NewsHits starting to fall for Hardy
Milwaukee (40-35) vs. New York (37-37), 6:05 p.m. CT
By Cash Kruth / MLB.com
06/28/09 6:29 PM ET
MILWAUKEE -- When J.J. Hardy drilled a long fly ball to center field Friday, he just had a feeling Giants center fielder Aaron Rowand would catch it. That's the way the 2009 season has gone for Hardy, the Brewers shortstop who has been mired in a season-long slump, hitting .220, nearly 40 points below his career average. But that ball he hit Friday ended up out of Rowand's reach -- landing over the center-field wall for a home run -- and maybe more important than a run on the board, it was a confidence booster for Hardy. "You just have that feeling that you're not going to have many hits, so when I hit that ball I thought Rowand was going to go back there and make a catch or something," said Hardy of the home run, which also was his 500th career hit. "When it went out, it was a good feeling." Brewers manager Ken Macha said he understood what was going through Hardy's mind as the ball was traveling through the air Friday. During the past few days Macha has said it seems that the hardest balls hit by Hardy get caught, while the softer hits fall in for base knocks. The hits have started to fall recently for Hardy, who entered Sunday hitting .316 in the past 10 games. An 0-for-4 day dropped his average to .286 in his last 11 games, but Hardy said his mindset at the plate has been much improved during his recent stretch. "It's a lot better. It's amazing what a simple hit will do for you," Hardy said. "When you hit balls hard and you're not finding holes, you feel like there are a thousand defenders out there." Coming off two stellar seasons for the Brewers -- including his 2007 All-Star appearance -- Hardy got off to a slow start in 2009. The 26-year-old shortstop hit .156 in April, but blazed through the first few weeks of May, hitting .328 with two seven-game hitting streaks. Lower-back spasms forced Hardy on the bench for four games in late May, but he returned with a three-hit performance in his first game back. Then came another difficult stretch for Hardy, who battled some confidence issues while going 10 straight games without a hit. "[Hitting has to do] a lot more to do with confidence than physical [adjustments], I've learned," Hardy said. "But it's still hard. As much as you tell yourself you need confidence and you need to believe, if you're not getting hits, it's tough to do it. You can tell yourself that, but you don't believe it." Hardy's hitless streak ended on June 15 with a single against Cleveland, breaking an 0-for-30 skid and leading to his current stretch. In the past 11 games, Hardy has not only raised his batting average more than 10 points, but also has raised his confidence. "I'm feeling a little better and I think that's what it takes," Hardy said. "When you can feel a little bit better and feel good and confident in the batter's box, good things seem to happen." Pitching matchupMIL: RHP Braden Looper (5-4, 5.16 ERA)
Looper pitched six solid innings in his last outing, against the Twins, but he took a no-decision in the Brewers' 4-3 comeback win. In the fifth inning, Looper was hit by a line drive off the bat of Carlos Gomez, but he remained in the game for the next two innings. As of Thursday, Looper was diagnosed with a contusion in his right triceps, but he is not expected to miss any starts. Looper is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in 47 appearances against the Mets in his career. He has just one start against New York, in 2007, when he gave up three runs on eight hits in six innings while with the Cardinals. NYM: RHP Fernando Nieve (3-0, 1.31 ERA)
Nieve keeps chilling opponents' bats, holding the Cardinals scoreless on three hits in six innings to improve to 3-0 in three starts in place of the disabled John Maine. Nieve has given up just 10 hits in 20 2/3 innings as a starter this season and has lowered his ERA to 1.31. Nieve is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA in three career appearances against the Brewers, including one start. Back on May 2, 2006, Nieve allowed four runs on six hits in seven innings at Miller Park, earning the win for the Astros. Tidbits
Assistant GM Gord Ash confirmed that the Brewers signed eighth-round Draft pick Chad Stang on Friday. Stang, a native of British Columbia, is an outfielder from Midland Community College in Texas. ... Third-base prospect Taylor Green was placed on the seven-day disabled list at Double-A Huntsville because of an oblique injury, Ash said. Green, another of Milwaukee's Canadian imports, missed the start of the year after undergoing wrist surgery but has 24 RBIs, a .301 average and a .382 on-base percentage through his first 33 games. ... Class A Wisconsin suffered a pair of serious injuries Saturday. Infielder Steve Braun, the younger brother of Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, fractured his ankle and will likely miss the rest of the season, his manager told the Appleton Post-Crescent. Meanwhile, the agent for outfielder Chris Dennis said that Dennis could miss four to six weeks after injuring a tendon in his ankle. Tickets
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• Tuesday: Brewers (Mike Burns, 0-1, 3.72) vs. Mets (Johan Santana, 9-5, 3.08), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: Brewers (Yovani Gallardo, 8-4, 2.86) vs. Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 5-3, 4.67), 1:05 p.m. CT
• Thursday: Brewers (Seth McClung, 3-1, 3.55) at Cubs (Ryan Dempster, 4-5, 4.09), 7:05 p.m. CT
Cash Kruth is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
