Garza leaves game with tight shoulder.
He’s still expected to pitch on Wednesday
Right-hander Matt Garza exited his exhibition start Friday in Houston in the fourth inning with a shoulder issue, but manager Craig Counsell said afterward Garza still was expected to start the third game of the season against San Francisco at Miller Park.
Counsell and head athletic trainer Dan Wright went to the mound to talk with Garza with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the decision was made to remove the veteran pitcher.
“I think it’s a shoulder strain,” Counsell said after the 4-2 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park. “I don’t think it’s serious. We just wanted to be precautionary with it.
“Right now he’s on track to make his start (against the Giants on Wednesday). We’ll just kind of evaluate it as we go along.”
Right-hander Taylor Jungmann, slated to be the No. 4 starter, remained in Phoenix to pitch Friday in a minorleague game because he is scheduled to face Houston in the fourth game of the season Friday and Counsell didn’t want the Astros to get an advance look at him. Should Garza have to be pushed back in the rotation, Jungmann could replace him and still be on normal rest.
Before exiting the game, Garza limited the Astros to three hits and one run with two walks and five strikeouts.
“I thought he pitched pretty well,” said Counsell. “He had good stuff. We just saw a little reason for concern so we got him out of there. He got over 50 pitches (61), so he got enough out of it.”
Braun belting it: Leftfielder Ryan Braun, who missed games recently with lower back stiffness after undergoing off-season surgery, homered for the second consecutive game against the Astros. They were the first two home runs of the spring for Braun, who is batting .438 in limited action.
“I think Ryan is in a good spot,” said Counsell. “He has hit homers in two days. He is right where he needs to be.”
On to Biloxi: The Brewers split the games in Houston to finish with a 14-14-2 record against major-league opposition in exhibition play. They moved on to Biloxi, Miss., to play Saturday against their Class AA affiliate before heading to Milwaukee to open the season Monday against the Giants at Miller Park.
Courtesy of Domingo Santana’s leadoff homer in the first inning and Braun’s shot in the third, both off former Brewers right-hander Mike Fiers, the Brewers took a 2-1lead into the bottom of the sixth inning. But the Astros rallied for three runs against reliever Tyler Thornburg, including a tworun, opposite-field double by Carlos Gomez.
The Brewers traded Gomez and Fiers to Houston last July 30 for Santana, outfielder Brett Phillips and pitchers Josh Hader and Adrian Houser — a deal that figures to be crucial to the club’s huge rebuilding plan.
The Brewers collected only five hits, including two by second baseman Scooter Gennett, who boosted his spring batting average to .424.
The Brewers still have two moves to make to get down to their 25-man roster for opening day, one in the outfield and another in the bullpen.