Brewers believe Weeks about to get hot

MILWAUKEE -- It was the ninth inning on Tuesday at Miller Park. Tie game, one out, two men on base, including the winning run at second. Rickie Weeks, booed by the home crowd when he entered as part of a double switch an inning earlier because it meant Scooter Gennett's early exit, worked a full count against A's reliever Jerry Blevins.

The seventh pitch of the at-bat was a slider, somewhat up and somewhat in. Weeks connected, and the ball sailed deep to center field -- where it was caught by Oakland's Coco Crisp.

This close.

Was that at-bat emblematic of Weeks' emergence from a long, cold slump?

"He's been good -- the last three, four days, really good," manager Ron Roenicke said. "That's a really good sign if he's coming out of this thing. It's really important for our offense."

Gennett started a second straight game on Wednesday and Weeks, who didn't play in the 6-1 loss to the A's, began the day batting .196, including 4-for-46 with runners in scoring position and 0-for-23 with 12 strikeouts with runners in scoring position with two outs. Jeff Bianchi had already been getting starts at second base in place of Weeks when the Brewers promoted Gennett, the Brewers' sixth-best prospect according to MLB.com, on Monday morning. Gennett, Roenicke announced, would platoon with Weeks until someone got hot.

But Weeks may already be getting hot. Including his eighth-inning single on Monday that sparked the Brewers' tying, three-run rally, Weeks was 11-for-34 over his last 11 games, good for a .324/.361/.529 slash line.

"I know most of it has been against left-handers, so hopefully that continues, and we'll see what happens with Scooter," Roenicke said. "We'll figure that out as it goes."

The Brewers only face one more left-handed pitcher on this homestand: the Phillies' Cliff Lee on Friday.