The Brewers fast start has them six games up on the No. 2 Cubs in the National League Central race. But a 3-7 stretch in which the young offensive core has managed just 3.5 runs per game (after averaging five per game previously) has prompted the Brewers to dip into their minor league system.

Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Bill Hall and Co. get a new partner in crime: third baseman Ryan Braun, who had been terrorizing the Pacific Coast League from day one of the season. Braun, 23, leaves the Triple-A Nashville Sounds with .342/.418/.701 numbers in 117 at-bats. His 10 homers and 12 doubles are the biggest reason he towers above the PCL in slugging percentage. Braun’s closest competitor, Sacramento’s Hiram Bocachica, was at .628.

With just three errors in 34 Triple-A games, Braun’s defense has come a long way from 2006, when he committed 31 errors in 118 games. It’s even come a long way from where it was in spring training, where Braun had four errors in seven games.