The Sports Xchange
MLB Team Report – Milwaukee Brewers – INSIDE PITCH
The Brewers are facing the make-or-break final three weeks of the season in less than peak physical condition.
First baseman Corey Hart is sidelined with a plantar fascia tear in his left foot, and there is no way to know when he might return and how effective he’ll be. All-Star left fielder Ryan Braun is playing with an ailing right wrist that compromises his swing at times.
And during the game Wednesday night against Atlanta, center fielder Carlos Gomez suffered a bruised left quadriceps on a take-out slide at second base and exited in the third inning. Gomez’s game is based on speed, so that is a troublesome injury.
Braun left the game Sunday in St. Louis when he aggravated the strained wrist, which has been bothering him for some time. He returned to the lineup for the home series against Atlanta but went 0 for 6 in the first two games and didn’t look the same at the plate.
Braun downplayed the injury Wednesday, saying, “Everybody has something this time of the year. Nobody’s 100 percent. You just deal with it.”
Of Braun’s ailing wrist, manager Ron Roenicke said, “It’s affecting him. Some days seem better than others. Some at-bats are better than others. I’m hoping the day off tomorrow will help and the day off Monday.
“There’s a big difference when he’s 100 percent. It’s incredible. You guys see what he can do. When you have something wrong with your hands or wrists, it’s difficult to feel like you can wait back and still stay as strong. Every at-bat seems to be different.”
Hart is expecting to receive an orthotic Friday to put in his shoe to lessen the discomfort on the partially torn plantar fascia in his left foot. But there’s no way to know if it will help enough to allow him to play.
Asked when he thought Hart might be able to play again, Roenicke said, “Friday is still pretty questionable, whether he can do it. Hopefully by maybe Saturday or Sunday he can get back out there.’
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MLB Team Report – Milwaukee Brewers – NOTES, QUOTES
–1B Corey Hart missed his third consecutive game with a partially torn plantar fascia in his left foot. The Brewers are off Thursday, and Hart expects to receive an orthotic on Friday to put in his shoe and hopefully allow him to see some action. His status remains doubtful, however.
–CF Carlos Gomez suffered a bruised lower left quadriceps Wednesday night during a take-out slide at second base in the second inning. Gomez left the game and was listed as day-to-day. The Brewers are off Thursday.
–RHP Yovani Gallardo took over the major league lead with his 24th complete game Wednesday, allowing four hits and two runs in seven innings in an 8-2 rout of Atlanta. Gallardo (15-8) extended his winning streak to a career-high seven games.
–2B Rickie Weeks, buried in a deep slump for much of the season, has found the power switch. Weeks’ three-run homer Wednesday ignited an eight-run rally in the fifth against Atlanta and was his fifth homer in eight games.
–The Brewers have won 18 of their last 23 games and nine in a row at home, matching the Miller Park record. Over that stretch, they have gone from 12 1/2 games out in the race for the second wild-card berth in the NL to three out.
BY THE NUMBERS: 71-71 — Record for the Brewers. It’s the first time they have been over .500 since they were 4-3 on April 12.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We know what we have to do. We have to take care of business every day and on the last day of the season see where we’re at.” — RHP Yovani Gallardo, after the Brewers pulled within three games of St. Louis for the second wild-card spot in the NL.
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MLB Team Report – Milwaukee Brewers – ROSTER REPORT
MEDICAL WATCH:
–CF Carlos Gomez (bruised left quadriceps) was injured during a take-out slide Sept. 12. He’s day-to-day.
–1B Corey Hart (sore left foot) left the Sept. 9 game with what he thought was a sprained ankle, but an examination revealed plantar fascia of the left foot. He didn’t play Sept. 10-12 and hopes to return Sept. 14.
–SS Alex Gonzalez (torn right anterior cruciate ligament) went on the 15-day disabled list May 6, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 23. He underwent season-ending surgery May 17.
–1B Mat Gamel (torn right anterior cruciate ligament) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 2, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 6. He underwent season-ending surgery May 22.
–LHP Chris Narveson (left rotator cuff tear) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 16, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 29. He underwent season-ending surgery May 1. He began playing catch in late August — the first step in an extensive throwing program. He is expected to be back to full strength by spring training.
ROTATION:
RHP Yovani Gallardo
RHP Michael Fiers
RHP Marco Estrada
RHP Mark Rogers
RHP Shaun Marcum
RHP Wily Peralta
BULLPEN:
RHP Jim Henderson
RHP John Axford
RHP Francisco Rodriguez
RHP Jose Veras
RHP Wily Peralta
LHP Manny Parra
RHP Livan Hernandez
RHP Tyler Thornburg
RHP Josh Stinson
CATCHERS:
Jonathan Lucroy
Martin Maldonado
INFIELDERS:
1B Corey Hart
2B Rickie Weeks
SS Jean Segura
3B Aramis Ramirez
INF Eric Farris
INF Travis Ishikawa
INF Jeff Bianchi
INF Taylor Green
OUTFIELDERS:
LF Ryan Braun
CF Carlos Gomez
RF Norichika Aoki
OF Nyjer Morgan
OF Logan Schafer
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