Brewers hope MLB stint boosts Thornburg

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers hope that a more confident Tyler Thornburg returned to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

The team optioned its top prospect back to the Minors on Saturday night to create roster space for closer Jim Henderson's return from the DL. The move came mere moments after his Brewers teammates doused Thornburg in cold water and baby power, the traditional celebration these days for a player's first Major League victory.

Thornburg was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two big league relief appearances this season, but returned to Nashville with a 0-7, 6.75 mark waiting for him there.

"I know they say the numbers aren't the true picture of what he's doing there, but you still look at that as a player," Roenicke said. "You're still seeing a six-point-whatever ERA. So coming up here and pitching well, especially yesterday, the two innings and getting out of a jam, I can't imagine him not going back and having confidence in what he's doing. He had a great curveball yesterday, his fastball was explosive. I look up there and I see 95 [mph]. And we're not even counting the change-up.

"How can he not go down and pitch well in Triple-A?"

Thornburg saw the roster move coming.

"Things haven't been going my way down there [in the Minors]," he said. "The soft-hit balls are hits, the hard-hit balls are hits. I was fortunate to come up here and have things go my way a little bit. I think for the most part, I was happy to get in a game that was close up here, where you can get a little adrenaline pumping and get locked in."