Burns In, Julio Out

After a very rough sixth inning against the Florida Marlins on Monday night, Jorge Julio went to the Brewers dugout a shaken man. He sat there, watching more of his earned runs cross the plate, and there was nothing he could do about it. If you watched the image of him on that bench through your television set, you could tell exactly what he was thinking even though he didn't say a word: There's no way in hell I'm on this team come tomorrow.

When Julio woke up Monday morning, the thought that he was about to play his last game in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform couldn't have even crossed his mind. But his release was something that had been in the making for quite awhile. He was already relegated to mop-up duty, and when he was finally given the chance to perform in a key situation, he failed. It was the last straw in what turned out to be a disappointing couple of months in Milwaukee, and Julio was officially released on Tuesday morning.

But as they say, one man's treasure is another man's gain, and today that man happens to be Nashville Sounds reliever Mike Burns. Burns, 30, had been starting for Nashville this season, posting a 6-2 record and an ERA of 2.98. He may not have been the obvious or sexy choice to call-up, but he seems to be having a good year and he has earned this chance. Burns has previously pitched in the big leagues with Houston, Cincinnati, and Boston.

So while Julio will likely hear the boos rain down upon him at Miller Park again, here's hoping Mike Burns never will have to hear them either. Unless we're saying "Boo-urns", of course.