Around the Bases: This week in MLB

Tom Haudricourt
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Miami Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton has been hitting lots of home runs recently.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

MLB: Miami RF Giancarlo Stanton

Stanton connected on his 40th homer Friday night against Colorado’s Jon Gray, moving within two of Gary Sheffield’s franchise record set in 1996. At this pace, Stanton will obliterate it. Despite playing home games in spacious Marlins Park, he has 19 homers in his last 31 games, and seven in his last nine.

Brewers: LF Ryan Braun

Entering play Saturday night, Braun had strung together a career-best streak of six multi-hit games. Over that span, he batted .538 (14 for 26), raising his overall average from .260 to .291.

BREWERS THIS WEEK

The Brewers could use a break after their struggles of the second half, and they will get not one but two off days this week (Monday and Thursday). In between, there are two home games against Pittsburgh before the Brewers head out on a daunting three-city trip that begins in Colorado.

DID YOU KNOW?

Entering the weekend, Colorado leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon was batting .398 at home with a 1.284 OPS and .278 on the road with a .764 OPS, one of the biggest gaps of the expansion era.

YOU FIGURE IT OUT

Remember the kitten that ran on the field Wednesday night in St. Louis, forever known as Rally Cat, after Yadier Molina’s grand slam? Well, it disappeared outside Busch Stadium after the game when a female fan attempting to take it home lost track of it.

The kitten was recovered Friday morning by the St. Louis Feral Cat Outreach. The non-profit organization took it to a veterinarian to be checked out, and it soon will be available for adoption.

Cardinals fans no doubt already are lining up to bring home the good luck charm.

QUOTE

“It’s like a bull seeing red or something like that.” Brewers manager Craig Counsell, after Eric Thames hit his ninth homer in 10 games against Cincinnati.