The Brewers are going for a series win tonight against the Diamondbacks. However, what was expected to be a normal start for Quinn Priester has turned into a very surprising day for the Brewers.
It started earlier today when it was reported that Aaron Ashby would be the opener tonight. It was a little odd but not unexpected — Priester has been preceded by an opener before. A little later in the day, the Brewers announced a roster move. They signed Erick Fedde to a one-year contract. To make room for him,
they placed Trevor Megill on the 15-day IL with a right flexor strain and moved Logan Henderson to the 60-day IL.
The injury to Megill is a tough one, but it might explain some of his recent issues. He is optimistic that it will be a short IL stint since it doesn’t feel as bad as previous strains. As for Henderson, putting him on the 60-day IL now means that he cannot return in the regular season (but could be available in the postseason). Meanwhile, it’s not surprising to see the Brewers pick up another player that they think they can work with. It’s worked out with previous moves, so maybe it could happen again.
However, the surprising part came later when reports came out that Ashby would open and Fedde would follow him. Meanwhile, Priester would not make his start today. In his pre-game press conference, Murphy said that Priester has a wrist issue, but it’s not serious and he’ll be pushed back to Saturday. The plan for tonight is to have Ashby pitch once through the order, then have Fedde follow him on a pitch count of 80 to 90 pitches.
Even though Ashby has made several long appearances this season, this will be Ashby’s first “start” since June 5 of last season. Ashby has pitched once in the series already, and it was an impressive performance. With the Brewers holding onto a one-run lead, he pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out five batters in a row before issuing a walk to end his day. This season, he has a 2.09 ERA and 2.98 FIP.
As for Fedde, he will be pitching on regular rest despite just being signed. He was released by the Braves after allowing six runs in 4 1/3 innings to the Mets on Friday. Fedde was acquired by the Braves before the trade deadline from the Cardinals and posted an 8.10 ERA over five starts. He has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his last 10 appearances.
This may be an emergency start situation, since the Brewers don’t have another pitcher on the 40-man roster who could start. Chad Patrick pitched on Sunday for the Brewers, and Robert Gasser made a minor league rehab start on Sunday as well. Any other pitcher would require a 40-man roster move and would be potentially risked on waivers when the Brewers activate Gasser.
Meanwhile, Ryne Nelson gets the start for the Diamondbacks. The Brewers faced him as a reliever on April 12 in Arizona. In that appearance, he pitched three innings and allowed a single run while striking out three. He was moved to the rotation in May and has a 3.39 ERA over 17 starts and 93 innings as a starting pitcher.
In lineup news, Sal Frelick is out of the lineup tonight. Murphy confirmed that Frelick is OK and this is just a day off to rest his knee. Brandon Lockridge will get the start in right field and bat eighth. Jake Bauers is also in the lineup today as the designated hitter. Christian Yelich will start in left field in place of Isaac Collins. Caleb Durbin will bat second with Brice Turang leading off.
Here are the full lineups for tonight. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. CT and will be on FanDuel Sports Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.
