Bill

Hall

The Brewers decided against calling up J.J. Hardy, but at least they’re replacing Clayton with someone. Hall has a little value in NL-only leagues.

Hall had a nice stretch in May and June, batting .299 with 12 home runs during that span. He then severely tailed off in July, hitting .225 with just one home run. He’s 7-for-23 with two homers to start August, but we’re not expecting the power to remain there all season.

The Brewers tied the game after a Khalil Greene error led to an unearned run off Trevor Hoffman in the bottom of the ninth. Hall was hitting cleanup today with Carlos Lee getting his first day off of the season. He also doubled and walked.

Rickie Weeks and Hall hit back-to-back homers off Ryan Franklin in the eighth to give the Brewers a three-run lead. Hall, who has been starting regularly at shortstop while J.J. Hardy recovers from a sprained ankle, has 12 homers in 149 at-bats. He finished with 17 in 501 at-bats last season.

Hall has been decent in his second year at Indianapolis, batting .282 with a 742 OPS while switching back and forth between second and shortstop. Once considered Milwaukee’s shortstop of the future, Hall now looks like a potential utilityman. Since he may only be in the majors until the Brewers decide they need another pitcher, he’s not currently worth picking up.

It certainly seems like Hall is trying to be more patient at the plate. His 14 walks this month are a new high for his career, and he’s up to 42 walks in 405 at-bats this season. He had 20 walks in 390 at-bats in 2004 and 39 in 501 at-bats last year. If he keeps this up, he’s not going to have to hit for average to be a very valuable player.

Chris Barnwell replaced him in Sunday’s game.

“He’s been striking out a lot lately, and that’s a kind of a sign where they’re starting to drag a little bit,” Yost said. Chris Barnwell is the Brewers’ only alternative at shortstop. He started tonight.

If Hall receives a third straight start Thursday, it will be time to proclaim him Milwaukee’s starting shortstop. However, it seems likely that Clayton will be back in the lineup.

Hall opted out of his minor league contract with the Yankees on Wednesday and will now seek a spot on a different big league roster. The 32-year-old batted just .211/.261/.314 in 199 plate appearances last year but is claiming to be in much-improved physical shape.