Notes: Eric Thames hoping rest day helps
Eric Thames had the day off Sunday, and the timing couldn't have been better as far as he was concerned.
"It’s been a rough three weeks," he conceded. "It’s good to kind of slow down and give the legs a day to get better."
The Milwaukee Brewers first baseman has been battling sore legs and struggling at the plate all month, with both issues good reasons to give him a day off his feet.
But manager Craig Counsell said he'd targeted the finale of the team's six-game home stand at the start of the week as the time to give the slugger a blow.
"We planned this at the beginning of the home stand, that he was going to be off today," Counsell said. "We’re in (a stretch of) 20 in a row, so I’m trying to give everybody a day or so in this stretch.
"This was a good day to do it."
After setting franchise records with 11 home runs and 28 runs scored in April, Thames is hitting .194 with two home runs and seven runs batted in over 20 games (18 starts) in May. He had just one at-bat in an entire four-game series in San Diego after coming down with a case of strep throat.
He's also 0 for his last 15 with seven strikeouts.
Counsell acknowledged Thames is struggling but also noted his overall production – a .278 average, 13 homers, 26 RBI and 1.004 OPS. Thames has also drawn 29 walks, helping him to an impressive .408 on-base percentage.
"He’s had a rough stretch here, but he’ll get back on it," Counsell said. "You look at his numbers for the year, and I’ll take it.”
Thames has changed up his pre-game routine in recent days, seeking more explosiveness and flexibility. As he works out the kinks, he's trying to keep a positive outlook.
"So frustrating," he said. "But, four months left. So it’s OK. Ride the wave."
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Aguilar delivering: At the crack of Manny Piña’s bat in the sixth inning, Jesús Aguilar was thinking one thing: score.
And with the ball soaring into right field, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound first baseman did just that off of the catcher’s hit — and from first base, no less.
The determination to score provided a glimpse of the 26-year-old Venezuelan's do-anything attitude. Aguilar's playing time has been sporadic to this point, although he did earn his second straight start Sunday and even batted third with Thames resting.
“The playing time is something I can’t control,” Aguilar said through interpreter Carlos Brizuela. “I’ve just got to be ready whenever he does put me in and be ready to do my job like I did today.”
Indeed, he did.
Aguilar went 2 for 4 with a run scored a day after homering and scoring a pair of runs. In the month of May, Aguilar is hitting .354 with four homers, 11 RBI and 10 runs scored.
“I felt comfortable, I’m seeing the ball real well and I’m just hoping to keep it going,” said Aguilar, who has raised his season average to .298 and his OPS to .930.
Counsell pointed to Aguilar's exit velocity as a sign he's back in a good place at the plate despite the inconsistent playing time.
“We talk about quality at-bats and on one of his outs, I looked up at the scoreboard and it was 111 miles per hour,” Counsell said. “He’s hitting the ball very hard. You get guys into that spot and it’s a challenge to try to get them back in the lineup and get them going, but he’s done a wonderful job.
“He’s stayed ready, he’s stayed locked in and the big thing to me is, we’ve been able to put a guy on our bench in the three-spot in the lineup. He’s a really productive hitter and a really dangerous hitter and that says a lot about what he’s meant to us.”
Rightfielder Domingo Santana said he felt comfortable having Aguilar behind him on a day he hit his first career grand slam, which made Aguilar smile.
Still, his mindset remains the same.
"Winning is always fun, so it makes it even better," Aguilar said, "but I’m just trying to keep the same mentality, keep working hard and I'm hoping it continues.”