Notes: Jonathan Villar right back on it
Slowly but surely, Jonathan Villar is getting back on track at the plate.
The Milwaukee Brewers' leadoff man took the next step toward normalcy in Saturday's 11-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves, when he collected his first two hits of the season as a right-handed hitter. He doubled in the first inning off starter Jaime Garcia and singled in the seventh off reliever Eric O'Flaherty, bumping his average up to .077 (2 for 26) against left-handed pitching.
Considering Villar is a natural right-handed hitter, his slow start on that side has been tough to figure. He hit .309 with eight home runs, 27 runs batted in and a higher on-base percentage – .385 to .363 – from the right side in his breakout 2016.
"I think his at-bats are certainly better," manager Craig Counsell said. "We were kidding him about the right-handed thing because he was so good right-handed last year. That’s his natural side. He’s going to produce right-handed. It was kind of an odd start for him. He hasn’t had that many at-bats, really, right-handed.
"It’s good to get him going right-handed, for sure."
Overall, Villar is hitting .206 with three homers, 14 RBI and a .267 on-base percentage. But there have been positive signs of late aside from him getting back on track against lefties. Villar was hitting .326 with a .383 OBP in the 10-game span before Sunday's 0 for 4, and he also had five multi-hit games over the same stretch.
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Villar's average sank as low as .133 after an 0-for-5 day against the Chicago Cubs on April 18, but he didn't push the panic button. Instead, he's been doing early work in the cages with hitting coach Darnell Coles and is now starting to see results, just as fellow slumping hitters Hernán Pérez and Orlando Arcia have in the last week.
"It’s early," said Villar, who was hitting just .236 heading into May in 2016. "But that’s normal to start the season slow. Not just me, but a lot of people. I can work on more and get more focused early in the season.
"Starting out a little bad makes you want to work harder every day."
His .267 OBP has kept him from being the same terror on the base paths he was last season, when he led the major leagues with 62 stolen bases. He also has made some of the same mental errors he did then, leading to pickoffs.
Getting him going atop the lineup would add even more juice to a Brewers lineup that's had no problem producing runs through the first month of the season with the likes of Eric Thames, Ryan Braun and Travis Shaw behind him.
Shaw OK: Shaw was out of the lineup Sunday after being hit in the right hand by a Garcia pitch in the first inning Saturday. He was pulled from the game in the fifth inning, but X-rays were negative. Pérez started in his place and hit cleanup.
"It actually did get better from last night to today," Shaw said Sunday. "I think we’re just being a little bit careful, but I should be good to go by tomorrow if it improves like it did from last night into today.
"I could probably push it and play today, but, I mean, it’s still April."
The ball hit Shaw in the meaty part of his hand, which affected his grip strength.
"The problem was gripping the bat," he said. "It was where the bat was sitting on my hand. Throwing was fine, swinging felt OK. It was the position of the bat knob on my hand.
"Hopefully it progresses like it did from last night into this morning, and we should be good."
Shaw is hitting .256 with five homers, 18 RBI and an OPS of .832, helping solidify a position that had been a problem spot for the Brewers in recent years. He's started 23 of the Brewers' 26 games (including one at designated hitter).
The Brewers also lost Braun to a right trapezius strain in the seventh inning Sunday, and he indicated he could miss a game or more because of it.