Opening rout has fans, homers
One thing in particular Sunday afternoon felt comforting to left-hander Eric Lauer.
“It felt good to be back on the mound, especially in front of fans,” said Lauer, who started the Milwaukee Brewers’ first exhibition game of the spring against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona.
“That was a big change, a big thing we’ve been missing. It made it feel like baseball again. So, it was fun to be back out there.”
Brewers manager Craig Counsell echoed that sentiment.
“In this stadium, you walk through this little tunnel in left field (from the clubhouse),” Counsell said. “I was walking with a couple of our players and it was a great feeling just walking on the field. It’s incredible how people put energy in a place.
“That’s what it felt like walking on the field today. It felt like a normal spring training game. It’s the fans that give us that.”
The Brewers certainly came out swinging the bats. Before they made their first Cactus League out, they had three runs on the board, courtesy of a long three-run homer to left by Keston Hiura. Avisaíl García, Tyrone Taylor and substitute outfielder Dylan Cozens also homered as the Brewers romped to a 7-2 victory in a game limited to six innings by design.
Taylor, who homered in an intrasquad game the previous day, drew praise afterward from Counsell.
“You keep hitting the ball hard like that, we have to notice that,” Counsell said. “It’s the way to make you take notice. It’s performance and it’s earning it. So, we’ll take a look at that.
“I think Tyrone had a really good alternate camp last year. That doesn’t get
much attention because there’s no statistics or game reports. But it’s an excellent season, really. So, just keep building on that.”
Even with just 2,347 fans in the stands, the players enjoyed real crowd noise for a change instead of the pipedin version they experienced during the pandemic-shortened 60-game season in 2020 when fans were not allowed to attend. For Lauer, it was good just to feel healthy and have a fresh start after a miserable experience in his first season with the Brewers.
It began with a shoulder issue that sidelined Lauer during regular spring camp. Then came the three-month shutdown, and when the Brewers regathered for summer camp in Milwaukee, Lauer was placed on the COVID-19 inactive list after coming in contact with someone who tested positive.
Lauer never got settled in after those stops and starts. He made only four appearances (0-2, 13.09 ERA), including two horrid starts in which he surrendered 14 hits and 13 runs in 6 2/3 innings. Not the first impression Lauer sought after being acquired in a fourplayer trade with San Diego.
“It’s not a recipe for success when you have to continually ramp up and then get shut down,” said Lauer, who went one inning, surrendering two runs on a home run by Adam Engel. “There were a lot of things last year that couldn’t be controlled. It was a really weird year.
“I’d never really dealt with an injury like that, so that was new for me. And then obviously with the pandemic, getting shut down, that was new for everybody. Then going through COVID protocols and everything. It was just a very up and down year. Hopefully, this year we can find more consistency.
“It feels so much better to be back to full health and feeling good and feeling like I can go back out and prove what I was supposed to do last year. What I did early in spring last year, before the shoulder stuff happened, I essentially showed what kind of guy I was going to be for the team. That’s who I plan on being this year.”
It remains to be seen how Lauer fits into a crowded rotation picture that has all five starters back from last season – Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, Adrian Houser, Josh Lindblom and Brett Anderson. But manager Craig Counsell said the main thing is for Lauer to stay healthy and get back to the consistent pitcher he was in San Diego.
“It’s really just consistency of being on the mound on his day is what we’re after in the early part of this camp,” Counsell said. “We’ve achieved that so far.
“It’s really a foundational thing, just building that foundation up underneath him to get to that good place. He was just never able to be consistent enough off the mound last year to get to a place where all these guys need to be.”
It was a solid day for three hitters seeking bounce-backs from rough 2020 seasons: Hiura, García and Omar Narváez (single, double). García also made his presence felt in right field by throwing out a runner trying to go from first to third on a base hit.
“The top three guys (in the lineup) – Avi, Omar and Keston – all had nice days,” Counsell said. “It’s three guys trying to bounce back a little bit. So, all three had nice days.”
After Lauer pitched the first, the Brewers showed off some of their young, impressive arms. Justin Topa, Angel Perdomo, Miguel Sanchez, Ethan Small and Aaron Ashby all pitched scoreless innings, with Perdomo and Small retiring the side in order. Ashby closed the game with a flourish, striking out three in the sixth inning.
“I thought Angel Perdomo had a nice day,” Counsell said. “Ashby, at the end, got some funky swings from hitters. The last batter, he fell behind and threw a fastball by him 3-1, then struck him out with a nice slider. I thought Ashby’s appearance makes you take notice for sure.”