PHOENIX — Right-hander Kyle Lohse took the mound Thursday afternoon in the Milwaukee Brewers’ official Cactus League opener for an assignment that unofficially put him on track to start the 2015 season opener on April 6 at Miller Park.
Lohse, a 14-year veteran who is entering the third and final year of a $33 million contract signed in the waning days of spring training in 2012, passed when asked about the possibility of making his third career opening day start.
“How about we answer that question when something is official?” Lohse said.
Lohse needed only 18 pitches to get through two innings against the Angels and so he came out to work the third. After allowing a leadoff double to C.J. Cron, he retired his final two batters and left the game having allowed a run and a hit with three strikeouts.
“I kind of needed to get a little more work in against hitters rather than finish up in the bullpen,” Lohse said of coming back for a third inning. “It kind of felt good to throw out of the stretch, too. I was still making quality pitches out of the stretch.”
Right-hander Matt Garza is up next. He’ll go Friday against the Dodgers at Maryvale Baseball Park with right-handers Wily Peralta and Mike Fiers after Saturday and Sunday, respectively, against the Dodgers and Rangers.
Right-hander Jimmy Nelson was tentatively slated to make his spring debut Monday against the Royals, but a slight hamstring issue held him back a few days early in camp and he might not get his first start for a few days.
Manager Ron Roenicke didn’t think it would be a problem.
“You could say he’s behind, but do they really need all those games?” Roenicke said. “I don’t know.”
Milwaukee’s rotation appears to be set for the regular season, but should something happen to the top five, the ranks are somewhat thin.
The Brewers shipped veteran Yovani Gallardo, who had started the season opener a franchise-record five consecutive years, to Texas in January, clearing room Nelson to join the rotation. Mike Fiers, who excelled at Triple-A Nashville last year and was dominant in a late-season call-up, will also begin the season in the starting five.
Right-hander Tyler Thornburg, who spent most of last season on the disabled list, is being stretched out in spring to potentially serve as the long man out of the bullpen, leaving players like Michael Blazek and Taylor Jungmann as likely candidates to begin the season starting for the Brewers’ new Triple-A affiliate, Colorado Springs.
Jungmann, a former first-round pick out of the University of Texas, came on strong late last season at Triple-A Nashville, going 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA and striking out 51 in 46 innings while holding opponents to a .185 batting average.
“He’s a guy we like a lot,” Roenicke said.
Pitching was one of the Brewers’ strengths in 2014. Milwaukee’s starters combined to go 61-57 with a 3.69 ERA. While the offense floundered during a horrific September, the rotation kept the Brewers in the race with 3.54 ERA.