Segura off to promising start

MILWAUKEE -- Brewers shortstop Jean Segura is searching for that good feeling again, the one that sent him to the 2013 All-Star Game but also eluded him a year ago. After a winter of tinkering with his swing, Segura's 2015 season is off to a promising start.

He had reason to feel good after hitting a 440-foot, two-run home run in the Brewers' 6-0 win over the Pirates on Saturday. Through five games, Segura owns a .400 batting average and a 1.138 OPS.

"As soon as you get that feeling, you're going to be comfortable no matter what," Segura said Saturday. "You don't care who's on the mound, who's pitching. You've got that feeling, you feel good."

His homer off Pirates starter Vance Worley came in Segura's 16th plate appearance. Last year, Segura didn't homer until his 88th plate appearance, and finished with only five home runs in 146 games.

"I made a lot of adjustments," said Segura, who has added more rhythm to his approach at the plate. "I've been working out with my hitting coach. I've just been working hard, trying to find a spot to put me in good position to hit the ball.

"[I'm trying] to look for the pitch that I can handle. Last year, they kept pitching in and I kept swinging at it. If you keep swinging it, they're going to throw there. Right now, I just walk in and try to see my pitch and attack."

Last year challenged Segura on and off the field. After turning down a contract extension during Spring Training, he got off to a slow start at the plate and tumbled toward the bottom of the Brewers' batting order. In July, his infant son passed away in the Dominican Republic. Segura's production suffered in every offensive category.

This year, manager Ron Roenicke sees signs of a rebound. In the field, Roenicke said, Segura is more assertive. At the plate, the small sample speaks for itself.

"I don't know whether he will hit like he did two years ago," Roenicke said, "but he's really swinging the bat well. Anything we get close to a couple of years ago is going to be huge."