Brewers skipping Jacob Misiorowski's start against Paul Skenes on July 12
· Yahoo Sports
PITTSBURGH – Miz vs. Skenes Round II will have to wait.
Visit playerbros.org for more information.
The Milwaukee Brewers are skipping Jacob Misiorowski’s turn through the rotation in the final day before the All-Star break, opting to give their ace as much rest as possible while he deals with what the team is saying is a small bout of fatigue.
Robert Gasser will start in Misiorowski’s place against Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes in a series finale July 12 at PNC Park that suddenly doesn’t have the same luster as initially anticipated.
Misiorowski’s status for the All-Star Game July 14 remains unchanged: He will attend the festivities next week in Philadelphia but won’t pitch.
“A little forearm stuff,” Misiorowski said. “Nothing crazy. Just didn’t bounce back. A little quick on the days off between but nothing crazy. We also have this long break.”
Misiorowski last pitched July 7 in St. Louis, going seven innings with 11 strikeouts and no walks.
The Brewers said Misiorowski simply didn’t feel great after that start, which was his only his third start on four days rest this year.
The start in Pittsburgh would have been the first time Misiorowski went back-to-back on four days rest all season, which factored into the Brewers decision.
“He didn’t recover well,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “His arm doesn’t feel great. His body doesn’t feel great. There’s no imaging or any of that stuff going on. Just giving him a rest. We need some time away from throwing right now.”
Managing Misiorowski’s innings – and by proxy, in the Brewers’ minds, his health – is at the center of the decision.
Misiorowski’s workload to this point has been heavy. He’s thrown 111 innings at the break, already approaching his career-high of 141⅓ he set a year ago (including playoffs). With that in mind, while Misiorowski expects to take the ball his next turn through the rotation, it’s not a certainty he pitches the first game back.
“He’s had a big load,” Murphy said. “We’re making that decision to give him a break. His throwing program today was a little clunky. We didn’t like what we saw and we’re going to hold him out.”
Murphy and the Brewers were never thrilled with the idea of Misiorowski pitching in the All-Star Game, which may have played a role in mapping out the pitching schedule to have the 24-year-old to pitch in the first-half finale. Had Misiorowski’s scheduled had him pitch Saturday, July 11, he would have been obligated to pitch for the National League, barring injury.
The way it worked out for Milwaukee, he gets an extra respite while also not having to throw in Philadelphia.
“That sucks but it’s for the better,” Misiorowski said of missing the midsummer classic. “We’re looking forward to later in the season.”
Fans will be disappointed to not get the second battle of Misiorowski and Skenes, two of the game’s brightest and most-marketed young stars.
The head-to-head matchup to Misiorowski, though? Not that big a deal.
“I couldn’t care less, honestly,” he said. “It’s always a bummer not to play. That’s the biggest thing. If it’s [against] some dude off the street I don’t care.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers skipping Jacob Misiorowski's start against Paul Skenes on July 12