With the top three players in their lineup on the injured list, the Milwaukee Brewers' swing through San Diego and Chicago could have been a painful road trip.
But despite playing without Lorenzo Cain, Christian Yelich and Kolten Wong, the Brewers went 5-1 during that stretch and returned home Monday atop the National League Central Division, two games ahead of second-place St. Louis.
Nobody has benefitted from the Brewers' rash of injuries more than outfielder Billy McKinney. The former first-round pick played his way onto the roster with an offensive surge late in spring training and excelled off the bench in some early-season pinch-hitting appearances.
He's only hitting .171 (7-for-41) since moving into the starting lineup April 14, but his hits have come at important moments. He homered in each of the first two games of Milwaukee's three-game sweep against the Padres last week and his leadoff double in the ninth inning Sunday sparked a five-run rally in the Brewers' 6-0 victory over the Cubs.
The Brewers had high hopes for J.P. Feyereisen, a River Falls native and former UW-Stevens Point standout who posted a 5.79 ERA in six appearances last season. A hard-throwing right-hander with a fastball that averages 94 MPH, Feyereisen has emerged as a stabilizing presence in Milwaukee's bullpen and has yet to allow an earned run in 11 2/3 innings spanning 12 appearances.
Along the way, he's only given up four hits and has struck out seven.
Thanks to Omar Narvaez's success both at and behind the plate this season, as well as a lengthy stretch of facing right-handed starters, veteran catcher Manny Piña's playing time has been limited so far this season.
Piña has only appeared in 10 games but has contributed when called upon, including Saturday when he broke a 2-2 tie with a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the seventh off Cubs reliever Andrew Chafin.
The Brewers will increase capacity at American Family Field starting Saturday, and the Bucks will do it when the NBA playoffs get underway at Fiserv Forum later this month.
