Pérez pitches
ATLANTA – Jimmy Nelson’s third minor-league rehab start was a resounding success.
The right-hander threw 86 pitches over 52⁄3 shutout innings in helping Class AAA San Antonio beat the visiting Memphis Redbirds – the top affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals – 5-3 on Friday night.
Nelson allowed three hits and a walk and struck out eight in improving to 2-0 while taking another step toward returning to the major leagues after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his shoulder in September of 2017.
“I felt good today,” Nelson told reporters after the game. “I felt like I could have gone another couple innings. I didn’t feel tired or fatigued or anything. I kind of joked around with (manager Rick) Sweet for taking me out, giving him a little grief.
“But I felt like I was able to maintain my command and everything as the game went on.”
Adding to the night for Nelson was the fact he was able to contribute to the plate, as he singled and scored a run among his three at-bats.
It was on a head-first dive back into first base after a single on Sept. 8, 2017, at Wrigley Field that Nelson wrecked his right shoulder, so it came as no surprise that he played it safe after reaching.
“That was nice. That’s the first time I was on base since 2017,” he said. “My injury was just a tough-luck thing, honestly. I’m not diving into any bags for the rest of my career, trust me.”
Through three appearances (two starts) with San Antonio, Nelson is 2-0 with a 3.77 earned run average and 16 strikeouts in 141⁄3 innings.
“He just pitched really well, is, I think, the news of this outing,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said on Saturday. “Did what he wanted with all his pitches, is what I would say. Command looked very good – fastball command, putting the ball where he wanted to put it, which is another step forward.”
Counsell said Nelson will make one final start on Thursday for San Antonio.
“We’ve got to make a decision then,” he said. “It’s just time. It’s four Triple-A starts, close to 30 innings with spring training and extended (spring training). He should be ready and healthy for us to make a decision.
“And I think healthy is the big thing. He’s healthy. He’s responding well. We’ve got to decide on putting him in the starting rotation.”
Added Nelson: “I’m just taking it start by start, honestly. There’s an old saying, ‘You can’t look so far ahead that you trip over something in front of you,’ so I know that I’ve got 4-5 days of good quality work that I’m going to do here and get ready for Round Rock.”
Nelson also indicated he’s now pitching with a more clear mind with twin daughters Riley James and Naomi Lynn doing well after being born prematurely in late April, weighing 3 pounds 10 ounces each.
“There’s a lot of mental stress off of me, knowing that my girls are healthy,” he said. “They’ll be in the hospital for another 2-3 weeks but they’re doing really well, so that’s really exciting.
“That takes a lot off my plate and helps our family a lot. So when I get here I’m able to take care of business and focus on the task at hand.”
Added Counsell: “Lots of good news. Lots of good days in a row. It’s sure helping
him do his job better.”
Lost a bit in all the story lines emanating from the Brewers’ 12-8 loss on Friday night was the pitching performance of utility man Hernán Pérez.
With the Brewers trailing the Atlanta Braves, 12-4, Pérez took the mound in the eighth and tossed a scoreless frame. He issued a pair of walks but also struck out Matt Joyce on a 70 mph slider and ended the inning by getting Dansby Swanson to ground into a double play.
“That was great. I think that was the best of them,” said Pérez, who has made five appearances as a pitcher, most in franchise history by a position player. He also lowered his ERA to 8.44.
“I wasn’t trying to throw hard like I tried before. I was just throwing the ball and the ball was moving.”
The strikeout was the third ever for Pérez. Joyce, meanwhile, clearly wasn’t happy.
“Nobody wants to strike out with a position player,” said Pérez. “Everybody was trying to hit a homer.”
After Pérez kept the Braves off the board, the Brewers scored four times in the ninth and had the tying run on deck, forcing Atlanta to use closer Luke Jackson against Pérez with two on and two outs. Jackson eventually won the battle, striking Pérez out on a foul tip.
“That was a good comeback,” Pérez said. “I just tried to put on a good at-bat to see if we could win the game. I was thinking about winning the game right there. That was a good pitch; I fouled it off but he caught it.”
Pérez only needs to catch to have played all nine positions over a career that has spanned parts of eight seasons in the majors. Manager Craig Counsell hasn’t shown any inclination to utilize Pérez there in the past, however.