Getaway day in the desert had a rookie righty and a first-time All-Star squaring off. Brandon Sproat took the ball for the Brewers looking to build on a June turnaround, while Eduardo Rodriguez brought a sub-2.10 ERA and a rebuilt reputation into a 1:10 PM MT first pitch.
The bigger story on the Milwaukee side had nothing to do with Sproat. Brandon Woodruff exited his last start against this same Arizona club early and landed on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation just hours before this game, pushing Drew Rom into the rotation mix and adding one more name to an already crowded Brewers injury list. Arizona, meanwhile, is still nursing its own rotation, with Corbin Burnes' elbow rehab hitting a fresh snag and no clean timeline back.
None of that stopped either lineup from playing a tight one. This was the front end of a stretch where Milwaukee and Arizona had already split a doubleheader a day earlier, and the finale carried that same knife's-edge feel from first pitch to final out.
Arizona grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first and made it stand up for six full innings, with both starters trading zeroes in between. The Brewers finally broke through with a 3-run 7th that put them ahead for good, and the D-backs answered with one of their own in the bottom half but couldn't complete the comeback. Both teams finished with 7 hits; Milwaukee's lone error was the only blemish on either side's ledger.
- 10-Day-ILBrandon Lockridge LF — Lockridge's timeline for a return has been pushed back to late July after imaging showed a chondral flap in his right patella, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrandon Woodruff SP — The Brewers placed Woodruff on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to right shoulder inflammation, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILLogan Henderson SP — Henderson (back) will be activated from the IL to make his next start for the Brewers, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILJoel Kuhnel RP — The Brewers placed Kuhnel on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to July 3, due to a right shoulder injury.
- 15-Day-ILRob Zastryzny RP — Zastryzny (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with the Brewers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate Friday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Rodriguez RP — Rodriguez (shoulder) struck out a batter and allowed three earned runs on two hits and one walk across 1.1 innings Wednesday in a rehab start for the Brewers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiiate.
- 15-Day-ILDL Hall RP — Hall (pectoral) has progressed to throwing on flat ground from 60-to-75 feet, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILColeman Crow SP — Crow (forearm) will throw a live batting practice session Tuesday, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJames McCann C — McCann (quadriceps) will play Saturday and Sunday for Triple-A Reno and could then rejoin the Diamondbacks, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJordan Lawlar LF — Manager Torey Lovullo said June 20 that Lawlar will receive further imaging on his strained right hamstring during the All-Star break to gauge his healing, Steve Gilbert MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMichael Soroka SP — Soroka (glute) is expected to begin throwing bullpen sessions twice weekly starting Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILCorbin Burnes SP — Burnes (elbow) is expected to be re-evaluated during the first or second week of July, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRyne Nelson SP — The Diamondbacks transferred Nelson (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
- 60-Day-ILA.J. Puk RP — Arizona is shutting down Puk (elbow) for another four weeks due to a capsule strain and he will also undergo another MRI in four weeks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
- 60-Day-ILCristian Mena RP — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBlake Walston SP — Walston (elbow) paused his rehab program earlier in the season, but he was expected to start building back up around the middle of May, MLB.com reports.
The win keeps the Brewers rolling at the top of the NL Central even as their pitching depth gets tested week to week — Sproat's development matters more than ever with Woodruff out and a bullpen already down several arms. For Arizona, this is exactly the kind of one-run loss to a good team that's defined their season at .500: competitive, close, and just short.
Rodriguez's final line adds to a season that's already netted him his first All-Star nod, and a hard-luck loss here doesn't change that trajectory. The bigger question in Phoenix is whether the roster around him — banged up at catcher, at shortstop, and now waiting on Burnes — can turn these near-misses into wins before the trade deadline arrives.