Brandon Woodruff Returns, Brewers Beat Rays 5-3

Milwaukee Brewers righthander Brandon Woodruff made his first major league start, and pitching appearance, against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on August 4th, 2017. He pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowed no earned runs, seven hits, and 2 walks, struck out six and picked up the win. On June 28th, he Brewers returned to Tropicana Field for the first time since then, and Woodruff took the mound in the first game of the two game set.

It’s a pretty small sample, but Woodruff has pitched well at The Trop. In his second start there, he allowed on earned run and two hits while striking out 10 and walking none in five innings and picked up his sixth win of the season as Milwaukee beat Tampa Bay 5-3. This was also Woodruff’s first start after spending a month on the injured list. He was placed on the injured list after injuring his ankle on May 27th. While he was recovering from that, he was diagnosed with Raynaud’s Syndrome, a condition that caused numbness in his fingers, definitely not something one wants to have if one is a major league pitcher. But Woodruff said post game that he had no issues with his fingers, and his performance backs that up.

The Brewers have had a rash of injuries, especially on their pitching staff. Starters Aaron Ashby and Freddy Peralta are both on the injured list, as are relievers Luis Perdome, Miguel Sanchez, and Jake Cousins. Pitching is Milwaukee’s strength, but the Brewers have weathered the injury storm—which has also included second baseman Kolton Wong, shortstop Willy Adames, and outfielder Hunter Renfroe at various times—and were in 1st place in the National League Central by a half game over St. Louis at the end of play on June 28th. As more players return, and with a season schedule that features a lot more home games than road games in the second half, the Brewers should be formidable going forward.