Déjà vu: JBJ robs Albies in 2nd straight game
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MILWAUKEE -- Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies won’t miss seeing Jackie Bradley Jr. in the outfield now that the Braves have departed American Family Field after Sunday’s 10-9 Brewers win.
Bradley robbed Albies of a hit for the second straight day Sunday, making a twisting, leaping catch in left field in the second inning to deny Albies at least a base hit, and probably extra bases. It was the second time Albies was denied in the span of five innings between the teams; in the seventh inning Saturday night, Bradley made a leaping catch at the wall in center field to pull back what looked destined to be an Albies home run.
“I’ve always been a big fan of defense, so outstanding job moving all over the field -- left, center and right and being consistent all over the park,” said Lorenzo Cain of Bradley. “He's a huge, huge addition to this team. You know, he's a playmaker. It doesn't get any better than that. It's impressive to watch. It definitely gets me fired up. It makes me want to make a play, for sure.”
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Plays like that have helped buoy Bradley as he struggles at the plate in his first couple of months with the Brewers. Since signing a $24 million, two-year deal to give the Brewers a third Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder (with Cain and Christian Yelich), Bradley entered Sunday batting .161.
“It’s been a struggle, clearly,” Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said Sunday morning. “I think Jackie is working really hard to find the right timing to understand how they’re pitching him here. He’s seeing a lot of spin, clearly, and I think he understands that.
“I still think he’s going to get going. This is a good Major League player who has a track record of contributing on both sides of the ball. I think he’s going to get going and I know he’s working hard to get there.”