The Milwaukee Brewers were able to cruise to an 11-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday, but it was not the best statistical night for right-hander Brandon Woodruff. 

Woodruff got the starting nod for Milwaukee and, in three innings of work, he allowed four hits, three earned runs, two home runs, and a walk while striking out four batters. After the game, he took a positive approach regarding his performance with the media.  

“It was hot, real hot,” Woodruff said. “It was good, first three innings there. I worked a little bit in the third but was able to make some pitches. And then the fourth was just, it's part of the build up. That's the tough part is just trying to get the pitch count up, get out there, and then kind of add the long innings.

“So, I kind of had everything today with pitching changes and all that stuff," Woodruff said. "So, it was good to kind of go through that. And, but yeah, it was a good day.” 

The Brewers’ offense had already manufactured an 11-1 lead when most of the damage was done on Woodruff thanks to a seven-run third inning. Woodruff gave up back-to-back home runs to Ezequiel Duran and Mark Canha in the top of the fourth inning, and his night ended after that.  

Woodruff also touched on the state of his health. 

“I mean, I feel good physically, so that's important,” he said. “It's just, you know, you just got to get built up. I mean, it's such a long season that right now is, I mean, you go through all this, so this is part of the preparation part for the season. 

“So, I mean, it's not like I've not gone through it before," Woodruff said. "So, I was kind of a little bit prepared, but they were pretty aggressive; they didn't allow me to kind of get into a count.” 

The Brewers are now less than a week away from Opening Day, and they only have five more spring training games before then. However, Woodruff is unsure if he will see another outing before the beginning of the regular season. 

“I think it's probably a game time decision the next few days,” he said. "I don't really know at this moment. So, see how I feel tomorrow. So yeah, I think the important thing is right now is just recovering and getting here the next few days and seeing where I'm at.” 

The decision for Woodruff’s next outing does not fall solely on him or the team. Rather, they work together on the approach. 

“I think it's kind of a collaborative effort,” Woodruff said. “And it always has been. So, I've had conversations and continue to have conversations. It's just filling it out as we get here to the end.” 

Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!

It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.

Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!