Teheran’s return to the majors wasted by no-show offense
into Thursday, the Milwaukee Brewers appeared to be in line for a decent offensive night with the San Francisco Giants lined up for a bullpen game.
It wound up being anything but. Starting with Scott Alexander and ending with John Brebbia, six Giants hurlers combined to limit the Brewers to four hits and two walks in a 5-0 shutout at American Family Field.
It was the third time in eight games Milwaukee has been blanked and the seventh time on the season.
“This was a night where we simply didn’t do enough offensively,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Six base runners -- that’s not going to be a big offensive night and that wasn’t enough.”
In a harbinger of the frustration to come, ex-Giant Darin Ruf looked like he had hit his first Brewers homer two batters into the first inning, only to have Mike Yastrzemski make a leaping grab at the wall in right-center to rob him.
“It was great play,” Counsell said. “Just a well-hit ball, and they played good defense there.”
Milwaukee got runners to second in both the fourth and the fifth but never any further, with Willy Adames being picked off after doubling in the fourth to end the threat and Tyrone Taylor striking out to end the fifth with Rowdy Tellez on second and the Brewers trailing, 1-0.
“Really, the two innings we had a couple guys on, it happened with two outs, it was never early in the inning. Made a baserunning mistake,” Counsell said. “So, five baserunners, really, and we just didn’t do enough offensively.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Julio Teheran gave the Brewers all they could have expected
For a guy who hadn’t pitched in the major leagues since April 3, 2021, and had quite literally just been signed -- the team announced the move only a few hours prior to first pitch -- Teheran delivered the goods.
The 32-year-old needed 21 pitches to get out of the first inning but settled in quickly after that and retired 12 of the next 13 batters before San Francisco used a couple fifth-inning singles to grab a 1-0 lead.
“I came here to help the team win games,” Teheran said. “Every time I get the ball I’m expecting to do my job. In a game like this when the offense was a little slow, as a pitcher you’re thinking, ‘Hold the other team as much as you can.’ And today I was doing that.
“In the fifth inning I made a mistake, but I think overall when you look at everything I went out there and did my best.”
Teheran finished the frame and his night having allowed four hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 83 pitches.
The five strikeouts were his most in a game since Sept. 18, 2019, and the most by a Brewers pitcher in his debut since Colin Rea fanned five on Oct. 2, 2021.
“I thought he pitched wonderfully,” Counsell said. “He was on the edges all night, really. Very few pitches in the middle and did a nice job, as much as we could ask for.”
A two-time all-star, Teheran looked a little different to his new manager since the last time he saw him during his days with the Atlanta Braves.
“He pitches like he knows what he’s doing, which is kind of what we expected,” he said. “Maybe a little lower arm slot than I remember him having and that makes him a little different. It makes them react to the fastball a little differently.
“He’s using his stuff very effectively.” Teheran had last pitched on May 17, when he was with San Diego’s Class AAA affiliate in El Paso. Since then, he’d exercised an out clause in his contract, traveled to Milwaukee, took a physical, signed his contract and came to American Family Field on Wednesday night to play some catch in advance of his debut with the team.
“When I signed the contract I kind of got in my feelings,” Teheran said. “But today I was focused and it feels like something I’ve been doing my whole life, pitching in front of a lot of people. This was the place I deserve to be and I’ve been working to be, and I was going out there and competing and making pitches.”
Last year, Teheran pitched for Staten Island in the independent Atlantic League and for two teams in the Mexbia ican League hoping for a shot at returning to the majors.
Now that he’s back, he’s hoping he can stick in a Brewers rotation that’s been hit hard by injuries.
“It’s been tough,” Teheran acknowledged. He entered Thursday 78-77 with a 3.80 ERA in 240 major-league games over 11 seasons (236 starts).
“Going to the Atlantic League and the Mexican League was hard. But I think that was part of the process, part of the challenge but I knew at some point that doing what I was doing my previous years I would be back here.
“And to be back, I’m proud of myself and the job that I’ve been doing to come back to the big leagues.”
Trevor Megill was bringing the heat
The right-hander trots in from the bullpen to Metallica’s “The Four Horsemen,” -- a speed-metal classic that is actually a good fit for how Megill throws the ball.
In his 1 29-pitch outing, Megill featured a four-seam fastball that was blazing to the point he threw six that registered 99 mph or higher.
And two of those pitches registered 100.1 and 100 mph -- the fastest pitches thrown by a Brewer since way back on Sept. 29, 2019, when Ray Black threw a 100.6-mph fastball to Tony Wolters.
Josh Hader came close to triple digits while with the Brewers, hitting as high as 99.9 mph, but even he never touched the magical mark.
Most important, Megill kept the Giants from building on their 1-0 lead.
“He’s doing a nice job,” Counsell said of the trade acquisition from the Minnesota Twins who has made four appearances out of the bullpen since being recalled from Class AAA Nashville on May 15.
“The velocity presents a challenge for major-league hitters, for sure,” Counsell continued. “And he’s throwing strikes with it, so it’s a little bit of a challenge on them. He challenges guys.
“They have to respect the breaking ball and throwing strikes with that velocity at the top of the zone and that kind of lift on the fastball, it’s been effective.”
Joey Wiemer is OK after inside pitch by John Brebbia
The rookie outfielder was doubly unhappy in the eighth inning when BrebComing
threw one inside that appeared to hit him, only to be told the ball hit the knob of his bat and was a foul ball.
Replays appeared to show Wiemer’s left pinky finger was hit as well as the knob, and Counsell asked to go to replay. But his challenge was unsuccessful and Wiemer ended up popping out.
The Brewers are now 5-5 in challenges this season while Wiemer has a sore finger, although Counsell said afterward he was OK.