Kudos to anyone who recognized the “Camp Grenada” reference.

A few weeks ago, Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy expressed some frustration with his inability to sustain any kind of hot streak at the plate. He mentioned in an interview that he was having difficulty driving the ball, feeling as though the only hits he could muster were measly little singles.

These concerns can officially be put to rest, after Tuesday night’s game in Arizona. Hardy was entering the game with a 12-game hit streak, but perhaps more importantly he slugged 10 extra-base hits during that span. On Tuesday, against no less than Randy Johnson, Hardy smacked two home runs, giving the Brew Crew some early momentum against the lanky lefty.

Hardy is a notoriously streaky hitter. Brewers’ fans may recall Hardy’s outstanding performance during a month-long in April and May last season when he hit 14 dingers in just 33 games, earning him a selection to the AL All-Star Team. However, while the weather got hot Hardy got ice cold, hitting only three home runs in June and July, while he watched his batting average fall nearly 50 points after hitting .304 over the season’s first two months. In short, enjoy Hardy’s hitting heroics while they last, because another cold streak may be around the corner.

Hardy isn’t the only member of Milwaukee’s supporting cast who is contributing. Ten days ago, Rickie Weeks came back from his knee injury with a burst, going for multiple hits in three of five games upon his return. Jason Kendall has pushed his batting average back up into the .270s.

But the Brewer who has impressed me the most lately is none other than Bill Hall. Admittedly, Hall is only seeing spot starts against lefties, and his batting average has shrunk close to the Mendoza Line. But Hall is showing he’s a team player again, after making controversial comments through his agent that he would like to be traded. Several times in the past few games, Hall has been the first player out of the dugout to greet a teammate after a home run. Such acts of good sportsmanship should not be lost on Brewers fans, as they are the hallmark of nearly all successful teams.

Another reason for the Brewers recent success has been the emergence of young Manny Parra. Coming into the season, Parra was hyped along with the Reds’ Johnny Cueto as the starting pitcher most likely to win the Rookie of the Year Award. However, for Parra, getting his feet wet as a major leaguer was more like a drowning. In his first six starts, Parra produced a mediocre 5.86 ERA, winning only one of those games. But more disturbingly, during that time Parra was constantly pitching himself out of trouble, particularly as a result of too many bases on balls. His high walk totals prevented Parra from pitching deep into games and clearly caused him to lose confidence in his mechanics while on the mound.

Since then, Parra has shown dramatic improvement. In his past eight starts, he has improved his record from 1-2 to 8-2, lowering his ERA to 3.95 during that stretch. Despite these advances, Parra’s performance at home continues to be markedly better than his pitching on the road. Such drastic home/road splits are not uncommon for young pitchers getting accustomed to the major league lifestyle, but he will need to show that he can pitch in less friendly confines in order to pitch consistently over the course of a season. However, Parra’s convincing 2-hit victory in Minnesota on June 28 may be a step in the right direction.

Notwithstanding his recent success, walks continue to be a problem for Parra: in his past three starts (all wins), Parra has given up 14 walks, while only allowing 11 hits. You can bet that pitching coach Mike Maddux is teaching Parra to nibble less, and just go after hitters. Once these lessons take hold, there’s no telling what kind of success Parra will enjoy at the major league level.

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