Jeff Suppan is Garbage

What you are about to read is not breaking news.

In fact, if you're a Milwaukee Brewers fan, it's not even news. Hell, it's probably not really news if you follow baseball at all.

Before the 2007 season, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin made a huge splash in free agency by signing veteran pitcher Jeff Suppan to a really expensive contract (more than $10 million per season average).

With about a season and a half left on the deal, it might be time for Melvin and Brewers owner Mark Attanasio to eat the money.

Suppan was called on by manager Ken Macha to start Monday against the Washington Nationals.

You know, the Nationals? Eight fewer wins than anyone else in baseball? 11-35 on the road? Them.

Less than six innings and ten runs later, it was another day at the office for Jeff Suppan, who is stealing paychecks more effectively than just about any other pitcher in the game today.

Naturally, Suppan never gets hurt. You have to actually throw the ball hard for that to happen.

Suppan is just awful. He's pitched seven innings exactly twice this season, which would be two fewer times than he's failed to last more than four innings.

Monday night, the Nationals touched Suppan for six runs in the fifth, after the veteran found a way to wiggle out of trouble in pretty much every other inning. Since the Brewers bullpen is full of guys whose arms are about to fall off, Suppan was left in the game for the sixth inning. He was touched up for two more runs and had two runners on base when Macha finally took him out.

The seven-run sixth inning virtually ended the game, which Washington won 14-6. From July 20-24, the offensively impotent Nationals scored 13 runs in five games. In two innings against Suppan and his band of geniuses, they scored 13 runs.

Luckily, the now under-.500 Brewers have virtually eliminated themselves from serious playoff contention. There should be no worries about the boys embarrassing themselves in October. Also, Melvin and his front office staff should feel free to just hold on to what little major-league pitching talent they have, because making a trade for a veteran would be folly at this point.

Kind of like Suppan's starts.