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Gallardo on track to return during next homestand

SEATTLE -- Yovani Gallardo successfully tested his strained left hamstring in a Saturday bullpen session and remains on track to come off the disabled list early in the Brewers' next homestand.

Gallardo will throw another bullpen on Tuesday in Texas and is eligible to return from the DL on Aug. 15. He's likely to be reinstated to the starting rotation a few days later, either during a four-game series against the Reds, or the subsequent series against the Cardinals.

"The main thing is feeling comfortable, not feeling a thing, and it went well," Gallardo said. "I was able to throw a complete bullpen, and that's a good start."

Manager Ron Roenicke and pitching coach Rick Kranitz spent time discussing the team's upcoming pitching plans on Saturday. The Brewers suddenly have a surplus of arms, with Tom Gorzelanny pitching Saturday after taking a few extra days to calm a bruised elbow, recently-reinstated Marco Estrada set for his second start off the DL on Tuesday, Tyler Thornburg remaining in the rotation to pitch Wednesday, and then Gallardo ready to rejoin the mix sometime in the days that follow.

The Brewers have not formally announced any starting pitching plans past Wednesday.

"Everything is going good right now, I haven't had any setbacks," Gallardo said. "We have to wait and see tomorrow. Hopefully, there's no tightness or soreness there. Then we can go on to the next one."

With the season winding down, Gallardo will almost certainly fall short of 200 innings for the first time since 2010, and 200 strikeouts for the first time since 2008, when he lost most of the season to a knee injury.

Considering his high pitch counts in recent years, and the fact he dealt with diminished velocity earlier this season, Gallardo was asked whether there might be a benefit to his unwanted two-week break.

"I think it does [refresh the arm]," Gallardo said. "Especially late in the season, it's not easy going out there every five days and throwing 100 pitches. But you never want to get a break [because of injury], but when certain things happen, it can be a good thing."

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy.
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