This was supposed to be a short week. So why am I looking at my calendar and saying "Really? It's only Thursday?"

Win Expectancy Graph
BR Box Score

Apparently all it took was a Dave Bush meatball for Ryan Church to get his stroke back.

Also yesterday, Angel Salome, Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel got their first major league at bats. The kids grow up so fast. The Official Site notes that Brad Nelson has the ball from his first big league hit, but not a house to keep it in. Maybe he can borrow Bob Hamelin's house.

CC Sabathia is NL Pitcher of the Month for the second time in two months, but he won't get a belated no-hitter.

Jeremy Jeffress has a new agent, the same guy who represents Taylor Green, Mickey Brantley and a handful of other Brewers. I just spent 5 minutes reading the agent's blog for the first time. Professional isn't the first word that came to mind. But he does claim to know who the PTBNL in the Sabathia trade is, giving him the opportunity to be completely wrong on something he claimed as fact for the third time this season.

Speaking of Brewer minor leaguers, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo is all over the minor league playoffs, so much so that he blogged about the first six innings of West Virginia's game last night but didn't bother to mention how the game ended. The Power lost game 1 of their series, here's the box score.

Also, Jeff was on the radio last night discussing the Brewers. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but it's Jeff, so at the very least he might introduce you to a hot tennis player you hadn't heard of before.

Only one injury today: Jered Weaver cut his hand on the visiting dugout this week and will have to have his next start pushed back.

Remember when the Brewers dumped Grant Balfour on the Rays for Seth McClung, and the general consensus was happiness to be rid of a guy who was more or less done? Turns out Balfour is pitching pretty well for the Rays, so perhaps the deal worked out for both teams.

Not working out: the 2008 Reds, who were eliminated from postseason contention last night.

The Cubs aren't exactly eliminated, but you might guess they were from the tone of this all caps diatribe re-posted on The Junkball Blues.

More signs pointing to a AAA shakeup: Hot Foot notes that the Indians' decision to leave Buffalo will likely open the door for the Blue Jays to move from Syracuse to Buffalo, leaving the Mets free to move from New Orleans to Syracuse and have their AAA team closer to home. Where this leaves the Zephyrs is unsure, but the music hasn't even started playing yet so the game of musical chairs is far from over.

Oh, and apparently players become more aggressive when wearing black.

Drink up.

So I've got a ton of links this morning. There were over 1300 unread in my reader this morning, plus a dozen or so I found before I decided to observe the holiday yesterday. So why did I spend 15 minutes reading Joe Posnanski's thoughts on candy bars?

Monday's Win Expectancy Graph
Monday's BR Box Score

Sunday's Win Expectancy Graph
Sunday's BR Box Score

Saturday's Win Expectancy Graph
Saturday's BR Box Score

Friday's Win Expectancy Graph
Friday's Box Score

Ok, 3 1/2 days of links. Where does one start?

Everyone wants to talk about the game that was or wasn't a no-hitter on Sunday. This seems like a good time to bust out the bullet points:

• Tom H. has the official scorer's explanation.
• Chuckie Hacks says it wasn't a hit, but will settle for a 20-win month.
• In-Between Hops thinks we all have bigger things to worry about.
• The Brew Town Beat thinks MLB should reverse the call.
• Two Fisted Slopper also thinks it was the wrong call.
• Jim Powell says, and I quote: "We wuz robbed."
• Baseball Musings asked another official scorer for their opinion, and said it should be a hit.
• Bugs and Cranks wants to know what you think. Right now about 52% of voters are voting "error."
• Murray Chass wants his prune juice NOW!
• Peter Schmuck says MLB shouldn't change the call after the fact.

A couple of other notes on Sabathia: Beyond the Box Score is comparing Sabathia and...Ricky Nolasco? Also, MLB FanHouse thinks Sabathia is "flying under the radar" as a Cy Young candidate. How is that possible?

This is almost certainly bigger news: Ben Sheets left yesterday's game with tightness in his left groin. I haven't seen any updates on his condition yet, but obviously we'll be watching.

The rosters also expanded over the weekend. The JS has a quick profile of the ten players the Brewers have called up.

Looking ahead, The Brew Town Beat takes a look at today's Mets starter, Jon Niese, who will make his big league debut. TheJay has a FanPost on him too.

Could the Brewers play low-A ball in the Midwest League again next season? Via Al, I found this story that would suggest the Brewers and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are waiting for the MLB-sanctioned window to open negotiations.

On Power Rankings:

WhatifSports has the Brewers 4th.
Phil Rogers has the Brewers 5th.
The Whisnant Rankings have the Brewers 8th.

Two Brewer voices are up for consideration for the Ford Frick Award, getting them a place alongside Bob Uecker in the Hall of Fame. I'm not sure Jim Powell is quite ready for enshrinement yet. And Bill Schroeder? Really?

On injuries:

Padres OF Scott Hairston has a torn ligament in his thumb.
Jeff Kent will have surgery to repair a torn medial meniscus and is out for the season.
Rangers P Vicente Padilla is on the DL with a strained hamstring.

And, instead of linking it 3 times, I'll just tell you that The Disabled List Informer has injury news on Carlos Zambrano (shoulder fatigue), Kevin Gregg (left knee inflammation) and Wandy Rodriguez (oblique).

MLB Trade Rumors has sorted likely free agent pitchers by strikeout rate, giving us the first list of likely free agent pitchers that doesn't have CC Sabathia at the top. At the same time The Junkball Blues asks if free agent pitchers are worth it.

Cliff Lee won his 20th game yesterday, making him 20-2 for the 66-win Cleveland Indians. Baseball Musings is calling it the best pitching performance in the AL since Pedro Martinez in 1999.

Brandon Webb couldn't pick up his 20th win again yesterday. But the organization has stepped up behind him and acquired some grit.

I was looking for something offbeat and unrelated to post here in the close, then I realized I used the candy bar thing in the open. Please do not protest.

Drink up.

There's not exactly a ton of fresh material out there coming off the off day, but here are some things I put together once I finally got Gorman to stop chasing ducks:

20 other teams did play yesterday. Here are their win expectancy graphs.

The Brewers open a series with the Pirates tonight. Get used to hearing that, we're going to say it 3 more times between now and October. The Brew Town Beat is pretty excited about playing the Pirates without Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. Also, his bar of the week is The Safe House, which is a bizarre experience if I've ever seen one.

The Beat also wants to know why Laynce Nix is still a Brewer but Tony Gwynn Jr. is not. I left a comment with a handful of reasons (one turned out to be wrong), but Chuckie Hacks sums it up pretty nicely too.

While we're on the subject of minor leaguers, The Junkball Blues warns us not to count our chickens before they've hatched regarding Alcides Escobar.

Maybe Escobar can play second? 64% of voters at Brewers Fanatics want Ray Durham to play at second over Rickie Weeks. Next step: a blind taste test.

Of the three remaining contenders in the NL Central (sorry, Houston), the Brewers have the lowest opponent winning percentage and most home games on their remaining schedule.

Baseball Prospectus (via Sports Illustrated) has released 26-50 of their list of best players to build a team around. Milwaukee's favorite vegetarian checks in at #35.

Injuries are really brief today: The A's placed two-fifths of their starting rotation on the DL yesterday and Royals OF Mitch Maier broke several bones in his face being hit by a pitch.

Home Run Derby's Jersey of the Week is a must see if you enjoy making fun of the Cubs, and I do. If the Cubs fail to win the World Series again, I'm hoping he'll untuck it.

Oh, and would you have guessed that Brett Myers has pitched almost as well as CC Sabathia since the All Star break? Me either.

Drink up.

The last tidbit from my trip to Huntsville is the interview with Stars manager Don Money.  I got over an hour of time with Coach Money so this transcript is only a partial transcript. Part Two will be coming shortly.

BCB: When did you decide that coaching was something you were interested in?

Don Money: After I finished my career in '83 I went to Japan for a few months, and then in '84 I completely got out, and starting in '87 I coached a high school team for five years and also a semi-pro team.  This was a full time job then because the high school was during the week, and the semi-pro team was during the weekends.  Once my kids got out of high school my wife said that I should get a job back, so I got a job for three years working in a shipping and receiving department part-time, and then I saw that Cecil Cooper got the minor league director's job in 1997, so I gave him a call during spring training to see if there were any openings for next year.  Coop said that there would be, but he wasn't sure where and he would call back during the summer.  So he ended up getting offered the job in Helena [Rookie ball], so then two weeks later Cooper called back and said he changed his mind and offered me the position in Beloit.  So I was in Beloit for seven years.  I had an opportunity to go to California a couple of times, as the Brewers had a team in High Desert, but it was a move from A to A, and my family was on the East Coast, so I decided to stay in Beloit.  Then four years ago when Cecil got a job in Houston, Frank Kremblas, who was the manger at Huntsville, moved up to AAA, and I moved up here.

BCB: Can you compare this team you currently have to the Beloit team you had in 2003 with [Prince] Fielder, [Rickie] Weeks, [Tony] Gwynn, [Manny] Parra, [Dennis] Sarfate, [Callix] Crabbe, and so on?

DM: The year before Prince had come up from Rookie ball, then Gwynn and Weeks came in the draft, so that team wasn't together for the full season.  That team too had more prospects on the pitching side, and this team is more on the positional players.  You go back to the scouting department and Jack Zduriencik because when I first came here in '98 and '99 and 2000 the talent was kind of thin.  You have to give credit to the scouting department.  [Zduriencik] goes out there and busts stones, as we say, and you have to find these players.  You don't just take the word of a guy who is saying this is a ace pitcher who will be in the big leagues in a few years.  You have to follow up on these players.  If you go and then the game was canceled by rain you have to stick with them.  So he has done a really good job of bringing in the talent, and it isn't just the number-one picks and the number-two picks, it is the fifth-round picks and the tenth-round picks, all the way down.  You always expect the fourth or fifth pick to be guys who are ready to go, but if you find guys who are in the 11th round and the 12th round who are better than the guys who other teams are picking there, that is really important.  And that team in Beloit was loaded, with Prince and Rickie and Manny.  Manny was dealing that year.  Now, it looks like he has finally made the turn and, knock on wood, he has pretty much solidified his spot in the rotation and maybe is over the injury bug that seemed to get him every year for three or four years.  Sarfate was there and he always had a big-league arm; he just had to throw it over the plate.  He was always a starter and now he is a reliever.

BCB: That seemed to be the role that the Brewers were projecting him into down the road.

DM:  It is hard to set up a short man or a reliever in the minor leagues.  If you look at stats here and you look at a guy like Pena and he is earmarked to be a setup or closer, but I don't know how many innings he has got.  A guy like Sarfate, because of pitch counts, after five innings he was done.  He would have thrown 100 pitches because he had a lot of strikeouts and a lot of walks and that eats the pitches.  All guys are on pitch counts, even the guys in the big leagues, and what happened was he could never turn the corner to be a consistent pitcher, and now he has been traded and maybe a change of scenery has helped him.  The thing about him is he has never been injured and that was the thing with Manny.

This team here I am surprised on the hitting side, and you got guys like [Alcides] Escobar who are [ranked] like one or two in the organization, and guys like [Mat] Gamel who are two or three in the organization, and [Cole] Gillespie, who is seven or eight, and you got [Michael] Brantley in center, and it looks like he has finally turned the corner in center, and right now he is on suspension, and that is neither here or there.  You had guys one through eight in the lineup who were hitting.  We aren't quite that team right now.  We have [Lorenzo] Cain, who is a young kid, in center field taking Brantley's spot, actually taking [Matt] LaPorta's spot, technically.  He has been here a few games, and it is early to say, but he is playing well.  He is doing a good job in center and has shown a good arm and just needs to get his feet wet.  [Chris] Errecart was having a solid year until he sprained his wrist and had to go to Arizona.  [Angel] Salome is having a great year, he just needs to work a bit better on calling games.  It is a solid team.  Gamel is having a great year--now will he go to the majors and hit .370? I think no, but will he go there and hit .300? I think with his approach he will. He should be a .300 hitter, and you look at the charts and that should be a 60 or 70 [on the 20-80 scouting scale], and the big knock on him is his defense, but it getting better.

BCB: I had heard an interview you had done with Jim Powell, and you mentioned that Gamel's footwork was his biggest problem.  When [Ryan] Braun was here 90% of his errors were throwing errors, but Gamel has made about as many fielding errors as throwing errors, so is it footwork getting to the ball and getting to the good hop and then getting ready to throw?

DM: Footwork.  Footwork is involved with both sides of it.  You have to be light on your feet, and he isn't really light on his feet right now.  He is more of a plant guy than nimble, but it is better than it was, as I have been told, because I had never seen him before this year.  He had about 55 errors last year and they were about 50/50 throwing and fielding, but this year he had mostly fielding errors until about a week ago.  He had only one or two throwing errors, but it all reverts right to his footwork.  If his footwork gets out of sync, then this [points to his arm] gets out of sync.  You can ask him, and he feels much better about it, but it is still a work in progress.  Can he make the turn and become a consistent Major Leaguer? I think he can.  Derek Jeter made 30 to 40 errors in the minors, but once he got confidence he made the turn, and now look at him.

BCB: Footwork was considered Rickie Weeks' big problem at second as well--do you see some parallels with him?

DM: Rickie, when you look at him, I only had him for a month, and he was raw.  He was oriented around hitting, but he had a great arm, and at times it looked like he relied on the strength of his arm instead of getting his footwork under him.  And if you need it the arm should be there, but you shouldn't rely on it.  Take Escobar for example: very good arm but he doesn't have to throw it at 110% until he needs to, but Rickie was doing that all the time, and that is why he was throwing it off-line and in the dirt, and that is where a lot of his errors were coming.  And now he is doing a lot better but now has to pick up his offense a little bit.

BCB: I'd like to believe that offense won't be a problem with Rickie long-term--he is still walking and showing some power.

DM: You hope it comes around at some point, because he has been there now for a few years and I think he is still working at it.  Then he hurt his wrist sitting in the dugout twirling his bat, and that has been a real nagging thing for him.  He stands there holding his bat like this [imitates Rickie's bat wiggle], and that is how he hurt it in the first place, and it is just one of those instances where he has to start getting a little better, and I think he is, but the season is a long season.

BCB: The other thing about Gamel that people haven't really touched on is how good he hits against left-handed pitching.  Many young left-handed batter struggle against left-handed pitching but Gamel seems to do just fine.  What about his approach let's him do that?

DM: He doesn't try to pull.  That is the biggest thing.  He approach is [to] left-center and right-center, and right now he very rarely pulls the ball and hits to right field with some pop.  Once he learns to recognize the pitch and he can turn on the ball, he has a chance to increase his power numbers and still hit [for average] well.

Part Two coming soon.

Donovan Hand was a 14th-round pick out of Jacksonville State last year, and he's been a very pleasant surprise, making it all the way to AA in just his first full season. He went on the DL with an undisclosed injury the day after I talked to him, which may partially explain some of his struggles at AA.

BCB: Can you describe what you throw?

DH: I throw a four-seam fastball, a sinker most of the time, and a slider and changeup. I’m a sinkerball pitcher, or at least that’s what I’m described as.

BCB: So you have a four-seamer and a two-seamer?

DH: Yep.

BCB: What percentage of your fastballs are two-seamers?

DH: 90 percent. I use the four-seamer if I go up in the zone or out and to really spot some pitches off the plate.

BCB: How hard do you throw?

DH: 87, 88, may touch 91.

BCB: That's with the four-seam or the sinker?

DH: Both.

BCB: What pitch do you use as your strikeout pitch?

DH: Slider and fastball.

BCB: Do you try to strike a lot of guys out? Or would you rather pitch to contact?

DH: Contact, [but] if I get in a situation, I will try for sure to strike someone out.

BCB: Is your change a circle change or a straight change?

DH: Circle.

BCB: Did you throw one coming out of college, or did the Brewers add it? They seem to want almost every pitcher to have a change.

DH: Had one come out of college. The Brewers have modified it some, but had it coming out of college.

BCB: How did they modify it?

DH: Changed the grip some in instructs this year--nothing major, just wanted it to look a little more like my sinker.

BCB: So far your year is kind of the tale of two seasons; you were dominant at Brevard but have struggled at Huntsville. What do you attribute the struggles to?

DH: Yeah it sure has been. You know, the jump between High-A and AA is definitely been the biggest jump for me so far. The hitters here are older and experienced, and I’ve been a little off the last month or so here, but I’m trying to learn how to really pitch and use what I have to do that, and it don’t happen overnight, so it’s a process, and the complete game was a glimpse of [success], and then the last two haven’t been so good.

BCB: How have you been off?

DH: I’ve been missing spots, and my command hasn’t been as good as earlier in the season.

BCB: So is there anything in particular you're working on?

DH: Just sound mechanics and hitting spots and getting back to the basics.

BCB: So you're having a little trouble repeating your mechanics?

DH: Yeah.

BCB: Which part of them are you struggling with?

DH: Pass. (laughs) It would be hard to explain, but nothing particular, just some little things that are making small differences in location.

BCB: Are you surprised at all how fast the Brewers have promoted you?

DH: Yeah a little, you know, but happy about it.

BCB: You don't feel pressured at all by it?

DH: No. I’m trying to think how to explain it. I was surprised a little. I wasn’t expecting the call to AA--really thought I had a shot but wasn’t for sure. I was really happy to be in Brevard, in the rotation, because I want to be a starter, and when the call came to AA, it was awesome. I just want to take the opportunities I’m given and use them to my advantage, learn and mature in each place to make it to the bigs.

BCB: I read that you were considering going back to Jacksonville State after being drafted. How tough was that decision?

DH: You know, it was kinda difficult, but this has been my dream since I’ve been six years old, so of course I wanted to go. but at the same time I wasn’t going for nothing, since I had a year left in school, but it was tough to leave my coaches and friends I had made there. I got a good situation, I felt like, and made my decision.

BCB: Are you going to go back and get your degree?

DH: Yeah, I’d like to when I get time. I definitely want to finish. A little personal goal.

BCB: What was your major?

DH: Business management and marketing.

BCB: What do you want to do after baseball?

DH: You know, I wouldn’t mind coaching at some level, but we’ll see what happens. I have coached a few summer league teams back home and enjoyed that.

BCB: Too bad you weren't on the 1982 Brewers--you could coach for life in this organization!

DH: Yeah for sure, huh? (laughs)

BCB: Do you follow the big league team at all?

DH: Yeah, I have a lot since I’ve been drafted.

BCB: Who were you a fan of growing up?

DH: Yankees. I know, be easy on me now. (laughs)

BCB: Oh man. How close to Tampa [the spring training home of the Yankees] did you grow up?

DH: Not close at all.

BCB: Dude!

DH: I’m from Alabama.

BCB: Is [Alabama native] Jake Peavy your hero?

DH: Naw, I did play against his brother in college. They were in our conference. Don Mattingly was the hero growing up, other than my parents, of course.

BCB: Is there a pitcher you pattern yourself after?

DH: Not really.

BCB: Okay, so how did the LaPorta trade affect the team?

DH: You know, it for sure took a big bat out of our line up and LaPorta is a great guy, and I wish him the best, but he wasn’t a very vocal guy, so in that respect not a lot. But his presence is for sure missed.

BCB: It didn't really upset the team chemistry at all?

DH: Not a lot, no, I don’t think so.

BCB: Who are the leaders in your clubhouse?

DH: Jason Shiell and David Welch from a pitching standpoint, and from the position side [Michael] Brantley, probably. There have been so many moves, it’s kinda hard to say one guy for sure. Probably J.R. Hopf now that he’s here.

BCB: Brantley, even though he's the youngest player on the team? What does he do that makes him such a good leader?

DH: He just goes about his business day-in and day-out, and a lot of people respect that.

BCB: Is he a vocal leader?

DH: He is a great teammate, I can say that much.

BCB: So if you were the Indians, which player would you take?

DH: Pass. Naw, I’m not for sure; I’ve played with both [Brantley and Taylor Green], and they are a lot alike personality-wise, and they are both great players. So it is definitely a great position [for the Indians to be in].

BCB: Who's the best player in the organization that you've played with?

DH: Brantley or [Mat] Gamel, they both are great players.

BCB: They both have some questions about them defensively.

DH: Really?

BCB: Well, a lot of people have wondered why Brantley keeps seeing so much time at first base instead of center field. How does he look to you out in center?

DH: Great, he gets good jumps and has a very accurate arm.

BCB: How's his range?

DH: Great, in my opinion.

BCB: How does he compare to Lorenzo Cain defensively?

DH: They both are good. Right now Brantley is on the DL, so it makes sense to put Cain out there, with his speed, until Brantley returns. We’ll see then.

BCB: Okay, so how about Gamel defensively?

DH: Great arm but does make some mistakes, but he works his butt off at it and is getting better every day. The main thing is he wants to get better, and he is. And who better to teach him the Don Money?

BCB: How about Alcides Escobar's defense? Best shortstop you've ever seen?

DH: Hands down, for sure, and can hit also.

BCB: Keith Law recently said that Escobar has no pitch recognition and will swing at anything. Do you think that's right?

DH: I don’t think that’s true. He is aggressive but seems to always have good at-bats.

BCB: Okay, one last question. Are you worried at all that anyone is going to see "Escobar injures hand" and think that Alcides took you out?

DH: What now?

BCB: Because your name is Hand…

DH: (laughs) That could be funny! (laughs)

BCB: Well, thanks a bunch. We'll be cheering for you.

DH: All right, thanks a lot.

As usual, it's a slow Tuesday, but let's get right to it.

Win Expectancy Graph
BR Box Score

Easily the best work of the day: If you haven't checked it out yet, go check out Dixieflatline's Hardball Times piece on the Huntsville Stars. I find it unlikely I'll be making a spontaneous trip to Alabama in the minor league season's final month, so this is likely as close as I'll get to seeing Alcides Escobar, Angel Salome, Mat Gamel and Cole Gillespie this season.

Should the trading deadline be moved back to the middle of August? Dugout Central uses the Durham trade to make a case for it.

The Brewers had the third best record in the National League, swept their first series after the All-Star Break, added CC Sabathia and Ray Durham, and they're still only 15th in the "Whisnant rankings," behind the Orioles, Indians, Twins and Blue Jays, among others. I think his "objective ranking" system needs a little work.

After inspecting the lineup, I'm not sure this team would win many games, but there are 2 current and a former Brewer on In-Between Hops' "Two initials for a first name" team.

On injuries:

Jorge Posada is headed back to the DL and considering shoulder surgery that could cause him to miss part of next season.
Kerry Wood's saga with blisters continues. There's been talk for days he might go on the DL...can anyone tell me if he actually went?

Kerry Wood's blister problems aren't the only thing the Cubs aren't disclosing lately: They're also in hot water over reported violations involving the draft.

It's a sad day for everyone who's interested in the game's history today, as we mourn the passing of Jerome Holtzman, a Hall of Fame reporter, the inventor of the save rule, and long-time MLB official historian. He was 81.

It's the time of year when contending ball clubs look to strengthen their roster by making trades and picking up players who can help them down the stretch. Well, usually it's just contending ball clubs, but this year it includes the Astros, who are talking to the Padres about Randy Wolf.

The Astros are more likely to be Nude on the Moon than playing playoff baseball in 2008.

Drink up.

The All-Star Futures Game is on ESPN2 at 11:30 AM CT (no, not a misprint), with the pregame show airing an hour beforehand. "Third baseman" Mat Gamel, unequivocally the crown jewel of the system, is the only Milwaukee farmhand playing, thought erstwhile Brewers Matt LaPorta and Will Inman are also both on the US team, as is unsigned 2005 draft pick Jake Arrieta.

Brewers Futures Game alumni include Kyle Peterson (1999), Ben Sheets (2000), Nick Neugebauer (2001), Corey Hart (2002), Bill Hall (2002), J.J. Hardy (2003), Dave Krynzel (2003), Prince Fielder (2004), Rickie Weeks (2004), Hernan Iribarren (2005), Nelson Cruz (2005), Ryan Braun (2006), Yovani Gallardo (2006), and Alcides Escobar (2007).

Current or former Brewers who played on in the game prior to joining the organization include Francisco Cordero (Detroit - 1999), Russell Branyan (Cleveland - 1999), Alex Sanchez (Tampa Bay - 1999), Peter Bergeron (Montreal - 1999), Joe Lawrence (Toronto - 1999), Tomo Ohka (Boston - 1999, 2000), Ryan Anderson (Seattle - 1999, 2000), CC Sabathia (Cleveland - 2000), Eric Munson (Detroit - 2000), Mike Rivera (Detroit - 2001), Grant Balfour (Minnesota - 2001), Lyle Overbay (Arizona - 2002), Brett Evert (Atlanta - 2002), Jorge de la Rosa (Boston - 2002, 2003), Chris Narveson (St. Louis - 2003), Jose Capellan (Atlanta - 2004), and Zach Jackson (Toronto - 2005).

Feel free to use this as a game thead, or just to talk about what a studly slugger Gamel is.

Did the Brewers have a game yesterday? Hmm, must not have noticed.

The biggest news this morning, courtesy of Ken Rosenthal, is that Matt LaPorta is officially on the trading block, and that Alcides Escobar might be packaged with him to acquire C.C. Sabathia. That price sounds a little steep to me, but Tom Haudricourt reports that the Indians have also been scouting Taylor Green. LaPorta and Green sounds about right, which would free the Brewers to trade Escobar or J.J. Hardy (who is confirmed to be available, along with Rickie Weeks) for A.J. Burnett, because the Blue Jays need a shortstop. Haudricourt doubts the Brewers are really offering LaPorta and/or Escobar, but given recent history, I think I'd believe Robothal first.

The Yost Infection takes umbrage with BA & Rock's fellating of Hardy's defense, citing his terrible zone rating, but fails to note the fact that Hardy leads all of baseball in out-of-zone plays; in other words, the Brewers' defensive shifting is messing up his zone rating. He's still not as good as Escobar, though.

LaPorta, Escobar, and Mat Gamel all made what I guess is best called Baseball America's Midseason Prospect All-Star Team, which roughly means they're near the top of their positions in all of prospectdom, but the corrosponding chat casts doubt on whether Gamel and Angel Salome can stick at their current defensive positions.

At FanGraphs, Marc Hulet (who I'm beginning to suspect is a big Brewers fan) points out that there are other interesting prospects in the system beyond the big names, namely Michael Brantley and Cole Gillespie. The point is especially well-taken about Gillespie, who's hitting like a mini-LaPorta, putting up a .273/.374/.498 line. Hulet also put Brad Nelson on his AAA non-prospect All-Star team; I think Nelson would make an excellent throw-in in whatever trade the Brewers end up executing, as he's never going to get a shot in Milwaukee.

Speaking of trades, Scott Linebrink Cutter Dykstra hit his first professional home run for Helena.

Dykstra's fellow draftee, 41st-round Cal State Fullerton SS Joe Scott, is playing summer ball in Alaska and "there's a chance he might sign a professional contract if he plays well this summer." He previously spurned the Brewers last year when they drafted him in the 39th round.

Tired of reading about prospects? Michael Garciaparra probably is too, though he doesn't regret choosing minor league baseball over a two-sport college career at the University of Tennessee.

Back in the big leagues, Tim Lincecum dropped the hammer on the Cubs while Mike Pelfrey dominated the Cardinals, keeping the Brewers from losing any ground after the game I don't remember. David Pinto notes that Lincecum exhibited unusually good control.

Speaking of which, having nightmares about the bullpen after yesterday? This should help.

At Recondite Baseball, TheJay takes a look at players who achieved the Alex Sanchez Special, having a lower on-base percentage than batting average. He ran down the Brewers' leaders in an earlier post.

Before today, all I know about Max Scherzer was that he threw really hard and had heterochromia. Now, thanks to Eric Seidman's interview, I know that Scherzer's a pretty sharp guy with an interest in cutting edge baseball research. I'm amazed that he's able to get anyone out pitching from his mother's basement.

That'll do it. What's that? You wanted another song? If you don't got Mojo Nixon then your store could use some fixin'!

Recently, after being deluged with requests (okay, there were two), I added a prospect ranking to the left-hand sidebar. The off-day today seemed like a good time to expand a bit on my reasons and thinking. Besides, nothing generates good debate like somewhat arbitrary, mostly uninformed hierarchies!

01. Mat Gamel 3B (22) [AA] - .373/.434/.630/1.065, 21 errors
Breakout player of the year has gone from Ryan Braun Lite to Ryan Braun, which unfortunately includes the errors as well. Gamel has better range than Braun did, and with the system choked with outfielders, he'll get the next year and a half to prove he can't play third.

02. Matt LaPorta OF (23) [AA] - .292/.404/.596/1.000
LaPorta looks for all the world like a right-handed Pat Burrell, again including the iffy corner outfield defense. He's not the pure hitter that Gamel is, and he doesn't have the defensive upside, but he has the best plate approach in the system.

03. Alcides Escobar SS (21) [AA] - .326/.359/.435/.794, 21/26 SB
Escobar differs from the other position players near the top of this list in that he is an elite glove man rather than a defensive liability; though he's committed 15 errors already, that total is inflated by his excellent range. His plate discipline hasn't improved (his walk and strikeout rates are almost identical to those from his stint in Huntsville last year), but he's flashing significantly more power than ever before, which is a great sign.

04. Jeremy Jeffress RSP (20) [A+] - 41.7 IP, 36 H, 22 R, 22 ER, 5 HR, 15 BB, 56 K, 1.68 GO/AO, .234 BAA
The only pitcher in the system even remotely close to being a future ace at the Major League level, Jeffress throws high-90s heat, touching 100, and his slider and changeup are also potential plus pitches. He’s had a couple disastrous starts, but even in those he dominated for multiple innings before collapsing, something that could be due to lapses in focus. He’s also seen an intriguing rise in his groundball ratio this year.

05. Angel Salome C (22) [AA] - .346/.404/.534/.938, 24% CS (18/74), 8 PB
Salome might be the best prospect in the system due to position scarcity if he could actually catch, but he can’t really, despite possessing a good body for the position, which is another way of saying he’s too short (5’7") to play anywhere else on the field. He does have a missile for an arm, but it’s lacking a guidance system so far. On the offensive side of things, there’s little question that he can hit, and he’s seen a nice recovery in his walk rate from last year, especially as the season has gone on (12/15 BB/K in 82 June AB’s as his average has come down from stratospheric to merely good).

06. Jonathan Lucroy C (22) [A+] - .311/.384/.527/.911 38% CS (22/58), 4 PB
Only five days younger than Salome, Lucroy (pronounced like LaCroix) is hot on Angel’s heels as a prospect. A recent promotion to Brevard County hasn’t slowed him down at all, and a 31/40 BB/K ratio tells the story of his advanced plate approach. He has a rep as an offense-first catcher, but his stats look pretty good and the pitchers don’t seem to be saying anything bad about him. Lucroy’s also has stolen 8 bases while only being caught once.

07. Taylor Green 3B (21) [A+] - .302/.384/.459/.843, 11 E
Last year’s most pleasant surprise has carried his success over to the tough hitting milieu of the Florida State League. Gritty off the charts, nobody particularly likes Green’s tools, but he seems to be getting the job done just fine so far; next year will be a pivotal one for Green’s prospect status, as the jump to AA is the biggest one in the minors. Green’s a natural second baseman but plays an acceptable third base, a position he will likely continue to occupy until Mat Gamel claims it. He’s the system’s best Canadian prospect.

08. Michael Brantley CF (21) [AA] - .320/.403/.409/.812, 23/29 SB
Brantley came into the year as a big-time sleeper after consistently posting .300/.400 AVG/OBP stats throughout his minor league career but utterly lacking power, and he’s awakened with a roar, morphing into what could be a great leadoff hitter with stats similar to Luis Castillo’s, only from the center field position. He’s not a particularly good defensive center fielder yet, but he’s a great athlete and should improve.

09. Zach Braddock LSP (20) [A+] - 43.7 IP, 34 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 2 HR, 27 BB, 51 K, 0.67 GO/AO, .215 BAA
Braddock was the pitching version of Taylor Green last year, blowing both hitters and stats nerds away with his huge strikeout totals before being shut down with shoulder problems. Fully recovered after a delayed start to the year, Braddock has had his ups and downs at Brevard County, but has retained his dominance, as you can see from his strikeout rate and batting average against. Walks, which weren’t a problem for him at all last year, have really plagued him so far. He doesn’t have Jeffress’ pure stuff, relying on a fastball that’s about 90 MPH, but lefties who can strike people out like this get a lot of chances. Again like Green, the jump to AA next year will be quite telling for Braddock.

10. Cole Gillespie LF (24) [AA] - .277/.378/.494/.872, 7/7 SB
LaPorta Lite, Gillespie is even older and his production has resembles his teammate’s in shape but with less amplitude. He’s a polished, professional hitter who will at the very least be a fourth outfielder, but he’s probably limited to left field defensively because shoulder surgery has ruined his throwing arm.

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I like following prospects. It's like having Christmas Eve all the time, every player a wrapped present of infinite promise, each with the potential to be a Red Ryder carbine-action BB gun with a compass in the stock. Sure, sometimes they turn out to be socks, but there's always another present to open. With that in mind, let's see how our Christmas is shaping up:

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