Brent Suter to start tomorrow for Brewers

With Chase Anderson hurting, Junior Guerra not ready to return quite yet, and the Brewers needing a fifth starter, they have chosen to go down to Colorado Springs to find one. Following today’s game against the Cubs, the Brewers have announced that Brett Suter will start tomorrow’s game against the Mariners. It will be his major league debut as he will be the second player from Colorado Springs this week to make his debut (following the debut of Damien Magnifico earlier this week).

Though he’s not a strikeout pitcher, Suter has found success in the minors thanks to some good control. He’s recorded a 3.50 ERA and 3.45 FIP in 26 appearances (15 starts) for the Sky Sox covering 110.2 innings. He has walked just 14 out of 453 batters faced this season, recording a K/9 of 6.10 and a BB/9 of 1.14. His home run numbers are also low, allowing just five home runs all year (0.41 HR/9). This all comes despite a .348 BABIP that he has given up, which could suggest that some of those numbers are inflated. (For more information on Suter, Kyle wrote up a piece for Baseball Prospectus about a month ago.)

Suter’s start tomorrow will be a milestone for the Brewers as well. It will be the first game started by a left-handed pitcher for the Brewers since August of 2013. The last time a Brewers starting a left-handed pitcher was Tom Gorzelanny on August 28, 2013. That’s a streak of 474 games started by right-handed pitchers. I don’t know if that’s a record, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is.

The Brewers will have to make a roster move to clear space for Suter, both on the 25-man roster and the 40-man roster. If Chase Anderson is going to miss a few starts, placing him on the DL would clear a 25-man spot. Otherwise, a pitcher like Tyler Cravy could be optioned as well. As for the 40-man spot, the simplest move would be to move Domingo Santana to the 60-day DL, since he has been on the DL more than 60 days anyway. However, Santana is approaching his return, so moving him to the 60-day DL would only buy the Brewers a little time. There are a few relievers that could be designated for assignment as well, such as Tyler Cravy or David Goforth. Those guys could likely pass through waivers considering their results this season.

With this announcement, the Brewers rotation for the Seattle series is set. Here are the starting pitcher matchups:

• Friday: Brent Suter vs. Wade LeBlanc
• Saturday: Wily Peralta vs. Felix Hernandez
• Sunday: Matt Garza vs. Ariel Miranda