Even with Bill Hall getting the day off, Russell Branyan sat in favor of Craig Counsell against the Cubs on Thursday. Branyan lost his job for no good reason that we can see. He's still hitting .282/.370/.682 in 110 at-bats against right-handers this year, but he's started one game in 11 days. For the record, Counsell went 0-for-4 today.

It was the 12th homer on the year for Branyan, who continues to struggle for playing time behind Bill Hall. After being the darling of the fantasy world for much of June, Branyan has made just two starts since the start of the season's second half, leaving him with minimal fantasy value regardless of format.

The Brewers might be in the market to add a left handed bat if third baseman Russell Branyan continues to struggle at the plate, according to MLB.com.Branyan has 11 home runs in just 106 AB, but he also has 37 K, a career long concern. Since a hot start his bat has cooled considerably producing a mere .125 average and .419 OPS over his last 32 AB. Even if the team doesn't acquire a new bat they might be alright considering that Bill Hall is hitting .448 over his last 29 AB to boost his average up to .234.