SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When Josh Hader is on the mound for the Brewers, he dominates, making it no surprise he did just that in his Cactus League debut.

The Brewers closer wasted no time getting back in the swing of things, striking out all three batters during the Brewers' 3-3 tie against the Giants on Wednesday.

“I felt good. Felt like I was getting down off the mound pretty well. I felt like I wasn’t leaking too early,” Hader said. “Everything’s good mechanically -- working the pitches, being able to command that secondary early in the count. The heater had good life to it. At the end of the day, it’s a good steppingstone.”

Hader did most of his damage with his slider and spotted his fastball when he needed it. The lanky left-hander struck out the side on just 11 pitches during his low-stress outing.

“It’s always good to compete and see how your stuff is playing," he said. "You can throw so many bullpens, so many live [batting practices], but when you [have a] guy up at the plate it’s a little bit different and it’s nice to see the reaction of the hitters."

Hader is coming off another dominant season in 2019 that saw him lead all relievers in strikeouts for the second consecutive season -- posting a 2.62 ERA and a .155 batting average against in the process. The Brewers expect more of the same from their All-Star closer in ‘20.

“It was a nice outing, clean outing,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He threw the ball well, threw a bunch of sliders. Right where he kind of left off with Josh. Good, clean, healthy outing.”

Lindblom comfortable with unique pitching program

New arrival Josh Lindblom is in his first Spring Training with the Brewers, but the starter already likes how things are going. A big part of that is the team’s pitching program. Milwaukee amended the way it gets starting pitchers back to game action under new pitching coach Chris Hook last spring.

Instead of instituting an every-fifth-day schedule from the start of camp like most teams -- typically beginning with a two-inning outing -- the Brewers are using their starters for one inning during their first outing with two days off, then two innings with three days off, then three innings in their third outing before settling into the usual routine of four days of rest. As a result, pitchers are on the mound against opposing hitters more often, earlier in camp.

Lindblom tossed two innings on Wednesday, allowing one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts during his second start of the spring.

“I’ve never done that. I usually get on a five-day [schedule] as quick as I can. Facing hitters is what's most important,” Lindblom said. “Getting a feel for the game, getting a feel for how you react in certain situations and just feeling the adrenaline again, feeling the anxiousness. As you face hitters, you get more and more used to that. So you're right, it's better to face hitters rather than just throw bullpens and work on this stuff at this point in spring.”

Worth noting
• Ryan Braun is continuing to get comfortable with his new home at first base. As the Brewers outfield has become much more crowded with the addition of Avisaíl García, Braun is expected to make a transition to first base this season. The 14-year veteran will start getting in-game repetitions next week.

“I would say again, this is just, we’re putting Ryan through it. What worked last time is just the fundamentals of first base. It just makes him more comfortable. It’s not as much a physical exercise as just the fundamentals of first base,” Counsell said. “Ryan, he’s got incredible instincts, so if you just put him through the paces like that, he figures everything out really, really fast. So that’s what we’re doing. It’s a process that we have plenty of time to go through.”

Up next
The Fox Sports Wisconsin broadcast team is set for its season debut Thursday when the Brewers host the Royals at American Family Fields of Phoenix at 2:05 p.m. CT. Left-hander Brett Anderson is slated to make his second Cactus League start for Milwaukee, with veteran Lorenzo Cain in center field for the first time this spring. Coming off a disappointing 2019 season at the plate, Cain dropped about 12 pounds over the winter in an effort to limit the wear and tear on his legs.

“I think he’s excited. He’s in good spirits,” Counsell said. “There’s a little chip on his shoulder, proving something to himself more than anybody. That’s a good place to be.”