Matt Kemp's recent power outage may be a sign that he is wearing down.

Milwaukee Brewers – In a move that seemed to surprise everyone except the players, team owner Mark Attanasio and GM Doug Melvin unceremoniously fired manager Ned Yost and replaced him with Dale Sveum on an interim basis, just seven months after picking up Yost’s option for 2009. There is no question that the Brewers were in a swoon, similar to last season’s break down in August, but this move can only be characterized as a panic reaction. The Brewers played well this August, going 20-7 during the month, but have collapsed so far in September with a record of 3-11. While it seems only natural to point to the manager when things are going badly for a team, the truth of the matter is that he can’t hit for them. As a team, the Brewers are batting .207 in September; a whole 40 points lower than their previous worst month of the season (April .247). But the problem extends to the pitching, which was solid all season until the wheels seemed to come off during the four game series with Philadelphia. The Phillies swept four games from the Brew Crew, effectively ending their shot at winning the NL Central, and paring the one time six game lead the Brewers had in the wild card, down to what is now a tie between the two clubs. In the Phillies series, the Brewers’ starters totaled 17 innings pitched in which they surrendered 19 runs on 29 hits for a 0-3 record and a 10.06 ERA. The offense has generated just 38 runs in 14 games, while their pitchers have allowed 75 runs during the same period; certainly not a recipe for winning ball games. The buzz out of Brewerville is that Yost was tied up in knots and had the team tied up in knots, with a lot of the players losing faith in him as the leader. Attanasio and Melvin are hoping this drastic move will shake up the team and right the ship. The Brewers haven’t gotten a whiff of the postseason since 1982 and with C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets both likely to leave the team after this season, this could be their one and only shot. It is doubtful that Attanasio will break the bank in free agency for another shot next season, so this drastic step with 12 games remaining is a sign that he believes they can win it all now. Of course, with only 12 games left, the shot may end up being in Attanasio’s foot. There is also some injury news related to Sheets, as it came out Wednesday that he’s been pitching with discomfort in his elbow since August. At one point the pain was bad enough to merit a cortisone shot. Sheets’ most recent outing lasted only two innings, which leads one to question whether he will make to the post season if the team does. Stay tuned to this one folks, because if Sheets gets shut down by this you can kiss the Brewers chances of advancing beyond round one of the playoffs goodbye.

New York Mets – The Brewers aren’t alone in the swoon department, as recent losses by the Mets to the Nationals and Braves are causing a case of déjà vu in New York. On Wednesday, September 10^th, the Mets had a 3 ½ game lead over the Phillies in the NL East standings and appeared destined to take the division. As of Wednesday, September 17^th, the lead is gone, and the Mets, Phillies, and Brewers are virtually tied in the wild card standings. Only two of those three teams will make the post season, and with the Phillies surging, it appears that either NY or Milwaukee will be the odd team out. The problem with the Mets is much easier to diagnose; there is little question that the bullpen is the weakest link on the team. However, while the answer shouldn’t include anything as drastic as what the Brewers did, (the Mets have already been there, done that) that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be an easier problem to fix. Despite blowing his second save in nine chances Sunday, Luis Ayala will remain the Mets’ closer, albeit on a much shorter leash. Manager Jerry Manuel told reporters that if trouble is brewing while Ayala is pitching, he would immediately get someone up in the bullpen. One pitcher that could get a close look for late-game duties is rookie fire-baller, Bobby Parnell, who came in during Monday’s lopsided loss to the Nationals and needed just eight pitches to nail down a 1-2-3 inning. That was Parnell’s first game action since his September 1 call-up, but Manuel was clearly impressed by him in that game, and could turn to him if he continues to be frustrated by the rest of the squad. Parnell was a starter in the minors, but could end up being a boon to the Mets bullpen. One caveat though; he’s already thrown 148 innings between Double A and Triple A this season and may not have much left in the tank. Another potential bullpen candidate whose name has come up this week is starter John Maine. Maine, 10-8 with a 4.18 ERA as a starter this season, has been on the DL since August 23^rd with a sore shoulder, but could return to action and pitch out of the bullpen. There is no assurance that he will be well enough to pitch again this season, but he has been throwing off of flat ground and is on target for a couple of innings in a game next week. Maine will have surgery after the season to repair the damage in his shoulder, and no matter what happens this season, he will return to the starting rotation next year. There had been some talk of converting him to a starter, but that was merely speculation and was never seriously considered in the Mets internal discussions of Maine. Fernando Tatis probably separated his shoulder attempting a diving catch during Tuesday’s loss to the Nationals. Tatis was scheduled to see Dr. David Altcheck for an examination. All indications are that he is done for the year. Look for Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans to split time in left field over the last two weeks. More bad news for the Mets – Apparently Damion Easley’s injury, originally thought to be a pulled muscle, is actually a torn quadraceps, and it may mean that his season is over too. Right now he is saying that he might be able to play, but won’t be 100%, but the injury has been so slow to heal that he may have to be left off the post season roster – IF the Mets make it, that is.

Arizona Diamondbacks – If the Diamondbacks end up missing the playoffs, nearly a foregone conclusion at this point, they should probably spend the winter reconsidering the way they evaluate talent, particularly the talent they intend to trade away. Last winter they parted company with Carlos Quentin, who went on to blossom into the current American League home run leader with the White Sox, and Jose Valverde, the current National League saves leader with the Astros. Then, to add insult to injury, a trade they made during this season came back to haunt them. I’m referring to the recently completed deal for Adam Dunn, for whom the Diamondbacks recently sent player to be named, Micah Owings, to the Reds. Well, in his first at bat for Cincinnati, a pinch-hitting appearance in the tenth inning of a ballgame just one day after his arrival from Arizona, Owings doubled in the winning run, to drive a stake into the heart of the Diamondbacks. You can bet they will think long and hard about the next guy they ship out of town.

Los Angeles Dodgers – There apparently is a movement afoot to campaign for Manny Ramirez as the MVP of the National League, even though he has only played for the Dodgers since August 1^st. Of course, since joining the Dodgers, Manny has batted an incredible .395 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI. He’s even stolen two bases. The Dodgers record in those 42 games is 24-18, and Ramirez has played in each and every one of them. However, not to take anything away from the Dodgers success, but their record is only six games over .500, so the progress they have made towards winning the division is more a reflection of the collapse of the Diamondbacks than the resurgence of the Dodgers. While they may not have won that many games without Ramirez, he certainly had nothing to do with Arizona losing games. As such, he really is not a candidate for the MVP with just two months of games, less than 25% of the total games played in a season. Ramirez is due for a day off soon, and manager Joe Torre mentioned that the first opportunity for that might be this Thursday, the day of the final game of four against the Dodgers.  There are several Dodger players who will likely leave the team in free agency once the season ends, namely infielders Nomar Garciaparra and Casey Blake. Blake DeWitt has moved over to second base with Jeff Kent out and possibly retiring, leaving the Dodgers in need of a regular third baseman. One former Dodger that would love to return to LA is none other than Adrian Beltre. Speaking of Garciaparra – he re-injured his knee during Wednesday’s game when he applied the brakes rounding third base on a single by Pablo Ozuna. His leg buckled under him and he sprained his knee again. Fortunately, he doesn’t think he will be laid up for long this time. Garciaparra told reporters, “It’s a day to day thing.” Matt Kemp is in a bit of a home run slump. He has not had a round tripper since August 30^th a period in which he’s had 53 at bats. This slump comes after he hit nine homers between July 1^st and August 30^th. He may be feeling the effects of playing the longest season of his career to date. He has played in more games and had more at bats this season than any in his young career, and is likely wearing down because of it.

St. Louis Cardinals – Rick Ankiel had surgery to repair a sports hernia Wednesday, officially ending his season. The surgery was performed by Dr.William Myers and will require about a six-week rehabilitation period. Ankiel expects to be fully recovered in time for spring training.

San Diego Padres – Jody Gerut has probably played his last game this season. According to Gerut, his sprained finger is still too painful for him to take batting practice. Gerut knows pain too; he came back to the majors this season after missing all of 2006 and 2007 with a pair of torn cruciate ligaments, which kept him sidelined. After tearing up the Venezuelan winter league with a .390 average, signed with the Padres, for whom he has batted .290 with 14 home runs in just 99 games. Gerut has to be considered a fantasy sleeper for next season as well, as he will undoubtedly fly under most people’s radar

Cincinnati Reds – Kent Mercker, out since early June with a back injury has pretty much resigned himself to retirement. He recently told reporters, “ I am going to start my new profession, turning vodka into urine.”

Washington Nationals – The Nationals announced Wednesday that Austin Kearns, Dmitri Young, Jesus Flores, and Ronnie Belliard are all being shut down for the season and will not play any more games this year. Kearns, who has a stress fracture in his foot, was hoping to return before the end of the season, but GM Jim Bowden doesn’t believe such a move makes any sense.