Ryan Braun: 'Best I've ever swung the bat'

In general, players are told to hit the ball hard as often as possible and good things will happen.

But not always.

In terms of making consistent hard contact, Milwaukee Brewers leftfielder Ryan Braun believes he has been at the top of his game this season.

“Overall, I’m having my best season, offensively,” he said. “There’s not even a question.”

Braun wasn’t referring to his overall numbers — .295 batting average, .368 on-base percentage and .544 slugging percentage, with 19 doubles, 13 home runs and 37 RBI in 66 games — though they have been on the rise in recent weeks.

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Braun, 33, merely referred to how he has swung the bat, when healthy. Staying healthy has been his biggest challenge, missing nearly half the Brewers’ games while spending two stints on the disabled list with a left calf strain.

Braun was given a day off Wednesday against Pittsburgh, but when he has been in the lineup he has compiled a “hard-hit percentage” of 43.7%, the highest since his rookie year in 2007 (43.9%). His line-drive rate has been a career-best 22.1% and his average exit velocity on balls put in play is 93.1 mph, sixth-best in the majors.

“Overall, I’ve just swung the bat real well all year,” said Braun, whose batting average on balls in play is .328, actually better than in recent years but six points below his career norm. “I’ve just been incredibly unlucky.

“Fortunately, a few more have started to find some holes recently.”

Accordingly, Braun had a .486 batting average (18 for 37) during a nine-game hitting streak and was batting .319 over 36 games since coming off his second stint on the DL on June 26. On a relatively inexperienced team that has scuffled in general to score runs since the all-star break, Braun’s production is more important than ever, so the baseball gods picked a good time to find some holes in the defense.

“As long as I’m swinging at strikes and hitting the ball hard, you think over time it will even out,” Braun said. “Obviously, the biggest challenge is the small sample size because I’ve missed so many games.

“But the games I have played, without a doubt, this is the best I’ve ever swung the bat, and by far the least luck I’ve ever had. If I had normal luck, I’m hitting .350 with a 1.100 OPS right now. But it’s the nature of the game.

“Some years, you’re luckier than others. Over time, it comes close to evening out. But there are certainly some years where you’re more lucky than others.”

Manager Craig Counsell said he never worries about whether Braun will hit or not, assuming good health. But he said it’s no coincidence that the results have been better as Braun is further removed from his leg issues.

“Ryan is going to produce offensively,” Counsell said. “It’s just going to happen. He has swung the bat really well for the last two weeks, and he’s gotten a ton of hits. He’s in a good place health-wise in this stretch, which always helps. We’ll try to keep him there for the last 40 games.

“Everybody has to deal with (tough luck). It’s part of it. Some years, you’re on the good side of it. Some years, you’re on the bad side of it. There is luck involved. The pitchers can say the same thing. It’s part of the mental challenge of the game for these guys. They understand they control part of it and the other part is out of their hands.”

Rotation flip: Counsell announced he is flipping his starting pitchers for the first two games in Colorado, with veteran Matt Garza pitching Friday on regular rest and rookie Brandon Woodruff going Saturday. Woodruff hasn’t pitched since Aug. 9 because his turn was skipped with the team off two days this week.

“It’s for some matchups the rest of the month and near future, with all the off days,” Counsell said. “We’ve had multiple off days, so we’re managing the roster and using that to our advantage.”

Right-hander Chase Anderson is slated to come off the DL and start Sunday against the Rockies. With off days coming on Aug. 24 and 28, the Brewers could choose to option Woodruff to the minors and go with four starters until they need a fifth one again Sept. 2.