Game report
Dodgers 4, Brewers 3
PHOENIX – After growing up wearing Dodger blue, Brady Ebel got his first chance to play against the colors while wearing a different uniform of his own at American Family Fields of Phoenix on March 9.
Ebel, the No. 32 pick in last year’s draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and the son of longtime Dodgers third base coach, spent his formative years on the field at Dodger Stadium before games taking batting practice and fielding ground balls.
Ebel even got to sign his first professional contract with the Brewers while at Dodger Stadium when Milwaukee visited last July.
“I’m a Brewer and we’ve got to beat the Dodgers now,” he said last summer.
Typically, Brady would have shared the field when on defense with his dad, Dino, but that will have to wait for another day as World Baseball Classic coaching duties for the United State occupied Dino.
Brady has gotten a solid amount of playing time late in games this spring and is third on the team in innings played at shortstop.
“He’s a good player, man,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s going to be a force.”
Aaron Ashby tinkers
Aaron Ashby tried out a new slider grip, learned from Brandon Sproat, for the first time in a game. Ashby threw it eight times and had a 50% whiff rate with the pitch while working 2 ⅔ innings.
The left-hander plans to work his way up to a fourth inning this spring.
Jake Bauers goes deep again
Seemingly every year, the Brewers have a candidate for Cactus League MVP – unofficially, of course, because that award doesn’t exist.
This year it’s Jake Bauers.
The veteran first baseman reached base three times and hit his third homer of the spring, during which he’s 9 for 17 with a 1.843 OPS.
Prospect watch
Left-hander Shane Drohan delivered another solid outing, allowing one run on two hits while striking out three over the first three innings before running out of gas in his fourth inning and giving up the game-deciding runs.
Brewers spring training schedule
Off-day Tuesday.
Brewers at Reds, 3:05 p.m. Wednesday: Milwaukee LHP Robert Gasser vs. Cincinnati LHP Andrew Abbott. Audio stream – Brewers.com
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers prospect Brady Ebel gets chance to play against dad’s Dodgers
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
