59 John Axford, RP

Brewers reliever John Axford could be headed to the minors to work out his struggles if he doesn't get back on track soon, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Manager Ron Roenicke has stood by Axford throughout his struggles, but admitted there have been discussions about sending him to the minors. Roenicke said it could happen, but "hopefully it won't." Axford has a 9.00 ERA and a 7.15 FIP in 15 innings.

Brewers reliever John Axford gave up another run in his appearance on Tuesday night against the Pirates and suffered his third blown save. The right-hander has a 9.20 ERA through 14 2/3 innings pitched.

"I definitely am frustrated," Axford told MLB.com on Wednesday. "I can't lie about that, but I feel strong, I feel good and that's where I've got to keep building off of. The first four games of this season, that wasn't me, and that's something I can get a wash too and brush that away. I felt different; my mechanics weren't quite right."

Manager Ron Roenicke said he has been confused by Axford's struggles thus far.

"I don't know; it's hard to figure out," Roenicke stated. "We still have confidence in him, and nothing seems to go right. So we'll see."

Brewers reliever John Axford took another step back as he failed to make it out of the eighth inning Sunday afternoon against the Cardinals.

Axford gave up a single and walked the next two batters before surrendering a one-out, run-scoring single to Tony Cruz.

"Mechanically, the ball felt good coming out," Axford said. "Today was one of those days where I just didn't physically feel like myself."

The right-hander watched his ERA rise from 9.49 to 9.95 after Sunday's abysmal outing. Manager Ron Roenicke has not considered sending him down to minors to work on his mechanics, according to MLB.com.

"No, it's not [under discussion]," Roenicke said. "We feel he can get it back together. We saw him do it last year, and still feel that he can do it. … It's the same thing that he was in [last season], whether it's confidence, whether it's mechanical. If it's mechanical, Rick [Kranitz, the pitching coach] and Lee [Tunnell, the bullpen coach] will figure it out."