35-year old righty swinging IF/OF Jerry Hairston has played in 43 games for the Brewers since coming over in a deal with the Nationals and he is 32 for 117 (.274 avg, .731 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 1 homer, 6 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 118 games overall this year with the Brewers & Nationals and he is 89 for 330 (.270 avg, .728 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 5 homers, 30 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Hairston’s versatility has been a huge asset for the Brewers and they are hoping that he helps them in the playoffs.

29-year old righty set-up man Francisco Rodriguez was led to believe that he was going to split save opportunities with John Axford in Milwaukee when he came over in July in a deal with the Mets, but that has not been the case and K-Rod is pissed off about it. That hasn’t stopped him from pitching well for the Brewers though. He has pitched in 27 games (0 starts) for the Brewers so far this year and he is 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. K-Rod has now pitched in 69 games (0 starts) for the Mets and Brewers overall this year and he is 5-2 with 23 saves, a 2.78 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Francisco Rodriguez now has 291 saves in his major league career which ranks him 24th in major league history. He will be looking to sign with a team that will give him a chance to close again over the winter as I see now way that the Brewers will pick up his option for 2012.

The Brewers signed 29-year old righty swinging RF Corey Hart to a 3-year, $26.5 million dollar deal last winter. He missed a lot of time early in the year but he’s making up for lost time as he is red hot with the bat since August 1st. Since August 1st, Hart is 47 for 156 (.301 avg) with 31 runs scored, 10 homers, 21 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Hart has now played in 119 games overall this year and he is 126 of 447 (.282 avg, .859 OPS) with 71 runs scored, 24 homers, 55 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. The Brewers need him to keep up the good work going forward.

27-year old righty swinging LF Ryan Braun has been awesome this year, as usual. Braun has played in 136 games for the Brewers so far this year and he is 169 for 511 (.331 avg, .977 OPS) with 97 runs scored, 27 homers, 96 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Braun needs three homers to be a 30/30 man, and I think he’s going to get it. Braun has now played in 715 games in his first five years with the Brewers and he is 880 for 2,827 (.311 avg, .929 OPS) with 484 runs scored, 155 homers, 516 RBIs and 94 stolen bases. Braun is the new face of the franchise, especially if Prince Fielder bolts after this year.

The Brewers’ starting rotation is a big reason why they are sitting atop of the N.L. Central by 8.5 games right now. 25-year old righty Yovani Gallardo came into this season as the Brewers’ ace and he’s lived up to it so far. He has pitched in 30 games (all starts) for the Brewers this year and he is 15-10 with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. 34-year old veteran lefty Randy Wolf has also pitched really solid baseball for the Brewers in 2011. He has pitched in 29 games (all starts) for the Brewers so far this year and he is 12-9 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He has been using all of the tricks in his arsenal this year. 29-year old righty Shaun Marcum has stayed healthy in 2011 and the results have been really good. Marcum has pitched in 29 games (all starts) for the Brewers so far this year and he is 12-5 with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. 27-year old righty Zack Greinke got off to a late and slow start for the Brewers in 2011, but he’s pitching strongly right now. He has pitched in 24 games (all starts) for the Brewers so far this year and he is 14-6 with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. The Brewers are also very happy with 29-year old lefty Chris Narveson who has been really solid as the #5 starter in 2011. Narveson has pitched in 26 games (25 starts) so far this year and he is 10-6 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. The Brewers’ starting rotation should match up pretty well with every team in the playoffs, including the Phillies.