One big swing is all the Brewers needed, thanks to a dominant pitching performance

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Brewers pitcher Junior Guerra did not give up a run.

When a team is struggling to score runs, the pitchers have to step up and pick up the slack.

One thing has never changed in baseball: When the other team has zero runs, you never lose the game.

That's what happened at Miller Park on Tuesday night, when starter Junior Guerra and three relievers blanked Cincinnati to lead the Brewers to a 2-0 victory. The Reds, who pounded out 14 hits and scored 10 runs the previous evening, managed a measly three hits this time around.

When the pitchers are performing like that, you only need one big swing to win, and Mr. April provided it. Eric Thames, who looks forward to games in April the way children look forward to Christmas, did it again, belting a two-run homer in the sixth off Cincinnati starter Sal Romano.

For those scoring at home, that's a total of 17 home runs in April during his two seasons with the Brewers, with 12 more games to go before May arrives. Now you know why manager Craig Counsell jokes about giving Thames a calendar with all six months of the season labeled "April."

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The only thing more amazing than the way Thames hits homers in April is the way second-year lefty Josh Hader is dominating hitters out of the Brewers bullpen. For the second time in four days, Hader notched an old-school save by covering the final two innings.

Hader struck out three of the seven hitters he faced, which lowered his whiff rate for the season. Of the 41 hitters to come to bat against Hader, he has struck out an amazing 25.

Asked what he'd do if he had to face Hader, the Brewers' starting pitcher gave the best one-word answer of the season, in English, which is a second language for him.

"Nothing," Guerra said with a smile, unknowingly speaking for most hitters who step in the box against Hader.

Joey Votto, one of the best hitters on the planet, got ahead in the count, 3-1, with two down in the eighth inning against Hader, a spot most pitchers would fear. Instead, Hader pumped two straight fastballs across the plate, and Votto never took a swing in striking out.

Asked when he ever had seen Votto do that, Thames said, "Never."

"I laugh because I'm on defense," Thames said of watching Hader dominate hitters. "I'm just chuckling. It's crazy. You see the swings. Guys think they're on it and it's by them. They're looking in the mitt like, 'OK.' And the ball's going around the infield."

Beyond picking up a struggling offense that has scored only 22 runs in nine home games, Guerra has given the starting rotation a boost since coming up from Class AAA Colorado. In two starts, he has allowed five hits and one run in 11 innings (0.82 ERA), with five walks and 11 strikeouts.

This might not be Guerra vintage 2016 but it's a far cry from the injury-plagued prior season in which he pitched his way out of the rotation and back to the minors.

"We pitched beautifully tonight," Counsell said. "The first inning was a struggle for Junior. He didn't have fastball command. After that, he breezed for four innings; was really effective. He was outstanding.

"J.J. (Jeremy Jeffress, who pitched a hitless inning) is the other guy I'd mention. He has come in and done such a nice job against right-handed hitters. He is pitching at a really high level right now."

As for Hader, Counsell continues to look for the base ways to use him when he's available to pitch. He can't use him very often for two-inning saves without putting Hader at risk but isn't inclined to anoint him the closer with Corey Knebel on the DL, either.

"I'm not going to use him tomorrow; he will be off tomorrow," Counsell said. "We'll have to see what Thursday looks like. It's not always going to be multi-innings. The (other) team matters; the situation matters. It's not always going to be at the end. I didn't want to put him in the game until we had the lead.

"He's off to a great start; he's off to an incredible start. I'm not going to predict (his strikeout rate continuing). He's getting outs. He's getting them in a pretty dominating fashion right now. His first inning of work has been absolutely electric. We'll keep trying to put him in good spots and give him the proper rest. I think that's critical for him."

With so many other hitters struggling, the Brewers have been fortunate that Thames has made an impact despite batting only .224. He leads the club with six homers and nine RBI while putting together a .633 slugging percentage.

"When he gets a pitch to drive, he's doing damage with it," Counsell said. "We're hoping that his experience is going to help him moving forward this year. He's off to a good start. That's the main thing, whatever month it is."

Because hitting is more than hitting home runs, Thames has not been happy with his offensive production to date. He realizes there is room for improvement, on both his part and the rest of the lineup.

"We're still finding that groove," he said. "The whole team feels like we're on the brink of breaking out with a 10-run inning or something crazy like that. It's bound to happen."

Until it does, shutting out the opponent will do the trick every time.