The Milwaukee Brewers were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Tuesday night. The loss snapped a five game winning streak for Milwaukee and dropped their record to 36-25 on the season. Since the Chicago Cubs beat their crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox, the Brewers are now six games ahead of them in the National League Central Division standings. The St. Louis Cardinals are seven games back, the Pittsburgh Pirates are seven-and-a-half games back, and the Cincinnati Reds are eight games back.
While this Brewers team has been a joy to watch this year, more credit for their success should go to manager Pat Murphy. Their 35 wins through 61 games is the second-most in franchise history for a manager’s first season on the job. Amazingly, they have reached this point despite numerous injuries to their starting rotation.
The Milwaukee Brewers Have Battled Numerous Injuries to Their Starting Pitchers
Before the 2024 Major League Baseball season even began, starting pitching was a huge question mark for Milwaukee. Corbin Burnes was traded to the Baltimore Orioles and Brandon Woodruff was ruled out for the year with his injury from last season.
Since the season began, the following starting pitchers have had to visit the injured list (IL) with some sort of injury:
- Wade Miley
- Jakob Junis
- Joe Ross
- DL Hall
Miley will be out for the season as he requires Tommy John surgery. Junis has recently started a rehab assignment and could return to the rotation soon, but Hall and Ross are still battling their respective injuries.
The Milwaukee Brewers Have Called Up Aaron Ashby Amid Robert Gasser Injury Concerns
With so many pitchers injured, the Brewers turned to rookies Tobias Myers and Robert Gasser. Myers struggled in seven games (six starts) with Milwaukee, going 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA. He was recently sent back to Triple-A Nashville.
Gasser, on the other hand, has been very good since being called up. In five starts, he is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA. Unfortunately, it sounds like he could become the latest Brewers starter to land on IL.
Prior to the Brewers’ game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, manager Pat Murphy revealed that Gasser was flying to Los Angeles to get a second opinion on his sore elbow.
While it is no guarantee that Gasser will go on IL, it has not been ruled out yet.
With their starting rotation taking yet another hit, Milwaukee decided to call up Aaron Ashby, who himself has battled back from a long-term injury:
Aaron Ashby has a locker and is present today is Philly.
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) June 4, 2024
Ashby is listed as the probable starter for Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia, where the Brewers will try to salvage a game after losing the first two.
Ashby is 1-3 with a 6.80 ERA in Triple-A Nashville this year. He made one start for Milwaukee earlier this year, allowing eight runs (four earned) in three-and-two-thirds innings.
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