Injury lands Garza on DL
Veteran pitcher has a right groin strain
Of all the goals Matt Garza set for himself in the final year of his contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, staying healthy was at the top of the list.
Accordingly, the veteran right-hander became quite emotional Thursday afternoon during a session with media members after it was announced he would open the 2017 season on the disabled list with a right groin strain.
“I just keep thinking about the Rocky movies,” Garza said, speaking in the home dugout at Miller Park before a team workout. “I can either be (in) the middle fight or I can be (in) the last one. I want to walk out there and fight the championship rounds.
“It sucks right now. I have to keep on fighting.”
At that point, Garza could not go on and the interview session was stopped. His
emotional state was understandable considering the many battles he has fought with injuries throughout his career, including missing the first two months of last season with a lat strain suffered at the end of camp.
Garza, 33, at the end of his four-year, $50 million freeagent deal with the Brewers, said his groin “felt a little tight” after his last spring outing Sunday against Oakland at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix. He allowed five hits and five runs in 21⁄3 innings, capping a rough spring overall (8.59 ERA in six outings, 25 hits in 142⁄3 innings).
“I said something (about it) and this is where I ended up,” Garza said. “I’m extremely disappointed. We’re going to see how it goes, day to day. I’m going to push as hard as I can but at the same time, I have to take my time.”
Garza was placed on the new 10-day disabled list, which has replaced the former 15-day DL. It was the final move that allowed the Brewers to set their starting rotation because manager Craig Counsell said he already had decided that left-hander Tommy Milone would move to bullpen duty.
The all-right-handed starting rotation, in order, will be Junior Guerra, Zach Davies, Wily Peralta, Chase Anderson and Jimmy Nelson. Peralta stayed behind in Arizona to start Thursday for Class A Carolina and stay on schedule. Anderson and Nelson will start the exhibition games Friday night and Saturday afternoon against the Chicago White Sox at Miller Park.
“We got to the five guys that are right now pitching the best, and we’re going to start the season with,” Counsell said. “This is why we don’t make decisions (earlier). We waited and waited, then (Garza’s injury) happened. That kind of made the last decision for us.
“It’s not a serious thing. We’ll see where (the 10-day DL) gets him. We’re still hopeful he’ll be able to start pitching sometime in April and go out on a (minorleague) rehab sometime in April. Sooner rather than later, for sure.”
Milone, 30, lost any chance he had of making the rotation with two poor outings to close
his spring, allowing 13 hits and 11 runs over 41⁄3 innings. In six exhibition appearances, he compiled a 9.69 ERA with an opponents batting average of 9.69.
Milone will be the only lefty in the bullpen and will be serving in a relatively new role. Of his 129 appearances in the majors, only 11 came in relief, including seven last year with Minnesota.
“I wanted to be a starter,” Milone said. “I came here fighting for a starting spot but it didn’t work out. The biggest thing now is to accept it and move forward, and learn how to pitch out of the pen.
“I haven’t done it much. It is different. There’s something different about coming in, in the middle of the game, regardless what the score is. That’s going to be the learning curve for me. But I’m excited to be on the team and help out wherever I can.”
The DL move with Garza left the Brewers with 14 pitchers and designs on keeping 13, so one must go by Sunday, when opening day rosters have to be set. Only one pitcher, Rob Scahill, is not on the 40-man roster but the Brewers do have an opening. They also are looking around to see which pitchers became available as clubs make final cuts.
“Internally, we have basically three relievers and two spots,” said Counsell, who didn’t identify those final candidates. “It doesn’t end the possibility of something happening from the outside.”