SAN DIEGO – There are weeks during which teams just cruise along and then there are weeks like the one the best-in-MLB Brewers find themselves in the midst of, with so many moving pieces it’s difficult to keep track.
Take right-hander Bryse Wilson, who pitched one day, was designated for assignment the next, cleared waivers two days after that and elected free agency, and re-signed with the Brewers on Tuesday afternoon and was back in the bullpen during the fifth inning of their 11-2 loss to the Padres at Petco Park like he never left.
Or infielder Jihwan Bae, who was released by the Mets last week, signed a Minor League deal with the Brewers on Friday and was contributing to a win in the big leagues that same night, only to experience the other end of the spectrum Tuesday on would-be – maybe a should-be – triple play. But hold that thought for now.
Or William Contreras and Christian Yelich, two mainstays of the top of Milwaukee’s batting order for years, who found themselves batting in unfamiliar territory – sixth and seventh – on Monday night.
Now the Brewers are shifting around their infielders to cover for injuries, starting with Andrew Vaughn’s rare starts at third base and now Platinum Glove Award-winning second baseman Brice Turang’s move back to shortstop on Tuesday night.
Shortstop is certainly not foreign for Turang, a former first-round pick who was drafted as a shortstop and rose through the Brewers’ system as a shortstop before making his Major League debut at second base because shortstop belonged to Willy Adames. But it had been a while. Tuesday marked his first Major League start at short since 10 starts there in 2023.
“I think there’s a definite adjustment to it because he’s played the other side of the diamond for a very long time, and done it very well,” said Brewers third base coach and infield guru Matt Erickson. “Now, to his credit, probably once a week he will take ground balls from the other side and throw balls across the diamond to keep that feel, because he knows this is always a possibility based on injury or roster moves.”
Injuries precipitated this shift. Brewers rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt is on the injured list with a right hamstring strain and not expected back until late August, per the Brewers’ most recent injury report on Tuesday. His primary backup, Joey Ortiz, is sidelined temporarily with a stiff neck. And the Brewers’ other shortstop, David Hamilton, played third on Tuesday as a defensive upgrade over Vaughn, who started two recent games at third in a pinch. With Hamilton at third, Bae started in Turang’s spot at second base.
Which brings us to Tuesday’s turning point.
Brewers starter Kyle Harrison surrendered back-to-back singles to open the second inning before Padres catcher Luis Campusano, no burner on the basepaths, hit a sharp bouncer to third base. It had “triple play” written all over it for manager Pat Murphy. The Brewers have turned nine triple plays in their history, the last in September 2020.
But this would not be No. 10. Hamilton fielded the bouncer cleanly, stepped on third and threw toward Bae covering second base. The throw was low but catchable, and Bae muffed it. Murphy believed that even with the low throw, it should have been three.
One can debate that, but even if the Brewers get two outs on that play, it makes a huge difference. Two batters later with two outs, Jake Cronenworth doubled home the night’s first run, and two batters after that, Luis Rengifo, who’d been released by the Brewers in June after three ineffective months, hit a misplaced fastball for a grand slam to make it 5-0.
“I beat myself there, I’d say,” Harrison said. “If I do my stuff, he’s out.”
“Harry will be the first to tell you he didn’t throw the ball well,” Murphy said. “Didn’t have his normal stuff, didn’t land his breaking ball nearly as much, fastball wasn’t crisp. But [the misplay] does change the night a little bit.”
Harrison’s bad night kept getting worse, and he was out of the game after two more home runs in parts of three more innings with the Brewers facing an 8-1 deficit. Because the official scorer didn’t charge an error to Bae on his misplay, all of those runs were earned for the time being. Harrison’s ERA climbed to 3.47.
“I was shocked how he threw the ball tonight,” Murphy said. “He’s been so good for us that, you know, those happen. We didn’t swing the bats at all.”
By the seventh, Turang was back at his normal home at second base. Unfortunately for the Brewers, they faced an 11-1 deficit at the time, which made Murphy look even more prescient when he said this before the game:
“I think [Turang] will be fine,” he said. “There’s things he’s not used to and I don’t want to do it every day. I’m glad that Cooper and Joey are going to be back soon, barring a setback.”
Speaking of that, now the Brewers are worried about a setback for Turang. Murphy revealed after the game that he’s been dealing with a sprained thumb.
“Might not be the best time,” Murphy said.
If this week has shown anything, it’s that teams need to be ready for everything.
“We anticipate and prepare for the worst,” Erickson said. “But we hope we can keep guys in positions where we think they can have the most success.”