CC Sabathia is Still Awesome, and the Brewers Are Still in First Place

The Brewers were swept out of town Thursday at the hands of their old teammate, CC Sabathia (13 K, 7.2 IP), and the Yankees. As much as I really wish the Brewers had scored 8-10 runs and forced CC's exit in the second or third inning, Sabathia will always be one of my favorite pitchers for what he did for the Brewers in 2008 (plus he's just a standup guy).

It really would have been nice if the Crew had been able to win at least one game in New York, but they're now past the most difficult part of their schedule and they still share first place in the NL Central with the Cardinals. They now travel to Minnesota with an interleague record against non-Twins a paltry 2-7.

Meanwhile, Ryan Braun rides a 20 game hitting streak after doubling in his last at bat on Tuesday and collecting three hits each on Wednesday and Thursday. In roster moves, the Brewers sold Sergio Mitre back to the Yankees for cash (effectively wasting the loss of Chris Dickerson) and called up Mat Gamel to serve as DH. With Takashi Saito expected to rejoin the team this weekend, expect an interesting roster move to make room for him.

Important series lie ahead. The Brewers head to Minnesota this weekend, hoping to continue their recent success against the Twins, followed by home series against the Diamondbacks and Reds (four games). The Brew Crew would benefit from a strong push into the All Star break that would position themselves well for a strong second half.