Just four days from the start of the season in Chicago against the Cubs, the Milwaukee Brewers faced decisions on Monday about some key players, including the preparation of outfielder / DH Ryan Braun and left-hander Brett Anderson.
Anderson, tentatively scheduled to start Game 2 of the Cubs series on Saturday, has been dealing with a blister on the index finger of his pitching hand. He played the catch on Sunday with no problems, but Counsell said a decision must be made about whether Anderson can pitch in the second game in Chicago.
“We are going to make a decision today,” Counsell said. “We will see how it is today. It is improving, but our concern is a little bit of the big picture here that it will only delay and affect it at various starts.
Counsell had not named a starter for Game 3 of the Cubs series, but acknowledged it would not be right-hander Josh Lindblom, who is scheduled to pitch Wednesday at the alternative training site in Appleton and would not be ready to start on Sunday.
“I think we will wait until we diagnose Brett’s situation to finish everything there,” Counsell said of his third starter.
Braun missed the team’s first five games in the team’s “Blue and Gold World Series” with various pains, but Counsell said Sunday that he thought Braun still had time to prepare for the opening game on Friday. In revealing that Braun would not play Monday, Counsell no longer said it could be considered a safe thing for the Cubs series.
“We are not going to see Ryan today, and obviously two games passed in three days today through the season (including an exhibition Wednesday against the White Sox).” I don’t know where we are going to end there. He’s starting to worry, for sure.
“We will see how he responds today. He was better yesterday. It is a kind of back, oblique, neck, it has been all over his upper body. I do not know. We will have to wait and see how he responds today.
“We definitely need to have a day with marked improvement to be on the way. And it could also be a stage with him where he’s just not ready for opening day, but it’s ready soon after. That could be a stage too.”
Braun’s continued absence left him wondering if he was considering opting out of the pandemic season, as other high-profile players have.
“I understand the speculation, but I have no plans to resign. I am 100% planning to play, ”Braun told MLB.com via text message. “I’m just working on a little oblique problem before I can play games.”
Losing Braun to any game at Wrigley Field would be unfortunate because it has been an offensive terror for the Brewers there. In 91 career games (81 starts), he has hit .323 with 19 home runs, 71 batted runs and .932 OPS. Overall, he’s hit .313 with 39 home runs and 137 RBIs in 188 games against the Cubs.
Counsell said reliever Ray Black, who left his departure prematurely Sunday with tight shoulders, would see team doctor William Raasch on Monday but is also running out of time to prepare for the Cubs series.
“I would say the opening day is in jeopardy,” Counsell said of Black.
Left-hander Eric Lauer, who stayed behind at camp after being placed on the COVID-19 protocol due to contact with someone who tested positive, will also pitch Wednesday at Appleton. Lauer struck out the three batters he faced in his first outing on Sunday, but Counsell said he is not prepared enough to make the opening list.
“Eric’s appearance was the highlight of the day, for sure,” Counsell said. “I think even though he hasn’t been on the mound much, he continued to pitch. His arm feels good. He’s healthy. We just have to put a base under him and a base under him and we’ll continue to do that.
“He is going to fail a little bit, but I think what we are seeing is that he is not going to fail much.” We are going to have longer outings with him. The Appleton scenario allows us to do that and control it really well. ”
