with a double yesterday. Perhaps the young man is finally turning the corner.
Brewerfan.net has a new Power 50 posted with all the top prospects in Milwaukee's organization. I am unbelievably excited about next season's crop of players that will be playing in Appleton with the Timber Rattlers. Expect plenty of reports from their games.

I suppose this would also be a good time to mention that LHP Chris Cody won the Brewers Organization Pitcher of the Year award for the 2008 season, which was very well deserved. I desperately want to see what this kid can do in the higher levels of the minors. 3B Mat Gamel won the Player of the Year award. Anyone surprised? Didn't think so.
Another closer will be on the open market starting Friday, as Trevor Hoffman and the Padres have officially ceased negotiations for next season. Quite the unceremonious ending to a stellar career in San Diego. I am disappointed in the Padre organization, as they would not even meet face-to-face with Hoffman like he requested.
The Washington Nationals landed left-hander Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham from the Florida Marlins for second baseman Emilio Bonifacio and two low-level, but high-ceiling prospects. The Marlins have said that Dan Uggla will not be traded this offseason, so it makes one wonder if Uggla will be moved to third to make room for Bonifacio at second. This would force Jorge Cantu to first base. In the end of all things, Dallas McPherson is again without a job at third base. His monstrous power and left-handed bat would be welcome in Milwaukee. You can bet Doug Melvin will kick the tires there.
Dugout Central names the worst hitter ever. EVER.