Congratulations to Milwaukee pitcher Dave Bush for his performance against Toronto on Thursday afternoon. A former Blue Jay himself, Bush gave the Brewers his best start since 2005, when he 2-hit the Yankees in Toronto. After pitching a no-hitter through seven innings – his only blemish a walk to Gregg Zaun – the Jays got to Bush in the 8^th, scoring a run on two hits. In fact, Bush almost lost his win after being pulled from the game, watching the bullpen allow six 9^th-inning runs, just eking out an 8-7 victory, as Salomon Torres shut the door.

Bush’s gem capped off a 3-game sweep over Toronto, who played their usual lackadaisical style, evidenced by Alex Rios literally watching Prince Fielder circle the bases while the baseball sat at the base of the right field wall. The win improved Milwaukee’s record to 39-33, just two games out in the wild card race.

Meanwhile, the Brewers bats are absolutely on fire. Milwaukee’s fans should be most pleased that the team’s production is not only coming from the middle of the order, but from several “role” players. Within this group, the home run numbers pretty much speak for themselves; I’ll highlight a few in the paragraphs to come.

Ryan Braun. Braun has 17 home runs in his past 183 at-bats since the end of April, coming into play on Thursday. At this rate, Braun will finish the season with close to 50 HRs, a number he should reach as long as pitchers keep foolishly throwing his fastballs. The biggest difference for Braun since April has been his increased propensity to take pitches early in the count, allowing him to look for a ball he can drive. After walking zero times in his first 14 games, Braun has taken 12 free passes in the past two months. While a higher OBP would be desirable, Braun’s main contribution is his power, and his current walk rate should suffice to sustain his strong bat.

Russell Branyan. Talk about bargain-basement. In 2007, the Brewers signed Branyan for $1 million, with an option to renew. Given Branyan’s reputation for obscene power potential, but terrible plate discipline, Branyan had never been able to land a permanent role with a major league team, but was always seen as a useful ingredient. The Brewers signed him to a minor-league deal this season, and called him up in mid-May to platoon with the struggling Bill Hall. Since then, he’s tore up the league like nobody this season. In his first 63 at-bats since his call-up, Branyan smacked out a ridiculous 10 home runs. Yes, that’s one dinger every six at-bats. Talk about good value.

Mike Cameron. When Milwaukee signed Cameron this off-season, he was billed as a great defensive center fielder with 20-20 upside. Having played the previous two seasons in San Diego’s pitcher-friendly PETCO Park, his power numbers may have been deflated somewhat during that time, thus tempering expectations among Brewers personnel. However, since mid-May, Cameron has hit eight home runs in 97 at-bats, leaving him with 11 dingers in less than two months overall. At his current pace, Cameron looks likely to best his 2004 career high of 30 HRs. At 35 years old, the only question mark is his legs – but with five stolen bases in six attempts, Cameron may reach 20 swipes before the season is out.

Bill Hall. Hall may seem an odd fit on this list, but it bears recalling that the diminutive third baseman busted out of the gate with six home runs in his first 58 at-bats this season. With a 35-homer season is his rear view mirror, a more patient Hall could force manager Ned Yost to find a way to get his bat in the Brewers everyday lineup, possibly as a replacement for the injured Rickie Weeks at second base. At the very least, a marked improvement by Hall around the All-Star Break would allow a rejuvenated Milwaukee club to use him as trade bait for a veteran pitcher.

When you package the four aforementioned players with Corey Hart – who was recently moved back to the friendly fifth hole in the lineup – and IRS-fan-favorite Prince Fielder, Milwaukee could arguably boast the most impressive lineup in the National League.

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