Loss to the Pirates was no bundle of joy
Mistakes cost Woodruff, who now goes on paternity leave
Brandon Woodruff left Milwaukee on Sunday evening with mixed emotions.
He was excited as can be to get back home to Mississippi to join his wife, Jonie, for the birth of the cou ple's first child, daughter Kyler Elise.
But there was also frustration about what had transpired earlier in the day at Miller Park. More specifically, another so-so start in the Milwaukee Brewers' listless 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“This was probably one of the better games I've thrown this year and to come out of it still giving up four runs is one of those things that completely blows my mind,” Woodruff said. “I don't understand it.
“Sometimes, baseball just gets you.”
In five innings, the right-hander allowed four hits, four runs and three walks to go along with seven strikeouts — not an awful line by any means. But still, that's not what's come to be expected out of Woodruff and not well-timed in a season where the offense has been a no-show more times than not.
Two of the four hits allowed by Woodruff were home runs — the first he'd surrendered since Aug. 9 but one fewer than he'd allowed in his seven
starts coming in, and his walk total represented a season high as well.
“I think the start was just about a couple of mistakes he made really that ended up hurting him,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Those are three of their runs right there, something he’s been pretty good at avoiding this year.”
Woodruff definitely deserves credit for pitching up to the precipice of a momentous life occasion, considering the amount of focus it must have taken. And assuming there are no complications with the birth, Woodruff has said he plans to be back in time to make his next scheduled start.
But the bar has been raised for the 27year-old who’s just over a year removed from his first All-Star Game appearance and just over a month removed from his first career opening-day start.
And despite the weirdness surrounding pandemic baseball in 2020, Woodruff is going to need to step it up once he returns if the Brewers want to make a third straight September push for the playoffs.
Woodruff ’s first big mistake came in the second inning and against a hitter — Gregory Polanco — who’s been unable to hit any pitching other than the Brewers’ this season. He sent a changeup out to right-center in a 2-2 count to stake the Pirates to a quick 1-0 lead and leave Milwaukee to play from behind yet again.
A 1-2-3 third with two strikeouts got Woodruff back on track and then Keston Hiura’s two-out RBI single in the bottom half brought Milwaukee back to even. But it wouldn’t last.
Kevin Newman greeted Woodruff with a single to start the fourth and Josh Bell followed with a gargantuan blast to right-center that bounced off the hood of the Toyota Highlander perched atop the platform in Toyota Territory. It went out at 109 mph and traveled 428 feet — which seemed awfully short — and put the Pirates right back in front, 3-1.
“There were two pitches I wish I could have back,” said Woodruff. “I didn’t locate one well enough to Josh Bell and the one to Polanco wasn’t necessarily the wrong pitch, I just left it up in a spot for him to handle. Other than those two, they really didn’t do anything.
“It’s frustrating. I was on track to get through the sixth or seventh inning.”
Any hopes of that happening went out the door in the fifth.
Woodruff opened by breaking the bats John Ryan Murphy and Jason Martin in recording two quick outs, only to follow that up by walking Erik González and Adam Frazier and allowing a single to Kevin Newman.
Frazier was thrown out by Christian Yelich trying to go to third, and the umpires went to replay to determine whether González had scored before the out was recorded. After deliberating for a few minutes, CB Bucknor’s safe call was upheld and Pittsburgh’s lead grew to 4-1.
“The play in the fifth, I’m pretty frustrated about, too,” he said. “I’m not sure how they missed that one with the runner at home. I think that kind of cost me a chance to go back out for the sixth.
“But it is what it is. You live to fight another day.”
It was noted that Woodruff threw mostly fastballs to the Pirates. His only other appearance against them this season, July 29, he turned in his best outing by allowing one hit and one walk with 10 strikeouts over 61⁄3 shutout innings.
“They had a few more guys in the lineup who I didn’t face last time in Pittsburgh and for me, my fastball is my strength,” he said. “It all depends on the count and what I’m trying to do but if it comes down to it, I’m going to rely on my fastball.
“That maybe got me into trouble a little bit today.”
Woodruff dropped to 2-3, his earned run average sits at 3.67 and his WHIP at 1.18 through eight starts. He leads the Brewers in innings at 412⁄3 and in strikeouts with 48, and is limiting opposing hitters to a collective .236 average.
Solid numbers, no question. But again, more was unquestionably expected. And the good news for the Brewers is, Woodruff should still take the ball four more times in the regular season so there are opportunities for improvement.
In the meantime, Woodruff flew commercially from Milwaukee to Tupelo, Miss., through Nashville to get back home. The plan is for Jonie to be induced at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
It’s been a lot to process for Woodruff of late, but he said he was able to compartmentalize one final time Sunday.
“I think I’m pretty good at keeping distractions away,” he said. “Once I was out there pitching, my mind was focused on making my pitches. Right after the game I came in and checked on her and she’s all good. I think we’re right on time with everything.
“I told her to not start having the baby during the game, please. I didn’t want to have to come out (of the game) and that didn’t happen, thank goodness, so that’s a positive.”