Thursday's Frosty Mug

Some things to read while looking for tape and a Sharpie.

The Brewers picked up a win last night, but unfortunately it's not the big story. Rickie Weeks left the game in the second inning with what appeared to be a sprained ankle and will be placed on the DL today. X-rays taken at the park showed no fracture, but Tyler Lockman of FSWisconsin is reporting (via Ken Rosenthal) that the Brewers expect Weeks to be out 2-4 weeks. Jack Moore of Disciples of Uecker says that the rest of Weeks' teammates will need to step up to help fill the void until he returns. Miller Park Drunk has a reminder that this isn't the end of the world.

With Weeks going on the DL today, the Brewers have called up Nashville second baseman Eric Farris (FanShot). Farris hasn't been hitting much in AAA this season (.256/.308/.358), but has a solid glove and above average speed (152 minor league stolen bases in 181 career attempts). He doesn't bring much/any power to the table (career .379 slugger in the minors), so it'll be interesting to see how he's used.

Depending on the severity, the Weeks injury might also create a little extra urgency for the Brewers to make a move before Sunday's trade deadline. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com says the Brewers and Dodgers could be closer to a deal now for infielder Jamey Carroll, but also says "the Dodgers are not just salary dumping but are insisting on prospect(s) in return." Before last night's game, Cory Provus expressed his desire for the Brewers to acquire a lefty for the bullpen.

Even before last night's events, 70% of voters in this week's BCB Tracking Poll felt the Brewers need to make a move before Sunday's deadline.

Other notes from the field:

• Craig Counsell replaced Rickie Weeks at second base last night and went 0-for-3, tying a club record with 38 consecutive hitless at bats.
• Yuniesky Betancourt went 0-for-2, snapping his eight game hitting streak.
• Here's a transcript of Ron Roenicke's postgame comments.
• Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder and Carlos Zambrano are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game voting.
• Jordan Schelling has a pretty cool photo of pregame preparations under the roof while rain pours down outside.
• The Brat won last night's Sausage Race.

The two teams play the series finale at 1:10 today. Jon Star of MLB.com has the preview.

Following last night's loss, Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano said the team needs to make some changes and he appears to be willing to waive his no trade clause to be a part of them. Zambrano is still owed a lot of money over the next season and a half, so the Cubs would likely have to send some cash along to work out a deal.

The Chicago Tribune has an interesting story today, talking to Mark Attanasio about life as a major league owner and Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts. Attanasio tried to reach out to Ricketts this week but he's not with the team.

Today in injury notes: Brandon Kintzler's surgery to repair a stress fracture went well and he could resume throwing by mid-August. He's unlikely to get an opportunity to help the Brewers again this season, but should be ready and a bullpen candidate again in 2012.

The Brewers made another minor roster move yesterday, trading minor league catcher Wil Nieves to the Braves for cash considerations (which turned out to be one dollar). The Braves are taking responsibility for the remaining $250,000 owed to Nieves this season, so the Brewers are coming out significantly ahead here.

In the minors:

• The Nieves trade cleared a spot, so the Brewers have moved catcher Martin Maldonado from Huntsville to Nashville. Defense is his calling card, but he's also hitting .265/.352/.360 between AA and AAA this season.
• In a more surprising move, the Brewers promoted Wisconsin reliever Eric Marzec all the way up to Nashville yesterday. He pitched two scoreless innings in his AAA debut.
• The affiliates went 1-4 last night with three players picking up three hits each in Helena's 10-3 win over Casper. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
• Brewersprospects.com has named their Players of the Month for July.
• Wisconsin Sports Tap has a look at Brevard County outfielder D'Vontrey Richardson.
• Brewerfan.net is reporting the Brewers have released pitcher Mark Willinsky, a 15th round pick in the 2008 draft. He had posted a 6.90 ERA in 29 relief appearances for Brevard County this season.
• The 2011 Arizona Fall League alignment was announced yesterday: The Brewer representatives will once again be part of the Peoria Javelinas.

Around baseball:

Blue Jays: Acquired pitcher Edwin Jackson and infielder Mark Teahen from the White Sox for pitchers Jason Frasor and Zach Stewart.
Cardinals: Acquired pitchers Edwin Jackson, Octavio Dotel, Marc Rzepczynski, outfielder Corey Patterson and three PTBNLs or cash from the Blue Jays for outfielder Colby Rasmus and pitchers Trever Miller, Brian Tallet and P.J. Walters. (FanShot)
Giants: Acquired outfielder Carlos Beltran from the Giants for minor league pitcher Zack Wheeler.
Mariners: Signed 1B/OF Wily Mo Pena to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Designated 1B/OF Matt Stairs for assignment.
Pirates: Placed infielder Chase d'Arnaud on the DL with a broken finger.

Around the NL Central is making an effort to preserve what little karma we have left by not talking about the Rasmus trade. There's still a lot of good stuff in there, though.

Here's an interesting side note on the Beltran deal: He apparently refused the Mets' efforts to trade him to Pittsburgh.

Last week I mentioned that the Rays had used starting pitchers under 30 years old in 699 consecutive games. Last night they broke an MLB record by doing it for the 705th time. They previous record was held by the 1913-17 Washington Senators.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to clean out my microwave.

Drink up.