Phillips sent down to clear spot for Espino

In order to be able to activate Paolo Espino to start Thursday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants at Miller Park, the Milwaukee Brewers had to option outfielder Brett Phillips back to Class AAA Colorado Springs.

It was a short stint for the 23-yearold, who’s generally regarded as one of the organization’s top 10 prospects.

Phillips was recalled on Monday after third baseman Travis Shaw was placed on the paternity list and had a whirlwind of a day that was capped by a start in center field. He also collected his first major-league hit and assist in an eventual 7-2 loss.

Phillips would have been optioned out on Wednesday after Shaw was reinstated to the roster, but he earned a day’s reprieve with Matt Garza being placed on the 10-day disabled list with the chest contusion that prevented him from starting Thursday and necessitated Espino’s callup.

He appeared as a late-inning defensive replacement on Tuesday but saw no action after that. Even still, Phillips’ limited stint had some definite value according to manager Craig Counsell.

“You get everything done for the first time, so the next time those nerves aren’t there – ‘Where do I go, what do I do, how do I act?’ A lot of that gets taken care of,” he said. “From that sense, I think it’s a positive experience for him and hopefully he got something out of it.”

At Colorado Springs, Phillips hit an organization-leading 11 home runs to go along with a .297 average, .967 OPS and 41 runs batted in. The Brewers also have top prospect Lewis Brinson and Ryan Cordell enjoying solid seasons in the outfield for the Sky Sox.

Searching for consistency: Streaky would be a perfect way to describe Keon Broxton’s performance at the plate to this point in the season.

The centerfielder hit .119 with one homer and two RBI over his first 14 games — a stretch that also saw him get hit in the face by a pitch — only to rebound and hit .337 with four homers and 12 RBI over his next 28 games.

Broxton is back in another down cycle, however, hitting .083 with one homer and two RBI after going 0 for 5 with three strikeouts in the Brewers’ 9-5, 10-inning loss on Thursday.

He finished the homestand 2 for 25, and is hitless in his last 16 at-bats.

“I think I’m falling off a little bit and getting kind of antsy,” said Broxton, who’s hitting .225 with six homers and 16 RBI to go along with a .295 on-base percentage.

“Kind of just swinging at everything instead of just waiting for my pitch and sticking to that. That’s one of the things I’ve got to get back to – being selective at the plate for pitches I can handle and not frustrating myself with swinging at their pitches.”

Broxton went through similar stretches last season as he bounced back and forth four times between Colorado Springs and the Brewers before finally sticking in the majors for good.

It was a mechanical change that got Broxton back on track then; this time, an improved eye should make the difference.

“Once I break out of this little funk, it’s just being consistent on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “Stay away from the roller-coaster ride. That can get draining and stressful on me as a person.

“Just trying to be consistent and confident is the main key.”