Over the last few seasons, both left-handed relievers were heavily relied on in the Braves' chase for the playoffs. 

While the duo were pitching in a combined 293 games over the last two seasons, the concerns about the longevity of both players' have been ever-present. 

Both Venters and O'Flaherty have provided the Braves with some superb work in relief and they formed one of the most feared bullpen combinations in the majors with closer Craig Kimbrel.

But with both relievers out for the foreseeable future, the criticism of how the two pitchers were used can be heard even more than it was in the past. 

Throwing a reliever over 60 games in just one season can do some damage, especially combined with two seasons of stress-filled situations on the mound in the latter innings. 

Manager Fredi Gonzalez now faces a situation that he created himself. His two best left-handed relievers are most likely out for the season and now he has to find capable relievers to fill that void. 

Luis Avilan and Cory Gearrin will assume the "next man up" mentality for now. And the addition of veteran left-hander Joe Beimel, who is on the road to recovery from Tommy John surgery himself, will help the ball club if he reaches the majors. 

There is also be some concern about the right arm of Kimbrel, who has appeared in 142 games over the last two seasons and 16 games already this season.

If Kimbrel begins to experience arm issues, the World Series and even playoff hopes of the Braves could go down the drain in a heartbeat. 

For now, Braves fans can focus on the terrific job that Gearrin and Avilan have done in relief so far this season. But if they fold under pressure in the seventh and eighth inning roles in front of Kimbrel, the criticism will grow around Gonzalez on how he managed his bullpen over the past few seasons. 

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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Concerning the Brew Crew's woes, there is plenty of blame to throw around.

Predictably, the bullpen has looked atrocious at times.

Ace Yovani Gallardo is struggling mightily, watching his strikeout rate dip to a career low while suffering through a 1.46 WHIP.

Starters Marco Estrada and Wily Peralta were expected to have large, positive roles with the staff this year. Instead, they have combined for a 6-6 record and 5.63 ERA.

Let's not forget the injured Corey Hart, who has yet to hit the diamond thus far.

The disappointment of the Brewers is amplified by the sluggish Weeks, though.

As most fans in Milwaukee know, Weeks is touting a .176 batting average. He has driven in only 10 runs while smacking three home runs. Weeks is also striking out in a career-high fashion. 

Additionally, Weeks's fly-ball rate on batted balls has dipped to 23.4 percent, down from an average of 38.13 percent over the course of the previous four seasons. 

So what should the Brewers do with Weeks?

Mind you, making a decision on Weeks is a difficult task for the frugal Brewers since he is the third highest-paid player on the club.

According to Spotrac, the Brewers second baseman will earn a total salary of $11 million this year. His salary will jump by $1 million in 2014 with a team option for 2015 worth $11.5 million. According to ESPN's Jack Moore, the Brewers can opt out of the contract prior to 2015 "if Weeks isn't a full-time player in 2013 and 2014."

Weeks' current contract came off of a career year in 2010, when he tallied 29 HR and 83 RBI. Since then, everything has been downhill. He currently possesses a wins above replacement (WAR) of -0.5. Since his peak WAR of 5.8 in 2010, his WAR has dropped an average of 2.1 points per season since. 

Those familiar with MTV would agree that Weeks "catfished" the Brewers with the five-year contract he signed in 2011.

To compound matters, the Brewers are limited in their options.

Sure, they could platoon Weeks with utility infielder Jeff Bianchi, but Bianchi himself carries little swag at the plate. 

The front office could turn inward and snag Scooter Gennett from Triple-A, but that would only initiate his service clock, something the organization wants to prevent. Gennett himself is proving to lack substantial power at the plate, accumulating zero home runs thus far in the minors.

Since the two aforementioned options are not viable, maybe Milwaukee will look at the available free agents.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, the most enticing free-agent second basemen include Ryan Theriot, Freddy Sanchez, Orlando Hudson and Adam Kennedy. No one can fault the Brewers for turning the other way in this circumstance.

At the end of the day, Milwaukee fans need to brace themselves for the worst and hope for the best. They are stuck with Weeks at second base. 

It's unfortunate, too. Brewers fans are witnessing breakout seasons from Jean Segura and Carlos Gomez. Ryan Braun continues to produce at a lofty level while Aramis Ramirez remains one of the game's best corner infielders.

Weeks' lack of production is reflective of a season that has gone awry early on. No one can seriously believe Weeks will turn it around. He has been in decline since hitting his zenith in 2010. Therefore, fans in Milwaukee must continue to swallow those bitter pills as they watch a club with extensive potential continue to plummet in the NL Central.

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The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham reported that Miller was in the dugout during the top of the ninth inning of Friday’s 3-2 10-inning win against the Minnesota Twins when the scary moment happened. A foul ball off the bat of teammate Jarrod Saltalamacchia ricocheted off a wall and struck the left-hander in the forehead.

Miller had been searching for a piece of gum at the time and never saw the ball coming. He described to the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber, "I heard something like whistling, and then, the next thing I know, I was like, 'I think something just hit me in the forehead.' I'm fine—I think."

Typically, Miller would have been sitting in the bullpen. However, he had just finished setting down the Twins in order in the eighth inning and was waiting to go back to the mound after the Red Sox finished hitting.

Despite the scare, Miller returned to the game and retired two more batters.

The game marked the southpaw’s finest performance of the year, as he went a season-long 1.2 innings—striking out three without allowing a base runner.

Miller’s performance is part of a hot streak dating back to April 21, when his ERA stood at 6.75. Since that time, he has allowed just three runs and seven hits in his last nine innings (12 games), while striking out 16.

For the season, Miller is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 19 relief appearances. He has also averaged an impressive 15.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Since Miller wasn’t hurt by the foul ball, his near miss is something that can be laughed off. If nothing else, he proved that not even a blow to the head can stop his recent momentum towards establishing himself as a dominant reliever. 

Statistics via Baseball-Reference 

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Terry Collins is working with a lineup that, on any given night, has six or seven automatic outs sprinkled in among a couple of major league hitters. David Wright and Co.—though this is no fault of the captain's—are 28th in the league in hitting and last in on-base percentage, a part of the game that Collins and Sandy Alderson have attempted to make of paramount importance.

His pitching staff, outside of the aforementioned phenom and the sporadic, solid Jonathon Niese start, has been abysmal. The team is 7-2 in games started by Harvey, and 9-22 in others. Outside of Harvey, everyone has been serving up a nice buffet of batting practice and gopher balls.

No team in baseball swoons like the Mets swoon. Their slides are a perfect storm of anemic hitting and pathetic pitching.

But, just as all teams do every summer, the Mets have an opportunity to make improvements at the trade deadline. The team has sat idly by as the deadline has come and gone these last few seasons. Even a marginal improvement is necessary this time around.

While it may be two months before the trade deadline, it's never too early for speculation. Here are four possible trades the Mets could make in late July.

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Of course, baseball is mostly an unpredictable sport, so any predictions can be considered "bold". And every year there is at least one team that surpasses expectations, making these experts look uninformed sometimes.

In 2012, the Oakland A's and Baltimore Orioles both unexpectedly made the playoffs. Neither club was supposed to be relevant in the standings, but nevertheless played baseball in October.

With about a quarter of the 2013 season in the books, let's take a look at some of the big surprise teams that have the chance to be this year's version of the A's and O's.

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Some of these pitchers have long track records that afford them a longer leash. They may not lose their jobs based on a bad first month, but if the struggles continue into June, teams may begin looking for alternatives.

Some of these pitchers will turn it around and finish just fine, but others will either be demoted, traded or pushed to the bullpen.

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Brignac has been in the majors for six seasons, five in Tampa Bay. In his first season in Colorado, he hit .250 with a .294 OBP, with one home run and six RBI.

Brignac's best quality is that he is a guy who can play almost everywhere on the diamond. He primarily plays at second base or shortstop, but has also played in left field, right field and third base. With Derek Jeter, Eduardo Nunez, Kevin Youkilis and Alex Rodriguez all on the disabled list, Brignac could be used in numerous situations to give the healthy players a much-needed rest.

This is another nice move by GM Brian Cashman. Brignac adds depth at three of the four infield positions and can even play in the outfield if necessary.

Brignac is the second player the Yankees have acquired from the Rockies this season, the first being Chris Nelson. It is unknown when Brignac will join the Yankees.

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On the optimistic side, the season is still young, and there is plenty of time for the Mets to turn things around. If they hope to be competitive, they are going to have to address a number of issues.

Here's a look at some of the good signs so far for the Mets and some of the less-than-inspiring ones through the first six weeks of the campaign. 

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Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that New York has acquired infielder Reid Brignac from the Colorado Rockies. According to NBC Sports, Heyman reported the Rockies will receive $75,000 in the deal for Brignac. 

No corresponding roster moves have been announced just yet, but Alberto Gonzalez will likely be the odd man out in this equation. There's no reason to have two versatile reserve infielders on the roster. Brignac also has much more upside than Gonzalez.

Yankees fans will remember Brignac from his days with the Tampa Bay Rays (2008 to 2012). During his time there, he hit .227/.268/.317 with 10 home runs and 67 RBI. He played 113 games in 2010 and hit eight home runs and drove in 45—his best season to date.

General manager Brian Cashman has been notorious for making these scrappy deals this season. He acquired infielder Chris Nelson from the Rockies just a few weeks ago, though he's already been designated for assignment as well.

The Yankees won't be looking to get much out of Brignac, but his experience in a bigger role (2010) likely prompted the move. He has the potential to at least hold his own at the plate, whereas Gonzalez often seems lost in the batter's box.

We'll have to wait to see how this move pans out, but it has all the makings of another Cashman steal. Maybe Brignac can end up challenging Jayson Nix for the reserve infielder's role when the injured stars return.

Even if he can't, the Yankees likely won't have given up much in the process. This is another smart move by the Yankees GM.

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Oakland announced that the 25-year-old left-handed Anderson has a navicular stress fracture in his right foot via their official Twitter account:

The #Athletics announced that LHP Brett Anderson has a navicular stress fracture of his right foot. He will be reevaluated in four weeks.

— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) May 17, 2013

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser confirmed the story, while indicating Anderson will be re-evaluated in four weeks. In an update to her story, she reported that he is expecting to pitch again this year, but if it is determined he needs surgery, it would likely end his season.

Now in his fifth major league season, Anderson has been consistently plagued by injuries since a successful rookie campaign in 2009 that saw him go 11-11 with a 4.06 ERA in 30 starts. He has appeared in just a combined 44 games (43 starts) in the four years since, and been on the disabled list a number of times, including undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2011.

Anderson is 1-4 with a 6.21 ERA this year in six games. He has been on the disabled list with a sprained ankle since May 1, and was nearing a return when he found out about his most recent injury.

According to an Associated Press Report on ESPN.com, the southpaw was bitterly disappointed about his most recent setback:

It's pretty frustrating, disappointing and all the other similar adjectives. I was two days away from making another rehab start and now I'm in a walking boot with a fracture in my foot…

I'd pitched in San Antonio and felt good after that. I was running Monday in the outfield and all of a sudden my foot started hurting. I got it checked out and this is the result. I'm still processing it. I should take up a hobby, maybe play darts or something.

Slusser reported Anderson is in a walking boot and on crutches. She believes that even in the best case scenario, between healing and necessary rehab, he would miss at least two months with his fracture.

Young right-hander Dan Straily replaced Anderson in the Oakland rotation, but his poor performance so far suggests the team could look at other options. He is 1-2 with a 7.27 ERA in five starts, while walking 4.2 batters per nine innings.

In a separate article, Slusser suggests the A’s could look at minor leaguers Sonny Gray or Andrew Werner to step in for Straily if needed.

The right-handed Gray was the team’s first-round draft choice in 2011. He has dominated at Triple-A so far this season, going 4-2 with a 2.47 ERA in seven starts.

Werner, a left-hander, pitched briefly in the majors with the San Diego Padres last year before being traded to Oakland during the offseason. He is just 4-5 with a 6.92 ERA at Triple-A this season, but had a 3.57 career minor league ERA the previous four years combined.

Anderson told Slusser that while he is frustrated, he can’t dwell on his string of injuries or his current situation:

I can’t feel sorry for myself. That would be a waste of time. I’m still young, I’m 25. You never want to be labeled injury prone, but hopefully, I’ll get out there and make consecutive starts. I have the highest expectations for myself and I think I’m one of the better pitchers in the game when I’m healthy.

In baseball, players’ reputations are made from production. If Anderson can come back and pitch to his fullest potential, his snake-bitten past will recede from memory, which would surely be welcomed by both Oakland and the hobbled pitcher.

Statistics via Baseball-Reference 

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