Following another break-even homestand, the Brewers are on the road for a quick four-game road trip. This one takes them to a division rival as they begin a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Aaron Civale is returning to the rotation tonight to make the start in game one of the series. He made one start before going on the injured list with a left hamstring strain. That has kept him out for the past month and a half, but he has been rehabbing in the minors and is coming back tonight. He had been set to pitch a rehab game last night but was pulled from that start, and his return may be related to the extra work the bullpen has taken. According to Todd Rosiak, he will be limited to 75-85 pitches tonight. Carlos Rodriguez, who was originally a potential starter for today, will pitch after him.
Since neither was on the roster, the Brewers needed to make two roster moves to clear space. They waited until less than an hour before first pitch to announce the moves. Joel Payamps was designated for assignment, and Easton McGee was optioned to Triple-A Nashville.
Payamps’ time with the Brewers has come to an end. His season started badly as he allowed five runs in two of the Brewers’ first 13 games. Though he did show some signs of stabilizing in late April, his May hasn’t been much better. He hasn’t pitched a full clean inning since April 29 against the White Sox. In 10 appearances in May, he allowed at least one baserunner in eight of them (the two he didn’t were when he faced just one batter) and a run in four of them. Last night may have been the final straw as he faced three batters and recorded just one out. He has an 8.35 ERA and a 4.44 FIP in 23 appearances with 18 1⁄3 innings pitched.
McGee is also heading out, though he’ll go back to Triple-A. He pitched the ninth inning last night for the Brewers, and it was a clean inning with a strikeout. Both McGee and Payamps were necessary moves to clear roster spots and help an ailing rotation and an overworked bullpen.
It’s a standard lineup for tonight’s game. William Contreras is back in after a day off on Wednesday, and Isaac Collins also returns to the lineup following a day off. It’s also an earlier start on the East Coast, and first pitch is set for 5:40 p.m. CT. The game will be on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and the Brewers Radio Network.