From the moment he was announced as part of the deal to bring Zack Greinke to Milwaukee, Yuniesky Betancourt has been among the leading candidates for Public Enemy No. 1 among Brewers fans.
Betancourt was hitting .238 when manager Ron Roenicke held him out of the Brewers' 4-3 victory in Colorado – the second straight game he was out of the starting lineup. Since then, though, Betancourt has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball.
Entering play tonight against the Dodgers, Betancourt carries a five-game hitting streak, has hit safely in 23 of his last 25 games and is batting .270 with nine home runs and 51 RBI. In his last 47 games, he's 57-170 (.335) with four homers and 21 RBI and was named the team's player of the month for July.
"He's driving in runs, had a big homer (Saturday) night," Roenicke said. "A lot of hard outs, too. He's not chasing as many breaking balls down in the dirt like he was earlier. He is doing a lot of things offensively where you can say why he's improving."
Negotiations continue with draft picks: The clock is ticking towards an 11 p.m. deadline to sign first-round draft picks Taylor Jungman and Jed Bradley.
It's not uncommon for draft picks to wait until the final hours to reach agreement as they are often willing to trade minor league experience for signing bonus dollars. Only a handful of the top picks had signed heading into the weekend and Brewers scouting director Bruce Seid says that's to be expected.
"These things usually go down to the last day," Seid told reporters over the weekend. "We continue to talk to both guys."
Weeks improving: Second baseman Rickie Weeks, out since July 27 with a severely sprained ankle, took ground balls late last week as he continues to work his way back from injury.
The balls were hit directly at Weeks, preventing him from having to move from side to side much, but the Brewers' coaching and medical staff were pleased with Weeks' progress.
"He looked normal fielding ground balls," manager Ron Roenicke told reporters after the workout. "He was catching it. He was sliding his feet in front of him. He's farther along than we thought he was."
There is still no word on when Weeks might be able to return to the team or when he would begin any kind of rehab assignment.
Quick hits: The Brewers have the best record in baseball (25-9) since July 6 ... With a victory tonight against the Dodgers, Milwaukee will be 20 games over .500 for the first time since September 10, 2008 ... Brewers starters are 53-30 this season, trailing only the Phillies for best record and winning percentage in the National League ... Milwaukee is 21-24 when not hitting a home run this season ... In one-run games, the Brewers are 26-15 ... In his last eight appearances, Kameron Loe has not allowed a run and has held opponents to a .080 batting average ... Roenicke has used 87 different lineups this season.
Attendance (through 59 home dates): Total – 2,164,671; Average – 36,689; Sellouts – 22.
This week: The Brewers wrap up a seven-game home stand tonight with the first of four against the Dodgers at Miller Park. Friday, it's off to the Big Apple where the Mets await to kick off a seven-game road trip.
