In a matter of speaking, Ryan Braun stumbled out of the batter's box this spring, producing just one hit in his first 17 at-bats.
But the reigning National League MVP started for the Brewers in Friday's exhibition, and manager Ron Roenicke said the left fielder will be more of a fixture in the lineup as spring training winds down. Braun -- who went 1-for-2 in a 6-3 loss to the Angels on Friday -- recently revealed he has been dealing with a sore groin, but his manager wants to see the 28-year-old increase his workload during the team's final days in Arizona.
"He needs to pick up his at-bats," Roenicke said of Braun, "and we plan to do that. We want to get him out there more. And I think he's ready for it. Hopefully there won't be any more physical issues."
Braun has a rare amount of pressure on his shoulders this season. After hitting .332 with 33 home runs and 111 RBI in 2011, the face of Milwaukee's franchise was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for having tested positive for a banned substance. But the suspension was eventually overturned, and Braun found out just before spring training that he’ll start the season on time.
Despite the pressure on Braun to perform amid scrutiny, Roenicke believes Braun’s slow start at the plate during Cactus League play is simply due to his lingering injury.
"Anytime you have some kind of an injury," Roenicke said, "there's always a little caution there, which mentally plays into it."
Regardless, the manager said the Brewers plan to test Braun more extensively over the next few days.
"He would like to play back-to-back (games)," Roenicke noted. "So we'll see how (it) goes."
Marcum on the mend: Decision day is coming soon for the Brewers in regard to starting pitcher Shaun Marcum.
Marcum, a 30-year-old right-hander, has dealt with a sore throwing shoulder of late, making his scheduled appearance in this Sunday's exhibition one worth watching. The veteran is expected to throw three or four innings that day, and Roenicke will be monitoring his effectiveness closely.
"We better decide on whether he's gonna be ready or not," Roenicke said of Marcum, who went 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA in 2011.
Marcum, the team’s No. 3 starter, could end up on the disabled list, but Sunday’s start will go a long way toward determining whether he begins the season on Milwaukee's 25-man roster.
Hart monitoring: Right fielder Corey Hart, coming off March 6 surgery on his right knee, will also be watched closely in coming days. Like Marcum, Hart is also a candidate to start the season on the DL.
Roenicke, however, sounds encouraged by Hart's recent progress.
"He is coming along real fast," the manager said of Hart, who will turn 30 Saturday. "We may have him in the minor-league (exhibition) games. And the nice thing there is if we want to give him eight, nine at-bats in a game we can do it."
Hart, who hit 26 homers in 2011, is expected to test his knee soon in running drills. Then, he'll be put to the test at the plate -- with Brewers coaches keeping close tabs on his progress.
"If the at-bats are good and he's ready, that's gonna help us bring him back sooner," Roenicke said.
The Milwaukee Brewers provided interviews for this story.
