Brewers Hiura delivers in debut, while Woodruff tosses 1-hit ball over 6 in win
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brandon Woodruff kept pitching out of jams until a big lead allowed him to settle in.
Woodruff threw one-hit ball for six innings, Yasmani Grandal and Ryan Braun homered and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 on Tuesday night.
Brewers second baseman Keston Hiura (pictured above), the ninth overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft, was 2-for-3 with a walk in his major league debut. He lined a single off Eickhoff’s back side in his first at-bat.
“I thought he ball was going to ricochet and I’d be out,” Hiura said. “My feet felt so heavy running to first base.”
Hiura’s teammates helped him celebrate his first day in the big leagues by dumping ice on him in the shower.
“I hope it’s the first of many ice baths,” he said.
The Phillies survived a scare when Bryce Harper made a sliding catch on a foul ball to right field and banged his left knee into the wall in the sixth. Harper came up limping but remained in the game and made an almost identical catch to end the inning. He received a standing ovation only to get booed after striking out again in the eighth.
“It’s a little sore,” Harper said, adding he doesn’t know yet if he can play Wednesday.
Woodruff (6-1) allowed only an infield single to Jean Segura in the first, walked five and struck out five.
“Early on, it was a struggle with the walks,” Woodruff said about allowing two runners in each of the first three innings. “The offense did a great job and I was able to pitch ahead.”
Philadelphia’s Jerad Eickhoff (2-2) gave up five runs and eight hits in four innings.
Grandal gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead in the second when he drove his seventh homer out to right-center.
Braun’s two-run shot to center in the third made it 5-0. Braun has 25 career homers against the Phillies, including 14 at Citizens Bank Park.
“He does love hitting here,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
BRYCE’S SLUMP
Harper struck out twice and walked twice. He’s hitless in his last 14 at-bats and heard boos after his last at-bat in the eighth.
NO STEALING
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto has already thrown out 14 runners attempting to steal, matching his total from last season. His career-high is 22 in 2016.
ROSTER MOVES
Hiura was recalled from Triple-A San Antonio and infielder/outfielder Cory Spangenberg was designated for assignment.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: 3B Travis Shaw was placed on the 10-day injury list with a right wrist strain. … Braun was in the lineup for the first time in four games. He’s been nursing a sore left hamstring.
Phillies: INF Scott Kingery was 1 for 3 in his first rehab assignment at Class-A Lakewood. Kingery has been on the injury list with a right hamstring strain since April 20. He played shortstop and is expected to play in the infield and possibly center field during his rehab stint.
UP NEXT
LHP Gio Gonzalez (1-0, 1.69 ERA) goes for the Brewers and RHP Jake Arrieta (4-3, 3.78) starts for the Phillies on Wednesday night. Gonzalez is 11-7, 2.95 in 26 career starts vs. Philadelphia. Arrieta is 8-6, 3.22 in 17 starts vs. Milwaukee.