ST. LOUIS — It didn’t seem like a promising matchup for Tyler Cravy in his major league debut.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ right-hander was starting against the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch Stadium and the odds suggested a breakout for the home team, which had scored just seven runs in their previous four games.
What’s more, Cravy was starting only because veteran Matt Garza pitched the last five innings of a 17-inning win Sunday against Arizona, leaving Milwaukee with no choice but to pencil in Cravy and hope for the best.
And the best is what the Brewers got, a 1-0 loss notwithstanding. Cravy gave up only four hits and a run in seven strong innings, walking two and whiffing six. His fastball wasn’t overpowering — it topped out at 90 mph — but it moved late and it wasn’t squared up that often.
“He cross-fires and shoots it in there pretty good,” catcher Jonathan Lucroy said of Cravy. “I didn’t really catch him in spring training, so it was nice to see that. He has good deception.”
If Tuesday night was an indication, odds are that Lucroy may have the opportunity to catch Cravy again before the season is over.