MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Chase Anderson scratched in favor of bullpen game against Cardinals on Monday

Todd Rosiak
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
After escaping a bases-loaded jam, Brewers starter Chase Anderson reacts to his rough first inning in which he gave up two runs while throwing a whopping 43 pitches against the Dodgers on Saturday night.

PITTSBURGH – Just minutes after the Milwaukee Brewers drubbed the Pittsburgh Pirates, 13-6, at PNC Park on Sunday afternoon, manager Craig Counsell announced some very big news.

Chase Anderson, scheduled to start the Brewers' critical series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Monday night, would be scratched in favor of an all-hands-on-deck, bullpen game.

Anderson will be available to pitch out of the bullpen, with the determination on which reliever will start to be made on the charter flight to St. Louis on Sunday night.

"We feel like every game is something where we try to piece together the best way to get 27 outs," Counsell said. "And with what we have available tomorrow and where guys are at, we think that probably mixing and matching is the best way."

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The Brewers' bullpen is in good shape entering the final week of the regular season with a mix of former starters like Brandon Woodruff, Junior Guerra and Freddy Peralta available to provide length and late-inning options like Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress and Corey Knebel relatively well-rested.

Counsell did say that Hader won't be among those considered to start the game.

Anderson, meanwhile, said he was alerted to the switch "a couple days ago."

The right-hander is 2-2 with a 3.07 earned run average in 11 career starts against the Cardinals and 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA in six career starts at Busch Stadium, but he's tied for the National League lead in home runs allowed with 30 this season while also posting a 6.30 ERA in the first inning in his 30 starts.

"Obviously it’s frustrating. I want to pitch every time that my name is called," Anderson said. "Obviously they think this is the better way to go at this time in the season, and I understand that each game is very meaningful down the stretch with the close race.

"I want to be the guy on the mound regardless of what the situation is, but sometimes you’ve got to swallow your pride and you’ve got to continue to go. When my name’s called to pitch I’ve got to take the ball and go out there and do my thing."

It's been a disappointing season overall for Anderson, who signed a two-year, $11.75 million contract with the Brewers last Oct. 26 after a breakout 2017 that saw him go 12-4 with 2.74 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 25 starts (141 1/3 innings).

He's 9-8 with a 3.93 ERA this year and while he's remained healthy and pitched in a career-high 158 innings, his role has decreased down the stretch due to his propensity for allowing homers and his early-game struggles.

With a strong and now expanded bullpen, Counsell has kept Anderson on a short leash in the month of September with none of his four starts lasting more than five innings. He also threw no more than 79 pitches in any of those appearances.

Despite the demotion, Anderson pointed to the progress he's made since coming to the Brewers from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016.

"My goal is to hopefully factor into this team the rest of the way and in the postseason, and make an impact for the better," he said. "I know what I can do. I know last year wasn’t a fluke for me. I know that was kind of the tip of the iceberg. I know what I can do and I know I can be even better than that. That’s just how my mind set is.

"I think if you take away the home runs this year then my numbers are a lot better. And if you look at some of the peripherals, some of them are better than they actually are. From Day 1 since I got here I know I’ve improved and become a better pitcher.

"The goal is to continue to get better and evolve as a starting pitcher because I know if you’re not changing and making progress, you’re left behind with the way the game is working with the numbers and analytics and that kind of thing.

"So you’ve got to figure out what you do well and just kind of take that in stride."

Anderson also mentioned the success he had in a similar situation a year ago, when the Brewers also arrived in St Louis seeking to clinch a playoff spot. Starting the first game, he allowed three hits and one run over seven innings in a 5-3 victory.

"It’s going to be huge, and I hope I factor into that for the positive for our team," Anderson said of the upcoming series. "That’s the goal – I want to pitch for our team and give our team the best chance to win.

"I feel like I’ve always been a guy that’s set my game up for big situations. You look at last year, we were one game away from it, I pitched the first game against the Cardinals and threw pretty well.

"I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of, so I’ll just continue to progress."