The upcoming All-Star break may have arrived at the perfect time for Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison, who revealed after Wednesday night’s 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals that he has been pitching through soreness in his left elbow over the past few weeks.
Harrison admitted the discomfort has affected his ability to finish pitches and likely contributed to consecutive underwhelming starts against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cardinals. Across those two outings, the 24-year-old allowed six runs on nine hits while recording just 6 2/3 innings, a noticeable dip from the consistency he had displayed throughout much of the season.
“I’ve been better,” Harrison said after the game. “It’s something that I’ve been battling the past couple of weeks. This is a good time for a break. That’s the best way to look at it.”
Fortunately for the Brewers, Harrison is not scheduled to pitch again until after the All-Star festivities, giving him valuable time to recover. The pitcher expressed confidence that the issue is minor, saying both the team’s medical staff and trainers believe rest should be enough to resolve the problem.
“I’m confident in that, and so are the trainers and everyone else,” Harrison said. “It should be something that’s just a little something.”
Brewers manager Pat Murphy echoed that optimism while emphasizing the club’s long-term approach to protecting one of its most reliable starters.
“It’s obvious he’s fatigued, and we’ve got to help him on that,” Murphy said. “We could have left him in there, but we’re thinking about his future.”
Wednesday’s outing proved challenging for Harrison from the very beginning. Defensive miscues behind him quickly put Milwaukee in an early hole. Cardinals leadoff hitter Masyn Winn reached on a fly ball that glanced off rookie right fielder Luis Lara’s glove before striking him in the face and dropping for a double. Moments later, Jordan Walker lined another double into the gap, followed by Alec Burleson’s RBI double that extended St. Louis’ lead to 2-0 before Harrison could record the third out of the inning.
Murphy acknowledged that the setting sun made several plays difficult but insisted major league defenders are expected to make those catches.
“The sun’s a factor when you play Major League Baseball,” Murphy said. “But you’re in the big leagues because you can catch it. Both of those balls can be caught, and great teams catch those balls. We didn’t tonight, and that was the difference.”
Milwaukee’s offense also struggled to generate momentum against Cardinals starter Michael McGreevy, who delivered one of his strongest performances of the season by holding the Brewers in check for 6 1/3 innings.
The Brewers finally got on the scoreboard in the seventh inning when Cooper Pratt lifted a sacrifice fly to drive home their lone run. Joey Ortiz followed with a two-out double that put runners on second and third, but Cardinals rookie reliever Luis Gastelum escaped the jam in his Major League debut by retiring Andrew Vaughn on a soft infield grounder.
Murphy explained his decision not to use regular second baseman Brice Turang in the key seventh-inning situation despite having him available on the bench. The Brewers manager wanted to preserve Turang’s scheduled day off unless a game-tying or go-ahead opportunity arose, underscoring the importance of keeping players fresh during the demanding 162-game season.
Despite his recent struggles, Harrison has been one of Milwaukee’s most dependable starters in his first season with the club. Even after back-to-back disappointing outings, he owns an impressive 3.01 ERA, and the Brewers have gone 12-5 in games he has started.
Harrison believes the elbow soreness may be linked to the wider grip he adopted for his new changeup this season, a pitch that has played a major role in his success. Earlier in the year, he also battled a blister caused by the same pitch during spring training, making this the latest physical challenge he has faced.
The left-hander admitted it was difficult informing the coaching staff that he was dealing with pain but understands the importance of protecting his health for the second half of the season and Milwaukee’s postseason aspirations.
Reflecting on his first half, Harrison said he remains proud of what he accomplished despite finishing on a frustrating note.
“It’s hard to feel great about the first half right now,” Harrison said. “But when I look back, it was a good first half. I just wish I had finished better. I’ll use these last couple of starts as motivation and come back stronger in the second half.”
With the All-Star break providing a timely opportunity for rest and recovery, the Brewers are hopeful Harrison will return healthy and ready to anchor the rotation as the club continues its push toward the postseason.
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