Both teams could use reinforcements in the middle of their lineups when the visiting Milwaukee Brewers square off with the Minnesota Twins on Saturday in Minneapolis.
The Brewers rallied for a 3-2 win in the opener of a three-game series on Friday behind an eighth-inning RBI double by Jake Bauers and an obstruction call that tied the game moments earlier. But they did so without designated hitter Christian Yelich.
Yelich spent a month on the injured list with a left groin strain, and despite being activated, his back tightened up earlier this week and he missed a third straight game on Friday.
He has only played in 16 games this season and has a .291 batting average with two doubles, one triple, one home run and 10 RBIs.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said he is “optimistic” about Yelich, however he is taking a cautious approach.
“He’s pushing to get back, but we are going to make sure he is OK because we want him for the majority of the season, not just a few games,” Murphy said. “We’ll do whatever we have to do to make sure he’s 100% when he comes back.”
Byron Buxton missed his second straight game with right hip flexor soreness. The Twins’ center fielder has bashed each of his team-leading 15 home runs in his last 26 games, leads Minnesota with 44 hits and is second on the team with a .899 OPS.
“He’s feeling better,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “So I think we’re trending in the right direction.”
Trevor Larnach (back) missed his third straight game on Friday, but Shelton said he was available off the bench.
The Twins are scheduled to start Connor Prielipp (1-1, 3.32 ERA) on Saturday.
While the rookie left-hander set a new career high with six strikeouts in his previous outing, he also took the loss in Minnesota’s 6-4 road defeat against the Cleveland Guardians on May 8.
Prielipp allowed four runs (one earned) on four hits and walked two in five innings. Saturday’s game marks Prielipp’s first career appearance against the Brewers.
Given Prielipp’s history of arm injuries, Shelton slowly is building up the 25-year-old’s pitch count and providing extra rest days between starts when possible.
“I think any chance that we can give him a day or two, we’ll do that,” Shelton said. “There’s a big difference between monitoring a guy when he comes to the big leagues to be cautious, and then there’s the difference (with) this guy, who has 150 innings since he was a 17-year-old in high school.”
Right-hander Logan Henderson (0-1, 4.15 ERA) is slated to get the start for the Brewers.
Henderson received a no-decision in a 4-3 home win against the New York Yankees on Sunday. He left the game with a 3-2 lead after allowing two runs on four hits with five strikeouts over five innings.
It will be Henderson’s first career start against Minnesota.
–Field Level Media
