Game report
Game report
Brewers 6, Diamondbacks 2
Milwaukee improved to 6-7 in Cactus League play with solid pitching from a handful of prospects in relief on March 6, but the real story was what didn’t happen: Challenges.
While Chad Patrick started and went three innings before a quartet of prospects closed out the game with zeroes on the mound, nobody on the Brewers side challenged a call.
More importantly, nobody in the dugout flashed any colored index cards to hitters before a pitch to indicate whether or not it was a green-light challenge situation.
The Brewers debuted their method for helping players know whether or not they were in an approved count or situation to call for an Automated Ball-Strike challenge the day before, March 5, while playing the Rockies.
If it was a situation where the team was OK with a player utilizing a challenge – such as a 3-2 count – a coach would Velcro a green index card to the dugout railing before the pitch. It was also signaled to the batter from the third bases coach’s box when on offense.
“I think it’s awesome, actually,” Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell said.
Major League Baseball didn’t quite think so.
BOX SCORE: Brewers 6, Diamondbacks 2
The league’s ABS rules indicate that a pitcher, catcher or batter can only challenge a pitch and they must do so immediately after the pitch and without any help from someone else.
The league informed the Brewers before their game against the Diamondbacks that they couldn’t use their green-card system before a pitch, either.
“You can’t do anything that’s not in the spirit of the rule,” Murphy said.
The experiment lived one day, but it’s still quite possible that teams around the league, including Milwaukee, will still find ways to relay to players – via signal or other method – that they’re in a situation where it is acceptable to challenge.
Quotable
“It’s daunting.” – Murphy on the downside of going into the season with such a young rotation.
Prospect watch
Jesús Made started and roped an RBI single at 104.6 mph as part of a 2 for 4 day, while Mike Boeve entered as a sub and hit a two-run homer to left-center in the seventh. Luis Lara also started and hit an RBI double to right-center.
Brewers spring training schedule
Brewers at Angels, 2:10 p.m. Saturday. Milwaukee RHP Brandon Woodruff vs. Los Angeles RHP Grayson Rodriguez. Radio – 620 WTMJ.
Brewers vs. Mariners, 3:10 p.m. Sunday. Milwaukee LHP Kyle Harrison vs. RHP George Kirby. Radio – 620 WTMJ.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Not so fast: MLB nixes Brewers’ green-card ABS challenge plans after one game
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
