After an 8-2 drubbing at the hands of the Chicago Cubs Sunday, Ryan Braun didn't mince words.

"We're at the point right now where it would be important for us to go out there and acquire somebody," Braun told reporters after the game. "I think they would be more inclined to do that if we're winning."

Braun was making it known that if it were up to him, another starting pitcher would be a welcome addition to the Milwaukee clubhouse.

He let his feelings be known after yet another short outing by a Brewers starting pitcher. On Sunday, Mike Burns was knocked around for seven runs off nine hits in 4.2 innings. That outing came just two days after Seth McClung was tagged for seven runs in 3.1 innings.

Both of those pitchers were late additions to the rotation; Burns joining the staff when Dave Bush was sidelined with an arm injury and McClung is throwing in place of Manny Parra, who's still working himself back after a demotion to Class AAA Nashville.

During the Cubs' series, Milwaukee went up against the top of Chicago's rotation, including Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Rich Harden. Aside from an 11-2 victory Saturday, the Cubs' pitchers had their way with the Brewers' offense.

Braun may have a point with the Cubs' rotation, but it's worth mentioning that the Brewers also wasted a golden outing from Jeff Suppan Friday (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K) by stranding 25 men on base in a 2-1, 10-inning loss.

"Their starting pitching is a lot better than ours," Braun said. "They threw the ball a lot better than our starters did, and they swung the bats better than we did as well. Clearly, they were the better team. It's nice to get one win, but they clearly outperformed us in this series.

"It would be nice to make a move. It would be nice to do something to help us out for the time being. The sooner we do it, the better."

Decisions looming: Manager Ken Macha won't be taking today off with the rest of the Brewers. The skipper plans to sit down with Melvin to discuss the state of the roster, especially the aforementioned starting rotation.

He'll also use the off-day to shake up the rotation, pushing McClung's spot from Wednesday to Saturday after a second consecutive short outing provided extra stress on already strained bullpen. Macha hasn't officially ruled McClung out as an option for that outing, but hasn't offered a vote of confidence, either.

"I haven't ruled anybody out," Macha said. "We're going to explore all our options. He could have made our decision a lot easier."

One thing for certain is that Dave Bush will not make the start, though he's eligible to return from the disabled list today. Manny Parra isn't likely to return, either, though he made his fourth minor league start on Friday.

Also up for discussion is the immediate future of third baseman Mat Gamel. Originally called up to provide an extra bat during interleague play, Gamel saw his playing time grow as Bill Hall continued to spiral downward.

But with Casey McGehee swinging a hot bat, Gamel's time at third has been limited and it might behoove him to return to Nashville for regular playing time.

Maximum exposure: The Brewers went into the Cubs series without their top starter. Yovani Gallardo pitched last Wednesday. He set a career high with 12 strikeouts but his good effort went to waste as the Brewers dropped a 1-0 decision to the New York Mets at Miller Park.

With a number of off-days, Macha could have juggled his rotation to send the young ace out against the division rivals, but the manager said that getting two more starts out of Gallardo took precedence.

"We'd like to get the maximum starts out of him," Macha said before Thursday's game. "He pitched (Wednesday) and then he'll pitch Tuesday, then the day before the all-star break. You try to get as many wins as you can. Inter-division games mean a lot, don't get me wrong. But if you have 95 wins at the end of the year, regardless of who you beat, that's what you want. We want to get as many starts out of  (Gallardo) before the all-star break."

Gallardo will take the mound tomorrow night when the Brewers open a three-game set against the Cardinals, who will start Adam Wainwright.

See them in St. Louis: Braun made his comments just hours after it was announced that he was selected to start in the upcoming All-Star Game.

Braun led all National League outfielders with 4,138,599 votes. He's hitting .327 with 16 home runs and 58 RBI entering play Sunday and is among the National League leaders with 58 runs (2nd), 99 hits (tied-3rd) and 170 total bases (4th).

Braun becomes the first Brewers player to be voted in as a starter in consecutive years since Robin Yount, who was selected by fans to play shortstop in 1982 and 1983.

He'll be joined at the event by first baseman Prince Fielder, who was named to the team as a reserve by Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, who will lead the National League squad on July 14 in St. Louis.

Fielder will be making his second All-Star appearance after batting .313 with 22 home runs and 76 RBI through the Brewers' first 82 games.

Braun and Fielder have combined to drive in 134 runs this season, the most among Major League teammates.

Fielder will also take part in the Home Run Derby, joining fellow first basemen Ryan Howard of the Phillies, San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez and Albert Pujols from the host Cardinals on the NL squad.

He also took part in the 2007 event and is the sixth Brewer to appear in the competition. Milwaukee has had a player in the derby seven times since Greg Vaugn was the first in 1996 and Brewers sluggers have combined for 57 home runs.

Aside from Vaughn, Braun and Fielder, Jeromy Burnitz ('99) Richie Sexson ('02, '03) and Carlos Lee ('05) have also represented the Brewers.

Quick hits: Rumors of the Brewers making a play for Arizona – and former Brewers' – lefty Doug Davis are getting hotter. The team had a scout on hand Thursday to watch Davis' last start. … The Brewers signed 16-year-old Jose Pena last week. Pena is a highly-regarded outfielder prospect from the Dominican Republic. The team also inked a 17-year-old pitcher, right-hander Jean Cappellan, during baseball's Latin American free-agent signing period. … McGehee set a career high, going 4-for-5 with five RBI Saturday against the Cubs and was a double shy of hitting for the cycle. … Braun has hit safely in 12 straight games. … The Brewers are 22-13 against divisional opponents this season. … Mike Cameron's 14 home runs are the most by an NL centerfielder this season. … J.J. Hardy is hitting .291 (21-for-72) with four homers and eight RBI in his last 18 games.

Injury report: As mentioned, Bush is eligible to return from the disabled list today. He threw from 120 feet at Wrigley Field to bullpen coach Stan Kyles over the weekend and could make a rehab start with Class AA Huntsville sometime next week.

On the farm: Nashville won it's first road series in nearly a month after taking two of three from Round Rock. … Parra allowed just  two hits and two walks in seven innings as Nashville posted a 3-1 victory on Friday. … Pitcher Donovan Hand and outfielder Adam Stern lead a group of seven Huntsville Stars that will take part in the Class AA Southern League All-Star Game. … Outfielder Lorenzo Cain, one of the Brewers' top prospects, has joined Class A Wisconsin after completing a rehab assignment in Arizona.

He said it: "I was inside changing shirts. I don't know what happened." – Jeff Suppan, on Zambrano plunking Fielder on Friday. Suppan later hit Chicago's Derrick Lee with a pitch, drawing a warning from home plate umpire Bill Welke.

This week: The Brewers wrap up the first half of the season with a tough slate. The Cardinals come to Miller Park tomorrow for a three-game series between the NL Centrals two top teams followed by four games against NL West-leading Los Angeles … and the Manny Ramirez circus.

NL Central standings (through games Sunday): 1, St. Louis, 45-39; 2, Milwaukee, 43-39 (-1); 3, Chicago, 40-39 (-2.5); 4, Cincinnati, 50-50 (-3); 5, Houston, 39-41 (-4); 6, Pittsburgh, 37-45 (-7).