Basically, it depends. Milwaukee Brewers starter Jose Quintana left his last start after suffering a calf strain and, while the injury does not seem serious, his status is unclear moving forward. Will he make his next scheduled outing or require extra time? Per team reporter Adam McCalvy, the Brewers will evaluate Quintana during a catch session and go from there.
Quintana has given Brewers what they asked for
Quintana threw a season-low 67 pitches in his Sunday start against St. Louis, so his arm could actually be a bit fresher than usual whenever he next takes the mound. Prior to that, he had only other start below 80 pitches, and none with fewer than 20 batters faced. It’s all about making sure his calf, which he injured covering first on a put-out, is healed before he again toes the rubber.
Quintana missed three weeks earlier this season with a shoulder injury. Other than that, he has given the Brewers consistent innings, although he has been hit a bit harder of late. Although he set the Cardinals down in order in three of four frames, they tagged Quintana for three runs on four hits in the second. Two walks that inning, his free passes only of the day, helped to drive up his pitch count. The isolated outburst ended up being the difference in a 3-2 Brewers loss.
Overall, though, he has been solid since joining the team mid-April. Due to his late free-agency signing, Quintana started his season behind the eight-ball and needed some extra time to ramp up. On a cheap one-year contract, the 36-year-old southpaw has delivered, going 11-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 24 starts. Involved in rumors at the trade deadline, he ultimately stayed in Milwaukee and has continued to clock in a solid five or six innings almost every night.
The way the Brewers rotation is shaping up, healthy or not, he seems unlikely to have a spot in the starting five for the playoffs. He could, however, serve in long relief out of the bullpen. More importantly, Milwaukee would benefit from having him available to eat innings down the stretch, preserving a tattered staff of relievers still missing key pieces.
It doesn’t help that closer Trevor Megill, initially projected to return today, September 16, suffered a recent setback recovering from an elbow flexor strain.
Were Quintana to go as scheduled, he is listed as the probable starter for the Brewers’ game on Saturday, also against the Cardinals but this time on the road.
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