NL Worst of the Night: Ryan Braun Takes the Collar, Going 0-for-5

Highlighting a bad performance from the previous night in baseball might seem like a harsh way to start the morning. But look at it this way: If you had a rough night or bad day, here's someone who may have had it worse.

The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Houston Astros, 9-6, on Tuesday night. So singling out a hitter from the winning team might be a bit harsh. But when the defending National League MVP goes 0-for-5 and leaves five runners on base, it's worth noting.

Braun has actually been on something of a hot streak, batting 5-for-10 with two home runs and four RBI in his last three games. That raised his slash average to a season-high .288/.362/.559. 

The Brewers lineup actually did a fine job of driving in runs ahead of Braun, with three batters hitting homers to put seven runs on the board. But Braun squandered an excellent opportunity to drive in some runs himself in the fifth inning.

With one out and runners on first and third, Braun hit into an inning-ending double play that prevented Milwaukee from adding to its 2-1 lead. The Brewers went on to pad that lead later in the game, but had the Astros been able to keep it close, that double play might have been played more of a factor in the final score.

Braun came to the plate two other times with a runner on second base, but couldn't come through with a hit. Obviously, no batter is going to cash in those chances every time they're available. But with a few more timely hits, he would easily have more than nine RBI for the season. 

We'll see if the Brewers can continue putting runners on base in front of him. If he keeps getting prime run-producing opportunities, he'll surely begin driving more of those baserunners in.

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