Aguilar tops off big trip
He provides big hits, big play in the field
PITTSBURGH - Jesús Aguilar stepped forward in a major way on the Milwaukee Brewers’ just-completed road trip.
The 26-year-old Venezuelan won a game in St. Louis on Thursday with a pinch-hit home run, and on Sunday in Pittsburgh drove in two big insurance runs with a double and homer while also making a tough defensive play to thwart a Pirates comeback attempt in the ninth inning. Aguilar was in the throes of a 1-for-25 slump before the Brewers headed out of town, and he returns to Milwaukee a .261 hitter with some newfound confidence. “It helps me a lot, for sure,” Aguilar said through interpreter Carlos Brizuela. “Ever since they sat me down and told me to not worry about my numbers and just have good at-bats and put good swings on the ball I was able to relax and just kind of be myself and be ready to go out there and just play.”
Aguilar was the story of the spring, when he slugged his way onto the opening-day roster. Claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Indians just prior to the start of camp, he hit .452 with seven homers and 19 runs batted in over 25 Cactus League games.
Despite only being able to play first base — the same position the team signed Eric Thames to man — Aguilar still got plenty of opportunities to play early in the season. He made the most of them, opening on a five-game hitting streak.
But as Thames began to heat up and eventually torched the National League in April, Aguilar’s playing time diminished. Relegated mostly to pinch-hitting appearances, he scuffled through that 1 for 25 and then
went 0 for 4 when he got a start at first base in the opening game of the road trip in St. Louis.
Aguilar singled in the next game two nights later, then in the series finale hit his first majorleague homer in the seventh inning of a 5-4 victory.
He made his presence known again on Sunday in Pittsburgh. Aguilar entered in the sixth inning as part of a doubleswitch, and in his first atbat in the seventh he sent a ground-rule double down the right-field line to increase a tenuous Milwaukee lead to 4-2.
Aguilar came to the plate again in the ninth and crushed a homer to center. Thames then followed suit with a shot to right two batters later that made it 6-2.
“I feel like after that home run in St. Louis, the pressure was kind of taken off his shoulders and he just kind of relaxed,” Thames said. “Now he’s feeling that mojo, and we need that right now.
“Whether he’s starting or pinch-hitting in a big situation, if his bat’s hot we have a good chance to win.”
Aguilar isn’t all offense, however.
With Brewers holding that 6-2 lead, Neftali Feliz found trouble in the bottom of the ninth when he gave up a single and walk to start. Chris Stewart followed by dropping a bunt down between the third-base line and the mound, and Feliz made a nice play to get to the ball.
His rushed throw was wide up the first-base line, but Aguilar coolly moved his feet and snagged the ball for the first out of the inning. Feliz rolled from there,
and the Brewers put the wraps on a 3-3 trip.
“Maybe the biggest play was the defensive play in the ninth inning,” manager Craig Counsell said. “That was really good footwork to make that play. That’s not an easy play for a first baseman to make.
“That’s a very advanced play to be able to move your feet and get to the other side of the bag and keep your foot on the base.”
Aguilar said he takes pride in his defense, even though his bat is what’s gotten him to the major leagues.
“A lot of people don’t look at my defensive side, but I keep working hard on that part because it’s very important,” he said. “I try to go out there and help the team on both sides.
“I think the defensive play was important. If we don’t get that out then it’s bases loaded and the tying run is coming up to the plate. So it was a big moment in the game.”
Producing off the bench is difficult for any player, let alone one as inexperienced as Aguilar, who has played in 64 major-league games over four seasons. Counsell will continue to utilize him frequently as a pinch-hitter and get him starts at first base when matchups allow for Thames to play in the outfield.
But for now, Aguilar can take pride in the fact he helped make the Brewers’ most recent road trip a successful one.
“Jesús Aguilar had a big trip. He certainly had a big part in us winning two of those games,” Counsell said. “When a guy like Ryan (Braun) is out, you need somebody to step up and Aggy certainly stepped up and had an important trip and was a big contributor.”