Hall K's 3, Lockridge homers as pair near return to Brewers

Brewers left-hander DL Hall made his fourth Minor League rehab appearance on Wednesday as he nears a return from the injured list due to a left pectoral strain. He pitched one inning in High-A Wisconsin’s 5-3 loss to Lansing, giving up one run and striking out the side on 13 pitches (11 strikes).

Hall, who had been sidelined since June 5 before making his first rehab appearance for Wisconsin on July 19, yielded his only run on Wednesday in bizarre fashion.

After he struck out the first two batters to open the fifth inning, Hall’s first pitch to C.J. Pittaro was driven down the left-field line. Left fielder Tyler Rodriguez dove in an unsuccessful attempt to make the catch. The ball trickled behind Rodriguez, but he apparently thought it was foul given that his dive was across the foul line. The ball was fair and Pittaro circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run.

Across his four rehab outings, including two with Triple-A Nashville, Hall has given up two runs over 5 2/3 innings (3.18 ERA) with three walks and nine strikeouts.

The hope is that Hall, who has a 2.03 ERA over 24 appearances (one start) for Milwaukee this season, will be back with the Major League club by early August. The Brewers would like to see him make back-to-back rehab appearances before being activated off the IL.

Another key player on a rehab assignment for Milwaukee is outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who went on the IL with a right knee laceration after crashing into the wall down the left-field line while trying to make a catch at American Family Field on May 9.

Lockridge played in his first rehab game with Nashville on July 24, and after going 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the first inning against Charlotte on Wednesday, he is 4-for-14 (.286) over four games for the Sounds. Prior to the injury, he had a .294/.368/.341 slash line over 96 plate appearances for the Brewers.