Branyan was torching Pacific Coast League pitching. He was fifth in the league with a .359 average and led the league with 12 home runs to go with 36 RBI for Class AAA Nashville.
A key reason for Branyan's return is the fact that he hits left-handed. Among Brewers regulars, only Prince Fielder bats from the left side.
Branyan will share time at third base with Bill Hall, who has been abysmal this season against right-handed pitching. Hall has a .158 average against righties, but is hitting .409 against lefties.
After spending 2004-2005 in Milwaukee, Branyan, 33, bounced around the majors; playing for Tampa Bay, San Diego, Philadelphia and St. Louis.
Branyan, who lives in Nashville, signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers in the winter and wasn't promised a spot on the big league roster.
"Going back to minor league spring training, he went about it right and worked his way back to the big leagues," manager Ned Yost said. "You've got to give him credit."
In his first game back with the Brewers, Branyan went 2 for 3 with a walk against Washington.
Gwynn sent back to Nashville: To make room for Branyan on the roster, the Brewers sent outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. back to Nashville.
Gwynn saw limited playing time this season, starting six games and spending 15 days on the disabled list. He was batting just .200 (7 for 35) with four walks, an RBI and six strikeouts.
The Brewers are hoping that playing every day in the minors will keep Gwynn fresh for a future call-up.
"We have a lot of plans for Tony in the future, and we don't want him sitting here losing his skills," Yost told reporters after Saturday's game, a 5-1 victory over the Nationals. "It's tough, but he's got to play. It's not fair to him, and it's not fair for us to let him sit here."
Should Gwynn produce at Nashville the way the Brewers expect, he will figure into their future plans. If not, his future with the organization could be in limbo, as he will be out of options after this season.
Frequent fliers: During a recent trip to Nashville, general manager Doug Melvin told players that they need to be ready for anything this season.
"There are guys in Nashville that I told to be ready, because (they) may be up and down two, three or four times," Melvin told MLB.com. "It's a year where they just have to be ready."
Branyan is the fourth player summoned from the minors in the last week. Mark DiFelice and Zach Jackson joined the team last week in Boston while Tim Dillard was called up Thursday when Eric Gagne was placed on the disabled list.
"We're hitting some bumps in the road, and we're not afraid to try some things."
McClung starts off strong: Making his first start in two years, Seth McClung sacrificed some of his velocity in exchange for more accuracy and control Saturday night.
He allowed just two runs on four hits in five innings, but picked up the victory as the Brewers beat Washington, 5-2.
McClung replaced Carlos Villanueva in the rotation, after the right-hander struggeled with consistency this season. Villanueva was moved to the bullpen where he experienced success last season.
"We'd sure welcome that production," Yost told reporters afterwards. "It'd be a big boost to have some consistency up and down our starting rotation."
Finding a groove: His batting average is still teetering close to the Mendoza Line, but Rickie Weeks is starting to get into a rhythm at the plate.
The second baseman saw his seven-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 outing against the Nationals Saturday. During the streak, Weeks hit .370 with two home runs and five batted in.
He did reach safely Sunday, after being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning to continue a Brewers' rally. His on-base percentage is .339 but he's still hitting just .207.
No relief in sight: Derrick Turnbow's struggles continue in the minor leagues. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 14.65 ERA in six outings with Nashville.
He's allowed seven runs on five hits and has issued 15 walks in 4 1/3 innings of work.
With a salary of $3.2 million this season, it's highly unlikely that the team will release Turnbow, who is in the final year of a three-year contract.
"As long as we're paying him what we're paying him, there's no sense in doing that," general manager Doug Melvin told the Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt. "It's not like he's taking somebody's job."
Decision time looms: Jeff Weaver has one week left until he can request a release should he not be called up to the majors. The right-hander was signed to a minor-league contract early in the season and has done little since joining Nashville.
In five starts, Weaver is 1-2 with a 6.52 ERA. His allowed 31 hits and eight walks over nine innings of work.
Davis returns: Former Brewer Doug Davis was stellar in his first start since returning from thyroid cancer.
Staked to a 5-0 lead as he took the mound, the left-hander allowed a run on five hits over seven innings with four strikeouts in Arizona's 11-1 victory over the Braves.
It was Davis' first start since April 8. He had his thyroid removed on April 10th and doctors declared him cancer-free earlier this month.
Speaking of former Brewers pitchers, left-hander Dana Eveland threw his first complete game earlier this week as Oakland defeated Tampa, 9-1 last Wednesday. Eveland allowed just three hits and is 4-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 10 starts this season with the A's.
Drafted by Milwaukee in 2002, he pitched for the Brewers in 2005 and 2006 and was sent, along with Davis, to Arizona in a deal that brought Johnny Estrada, Greg Aquino and Claudio Vargas to Milwaukee.
Quick hits: LHP Brian Shouse has not allowed a run in his last 10 appearances. ... LF Ryan Braun sat Sunday. He was suffering from a head cold and had just one hit in his last 12 at-bats. ... OF Mike Cameron has hit safely in seven straight games. He's batting .387 (12-for-31) during that stretch. ... OF Corey Hart has hit five home runs in the last eight games after hitting just one in the first 41 contests this season. ... Since being called up, RHP Tim Dillard has not given up a hit in two appearances (3 IP).
Injury report: RHP Eric Gagne received a cortisone injection in his ailing right shoulder Friday and was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He will not throw for several days while the shot takes effect, but he doesn't expect to need the full 15 days to recover. ... RHP David Riske is eligible to return from the DL on Friday.
On the farm: LHP Brae Wright tossed seven strong innings and five players collected three hits apiece to lead a 19-hit attack in Class AA Huntsville's 11-6 win over Birmingham Saturday. ... Class A West Virginia allowed 17 hits in a loss to Lakewood Sunday. ... Class A Brevard County has lost six of its last 10 games. ... LF Matt LaPorta leads the Southern League with 12 home runs while teammate Mat Gamel is batting a league-best .374.
He said it: "We're just not getting it done and winning ballgames. We're either not scoring runs or giving up too many runs." -- Yost, on his team's inconsistent play this season.
This week: The Brewers wrap up a four-game, wrap-around series at Washington with a Memorial Day matinee before finally returning to Milwaukee Tuesday, when the Brewers open a nine-game home stand; their longest so far this season.
N.L. Central standings (through games Sunday): 1, Chicago, 29-21; 1 (tie), St. Louis, 30-22; 3, Houston, 29-23 (-1), 4, Pittsburgh, 24-26 (-5); 5, Milwaukee, 23-27 (-6); 6, Cincinnati, 23-29 (-6½) .
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