It would be awful nice if Corey Hart or Tony Gwynn went on a serious tear right now: I'm not sure how much longer I can stand seeing starting lineups without a .300 in them. Gwynn, especially, hasn't gotten many at-bats: if he goes 2-for-4 tonight, he'll be our designated .300 hitter.
He'll have to do that against Anthony Reyes, who pitched decently against the Crew back in August, but hasn't had a very nice time of it since. Chris Capuano, who certainly hasn't had a nice time of anything lately, takes the hill for Milwaukee.
There's only so much to say about the disaster than has been the 2006 season, but Ned Yost seems to get it, at least to some extent:
It has not happened in 2006, for a variety of reasons. The pitching staff lost Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka to shoulder injuries for about two months, and the offense lost second baseman Rickie Weeks, shortstop J.J. Hardy and regular third baseman Corey Koskie to season-ending injuries.
But injuries do not tell the whole story, Yost said. Other players stayed healthy but did not produce to their past levels, including outfielders Geoff Jenkins and Brady Clark and closer Derrick Turnbow. Saturday's loss was No. 81 on the year, and the Brewers' next defeat would ensure a 14th consecutive nonwinning season.
On that upbeat note, go Brewers!