Time to abandon ship

Baseball is a funky game. You can go from elation to hopeful to disappointment in a matter of days, or even minutes, depending on the situation. Take Tuesday night for example at Great American Ballpark where the Brewers squared off against the Cincinnati Reds. Marco Estrada, making his first start since coming off the disabled list, would go up against Bronson Arroyo, a guy whose longevity in the big leagues can be attributed to how crafty he is. He doesn't throw hard, but he throws everything with movement to keep hitters off balance. Fortunately for Arroyo, he wasn't only facing a team whose offense was about as non-existent as dinosaurs, but also a team that can't hit anything but a well-thrown fastball and the occasional hanging breaking ball. Sounds like the perfect storm if you ask me.

To make matters worse, Ron Roenicke decided it would be a good day to take guys like Corey Hart and Martin Maldonado out of the lineup, two guys who were actually seeing the baseball well as of late. That allowed the Brewers lineup to include the likes of Travis Ishikawa (fresh off the DL) and Cezar Izturus (fresh off the DL). Estrada pitched about as well as he could before running out of gas, and was aided by some remarkable defense by Nori Aoki and Nyjer Morgan, who should have the top web gem of the night for his catch as he rammed into a wall so hard it opened the bullpen gate. Anyway, apparently Roenicke felt as though Estrada could push 100 pitches in his first start in about a month. Estrada got through six innings, earning a remarkable 12 strikeouts, but left a curveball up to Jay Bruce, who made him pay by launching it over the left field wall. As all this was going on, Arroyo was taking advantage of poor lineup decisions and a poor offense in general and had a no-hitter going with a 3-0 lead. Three Brewer outs later, Arroyo had a no-hitter heading into the eighth inning. Uh oh. Rock bottom take 3?

Not so fast. Kottaras, the new Greek God of walks (move over Youkilis) drew a base on balls and then my ex, Taylor Green doubled down the right field line to all of a sudden put the Brewers back in business (for the record, the Brewers have thrown one no-hitter in franchise history and have been subjected to three no-hitters, the last coming in '07 to Justin Verlander). Up came Corey Hart to pinch hit for Ishikawa, and Hart missed a home run by a few feet with a blast off the center field wall. Two batters later, Nori Aoki drove in Hart, and we had a tie game heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. Just like that, Reds fans went from elation (potential no-hitter) to hopeful (well, we can still win this!) to disappointment (now we might not even win...) in like three minutes. As if this wasn't bizarre enough, two of the stranger moments of the game were yet to happen. With the score TIED at 3 in the bottom of the EIGHTH inning, in came the Brewers' CLOSER John Axford. Um...what? Axford's first pitch landed somewhere between Indianapolis and Louisville and...just like that...the Brewers were forced to try and come back once again.

We all know the Brewers have a struggling closer, but the Reds had a scuffling closer of their own in 100 MPH fireballer Aroldis Chapman. My friend Boom texted me after the game that had the Brewers left their bats in the dugout that inning, they would have managed to win strictly on walks. The sad thing is, he wasn't kidding. Aramis Ramirez was the only one wise enough to draw four balls for a walk, and Maldonado struck out to end the game in a pinch-hitting situation. But good job, Roenicke, you made one good decision on the night by pinch-hitting Hart. Hey, I'll even give you two with the Taylor Green start at second in place of Weeks. I wouldn't mind seeing it more often, in fact. So here's the second bizarre thing I saw in the final innings...immediately after striking out Maldonado to earn the 4-3 victory, Chapman did not one, but two somersaults towards home plate before embracing his catcher. Um...what? Somersaults? What is this, second grade? Now the Brewers are 33-41 and 8.5 games out of first place. Do you think they took too kindly to those somersaults? I think not. Someone is getting a fastball in the ribs tomorrow, and I'll give you a hint: they play for the Reds.

So why did I begin my post with a recap of the Brewers last game? Well, I don't have an answer for that, but it's going to lead into my explanation as to why it's time to abandon ship, aka for the Brewers to become sellers and give up hope on the postseason. I know. I, the eternal optimist, have given up hope on the 2012 Milwaukee Brewers. It's a difficult realization to come to, but it's something that has to be done. Sure, I've seen teams come back from 8.5 games back in June to make the playoffs (it happened at the expense of the Brewers in '07). And maybe the Brewers have it in them to make an Oakland Athletics circa 2002 push and win the Central Division. They've played the Reds tough in the series, but before the series began, I said it would be the biggest series of the season for the Brewers. Well, it is. Dropping the first two games to the Reds and falling eight games below .500 might not be a big enough reason for some teams to sell house, but it is for the Milwaukee Brewers. They're a small market team. They can't afford to cling on to hope, watch the trade deadline go by, and still have free agents-to-be like Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum on the roster sitting seven games out of first place. Brewer fans have gone from elation (fresh off a playoff run) to hopeful (can we do it again?) to disappointed (nope...we can't). For those of you that have been able to wipe the tears away from your eyes, let's take a look at how the Brewers can make the most of this unfortunate situation.

Who to deal:

Zack Greinke (8-2, 2.81 ERA, 99 SO)

The Brewers tried to negotiate a new contract with Greinke and his agent earlier in the season and there was nothing doing. The reason? Likely to see how well Greinke could perform in 2012 to increase his value on the market. It's unlikely Greinke would return to the Brewers after becoming a free agent at the end of the season, even though he has had incredible success at Miller Park and has thrived there partially because of Milwaukee being a small market team (anxiety disorder). It would cost more than I'd like to think about to bring Greinke back, especially with how well he's performed so far this season, so the Brewers might as well see who they can get for him. With there apparently being more pitching than offense out on the farm, the Crew may want to look to get offense in return for Greinks, and maybe even receive a pitching prospect in return. They might not get back in return what they gave up for Greinke, but it could be damn close. Greinke should be pitching in Kansas City this July in the All-Star Game. And who knows...maybe if he becomes a free agent after he's traded, he'll come back to Milwaukee.

Shaun Marcum (5-3, 3.39 ERA, 1.17 WHIP)

I might have to find my third "boy" of the year if Marcum is dealt before the trade deadline, which is very possible. Trade talks have circulated Marcum's name, which isn't surprising considering the Brewers haven't made much of an effort to re-sign him to a long-term deal. Marcum has been steady all season long, but recent elbow soreness could hurt his value a bit. Assuming it's nothing serious and Marcum is able to come back and continue to perform well, the Brewers should still be able to get something good in exchange for him. Just not as good as Brett Lawrie, who is a flat-out punk. I'll be sad to see Marcum go and for the record, I don't think it was a bad idea to trade for him in the first place. For Greinke and Marcum, some potential suitors in need of starting rotation help could be the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, and Atlanta Braves. The Blue Jays have been killed by injuries in their starting rotation, so what do you say, Toronto? How about a re-do on that Marcum/Lawrie trade? No? Alright, fine...

Francisco Rodriguez (15 HLDS, 3.82 ERA)

The man formerly known as K-Rod has certainly had his ups and downs this season, but he's been on the upswing as of late and this increases his trade value. Rodriguez, along with Greinke and Marcum, is due to be a free agent at the end of the season, and contending teams who are in need of late relief help have Frankie on their radars. A potential suitor could ironically be the New York Mets, whose closer just went on the DL and has a near-5.00 ERA. Other contending teams who have poor bullpens include the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and Detroit Tigers. Plenty of suitors for the Crew.

George Kottaras (3 HR, 10 RBI, .439 OBP) OR Martin Maldonado (5 HR, 16 RBI, .329 OBP)

Once Jonathan Lucroy returns after the All-Star break from his broken hand, the Brewers will have three big league caliber catchers and only two spots available. Lucroy gets one of them, so Milwaukee may look to deal either Kottaras or Maldonado. Maldonado has been a pleasant surprise and was a recent addition to my fantasy team, so I would personally love to see him get a full-time gig elsewhere should the Brewers choose to ship him off. On the other hand, Kottaras has one of the best eyes on the team and is Randy Wolf's personal catcher. We don't want to see big bad Randy Wolf get upset when his personal catcher gets traded, so it makes total sense to deal Maldonado. Kidding. And don't look into the whole thing about having two right handed catchers if we choose to keep up/don't trade Maldonado. Doesn't matter. Teams that need catching? Who the hell knows. The Brewers may not get much in return for a catcher, but something is better than nothing with a surplus at the position.

I'd be surprised to see any other names involved in trade talks. I know Rickie Weeks has struggled like crazy this season, but he's not someone I see the Brewers giving up on yet, especially with him being signed through 2015. Other guys signed on long-term are Ryan Braun, Lucroy, and Yovani Gallardo, and I don't see the Brewers dealing any of those guys, either. Corey Hart has also been a mainstay in Milwaukee and is signed through 2013. Making little deals with meaningless players doesn't make any sense to me for the Brewers to do. The players they should trade seem quite clear to me. Now it's time for a new segment I'd like to call " My Latest Little Thoughts about the Milwaukee Brewers."

- Marco Estrada should be in the bullpen. He wears out at the end of every start.
- Keep Mike Fiers up. He's fun to watch and has earned his keep with the big league squad.
- I'm so sick of specific bullpen roles. Just put the guy out there who gives you the best chance to win on any given night.
- Nori Aoki is really fun to watch and was a great signing by the Brewers.
- Alex Gonzalez is the only major injury that has really hurt the Brewers. Corey Hart has been a great find at first base (Gamel) and with the surplus of outfielders the Brewers have, moving Hart to the infield doesn't hurt. The combination of Maldonado and Kottaras has kept the catching position as a strength for the Crew (Lucroy). Mike Fiers has the best ERA among Brewer starters after four starts and has been solid (Narveson). It's come down to offensive execution...or lack there of...in clutch situations and a pathetic bullpen. I guess that's just baseball.

I may take a break from baseball to talk about the NBA Draft on Thursday. Or I may not. We'll see. Even though the Brewers will likely become "sellers" as we near the All-Star break and trade deadline, there is always a reason to watch baseball. New guys come in...prospects arrive...hope for the future...Ryan Braun for MVP. So yeah. Keep watching the Brewers, but maybe with a different mindset. Look for the positives, and if more tough losses like Tuesday night roll around, just accept them and move on. Just chalk it up to "one of those years."