McGehee on his hitting slump

The last thing most slumping hitters want to do is discuss their struggles with a couple of reporters. Casey McGehee felt quite the opposite on Wednesday afternoon.

“Talking about it right now, it’s almost…” he said, struggling to find the right word.

Cathartic.

“It almost puts me at ease talking about it,” McGehee said. “Because as I’m talking to you guys, I’m kind of reminding myself of some of the things I do when I’m going well that you overlook when you’re in the heart of it. You get more focused on the outcome rather than how you’re going to get to that point.”

His outcomes have not been very positive of late — hitless in his last 10 at-bats, and three for his last 23. Manager Ron Roenicke left McGehee out of the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale in Cincinnati

Through the season’s first two months, McGehee was on a pace to bat .246 with 12 home runs and 68 RBIs. Last season, his first full year in the Majors, he batted .285 with 23 homers and a team-best 104 RBIs.

“As much as I hate going through this stuff, it’s definitely a good lesson,” he said. “I think it’s helping me mature as a player overall. Of course, there have been days where I’m at my wits end and want to go break stuff, but in the long run, coming out of this is going to make me better.”

Check Brewers.com later for McGehee’s thoughts on why he’s hitting more ground balls this season, and Ron Roenicke’s explanation for why today was the day to rest his regular third baseman.

*

Follow Brew Beat on Twitter.