Some things to read while floundering.
I'm stepping in for Kyle again today, and it looks like he picked a good time to take a day off. The Brewers dropped another home game to the Diamondbacks last night, becoming the last team in the majors to lose back-to-back home games this season. Look on the bright side, though: at least they didn't blow a 6-1 lead for a third straight game. Of course, they never had the chance, as the D'Backs jumped on Randy Wolf for four runs in the first inning and three in the third, and the Brewers never really threatened after that.
Things have gone so poorly over the last few days that Ron Roenicke felt the need to have a post-game meeting with the players, and the frustration is starting to show in his post-game comments. Tom Haudricourt has more from Roenicke, in which he admits he and the coaching staff are part of the problem.
The Brewers will hope to salvage a win in the series against Arizona later today with Yovani Gallardo on the mound. Perhaps for the benefit of our sanity, the game will not be televised. And no, Ryan Braun is not in the lineup for the finale. Mat Gamel is back at third.
In other Brewers news, as "captain" of the National League team at this year's All-Star Home Run Derby, Prince Fielder named the NL participants yesterday. Joining Fielder in the contest will be Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, Matt Holliday of the Cardinals, and Rickie Weeks. American League captain David Ortiz picked Adrian Gonzalez, Jose Bautista, and Robinson Cano to round out the other half of the field.
Over at The Brewers Bar, I rounded up video of the longest home runs hit by the NL squad so far this year. Meanwhile, Justin Upton says he doesn't feel snubbed, even though he would have liked to put on a show for his home fans. He says he prefers hitting home runs that count, like the shot he delivered against Wolf.
Of course, we're now less than a week away from the All-Star Game itself, and everyone has suggestions on how to make the game interesting and/or relevant again. Jeff Passan at Yahoo! Sports offers 10 suggestions, some of them serious (start the game earlier, trim rosters) and some of them silly (use aluminum bats in the Derby). Over at The Platoon Advantage, The Common Man wants to know what the deal is with all the relievers on All-Star squads (actually a very valid complaint, if you ask me).
Every year, managers try to make the case for their players that may have been snubbed. Clint Hurdle stuck up for Andrew McCutchen, and Jack McKeon did the same for Anibal Sanchez. Bruce Bochy apparently doesn't like being called out, so he made sure to mention that neither Hurdle nor McKeon touted their players when they had a chance before the teams were announced.
Let's hope this doesn't happen in Phoenix next week: while the Diamondbacks were playing here in Wisconsin, Chase Field was hit by a massive dust storm (h/t Jameson Fleming).
Other Brewers-related notes:
- Not only is Yuniesky Betancourt below replacement level on the field, but he's also below replacement level when it comes to fashion.
- I'm not sure how necessary this is, but the Brewers now have a hotline you can call if you want to know if the roof at Miller Park will be open or closed.
- Over at Pocket Doppler, A Simple Kind of Fan files his first-half grievances with Ron Roenicke, and is most concerned with the mixed signals the rookie manager been sending so far this year.
- At The Bucky Channel, James Smizek highlights the problems the Brewers have had in the 5th spot of the order during the recent losing streak (among other issues), but wants everybody to relax because the season isn't over.
- Paul Noonan of Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball has a lot of good stuff trying to figure out what's wrong with Zack Greinke, but comes to the conclusion that if it isn't bad luck, he doesn't know what's wrong. Join the club!
- If you want to feel good about something, things aren't looking terrible down on the farm lately. Three Brewers farmhands -- Michael Fiers, Tyler Thornburg and Andy Moye -- were all named the Pitcher of the Week in their respective leagues. Khris Davis also got some love from Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus in yesterday's "Ten Pack." Davis is leading the Florida State League in on-base and slugging percentage.
- The past week or so continues to do damage to the Brewers' postseason odds. Baseball Prospectus only has the Brewers making the playoffs in 33% of their simulations, down nearly 25% over the past week. The ESPN-partnered CoolStandings.com has an even gloomier outlook, with the Brewers making the postseason in just 21% of their simulations.
- Jim Breen put together a Brewers minor league All-Star team over at Bernie's Crew, based on first-half numbers. Some positions are more depressing to think about than others.
- Ken Davidoff of New York's Newsday lists the Brewers as a team that's "most in the mix" to acquire relievers, like San Diego's Luke Gregerson and Chad Qualls. Because, you know, the last trade for a San Diego reliever worked out so well.
- Former Brewer Mike Cameron was acquired by the Florida Marlins from the Red Sox for cash or a player to be named later. Cameron was previously designated for assignment.
- MLB Trade Rumors has an update on their reverse-engineered Elias rankings. Prince Fielder is a Type A and still the second-highest ranked FA 1B behind Albert Pujols. Yuniesky Betancourt is a Type B. If the Brewers can somehow get a comp pick for Yuni, does it make a year's worth of sub-replacement level play worth it?
That's all I have for you today -- if I missed anything, feel free to post it in the comments. Thanks to Kyle for letting me stand in, and just a reminder that you can find me at TheBrewersBar.com and on Twitter at @BrewersBar. If Facebook's your thing, we do that, too.