The Milwaukee Brewers are 36-26 (at the time of this writing) after being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this week. It was the first time that Milwaukee had been swept this season. Astonishingly, the reason the Brewers lost all three games to the Phillies was not because of pitching, but because their offense went cold. They mustered just two runs the entire series while allowing just seven runs to one of the best offenses in Major League Baseball.
Indeed, Milwaukee’s starting pitching (and their bullpen, for that matter) have over achieved so far this year. Before the season even began, their starting rotation took a hit when Corbin Burnes was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Joey Ortiz and DL Hall. Furthermore, it was determined that Brandon Woodruff‘s shoulder injury from last year would keep him out for the entire 2024 season as well.
The Milwaukee Brewers Currently Have 5 Starting Pitchers on the Injured List
Unfortunately, the Brewers were not done trying to plug holes in their starting rotation. Wade Miley experienced some soreness during Spring Training and started the season on the injured list. After he returned, he made just two starts before being shut down for the season because Tommy John surgery was required.
Jakob Junis made just one start before heading to the injured list, and he still has yet to be activated. Joe Ross, who had not appeared in the Majors since 2021, made nine starts before heading to IL as well.
Rookies DL Hall and Robert Gasser are both hurt, too. And all of these injuries do not take into account Aaron Ashby working his way back this year from an injury that kept him out for the entire 2023 season.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Brewers have an entire starting rotation’s worth of pitchers on IL. It has been a rough stretch and they are running out of arms.
The Milwaukee Brewers Plan to Have Carlos F. Rodriguez Make His Major League Debut Next Week
At this point, the Brewers have already used three rookie starters so far this season (Hall, Gasser, and Tobias Myers). Next week, they are poised to use another one, their sixth-ranked prospect, Carlos F. Rodriguez.
According to La Prensa, a news outlet in Nicaragua (Rodriguez’s home country), Milwaukee plans on having their Triple-A star pitcher make his Major League debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 11.
Rodriguez got off to a rough start in Triple-A Nashville this year and is currently 4-5 with a 5.17 ERA. However, over his last six starts, he is 3-1 with a 2.83 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .177 batting average. He also struck out 40 batters in 35 innings during that time frame while tossing four consecutive quality starts.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
