A Schelling For Your Thoughts

Weeks hoping to break out of slump

MINNEAPOLIS — If his two-run, ninth-inning double on Saturday is any indication, Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks may be primed to break out of a recent slump at the plate.

Including a 1-for-5 showing in yesterday’s 8-7 loss, Weeks is 6-for-47 over his last 11 games, all of which he batted leadoff for the Brewers.

That slump is part of the reason manager Ken Macha opted to sit Weeks for the series opener against the Twins on Friday. But after Weeks’ double Saturday night, Macha is encouraged by the approach of his second baseman.

“What I really liked is he hit it to right center,” Macha said. “He stayed on the ball. Hopefully, he’s going to start coming around. Everybody says how [Ryan] Braun and [Prince] Fielder go, so goes the Brewers, but Rickie’s got to get on base, and he hasn’t been doing that.”

Weeks, who Macha characterized as being quiet and hard on himself when things are not going well at the plate, said he is not one to change anything when struggling offensively.

“My whole thing is, if you keep swinging the bat, good things will happen,” Weeks said. “It’s still fairly young in the season, but I’m the type of person that I still want to do good. So I’ve just got to keep working hard.”

One thing that may help Weeks string together a few hits soon is the return of center fielder Carlos Gomez to the everyday lineup in the No. 2 spot. With the way Gomez has looked so far in his return, Weeks is likely to see better pitches to hit than if the Brewers continued to cycle hitters through that spot in the order.

Though he admitted it would be a common reaction to press a bit in order to break out of his recent slump, Weeks said he kept the same approach throughout. After 11 straight games with one hit or less, the second baseman likes his chances of turning it around.

“As a hitter, it’s up to you to turn it around,” Weeks said. “I feel good right now with the way I’ve played. Over the last couple games, I couldn’t catch any breaks, but for the most part, I feel good right now.”