Let’s get into it. (more…)

It wasn’t mentioned publicly as to whether or not there were scouts at the game, but you can bet there were at least a few. And they couldn’t have liked what they saw. Marcum lasted just four innings while giving up three runs on five hits. He also uncharacteristically walked four batters. There were some signs for concern, especially in the fourth inning, when Marcum stopped to stretch out his leg after every pitch. He was removed with what was later diagnosed as right calf cramping.

That certainly didn’t boost his trade value, but you have to wonder if Marcum would have been dealt anyway. Today is the waiver Trade Deadline, during which players must first clear waivers before having the ability to be traded to any team. Marcum was placed on waivers on Wednesday, and it has yet to be reported whether or not he’s cleared them or if a team has placed a claim on him. If Marcum is dealt by 10:59 CT tonight, he’ll be eligible to play in the postseason for another team. If he’s traded to another team following the deadline, he’ll be able to help that team reach the postseason, but not be able to actually participate in the playoffs.

In other words, the Brewers have around eight hours left to get a deal done involving Marcum, otherwise he’s probably staying with the Brewers until the offseason.

The Brewers would probably prefer to trade him, since Marcum himself has said he expects to test the free agent waters this offseason. Teams that could have had interest (or maybe still do) in him were the Dodgers (obviously), Yankees, and Orioles. The Reds could have also made sense, but trades between division rivals are unlikely at this point of the season.

So, assuming the Brewers fail to get a deal done before the deadline tonight, all Marcum can do now is hope to stay healthy for the rest of the season- something he’s clearly struggled to do- and audition for a free agent market that should be otherwise weak on the starting pitching front.

But nowadays, the Brewers haven’t had many issues filling their rotation spots, even in the case of an injury. Shaun Marcum is currently on the disabled list, which has left an extra spot open in the rotation. Marco Estrada and Michael Fiers are both pitching in the rotation right now, and are both doing solid jobs filling in (Estrada was already replacing Chris Narveson). But, once Marcum returns from the DL, and barring an injury to Gallardo, Zack Greinke, or Randy Wolf, either Estrada or Fiers is moving to the bullpen. Actually, if it’s Fiers’ case, he could even get sent down, because he has options left. But with the way he’s pitched, I’d have tough time imagining that.

Estrada is 0-3 on the season, but that’s rather deceptive, as is his 4.31 ERA. His strikeout numbers are remarkable for a guy who doesn’t appear, at least at first glance, to have the greatest stuff. He’s got 46 strikeouts in 42 innings to go along with a 9.9 K/9. His control has also gone relatively unnoticed, as he’s walked just nine batters in those 42 innings. His SO/BB ratio is a stellar 5.11 as well. Estrada was injured for awhile this season with a quad strain, which is why he has so few innings pitched. But, in his first start coming off the DL in Cincinnati, he had a career-high twelve strikeouts. He did give up three runs on a Jay Bruce home run in the sixth inning, though, which has sort of been the story of Estrada’s season. Say he pitches six innings. He’ll be nearly perfect for five of them, but gets hammered in one of them. That’s one thing he needs to avoid from here on out if he wants to make his case to stay in the rotation.

Fiers’ basic numbers, unlike Estrada’s, look remarkable. He’s 3-2 with a 2.29 ERA, and has taken decisions in five of his six career starts. He made his big league debut in early May against the Dodgers, picking up a win with seven strong innings. He struck out just three that start, which led me to believe he was going to be more of a contact pitcher in the Majors, but that hasn’t been the case since. He’s struck out at least five batters in his five following starts, including a stellar ten-strikeout performance his last time out against the Diamondbacks. Like Estrada, Fiers unexpectedly strikes out a lot of batters- his fastball rarely exceeds 90 MPH, and usually lives in the Marcum range of 86-89. Yet, his K/9 is 9.4. But, Fiers has better stuff than Estrada, in my opinion. In his start against the White Sox during Interleague, he threw one of the best curveballs I have ever seen (you can watch the pitch here). Anyway, it’s needless to say I’m very high on Fiers.

If I had to choose which one of these pitchers would stay in the rotation following Marcum’s return, I would have to go with Fiers. There’s a bit of personal bias there, but I have a few reasons for it. Like I’ve kept saying, I think Fiers just has overall better stuff than Estrada. I also think Fiers will be more consistent for the long run, since he’s always been stretched out as a starter, and can avoid the big inning better.

But, there’s the possibility that, by Opening Day 2013, Greinke, Marcum, and Wolf are all off the roster. Despite what Ron Roenicke has been saying lately, the Greinke trade appears to inevitable. Marcum showed interest in staying in Milwaukee over this past offseason, but Doug Melvin didn’t acknowledge that, and odds are it’s too late now. Wolf would be the easiest of the three to retain, but the season he’s having right now tells me that the Brewers won’t pick up his $10 million option. Unless he has a monster second half- which isn’t out of the question, he did it in 2010- Wolf is as good as gone as well. Anyway, you’d hope the Brewers can keep at least one of these guys, preferably Greinke or Marcum.

It’s pretty much a given that that both Estrada and Fiers will be in the Brewers’ rotation in 2013. But, right now, the Brewers have to make a decision on who’s staying in the rotation when Marcum returns. And it should be Fiers.

Michael Fiers could be a great 5th man along down the road. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE

Well the upside from injuries is that about 90% of the time, guys can come back from them full force. Hopefully having Marco Estrada back can settle things in the bullpen. I do not believe he should be a starter nor should Ron Roenicke have any inclination of putting him back there. Michael Fiers has only started two games and pitched decent in both. Estrada is a bullpen guy. There aren’t too many guys that can go physically from relief to starting or mentally either. If Fiers can prove himself in the time allotted, which is about a month til Estrada  is due back, then he has earned himself a well deserved spot. The Brewers need anything they can at this point because time waits for no one.

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However, one good thing came out of this series. Utility man Brooks Conrad finally sought out the gift he’s been waiting on for so long: a batting average.

Well, sort of. .061 isn’t much of an average, but it’s better than the .000 he wore for the first few months. His first hit of the season came on Saturday, in the game that wasn’t televised. He socked an opposite field home run off of Pirates starter Erik Bedard. After that, I made a joke that he can only get hits in games that aren’t on TV. But sure enough, the next day, that joke became obsolete when he hit another home run, this one off All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan. Coming into the game, Hanrahan’s opponent batting average was .162, so it’s pretty impressive Conrad did that.

June 2, 2012: Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brooks Conrad (14) is congratulated by pitcher Shaun Marcum (18) after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

But, as you’ll notice, Conrad’s only two hits so far are home runs. Not that it means anything, I just find it interesting that he has a season-long 0-for and ends it with two blasts. And neither of them were cheap shots; these were legitimate home runs.

It wasn’t just Conrad who broke out this series, however, as there were a few other Brewers players who showed signs of getting their seasons turned around. Nyjer Morgan was one of them, who, following a .304 season in his first year in Milwaukee, didn’t even have an RBI up until this series. But he turned that around in a hurry, hitting two home runs this series, just as Conrad did. The first one came off of Kevin Correia, and the second off James McDonald. Both of the home runs were no-doubt, low line drive pulls into the right field seats. This is the vintage Morgan we’re used to seeing, so if he keeps this up, he might finally become that consistent bat in the lineup that he was down the stretch last year.

Meanwhile, other utility players, such as Taylor Green and Cody Ransom, had their moments during this series as well. Ransom had a two-run single right before Conrad’s home run on Saturday, and Green is hitting over .300 in his last nine games.

But it’s needless to say these guys are heating up at the right time. The Brewers have been barraged with more injuries than the mind can handle, the latest addition to the disabled list being third baseman and cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez. That means Ryan Braun, who has also dealt with his share of injuries, isn’t going to have much protection in the lineup. That means Green and Corey Hart are going to have to take the bulk of that job. Or even Conrad could do that, if he can start hitting on a consistent basis from here on out.

That, or he’ll maintain his .061 average, and hit a home run or two every 30 at-bats.

The Ax-Man looks back on track. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

So if you would’ve told me Monday afternoon that the Brewers would’ve swept the Los Angeles Dodgers, the MLB’s best team so far this season, in four games, I would have called you insane and found you a psychiatrist. The way the Brewers had been playing before the Dodgers series was abysmal. To go into LA and sweep them in four, wow, that was amazing. Michael Fiers came up big in his first major league start, while also getting his first win. The offense, mainly led by Aramis Ramirez in this particular series, came through when needed. Ryan Braun’s two run homer in Wednesday’s game is all the Brewers needed to win. Yes, there were a lot of close victories, but a close victory is better than a loss. With that, the Brewers are now home to start a nine game home-stand that consists of playing the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres. These are games we “should” win because we know we’re a good enough ball club to do so. Now, actually going out and beating the teams you’re supposed to beat is an entirely different animal. The bullpen still is struggling with consistently outside of Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford, but if our starting pitching is back on track, the bullpen will have a lot of time to mull over their past outings. The offense isn’t necessarily all together yet, especially with all the injuries, but even still, we’re winning games with guys who we didn’t even think would be on our roster. That says a lot.

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Michael Fiers' performance last night went above and beyond. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Seven episodes already? Madness, good madness now. Yet again, Brew Crew Online brings you everything and all things Brewers with a touch of other aspects in the MLB. Episode seven went a little longer than usual (almost an hour), but Colin and I believe it makes up for the previous shorter weeks. As usual, here is our list of topics (oh and believe me, there are a lot) for today’s episode:

-Looking at the past two wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers

-Brewers’ injuries everywhere

-Turning the Brewers’ season around

-Tonight’s match-up. Yovani Gallardo against Clayton Kershaw

-Our nine game home stand

-Long term solutions with our rookies

-Where we are in the NL Central

-Zack Greinke staying in Milwaukee?

-Our opinions on Prince Fielder going to Detroit and Albert Pujols going to Los Angeles (it’s been a long time coming folks)

-Is the NL Central a soft division?

-Not giving up this season (we aren’t dead in the water!)

-Brewers’ replacements getting the job done / our rookies that can come up

-Taylor Green being a versatile player

-The MLB’s injuries in general

-Younger players (Bryce Harper, Mike Trout)

-The Brewers going forward

-The Rangers’ signing of Roy Oswalt

Thank you again for listening and as always, stayed tuned for next week and go Brew Crew!

Aramis Ramirez's (16) bat woke up today after being dormant for so long. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Well this is just what we needed, a win to remind us that we’re very much still alive. Despite three guys going on the DL last week (well technically one was yesterday but details) and now Jonathan Lucroy as of today (this is beyond ridiculous anymore), we still managed to beat the MLB’s best team in the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brew Crew had a solid outing all around, besides the slip up in the 8th. Aramis Ramirez came through in a big way today and Shaun Marcum’s pitching effort was by no means wasted. As we know, our past 15 or so games have not been the prettiest of games but a win’s a win. Beating a team like the Dodgers builds confidence and maybe it’s what we need to turn our season around, barring anymore injuries (that’s not so assured anymore).

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