Jesse Winker, mired in 2-for-25 slump, delivers a key two-run single off the bench
A run of three consecutive left-handed starters rolled out by the Los Angeles Angels this weekend has afforded Jesse Winker a bit of a breather.
In the midst of a 2-for-25 skid that had dropped his average to .212 and 1 for 15 on the homestand entering Saturday, Winker’s usual starts at designated hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers thus far have been spread out among Rowdy Tellez and William Contreras.
Winker had also driven only two runs since April 5 and is still searching for his first home run.
“I don’t have any excuse right now for my performance, other than I haven’t been playing the way I want to play,” he said. “It’s not because I’m DHing, it’s not because of, really, anything. It’s just because I’m not doing some things that I should be doing, and that’s just the nature of the game.”
Winker racked up seven RBI in a five-game span in early April then was sidelined by a nasty bout of bronchitis followed by a sore side right side that resulted from bouts of coughing.
“He’s been in a little slump since then,” manager Craig Counsell. “That's part of the season. You have a little struggles and you come out of it. He’ll help us win a lot of games.”
And indeed, only a few hours after Counsell made his comments Winker helped the Brewers beat the Los Angeles Angels, 7-5, with a two-run, pinch-hit single in the fifth inning.
"It's just a big spot in the game," Counsell said afterward. "We've got a rally going and you just kind of go for it. It's early in the game but you go for it, and Jesse fell behind but had a good at-bat."
Winker is coming off neck and knee surgery, part of the reason he is yet to see even an inning in the outfield after starting 113 games in left last year for the Seattle Mariners.
The understanding when he was traded to the Brewers in the offseason was that he’d see the bulk of his playing time at DH, and it’s a role he filled on a full-time basis in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when he was with the Cincinnati Reds.
He acknowledged there was a bit of a transition period for him then.
Now, Winker says, there are no such issues.
“It actually took me a minute,” said Winker, who hit .255 with 12 homers, 23 RBI and a .932 OPS that year. “I was in a little bit different mind set back then. It was the best thing for the team at the time. It was very similar to this – the guys that were playing defense were better than me at defense.
“(Being a DH) is just something I don’t think too much about. It’s going to be a position that I need to get comfortable with, and I don’t have a problem doing that. I expect I’ll get better at it as the season goes on.”
One positive is Winker said he’s feeling no residual effects from either offseason surgery. The procedure he had on his neck in particular was a serious one.
“Body overall is feeling solid,” he said. “Now, it’s keep the head down and keep working.”
Javy Guerra traded back to Tampa Bay
Return to sender.
And so it goes for Javy Guerra, the erstwhile Brewers reliever who on Saturday was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a player to be named or cash.
If the deal sounds familiar, that's because it's the second time it's happened – the Rays sent the right-hander to the Brewers last Nov. 18 in exchange for a player to be named that wound up being minor-league pitcher Victor Castaneda.
The Brewers liked Guerra's stuff and peripherals but in 10 appearances out of the bullpen he racked up an 8.64 earned run average and WHIP of 2.28. The 27-year-old had no options remaining, so Milwaukee designated him for assignment following a blowup outing in last Sunday's loss to the Boston Red Sox.
After going unclaimed on waivers Guerra now winds up going back to the Rays, where he experienced his greatest success – 3.38 ERA in 17 appearances last season – and the Brewers might well end up facing him in a few weeks when they travel to Tampa Bay (May 19-21).
Adrian Houser, Tyrone Taylor close to returning
After making his fourth rehab start at Class AAA Nashville, right-hander Adrian Houser (groin) is back with the Brewers and awaiting word on when he'll be added back to the 26-man active roster.
It remains to be seen whether he'll return as an option to start games or as a reliever. He went 0-1 with a 3.07 ERA and WHIP of 1.50 in 14 ⅔ innings.
"He's back here in Milwaukee with us and we'll determine what's next here for him," Counsell said. "But obviously, it means he'll be activated at some point."
Also, outfielder Tyrone Taylor (elbow) is four games into a rehab stint with Nashville and should be in the mix to rejoin the Brewers in the near future as well. Entering Saturday he'd doubled and tripled to fuel a .250 average .
"Everything's going well," Counsell said.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jesse Winker, mired in 2-for-25 slump, delivers key two-run single
