Coles hopes to get offense hitting on all cylinders
It’s no secret the Milwaukee Brewers were carried by their pitching staff in the first half, and in particular, a very effective bullpen.
The Brewers hit the all-star break with a 3.63 staff earned run average, ranking fourth in the National
League. The starters ranked sixth with a 3.89
ERA and the bullpen third with a 3.25 ERA.
The offense, on the other hand, was more middle of the road. The Brewers scored 420 runs, which ranked sixth in the NL and 11th in the majors. The Brewers were fifth in the
NL with a .401 slugging percentage but 13th with a .322 on-base percentage and 11th with a .723 OPS.
The Brewers really scuffled in the clutch, batting .232 with runners in scoring position, 14th in the NL, and .238 with runners on and .174 with the bases loaded, both of which also ranked next-to-last.
Injuries were a factor in the inconsistency of the offense, especially toward the end of the first half when many players hit the 10-day disabled list. But, in general, the hitters kept the pressure on the pitchers to do the heavy lifting, which resulted in a 45-33 record and second place in the NL Central, 21⁄2 games behind the Cubs.
With that backdrop, Journal Sentinel baseball writer Tom Haudricourt spoke with Brewers hitting coach D arnell Coles about what happened in the first half and what he expects going forward.
Q. What was your overall assessment of the performance of the offense in the first half of the season?
A. Notwithstanding injuries, I think we’ve held up pretty good. We’ve had some guys step up. But I don’t think we’ve clicked on all cylinders. We’ve had guys get hot and other guys not as much. But I think overall we’re in a good place. There are still some things we’ve got to hammer away on but I feel pretty good about our offense.
Q. How much did injuries limit the overall impact of the offense?
A. Health is always an issue. The Cubs have gone through it; the Nationals have gone through it. The Dodgers went through it. So, all teams go through it. You just have to have enough guys step up who don’t get the opportunity to play every day and come through. And we’ve had that. But when you put your starting eight out there, I think we stack up with anybody.
Q. How much did the inconsistency of the offense bug you or puzzle you?
A. Inconsistency is part of it. I don’t get a whole lot of sleep, trying to figure out what guys are doing. And making sure you keep guys team-oriented when it comes to our offense. We hit home runs, and we score runs that way, but playoff baseball is different. You’ve got to be able to move runners, do some hitand-run, and do some other things to manufacture runs when you’re getting pitched tough.
Q. The Brewers struggled hitting in the clutch in the first half. Is there any way to help a hitter perform better with runners in scoring position?
A. There’s no special words of wisdom
you can throw at guys other than the consistency of staying within your approach, understanding how you’re being pitched. Know who’s hitting behind you. That sort of thing. Just paying attention to what the scoreboard shows you can do and can’t do. It’s getting a good pitch to hit. It doesn’t change, whether you’ve got nobody on or you’ve got guys in scoring position or a guy at third with less than two outs. It still boils down to, ‘Are you disciplined enough to get a pitch you can handle? Will you do whatever it takes to take care of a situation?’ We’ve just got to do a better job of that.
Q. How much enjoyment did you get from watching Jesús Aguilar emerge as one of the top sluggers in the league?
A. It’s been a phenomenal transformation. Going to the All-Star Game is a special deal. I hope he can relax a little bit and look back and reflect on the first half, on things we’ve got to get better at and come out the second with the hope of getting hot right from the start, and carry that through into September.
Q. Have Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich performed pretty much as you expected?
A. And more. They both carry a different way in how they go about their daily work. Lo is all energy and brings that and that world championship with him. The way he goes about his business enables him to say things to certain people. They get it; they understand it. That leadership is huge with a young group that’s on the verge of doing something. Christian is Mr. Consistency. He bangs away at it. His swing, his work ethic, he is consistent in every aspect of his game.
Q. What happened to Orlando Arcia and Domingo Santana? They both performed so poorly offensively, they were sent down to Class AAA Colorado Springs to regroup.
A. You’re always losing sleep when guys aren’t doing well, whether they’re here or in Triple-A, considering the years they had last year. We were looking to improve on that, not take a step back. It’s our objective to get those guys right so that when they come back, not ‘if’ they come back, they’re prepared and ready to go. I think we’re better served with both of those guys up here. My hope is they get it worked out, get it straightened out, and get back here as soon as possible.
They are still a big part of our team for the future. Sometimes you get into funks and you can’t get out of it. Now it’s an opportunity for those guys to go down and get some at-bats, get comfortable and understand their swing and give them a consistent foundation, so when they come back they don’t deviate.