Milwaukee Brewers righty Brandon Sproat did not have an easy time against the New York Mets, his former team, on Tuesday.
Things did not go well for the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night in a 4-0 loss to the New York Mets at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
The offense could not get much of anything going during the game, and things weren’t necessarily easy on the pitchers, specifically Brandon Sproat.
Why it was tough on Sproat
The 25-year-old right-hander made his 17th start of the season, and it was an uphill battle like many before it. Except this time, it was against his former team.
Sproat pitched 4.2 innings in the outing and gave up four hits, two earned runs (one home run) and four walks while striking out four batters. After the game, he talked with Adam McCalvy of MLB.com and other members of the media about his evening.
"Yeah, I mean, I think it was like roughly 30 pitches in the first," Sproat said. "The two walks, it doesn't help obviously, just keep going. I mean, as you know, I think we've been down this road before, where it's kind of a long inning, it's my first time at it.
"So, I just tell myself, 'Hey, keep going, it doesn't matter how I feel, it doesn't matter what I'm feeling, just keep making pitches,'" he added. "Let's see if we can get a five pitch in here, push right back on track. So that's kind of my mindset going back out there."
It took Sproat 99 pitches to get 14 outs, which was emblematic of another slog. Though he was facing his former team, It did not influence Sproat in a way that caused too much adrenaline. Rather, he emphasized familiarity.
"No, nothing crazy, nothing extra, I guess I should say," Sproat said. "Really, the only difference is seeing familiar faces, pretty much every single one that comes to the plate. But I think it was a good challenge, cause they know me, I know them. So, at that point, it's kind of a chess game. But it was definitely a fun matchup, every single hitter, so."
As Sproat continues his young career, his experiences are shaping him, and he finds that he thrives when the pressure of base runners is placed upon him.
"Yeah, I mean, honestly, I think that's where I am at my best," Sproat said. "At times where I need to make pitches, I need to buckle down. Murph talks about it all the time, it's like, 'Hey, whether it's no one on, or your back's against the wall, it's 'How can I execute this pitch,’ no matter what's called.
"And so, that's my biggest mindset," Sproat added. "I've got runners on, it's changeup down the way, how well can I execute that pitch in that location, to the best of my ability, and go on to the next pitch after that, so"
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