For the second time this year, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff left a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks early with an apparent injury.
Just over three innings into Saturday's game, Woodruff saw a noticeable drop in the velocity of his pitches. According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Woodruff threw back-to-back changeups that registered at just 75 mph. Hogg noted that it was seven mph slower than his average changeup speed. Woodruff's fastball hit just 87 mph in the fourth inning, prompting a visit from Milwaukee's training staff.
This was just Woodruff's third start after his return from the IL on June 22. The 33-year-old missed nearly two months with what the team called right shoulder inflammation, and showed similar symptoms to his injury on Saturday night. In eight starts this year before Saturday night, Woodruff had a 2-1 record with a sparkling 2.59 ERA and 0.840 WHIP.
Saturday's removal is especially disheartening for Woodruff considering how strong he was in his return. In his first start back from the IL, Woodruff carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before giving up his only hit of the night. He struck out 10 Cincinnati Reds batters and walked none, but left the game with a no decision as Milwaukee also failed to score any runs while Woodruff was in.
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In his second start back, Woodruff stymied the Chicago Cubs, holding them to just one hit and no earned runs in 5.2 innings. The Brewers would lose the game in the 10th inning, but Woodruff certainly appeared to be back in top form. With Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison dominating batters this season, Woodruff had the potential to make this one of the most potent rotations in baseball.
And then it all fell apart again for Woodruff on Saturday evening.
Woodruff will no doubt undergo further testing over the next couple of days, and perhaps return to the IL. The veteran appeared emotional when he walked off the mound for the second time in just over two months. It's safe to assume Woodruff likely won't pitch again until after the MLB All-Star break.
