Milwaukee

With Trevor Hoffman finally closing in (pun intended) on career save No. 600, I wanted to definitely to highlight the forthcoming achievement in some way.

I thought about a career retrospective but decided that would be best left for once his career is actually complete.

I considered a chronicle of his year-plus spent in a Brewers uniform, but that too isn't a chapter that is finished being written.

They say "Home is where the heart is," and that saying is truer now than it has been all season in Milwaukee.

Except now the saying goes, "Home is where the Hart is."

MLB.com's Adam McCalvy has reported that Corey Hart, 28, has signed a contract extension with the Brewers to continue his memorable season.

As recently as May, a contract of this manner would never have been fathomable. Hart, coming off the team's first arbitration hearing since 1998, was not making regular appearances in the lineup.

Sources within the Chicago White Sox organization, on the condition of anonymity, have indicated that GM Kenny Williams is talking to the Milwaukee Brewers about a blockbuster trade that would send powerful first baseman Prince Fielder to the Sox.

Over the weekend, owners in two-catcher formats got a new name to ponder: the Brewers' Jonathan Lucroy.

With Gregg Zaun going on the DL, the Brewers recalled Lucroy, who Baseball America ranked their fifth best prospect heading into the season.

Splitting time between Double and Triple-A, he posted the following line in 2010:

122 At-Bats
.311 Batting Average (38 Hits)
Two Home Runs
16 RBI
16 Runs
Zero Stolen Bases
.349 On-Base Percentage
.418 Slugging Percentage
.350 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Eric Gagne's April of 2008 was an epic failure. Heartbreak after heartbreak he let the organization down with blown saves and an embarassing ERA.

Trevor Hoffman's April of 2010 has been an epic failure. Heartbreak after heartbreak he is letting the organization down with blown saves and an embarassing ERA.

This is a short, bitter comparison of the two, with some pretty appalling statistics.

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Talk about your worst-case scenario.

The Brewers had lost two in a row to the Cubs at Wrigley, the second game punctuated by a LaTroy Hawkins meltdown when the Brewers had a three-run lead in the eighth inning.

The wind was blowing out for the third day in a row. Derrek Lee was back in the lineup (for a while at least) after sitting out the game prior while nursing a thumb. Cub ace Carlos Zambrano was on the bump for the home team coming off a strong outing against the Mets despite his Opening Day woes in Atlanta.

Trevor Hoffman's quest to reach 600 career saves has become somewhat of a hot topic in recent days in Milwaukee.

Hoffman, the all-time saves leader, has blown two save situations already for the Brewers (3-4) this season.

For Hoffman, the Brewers announced this spring that Miller Park would feature a saves countdown in left field on the scoreboard. Fans can see a large banner of Hoffman, followed by a tracking of Hoffman's historic milestone save by save.

In the middle of trading barbs about payroll with New York Yankees president Randy (I am just along for the ride) Levine, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio decided to use some of the money that Levine says he is giving the Brewers to lock up one of the best young pitchers in the game.

Yesterday, the Brewers signed RHP Yovani Gallardo to a five-year, $31 million extension.

Here is a breakdown of the contract:

2010: $500,000

2011: $3.25 million

2012: $5.5 million

2013: $7.75 million

2014: $11.25 million

The new season is officially under way for the Milwaukee Brewers, and while they didn't come out of the day with a "W," they played some pretty good baseball in places.

The best performance of the day from someone in a Brewer uniform belonged to new center fielder Carlos Gomez.

He had four hits in five at-bats with a double, solo home run, stolen base, and two runs scored. Gomez also played well in center field to cap off a memorable Milwaukee debut.