Hellweg makes good first impression

Milwaukee must have thought highly of Johnny Hellweg to get him included in a trade for Zack Greinke. His first start with the organization Wednesday did a lot to justify that opinion.

Making his debut for Double-A Huntsville, Hellweg allowed just one unearned run on one hit and two walks while fanning seven over five innings to lead the Stars to a 5-1 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Hellweg (1-0), one of three players dealt from Los Angeles for Greinke, said he'd hoped to impress in his first start with the new club.

"I knew there was going to be a little bit of jitters, but I just kind of visualized it before the game and knew I was going to go out there and do well," he said. "I started off a little rough, the fastball command wasn't there. But after the first few guys I faced I settled down, curveball started working, changeup was there when I needed it. It felt really good."

Now Milwaukee's No. 6 prospect, Hellweg said getting traded surprised him, but he understood the reasoning behind it and appreciated that the Brewers had seen that value in him.

"It was kind of crazy, I'd heard a few [rumors] from the guys on the team, they were joking around with me, playing cards. Then they called me into the manager's office and told me I was traded. I was kind of shocked," he said. "Look back on it, though, it's best for both sides. I'm happy to be with the new team and make the most of the opportunity."

The 6-foot-9 right-hander posted a 3.38 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 60 walks in 119 2/3 innings for Double-A Arkansas before moving on to Huntsville. Last season with Class A Advanced Inland Empire, he fanned 113 in 89 1/3 innings and sported a 3.73 ERA.

Hellweg said he's taken pride in the workload he's been able to manage, throwing at least six innings in eight of his previous nine starts before Wednesday. While pitching more efficiently has led to a slight dropoff in his strikeout numbers, he's begun working to set hitters down with more frequency again.

"[Striking batters out] hasn't been one of my main focuses. My goal is to keep the pitch count low and go deep into the game," he said, "but more recently I've focused on getting ahead in the count, getting into a good strikeout count and reaching for it if it's there."

On Wednesday, Daniel Meadows and Kyle Heckathorn threw two no-hit innings apiece to preserve the one-hitter for the Stars. Hellweg said he was impressed by the job his new teammates performed.

"They did a fantastic job," he said. "I saw only good things from these guys. I knew when I came out of the game it was in good hands."

Shortstop Jean Segura, who also came over in the Greinke trade and now ranks as the Brewers' top prospect, went 2-for-3 with a double and a run. In four games with Huntsville, Segura is 7-for-16 with two doubles and two RBIs.