DETROIT – There hasn’t been much to smile about so far this season for Blake Perkins.
But the four-year veteran was able to turn his frown upside down on Tuesday night, April 21 by pulling a Jahmai Jones home run back while playing left field in the third inning and also scoring a couple runs and driving in another in an eventual 12-4 Milwaukee Brewers victory over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
“Obviously, my results have not really been there offensively,” Perkins said. “Just trying to have good at-bats. But what I can do is play defense. I can run the bases as best as I can. Getting the opportunity, making a play, having the guys get excited – it’s always a big deal and it makes me feel good.
“If I can contribute in any way, that’s always a great way for me.”
The Brewers were nursing a slim 3-0 lead in the third inning when the ex-Brewer Jones led off the Tigers’ half with a 387-foot drive to left-center off Kyle Harrison.
It came off the bat at 101.7 mph and sailed into the gap. Perkins, as smooth as they come defensively, trotted to the base of the fence, spun to his right, casually hopped off one foot and gloved the ball just before it would have dropped over the fence.
It would have been a homer in 18 of 30 ballparks and had an expected batting average of .410 off the bat.
But not this time.
BOX SCORE: Brewers 12, Tigers 4
“I thought I had plenty of room. I thought I was maybe on the warning track, but it kept going,” said Perkins, who logged five home-run robberies in a Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist season in center in 2024. “I’m not trying to sound too haughty, but it was probably a two or a three out of 10. Kind of a little grab. Kind of reminds me of a couple years ago – (Jarred) Kelenic at home.
“Kind of the same thing. I think that getting to the wall quickly helps me out a lot.”
Harrison, who’s been the beneficiary of some stellar defense played behind him in his starts so far this season, tipped his cap figuratively to Perkins after the game.
“I’m thinking, ‘Stay in, stay in. Hopefully it doesn’t have enough to keep going.’ And then I saw Perk just kind of chilling,” he said. “It just kept going and he put his arms up. That was a sick catch.
“Definitely really cool.”
Perkins struck out in each of his first two at-bats, drew a walk and scored in the seventh and then was credited with a run batted in when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth – not exactly what you’d call an impactful game with the bat, but still one that helped make a difference in what was arguably Milwaukee’s best all-around offensive performance of the season.
“Happy for him,” manager Pat Murphy said of Perkins, who’s hitting just .118 with an OPS of .426. He was included on the opening day roster after Jackson Chourio went down with a broken left hand. “He hasn’t had a lot of chances, a lot of things haven’t went his way. He’s hit some balls hard lately that have been caught.
“I’m really happy for him.”
Another Brewer that had been struggling at the plate, David Hamilton, snapped out of his funk in a big way with a career-best four hits – an effort that raised his average from .178 to .240.
Getting the start at shortstop, Hamilton bunted for a single in a three-run second, flew out to left in the fourth and then singled three more times in seventh, eighth and ninth. He scored two runs as well.
“I mean, four hits anytime is good to have,” Hamilton said. “Maybe some luck in there, but I’m feeling better and hopefully I can keep it going.”
Murphy, who’s been one of Hamilton’s biggest advocates since arriving in the February trade that sent Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox, will point to the 28-year-old’s .377 on-base percentage (10 walks to go along with his 10 strikeouts) and ability to swing between third base and shortstop as reasons he remains in the lineup most days.
“He’s done a great job of taking ownership,” he said. “He’s taken ownership of his game. He understands what we want out of him – he’s a tremendous baserunner, good defender and getting better offensively.
“He can be a force.”
In all, the Brewers pounded out a season-high 16 hits – 13 of which were singles. The breakthrough came in the eighth when 11 batters stepped to the plate, eight of the first nine reached base and seven scored.
“Our innings are a walk and an infield hit and a bunt and the pitcher’s out there like, ‘Wait a minute, I haven’t given up a ball out of the infield and the bases are loaded. Now I’ve really got to make pitches,'” Murphy said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Blake Perkins generates good vibes with his first home run robbery of 2026
Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
