Starter or reliever, win or lose, Ashby 'takes it all in stride'

ATLANTA -- Before Sunday, the Brewers were thrilled with the way the year had begun for second-year left-hander Aaron Ashby. The workload was smoothly choreographed, even as Ashby bounced between the bullpen and starting rotation. The results were solid.

Then came Sunday’s 9-2 loss to the right-handed-heavy Braves, a reminder that it won’t go so smoothly all season.

Ashby issued a bases-loaded walk among his four free passes, he threw a run-scoring wild pitch, he surrendered a home run on a “misexecuted” sinker that had extreme movement but was in the wrong spot, and he otherwise scuffled for most of his 82 pitches over four innings at Truist Park. After allowing five earned runs in his first six appearances spanning 19 1/3 innings this season, Ashby was saddled with six runs, all earned, in four innings against the Braves.

“The command wasn’t there for me today throughout the game,” Ashby said. “They made me pay for it.”

The Brewers lost back-to-back games for the first time in three weeks and saw Ashby stall for the first time this season. Most of the damage came in the second inning, when, during a seven-batter span, the Braves scored four runs on two singles, two walks including William Contreras on four pitches with the bases loaded, a run-scoring fielder’s choice for Ronald Acuña Jr., and a bloop, two-run double for Matt Olson, who’d begun the series hitless in his first seven at-bats. It wasn’t loud contact, Brewers manager Craig Counsell noted, but Ashby gave the Braves too many “easy” pitches way out of the zone. They laid off, and that led to problems.

Eventually, Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook visited the mound and alerted Ashby to the fact he was pulling his head through his delivery. Ashby made a correction, but damage had been done.

“You walk the 8-9 hitters,” Counsell said, “you’re asking for trouble.”

“I just lost it there for a second,” Ashby said. “I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was trying to guess around on what I was doing, and it took ‘Hooky’ coming out there. I have to make that adjustment on my own.”

Counsell has not committed to probable pitchers beyond the Brewers' next series in Cincinnati, but he said earlier this week that the Brewers were planning to use six starters “when appropriate” for the rest of the month of May. With an open date on the schedule later this week, it remains to be seen whether this next turn through the rotation is one of those appropriate spots for Ashby to make consecutive appearances as a starter.

But so far, so good -- at least before Sunday’s stumble. The Brewers’ idea coming into the season was to use Ashby as a swingman, scheduling the relief outings when possible and spacing the starts in such a way that it offered extra rest to others in the rotation.

“The way we’ve been able to use him was perfect,” Counsell said coming into this trip. “We’ve been able to keep him on a starter’s routine while lessening his innings, but still getting him on a schedule where he throws a bullpen between appearances.”

Counsell added: “I think it will benefit Ash. The way we’ve been able to do it, fortunately through the schedule and how everyone has pitched around him and how he’s pitched, it really helps us.”

Ashby has been on board.

“I’m excited if [sticking as a starter for a time] is what we continue to do, and if not, go back to the ‘pen,” he said. “Whatever it may be. I think we’re doing a great job here of keeping myself ready and making my appearances easy for everybody.”

Sunday was not close to the outing Ashby and the Brewers wanted. But when veteran reliever Brent Suter encountered the young lefty after the game, he offered an upbeat outlook.

“I told him just now, ‘The game kept pushing on you, pushing on you, and you pushed back. It easily could have been a real short day for you, but you kept pushing back,’” Suter said. “To get through four for us was big. He just kept fighting and he takes it all in stride.

“He’s learning all the time. He’s wanting to get better. He’s not letting things get to him at all. It’s a really good mindset he has; I’m actually envious of it because sometimes after bad outings I let it fester a little bit. He’s got a really good head on his shoulders and I’m really proud of him for pushing back today on the game.”