Wisconsin Radio Network is reporting that the Brewers are inviting Laynce Nix (What do they see in this guy???) and Stephen Bray (Don't we have enough pitching already???) to spring training camp.

I finally beat everyone to the punch for some Brewers news. Hoorah...

The report is short so I'll post it in full (link here):

The Milwaukee Brewers added outfielder Laynce Nix and right handed pitcher Stephen Bray as non-roster invitees to Major League spring training camp.

The 27 year old Nix began the 2007 season on the disabled list with a strained right oblique.  He appeared in four games on rehab assignment with Double-A Huntsville.  He spent most of the season with Triple-A Nashville, hitting .268 with 24 HR and 74 RBI in 95 games.  Nix was recalled by the Brewers on September 10 and appeared in 10 games off the bench.

Bray, also 27, spent the entire 2007 season with Triple-A Nashville, posting a 5-2 record alongside a 1.62 ERA in 42 appearances, including three starts.  Bray also picked up one save and was named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star Team.

Thesis: We suck with 2 Out RISP.

So I made a comment early: I do think we are pressing at the plate. Earlier in the season we had more patience and really worked over a pitcher. It seemed like we couldn't score the first or second time through, but the third round came up...hammer time. Now days we swing for the fences early and often and get a bunch of early runs, but the pitchers realize we are being over aggressive and get us to chase the rest of the way.

I started digging for statistics that would prove my point. While I couldn't find what I was looking for, I did find at least one horrid team statistic. We are 104-451 with two outs & RISP. Good for a .231AVE/.342OBP/.377SLG/.718OPS

~~~The Culprits:~~~
Rickie Weeks 6-44 .136AVE/.240OBP/.159SLG
Craig Counsell 3-22 .136/.296/.227
Geoff Jenkins 5-26 .192/.344/.269
Feeling sick yet?
Kevin Mench 7-33 .212/.278/.515
Johnny Estrada 11-48 .229/.260/.313
JJ Hardy 10-42 .238/.319/.381
Get a bucket nearby
Bill Hall 8-33 .242/.432/.364
At least Hall gets on base
Prince Fielder 9-37 .243/.404/.324
Thats right, a .324 SLG%. Didn't expect Prince to be on this list did you?

~~~Getting it done:~~~
Tony Graffanino 7-28 .259/.394/.407
His total line is .238/.315/.390
Corey Hart 10-38 .263/.404/.553
Damian Miller 6-22 .273/.304/.455
Tony Gwynn Jr. 4-10 .400/.500/.500

~~~The Hebrew Hammer:~~~
Ryan Braun 10-28 .357/.438/.714
Unreal...3 homeruns while Princes has none

I doubt this team can go anywhere in the playoffs if they don't start to hit in pressure situations.  I'm not really sure how this compares to other teams, but it seems pretty awful to me. Our MVP should definitely be doing much better in this situation. These are the spots were an MVP is supposed to thrive.

Link to where I found the stats.

Who here thinks Maddux won't turn around Linebrink's latest slump? Don't forget last year when we got Cordero how bad he was doing...

Cordero
Texas: 49games 4.81era 48.2ip 27er 5hr 54k
Milwaukee: 28games 1.69era 26.2ip 5er 2hr 30k

Linebrink
San Diego: 44games 3.79era 45ip 19er 9hr 25k
Milwaukee: ????

Something alarming about Linebrink is that he had a similar second half slide last year too but this had not been the case in the past.

2004
Pre-Allstar: 2.22era 42g 48.2in 5hr 45k
Post-Allstar: 2.04era 31g 35.1in 3hr 38k

2005
Pre: 2.04era 40g 39.2in 2hr 40k
Post: 1.59era 33g 33in 2hr 30k

2006
Pre: 2.74era 40g 42.2in 8hr 42k
Post: 4.64era 33g 33in 1hr 26k

2007
Pre: 2.52era 38g 39.1in 7hr 22k
Post: 12.71era 6g 5.2in 2hr 3k (Small sample...)

All that said...I trust Melvin. Plus:

Zel123: "On the plus side, Trevor Hoffman and Jake Peavy are both furious that they traded him.  I don't remember the exact adjectives they both used, but they were indeed pissed, which is a good thing for us."

Found that article you were talking about Zel. The rest of the Padres team seems quite pissed that he is leaving. They only had good things to say about him. Apparently he has a ton of value off the field too. We may be overlooking that when evaluating the trade. Our already great team chemistry may get another lift.

"Incomprehensible," was Trevor Hoffman's reaction. "Four other teams in the National League West are awfully excited. I probably need to take a day before I say something about this because I'm going to say something stupid."

"You have to trust your front office when you are in the middle of a playoff run," Jake Peavy said. "But, man, to trade away your setup man . . . what kind of a message are we sending here?"

Said David Wells: "I know Scott has had some rough times recently. But he's one of the premier guys in the league. Scott Linebrink is a pitcher of magnitude. He's also one of the best people you'd ever want to know . . . a great friend and a teammate.

"The best," Wells said. "Just being around him made you better. And what he did . . . this team has been counting on Scott Linebrink for a long, long time in the eighth inning and he's come though. There's no wonder everyone wanted him."

Link: http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20070726-9999-1s26padres.html

Like me, you may have been thinking (hoping) that a strained finger can't be too serious. Ben Sheets injury appears to be more serious than a 15-Day DL stint. I just came across an article in the Capital Times that makes some unfortunate comparisons.

"...Thompson heard something pop in his right middle finger after delivering a pitch to San Diego's Mark Loretta. Clutching his hand and hopping off the mound in pain, he was examined by the Braves trainer and escorted from the game."

Seem eerily familiar?

"The initial report on Thomson was that he would miss his next start after sustaining a strained flexor tendor. But an MRI later showed that Thomson had a partial tear to the tissue supporting the tendon -- which was similar to the diagnosis that the Brewers received Monday on Sheets and his injured middle finger."

Getting worse...

"Thomson wound up missing nearly three months -- a 78-game span -- because of his injured middle finger."

Yovani "Lamborghini" Gallardo better be ready.

Apparently Adam Eaton also had a similar injury & similar recovery time. Sheets is set to undergo more tests today:

"The right-hander will have an ultrasound on his sprained right middle finger after an MRI scan yesterday confirmed the trainer's diagnosis." We should all have our fingers crossed for the rest of the day. Hopefully, the injury is something other than what happened to Thomson & Eaton.

http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/201631
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=6801164
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini_Gallardo

Poll

How long will Sheets be out for?

22%

He'll be on the 60-Day DL but ready for the playoffs

8 votes

25%

See ya next year Ben

9 votes

11%

Luckily just the 15-Day DL

4 votes

40%

Only one month

14 votes

35 votes | Poll has closed

Was watching the Diamondbacks - Reds game on mlb tv.

"Tomorrow in our pregame, we will get to know our new pitcher, Doug Davis." ~ Daron Sutton

I just laughed. I don't miss bases full of walked batters. Does anyone else? Its early but I'll definitely take any of our starters and potential starters over a Doug Davis. He was a nice guy though.

Surprisingly Daron didn't utter "Lets get some runs boys." even though it was in extra innings. Wonder if his contract requires he not say it. Either way, the Diamondbacks ended up winning the game off David Weathers. Apparently the Brewers could have won every game Daron Sutton said "Lets get some runs boys" if only he had not. What could have been: 162-0

Seriously though...two games to win tomorrow...lets get some runs boys!!!

Hey everyone. Thanks again for all the great reading over the past and future months. Crappy game tonight eh :( At least Bush looked like Dave Bush after that lousy first inning. Anyways on to my question. What does everyone here think will come of Carlos Villanueva this year? I really like the guy and think he deserves a shot at the rotation. Vargas looked OK in spring training but looked more like Vargas tonight in the game. I'd much rather see Villa in that 5th spot than Vargas. Is he going to get that chance this year? Is Gallardo going to make the jump to the majors very early this year and not allow Villa the chance to start? "Right-hander Yovani Gallardo, the Brew Crew's top prospect and the 16th-best prospect in the minors as ranked by Baseball America entering the 2007 season, turned in a solid start to earn the victory. He struck out nine batters while allowing only two hits and two walks over five scoreless frames. Gallardo threw 70 pitches, 50 for strikes." From: http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3446510

(Not sure how you guys do those nifty quotes and links)

Just looking for what you all think will happen with Villa. Look forward to your insight. Thanks.