Brewers return an offense that dominated NL pitching last year
BY DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press
Monday, March 04, 2013
3/04/13 at 5:49 AM
PHOENIX - There was a moment last season when the Milwaukee Brewers started to click.
Perhaps it happened once the Brewers realized that they didn't have to do anything special to make up for the loss of Prince Fielder. Or when they finally started to buy into the changes that manager Ron Roenicke and new hitting coach Johnny Narron had been trying to implement.
Whatever the case, the Brewers quietly put together one of the most productive and efficient offensive seasons in the majors, leading the NL in runs, homers and RBIs.
Not to mention slugging percentage and stolen bases.
"But the first half of the season last year, we were not good offensively," Roenicke is quick to point out.
Easy to forget that the Brewers hit .245 before the All-Star break, 13th among the 16 teams in the NL last season. They scored the fifth-most runs, but inconsistency up and down the lineup kept them producing at an even higher level.
But right around the Midsummer Classic, things started to change, and the Brewers hit .276 the rest of the way. They hit 101 homers over the second half, second only to the Nationals, and the 392 runs they scored trailed by just two the major league-leading Athletics.
"I know what can happen with offenses from year to year," Roenicke said. "Sometimes they click, sometimes they don't. We'll see this year. But to lead the league in runs scored when you look at some of the offenses, even in our division, that's pretty impressive."
Productive offenses come in all shapes and sizes, of course.
The Angels are built for power around home-run hitters such as Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. The Cardinals played for the NL pennant by putting the ball in play - they tied for the league lead in hits. And the Giants won the World Series last year thanks in part to a lineup that hit .269, fifth-best in the majors, even though it was dead last in home runs.
The Brewers, meanwhile, managed to outscore just about everybody with a lineup that turned out to be a near-perfect blend of speed, brawn and clutch hitting.
"The biggest thing for us is that we're solid in all facets of the game," second baseman Rickie Weeks said. "We hit for average, we hit for power and we steal bases."
Carlos Gomez, Ryan Braun and Norichika Aoki each swiped 30 or more bases. Braun, Aramis Ramirez and Jonathan Lucroy were everyday players who hit at least .300, and Aoki hit .288 in his first big league campaign.
Then there was the power: Braun, a five-time All-Star, hit a career-best 41 homers and drove in 112 runs, Corey Hart belted 30 homers, and Ramirez hit 27 homers while driving at more than 100 runs.
Original Print Headline: Brewers return offense that ripped NL pitching
Associated Images:
Milwaukee Brewers' Rickie Weeks (right) is congratulated after hitting a home run during an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday in Phoenix. MORRY GASH / AP
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