Brewers' bullpen, taxed over the weekend, had 'a bunch of question marks' entering Monday's start of the Diamondbacks series
The Milwaukee Brewers have to turn the page after a disastrous weekend series to keep their frail postseason hopes alive.
To do so, it will have to do so with a pieced-together bullpen.
"Just how we’re approaching it today, we have a bunch of question marks,” manager Craig Counsell said before Monday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Field.
His team's mission is simple, yet difficult at the same time: Sweep the final three-game series, and hope that the Philadelphia Phillies are swept at the same time by the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. That would allow the Brewers to clinch the third and final wild-card spot in the National League.
The good news was big-game Brandon Woodruff took the mound for the opener, and he'd thrown at least six innings in five straight and six of his last seven starts coming in.
“All the guys went out and threw early as they do every single day," Counsell continued. "All those guys who have question marks, we’ll check in on all of them and see what we’ve got.”
Those question marks arose because of the nature of Sunday’s deflating loss to the Miami Marlins. The Brewers had to run through their bullpen arms and came up short anyway, dropping their elimination number to one.
It could have been worse if Freddy Peralta hadn’t given the Brewers more than what they expected in a starting role. Peralta went four innings, allowing two hits, striking out four and allowing no runs.
“What Freddy gave us yesterday, and with the way the game went we didn’t talk about it, he gave us two innings of relief on Thursday and gave us four innings yesterday,” Counsell said. “Frankly, I was expecting a couple innings yesterday and the fact that he got us four in the end, he gave us a chance to win the game.”
Milwaukee was encouraged by the outing from Peralta, which came on the heels of him allowing a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning on Thursday.
“He pitched beautifully yesterday,” Counsell said. “He’s throwing the ball really, really well. He’s right back where you’d expect him to be and where we think he can be.”
Aaron Ashby, who started Saturday and pitched into the fifth inning, was unavailable Monday but could be an option out of the bullpen Tuesday if that game still matters for the Brewers' playoff hopes.
Not an easy road
The Brewers already experienced an out-of-the-race team with nothing to lose in the Marlins and came out on the wrong end of that four-game series, with their lone victory coming against the likely NL Cy Young Award winner in Sandy Alcantara.
Next up are the Diamondbacks, who will finish in fourth place in the NL West but are going to throw their two best starting pitchers – right-handers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly – at the Brewers on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Both were tough on Milwaukee the last time the teams played at Chase Field to start the month.
Gallen (12-3, 2.46 ERA in 30 starts), who will be countered by Eric Lauer, limited the Brewers to two hits and a walk over seven shutout innings on Sept. 4. He was in the midst of a 44⅓-inning scoreless streak that went down as the seventh-longest in major-league history.
Kelly (13-8, 3.43 ERA in 32 starts), who faces Burnes, threw seven shutout innings while striking out seven on Sept. 1.
The Brewers lost both those games and finished 1-3 in the teams' four-game series.
"Gallen has had a very similar year to Corbin and Woody," Counsell said. "He’s one of the better pitchers in the league this year. He’ll definitely be a challenge. Merrill Kelly pitched a really good game against us earlier this year and has had a really nice year."
Topa injured, Cousins recalled
Right-hander Justin Topa was placed on the injured list Monday with a left ankle contusion, with right-hander Jake Cousins being recalled from Class AAA Nashville to take his place in the bullpen.
Topa pitched two-thirds of an inning Sunday, allowing two hits and two earned runs.
Cousins, who had been optioned on Sept. 23, will be in his third stint with the Brewers this season and is 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 11 appearances and 18 strikeouts in 11⅓ innings.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers' bullpen, unsettled as final series begins vs. Diamondbacks
