Wednesday's Frosty Mug

Some things to read while not asking.

I think Jack Moore of Disciples of Uecker summed up last night's game pretty well with this statement:

Did you watch last night’s (Monday's) game? Then you already know what happened.

The only major difference between last night and Monday's game was the shortstop committing the crippling error. Alcides Escobar is getting a couple of days off to attempt to regroup, so Craig Counsell got the start last night and went 0-for-2 with two walks and the error on a double play ball that should have ended the sixth inning. It was Counsell's 37th consecutive game without an extra base hit: That's the ninth longest streak by a position player in franchise history. You know things are bad when sad songs about you start showing up in the FanPosts.

The defensive collapse ruined a pretty solid performance by Randy Wolf, who allowed just one earned run on four hits and four walks while striking out eight in seven innings. Including last night's performance, Wolf has posted a 2.51 ERA in his last five starts and gone at least seven innings three times.That's not bad for a guy Beyond the Box Score named the NL's "Least Cy Youngesque" in the first half.

In-Between Hops notes that the Brewers are last in all of baseball at 28 runs below average in John Dewan's Defensive Runs Saved stat.

Meanwhile, George Kottaras continues to serve as Randy Wolf's personal catcher, and had his usual struggles defensively.

Corey Hart went 0-for-4 last night, ending his hitting streak at 20 games. By my count, that gives Casey McGehee and Yovani Gallardo the active lead among Brewers: Both have a hit in three straight games.

Other notes from the field:

• Prince Fielder was hit by a pitch last night, his 12th of the season. I'll let Plunk Everyone take it from there.
• Madison Bumgarner, Pablo Sandoval and Randy Wolf are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game voting.
• CoolStandings has the Brewer playoff chances at 1%, their lowest since June 10.
• Here are the MLB.com video highlights.

Off the field, the Brewers reversed course on Yovani Gallardo and placed him on the DL one day after saying they didn't think they'd need to (FanShot). They used the open roster spot to activate Doug Davis, who will have a couple of extra days to hang around as an unnecessary member of the active roster before starting on Friday.

Meanwhile, trade conversations appear to be warming up. The Giants have reportedly targeted Corey Hart, so the speculation is all over the place:

• El Lefty Malo predicts that pitching prospect Michael Main will be involved if the Giants make a deal this month. Main was acquired when the Giants traded Bengie Molina to the Rangers. He's 21, has a 3.39 ERA between high A and AA this season, and John Sickels graded him as a B prospect before the season.
• Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News doesn't think a move is imminent: He says the Brewers haven't mapped out a trade deadline plan yet, Doug Melvin and Brian Sabean hadn't had any meetings as of yesterday, and he doesn't think the Giants would be willing to overpay to get Hart this early.
• Jim Breen of Bernie's Crew says Doug Melvin "would be crazy not to pull the trigger and trade Hart in the coming weeks."
• Baseball Brew has a look at what the Brewers could expect to get from the Giants.
  

Elsewhere in trade rumors, FakeTeams thinks Prince Fielder could be a fit for the Rockies.

If you've heard Doug Melvin talk about trades recently, you've likely heard him make the case that it's easier to get a solid return from a trade during the offseason, when more teams are looking for help. In-Between Hops challenged that notion, and makes a strong case.

It seems like idle speculation at this point, but that's what trade season is for, right? Buster Olney raised the possibility of a three-way trade between the Mariners, Rays and Brewers involving Cliff Lee, Rays rookie pitcher Wade Davis and Brett Lawrie. (h/t Battlekow)

Ryan Braun went 0-for-4 last night and failed to reach base for the third straight day. The Brewers Bar wonders if anything is wrong with Braun, or if he's simply regressing. Meanwhile, R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs has a look at Braun's position among the league leaders in infield hits.

In the minors:

• On the field the affiliates went 3-2 last night, led by seven scoreless innings from Josh Butler for Huntsville. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
• Butler is just one of several Stars that have been pitching well lately: Huntsville starters have posted a 1.29 ERA in their last nine games.
• If you're looking for something to do once you're done with the Mug this morning, the Stars are playing an early matinee, with first pitch scheduled for 10:15.
• In one of the season's greatest upsets, Jake Odorizzi beat out Scooter Gennett destroying a snowman in Wisconsin's fans' choice bobblehead voting. Odorizzi bobbleheads will be given out to the first 1000 fans at the September 2 game.
• The Helena Brewers have a player map showing the hometowns of the players on their roster.

Voting continues for the SBN Wisconsin Hall of Fame: The poll is open for Marquette nominations over at Anonymous Eagle, so head over there to cast your votes. Also, if you haven't yet, don't forget to vote in our nomination poll here at BCB, which is open until Friday.

Around baseball:

Orioles: Placed pitcher Kevin Millwood on the DL with a forearm strain, and released third baseman Garrett Atkins.
Padres: Released catcher Eric Munson.
Reds: Placed Aaron Harang on the DL with lower back spasms.

Today's All Star notes:

• Matt Holliday will compete in the Home Run Derby, as will Robinson Cano, Miguel Cabrera, David Ortiz and Vernon Wells. So the AL field is set, while the NL still needs two more sluggers. It's possible Prince Fielder could join them, but Trenni notes that it's very rare for a non-All Star to compete.
• Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is going to skip the All Star Game to rest a nagging oblique injury. No replacement has been announced.

This is the coolest Sausage Race knockoff I've seen in a while: The Tri-City ValleyCats have a mayor race.

Speaking of cool things, if you're into charts and graphs you might be interested in this look at how a release point can affect a curveball's effectiveness.

This is why you don't leave the game early: Last night the Rockies became the first team ever to score nine runs in the bottom of the ninth to win, beating the Cardinals.

There was a scary moment last night in Arlington, as the game was delayed for 16 minutes while medical personnel attended to a fan who fell from the second deck. The fan is reportedly conscious and able to move all extremities. The four fans he landed on were treated at the ballpark, and none of their injuries are believed to be serious.

On this day in 1900, Kid Nichols of the Boston Beaneaters beat Chicago 11-4 and picked up his 300th win. Nichols, who was born in Madison, was only 30 years old at the time and is still the youngest player ever to reach that mark.

On this day in 1978, Mike Caldwell and the Brewers shut out the Yankees, 6-0. Caldwell shut out the Yankees three times that season.

Happy birthday today to:

• 2009 Brewer R.J. Swindle, who turns 27.
• 2003-04 Brewer Dave Burba, who turns 44.
• 1987 Brewer Len Barker, who turns 55.
  

Trying to assess the baseball knowledge of someone around you? Then it might be good to know the Infield Fly Rule Rule.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a fountain.

Drink up.