Health & Fitness
Brewers' Reserves Contribute to Early Success
Yuniesky Betancourt and Alex Gonzalez are among players to step up into positions opened by injury.
It’s nearing the end of April, the weather is beginning to turn, and the first month of the young Major League Baseball season is coming to a close.
After a dismal start, the Milwaukee Brewers have caught fire over the past few weeks. Milwaukee is currently in second place in the National League Central Division with a record of 11-8.
The Crew set a Major League record as a result of their early when it became the first team to start with a record of 2-8 or worse and reach the .500 mark in a week.
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The slow start was disappointing but not a sign of a losing season. First baseman Cory Hart has yet to play in a regular season game, Ryan Braun has missed some early time, and third baseman Aramis Ramirez hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury April 5.
However, the flexibility of utility infielders Yuniesky Betancourt and Alex Gonzalez have shown to be the answer to the Brewers' early season injury bug. Both Gonzalez and Betancourt are not regularly a third or first baseman, but have been filing in at those positions and playing quite well.
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“The reliability of Betancourt and Gonzalez has been a great surprise to this young season," avid Brewers fan Daniel Lepkowski said. "Even though Gonzalez is coming off injury, and both players are in the later stages of their career, their play in unfamiliar positions has been vital to the Brewers early season success.”
The emergence of young outfielders Carlos Gomez and Norichika Aoki have also paved the way for the Brewers recent success. Although Aoki has struggled as of late, his defense and speed have played a big role in situational hitting. Gomez has been a major contributor at the plate as well as on defense, and was recognized as last week's National League Player of the week.
Jean Segura has found a comfortable yet important spot in Milwaukee’s batting order, hitting second before Brewers perennial all-star Braun. Segura is batting .377 with an on base percentage of .419.
The Brewers have just wrapped up a series win in San Diego, winning two of three games. Milwaukee travels to Los Angeles for a three-game series versus the Dodgers starting Friday, and then will return home for a nine-game stretch.
