Donaldson powers Crew closer to NL Central title

ST. LOUIS -- The 2023 version of Josh Donaldson is like the action hero you don’t want to cross. He has a very particular set of skills.

One skill in particular -- hitting homers -- is what landed Donaldson with Milwaukee in the first place after an injury-marred start of the season with the Yankees, and twice now, Donaldson has delivered. His three-run, two-out home run in the first inning of Wednesday’s 8-2 win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium moved the Brewers another step closer to seeing whether that power pays off in the postseason.

“Ever since he’s been here, you could feel his presence,” said Brewers outfielder Tyrone Taylor, who added two home runs of his own including a solo shot in a rainy, four-run ninth. “He was the MVP of the league, you know? He’s been mashing for us. I was doing cage work today, just listening to him talk about his approach and about life really. It’s cool to be around him.”

“The ‘Bringer Of Rain,’ that’s how you describe it,” Brewers starter Adrian Houser said, referring to Donaldson’s nickname. “And it rained on us tonight.”

The numbers are rather jarring. Of Donaldson’s 22 hits this season, 12 are home runs. With the Brewers, he has homered twice in his first nine games -- both times for the lead on the way to a victory.

• Games remaining (10): at STL (1), at MIA (3), vs. STL (3), vs. CHC (3)
• Standings update: The Brewers (86-66) hold a seven-game lead over the Cubs (79-73) for first place in the National League Central. Milwaukee is the third-best division leader in the NL, meaning it would host a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series against the final Wild Card entrant starting on Oct. 3.
• Magic number: The Brewers' magic number over the Cubs to clinch the NL Central is four, and the magic number to clinch a playoff spot is three over the Marlins.

Donaldson isn’t going to win any batting titles this way, but he does have a role on a Brewers team which was desperate for an infusion of power, especially against the left-handed starters who have given them trouble. The Cardinals started a lefty on Wednesday for the second straight night, and for the second straight night, the Brewers won with some slug.

On Tuesday, it was William Contreras’ home run in the third inning and four successive doubles in the fourth. On Wednesday, it was homers from Donaldson in the first inning and Taylor in the fourth off Cards lefty starter Zack Thompson.

That’s how a hitter like Donaldson, with a .159 batting average in 157 plate appearances this season for the Yankees and Brewers, can make a positive impact for a surging Milwaukee team that has won 21 of 30 games since getting swept at Dodger Stadium last month.

“He’s a weapon, regardless of the amount of hits,” said Mark Canha, who had a three-run double in the ninth. “You have to hit homers in this game. You have to. Doubles and extra-base hits, you’ve got to slug if you want to win. You have to be able to do everything; you have to be able to walk and get on base, too. But if you’re not slugging, you’re not going to win a lot of games.”

The Brewers were seeking some slug when they signed Donaldson to a Minor League deal late last month, while he was rehabbing a calf injury with the Yankees. He attributed his strange numbers in part to the relatively small sample of plate appearances and said his focus is the same as it was during his days as an MVP contender: Have a quality at-bat.

“When I’ve been hitting balls, when I’m not missing them, the ball seems to be going out of the park,” he said.

It’s happening at an unusual rate. Consider that Donaldson has 12 home runs this season versus seven singles. At the moment, that represents the fewest singles for a hitter with double-digit home runs in AL-NL history, putting Donaldson in an eclectic group with the likes of Curt Casali (eight singles, 10 homers in 2015) and Hall of Famer Frank Thomas (eight singles and 12 homers during an injury-shortened 2005 with the White Sox). In Brewers history, the comparable seasons belong to “three true outcomes” slugger Russell Branyan, who had 13 singles and 12 home runs in 2008, and 14 singles and 11 home runs in 2004.

The difference between Donaldson and some other homer-or-bust hitters is that he is also providing solid defense at third base. One of his toughest plays Wednesday might have looked routine, but with Brewers reliever Joel Payamps trying to get through a tense eighth, with a run in, two runners aboard and the rain falling, Donaldson had to fight the falling rain and third base under his feet to make an inning-ending catch on a pop-up.

He called it “the most stressful one I’ve had in a long time.”

“It’s really nice to be in a good environment where the team is having success and to be a part of that and contribute to that,” Donaldson said. “There can’t be enough said to the way the guys have made me feel comfortable here. I’m being plugged into the lineup of a contender regularly. I don’t take that for granted.”