A lot has happened to the Milwaukee Brewers over the summer, and unfortunately for them, the changes have not been for the better.

But before getting to the negatives, there have been a few positives worthy of note.

The Brewers did manage to send three players to this year’s mid-summer classic in Pittsburgh. Carlos Lee, Chris Capuano and Derrick Turnbow were selected to represent the National League on one of baseball’s biggest stages. Bill Hall came up short in the voting but has quietly put together a career year and emerged as a leader for this young Brewer team.

Since the All-Star game, the season for the Milwaukee Brewers has been a disappointment. The road woes have continued and have gotten worse. For whatever reason, Milwaukee just can’t seem to string together wins when playing away from Miller Park.

This is most frustrating because at home they have been a solid eight to 10 games over .500 for the majority of the season. Plus many of these victories were of spectacular fashion, often times when they came from behind to win late in the contest.

The major change this summer centered around Milwaukee’s roster. Slugger Carlos Lee was traded to the Texas Rangers after he turned down a four-year, $48 million contract to stay in Milwaukee. Being the small market team they are, the Brewers couldn’t afford to break the bank on a player who will turn 30 later this year and most likely command a contract in the $60 million range this off season.

One positive from the Lee trade was the acquisition of relief pitcher Francisco “Coco” Cordero. Cordero, the former Rangers closer, had struggled earlier in the year but received a second chance with the Brewers. This was due largely to Derrick Turnbow’s, ahem, struggles since making his first All-Star appearance.

Cordero seized the opportunity and hasn’t looked back. Since joining Milwaukee, he’s compiled 10 saves and has not given up a run.

Another surprising roster move was manager Ned Yost’s decision to finally bench right fielder Geoff Jenkins. Jenkins’ offensive production had been down all year, particularly against left-handed pitching. Yost felt it was time to give some of the younger players like Gabe Gross and Corey Hart a chance to play everyday.

Due to less than stellar play by the Central Division this year, Milwaukee is technically still alive in the playoff race. But they’ve shown nothing to distinguish themselves from pretender to contender and most outsiders concede the season is lost.

It all seems to come back to the same rhetoric Brewers fans have heard for over a decade now: next year will be the year. Until then, it’s 13 seasons and counting since this franchise has had a winning season.

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