It's Jerry's job now.

The Brewers have handed the full-time managing gig to interim chief Jerry Royster, whose team rallied around his leadership with four straight opening wins, only to crash back down into utter Lopes-dome with an embarrassing 0-6 road swing through Canada and New York.

The Brewers are accustomed to middling starts and July swoons. So, after the worst April in the team's 33-year history, what now, Mr. Royster?

It's Jerry's job to squeeze some wins out of what has been a better-than-expected pitching staff. Glendon Rusch looks like the team ace, and his 2.45 ERA verifies that. Then why does he only have one win?

It's Jerry's job to help future ace Ben Sheets learn to close down big-league games. Since stopping off at last year's All-Star Game with a 10-4 record, Sheets has stumbled to just two wins in 11 decisions. Sunday, his failure to hold onto a four-run lead in the sixth inning symbolized the team's inept road trip.

It's Jerry's job to eventually incorporate his two best closers (Chad Fox, Curtis Leskanic) into a bullpen that has done a fairly good job in their absence. At some point, fellow reliever Valerio de los Santos will also return, as will starter Jamey Wright. Theoretically, these are positive developments.

It's Jerry's job to wake up the team's best hitters, Richie Sexson and Geoff Jenkins, the chief culprits behind the team's league-worst .235 batting average. Jenkins has not been the same player since hurting his shoulder last spring in a collision with Jeffrey Hammonds, and he's now in danger of temporarily losing his job to either Matt Stairs or Alex Ochoa. Yes, it's that bad.

It's Jerry's job to correct a rash of almost daily baserunning blunders. In the third of his opening wins against the Cardinals, Royster watched three of his players get tagged out at home plate in what was ultimately a two-run win. Several times on the recent road trip, he watched veteran and rookie alike meander their way into outs on the basepaths in a series of one-run losses.

It's Jerry's job to remedy defensive lapses that have led to critical unearned runs, most notably and recently Eric Young's miscue that helped erase a four-run lead Sunday at Shea Stadium, as well as Alex Sanchez's outfield muff that sealed a 5-4, 15-inning loss in Montreal. {INSERT_RELATED}

It's Jerry's job to somehow prolong the surprising offensive starts of Hammonds and Jose Hernandez, without whom the team may not have even seven victories. At .310 with 14 walks, Hammonds is the only Brewer reaching base consistently, barring Hernandez, who is at .321 with 17 RBI.

It's Jerry's job to end a string of disheartening, one-run losses, nine all told (against one victory). The Brewers have already blown two one-run, last-inning leads in eventual losses, and the other seven have had just as many mishandled opportunities.

It's Jerry's job to either reinvigorate or bench leadoff man Eric Young, who continues to scuffle along at .190 nearly 100 at-bats into the season. At times, Young has caused defensive disruption on the basepaths, but since he's only been on base 29 percent of the time, those times have not been nearly enough in number. Unfortunately, no one else on the roster -- save Hammonds, perhaps -- is remotely qualified to hit No. 1.

It's Jerry's job to better utilize infielders Ron Belliard, Mark Loretta and Tyler Houston. None of the three has earned a full-time starting job, but they each seem to be playing too little to get untracked. Make a decision and let the two benched players prove you wrong.

It's Jerry's job to enlist fan faith -- despite 20 years since a playoff berth and 10 since a .500 record --before Miller Park starts to look as deserted as County Stadium used to in the late summers of 1999 and 2000.

Jerry's job won't be simple. Uneasy is the hand that holds the lineup card.