The Milwaukee Brewers have patched together a lineup throughout their first 21 games, but they still head into Detroit this week with a 12-9 record.
Outfielder Jackson Chourio has yet to make his season debut after undergoing hand surgery. First baseman Andrew Vaughn lasted one game before he was sidelined by a hand injury. Designated hitter Christian Yelich was batting .314 through 15 games when he suffered a groin pull that will keep him out for at least a month.
Milwaukee ended a six-game slide last week by reeling off four consecutive victories. The Brewers dropped a 5-3 decision to Miami on Sunday.
“We’re battered,” manager Pat Murphy said. “Offensively, we have three of our top hitters out. To battle through this with them out — two have been out the whole year — I am proud we battle every game. We’re in it, and we’re not playing great. Everybody’s not playing their best, but at the same time, I am proud of it.”
Infielder Brice Turang (.300, 19 runs, four homers, 14 RBIs) and catcher William Contreras (.301, two homers, 11 RBIs) have helped the Brewers survive the wave of injuries.
Left-hander Kyle Harrison (1-1, 3.07 ERA) is scheduled to start against the Tigers. He hasn’t pitched since April 11 due to a sore left wrist and knee discomfort. He avoided a stint on the injured list after completing a bullpen session.
He gave up two runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings against Washington in his last outing. Harrison has faced the Tigers once in his career and allowed three runs in three innings.
The Tigers will counter with right-hander Keider Montero (1-1, 3.31 ERA). After beginning the season in the minors, Montero has filled in ably as the No. 5 starter.
In his second start on April 10, Montero held Miami scoreless for six innings. He wasn’t quite as sharp on Thursday, as he allowed four runs and seven hits against Kansas City in six-plus innings.
He’s only faced Milwaukee once in his career, giving up five runs in five innings.
Milwaukee had a day off on Monday while the Tigers were wrapping up a four-game series at Boston. Detroit wound up with a split, losing the series finale 8-6.
“Four-game series in general are pretty long,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We kind of went through pretty much everything (in this series). Fenway’s a tough place to play. Today, they outlasted us a bit and came up with big at-bats. We also gave them (eight) free passes today. You do that in this park; it doesn’t really let you off the hook very often. Long, tough series.”
One of the bright spots was the offensive output from Hao-Yu Lee. He delivered his first major league hit, an RBI single, and later smacked a double.
Lee was promoted from Triple-A Toledo last week when Zach McKinstry was placed on the injured list.
“Lee was super thrilled to get his first hit,” Hinch said. “There’s only one first. For him, there’s been a couple games where he’s been really wanting to do it. I’m glad he did it.”
Rookie phenom Kevin McGonigle also had two hits, raising his season average to .317.
–Field Level Media
