Ryan Braun resting; part of "The Plan"

St. Louis -- Just spoke to Ryan Braun in the clubhouse here at Busch Stadium and there's nothing nefarious going on with regard to his night off.

"I'm good. Just a day off," he said. "We talked about it last night. It's still kind of part of our plan with this hamstring thing to just try to stay as close as possible to 100 percent."

With regard to the timing -- the Brewers eyeing a possible sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals -- Braun said the focus is on the bigger picture. Specifically, keeping him healthy the rest of the way.

"The goal is to be as close to 100 percent for as many games as possible," he said. "If taking one game now allows us to do that, then I think it's in my best interest and the team's best interest.

"Plus, whenever (Mark) Kotsay plays, it seems like he does well, so I have plenty of belief in his ability to go out there and contribute and help us win."

Kotsay, as Braun mentioned, will take Braun's place in left and in the No. 3 hole in the lineup. With right-hander Chris Carpenter going for the Cardinals, Kotsay's left-handed bat should help.

Braun entered Thursday 1 for 9 in the series (.111) and 6 for 23 (.261) with one RBI on the road trip.

"Overall, I feel great. But I think the timing of the day off works -- the last couple nights I haven't swung the bat too well," he said. "Sometimes when you go though something like that, you get a day off, you feel better physically. And mentally, it's nice to get a break once in a while."
Braun, by the way, is 4 for 18 (.222) with a home run and two RBI career against Carpenter.

"I've done OK. Not great," he said. "I don't think anybody has really done great against Carpenter. He's obviously been one of the tougher pitchers in the league his entire career."

Interesting to note that Carpenter is 0-2 with an 8.18 ERA in two starts against the Brewers this season.



(jsonline.com)