HOUSTON -- Brewers right fielder Corey Hart for the most part was ambivalent about this week's move from the fifth spot in the batting order to leadoff, where he replaced an injured Rickie Weeks.

But there was one benefit. The move should give Hart a few more opportunities to steal bases.

"That's the best part about it," Hart said with a smile. "I should get to run a little bit more. A lot of times [hitting fifth] I'm on [base] behind [Ryan] Braun or [Prince] Fielder, and I can't steal as much as I want to."

Weeks and Hart were tied entering the series with 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts, but the 6-foot-6 Hart probably is the better basestealer. He stole 23 last season, his first full year in the Major Leagues. Three years ago, at Triple-A Nashville, Hart racked up 31 steals in 38 tries.

It's tougher now, Hart said, because he has lost the element of surprise. He works with first-base coach Ed Sedar and third-base coach Dale Sveum to pick up signals from pitchers and determine when to run.

"I get paid more attention to now," Hart said. "In the Minor Leagues, I could run all the time. Now, nobody is surprised, because they know I can run. I snuck up on people last year. The scouting is so good now, when I get on, you see people talking, managers signaling to their pitchers and infielders say, 'Hey, this guy can run a little bit.' It makes it a challenge."

Brewers manager Ned Yost elevated Hart to the leadoff spot mostly out of necessity. Yost did the same thing last season, and Hart batted .284 with 48 runs scored in 55 games in that role. However, Hart did only bat .255 with a .309 on-base mark when leading off the game.

It was Hart's first experience in that spot. He never batted leadoff in the Minor Leagues.

"I never saw myself as a leadoff hitter," Hart said.

Neither did Weeks, who fell into that role for Milwaukee because the team had few other options. Weeks was batting just .210 before he suffered a left knee injury on Friday, but he had a .325 on-base percentage and saw 4.10 pitches per plate appearance, among Major League Baseball's top 25 in that category and second on the team to Bill Hall's 4.22.

Hart entered Wednesday seeing 3.69 pitches per plate appearance.

"I probably won't take as many pitches as Rickie does, but at the same time, I have to take more than I normally would," Hart said. "Most pitchers know me, so they're going to throw me the same way no matter what."

Yost dismissed the idea that hitting leadoff will influence Hart's running game, even though it meant hitting after the pitcher's spot in every inning but the first.

"Why would it open up his running game? His running game is already open," Yost said. "The only guarantee he is going to have is an open base is the first inning, so, no. The law of averages say that he is going to be on base as many times with guys on as with guys not on."