Brewers: Indians walk past Jimmy Nelson
By Phil Watson
The Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation is in a funk right now and right-hander Jimmy Nelson didn’t help them snap out of it Wednesday night, issuing a career-high eight walks in just 3.1 innings in a 6-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.
The Brewers (53-74) closed a 1-4 trip through Washington and Cleveland with four straight losses.
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Nelson (10-10) gave up five runs on four hits with eight walks and four strikeouts and the starting rotation is just 2-6 with a 9.92 ERA in its last eight games—none of which ended with a quality start (six innings or more, three earned runs or less).
“We’re struggling,” manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com. “We’re putting ourselves behind the 8-ball and we’re making it tough.”
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Milwaukee managed to get just six innings from starters Wily Peralta and Nelson in the two-game sweep at the hands of the Indians (60-66).
One of the few highlights for the Brewers was Khris Davis’ 17th home run of the season off right-hander Cody Anderson in the second inning.
He is the first Brewer with at least 10 home runs in a month since Prince Fielder cracked 10 in June 2011.
But after Davis gave Milwaukee a 1-0 head, Cleveland struck back with three runs in the bottom of the second on a bases-loaded double by Jason Kipnis after Nelson gave up a single and back-to-back walks with two outs.
Nelson gave up a double to Lonnie Chisenhall in the third. Chisenhall moved up a groundout and scored on a wild pitch by Nelson.
Chisenhall’s RBI single in the fourth after two more walks chased Nelson.
Tyler Thornburg pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and fanning two. Corey Knebel gave up two hits and struck out one in two innings and Will Smith gave up his second homer in as many days, a solo shot by Kipnis in the bottom of the eighth.
The Brewers got their other run in the top of the fifth. Elian Herrera walked with one out, went to third on an infield single by Jean Segura and a throwing error by shortstop Francisco Lindor and, after Anderson was yanked, Logan Schafer lofted a sacrifice fly off reliever Kyle Crockett.
Jeff Manship (1-0) was awarded the victory for Cleveland, working 1.1 scoreless innings with a strikeout.
Herrera was 2-for-3 with a walk as the Brewers had seven hits.
Nelson had been 7-1 with a 2.39 ERA in his previous 11 starts, before issuing the most walks by a Brewer pitcher since Doug Davis walked eight on Sept. 28, 2006.
“[The ball] wasn’t coming out of my hand right,” Nelson said. “I wasn’t getting on top of any of my pitches and I wasn’t making the adjustment like I know I can do.”
There was a steady rain throughout the early part of the game, but Nelson wasn’t blaming the weather.
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“It’s not like I went out there and they were crushing balls left and right—I did it to myself,” Nelson said. “As far as things that I can control, that’s the worst game I’ve had in a long time.”
The Brewers have another off day on Thursday before opening a three-game set at Miller Park against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at 7:10 p.m.
Right-hander Taylor Jungmann (7-5, 2.66 ERA) is scheduled to start against right-hander Raisel Iglesias (3-5, 3.93).
Jungmann shut down the Reds the only time he faced them, allowing a run on four hits in eight innings with two walks and four strikeouts in a 6-1 victory at Great American Ball Park on July 5. He was shelled for five runs on seven hits in just four innings on Saturday, walking three and fanning five, in a 6-1 loss to the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
It will be Iglesias’ first look at Milwaukee. The Cuban-born 26-year-old lost his last start despite allowing just two runs—one earned—on three hits in seven innings with three walks and a career-high 13 strikeouts in a 4-0 loss Sunday to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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