Things Are Getting Ugly in Brewerland

After a four-game sweep at the hands of the division leading Chicago Cubs last week, things have been getting tense in Miller Park. Instead of chasing the Cubs for the NL Central lead, they're batting the Cardinals for the Wild Card spot. Tonight, during their game with the Reds, the frustrations boiled over in the dugout when Prince Fielder and Manny Parra got into a shoving match in the dugout. I was actually watching on TV when it happened, but with the Reds' feed it was hard to know what went down. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Brewers' blog helps fill in the blanks:

Parra, who surrendered six runs in six innings, had just been lifted from the game for a pinch-hitter. Someone who overheard parts of the conversation said Parra apparently was headed back to the clubhouse and an agitated Fielder told him he should remain in the dugout to watch the Brewers bat that inning.

Parra snatched up his cap and jacket from the bench and was walking toward the other end, side-by-side with Fielder when the 270-pound first baseman suddenly turned and forcefully pushed Parra onto the bench. Fielder then lunged at Parra again and shoved him hard with both arms.

This was where the teammates stepped in and tried to pull the two apart and the whole thing nearly devolved into a full-on Major League 2 dugout fight. As it stands, it looked an awful lot like Prince (who certainly has shown a temper in the past) taking his frustrations out on whoever happened to be closest. For a team that's barely clinging to a playoff spot, this is not a good sign.