Brew Crew Blues

The Milwaukee Brewers are at it again. Just when you thought the four-game sweep last week at the hands of the Chicago Cubs would have spurred the team to come together in a time of adversity, once again the team seems to be falling apart. During their 6-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds last night, slugger Prince Fielder had to be restrained by teammates in the dugout after shoving starting pitcher Manny Parra. No word on whether the dispute revolved around Fielder suspecting Parra of eating his cherished tofu in the clubhouse. Seriously, though, the altercation occurred one year after manager Ned Yost and players Johnny Estrada and Tony Graffanino were involved in an embarassing televised dugout battle royal. Yost and his players can downplay the incident all they want, but the fact of the matter is that this team is prone to melting away in an August pennant race. It looks as though the team has not learned its lesson from last season. And as nice a guy as Doug Melvin is, if the Brewers fail to make it to the postseason this year, Yost won't have to worry about an August collapse next season because he won't be around to oversee one in a Brewers uniform.

Really troublng news out of Yankees camp last night, as Joba Chamberlain left in the fifth inning of the Yanks' 9-5 loss to Texas with tightness in his right shoulder. He is scheduled to fly to New York to undergo tests this morning after feeling a "grab" in the deltoid area of his right arm with two outs in the fifth. Chamberlain does not believe the injury is serious, but he is almost certain to miss his start Saturday in Anaheim. The Yanks can go with Ian Kennedy in a minor-league call-up, but most likely will start either Dan Giese or Darrel Rasner.

The Yankees currently stand 2 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card race, and any more injuries--specifically to their most valuable starter--would be too much to overcome. Already missing ace Chien-Ming Wang and Phil Hughes, the Yanks' rotation has no chance of holding up in a race without the 22-year-old hurler. Hopefully the injury is only a muscular one, as manager Joe Girardi believes it is. One other concern for the Yanks is Damaso Marte, who has now given up six earned runs in his last three appearances, including a disastrous outing last night. The lefty walked three in 1 1/3 innings and was never the answer for the bullpen from the left side.

Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Indians this season continues to be Cliff Lee. The veteran won his AL-leading 15th game last night in Tampa Bay after going 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA in 2007. The Indians will look to build around him and Fausto Carmona as the team looks to weed out their multitude of underachievers.