Woodruff, Brewers get some bad news
He will miss six weeks with oblique strain
The Milwaukee Brewers’ initial fears were realized Monday, when it was determined after an MRI and physical exam that Brandon Woodruff would be sidelined six weeks with a strained left oblique.
Woodruff was placed on the injured list and reliever Burch Smith recalled from Class AAA San Antonio to take Woodruff’s place on the 25-man roster as the Brewers mull the best way to fill the considerable void in their starting rotation.
“Kind of what we expected,” said manager Craig Counsell. “Obviously, that’s significant. He’s going to miss some time, and he’ll do his best and we’ll do our best to get him back as fast as we can.”
Woodruff was injured in the fourth inning of a 7-4 victory Sunday at Arizona after feeling a grab on his left side on what were his final two pitches. It was a devastating blow for both player and team with just over two months to go in the season.
In his first full season as a starter, the 26-year-old Woodruff delivered an 11-3 record, 3.75 earned run average and 136 strikeouts in 20 starts (and a team-high 1172⁄3 innings) en route to being named an all-star for the first time.
Woodruff also has been a differencemaker at the plate, hitting .267 with four doubles and four runs batted in.
Now the Brewers are faced with the task of replacing their newfound ace. Adding a starter by next Wednesday’s
trading deadline is a possibility, but for now it’ll be done internally with help from some upcoming off days.
“That’s where the schedule comes in,” Counsell said. “We’ll look at how we want to address that.
“We have off days coming up, so there is a chance to back that up a little bit. Eventually we’re going to need that spot.
“We’re going to have to fill in around him. There’s going to be innings that we need to get from somebody else. Obviously Woody was delivering some pretty good innings, so it’s up to us pitchingwise and defensively to fill in around him.”
Of all of the impressive numbers Woodruff has put up this season, none were more important than the Brewers’ 16-4 record in games he started.
“That’s it, right there,” acknowledged Counsell. “That’s obviously a really good record, and it’s because he’s obviously pitched well and swung the bat well. We’re going to miss that, for sure.
“But this is the big leagues and there’s injuries, and we have to recover from them and thrive. That’s about guys filling in around him, and somebody else is going to get a big opportunity, more opportunity, and it’s about those guys and all of us just doing, collectively, a little bit more.”
Zach Davies, who’s in the midst of a resurgent season and whose 20 starts tie him with Woodruff for the team lead, assumes the role of staff leader now along with Chase Anderson.
“Brandon has been huge for us ever since the first three or four starts, once he settled in,” Davies said. “He’s been a guy who’s gone seven innings, eight innings, a lot, and been able to give the bullpen rest on days that he throws.
“He’s been flat-out dominating for a good portion of this year, and even in the games that are not his best, they are still good ‘grind’ games when he gives the team a chance to win.
“I think the starting staff knows the shoes that need to be filled.”
Jhoulys Chacín, whose next scheduled start is Wednesday, will need to pick up his game as well if the Brewers are going to weather the storm.
“Everybody has to do just a little bit more,” Counsell said. “Jhoulys had a rough one in Arizona. He pitched well before that. We’re going to need Jhoulys, yeah.”
Smith, meanwhile, rejoins the Brewers after being optioned out on Saturday. He was able to be recalled sooner than the 10 days specified by the rules because he is replacing an injured player.
Rare air
The Brewers have had some tremendous players come and go in franchise history – Baseball Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Paul Molitor as well as Ryan Braun among them – but none accomplished what Keston Hiura did on Monday.
After a week in which he hit .517, slugged .966, homered once and drove in eight runs over seven games, the 22year-old second baseman was named the National League’s player of the week.
That made him the first rookie in franchise history to ever be so honored.
“I didn’t know that,” Hiura said. “Obviously it’s cool to have that achievement, but at the same time with what the team’s done on the field and to be able to get those wins, I think that mattered more for us.”
Hiura has hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games entering Monday, hitting .392 with four homers and 14 runs batted in over that span. He’s also in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak, having accumulated a .489 average with three homers and 13 RBI.
“Any rookie that wins that award, it’s a great accomplishment because you’re going against everybody in the league, great players,” said Counsell. “To out-do Christian Yelich is a feat.
“He had a great week. The Arizona and Atlanta series were, ‘Wow.’ They really were. Just how he’s been driving the baseball and swinging the bat, it’s so impressive. How he’s made his adjustments so quickly – that’s the really great thing to see.
“That’s what makes you know that this is sustainable, because he’s making adjustments so quickly to the league, to pitchers, to the guys he faces the second time around.
“He’s doing a lot of damage for us offensively, and he’s certainly a reason why we had a good last two series.”
Shortly before game time, it was announced that Hiura had been scratched from the lineup due to left quad tightness.