The Brewers’ pitching picture got a lot more crowded in a hurry, and Logan Sproat’s rough afternoon did him no favors.
Milwaukee added veteran right-hander Dustin May just hours before first pitch, and Kyle Harrison is due back from the injured list Wednesday. That leaves the Brewers with more starting arms than rotation spots, and Sproat’s latest outing only sharpened the pressure around his role.
In Milwaukee’s 4-3 loss to the Pirates at American Family Field, the 25-year-old gave up four runs on five hits over three-plus innings. He also walked two and uncorked three wild pitches, a line that left his standing in the mix very much up in the air.
“Another bad day,” Sproat said. “Letting guys down again.”
The third inning unraveled after he retired the first two hitters. Two straight singles and a walk loaded the bases, and Spencer Horwitz made him pay with a three-run double.
Then, in the fourth, Sproat allowed a leadoff single before spiking back-to-back wild pitches to the backstop. That led manager Pat Murphy to make an uncommon move and pull his starter in the middle of Jacob Gonzalez’s at-bat.
Sproat struck out four, but the damage was done.
“I really … the only thing I would take back there is just the walk,” Sproat said of the third inning. “I had the chance to get out of it.”
Now the Brewers have decisions to make. Harrison is expected to return after missing nearly a month with a forearm injury, and May is set to make his Brewers debut Thursday after Monday’s Trade Deadline deal from St. Louis.
After the game, Murphy said he, president of baseball operations Matt Arnold and Sproat would meet to sort out what comes next.
“We’re going to figure out what the next pieces are,” Murphy said.
That doesn’t guarantee Sproat stays in Milwaukee. Murphy said the club usually prefers young starters to keep starting if they’re optioned instead of moving to the bullpen, but he made clear that everything is on the table.
He also tried to put the outing in perspective, pointing to Corbin Burnes’ difficult 2019 season as an example of how early struggles can give way to something much bigger.
“This kid has been better than Corbin was in ‘19, and look what Corbin turned into,” Murphy said. “I’m not going to suggest that he’s going to turn into Corbin next year, but there’s a lot there.”
For his part, Sproat said he can’t control the roster math around him.
“I’m not going to stress over it and try to play GM,” Sproat said. “That’s not my job. I’m just going to keep pushing forward.”
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