After lagging behind, offense picks up slack
Four home runs take pressure off pitching
PHOENIX - The Milwaukee Brewers have been waiting all season for the offense to kick into gear.
There is still work to be done but much progress was made during the first two stops on this three-city trip. With their 8-2 victory Wednesday afternoon over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Brewers won for the fifth time in seven games, including a 3-1 series triumph in Colorado.
During those seven games, the Brewers scored 39 runs, an average of 5.6. And that included a shutout against the Rockies and a 2-1 loss Tuesday night to the Diamondbacks, showing how much damage was done in the other five games.
“We’ve done a pretty good job of scoring some runs consistently on this trip,” said Travis Shaw, who ignited a four-homer barrage with a towering two-run drive in the first that clanged off the foul pole.
“One game in each series. Other than that, we’ve done well. We’ve won each series. That’s all you can ask for on the road. Guys were getting good swings today. If we’re hitting multiple homers, we’re going to score some runs.”
To this point, the Brewers have been getting it done with just enough offense, just enough starting pitching and a big dose of excellence from the relief corps. The bullpen continues to dominate, including four more scoreless innings Wednesday, but the other areas are starting to share some of the load.
Rookie right-hander Brandon Woodruff fell an inning short of delivering the club’s third consecutive quality start, mostly because his pitch count climbed to 94 by walking hitters batting way below .200. But Woodruff allowed only one hit in five frames, a first-inning homer by Daniel Descalso, and took a big step forward after getting roughed up in Col-
orado (seven runs in three innings).
“That was probably the most frustrating thing, giving those free passes,” said Woodruff, who has been trying to gain a footing with the Brewers while going up and down to the minors three times already this season.
“I tried to take it pitch by pitch and give the team a chance to win because the offense was really clicking today. I tried to lock it back in after Descalso hit the home run. Today, I used my secondary stuff a little better. Overall, the pitches were good. I just need to be a little bit sharper.”
Of the four homers struck by the Brewers, Christian Yelich’s two-run shot in the second inning off Arizona starter Matt Koch seemed most important. After Shaw and Domingo Santana went back-to-back in the first inning for a 3-0 lead, Descalso cut it to one run with his shot, only to see Yelich swing the momentum back to the Brewers.
“We were able to distance ourselves again and get a bigger lead,” Yelich said. “The guys swung the bats well today. A lot of guys hit homers.
“You’re not going to be hot as an offense all season long, or be cold all season long, either. It’s just part of baseball. It’s just having good at-bats throughout the lineup. As an offense, this is probably the best we’ve been going all year.
“Hopefully this continues for the rest of the trip and we ride it as long as we can.”
Ryan Braun missed the entire series with an ailing back and appeared headed to the disabled list, but Shaw is heating up in a big way in the cleanup spot. With three doubles and three homers in six games on the trip (he sat out one), he has found his power stroke, boosting his slugging percentage to .516.
“I told you guys a few days ago it’s still a work in progress,” Shaw said. “There are still a few things I want to clean up. But this road trip has been a step in the right direction, especially coming off that stretch (5-for-50) I was on before that.
“Each day, I’m still trying to get consistent at the plate. But I can’t complain right now.”