Milwaukee Brewers will look to put a brutal season opening road swipe behind them as they open their home campaign against Kansas Royals on Monday.
Left-hander Kris Bubic is doing his first start since April 15, 2023, for Royals, while the Brewers counter with his right hand Elvin Rodriguez, signed as a free agent during the season.
Yankees finished a three-game swipe by Milwaukee with a 12-3 victory on Sunday. Brewers pitching was scaled in 36 runs on 34 hits, including 15 homers, over the weekend.
Sal Frelick with five hits in 11 bats (.455) is the only brewing starter above .300 in the beginning.
As of Monday, Brewers is at home for seven games in a row. With the rotation card hands due to injuries, Rodriguez is expected to hit limited inings.
“I know for the fans at home, it would be fantastic to have (Jose) quintana or one of our usual rotation guys,” said Brewer’s manager Pat Murphy Saturday. “But that’s how it is right now. We’re beaten. We’re injured. We have to go through it.”
Kansas City lost at home 6-2 to Cleveland on Sunday and released two of three in its opening series. None of Royal’s starting pots lasted more than five rounds.
Maikel Garcia, with four hits in 10 bats and one Homer, and Vinnie Pasquantino, with three hits, one homer and three RBI, is best on the plate.
Bubic returns to the rotation after returning from Tommy John operation.
“It’s cool now to get back to doing something I did before,” Bubic told MLB when it was announced that he would again become a starter. “When I entered the camp, I just wanted to hit healthy because there have been two feathers. But it played out, I would be good with it. But it’s a pretty cool opportunity, and I just want to take it and run with it.”
Bubic was 3-13 with a 5.58 era in 28 performances, including 27 starts, 2022. He was limited to three starts with Royal’s following season before the left elbow injury that required surgery.
After a smaller league rehabilitation assignment to start the 2024 season, Bubic was activated by Royals in early July and made 27 relief performances and went 1-1 with a 2.67 era in 30 1/3 rounds. He knocked out 39 and went only five.
Bubic was 2-1 with a 5.40 era in 21 2/3 rounds in spring training. He allowed a run for five laps with eight strikes in his last spring outing.
Bubic has met the breweries twice in his career, but not since 2021. He is 0-1 even though he did not give up a earned drive in 11 1/3 rounds against Milwaukee.
Rodriguez beat last season in Japan, where he was 1-1 with a rescue and a 1.80 era in 32 games, with just one start. He also beat seven matches in Japan in 2023.
Rodriguez struck in seven matches with Detroit 2022, including five starts, went 0-4 with 10.62 era. In 2023 he appeared in a game with Tampa Bay. Rodriguez, who turns 27 on Monday, has never met Royals.
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