Brewers C Contreras fights through broken fingers on the plate

Milwaukee – The Brewer -Catcher William Contreras learns how to hit the ball hard as it deals with a broken left middle finger.

Contreras has played through this injury a large part of the season, which has affected the hit production of one of the top catchers of the game. But he has shot around one corner lately.

The two-time all-star went 4: 4 with two double pairs and scored a tie-reakend RBI single on Monday in the eighth inn of Milwaukees 5: 4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. In his last five games, he has gone 9: 16 on the plate.

“It was the William Contreras who ended in the top 5 of the MVP vote last year,” said Brewers manager Pat Murphy.

Contreras took fifth place in the MVP voice after led Milwaukee to a second NL Central title in a row last season. Contreras understands how much it means for this team, which explains why he also played almost every day every day while he faces this injury.

“I worked too hard to miss a day,” said Contreras. “I don't want to take two or three months off.”

Teammates appreciate contreras' ability to play pain. Contreras missed only three of Milwaukee's first 48 games this season after playing 155 games last year. Even if he does not catch, Contreras typically remains in the line -up in the line -up as a defined bat.

“It really shows his passion for one, played the game and also how important he thinks it is and how much he wants to win and be part of it,” said Pitcher Quinn Priest. “It's really easy to play and trust such a man.”

The brewers configured Contreras' catch the middle so that he can avoid feeling so much pain with every bad tip that he gets as he works behind the plate. Contreras continued to do an excellent job behind the plate, since Statcast tears it under the best catchers of the NL under the selection of potential base theft.

His injury had a greater impact on his hit. Contreras scored on April 13 with a 5-2 defeat in Arizona, but only received another goal on May 11th for an additional basis when he went deep again in a 4-2 victory in Tampa Bay. That was quite a drop for someone who won the Silver Slugger when the top catcher of the NL in the last two seasons.

Last week he looked more like his usual self on the plate. Contreras' surge began on Wednesday when he scored 3-of-4 with a double and scored four runs in a 9: 5 victory in Cleveland. This began a five-game route, in which its stroke average from 0.224 to 0.258 improved, its share of 0.333 has increased to 0.370 and its slugging percentage was improved from 0.322 to 0.371.

Although the metrics show that contreras did not hit the ball as hard this year as in the past seasons, he clearly progresses in this regard. All four of his goals on Monday had an exit speed of more than 100 miles per hour.

“It is difficult to hit a ball hard with this finger because sometimes there is pain,” said Contreras. “But I don't have to think too much about my finger because I will continue to play the rest of the season.”