Gindl more prepared for second big league stint

PHOENIX -- Needing a player to fill the roster spot vacated by right-hander Johnny Hellweg, the Brewers recalled outfielder Caleb Gindl from Triple-A Nashville on Thursday, balancing the club's roster with 12 pitchers and 13 position players.

The promotion marked Gindl's second callup to the Majors this season. He appeared in 10 games for the Brewers in June, collecting five hits in 20 at-bats.

"It feels great, I've just been down there working hard and trying to get back," Gindl said. "It'll definitely be a lot smoother this time. The first time I didn't know what to expect, just walking into the locker room and stuff like that."

In his last 10 games with Nashville, Gindl hit .421 (16-for-38). The 24-year-old credited a lot of the success to the experience he was able to take away from his first stint with Milwaukee.

"After coming up here and going back down, everything there feels a lot smaller," he said. "I'm just more relaxed. I didn't think it'd be that way, but I remember walking on the field and thinking, 'Wow, this is so much different now.' I didn't know what they meant by that when they said the game is faster up here, but it definitely is. When you go back down, you can really see the difference."

Gindl struggled a bit defensively his last time in the Majors, committing two errors in nine chances, but Brewers manager Ron Roenicke doesn't think that'll be an issue now.

"He's a good defender, he knows, he has learned from it," Roenicke said. "We're all going to make mistakes, I feel confident in him. If he makes a mistake this time, it's just something that happens."

Hellweg was optioned to Class A Wisconsin after tossing 4 1/3 innings and allowing four runs against the Reds on Wednesday.