MILWAUKEE (AP) — With the Milwaukee Brewers’ trade-deadline acquisition of veteran starter Dustin May, rookie right-hander Brandon Sproat became the odd man out of the rotation.
Sproat, who appeared in 21 games for Milwaukee, including 19 starts, was optioned Tuesday to Triple-A Nashville one day after another inconsistent start.
May, acquired from the Cardinals on Monday along with reliever JoJo Romero, is scheduled to start Thursday for Milwaukee
in the series finale against Pittsburgh. Left-hander Kyle Harrison, on the injured list since July 9, also is scheduled to return and start Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Sproat, acquired from the Mets in the offseason trade for Freddy Peralta, is 3-7 with a 5.27 ERA for Milwaukee. He has not won in five starts since his last victory on June 30.
“I think you look at it at face value. It wasn’t a foregone conclusion,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said before Tuesday’s game. “It’s really about what’s best for the player and what’s best for the team.”
Sproat took the loss Monday in a 4-3 defeat in the series opener against the Pirates, allowing four runs on five hits in three-plus innings. He was removed after throwing consecutive wild pitches following a leadoff single in the fourth.
Sproat has struck out 100 in 95 2/3 innings with the Brewers. But he walked 48, hit nine batters and threw nine wild pitches.
“The free bases, the wild pitches, the walks, hit by pitches, has got to stop,” Murphy said. “You can’t pitch in the big leagues like that.”
May was 5-7 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 starts with St. Louis, including 0-1 with a 4.62 ERA in six July starts.
The Brewers also optioned reliever Garrett Stallings to Nashville on Tuesday. In addition to getting Romero, Milwaukee also acquired reliever Antonio Senzatela from Colorado on Monday.
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