The All Star Game is history, and we are a day away from the most anticipated second half of Pirates baseball in years.  The Bucs will begin their push for a N.L. Central Division championship with a visit to Miller Park to take on the Milwaukee Brewers.  The Brewers had a rough first half, finishing 40-45 and 8.0 games behind the Pirates in the division.  However, regardless of record, we all know the history that precedes the Pirates anytime they travel to Miller Park.  The Brew Crew’s domed domicile has been a house of horrors for the Bucs over the years.  Heading into this season, the Pirates record in Milwaukee had been 4-38 since 2007.  The Bucs took two of three from the Brewers in their stadium earlier this summer, a three game series that was highlighted by wins for James McDonald and Kevin Correia.  This series is very important to Milwaukee, who can ill-afford to fall any further back in the division race if they plan on making a late run in 2012.  For the Pirates this series offers another opportunity to prove that they are for real, to come out of the gate fast in the second half, and to help erase all of those bad memories they have collected at Miller Park over the past six years.

With all that in mind, I have the chance to catch up with Benjamin Orr, a Staff Writer for Reviewing the Brew.  Reviewing the Brew is the Fansided Network site for the Brewers, a fantastic site that is by far the best source of Brewers news on the internet.  I also had a chance to answer some questions about this series from a Pirates point of view, so make sure you check out Reviewing the Brew tomorrow for their article.  I’ll link it up the The Hub section on Rumbunter as well.

Benjamin provides some great insight into the Brewers season and their possible plans moving forward.  Although I will have to disagree with his final prediction for the N.L. Central race…….

Rumbunter:  Where do you see the Brewers in the sense of being buyers or sellers in 2012? 

Reviewing the Brew: I see the Brewers being in sellers in only one player, George Kottaras. I know a lot of people are speculating about Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, Francisco Rodriguez and for some reason Randy Wolf, but if it’s anybody, it’s Kottaras. With Jonathan Lucroy due back soon from the disabled listed and Martin Maldonado doing well enough to play in the big leagues, there’s no need for three MLB capable catchers on a NL roster.

I really don’t see the Brewers going after anyone at all. The big thing the front office should focus on is keeping Greinke, provided he isn’t traded before July 31. Being the small market team they are, they already have to pay quite a few people with extensive contracts, then comes free agent signing.  Greinke is the key and if we can’t resign him, then it goes to Marcum. If we are unable to resign both, I’d expect the Brewers to explore what they can after the season ends.

RB:  Who do you think they would make available if they decided to sell, and what would they be looking for in return – position players, pitchers?

RTB:  Kottaras and Kottaras only. It’s speculation to say him, but looking at who the Brewers have, it’s split into two categories: guys we need to keep and guys nobody else wants so we’re stuck with them. It’s the unfortunate thing about being a small market team. I assume the Brewers would focus somewhere around bullpen pitching because our bullpen has been awful this season. We picked up Livan Hernandez not too long ago, so the Brewers are still out there looking for guys to fill in that void.

If the Brewers are unable to sign Greinke and Marcum, then I’d expect them to shell out some cash for relievers. The bullpen has been such a mess. A lot of people thought losing Prince Fielder was a fatal blow to Milwaukee, but not so much as losing LaTroy Hawkins and Takashi Saito. Consistently good middle relievers aren’t exactly easy to come by, especially in Milwaukee. For the time being, we’ll more than likely expect Marco Estrada to take over that role until he gets some support.

RB:  What is the deal with Rickie Weeks in 2012?  Has he finally started to come around?

RTB:  To be quite frank, he’s just flat out awful this season. Let me put it this way, Bryce Harper nearly has identical stats to Weeks, and Harper’s only been playing since late April. As a Brewers’ fan, it’s hard to watch Weeks struggle like this. Doug Melvin invested quite a bit of money in Weeks and for him not to produce, that’s just flat out unacceptable. Yes, there are things such as slow starts, but for Weeks, his whole season has been a struggle.

I don’t think we’ll see much out Weeks for the rest of the season unless he had a darn good All-Star break and figured out his approach to the plate during his time off. On the year, he’s batting an abysmal .199 with 100 strikeouts. In 2011, he struck out 107 times, so that there says a lot. He’s clearly not seeing the ball and frankly, it’s not only frustrating, but a tad concerning.

There’s really nothing the Brewers can do about this unless they decide to bench him for the newly brought up Jeff Bianchi. So basically at that point, you have $11 million dollars a year sitting on the bench, eating away at the Brewers’ monetary value, which not only hurts Weeks’ professional numbers, but it cripples the front office as they are unable to sign anyone worth a hoot and gives them trouble resigning guys like Greinke.

RB:  Is Mat Gamel a long-term solution for the Brewers at first base?

RTB:  Yes and no. I think yes because he’s really all we have. Ron Roenicke has experimented with Corey Hart at first and even Travis Ishikawa is the current first baseman with Gamel out. I think Gamel was in the limelight for the job after Fielder left so it’s really his job to lose.

Now, permanently? That’s a new ball game there. If Gamel at all struggles (and this is depending on whether or not we resign Ishikawa), he can easily be replaced by Hart, Ishikawa or even Taylor Green / Bianchi. However, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. Gamel for his entire career has lived under the shadow of Fielder and never got really establish himself as a true first baseman.

Gamel has time to learn first base in a more extensive role and I am trusting the Brewers to work with him. I don’t expect Gamel to have Gold Glove stuff instantly, but first base is a hot corner and if he can overcome that, he’ll be fine. His offense is a different story, but it wasn’t exactly bad. He was batting .245 before his injury and you have to take into account that his injury occurred on May 1. Being still early in the season, low averages are expected so it’s hard to judge Gamel based off of that.

RB:  As a Brewers follower, what did you think of the Veras/McGehee deal when it happened, and how do you feel about it now?

RTB:  I was a bit surprised at the time because we just signed Aramis Ramirez only hours beforehand, but then it made sense. I wasn’t exactly sure why (and I’m still not sure) Milwaukee feels the need to try and bring in average talent all the time, if you can call him average. My initial thought was that it can really only help add some extra padding to the bullpen with Saito leaving that same day.

Now, being halfway through the 2012 season, Veras hasn’t helped at all. He does have some decent pitches, mainly his curveball, but more often than not, his pitches flatten out and he gets in trouble. I guess I understand the front office’s decision on trading for bullpen pitching, especially since we signed Ramirez who in my opinion, is a much better third baseman than McGehee. I just feel we could’ve gotten someone a little better for McGehee.

RB:  How do the fans in Milwaukee view what is going on in Pittsburgh?  Does it bring back memories of 2008?

RTB:  To a degree, it’s somewhat expected while being surprising. Everyone, us Brewers’ fans included, knew the Pirates were going to have to break out of that terrible 20 year slump sooner than later and 2012 may prove to be that year. I think what surprises us the most is how bad we’re doing and how good Pittsburgh is doing, especially when the Pirates won the first series of this season at Milwaukee, where they have always struggled tremendously.

I can’t say that it does. The span of four years has drastically changed both clubs, so it’s hard to say that it compares to 2008. Actually, it’s almost as if the two have switched places in the NL Central and the Brewers are going to be the team looking in from the outside if they cannot continue to play any better. The Pirates on the other hand are not used to so much success that it will be interesting to see how they can handle it later on down the road.

RB:  Finally, give me your top to bottom final standings in the 2012 NL Central race.

RTB:

1. Cincinnati (97-65)

2. St. Louis (88-74) – Wild Card

3. Pittsburgh (82-80)

4. Milwaukee (80-82)

5. Houston (59-103)

6. Chicago (55-107)

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Former Pirate Ryan Doumit is off to a slow start with Minnesota

Now that we are a solid two weeks into the season, let’s take a gander at how some of our ex-Buccos are performing in their new baseball homes.

C/OF Ryan Doumit signed a one-year $3 million contract with the Minnesota Twins to be the primary back-up to catcher Joe Mauer and fill-in at 1B and RF.  After a 4-8 start to the season, the Twins are toiling 5.0 games back in the A.L. Central and Doumit has played in eight games, five at catcher and three in right field.  He is carrying a .219/.242/.219 line with no extra-base hits and one RBI, striking out eight times in 32 at-bats.  The Twins are being careful about how they handle Doumit, as he is the only back-up on the roster for the injury-prone Mauer.  Speedy outfielders Denard Span and Ben Revere create a significant defensive advantage in the cavernous Target Field outfield, and former first baseman Justin Morneau is the primary DH due to doctor concerns over his ability to play the field.  This greatly limits at-bats for Doumit, who has never had more than 431 plate appearances in any of his seven major league seasons.

Former Pirates SS Ronny Cedeno is also being used sparingly in his first season with the New York Mets (one-year, $1.25m).  Cedeno has seen time at second base, shortstop, and also at third base in the absence of David Wright last week.  He has hit .250/.438/.333 in 12 at-bats and has been used primarily as a defensive replacement.  With SS Ruben Tejada and 2B Daniel Murphy getting most of the playing time in the middle of the diamond, Cedeno may have to tap into the super-utility role to get more than 300 at-bats in 2012.  The Mets have been been a pleasant surprise thus far, at 7-5 and in second place behind the Washington Nationals in what shapes up to be a competitive N.L. East.

1B Lyle Overbay is hitting .222/.300/.500 in 18 at-bats for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  As the backup to 1B Paul Goldschmidt, Overbay could see playing time against tough right-handers and could contribute solid power numbers in Chase Field.  Overbay – who stroked 52 doubles with Milwaukee in 2004 – is a perfect fit for the wide open right-centerfield gap in the D-Backs stadium.  He hit just .227 in 352 at-bats with the Bucs prior to being released in 2011.

Ronny Cedeno is in his first season with the New York Mets

OF Matt Diaz was signed to a two-year $4.25 million contract by the Pirates prior to 2011 and expected to provide some pop off the bench after 20 homers in just under 600 at-bats for the Atlanta Braves in 2009-2010.  He failed to hit any longballs for the Bucs, and was traded back to Atlanta on August 31 last season.  Back in his comfort zone with the Braves, Diaz already has one homerun and has drove in four runs as the forth outfielder.  He is carrying a .278/.364/.500 line thus far in nine games.

OF Ryan Ludwick was one of the Pirates big trade deadline acquisitions last season, toiling to the finish line for the Bucs.  Signed to a one-year $2.5 million deal with Cincinnati this winter, Ludwick has paid dividends for the Reds, leading them in RBI with nine through 10 games in 2012.  He has for the time being earned the starting left field job over Chris Heisey and seems to have regained the power stroke he had with St. Louis during his 2007-2010 run with the Cardinals.  Ludwick gave the Pirates a .232 average in 112 expensive at-bats after being acquired from the San Diego Padres last July 31.

Although he is now three years removed from his time in Pittsburgh, it is interesting to note that 1B Adam LaRoche – a notorious slow starter – has been a key cog in the 10-3 start for the surprising Washington Nationals in 2012.  Through 13 games as the starting first baseman, LaRoche is hitting .314 and has drove in a team-leading 13 RBI in 51 at-bats.  While his Pirates career never materialized as the team expected, LaRoche is a hard guy to cheer against.  Seeing him get off to such a great start makes us all wonder what he could have accomplished had he put together a full season in Pittsburgh.

SP Paul Maholm spent his first seven major league seasons with the Pirates, accumulating 53 wins for some horrendous teams.  Signed by the Chicago Cubs to a one-year $4.25 million contract in the offseason, Maholm has not had a great start to his Wrigley career.  In two starts for the Cubs, he has a 13.50 ERA and has been tagged for the loss in both games.  Maholm has started against the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals thus far, two of the better hitting teams in the National League, so it may just be a case of bad timing for the southpaw.  Playing for the rebuilding Cubs and on a one-year deal, Maholm could be a prime trade deadline candidate for pitching hungry contenders.  Similar to LaRoche, Bucs fans may find it hard to root against Maholm, who dedicated significant time to charity programs and seemed to thoroughly enjoy his time in Pittsburgh.  Is there any doubt he will save his best game of the season for the first time he faces off against the Bucs?

Although certifiably nuts, RP Jose Veras gave the Pirates a solid season out of the bullpen in 2011.  Traded to the Brewers for Casey McGehee this past December, Veras has inherited the setup role to closer John Axford with Milwaukee.  In five games thus far, he has a 2.08 ERA and has averaged a strike out per inning.  The Brewers are off to a slow start after their best season in the National League in 2011, but a Veras/Axford back of the bullpen could have some dominant moments this summer.

There are numerous ex-Pirates scattered throughout the minor leagues after spending spring training with their new clubs.  Players such as INF Brandon Wood (Colorado), INF Steve Pearce (Yankees by way of the Twins), SS Pedro Ciriaco (Boston), C Jason Jaramillo (Milwaukee by way of the Cubs), and OF Xavier Paul (Washington) are all starting their 2012 seasons at AAA.  Former OF John Bowker has found a home with the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball League after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason.

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You can follow Jeff Snedden on Twitter @jeffsnedden

You can follow RumBunter on Twitter @rumbunter

And of course, you can get your Pirates fix all year round right here at www.rumbunter.com, the BEST Pittsburgh Pirates blog on the whole World Wide Web.

The Pirates traded Jose Veras to the Milwaukee Brewers for Casey McGehee

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