Brandon Woodruff, Brewers bid to bounce back vs. D-backs

Brandon Woodruff is coming off his worst outing of the season, but Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy said he isn't worried.

Woodruff will take the mound for the Brewers on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.

The two-time All-Star right-hander suffered his first loss of the season when the Chicago Cubs touched him for three runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings Tuesday.

Despite the loss, 4-1, Murphy liked one number in the outing: 94, Woodruff's pitch total.

Woodruff is 4-1 with a 2.47 ERA since July 27, when he came back from a 21-month layoff for surgery on his throwing shoulder. The 94 pitches were the most he has thrown this season.

"He had to battle some, but he really pitched great," Murphy said of Woodruff. "He didn't have some things go his way. He had a couple of 3-2 pitches that were close, but he ended up walking a couple.

"Most important to me though was he got his pitch count up and he had no problems. That was encouraging and I'm really happy for him. He has worked hard to get to this point.

Murphy gave Woodruff an extra day off just to make sure he was fully recovered.

Woodruff is 2-1 with a 4.28 ERA in seven career appearances (six starts) against the Diamondbacks.

Brewers closer Trevor Megill blew two save opportunities over the weekend to San Francisco, including Sunday when Heliot Ramos singled in two runs in the top of the ninth in the Giants' '4-3 win.

"Megill has been so great for us and usually we pick him up, but not today," Murphy said. "Since that 14-game win streak we have not been piling it on like we were."

The Brewers won a team-record 14 straight from Aug. 1-16 before losing six of their last nine games.

Sunday's defeat spoiled Bob Uecker Celebration of Life Day for the Brewers.

"Wish we could got that for Ueck," Murphy said of the longtime broadcaster, who died in January at the age of 90. "It was a great event and a great crowd. I did not think there was any way the baseball gods would take that from us."

The Diamondbacks will turn to left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (5-7, 5.40 ERA) to start Monday's game against the Brewers.

Rodriguez's last win came Aug. 14 against the Rockies, a game in which he allowed one run in seven innings of an 8-2 victory.

Rodriguez is 0-2 with a 2.60 ERA in three career starts against the Brewers. He is 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 2025 against them.

Arizona is coming off a home series in which it took two of three games from the Cincinnati Reds, who snapped the Diamondbacks' four-game winning streak with a 6-1 victory Sunday.

"There is no letdown by these guys," said Arizona's Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who saw his nine-game hitting streak end on Sunday. "They are hungry, and they want to win, and they want to continue winning for themselves."

--Field Level Media