Brewers News and Notes 7-21

On April 27th, Ryan Braun took Jeff Karstens deep for a first inning solo home run. In his next at bat, leading off the third, Braun was drilled in the back on the first pitch. Following the game, Braun vowed revenge. On Monday night, that revenge came.

In a scenario that seemed too perfect for the Brewers, Jeff Karstens led off the eight inning for the Pirates. Chris Smith promptly drilled him in the back. Karstens, taking exception to the retaliation, stood at home plate shouting at the Brewers reliever. The benches emptied, then the bullpens came in. Nothing really happened except a screaming match between Jason Kendall and a Pirates bench coach. Only time will tell if this will be the last time that the Pirates and Brewers tango. If you didn't see the pitch, it is available online here.

Doug Melvin was interviewed on 1250 AM in Milwaukee (WSSP) today. More of the same for Melvin saying that the are exploring all the options and such. He did mention that Casey McGehee will have to undergo surgery following this season. This was not a surprise. McGehee has been struggling to run the bases, and at times field ground ball that aren't hit right at him. Hopefully he is able to continue to contribute until the end of the season.

Melvin also mentioned the weak market for starting pitching that is prevalent. He mentioned that he may trade for a reliever if he is unable to obtain a starting pitcher. The trade for Felipe Lopez seems to make me think that Melvin believes that he will be able to acquire a starting pitcher. This new information, however, does lead me to think that the mention of George Sherrill may have some relevance to it. For what the Orioles are asking for in return, I hope this rumor does not happen.

On the Halladay trade front, the Blue Jays have set a July 28th trade deadline for acquiring him. It's not a bad technique to try if you're the Blue Jays. This way teams might have offers on Halladay in much quicker than if they never made the statement. Personally, I don't think the Blue Jays would turn down a trade for Halladay if the got the right offer on the 31st.