Keston Hiura struck out four times and the Milwaukee Brewers could muster just six singles in their 4-0 loss to the San Diego Padres on Saturday night. It was the Brewers’ second shutout loss in a row after nearly being no-hit by Joe Musgrove on Friday night. Despite the loss, Keston Hiura and Padres designated hitter Luke Voit made some history last night, which is always cool to see happen. The problem here is that it is not a good thing for either of them.
Keston Hiura and Luke Voit Each Get a Golden Sombrero
In baseball, a golden sombrero is not a good thing. It is when a hitter goes 0-4 with four strikeouts. On Saturday night, both Keston Hiura and Luke Voit went 0-4 with four strikeouts. They were also their respective teams’ designated hitters, which is where the history comes in.
Random MLB history in today's game:
It's the third time ever both DH's in a game have a sombrero – four strikeouts. The DH was enacted in 1973 … yet each of the three games have happened in the last two seasons.
And it's the first time ever in the National League.
— Dominic Cotroneo (@Dom_Cotroneo) June 4, 2022
Typically, what would follow here is a little commentary on the above tweet and, perhaps, some words of hope. But all I can say is, “Yikes.”
Why Does Craig Counsell Play Keston Hiura Against Left-Handed Pitchers?
Everyone knows that, in baseball, right-handed hitters usually hit left-handed pitchers better than they do right-handed pitchers. The same is true of the reverse. Left-handed hitters usually hit right-handed pitchers better than left-handed pitchers. Here is the key word: USUALLY!
This season, Keston Hiura has been absolutely terrible against left-handed pitching. Yet, for some reason, Craig Counsell continues to play Hiura predominantly against left-handed pitching. This is an incredibly irresponsible decision when Hiura’s splits are taken into consideration.
- vs. LHP: .125/.222/.125 with no home runs, three RBI, 24 strikeouts, three walks (40 AB’s)
- vs. RHP: .333/442/.778 with five home homes, 10 RBI, 17 strikeouts, six walks (36 AB’s)
At this point, everyone knows Keston Hiura is a defensive liability wherever he plays. However, he does have some ability to play first base, second base, or left field. Now that the National League has the DH, he can fill that role too. There is no reason for him to be held out of the lineup against right-handed pitching anymore. Similarly, there is no reason for him to be IN the lineup against a left-handed pitcher.
Related: Brewers outfield: “I don’t know what to do up there right now”
Game Notes
- Rowdy Tellez was 2-3 with a walk
- Tyrone Taylor, Jace Peterson, Pablo Reyes, and Alex Jackson each had one hit
- Aaron Ashby allowed four runs, but had nine strikeouts and no walks in six innings; he is 1-4 with a 3.13 ERA on the season
- Trevor Gott, Miguel Sanchez, and Trevor Kelley combined for three shutout innings in relief. None of them allowed a single baserunner
Up Next
The Brewers will send Eric Lauer (5-1, 2.49 ERA) to the hill against the Padres and Mike Clevinger (1-0, 3.21 ERA) on Sunday at 1:!0 CST
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