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Brewers beat 6/24
Weeks’ surge helps get Crew going
MILWAUKEE — With his three RBIs on Wednesday, Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks pushed his season total to 41 and took the Major League lead in RBIs from the leadoff spot.
Weeks’ 11 homers as the team’s leadoff hitter also ranks second behind Kelly Johnson of the D-backs, who has 12.
With right fielder Corey Hart batting behind Weeks, the Brewers have 29 home runs and 95 RBIs from their leadoff and No. 2 hitters, though much of Hart’s production has come from the No. 6 spot.
Brewers manager Ken Macha has said in the past that Weeks’ production is the true key to the club’s offensive success, even more so than sluggers Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. But like the club’s sluggers, Weeks struggles at times with consistency.
“He’s like all the other guys, they ride the roller coaster a little bit,” Macha said. “You try to avoid the big dips. He had a pretty big dip there for a while.”
Weeks’ performance over the past month has been an offensive resurgence from the Brewers second baseman, who had been struggling when the club faced the Twins at Target Field in Minnesota last month.
That slump for Weeks came after he opened the season with a career-high-tying 10-game hitting streak, making him only the fifth player in franchise history to begin the season with a hit streak of at least 10 games.
“At the beginning of the year, he was extremely hot,” Macha said. “If I remember right, we played a Pittsburgh series where they pitched him a little differently, and it kind of got him off his game. He was trying to make adjustments and it wasn’t working.”
Over the past five games entering Thursday, however, Weeks had a five-game hitting streak in which he’d collected seven hits in 17 at-bats while scoring five runs and driving in seven runs with two doubles and a home run.
“As of late, he’s done some real good things. The double with the bases loaded in Colorado was a huge hit,” Macha said. “I keep preaching this: Up the middle and opposite field always is a good way to go. That big hit last night went up the middle.”
Macha has confidence in Lucroy’s defense
MILWAUKEE — When rookie catcher Jonathan Lucroy was called up a month ago, the Brewers were concerned with his ability to stop sharp breaking balls.
Though he let five wild pitches get by him on Wednesday night in a 5-3 win over the Twins, manager Ken Macha said he’s been satisfied with Lucroy’s defense since taking over the starting role.
“What were there, five wild pitches? He had a tough time with them,” Macha said. “But he’s been pretty good up until yesterday as far as stopping balls. He caught [Yovani Gallardo] up in Colorado and did a great job as Yo was throwing that hard breaking ball in the dirt.”
In addition to four wild pitches by left-handed starter Manny Parra, reliever Kameron Loe saw one get by Lucroy in the seventh. According to Lucroy, both Parra’s splitter and Loe’s two-seam fastball are plus pitches with a lot of break.
With that in mind, Lucroy was not worried about being unable to stop those five pitches.
“Sometimes those things happen. There’s not really anything I could do to stop them,” Lucroy said. “It’s hard, because they were on his splitter, and when he throws that thing you don’t know where it’s going. That’s why it’s so good, because it’s unpredictable.”
Macha acknowledged before Thursday’s game that he thought one of the wild pitches led to Parra being tentative with his splitter for a stretch, but Macha did not think it had a significant impact on the game.
“I think Manny just got a little streak, maybe three or four hitters where he got tentative,” Macha said. “He came back after that inning and threw the ball well.”
As for the Loe wild pitch, Lucroy said his two-seam fastball is even harder to stop than Parra’s splitter.
“His two-seamer is a hard, sinking fastball,” Lucroy said. “It just bit and went straight down to the ground. That happens. I can’t do anything about that and I can’t block a fastball. I can’t get down quick enough for that. All I can try to do is pick it, and I couldn’t grab that one.”
Braddock tends to have initial advantage
MILWAUKEE — One thing about the matchup between lefty reliever Zach Braddock and pinch-hitter Jim Thome in the Brewers’ 5-3 win over the Twins on Wednesday really stood out to manager Ken Macha: Thome had not previously faced Braddock.
Since calling Braddock up before the series finale at Target Field on May 23, the Brewers have seen the 22-year-old hard-throwing lefty enjoy plenty of success against hitters the first time he faces them.
“If you haven’t faced Braddock, you don’t realize how the ball jumps up on you,” Macha said. “The first time you face somebody like that … he hides the ball, it jumps on you.”
In Thome’s first at-bat against Braddock, the left-handed slugger went down swinging at a 1-2 slider.
After getting Thome to strike out to end the sixth, Braddock struck out another batter who had not previously faced him in center fielder Denard Span. Braddock followed that up with his third strikeout of the game, getting Orlando Hudson — who doubled off Braddock in Minnesota — to go down swinging.
Similar to Braddock has been reliever Kameron Loe, whose movement on his fastball has surprised even his manager at times.
“The movement of Loe’s fastball is off the charts,” Macha said. “I remember back to an at-bat somebody had in Florida and I thought they were all sliders — they were moving so much — but they were all fastballs.”
Loe saw some adjustments by hitters in his second inning on Tuesday night, but impressed by striking out third baseman Michael Cuddyer for the second straight night on Wednesday.
According to Macha, the key for Loe is to get the first-pitch strike.
“The at-bat against Cuddyer, strike one was very important,” Macha said. “That kind of forced Cuddyer to swing, because he took strike one. They know the ball’s sinking a lot, so strike one was very important for him.
“We’ll see how these guys progress as they get out there a little more in the scouting report.”
Worth noting
With a win Thursday, the Brewers would tie a season-long winning streak of four games. The club previously won four consecutive games from May 18-22. … A win would also give Milwaukee a sweep of the Minnesota, something the club has not done in a series of three or more games since May 17-20, 1996, at the Metrodome. … The Brewers’ last sweep of the Twins in Milwaukee came Aug. 24-27, 1995, when they took a four-game series at County Stadium. … The game on Saturday, July 3 at the St. Louis Cardinals has been changed to a 5:35 p.m. CT first pitch and has been added to the FS Wisconsin broadcast schedule. It was previously scheduled to begin at 3:10 p.m.
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Brewers beat 6/12
Weeks gets standing ovation for 500th hit
MILWAUKEE — With a fifth-inning double against the Rangers on Saturday, Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks recorded the 500th hit of his career.
After the double, Brewers fans gave Weeks a standing ovation. He was then picked off attempting to steal third.
Before the game, the milestone was the furthest thing from Weeks’ mind.
“Honestly, that’s the first I’ve even known about it,” Weeks said when asked about what it would mean to reach 500 hits. “I’m not real big on milestones like that.”
Still, Weeks, who is in his seventh season of his big league career, said he would be happy to get hit No. 500.
“It’s just one of those things that when it comes I’ll, of course, appreciate it,” Weeks said, “but for the most part it’s just one of those things that, when it comes, it comes.”
Lucroy brings different skills to position
MILWAUKEE — He hasn’t been named the No. 1 catcher for the Brewers just yet, but rookie Jonathan Lucroy is certainly going to get a chance to earn the spot.
Lucroy, who was called up May 21 in place of injured starter Gregg Zaun, started his third straight game behind the plate for the Brewers on Saturday. With three starts on the homestand, Lucroy has doubled his career total.
Lucroy brings to the table something the Brewers haven’t had all season: a catcher who can consistently throw runners out. In seven games — one of which he entered late as a pinch hitter — Lucroy has thrown out two of five runners attempting to steal.
“We’re trying to address the stolen bases,” manager Ken Macha said, referring to his decision to start Lucroy. “He’s certainly done a nice job so far with that.”
Although throwing out baserunners is just part of his job as a catcher, Lucroy admits it’s one aspect in which he really strives for success.
“I take a lot of pride in doing that; I fully enjoy throwing people out,” Lucroy said. “I do my best every day to be perfect in that regard, because that’s one part of the game I feel like I can control.
“You really can’t control a lot of parts of the game, so I feel like I can really contribute a lot by throwing runners out and keeping guys off base the best I can.”
With George Kottaras 0-for-7 on the homestand and 3-for-25 with just three walks this month, Lucroy is getting his chance to show what he can bring to the table.
Since he has joined the big league club, Lucroy has been the hardest worker in the clubhouse, Macha said, routinely arriving at the ballpark six or seven hours before the first pitch.
But as with every other position, it all boils down to results for Macha.
“Everybody gets an opportunity,” Macha said. “It’s up to production. So, get some hits, throw out some runners, catch a winner, that’s all part of the formula.”
Wherever Hart bats, success has followed
MILWAUKEE — You don’t see too many guys leading the league in home runs batting second, but that’s what Corey Hart continued to do for the Brewers on Saturday.
Hart, whose 17 home runs were a National League best entering Saturday, also ranked third in the Majors behind the Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista and the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera, who had belted 18 homers apiece.
With Hart swinging a hot bat over the last month, manager Ken Macha moved him to the No. 2 spot on Friday. Hart proceeded to go 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
“I kind of liked it last night,” Macha said of the move. “The guy’s swinging the bat. He’s on base a bunch. I want those guys to get on base for Prince [Fielder] and [Ryan Braun].”
Macha likes the power potential of Hart batting between leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks and Fielder.
If Weeks gets on base in front of Hart, it gives the Brewers the chance for a quick two runs before recording an out. Regardless of his spot in the lineup, Hart continues to hit home runs, totaling 14 since May 15.
“He’s a special hitter. He’s got some tools that not everybody has,” third baseman Casey McGehee said of Hart. “For him to be doing it as consistent as he is right now, is pretty impressive to watch.
“It just extends it so far. He’s hitting second, and that worked. He’s been hitting sixth, and that’s been working. So when he’s going good, it makes a huge difference.”
Macha enjoying new luxuries with bullpen
MILWAUKEE — After using just two pitchers Friday, manager Ken Macha had seven of his eight relievers available Saturday against the Rangers. It’s a luxury Macha hasn’t been able to enjoy too many times this season.
After releasing Jeff Suppan, designating Claudio Vargas for assignment, and placing Todd Coffey and LaTroy Hawkins on the disabled list, the Brewers’ bullpen looks a lot different than it did to open the season.
The bullpen now consists of Chris Capuano, Kameron Loe, Zach Braddock, John Axford, Chris Smith, David Riske, Carlos Villanueva and Trevor Hoffman. Of those eight, the last two are the only remaining members from the Opening Day roster.
“We’re starting to lengthen out the bullpen,” Macha said.
For much of the season, Macha’s bullpen troubles consisted of pitchers not performing when called upon and a lack of pitchers available each day to begin with.
Macha was cautious not to get overconfident about his bullpen now.
“One game can put a wrench in that,” Macha said. “The game in Minnesota where [Dave] Bush only got one out, that fired a wrench into it. Or it’s like that Pirate game where we played [14] innings. That started us on the downside there a little bit. Then you’re really struggling to see who’s available.”
Now, Macha’s got a different problem to deal with, albeit one he’s happy to have. Two of his newest relievers, Capuano and Riske, have just one appearance between the two of them on the homestand.
“It’s to the point where some of the guys need work,” Macha said. “I’d like to get Cappy in the game, get him a couple innings. But that’s the value of the starter going seven innings.”
Worth noting
With a crowd of at least 32,600 on Saturday, the Brewers will reach the 1 million mark in attendance in their 29th home game. The team reached 1 million in the 27th home game last season on its way to 3,037,451. … Friday night marked just the fifth time in franchise history that the Brewers had home runs from their starters in the second, third, fourth and fifth positions in the batting order. The last time was against the Giants on April 14, 2001, when the Brew Crew had homers from Tyler Houston, Geoff Jenkins, Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz. … With four home runs Friday night, the Brewers passed the Reds for first place in the National League with 76 home runs. The Reds entered Saturday second with 74, and the D-backs were third with 72.
Jordan Schelling is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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