Aramis' season likely over due to knee

ATLANTA -- Wednesday's first-inning scrum with the Braves cost the Brewers more than center fielder Carlos Gomez, who was ejected. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez re-injured his balky left knee while the teams tussled near home plate, and he could miss the Brewers' remaining four games against the Mets.

"I don't know how it happened, but it happened when we were pushing each other," Ramirez said. "Somebody got my knee pretty good. I twisted my knee pretty good."

Could this be an unceremonious end to his season?

"I don't know," Ramirez said. "At this point, with four games left, it doesn't look good."

Before the game, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said some of his banged-up regulars may not be pushed quite as hard in the team's season-ending series, including Ramirez, who originally sprained his knee in Spring Training and has managed varying levels of discomfort ever since.

The indication before Wednesday's setback, Roenicke said, was that Ramirez preferred to play.

"He's a little bit better now, and I think that's why we're seeing better swings," Roenicke said before the game. "But I know it's important to him, and I've already had a conversation with him on the offseason and coming in to camp. He's got the same attitude as he did [at the start of] this year. He came to camp in great shape this year, and he was ready to go, and he's wanting to do the same next year."

Ramirez has said he will focus on strengthening his lower body.

"He's never had that, really, in his workout program in the offseason," Roenicke said. "I think he understands with the injuries and the older you get that you have to have some strength in your legs. That's why he can't drive the ball the other way the way he normally does; he just doesn't have strength in his legs to push off and drive a ball that way."