Embracing a fluctuating role for much of the season, Joey Ortiz has maintained a team-first attitude about his place in the Brewers' lineup. His undeniable defensive ability has made him a mainstay for Milwaukee despite suffering through an offensive drought for much of the early season. However, the 28-year-old has found his rhythm and somehow become one of the most effective offensive players in baseball since the Fourth of July.
As mentioned during the Brewers vs. Dodgers broadcast on Aug. 15, Ortiz has led the National League in OPS since the Fourth of July (1.005), while batting .345 for 29 hits, four homers and 14 RBIs. His two-run blast opened the Brewers' win on the road in Los Angeles that night, setting the tone in a nationally broadcast game while accounting for half of the team's total runs in a win.
The Brewers desperately needed this turnaround from Ortiz as they hit an offensive lull in their season. Their Achilles heel on offense has been leaving runners stranded on base, doing enough to put themselves in scoring position, but failing to finish the job when they needed it. But if Joey Ortiz is going to start contributing like this on a regular basis, the Brewers' offense has a chance to surge down the stretch.
The offensive revival of Joey Ortiz can help the Brewers address their biggest concerns before the Playoffs.
Milwaukee's offense has fallen stagnant in this middle stretch of the regular season. Despite ranking fifth in the MLB in total runs on the season, they're tied for 14th in runs scored since the All-Star break with just 113. So the energy they're receiving from Ortiz and a few other batters is keeping them alive in some of these games. Frankly, if not for their elite defense and pitching, the Brewers could be falling in the standings.
So for Ortiz to inject this kind of energy into the lineup is a revelation at the most crucial stretch of their season. Milwaukee is facing off against some of the toughest competition in the league, and every run counts.
But it cannot be understated just how significant this turnaround has been. He was the anchor weighing down the Brewers' offense, hitting .181 with zero home runs for nearly 30 games to open up the year. Gradually, he regressed to the mean before truly taking off this summer. That's been the story of his tenure with Milwaukee over the last three seasons after starting his career in Baltimore.
So that might make it hard to believe he'll maintain this level of production. In fact, he'd ascend to a whole new level of national recognition if this were his new normal. But if he can at least level out his inconsistencies and build on the momentum from his recent success, Ortiz is going to solidify himself as an invaluable part of this Brewers lineup in all facets of the game.
Add us as a preferred source on Google