Toronto @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 10, 2024 ) Toronto 1, Milwaukee 3
Right-hander Carlos Rodriguez is scheduled to make his major league debut Tuesday night for the Milwaukee Brewers as they go for the series win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
Rodriguez would be the 12th pitcher to make a start for the Brewers already this season.
"I think that's a lot," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
The Brewers took the opener of the three-game series 3-1 on Monday night for their sixth successive home victory. They have won 14 of their past 17 games at home.
The series opens a six-game homestand for the Brewers, who were coming off a 2-4 road trip.
The Blue Jays are scheduled to start left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (3-5, 3.48 ERA) on Tuesday. He is 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA in two career starts against the Brewers.
Toronto is 2-2 to start its six-game trip.
Rodriguez takes the spot of left-hander Robert Gasser (elbow), who became the fifth of 11 Brewers' starters to go on the injured list this season.
In five starts this season with Milwaukee, Gasser was 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA. He is hoping to avoid surgery, but Murphy feels that Gasser's season could be over.
"I mean, he had an elbow injury early. Rehabbed it, came out and pitched very well," Murphy said. "(Five) starts later, it's back. One doctor says, ‘Get reconstruction.' I don't think you say it's something that serious if, in fact, there isn't something wrong."
Meanwhile, despite the injuries to the pitching, the Brewers lead the NL Central.
"No time for excuses," Murphy said before Monday's game. "Complain, explain -- no time for it. We've got a game today. Let's just worry about that. We win, wash it off, ready for tomorrow. We lose, wash it off, ready for tomorrow. It's kind of boring, but it's what we do."
Rodriguez, 22, was 4-5 with a 5.17 ERA in 12 outings (11 starts) with Triple-A Nashville this season.
The Brewers had a solid start from right-hander Colin Rea on Monday. He pitched a season-best seven innings, allowing three hits and one run.
The Brewers had solo home runs from Jackson Chourio and Willy Adames in the opener against Toronto starter Jose Berrios. Adames also had a sacrifice fly.
The two homers ended the Brewers' five-game stretch without one.
Alejandro Kirk had a solo homer for the Blue Jays, who continue to struggle offensively.
Recently promoted Spencer Horwitz had two of Toronto's four hits.
"(Rea) has a lot of pitches," Kirk said. "He was mixing the pitches very well. You've got to give that to him. ... He was locating."
The Blue Jays felt that they had been building momentum after winning two in a row against the Oakland Athletics, including a 6-4 victory in 10 innings on Sunday.
Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 0-for-4 but provided a highlight of sorts when his bat flew out of his hands and lodged into the netting about 20 feet above the Blue Jays' third-base dugout.
"I was really wondering what was going on there," Rea said. "I think I threw a first-pitch strike and all of a sudden there's this large cheer. I was like, ‘What's going on?' That was funny."
Efforts to retrieve the bat failed as the game continued. Finally, Toronto pitcher Chris Bassitt put a loop at the end of a long stick and brought the bat down before the start of the sixth inning.
--Field Level Media