KANSAS CITY -- For the Brewers, Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Royals didn’t go nearly as well as Game 1.
With right-hander Brandon Sproat experiencing a tough sixth inning and mainstay outfielder Sal Frelick leaving the game because of left side tightness, Milwaukee certainly didn’t save the best for last. The Royals snapped out of a tie in the sixth inning with a six-run rally as the Brewers fell 8-2 in Game 2 at Kauffman Stadium.
After Sproat allowed seven earned runs over three innings in his 2026 debut against the White Sox on Sunday, manager Pat Murphy decided to try a different approach Saturday. The Brewers used Logan Henderson, whom the Brewers called up as their 27th man, as an opener and Sproat came on in the third inning. That plan worked out for a while as Sproat had three scoreless innings to begin his outing, but Salvador Perez launched a solo homer to left-center field off Sproat in the sixth that ignited Kansas City’s big rally.
Sproat wound up allowing four earned runs on four hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings. The Brewers worked Kansas City starter Seth Lugo’s pitch count to 103 through five innings, but could only score in the third thanks to Brice Turang’s RBI triple and Garrett Mitchell’s RBI double.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy liked what he saw from Sproat until the Royals got it rolling in the sixth.
“Sproat got a little preoccupied there at the end and didn’t make the pitches he needed to,” Murphy said. “But he did some very good things. Made a bad pitch to Salvy and then lost his composure a little bit with two outs. The guys who came in [after Sproat] didn’t help him. But I thought Sproat did a really good job for three innings.”
Sproat threw 70 pitches but struggled with command, throwing just 39 strikes. He’s hopeful that falling behind in counts won’t become his norm.
Sproat, the Brewers’ No. 5 prospect, is still learning how to face Major League hitters for a second and third time, but he’s gaining valuable experience in the process.
“Mentally better, physically better, but still frustrating,” Sproat said. "Some would say yes, [that this was better than my first outing], but the competitor I am says no.”