Brewers send pitcher Brandon Sproat to Triple-A
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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 today for Milwaukee in the series finale against Pittsburgh.
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.
In Tuesday’s game, Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn homered, Logan Henderson allowed two runs in six innings to win his sixth consecutive decision, and the Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2. Henderson (6-1), whose only loss was in early May, allowed four hits, including two solo homers, struck out eight and walked one.
Senzatela tossed a scoreless seventh with the aid of a double play. Abner Uribe stranded runners on the corners in the eighth and Trevor Megill closed with a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 21 opportunities.