A little over a week ago, the Milwaukee Brewers always seemed to struggle when they put three runners on base. That detail could surprise the most recent rivals of the National League Central leaders.
The Brewers have hit five grand slams in their last eight games. The most recent was the work of Brice Turang, who capped a seven-run explosion in the fourth inning in a 7-1 win against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
“We made a huge adjustment with the occupied bases,” manager Pat Murphy joked after the game.
“It’s a secret plan — how to hit home runs with the bases loaded. That works. We bought it. It’s a recipe that was online, and we got our hands on it.”
In the history of Major League Baseball, only one team has ever managed to hit five grand slams in an eight-game span. That was the 2020 edition of the San Diego Padres, whose feat earned them the nickname “Slam Diego Padres.”
The Brewers lead the league with six grand slams this season. The San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles each started Sunday with five home runs with all bases loaded.
Turang’s grand slam was the Brewers’ fifth in a seven-at-a-time span with the bases loaded. In the eighth inning, Turang again came out with the bases loaded but struck out three times.
This is a spectacular turnaround for a team that posted a collective average of .164, with a home run in its first 64 opportunities with the cushions all occupied.
Turang was the one who started that wave of grand slams in the ninth inning of a 6-4 loss at San Diego on June 22. Last Monday, Rhys Hoskins’ sixth-inning grand slam gave the Brewers the lead for good in a 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers.
Jake Bauers hit a grand slam two days later in a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Rangers. Rookie Jackson Chourio hit his first career grand slam Friday to guide the Brewers to a 4-2 win over the Cubs.
It was Turang’s turn again on Sunday. Of his 12 career home runs, Turang has three with the bases loaded.
Turang paid tribute to his teammates who went on goal in front of him.
“To hit a grand slam, you first have to fill the cushions,” Turang noted.
“The guys are on the trail and we have quality at-bats. We try to hit the ball hard and we hit a few grand slams. It’s fun, my friend.”
The Brewers are having more success than in recent seasons when it comes to putting runners on the paths.
The Brewers finished Sunday’s game ranked fifth in the Major Leagues in batting average (.255) and fourth in on-base average (.332).
Last year, the Brewers finished first in the National League Central despite ranking 23rd in batting average (.240) and 17th in on-base average (.240). ,319).
The Brewers are averaging 4.8 runs per game, up from their 4.5 run average last season.
“I think our offense is pretty dynamic,” said Christian Yelich, who hit a two-run homer Sunday.
“We have athletic players across the whole hitting role — speed, guys who are really fast, guys who can hit with power, guys who have multiple strings to their bow. We never stop fighting during the match, putting pressure on the other team. It can happen at any time during the match. It happens quickly. It only takes a few throws to get a weird number on the scoreboard.”
2024-07-01 16:33:21
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