It’s going to be tough for Logan Henderson to top his major league debut, a six-inning, one-run, nine-strikeout masterpiece in a win over the A’s just over 13 months ago.
But the body of work he turned in on Friday night, May 22 certainly ranks right up there for the young right-hander.
Henderson handcuffed the powerful lineup of the Los Angeles Dodgers, battling through a sore lower back to deliver five shutout innings in a 5-1 Milwaukee Brewers victory at American Family Field.
It was just the latest in what’s been an incredible run of performances by the team’s young pitchers, a group highlighted by rotation regulars Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison and rounded out by the likes of Brandon Sproat, starters turned relievers Shane Drohan and Chad Patrick and fill-ins Coleman Crow and Robert Gasser.
“There’s pretty high standards and they live up to them,” said manager Pat Murphy. “I’m really proud of Logan in particular, his attitude. It’s just tremendous.
“He’s a team guy.”
After making a two-inning spot start at Kansas City on April 4, Henderson was sent back to Class AAA Nashville until Brandon Woodruff was sidelined by a dead arm.
The 2021 fourth-round pick returned with an eight-strikeout performance over six innings at Washington on May 3 and since then has delivered a trio of five-inning starts with the last two culminating in victories.
Henderson pitched well against a strong New York Yankees lineup on May 10, but the Dodgers are another level indeed with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández forming as deep and powerful a top seven as any alignment in the game in recent years.
Henderson opened by walking Ohtani but recovered by striking out Betts and Freeman and then got some help from battery mate William Contreras when he threw out Ohtani attempting to steal second base – a terrific tag by Joey Ortiz and successful Brewers replay challenge also factoring in – to end the first.
“I never love to start the game off with a free pass but I was happy with the way we were able to bounce back,” Henderson said. “The caught stealing, I wasn’t really sure what was going on with the whole delay, but I was glad he was out.”
Indeed, Henderson and the Brewers catapulted off that with a three-run home run by Contreras in the bottom of the frame punctuating a four-run first and three strikeouts and a pair of groundouts key to Milwaukee’s young starter facing only the minimum through three innings.
And while dealing with a lower back that was “locking up” on Henderson, according to Murphy.
“A little low back tightness,” Henderson said. “I’ve dealt with it before in years past. A little tight mid-game, but feel good about it moving forward.”
Andrew Vaughn’s run-scoring double in the second extended Milwaukee’s lead to 5-0, and in the fourth Henderson worked around a leadoff single by Ohtani, one-out walk drawn by Freeman and two-out walk drawn by Pages when Muncy popped out to Brice Turang.
A leadoff single by Hernández resulted in nothing for the Dodgers in the fifth, and Henderson finished his evening in style by striking out Ohtani on four pitches – the last of which was a nasty changeup swung through by the game’s best player.
Murphy had the left-handed Drohan ready to go at that point, but stuck with Henderson.
“We felt like, ‘OK, he got the strikeout the hitter before,’ he’s going good and he understood how we wanted to tackle Ohtani,” said Murphy. “I thought he could still make those pitches, so that was a decision to leave him in. Could have easily gone to Drohan, but felt like he was on a roll there and he made 4-5 pitches in a row.
“His velo kind of picked up there the hitter before, and he was going to attack Ohtani similarly.”
The strikeout came on Henderson’s 85th pitch, a season high for him, and the swing and miss was his game-high 15th.
“Just trying to get the job done, honestly,” he said. “Don’t know how to explain it more than that, other than just trying to dig deep and find a way.
“I feel like that’s all that was there.”
Henderson, who improved to 2-1, didn’t allow a run for just the second time in 10 major league starts and struck out seven. He’s also allowed no more than two runs in any of his 10 starts, making him the first pitcher since at least 1898 to accomplish that feat.
“His pitches are really good. The fastball and changeup work really well together,” said Contreras. “I think he knows what he’s doing out there. He’s very competent and has a plan.
“Just getting some more experience under his belt, I think he’ll continue to shine.”
Through his five starts this season, Henderson sports a 2.74 ERA, WHIP of 1.04 and he’s limiting opposing batters to a collective .214 average. He’s also struck out 30 in 23 innings.
Will it be enough for him to remain in the rotation once Woodruff returns? Milwaukee is listing its starter as To Be Announced for its series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 27, which would be Henderson’s next turn if the Brewers stay in line.
“He was a part of it last year; pitched some great games for us,” said Murphy. “I consider him part of this team but any guy with options is going to go down and up based on the volume that we have and rest that’s needed and all that kind of stuff. So, guys go through phases.
“He’s already earned it. He earned it last year. He was counted on and part of the mix just like he’s getting his chance to do now.”
Henderson, of course, would love to remain in the mix – especially with the Brewers playing a three-game series in Houston – Henderson’s hometown – beginning next Friday.
But with all the bouncing back and forth he’s done the last two years, he knows as well as anyone his status can change at a moment’s notice even though he’s done everything possible to prove he’s worthy of sticking for the long term.
“I think we piggyback off each other really well,” said Henderson of the team’s talented group of young pitchers. “We have a great staff right now and have for a long time, and it’s just a next-man-up mentality.
“The goal is to win tonight and it’s not much more than that.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Logan Henderson the latest, greatest youngster to deliver for Brewers
Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
