With the Brewers in pennant-race limbo and with yesterday's off-day, there isn't much going on today. A few things of interest:
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The Cards are after Dontrelle...and it sounds pretty serious. That would certainly put the Central out of reach, which is probably is already.
- Milwaukee has lost 7 out of 10, and not to the best of teams, which makes you wonder why Doug Melvin is talking like we're still in it. Maybe he's playing it cagey to get more swag for Carlos.
- Kevin Goldstein reports some scouts' comments on Manatee centerfielder Charlie Fermaint:
"He's got a lot of athleticism, with very good tools--if he can improve his plate discipline and in-game power, he could become a real good player," said an American League scout, while one scout from the National League was also impressed with his offensive abilities: "The hands, the bat speed and the swing are all there," he said. "There's some strength there, he can drive some balls." Defensively, the reviews were mixed. The AL scout saw plus speed, good instincts and an average arm, while his NL brethren saw some effort problems. "He loafs on some balls and flips some throws--so I'm left to wonder how good he'd be if he played harder out there," said the scout. "The overall package is interesting and I do like him--I'm just not sure if it's an impact first-division kind of talent. He's a tough one for me."Fermaint might be the most "toolsy" player in the entire system, though he is in an organization already knee-deep in centerfielders (Clark, Gross, Gwynn, Krynzel, possibly Cruz) and could-become CFers (Hall, Weeks). Maybe when we make a run next year, he'll be mashing at Huntsville and become a great trading chip.
- The Brewers are in Cincinnati this weekend, starting tonight with Chris Capuano vs. Elizardo Ramirez. As storminTAZZ points out in the diaries, this series is huge. The next ten games (you know, the ones between now and the trading deadline) include six against the Reds and three against the Pirates. 3-7 means we're out. 7-3 means we're in. Of course, the way the Crew has been playing this year, they'll go 5-5 and we won't have any idea what to do.