Why Play Carlos Villanueva and Not Matt Gamel?

The Brewers are hurting. We haven’t won a series since the end of June (against the Mets!) and are 4-8 since the All-Star Break. Given how tough our schedule was during the first half, no one complained that we were 45-43. However, since we’ve been getting beat up by the likes of the Pirates, who keep trading away any hope they have for this season (or likely the next two), and the Nationals, who have all of 32 wins this year, there’s little reason to be optimistic about the playoffs. First off, I am very cautiously optimistic about Dave Bush coming back in a couple weeks. Many times when a starter comes off the DL, even after working in AAA, the first start is rocky (Manny Parra is the exception that proves the rule). Also, Bush was only our third or fourth starter when he was healthy. However, we do need some consistency from our starting five, and he just might be able to provide that. He can’t be any worse than the relievers we keep bringing in. Which rai...