It's time for a break.
The Brewers have Monday off after playing 20 games in 20 days. On April 20, their last off day, the Brewers were 4-8, mired near the basement of the National League Central division.
Since then, though, the Brewers have been red-hot, winning 14 games to improve to 18-14 are move into second place, two games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Since April 22, the Brewers have posted the best record in the game going 14-4 and, after losing their first four series of the season, they've gone 5-0-2 in series since.
"That was a nice run," manager Ken Macha said. "I'm sure a lot of the guys will enjoy a day off, and come back and get 'em Tuesday."
What's sparked the turnaround? Macha points to sound play in all aspects of the game. The return of Trevor Hoffman has helped to stabilize a shaky bullpen, the starting pitching has been greatly improved -– the Brewers lead all of baseball with 18 quality starts -– and, most importantly, the bats have started to come to life, especially in the meat of the lineup.
Ryan Braun, not surprisingly, has been the spark plug to the offensive effort. He's carrying a five-game hitting streak and is batting .443 (27-for-61) over the last 17 games with seven home runs and 23 RBI. He's among the league leaders with 28 RBI a .345 average and eight home runs.
His home run Friday night, a two-run shot in the eighth inning, propelled the Brewers to a 3-2 victory over the Cubs. While the shot was big in the sense that it led to a victory over a division rival, it was also impressive in the fact that he was able to hit it to the opposite field, something that Macha says is a very, very good sign for a young and talented hitter.
"I figured the worst-case scenario was I get the runner to third base with less than two outs," Braun said. "In general, I'm just trying to hit it where it's pitched."
Last week, Braun was a one-man wrecking crew. He hit .458 (11-for-24) with three homers, three doubles, eight runs scored and 12 RBI and Monday was named National League Player of the Week for his efforts.
But it isn't just Braun. The Brewers are getting contributions from different players every game. Mike Cameron, Craig Counsell and J.J. Hardy have all come through with clutch hits, especially in the late innings.
"If you're going to play well for a long stretch of time and you're a good team, that's how it's gotta be," Counsell said. "You can't rely on one or two guys; you going to have to rely on more of your roster and that's when you're going to put together longer streaks of playing well, not just a three or four-game winning streak."
Making his case: With all due respect to Braun, the hottest bat on the team may belong to Counsell, who's making Macha think of ways to keep him in the starting lineup.
"The players write the lineup," Macha said.
And Counsell is doing just that, batting .333 (18-54) with eight walks and four RBI in 24 games this season. He belted his first home run on the season on Saturday – the first of back-to-back Brewers round-trippers -– that sparked a six-run seventh inning as the Brewers rolled to a 12-6 victory over the Cubs.
His production is a big improvement from last season, when he hit .226 with a home run and 14 RBI in 110 games. Counsell adjusted his non-traditional batting stance during spring training and it's paying dividends. He's abandoned the high, high, waggling-bat approach and now has a much more compact stance.
"I got a good feel in spring training," Counsell said. "I'm just trying to keep it real simple and do the same things I did down there. So far, it's worked."
Hitting coach Dale Sveum said the new stance helps because it keeps his hands in a more ready position to hit.
"When he gets his pitch, he's hitting it," Sveum said. "That's the key for anybody. By using his top hand with the new swing allows him to do that on a more consistent basis."
Bush settles in: While Braun and Yovani Gallardo draw the headlines, starter Dave Bush is quietly establishing himself as a reliable, veteran pitcher. Still plagued by the occasional big inning (4.05 ERA, seven home runs allowed), he's keeping his walks down and working late into games. He's recorded five quality starts this season.
Bush has been the victim of some bad timing and bad luck this season, reflected by his 1-0 record, but has been solid and effective in the majority of his 40 innings of work this season, allowing the Brewers to win four of the six games he's started.
"Wins and losses come and go, and they certainly come in stretches," Bush said. "As I've gotten older and started to mature, I've learned to focus more on how I pitch and not worry so much about the result.
"There were times early in my career I'd be so focused on trying to pitch to the score, I would lose track of what I needed to do out there. I just try to have a good outing every time out, and I figure our offense will score enough runs to win."
Sensitive ears: After making his first appearance, closer Trevor Hoffman asked if the sound system crew could crank up the volume to "Hell's Bells." The stadium staff obliged.
It seems to be a hit for Brewers fans, but Macha -- though pleased with the results -- has developed a habit of sneaking away during the introduction.
He's joked after past appearances that he's hidden in the tunnel or even the dugout bathroom when Hoffman enters the game. On Friday night, Macha said he walked all the way back to the clubhouse until the ruckus settled a bit.
"I went to the clubhouse, all the way into the clubhouse," Macha said. "Gallardo was charting the pitches on the couch. He asked me what I was doing in there."
Macha certainly doesn't mind taking the quick walk. After all, Hoffman is 5-0 in save opportunities and has yet to allow a run while striking out seven in his six appearances.
Hoffman's teammates are loving it, too.
"It's becoming our favorite song," said shortstop J.J. Hardy.
Nelson staying positive: No Brewer is having a tougher start to their season than Brad Nelson. The reserve outfielder is hitless in his first 22 at-bats.
He came close to snapping that skid Thursday night in Cincinnati. He took Francisco Cordero within inches of what would have been a game-tying home run, but Reds right fielder Jay Bruce – with his back nearly against the wall – made the catch.
"I'm still in the major leagues," Nelson said. "Coming to this is what every kid dreams about growing up. Struggling like this, I didn't expect. I feel like I can play here and haven't done it yet. I understand this game is about production, but I feel like I'm getting better. The at-bats are getting better."
Sveum has taken note of Nelson's commitment to improvement and recognizes that, despite his struggles, he's stringing together good at-bats.
"He's trying," Sveum said. "It's a tough job. You can't worry about the results as much as putting together a good at-bat because you can't get 4 or 5 hits with one at-bat.
Sveum understands Nelson's struggles. He went 0-for-21 as a pinch hitter when he joined the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1992 mid-season trade. Pinch-hitting opportunities are hard to come by with the Brewers, who rarely hit for position players.
"It wasn't pretty," Sveum said. "But then I figured out how to pinch-hit and I became pretty damn good at it. It's not easy to do that. It's an adjustment. It's hard enough to hit every day.
"It's very difficult going from playing every day in the minor leagues to playing off the bench and getting just a couple of at-bats a week in the majors. It's just one of those things where you just try to stay positive."
Nelson says that the support from his teammates, many of whom got off to slow starts, has made his plight a little easier to deal with.
"That's what's been great," Nelson said, "You feel like they really care. It's a "we're rooting for you" type of attitude."
Blackout: A mini-power outage made Saturday night's marathon game with the Cubs even longer. Lights started to go out in the eighth inning, leading to a 20-minute delay.
Brewers VP of communications Tyler Barnes said the outage was caused by a computer glitch and that the game was never in danger of being called.
"The computer froze, which then triggered the shutdown," Barnes said in an e-mail. "Once any lights go down, they need to cool off before they can be lit again. ... There was never any doubt about getting the lights back on, it was just a matter of waiting it out."
In Miller Park's first season, a bus failure along the left field side forced the postponement of the June 15 game with Kansas City after a scoreless first inning, resulting in the first – and to this day, only – double-header in Miller Park history.
Quick hits: It was a "reality weekend" at Miller Park; "American Idol" contestant Danny Gokey sang the national anthem and threw out the first pitch on Saturday while Friday while Jason and Molly from "The Bachelor" did the deed before Saturday's game. … Rickie Weeks' leadoff homer Sunday was the 12th of his career. … Jason Kendall needs just three hits to reach 2,000 in his career. … The Brewers have batted around in an inning five times this season. … Milwaukee has come-from-behind to win 10 times this season. … Before going hitless Sunday, J.J. Hardy put together a seven-game hitting streak. During that run, he hit .400 with two homers and 10 RBI.
Injury report: Mike Rivera reported to Omaha today, where he'll join Class AAA Nashville for a three-game rehabilitation assignment. He'll travel back to Nashville with the Sounds Tuesday and Wednesday and, if all goes well, will be back in Milwaukee on Thursday. … Reliever David Riske is still rehabbing a sore right elbow and remains on the DL.
On the farm: Class A Brevard County right-hander Evan Anundsen was named Minor League Pitcher of the Month after throwing a no-hitter on April 28 and finishing April with a 2-2 record and 1.44 ERA. … Class AAA Nashville third baseman Mat Gamel was named Minor League Player of the Month after hitting .392 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in April. … Class A Wisconsin won its first road game of the season Sunday, beating South Bend, 4-1.
He said it: "You saw a whole bunch of a lot of stuff (tonight)." – Macha, after the Brewers 12-6 victory Saturday night; a game that included a combined 16 walks, two hit batters, a seven-run inning and a 20-minute delay because of a power failure.
This week: The team is off today – the Brewers' first break since April 20 – and returns to action Tuesday night when the Florida Marlins come to Miller Park for a three-game set. After that, it's on the road again. A nine-game, three-city road trip kicks off Friday, when the Brewers travel to St. Louis to take on the Central Division-leading Cardinals for the first time this season.
Attendance (through 16 home dates): Total – 585,302; Average – 36,581; Sellouts – 8.
N.L. Central standings: 1, St. Louis, 20-12; 2, Milwaukee, 18-14 (-2); 3, Chicago, 17-14 (-2.5); 4, Cincinnati, 17-14 (-2.5); 5, Houston, 14-17 (-5.5); 6, Pittsburgh, 12-19 (-7.5).
The Brewers have Monday off after playing 20 games in 20 days. On April 20, their last off day, the Brewers were 4-8, mired near the basement of the National League Central division.
Since then, though, the Brewers have been red-hot, winning 14 games to improve to 18-14 are move into second place, two games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Since April 22, the Brewers have posted the best record in the game going 14-4 and, after losing their first four series of the season, they've gone 5-0-2 in series since.
"That was a nice run," manager Ken Macha said. "I'm sure a lot of the guys will enjoy a day off, and come back and get 'em Tuesday."
What's sparked the turnaround? Macha points to sound play in all aspects of the game. The return of Trevor Hoffman has helped to stabilize a shaky bullpen, the starting pitching has been greatly improved -– the Brewers lead all of baseball with 18 quality starts -– and, most importantly, the bats have started to come to life, especially in the meat of the lineup.
Ryan Braun, not surprisingly, has been the spark plug to the offensive effort. He's carrying a five-game hitting streak and is batting .443 (27-for-61) over the last 17 games with seven home runs and 23 RBI. He's among the league leaders with 28 RBI a .345 average and eight home runs.
His home run Friday night, a two-run shot in the eighth inning, propelled the Brewers to a 3-2 victory over the Cubs. While the shot was big in the sense that it led to a victory over a division rival, it was also impressive in the fact that he was able to hit it to the opposite field, something that Macha says is a very, very good sign for a young and talented hitter.
"I figured the worst-case scenario was I get the runner to third base with less than two outs," Braun said. "In general, I'm just trying to hit it where it's pitched."
Last week, Braun was a one-man wrecking crew. He hit .458 (11-for-24) with three homers, three doubles, eight runs scored and 12 RBI and Monday was named National League Player of the Week for his efforts.
But it isn't just Braun. The Brewers are getting contributions from different players every game. Mike Cameron, Craig Counsell and J.J. Hardy have all come through with clutch hits, especially in the late innings.
"If you're going to play well for a long stretch of time and you're a good team, that's how it's gotta be," Counsell said. "You can't rely on one or two guys; you going to have to rely on more of your roster and that's when you're going to put together longer streaks of playing well, not just a three or four-game winning streak."
Making his case: With all due respect to Braun, the hottest bat on the team may belong to Counsell, who's making Macha think of ways to keep him in the starting lineup.
"The players write the lineup," Macha said.
And Counsell is doing just that, batting .333 (18-54) with eight walks and four RBI in 24 games this season. He belted his first home run on the season on Saturday – the first of back-to-back Brewers round-trippers -– that sparked a six-run seventh inning as the Brewers rolled to a 12-6 victory over the Cubs.
His production is a big improvement from last season, when he hit .226 with a home run and 14 RBI in 110 games. Counsell adjusted his non-traditional batting stance during spring training and it's paying dividends. He's abandoned the high, high, waggling-bat approach and now has a much more compact stance.
"I got a good feel in spring training," Counsell said. "I'm just trying to keep it real simple and do the same things I did down there. So far, it's worked."
Hitting coach Dale Sveum said the new stance helps because it keeps his hands in a more ready position to hit.
"When he gets his pitch, he's hitting it," Sveum said. "That's the key for anybody. By using his top hand with the new swing allows him to do that on a more consistent basis."
Bush settles in: While Braun and Yovani Gallardo draw the headlines, starter Dave Bush is quietly establishing himself as a reliable, veteran pitcher. Still plagued by the occasional big inning (4.05 ERA, seven home runs allowed), he's keeping his walks down and working late into games. He's recorded five quality starts this season.
Bush has been the victim of some bad timing and bad luck this season, reflected by his 1-0 record, but has been solid and effective in the majority of his 40 innings of work this season, allowing the Brewers to win four of the six games he's started.
"Wins and losses come and go, and they certainly come in stretches," Bush said. "As I've gotten older and started to mature, I've learned to focus more on how I pitch and not worry so much about the result.
"There were times early in my career I'd be so focused on trying to pitch to the score, I would lose track of what I needed to do out there. I just try to have a good outing every time out, and I figure our offense will score enough runs to win."
Sensitive ears: After making his first appearance, closer Trevor Hoffman asked if the sound system crew could crank up the volume to "Hell's Bells." The stadium staff obliged.
It seems to be a hit for Brewers fans, but Macha -- though pleased with the results -- has developed a habit of sneaking away during the introduction.
He's joked after past appearances that he's hidden in the tunnel or even the dugout bathroom when Hoffman enters the game. On Friday night, Macha said he walked all the way back to the clubhouse until the ruckus settled a bit.
"I went to the clubhouse, all the way into the clubhouse," Macha said. "Gallardo was charting the pitches on the couch. He asked me what I was doing in there."
Macha certainly doesn't mind taking the quick walk. After all, Hoffman is 5-0 in save opportunities and has yet to allow a run while striking out seven in his six appearances.
Hoffman's teammates are loving it, too.
"It's becoming our favorite song," said shortstop J.J. Hardy.
Nelson staying positive: No Brewer is having a tougher start to their season than Brad Nelson. The reserve outfielder is hitless in his first 22 at-bats.
He came close to snapping that skid Thursday night in Cincinnati. He took Francisco Cordero within inches of what would have been a game-tying home run, but Reds right fielder Jay Bruce – with his back nearly against the wall – made the catch.
"I'm still in the major leagues," Nelson said. "Coming to this is what every kid dreams about growing up. Struggling like this, I didn't expect. I feel like I can play here and haven't done it yet. I understand this game is about production, but I feel like I'm getting better. The at-bats are getting better."
Sveum has taken note of Nelson's commitment to improvement and recognizes that, despite his struggles, he's stringing together good at-bats.
"He's trying," Sveum said. "It's a tough job. You can't worry about the results as much as putting together a good at-bat because you can't get 4 or 5 hits with one at-bat.
Sveum understands Nelson's struggles. He went 0-for-21 as a pinch hitter when he joined the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1992 mid-season trade. Pinch-hitting opportunities are hard to come by with the Brewers, who rarely hit for position players.
"It wasn't pretty," Sveum said. "But then I figured out how to pinch-hit and I became pretty damn good at it. It's not easy to do that. It's an adjustment. It's hard enough to hit every day.
"It's very difficult going from playing every day in the minor leagues to playing off the bench and getting just a couple of at-bats a week in the majors. It's just one of those things where you just try to stay positive."
Nelson says that the support from his teammates, many of whom got off to slow starts, has made his plight a little easier to deal with.
"That's what's been great," Nelson said, "You feel like they really care. It's a "we're rooting for you" type of attitude."
Blackout: A mini-power outage made Saturday night's marathon game with the Cubs even longer. Lights started to go out in the eighth inning, leading to a 20-minute delay.
Brewers VP of communications Tyler Barnes said the outage was caused by a computer glitch and that the game was never in danger of being called.
"The computer froze, which then triggered the shutdown," Barnes said in an e-mail. "Once any lights go down, they need to cool off before they can be lit again. ... There was never any doubt about getting the lights back on, it was just a matter of waiting it out."
In Miller Park's first season, a bus failure along the left field side forced the postponement of the June 15 game with Kansas City after a scoreless first inning, resulting in the first – and to this day, only – double-header in Miller Park history.
Quick hits: It was a "reality weekend" at Miller Park; "American Idol" contestant Danny Gokey sang the national anthem and threw out the first pitch on Saturday while Friday while Jason and Molly from "The Bachelor" did the deed before Saturday's game. … Rickie Weeks' leadoff homer Sunday was the 12th of his career. … Jason Kendall needs just three hits to reach 2,000 in his career. … The Brewers have batted around in an inning five times this season. … Milwaukee has come-from-behind to win 10 times this season. … Before going hitless Sunday, J.J. Hardy put together a seven-game hitting streak. During that run, he hit .400 with two homers and 10 RBI.
Injury report: Mike Rivera reported to Omaha today, where he'll join Class AAA Nashville for a three-game rehabilitation assignment. He'll travel back to Nashville with the Sounds Tuesday and Wednesday and, if all goes well, will be back in Milwaukee on Thursday. … Reliever David Riske is still rehabbing a sore right elbow and remains on the DL.
On the farm: Class A Brevard County right-hander Evan Anundsen was named Minor League Pitcher of the Month after throwing a no-hitter on April 28 and finishing April with a 2-2 record and 1.44 ERA. … Class AAA Nashville third baseman Mat Gamel was named Minor League Player of the Month after hitting .392 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in April. … Class A Wisconsin won its first road game of the season Sunday, beating South Bend, 4-1.
He said it: "You saw a whole bunch of a lot of stuff (tonight)." – Macha, after the Brewers 12-6 victory Saturday night; a game that included a combined 16 walks, two hit batters, a seven-run inning and a 20-minute delay because of a power failure.
This week: The team is off today – the Brewers' first break since April 20 – and returns to action Tuesday night when the Florida Marlins come to Miller Park for a three-game set. After that, it's on the road again. A nine-game, three-city road trip kicks off Friday, when the Brewers travel to St. Louis to take on the Central Division-leading Cardinals for the first time this season.
Attendance (through 16 home dates): Total – 585,302; Average – 36,581; Sellouts – 8.
N.L. Central standings: 1, St. Louis, 20-12; 2, Milwaukee, 18-14 (-2); 3, Chicago, 17-14 (-2.5); 4, Cincinnati, 17-14 (-2.5); 5, Houston, 14-17 (-5.5); 6, Pittsburgh, 12-19 (-7.5).
