Brewers centerfielder Keon Broxton taking small steps

Keon Broxton made an adjustment to his stance last year at Class AAA Colorado Springs that wound up keeping him in the major leagues the rest of the season.

He's hoping another tweak he made earlier this week will get him going at the plate for the first time in 2017.

The early returns were good on Friday. Although the Milwaukee Brewers lost, 6-3, to the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park, he put good wood on the ball for the first time in a while with a second-inning triple. He also got on base again later with a walk and didn't strike out for the first time in six games.

It might not seem like much. But for a guy who came into the game hitting .119, it's a start.

"I backed off the plate a little bit and that’s been a significant change in the way I see the ball," he said. "I was a little bit too close and the balls were just getting on me and jamming me. So I backed off a little bit.

"I’ve been able to recognize the pitches and it’s just worked out."

GAME STORY: Wainwright does it all

NOTES: Brewers designate Nieuwenhuis for assignment

SCOREBOARD: Live MLB scores, box scores

It's been slow going for Broxton this season. He didn't collect a hit in his first two games, then was beaned in his third. He has only one multi-hit game to his credit so far, and he's struck out 21 times in 45 at-bats all told.

Broxton got a much-needed day off on Thursday, and he along with two other struggling hitters – Jonathan Villar and Hernán Pérez – got some intense pre-game work in with hitting coach Darnell Cole. To see the results so quickly was gratifying.

"I’ve been grinding," he said. "That’s probably where I got the best work. I went out and hit early with DC. Me and Villar and Pérez. Just worked on that. Stepped off, found a contact point that I liked and went into the cage, did it a little bit more. DC would throw sliders and fastballs to mix it up.

"Just found a good comfort zone there and took it over into the game, and it worked out."

Broxton was one of only a few Brewers to make solid contact against Adam Wainwright in this one. In his first at-bat in the second inning, he went with a sinker on the outside part of the plate and sent it down the right-field line for just his second career triple. He also snapped an 0-for-18 skid in the process.

Two batters later, Wily Peralta singled him in to give the Brewers their only lead of the game.

"It’s really not about the hits," he said. "It’s just finding a comfort zone in the box and being able to recognize pitches and lay off pitches I’ve been swinging at, and squaring up balls. That’s what happened tonight – I was able to lay off a lot of pitches that I was usually swinging at, I saw the ball a lot better and I was able to put good wood on the ball.

"That’s the main goal in the box; it’s not really about getting hits. It’s about having good at-bats and squaring the ball up. I’m glad I was able to get back to that tonight and I’ll try to continue it tomorrow."

Getting Broxton going is going to be important for the Brewers, who earlier in the day designated Kirk Nieuwenhuis for assignment. As the only other true centerfielder on the roster, he was the natural backup for Broxton. Now, the team will have to utilize the utility man Pérez behind Broxton.

"It makes me feel a little bit more comfortable that they have faith in me throughout the struggles, and it puts a fire under me to get going, too," he said. "If this is my job I don’t want to be out here struggling the entire season. I’m sure they wouldn’t like to see that as well."

As for Peralta, it was a disappointing outing. Not only did he last just four innings – his shortest stint in over a year – he also gave up a home run and four RBI to the opposing pitcher in Wainwright.

Wainwright's homer in the third put the Cardinals ahead to stay, and he added a two-run single the next inning to help put the game out of reach.

"He's certainly, for a pitcher, capable of swinging the bat. But he's also a pitcher," manager Craig Counsell said. "So we have to be able to make pitches on those guys. He had a big night. His two at-bats certainly were the difference in the game, for sure.

"Give him credit."

Peralta allowed nine hits, was charged with all six runs and also walked a batter without registering a strikeout.

"Credit to him," Peralta said of Wainwright. "He just put two good swings, even though I missed those pitches. Not many pitchers turn on a fastball like that. Credit him. Bad day. Nothing I could do better."

The Brewers did homer for the 13th consecutive game thanks to Ryan Braun's solo shot off Trevor Rosenthal in the eighth, but Eric Thames went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts.