AROUND THE BASES
BY TOM HAUDRICOURT
MLB: Toronto 3B Josh Donaldson
Entering Saturday, Donaldson was batting .385 with five home runs and 10 RBI over his last seven games. He hit a three-run, walk-off homer Tuesday off White Sox closer David Robertson and a game-tying HR the next day off Robertson in the ninth.
BREWERS: RF Ryan Braun
Braun had a .991 OPS for May entering Saturday, with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 27 games, and 56 total bases. His totals of 12 HRs and 37 RBI placed him among the National League leaders.
BREWERS THIS WEEK
The Brewers head out on their second consecutive three-city trip, and it figures to be a daunting one. The first stop is St. Louis, where the Cardinals have the best record in the majors. Next comes Minnesota, perhaps the most surprising team in the American League. The last stop is Pittsburgh.
DID YOU KNOW?
YOU FIGURE IT OUT
At this time last year, Prince Fielder’s season was over, and there were doubts about his future when he missed the final 120 games with a neck condition that required fusion of two cervical discs.
So much for those worries. Fielder, who batted over .300 just once in his career before 2015, took a .364 average into play Saturday, tops in the American League. On a recent nine-game trip in which Texas went 7-2, he was 18 for 39 with five home runs, 15 RBI and 37 total bases.
As might be expected after missing most of last season, it took a while to get his power stroke going again. After hitting one homer in April with a .429 slugging percentage, he has nine homers in May with a .684 slugging percentage.
“We felt the power would show up,” said manager Jeff Banister. “It has and we feel comfortable it’s going to continue to show.”
QUOTE
Pittsburgh shortstop Jung Ho Kang, a native of South Korea.
MINOR-LEAGUE REPORT
Class AAA Colorado Springs
RHP Tyler Cravy is acquitting himself well in his first season at the Class AAA level. He is 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA through nine starts and has allowed only eight hits and two runs over 14 innings in his last two outings.
Class AA Biloxi
CF Tyrone Taylor has picked up the pace at the plate. Over his last 10 games entering the weekend, Taylor was batting .375 (15 for 40) with six RBI and six runs scored.
Class A Brevard County
RHP Javier Salas, a 10th-round draft pick in 2014 out of the University of Miami, has been very sharp in his last two starts. In 13 innings, he allowed 12 hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out 10 hitters.
Class A Wisconsin
LHP Kodi Medeiros, the Brewers’ first-round draft pick last year, pitched seven shutout innings Thursday night in Cedar Rapids, allowing only two hits and one walk while logging five strikeouts.