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Dougherty: Four observations as camp begins. 2B
Notes: Despite legal trouble, Letroy Guion will practice.
WASHINGTON - Some years, it seems as if the same type of injury plagues a team. For the Milwaukee Brewers, 2017 has been the year of the calf strain.
Right-hander Matt Garza became the fourth player to suffer that problem. It was announced Wednesday that he was going on the 10-day disabled list and would miss his scheduled start Thursday against Washington. Instead, reliever Michael Blazek will take that turn.
Garza suffered the slight calf strain while running during his conditioning program Saturday. It didn't feel right when he tried throwing in the bullpen Sunday and Tuesday, and the decision was made to put him on the DL, hopefully missing only one start.
“I thought it was just a cramp, and it just hasn’t felt the same,” said Garza, who joined Junior Guerra, Ryan Braun and Wily Peralta in going on the DL with calf issues. “It’s not painful to pitch, but making a pitch with authority, or reacting afterward, I don’t think I would be able to perform at the level they need me to.
“It was more for not trying to injure it any further. We tried to wait as long as possible, and just couldn’t do it.
"It sucks, but what are you going to do? It’s not like I was fooling around. I was getting my work in, and I guess everything was right for something wrong to happen.”
During his time with Class AAA Colorado Springs earlier this season, Blazek was stretched out as a starter for several weeks. He has pitched only in relief (6 1/3 innings over four outings) with the Brewers, but manager Craig Counsell will see how far he can go. He said it helped that starter Zach Davies went 7 2/3 innings Tuesday night, with Oliver Drake the only reliever who pitched.
“He has started a bunch of games this year, and is not that far removed from starting games down in Colorado Springs,” Counsell said. “Obviously, it will be a day we rely on some bullpen guys as well.
“Our hope is that Matt can fit into his next start somewhere in the St. Louis series, or the next series in Tampa. I can’t tell you if that’s going to happen yet, but that would be the hope. We’d probably have to adjust if he misses another start.”
Brinson back: To fill Garza’s spot on the roster, the Brewers summoned outfielder Lewis Brinson from Colorado Springs, where he was on a 17-game hitting streak. With lefties pitching in two of the next three games, including Gio Gonzalez for Washington on Wednesday, the Brewers wanted the option of the right-handed-hitting Brinson over lefty-hitting Brett Phillips.
“He went down there and played very well,” Counsell said. “He got at-bats and didn’t think anything of getting sent back down. He continued to play at a really high level. I think he’ll get a little bit of playing time up here.
“It’s good exposure for him and a good time for him to help us out.”
Brinson struggled at the plate in his first bigleague stint, collecting only three hits in 31 at-bats (.097). He said he fell in the trap of trying to do too much to make a good first impression.
“When you first get up here, it’s a lifelong dream,” he said. “As a little kid, you want to get to the big leagues and hit that ‘five-run homer’ in your first at-bat, and it’s impossible. You just have to tell yourself to calm down.
“I went through that. I’m human. I was a little ‘jitterish,’ a little anxious, wanted to do too much. Second time around, I’m a little more relaxed. I know what to expect. I can go out there and have fun.”
Asked about the pressure of living up to the status as the organization’s No. 1 prospect, Brinson said, “I don’t really let other people put pressure on me. I have high expectations for myself. I want to achieve great things and do good things for this team.
“Everything that’s outside of these walls, I block that off. It’s all cool, prospect status and being named a top prospect or whatever. On the field, nobody cares what number prospect you are up here. You’re just like everybody else.”