Davies joins Brewers, will debut Wednesday

MILWAUKEE -- Another piece of the Brewers' July prospect haul has made it to the Major Leagues.

As rosters expanded on Tuesday, the team promoted right-hander Zach Davies from Triple-A Colorado Springs and slated him to start on Wednesday against the Pirates at Miller Park. It will be the Major League debut of Davies, a 22-year-old command specialist acquired in a July 31 trade with the Orioles for Gerardo Parra.

"I've had coaches telling me, 'There's a chance you could go up there in September and pitch a little bit,'" Davies said, "but it's never real until it actually happens. Now that I'm here, it's real to me."

Davies joined a Brewers roster that already featured outfielder Domingo Santana, one of the farmhands acquired from the Astros in the July 30 trade that sent Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to Houston. In all, Milwaukee traded six Major League players in July and August for prospects, marking the start of a rebuilding period.

Santana is a towering presence at 6-foot-5. Davies is on the other end of the spectrum, 6-feet tall and 155 pounds, he said Tuesday. His new Brewers teammates were wise to save the jokes about his size, because Davies has already heard them.

"When people don't believe in what I can do it definitely is motivation," he said. "But when it is friends I know it is all in good fun.

"I don't get tired of it because there's always going to be some question. [Size] is it for me. I take a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. It helps me pitch a little bit. I know what I can do and I know I have confidence in myself."

Video: PIT@MIL: Davies meets with parents after callup

Said Brewers manager Craig Counsell: "Our game allows for all body types, all shapes, all sizes, to be successful. … He's not a big guy, but he's pitched his way here. He's earned his way here."

In five starts with Colorado Springs, Davies went 1-2 with a 5.00 ERA. Before the trade, he posted a 2.84 ERA in 19 appearances (18 starts) for Baltimore's top affiliate.

He joined the Brewers' prospects list at No. 11.

The Brewers had been working with a four-man rotation during a period of the schedule dotted with off-days. With the addition of Davies, Taylor Jungmann was bumped from Wednesday to Thursday against the Pirates, and struggling veteran Matt Garza was bumped from Thursday against the Bucs to Friday in Cincinnati against the Reds.

"One of things when you're debating who to pitch him against first, does it matter? What you come down to is you can't hide in the big leagues," Counsell said. "There's challenges around every corner."

Davies was the only addition when rosters expanded Tuesday, but right-hander Tyler Cravy is not far behind. Cravy, on the disabled list since Aug. 19 with a right elbow injury, threw 20 fastballs off the bullpen mound on Tuesday afternoon and will repeat the process on Thursday.

Counsell said the team hopes to add Cravy to the bullpen by Monday in Miami. That's also the last day of the Triple-A season, and the Brewers may add another player or two from Colorado Springs on Tuesday.