Brewers’ Hiura heating up as spring training winds down

Keston Hiura, Brewers first baseman (⬆️ UP)

Hiura blasted a pair of opposite-field home runs Tuesday afternoon during Milwaukee’s 9-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both dingers were smashed off Dodgers All-Star right-hander Walker Buehler. It was Hiura’s first time exiting the park since Feb. 28, the opening exhibition game of the 2021 Cactus League. If Hiura, who is batting .235 in spring training (8 for 34), can get his offense back to where it was in 2019, the Brewers could do some damage this season.

Greg Gard, Badgers head coach (⬇️ DOWN)

For a night, Gard’s Wisconsin team looked like the best in the country. The Badgers played nearly a perfect game in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, beating North Carolina 85-62 while shooting 48.1% from 3-point range. That didn’t last long. Wisconsin was beaten down by Baylor, the No. 1 seed in the South Region, by a score of 76-63 on Sunday. Wisconsin committed an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers against the Bears, and a season that had so many high hopes when it tipped off in November came to an early end.

Pat Connaughton, Bucks forward (⬆️ UP)

The Bucks were navigating without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo against Indiana on Monday night, as the back-to-back NBA MVP sat out with a knee injury. However, the cast of supporting actors around the Greek Freak stole the show. Three players – Connaughton, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton — scored 20+ points, and Bobby Portis chipped in 18. For Connaughton, he poured in 20 points off 7-of-9 shooting and nailed 6 of 7 attempts from downtown. Connaughton also racked up nine boards and two assists. It matched his best scoring effort over his three seasons in Milwaukee and was just four points shy of his career high 24, set Oct. 18, 2017 with Portland.

Green Bay Packers secondary (⬇️ DOWN)

For those who thought the Packers were getting an addition by subtraction by letting cornerback Kevin King walk in free agency are now eating their words. Green Bay brought back the 2017 second-round pick on a one-year deal worth $6 million Tuesday. King will compete for the Packers No. 2 cornerback spot once again, but by the way he finished last season, it’s far from a guarantee Green Bay will trust him with that role.

Omar Narvaez, Brewers catcher (⬆️ UP)

Milwaukee signed Narvaez before the 2020 campaign for his offense. Over his first four MLB seasons, Narvaez notched a .276/.361/.411 slash line with 34 homers in 353 contests. But in 2020, Narvaez slumped to a .176/.294/.269 slash line with two homers and 39 strikeouts in 126 plate appearances. Has he found his swing again? We don’t like to overvalue spring training stats, but Narvaez is batting an encouraging .346 (9 for 26) with three homers, three doubles, and five walks compared to eight strikeouts.