Yesterday we celebrated the second anniversary of the Brewers' trade to acquire Felipe Lopez from the Diamondbacks. Today we're discussing the third anniversary of a similar deal, as on this day in 2008 the Brewers acquired second baseman Ray Durham from the Giants.
While the 2009 team needed a fill in for an injured Rickie Weeks, the 2008 team just needed an offensive upgrade. Through 80 games Weeks was a .216/.326/.365 hitter in the leadoff spot, and with the Brewers in "go for it" mode that just wasn't going to cut it. Durham ended up being a clear upgrade offensively: In 41 games for Milwaukee he hit .280/.369/.477 and 15 of his 30 hits went for extra bases. The 2008 Brewers were Durham's fourth playoff team: He was also a member of the 2000 White Sox, 2002 Athletics and 2003 Giants. All four teams lost in the Divisional Round.
The two minor leaguers sent to San Francisco in the deal were outfielder Darren Ford and pitcher Steve Hammond. Ford's speed has earned him a couple of cups of coffee in the major leagues: He's only made 12 major league plate appearances but already has seven stolen bases. Hammond, meanwhile, never came around. He posted a 5.73 ERA in AAA Fresno for the Giants in 2009 and was last seen pitching for the Camden Riversharks of the independent Atlantic League in 2010.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 1990-91 Brewer Mark Lee, who turns 47.
- 1962-65 Milwaukee Brave Denis Menke, who turns 71.