Things were looking pretty bleak for the Milwaukee Brewers on May 20. They had just been swept by the Boston Red Sox and, at 20-24, were a season-high four games below .500; six games behind the front-running Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division.

Flash forward a little more than a month; and the Brewers -- who are 21-10 since their trip to Beantown -- are the hottest team in baseball. Still trailing the Cubs by six-and-a-half games in the Central, they are showing signs of life thanks to some stellar starting pitching and an offense that is finally starting to wake up.

"There's a lot of reasons why we're playing good right now," manager Ned Yost said.

There sure are. A lot of the Brewers' recent success is due in large part to a number of players that didn't get the pre-season accolades like Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Ben Sheets.

While those three players are still considered the face of the franchise, it's players like Russell Branyan, Manny Parra and Seth McClung that have been turning heads in the last several weeks.

Parra battled through an inability to throw strikes on Sunday and picked up sixth straight victory of the season as the Brewers beat Baltimore, 7-3.

McClung turned in another stellar outing one night previous, pitching no-hit baseball through five innings and improving to 5-3 on the year in the Brewers' 3-2 victory.

Then there's reliever Salomon Torres, who took over the closer's job after Eric Gagne's ineffectiveness and injury. The veteran right-hander has converted his last 11 save opportunities and has 12 on the year.

The biggest contribution, though, has to be from Russell Branyan. Since being called up from Class AAA Nashville on May 24, he's hit 10 home runs and has an .812 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.207 -- all of those figures are the best in the National League during that stretch.

"We're rolling on all cylinders for the first time this season," said third baseman Bill Hall, who was relegated to bench duties after being replaced by Branyan. "We knew it was going to happen. It was just a matter of time."

Power surge: The Brewers have hit 45 home runs in their last 22 games and now have 99 on the season; the third-best mark in the National League.

"It's no secret we hit home runs," Yost said. "It was just a matter of time before we started hitting them in big numbers. We're a home-run team."

Taking back the crown: It's been a rough season so far for Prince Fielder, but the young slugger is starting to get into a groove.

He hit .382 on the home stand with five home runs -- two of them Sunday -- and eight RBI to boost his average to .292.

"I'm seeing the ball pretty good right now," said Fielder. "Hopefully, I can keep it going.

"When you feel comfortable up there, good things happen."

Braun continues to impress: Braun's two-run home run on Tuesday night gave him 150 RBI in his first 182 major league games, the fastest any major-leaguer has driven in that many runs since Walt Dropo in 1955.

Dropo by the way, spent 13 years in the majors, playing for Boston, Detroit, the White Sox, Cincinnati and Baltimore. He finished with 704 RBI and 152 home runs.

Considering that in the time between Dropo and Braun accomplished their feats, sluggers like Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. took longer to get their first 150 RBI, it's a pretty impressive feat.

Braun is batting .282 on the year with a team-high 20 home runs and 55 RBIs.

Welcome back: Rickie Weeks was back in the leadoff spot and playing second base Sunday after spending the last two weeks on the disabled list with a sprained left knee. He played in 59 games before getting injured and hit just .210 with 7 homers and 20 RBI. Weeks also scored 43 runs.

His pattern of hitting balls hard into the gloves of opposing fielders continued in his first game back -- Weeks went 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday against Baltimore -- he showed no signs of lingering pain in the field, helping to turn five double plays.

"I had to be ready sometime and it worked out pretty good," Weeks said of his defensive effort Sunday.

Gagne close to return: Reliever Eric Gagne will head to Nashville this week, where he will begin a rehabilitation assignment.  Gagne pitched a simulated game Saturday and reported no soreness in his right shoulder afterwards.

Injury report: LHP Randy Choate made his first rehabilitation start with Nashville this week, allowing a run on two hits in two innings of work.

Quick hits: Since being swept by the Red Sox last month, the Brewers are 20-10; the best record in baseball during that stretch. ... The Brewers have hit a major league-best 19 home runs from the third base position this season. ... Corey Hart's second-inning home run Sunday snapped an 0-18 streak with runners in scoring position. ... Milwaukee is 16-6 in one-run games this season. The Brewers' .727 winning percentage in thoses contests is the best in baseball. ... LHP Brian Shouse has a 1.06 ERA in his last 20 apperances. ... Opponents are hitting .230 against RHP Ben Sheets this season. Sheets is 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA in his last four starts, while the Brewers have won 10 of 14 games started by Sheets.

On the farm: Class AA Huntsville clinched the Southern League North Division first-half championship, finishing 41-29. ... RHP Tim Dillard earned a victory Saturday night for Class AAA Nashville after allowing a run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings in the Sounds' 8-5 victory over Oklahoma.

This week: Crank up the Willie Nelson, the Crew is on the road again this week. A 10-game road trip opens tonight in Atlanta. After three against the former County Stadium residents, the Brewers head to the Metrodome for an interleague rematch with the Twins.

He said it: "I think I was seeing the ball in high-definition tonight." -- 3B Ryan Braun, on his 3-for-4 performance Tuesday night against Toronto. Braun hit a pair of home runs and a double.

Attendance (Through 38 home games): Total -- 1,327,566; Average -- 34,936; On pace for -- 2,832,003. Sellouts -- 13.

Sausage Standings: Bratwurst 10, Polish 9, Chorizo 8, Italian 6, Hot Dog 6.

Under the roof (through 32 home games): Games played with roof / panels open -- 10 (7-3); roof closed / panels open -- 3 (3-0); roof open / panels closed -- 0; roof / panels closed -- 23 (13-10).

N.L. Central Standings (through games Sunday): 1, Chicago, 44-28; 2, St. Louis, 44-33 (-4.5); 3, Milwaukee, 41-34 (-6.5); 4, Pittsburgh, 36-40 (-12.0); 5, Houston, 35-41 (-13); 6, Cincinnati, 35-42 (-13.5).