Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Sproat squandered his latest opportunity to prove he can pitch in the majors.
For Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Sproat, year two in the majors has proven to be an uphill battle, and it just took another difficult turn.
On Thursday, ESPN reported that Sproat was being sent back to Triple-A Nashville following a disastrous outing in an 8-6 win against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.
Sproat, who was recently called back up to the major-league roster and placed in a relief role, appeared in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game as the Brewers held a comfortable 8-1 lead.
Sproat got through the eighth with a hit batter as his only blemish, but in the ninth, he fell apart.
A disaster worth a demotion
Only three outs stood between the Brewers and a series-concluding blowout victory to complete the sweep of their National League Central Division rivals, but Sproat's errant pitching gave way to a scare.
Sproat opened the inning by walking Pete Crow-Armstrong before committing a throwing error on a pickoff attempt that brought Armstrong to second base. A subsequent wild pitch advanced Armstrong to third, and Sproat proceeded to walk two more batters to load the bases before striking out Alex Bregman.
Chicago scored after Sproat walked Ian Happ, and he was pulled from the mound in favor of Abner Uribe. With the bases still loaded, Uribe was put in a tough spot, and he allowed a single, an RBI groundout and a two-RBI double that cut Milwaukee’s seven-point lead to two.
Uribe got out of it, and the Brewers secured the sweep, but it did not do much to quell manager Pat Murphy’s ire over Sproat’s disappointing performance.
Murphy called Sproat's performance unacceptable and made it clear that he cannot be a major-league pitcher if he cannot throw the ball over the plate. After finally making his way back to Milwaukee following a developmental stint in the minors that began in August, Sproat is forced to pack his bags once again.
Challenge after challenge
After Sproat was included in the trade package that saw Freddy Peralta sent to the New York Mets in January, he was thrust into a much larger role in his second MLB season.
Sproat had become a mainstay in Milwaukee’s starting rotation, and the bumps in the road that he faced as a young pitcher were evident. On more than one occasion, he has had bad outings that led to a dejected gaze in the dugout.
Despite Sproat’s struggles, Murphy saw the potential in him. However, he never minced words when it came to Sproat, and his comments following Wednesday’s game were the bluntest example.
Through 22 games, 19 of which were starts, Sproat has a 3-7 record with a 5.57 ERA. He has youth and potential on his side, but Major League Baseball is not forgiving, and if Sproat does not want to languish in the minors, he has to avoid self-destruction when opportunities are provided.
