Notes: Gio Gonzalez remaining engaged despite season-ending ankle injury

It certainly wasn't the way Gio Gonzalez envisioned his season ending.

One pitch into the second inning of his Game 4 National League Championship Series start against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, Gonzalez leaped on the mound to try and snare a comebacker off the bat of Yasiel Puig.

Gonzalez landed awkwardly and rolled his left ankle, an injury that ultimately forced him from the game on his next pitch.

"My adrenaline was so high I did not feel anything," he said. "They had to show me video. It was a good judgment call on their part because I would have tried to keep pitching. I’ve taken a line drive off that same foot."

The diagnosis was a high ankle sprain. And with the Milwaukee Brewers needing all the pitching help they could get, Gonzalez was removed from the NLCS roster and replaced by right-hander Zach Davies.

That night, Gonzalez figured it was no big deal – he'd take a few days off, treat the ankle and return to action if the Brewers advanced to the World Series. It wasn't until the next day, Wednesday, that the 11-year veteran learned the hard truth.

Specifically, that being removed from the NLCS roster had ended his season.

"Every kid dreams of getting to this situation and maybe, hopefully, fingers crossed making it to the next round," Gonzalez said. "That situation changed immediately the following day. I’m here thinking just rest it; they’re going to sit me out for a little bit. But it’s very understandable. They knew what they were doing.

"It’s unfortunate but at the same time Zach was originally here, it’s well-deserved for him and I couldn’t be happier for him. I just wish I could have been more of a help."

Making the situation even more frustrating for Gonzalez was the news he received Friday after an MRI – he'd likely have missed only 2-3 weeks with the injury had it been the regular season.

"I know myself. I would have taped it up and I probably would have made my next start," he said. "Guaranteed. That I can promise you. I do not spend any time on the DL."

Gonzalez was acquired via trade from the Washington Nationals on Aug. 31 with the expectation he'd help bolster the Brewers' starting rotation down the stretch.

The left-hander did just that, going 3-0 with a 2.13 earned run average in five starts (25⅓ innings) after a down final season with Washington that saw him go 7-11 with a 4.57 ERA in 27 starts.

But Gonzalez saw his role shrink heading into the postseason.

With manager Craig Counsell relying more than ever on his bullpen, Gonzalez didn't pitch at all in Milwaukee's three-game National League Division Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies. He started Game 1 of the NLDS but pitched only two innings and then saw his Game 4 start ended by the ankle sprain.

"For me, it’s just keeping the same routine with everyone," he said. "It does suck. It is a bad feeling. But the way I see it is we’re here. There’s no point in crying over spilled milk. It’s, 'Let’s keep going.'"

Gonzalez is playing out the final year of a contract paying him $12 million for 2018.

Like another veteran Brewers lefty, Wade Miley, he enters free agency in the offseason. At 33 years old and with Milwaukee boasting all kinds of young starting-pitching depth, a return appears unlikely.

If a deal made sense, though, Gonzalez left no doubt he'd love to return.

"Absolutely. I love the vibe in here. I love the guys in here," he said. "Everyone is pulling on the same end of the rope trying to win this tug-of-war with the Dodgers, and I love it. Everyone’s dropping the selfish act and being rah-rah guys.

"They understand there’s a bigger picture, and I love that."

Buddies to the end: When the Brewers acquired veteran third baseman Mike Moustakas on July 27 from Kansas City, no one was happier than Ryan Braun.

“I’ve known ‘Moose’ since high school,” said Braun, a fellow resident of Malibu, Calif. “I’ve been vouching for him since the offseason. I’ve had a lot of conversations with the front office and Counsell about trying to get him over here, knowing what type of ballplayer and team member he is.

“He cares about winning baseball games as much as anybody in our league. And there’s real value there. It’s special for me; it feels more meaningful to me to have an opportunity to play with somebody who is truly a friend of mine. I’ve known him since he was in high school.”

Beyond Moustakas’ on-field talent, the Brewers knew he would be a good fit in their clubs with a noted team-first approach. They also valued his experience in the postseason, having gone to the World Series in 2014 and 2015, claiming the big trophy the second time.

In many ways, Moustakas said the feel around the Brewers is similar to his experience in Kansas City, another small market that broke through.

“The buzz is real,” Moustakas said. “You walk into the city or on your way home, you see all the signs and fans wearing all their Brewers gear. You see the Braun jerseys and the (Christian) Yelich jerseys. The small-market atmosphere is more personable.

“It’s fun to come out and enjoy this with the fans, with this electric crowd. It’s very similar to Kansas City in that way. I’ve only been here a couple of months. Ryan’s been here for years. But the fan base has been here for however long. That’s how we looked at it in Kansas City."

Moustakas has added to a close-knit clubhouse with a motto of “staying connected,” and he said that togetherness was a big factor in the Brewers coming together late in the year to secure the NL Central crown and a postseason berth.

“Every team is different; every season is different,” Moustakas said. “With this group, we have that ‘never say die’ attitude. We’re never going to quit, no matter what the score is. Everybody pulls for each other. And that’s just the sign of good baseball teams.”