clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Ryan Braun remains out of Brewers lineup for series finale vs Rockies

Braun is still suffering from a strain in his side and will take off the series finale before the Brewers have a team day off on Thursday.

By NoahCJ

If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

By all accounts Tuesday, the strain Ryan Braun suffered on Monday wasn't all that bad. In fact, Braun himself said that it was basically a best-case scenario as far as MRI results went.

Of course, best case scenario doesn't mean completely healthy, and the Brewers are choosing to sit Braun for a second straight game in hopes he'll be completely healthy upon his return.

With a day off tomorrow, Braun will have a full three days to recover which seems like it should be enough time given his optimistic outlook when talking to reporters Tuesday. Braun had said he was already feeling much better, but that the pain was more between 'sore and tight'. Given his comments and the amount of time he has to rest, Braun seems likely to return for the Brewers' upcoming series against the Pirates.

The lineup remains the same as Tuesday with Braun out. Gerardo Parra stays the starter in right field batting sixth with Adam Lind third and Khris Davis fifth. Jean Segura remains ahead of Scooter Gennett in the order.

Wily Peralta will get his first chance in 2015 to show he's ready to take a big step forward. Kyle Lohse and Matt Garza -- the veterans of the rotation -- have led off the season with two straight poor starts, so Peralta will be looked at as a stopper.

Of any player in the rotation, it's also very possible that Peralta has the most talent and upside. And despite his 69 career major league starts to-date, he's also still the second-youngest member of the starting staff with Jimmy Nelson being just a year younger.

Peralta had a very nice season in 2014, posting a 3.53 ERA (an improvement from his 2013 ERA of 4.37) and 154 strikeouts in 199 innings. Further, he had just a 2.8 BB/9 which is great to see given he often struggled with control in the minors and his first season and a half in the majors.

One of the hardest-throwing starters in baseball, Peralta will often rely on a 95 MPH fastball to carry him, throwing a four- or two-seamer in about two-thirds of his pitches last year. His only breaking ball is a very effective slider, which has been ten runs better than average over the past two years, according to Fangraphs. On occasion, Peralta will toss a change-up, though they are rare.

The Brewers will be facing 24-year-old right-hander Eddie Butler. Butler is similar to Peralta in that he throws a strong fastball/slider combo with a work-in-progress change-up mixed in. He had a brief three game stint in the majors last season, but didn't have a ton of success.

In the minors, however, Butler has been on Baseball America's top-100 prospect list two years running, topping out at #24 prior to 2014. He only ever pitched one game in Triple-A, but pitched very well at every other level. Butler won't rack up big strikeout numbers, but he's been able to generate a lot of grounders which makes him ideal for a Rockies team playing in the Denver atmosphere. Butler has had issues in the past when he hasn't gotten the ball down in the strike zone -- if he struggles with his command early, the Brewers could be in for a nice night.

More From Brew Crew Ball