SAN FRANCISCO — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Matt Garza didn’t get a chance to jump right back on the proverbial horse to start the season.
After a nightmarish ride in 2015, he finally will make his 2016 debut Tuesday in the second game of the Brewers’ series against the San Francisco Giants. A strained right lat injury sustained in his final exhibition start put Garza on the disabled list.
Now he is hungry to get back out there at AT&T Park.
“I’m good, good,” Garza said in anticipation of his return. “I’ve been grinding for these last two months, just chomping at the bit to get back out there, and it’s finally here. I’m really excited, I got a lot of energy. I haven’t been able to sleep for the last couple of days.”
He will need to be fully alert in a matchup with left-hander Madison Bumgarner (7-2, 1.88 ERA) and the National League West-leading Giants.
“Bumgarner, (Roy) Halladay, Cy Young, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care. I’m happy to be back out on that bump,” Garza said. “I’ve faced guys year in, year out, and the names change. The mound and the baseball diamond doesn’t, so I’m ready to be back out there.”
Garza was 6-14 with a 5.63 ERA in 2015 during his debut season with the Brewers — the worst year of his career. He says he pitched “with a purpose” in each of his three rehab starts with low Class A Wisconsin, a stretch in which he compiled a 4.76 ERA.
“First outing was just get my feet wet and feel good,” he said. “The second outing was more of commanding the strike zone and mixing in pitches. And the third outing was trying to get strikeouts, trying to use my breaking stuff to put guys away.”
Garza’s biggest challenge Tuesday night might be keeping his emotions in control, along with his pitches.
“Energy level is through the roof, so I’m real amped up for Tuesday and … I got to find a way to calm it down,” he said.
The Brewers made room for Garza by demoting Opening Day starter Wily Peralta to Triple-A Colorado Springs. Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said sending down Peralta was a tough decision, but the team needed better production from that spot in the rotation.
He knows Garza is ready and eager to go.
“For us, Matty’s had an unfortunate injury right at the end of spring training,” Counsell said. “It’s been a long road back for him. He’s anxious to get back out there. You miss the first 2 1/2 months, and he’s anxious for sure. He’s been chomping at the bit for a while. He’s going to take the ball every five days, so we’re not gonna get to crazy about the results in one start, but it’s good to have him back out there.”
Even though he hasn’t pitched this year, Garza is no mystery to the Giants.
“We have a pretty good idea about him,” San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’ve faced him. Good stuff. Experienced starter with very good stuff. Haven’t seen him because this is first start this year, but he’s a good pitcher.”
The Brewers are familiar with Bumgarner, too, having faced him on Opening Day. The San Francisco ace allowed three runs in five innings, but he emerged with the victory as the Giants won 12-3 in Milwaukee.
That was one of only two starts this season in which Bumgarner allowed more than two earned runs. Since May 1, Bumgarner is 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA in eight starts.
In nine career starts against the Brewers, Bumgarner is 6-2 with a 2.25 ERA.