Game recap
Royals 3, Brewers 1
Milwaukee rapped out three hits and crossed the plate once in the first inning against Kansas City starter Kris Bubic but went quiet from there in a 3-1 loss at Surprise Stadium.
Chad Patrick and Trevor Megill went 1-2 in the pitching order for the Brewers (4-6), with Patrick logging 41 pitches over two innings and then finishing his day with a short bullpen session. He allowed a run on two hits and two walks while striking out a pair.
Megill threw 13 pitches in his outing, which he capped with a pickoff at first base, topping out at 98.3 mph on the radar gun.
“Most years I’ve tried to work backwards and get velo before location,” Megill said. “For the last few years that’s felt great. Then this year, with the PRP and everything, you try to get the velo getting reps, endurance on the elbow.
“But coming into camp is was 92-93, 92-94 in the first bullpen – kind of standard stuff – then you face a hitter and it’s 97. Getting into May it starts jumping up to 99, 100. The older you get the more patient you’ve got to be.
“I’m still 25 in my mind. Just have got to know that it’s coming, do your preparation and everything is going to take care of itself once the games come on the (26th).”
BOX SCORE: Royals 3, Brewers 1
– It’s well-known that Brewers manager Pat Murphy is fond of distributing nicknames and catchphrases.
Add “H&H Car Wash” to the list this spring. Murphy told reporters of a well-known car wash/restaurant establishment in El Paso, Texas that he frequented while he was managing in the minor leagues there (Google it), and said he’s now referring to the pitching coach tandem of Chris Hook and Jim Henderson as the “new H&H.”
Murphy has even gone so far as to have T-shirts designed with a logo and a logo that says “Washin’ Dirt & Addin’ Vert” for their ability to take pitchers to new levels of performance, often after struggling elsewhere previously.
“Take them through the car wash,” Murphy said. “They fix them.”
– Infielder Jett Williams has been sidelined since Feb. 23 with a sore left thigh that he first tweaked on a triple against the San Diego Padres. He’s played in three games to this point and seen time at third base, shortstop and second base.
“We’re going to take it slow,” Murphy said. “I mean, why are we rushing this? The kid’s already played three games and everybody can see what they can see – this kid’s a really good player. He’s our style.
“Why rush him back?
– With Murphy’s update that left-hander Kyle Harrison is scheduled to make his spring debut Tuesday against Team Great Britain in a World Baseball Classic tune-up game at American Family Fields of Phoenix, that will leave Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester as the lone two non-injured pitchers in camp to have not seen true game action.
Woodruff threw a “three-up” simulated game on Sunday and Priester should be upcoming sometime this week.
“This is a strategy. It’s a necessity,” said Murphy. “We’re just trying to protect them because we played a lot longer (last season) and we have a very young pitching staff.
“And we’re making tweaks with a kid like Harrison. There’s things we’re doing.”
Quotable
“Let’s put it on the record: (Jake) Bauers is our third catcher,” – Murphy, who then admitted he had yet to inform the left-handed, first baseman-designated hitter-outfielder of this breaking news.
In case anyone was wondering, there hasn’t been a left-handed catcher to appear in a major league game since 1989.
Prospect watch
Cooper Pratt and Luis Lara both had hits while Brock Wilken and Jeferson Quero each finished 0 for 3.
Brewers spring training schedule
Off day Monday.
Brewers vs. Team Great Britain (WBC tune-up), 2:10 p.m. Tuesday. Milwaukee RHP Jacob Misiorowski vs. Team Great Britain TBA. Livestream – Brewers.com.
Brewers vs. Cubs, 2:10 p.m. Wednesday. Milwaukee RHP Brandon Sproat vs. Chicago TBA. TV – Brewers TV. Radio – AM-620.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.jsonline.com ’
