WASHINGTON — Jacob Misiorowski, the Milwaukee Brewers’ rookie All-Star pitcher, was placed on the 15-day injured list three hours before his scheduled start on Sunday, Aug. 3, with a left tibia contusion, an absence he and the Brewers are confident will only be the minimum IL stint.
Misiorowski, 23, was selected to the National League All-Star team after just five starts due to his dominant handfuls of outings and 102 mph fastball that consistently dominated hitters after his June 12 debut.
Right-hander Logan Henderson started in Misiorowski’s place.
The Brewers hold a two-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and have the best record in baseball. Misiorowski said Sunday he does not anticipate missing more than the 15-day minimum, retroactive to July 31, or roughly two starts. He was struck on the left shin by a line drive off the bat from Chicago’s Seiya Suzuki in his last start, and said he lobbied manager Pat Murphy to take his regular turn.
‘I wasn’t bouncing back as well as I was hoping. It’s still a little sore from getting hit,’ says Misiorowski, who anticipates he’ll make his next start Aug. 15 against the Cincinnati Reds. ‘I’m competitive. I want to play every game. It sucks. It’s not fun to sit on the bench. At the same time, I don’t want go out there and not have my best stuff. If the best is me sitting on the bench, that’s what I’ll do.’
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Misiorowski had X-rays after Suzuki’s ball struck the pitcher during his July 28 start, when he pitched four innings and gave up three earned runs. Additional imaging was conducted Saturday night and Murphy said it will be viewed further by the club’s orthopedic staff in Milwaukee.
‘Our pitching guys noticed during the week, through the throwing program and bullpens, that something wasn’t right,’ says Murphy. ‘We want to be smart about taking care of the kid. He’s got a big future, hopefully, and he’ll try to push through it because he’s young and (we’ll try to) keep him from making those kinds of decisions unless it’s 100%.
‘We don’t think it will be any longer than the allotted time, but we wanted to take this precaution.’
A break might not be the worst thing for the 6-7 fireballer. He’s already pitched 96 2/3 innings, essentially equaling the 97 1/3 innings pitched between Class AA and AAA last season.
‘Obviously, it’ll help with the mileage and stuff – two starts that get knocked off,’ says Misiorowski. ‘But I don’t think there’s any concerns with it – it’s just go ‘til the end of the year.’
Jacob Misiorowski stats
Misiorowski is 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA this season, and the Brewers have won five of his seven starts since his June 12 debut. He’s struck out 47 batters in 33 1/3 innings and issued just 14 walks.
Misiorowski averages 99.3 mph on his fastball, and has hit 103 mph on the radar.