Brandon Sproat’s masterful performance in the Vegas heat vanished in an instant after a late-inning bullpen collapse turned a potential breakthrough win into a heartbreaking divisional loss for Milwaukee Brewers.
Coming into the much-discussed Las Vegas Ballpark, the Milwaukee Brewers had plenty to be worried about with Brandon Sproat's 6.17 ERA.
Sproat, who had given up three or more runs in seven of his last eight starts, allowed just one run in a stellar six-inning outing.
The Athletics managed to hit one homer but mustered up just four hits in Sproat's 68-pitch showing. Knowing how much pitchers have struggled in this series, it makes the 25-year-old's start that much more impressive.
Spraot's ERA fell to 5.70, but Chad Patrick needed just eight pitches to blow everything up. One loss isn't the end of the world, but it was especially brutal coming off such a great game from Sproat, someone this team has desperately needed to step up.
Confidence Booster for Sproat
Even with no win to show for it, Sproat delivered a near masterclass in Vegas. The Athletics were thrilled to see him pulled at under 70 pitches, something that manager Pat Murphy tends to do with his starters once they have to face the same batters three or four times.
Jacob Misiorowski clearly has pull that Sproat doesn't, and for good reason. Take nothing away from Sproat, but it's clear Murphy wanted to be cautious, something that failed to work out in this scenario.
Chad Patrick's Rare Struggles
Since moving to the bullpen, Patrick has been as dominant as he's been in his young career. Sure, he's 27 years old, but he's appeared in just 45 big-league games. Of the 18 he's pitched in this season, he's started just six.
Patrick was the hero in Monday night's 12-inning effort. Remember, that game featured 29 runs on a combined 34 hits. Patrick picked up his third save of the year as he recorded three outs in only eight pitches.
Eight seems to be the magic number as he failed to record a single out on Wednesday night. The Athletics racked up three hits, three runs, and two homers on eight pitches as Patrick picked up his first blown save of the year, but more importantly, a loss.
Much Needed Off Day is Here
Finally, Milwaukee has a day off. After two weeks of a grueling schedule, ending in a chaotic Las Vegas series, the Brewers need to take this day to regroup ahead of a crucial showdown with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Not only do the Brewers have a day off, but they have a super favorable schedule this next week. Not only do they have today off, but they have another off day on Monday, June 15, and their next six games are all at home.
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