Brewers bullpen ailing as Joakim Soria placed on 10-day DL
Heading into mid-August, the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff suffered another loss as relief pitcher Joakim Soria was placed on the 10-day disable list with a quadriceps strain.
Another injury has come at an even worse time for the Milwaukee Brewers. B
ob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted that relief pitcher Joakim Soria was the latest Brewers pitcher to land on the disabled list with a right quadriceps strain, joining bullpen teammates Matt Albers and Taylor Williams.
The #Brewers 9th inning meltdown Thursday keeps hurting as Joakim Soria now goes on the DL
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 10, 2018
At various points this season, the Milwaukee Brewers had possession of one National League Wild Card spot or led the NL Central. Now, the Brewers are one game back of the second Wild Card spot and 2.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the division.
With 44 games to go at this point, injuries are the last thing the Brew Crew needs heading into a postseason race.
Soria only appeared in seven games for the Brewers in 2018, after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline. Soria maintained a 1.59 ERA, while striking six in 5 2/3 innings.
For the White Sox, he posted 16 saves, while carrying an 0-3 record. Soria struck out 49 batters in 38 2/3 innings.
Nothing points to this instance as a standard occurrence. Normally, at this point in the MLB season, each team is dealing with it’s fair share of injuries down the home stretch of the regular season.
However, the rarity of three relievers sustaining ailments this late in August prompted Brewers management to adjust the bullpen in a swift manner.
On Friday, Milwaukee recalled pitcher Adrian Houser from the their Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox affiliate. RHP Ariel Hernandez got the call from the Brewers after being claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It doesn’t soften the blow of losing three MLB-caliber relievers one week, but it does provide a cushion for the Brewers to find solutions while Soria, Albers and Williams recover.
Per Rotoworld.com, Williams and Albers are expected back in August. As for Soria, his status is still unknown.
Milwaukee fans will endure an exciting race to the finish in late-September. When the bullpen is able to find complete tranquility, that includes the pitching rotation as well, a more concrete look at their postseason hopes could be in reach.
This comes as good news to the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, hoping to make a push into October soon.
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The Brewers are still on the road Friday evening, as they begin a nine-game road trip that starts with the Atlanta Braves, and then concludes with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.