Cain hopes to return soon
Hobbled centerfielder out for at least 2 games
ST. LOUIS – Remember all the excitement entering the season over the Milwaukee Brewers’ acquisitions of star outfielders Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain?
Well, for those who hadn’t noticed, the baseball season can bring disappointments. With Yelich already on the disabled list with a right oblique strain, Cain was out of the lineup Tuesday night with a left quadriceps strain and will not play Wednesday, either, in the series finale against St. Louis. With a scheduled day off Thursday, manager Craig Counsell said the hope is that Cain will be able to play Friday night in New York against the Mets.
“He’s a little bit sore,” Counsell said. “We’ll play it day by day. It’s not a DL (situation).”
Cain, who was injured in a collision with St. Louis first baseman Jose Martinez in the ninth inning Monday night, actually volunteered to play but conceded he would not have been at 100%.
“If they needed me to play today, I could,” Cain said. “I definitely wouldn’t
be at 100%. I’d say it would be more like 80%. They pulled the reins back on my and held me out.
“They’re just being a little cautious with it. It is what it is. We’re going to take advantage of an off day coming up, so I’ll take a few days off and be ready to go in New York.”
Cain was injured legging out an infield hit when Martinez planted his foot in the middle of the bag instead of the edge. Cain managed to get his right foot on the inside edge of the bag but as he tried to clear Martinez with his left leg, he clipped the back of the first baseman’s ankle. Cain went sprawling, Martinez hit the ground in pain and both players left the game.
“I couldn’t figure out what I hit or kicked, at first,” said Cain, who checked the video to see exactly what happened. “I saw I kicked his ankle or Achilles. Once I tried to pull up, my cleat caught the back of his leg. That’s when (the quadriceps) grabbed. It’s unfortunate but that’s how the game goes sometimes.”
Cain had been the only player to start each of the Brewers’ first 11 games. Yelich played in each of the first six games before suffering the oblique strain in a game against St. Louis at home. He tried to wait it out but after missing three games, the decision was made to put him on the 10-day DL.
Coming off a career-high 155 games played in 2017 for Kansas City, Cain signed a five-year, $80 million freeagent deal with the Brewers. He will be 32 on Friday and wanted to show his durability by playing as many games as possible, so he was disappointed to miss time already.
“I tried my best hustling down the line to beat out a hit,” Cain said. “We both got hurt. It sucks. Things could have been a lot worse. I should be back out there soon.
“More than anything, I just want to be out there playing every day, continue to get my body used to playing every day and getting consistent at-bats. I’ll be ready to go next time my number is called.”
With Ryan Braun getting a planned day off against tough right-hander Carlos Martinez, the Brewers went with an outfield of Hernán Pérez in left, Brett Phillips in center and Domingo Santana in right.
“I’m trying to keep (Braun) fresh and feeling good throughout the course of the season,” Counsell said. “That was our plan to start the year. He’s healthy.”
Braun is off to a weird start in which he has won two games with home runs but overall has struggled at the plate. He is batting .162 with six runs batted
in, but five came in one game in San Diego. He went 4-for-24 (.167) on the Brewers’ first home stand and 1-for-5 in the series opener here.
“He hasn’t got it going yet, completely,” Counsell said. “His last two at-bats (Monday), he hit the ball well. But he’d say the same thing. He hasn’t quite got it going yet.”
Guerra back up: The Brewers recalled right-hander Junior Guerra to start Wednesday against the Cardinals. That spot in the rotation opened when Brandon Woodruff was sent down Saturday after starting against the Cubs to add another bullpen arm, J.J. Hoover.
The opening day starter in 2017, Guerra was one of the last cuts among candidates for the rotation. He started the first game for Class AAA Colorado Springs and allowed only two hits and one run in 52 ⁄3 innings in Omaha.
“Junior had a great camp and a nice first start in Colorado Springs,” Counsell said. “So, I’m excited to see him pitch tomorrow. I feel like he’s one of our guys.”
Counsell would not commit to more than one start for Guerra, though he did say no starter would be skipped after the day off Thursday.
“It’s kind of active, as we’re doing it,” Counsell said. “We’ll see what the game gives us and dictates, where we’re at roster-wise and need-wise, and then go from there. We need to manage the roster like this because of the way the games have played out.”
Guerra never got back on track after straining a calf muscle in the 2017 opener and going on the DL for six weeks. He was disappointed not to make the rotation coming out of spring training but said he looked forward to getting a chance to show he belonged.
“This is part of the job,” he said. “I was surprised there were a lot of moves. We’re trying to win games. They are trying to put the guys out there to win.
“I just want to throw strikes, get out and go deep in the game. This is a new opportunity for me this year. The best thing is I feel healthy; I feel good.”
A player must be sent out to open a roster spot for Guerra, and the likely candidate was Phillips.