Braun speaks loudly, carries big stick

In baseball, perspective can change in just a couple of days.

After the Brewers got knocked around in an 11-4 loss at Philadelphia Tuesday, Ryan Braun told reporters that, in a nutshell, the Brewers weren't playing very well.

"They're a good team," Braun told the local paper. "They're very well-rounded. They have great starting pitching, a great bullpen. They swing the bats well, they play good defense.

"Right now, we're not doing any of those things well. You combine the fact that they're good at everything and we're good at nothing, it's not going to be a very pretty outcome."

The next day, Milwaukee turned things around with a 3-1 victory over the Phillies in Game 2 which, in turn, sparked a four-game winning streak and the Brewers' first two series victories of the season. After the fourth straight victory, a 9-8, 11-inning job at Houston, Braun was singing a much different tune.

"We're right back to where we need to be. We dealt with some adversity early in the year, but we're playing really well right now," he said. "We're headed in the right direction as a team."

Braun is a big reason for the turnaround. After a slow start, Braun has been on a tear and leads the team with a .338 average and 13 RBI. On the road trip, Braun hit .457 with four homers and 11 RBI. The day of his original remarks, Braun went 5-for-5 with two home runs and he had four hits Friday night against Houston.

"I'm feeling good, seeing the ball well and not trying to do too much," Braun told Anthony Witrado of the Journal Sentinel on Saturday. "I knew that eventually I'd go on some type of streak like this."

(onmilwaukee.com)