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Matt Garza has been struggling in the rotation lately, and some people have started to call for him to be removed from the rotation. Manager Craig Counsell decided to make a change today, though it’s not a complete change to Garza’s status.
Matt Garza won't start Sunday but is not being completely removed from the rotation, per CC. Get ready for a creative Sept. pitching picture
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) August 31, 2017
This is a potentially big change to the rotation, though the Brewers are being cryptic about it right now. Garza won’t start on Sunday, but he’s not being “completely removed” from the rotation. That could mean a variety of possibilities. Garza might just be getting pushed back as the Brewers go to a six-man rotation. He might end up as a piggyback starter with another pitcher. We don’t know right now, and it’s unlikely we will know until the Brewers are ready to deploy their changed rotation, to keep other teams guessing.
This isn’t the only cryptic piece of information we received today. McCalvy also reported that Brent Suter is ready to be activated, but Suter “couldn’t talk about his upcoming role” for the team. Could these two be tied together in the upcoming plans for the rotation? It could be as simple as Suter starting in place of Garza on Sunday, or as complicated as a piggyback scenario involving the two pitchers.
For now, we will have to wait and see what the Brewers have planned for Sunday and beyond. The only thing we can say for sure right now is that Garza’s role as a starting pitcher won’t be the same going forward.