Braun Calls for Pitching Move

Posted on | July 6, 2009 | 3 Comments | by BigSnakeMan

Never one to be at a loss for words or afraid to say what’s on his mind, Milwaukee Brewers All-Star outfielder Ryan Braun called on General Manager Doug Melvin to make a trade to bolster the team’s pitching rotation.  Braun made his comments on Sunday after the Brewers dropped 3 of 4 games against the rival Cubs in Chicago.  The series loss left the Brewers trailing the St. Louis Cardinals by one game in the NL Central division with the Cubs only 2 1/2 games back.

Now, it isn’t Ryan Braun’s place to suggest personnel moves in the media.  If Braun has such concerns, they should be directed privately to team management.  By airing them in public, Braun is implicitly trashing his teammates; something that can’t help team chemistry.  No doubt such comments wouldn’t be appreciated by Braun if they were directed at him.

Having said that, just because he chose the wrong forum, it doesn’t mean that Braun was wrong about what he said.  In looking at the pitching matchups before the Cubs series, I was worried that the Brewers would be lucky to win one game.  As it was, they wasted a solid pitching performance on Friday by Jeff Suppan and an early offensive cushion on Saturday allowed Braden Looper the breathing room to work out of a  couple of bases loaded jams.  In the other two games, erstwhile ‘starters’ Seth McClung and Mike Burns both got lit up by the Cubs for 7 runs, effectively taking Milwaukee out of each game.

It’s an easy out to say that the Brewers have been shorthanded since Dave Bush went on the disabled list and Manny Parra was sent to Nashville.  The fact of the matter is the Brewers were behind the eight ball pitching wise even before those moves.  McClung and Burns may be serviceable pitching in relief, but clearly they have been exposed as starting pitchers.

Melvin’s job is doubly tough this year as there seem to be less teams inclined to be trading partners to this point in the season.  He is left with less ammunition to deal with because of moves already made in the past 2 seasons.  To that end, Melvin has also said that he isn’t inclined to trade prospects Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar.  That is a position Melvin may want to reevaluate going forward.

Gamel has had only limited playing time so far, but he hasn’t exactly made a compelling argument as a big league hitter; certainly not in the fashion of Braun’s arrival two years ago.  And, as I’ve stated in this space repeatedly, I remain unconvinced about Escobar’s potential as a major league shortstop.  Brewers officials talk about Escobar like he’s the second coming of Hanley Ramirez but they seem to be basing that on occasional flashes of brilliance rather than any sustained performance.  The Brewers are already set for the next few years at short with J.J. Hardy.  If Melvin can find a deal that makes sense to help the starting rotation, the inclusion of Gamel and/or Escobar shouldn’t be an automatic deterrent.

The Brewers have been fortunate so far that the Cardinals have struggled and the Cubs have underchieved, but they can’t count on that continuing indefinitely.  With the healthy return of third baseman Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs are likely to resolve at least some of their offensive woes.  If Milwaukee expects to remain in the playoff chase, Melvin needs to exhaust every avenue to acquire another starting pitcher that can keep them close enough to give their bats a fighting chance.

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