As everyday player, Davis swinging hot bat

CINCINNATI -- There wasn't much consistency for Brewers left fielder Khris Davis in the first 15 appearances of his Major League career.

Bouncing between Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville this season, Davis started just two of those games, with most of his opportunities coming as a pinch-hitter. He went 3-for-17 (.176) with two doubles, a walk and nine strikeouts.

Then, on July 22, Ryan Braun was suspended 65 games for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Treatment and Prevention Program, and Davis was called up the next day. In the 23 games he's played since then, he's started 14. He entered Saturday batting .386 in that stretch, driving in 17 runs and hitting eight homers, including his first career multi-homer game in Friday's 6-4 win.

"I think, early on, when we were playing him not very often and he was just getting that one pinch-hit appearance, it's a different guy," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "It's a different game. It's really hard to do. He was chasing stuff. But right now, he's really good."

Davis made his ninth straight start on Saturday, and extended his hit streak to 10 games with an RBI double in his first at-bat. He said the regular playing time has been crucial to his success.

"Now that I'm getting it, I'm just having fun with it, being loose out there and doing whatever I can do to help the team win," Davis said.