August 7th, 2024
Adam McCalvy
@AdamMcCalvyATLANTA -- Willy Adames is 112 games down, 50 to go in his quest to start all 162 for the Brewers -- and he doesn’t appear to be losing steam.
On a four-hit, four-RBI night, Adames backed Brewers right-hander Colin Rea’s brilliant start by launching a pair of two-run home runs in the first three innings of Tuesday’s 10-0 win over the Braves at Truist Park, teaming with Rea (seven scoreless innings) and catcher William Contreras (three extra-base hits, four RBIs) to give Milwaukee a needed breather amid a tough stretch.
“We’re just going to continue to grind,” Adames said. “I think today set the tone that we are really good and we can continue to be good.”
Adames did his part to make it a carefree night for the visitors, who led 3-0 before the Braves came to bat, 6-0 in the third after Adames hit his second homer off Atlanta starter Bryce Elder and 9-0 by the sixth. In a contract year, the 28-year-old shortstop is chasing a goal that’s partly personal, and partly about the team.
Adames is one of six players this season who have started every team game, with the Braves’ Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson, the Red Sox’s Jarren Duran, the Phillies’ Nick Castellanos and young Royals star -- and fellow shortstop -- Bobby Witt Jr.
In Brewers history, it’s a similarly short list. Adames is bidding to be the fifth player in franchise history to start every team game in a season, with Prince Fielder (2009 and ‘11), Richie Sexson (‘03), Robin Yount (1976 and 1988) and Gorman Thomas (1980). Fielder in ‘11, Yount in ‘88 and Thomas all had some starts as the designated hitter to help; Adames is trying to do it the old-fashioned way by making all of his starts in the field.
“It’s lost in our game today,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “We don’t raise them to play every day. Even our Minor Leaguers play five out of seven days. Willy comes from the school of, ‘If I’m upright, I’m going to play.’”
Adames has been playing well. After a chilly June (Adames hit .167 for the month with a .592 OPS), he has heated up since the start of July to the tune of a .321 average and a .940 OPS over his past 28 games.
Adames has been angling to be the literal version of an everyday player ever since he arrived in Milwaukee via trade in May 2021, and he made that desire known to coaches. But a quad injury dashed his hopes in ‘22, and then he had a scare in ‘23 when he was struck in the head by a batted ball while leaning over the dugout rail.
This season, however, he has been healthy and able to give it a shot. Only once this season has his name not been in the lineup -- June 2 against the White Sox. Adames and Contreras, who were both initially absent, convinced Murphy that day to put them back on the card, and Adames has been listed in the lineup every day since.
“You work hard, you prepare yourself,” Adames said. “But at the end of the day, you don’t know what’s going to happen on the field. I’m praying that this year continues to be good and we can do it. The body feels good.”
An occasional afternoon nap helps. Adames has made napping part of his pregame routine, especially at home, where the Brewers have a dedicated quiet area for players. On the road, it can be more difficult, but Adames manages to catch some Z’s thanks to club athletic trainer Theresa Lau, who lets Adames use the women’s locker room as a nap zone while she’s busy caring for other players.
The one in Washington, D.C. is a particularly nice place for a nap, said Adames, who recharged there on the Brewers’ last stop of this trip.
“It’s been incredible to see how he’s done it,” Murphy said. “One day he looks tired, and then the next day [is a team day off], and then bang, he hits three balls right on the screws and beats out another hit and plays impeccable defense. That’s what a good player does.”
The third ball on the screws Tuesday was nearly a third home run in the eighth inning. This one made it only to the warning track, where it briefly settled into the glove of Braves center fielder Jarred Kelenic before popping out when Kelenic ran into the wall. Initially called out, Adames was awarded a single after the Brewers challenged the call.
Add it to Adames’ resume. He’ll be able to shop his services around the league when he reaches free agency this fall.
“He’s going to get paid a lot of money,” Murphy said, “and he deserves it.”
