A costly failed bunt and a worsening 0-for-17 slump have Pat Murphy’s patience wearing thin as Milwaukee Brewers’ struggling outfielder faces a potential demotion to the minor leagues.
The Milwaukee Brewers can't win every game, but losing 1-0 to any team stings far more than a lopsided loss.
Logan Webb had a no-hitter on the Brewers up until the seventh inning when Brice Turang poked a single to left field.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy had a clear plan in mind when Jackson Chourio singled to left in the eighth, but Blake Perkins pinch hit appearance for Sal Frelick did not end the way it should've.
Blake Perkins Fails to Lay Down a Bunt
David Hamilton is arguably the best bunter on the Brewers' roster, but there was only so much Murphy could do with the situation he was given. Instead of trying to have Frelick lay down a bunt, he went with Perkins, a 29-year-old who's average plummeted to .091 after the failed attempt.
"Perk didn't get the bunt down, that's inexcusable," Murphy said, according to Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920. "He has been swinging the bat really good right handed. I figured if we get that bunt down, that's the job."
He continued, "If he doesn't get the bunt down, and he lives for another day, or fouls it off or whatever, he's been swinging the bat great against left-handers."
Murphy acknowledged Perkins has hit well against lefties "in a limited role, but that's what we chose to do."
Perkins Can't Stay in the Big Leagues Much Longer
Some would say Perkins has been unlucky, but others would call out his lack of success in his last three appearances. Not only did he get picked off as a pinch runner, but Perkins also failed to record a hit against a position player which says a lot.
Perkins hasn't recorded a hit since May 10 against the New York Yankees. Since then, he's 0-for-17 and has one of the worst batting averages in all of baseball.
Sure, he's only had 66 at-bats, but Perkins has yet to hit a homer and it's not like that's been his bread and butter throughout his career. With 13 career homers in 747 at-bats, one can only wonder how much longer the Brewers want to keep him on the big league roster.
With a guy like Luis Lara patiently waiting in the minors, it's only a matter of time before one of Murphy's favorite players has to be demoted.
The failed bunt didn't exactly cost Milwaukee the game, they had a few chances in the ninth, but it still stings when everything was set up perfectly and a struggling player once again failed to execute.
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